Sacred Soul Crystal

Lin Qian hadn't expected that his parents would leave a letter for him. Especially one with an exceptionally distressing and ominous blood-red webbing inscribed on its surface. The crimson inscriptions were tightly grouped, much like strands of hair, densely woven over the surface of the letter.

From the mint condition of the letter, Lin Qian knew, Ye Nanxin had this letter carefully stashed away for the past years. Throughout the many years, never once had he attempted to find out the contents. From this, Ye Nanxin's superior upbringing and personality could be seen.

The scarlet red webbing was reminiscent of a technique that Lin Qian's teacher once spoke of. The Bloodline Seal. Anything marked with the seal would not budge when anyone except people from the same main family bloodline of the sealer tried to open it.

Should outsiders attempt to forcefully rip it open, drastic changes would occur. The first time, the scarlet red webbing lines would thicken, enhancing its already menacing aura. The second time, the envelope's webbing would light up in flames, burning through the razor-thin lines, reducing the letter to ashes, leaving it completely destroyed.

Thinking of it, Lin Qian reached out to open the letter without hesitation. The moments his fingertips touched the envelope, the fabric-dense scarlet webbing retreated like the change of tide in the oceans. Instantaneously, it congregated on the opening flap, forming a bloodstain.

Seeing the stain, a vivid image flooded Lin Qian's mind. A drop of crimson blood dripping off his Father's fingertips onto the leather envelope. In the next instant, hair-thin scarlet webbing crawled over the entire surface densely, sealing the envelope firmly.

"What is written in this mysterious letter by father and mother?" Noting that the Bloodline Seal had retreated, Lin Qian opened the envelope, his face tensed in curiosity.

Shock overwhelmed Lin Qian the moment the envelope revealed its contents. Inside, it was actually a storage space! It was not very big, spanning only the size of a watermelon. However, it was completely full.

When Lin Qian saw the item within the storage, he was left wide-eyed, completely lost for words. At lightning speed, he slammed the envelope shut, breathing deeply as he reverted to his usual stoic expression. 

Gripping the letter tightly, he darted back into his courtyard. As he entered, he locked the door behind him dead tight before rushing into his room. Slamming the doors shut tightly, he sat on his bed, pulling his bed curtains, isolating himself.

Having done all the precautionary measures, he carefully peeled opened the envelope again. From within, he picked up a crystal ball, at a size larger than his head.

The item was pure snow-white, flawless with no speck of impurities. The Crystal seemed like jade, yet at the same time, it was not. The instant his fingertips touched, a relaxing wave pulsated through his entire body. At that instant, Lin Qian could feel tension escaping from his pores, a pleasant gratification engulfing him within.

This pure white crystalline solid, bearing a semblance of jade, was a genuine piece of Soul Crystal.

Soul Crystals, these rare substances were the product of extracting and compressing the Soul Energy within the Heaven and Earth's Energy. Within each molecule, the purest Soul Energy was contained. Even the smallest shard of the Crystal was highly coveted by Soul Practitioners for its easy absorption and tremendous benefits to their cultivation.

Not only that, Soul Crystals could act as fuel for Spiritual Arrays, support the refinement of Pills and the tempering of equipment. Additionally, its high value made it the perfect item to use as currency for trade even across regions.

Soul Crystals were indispensable for Soul Practitioners of any class.

But nothing was equally valued within Soul Crystals. They were different graded following their purity, classified under three classes, with three tiers within each. A hundred pieces of the lower class Crystal had the same value as a single Middle-Class Crystal. Similarly, a hundred pieces of Middle-Class Crystal valued the same as a High-Class Crystal. Above the High-Class Crystal, there was the Finest and the Premium Class Crystals.

Above all the Soul Crystals, according to the words of Lin Qian's teacher, there was the fabled and unparalleled, purest and flawless, Sacred Soul Crystal. A Crystal of this class was said to exist only in fiction and legends, wholly unseen and undiscovered by men.

Yet, this legendary Soul Crystal appeared now, in front of Lin Qian's eyes. More importantly, as the only item left behind by his parents.

This Crystal on his palm was as white as the purest snow. It was flawless in its entirety, without even a speck of impurities. As it laid on his hand, Soul Energy radiated through his arms and into his body. As it circulated through, every muscle relaxed, spreading an unexplainable delightfulness.

Per his teacher's words, this Crystal, larger than the size of his head, was a genuine piece of priceless treasure. For comparison, to qualify as a Soul crystal, the minimum size was compared to the fingertip of a pinky. 

 A Soul Crystal of that size would throw the market into turmoil. For a coveted and priceless item like this, there could only be a sky-high price, unaffordable for all. Should it be traded, a minuscule piece could exchange a hundred thousand pieces of the Finest Soul Crystals and up to 10 million pieces of the High-Class Soul Crystals! Comparatively, the entire Mount Ba City was only worth up to 100 pieces of High-Class Soul Crystals. Yet, looking at the gigantic piece of Sacred Soul Crystal on high hand, Lin Qian was undoubtedly sure that he could split this into at least a hundred pieces.

Having struck gold once in his past life, Lin Qian never thought he would strike it lucky again. Yet, a windfall landed on his lap once more.

"Originally, I believed that Father and Mother were just a typical Soul Practitioner couple, hitching a stay at the Ye Mansion. Looks like they weren't simple people." Staring blankly at the Sacred Soul Crystal, Lin Qian muttered to himself, astounded by the wealth he held in his hands.

Despite being a super-rich man in his past life, the net worth of the Sacred Soul Crystals was still unfathomable and even freakish in his eyes.

"The filthy rich never announces their affluence. The existence of this Crystal must not leak out, not to a single soul." Taking a deep breath, Lin Qian pulled himself together, swiftly hiding the snow-white Crystal into his mysterious Martial Soul.

As Lin Qian held his hands around the Crystal, the enormous gem vanished into thin air, swiftly materialising within his Dantian, and disappeared into the swirls of the Martial Soul.

Unbeknownst to Lin Qian, the Sacred Soul Crystal had made another movement, after the absorption into his Whirlpool Martial Soul. It finally landed on the palms of a Bird-nest headed man.

Looking gleefully at the hefty energy-loaded Crystal on his palm, the man's lips lifted into a crooked smile. As though he had lost his mind, he danced around maniacally, a loud, resonant guffaw echoed loudly, "HAHAHA! With this materialised energy, the Empire's restoration could be hastened and quickly completed!"

Caressing the Sacred Soul Crystal, the mad man looked up sternly into the Pale White Whirlpool above his head, swearing aloud, "Your Majesty, give me a while more. Just a little longer, this minister would be able to see your peerless glory, and once again serve at your feet. Soon, I would succeed, just a little more… HAHAHAHA!"

Despite it happening within his Martial Soul, Lin Qian was oblivious to it all. Never would he had imagined, behind his bizarre Martial Soul, a man lived. Not just any man, he was an inscrutable one.

At this moment, all of Lin Qian's mind and Soul were fixated on the letter's contents.

Initially, the letter paper was concealed beneath the Sacred Soul Crystal. Within it stashed away, it quickly landed in Lin Qian's sight.

The message was long, explaining several queries briefly. 

Having gone through the message, Lin Qian looked up, staring at the ceiling as a deep long sigh escaped from him. His emotions were all jumbled up, gnawing deep within his Soul,

The message he just read was split into 2 segments. The first was from his mother. Lengthy reminders and instructions to live well, eat well and sleep well were given over and over again. Indeed, they were just the usual motherly naggings. Every word and sentence sent the warmth and love he craved during his years away from home, tugging at his heartstrings.

The following words from his Father proved to be of much more weight.

First of all, this Sacred Soul Crystal was indeed left by his Father. Within the messages, he instructed Lin Qian to scrape it into powder, mixing it into a glass of water before ingesting it. By doing so, he could increase his body's physical strength by leaps and bounds.

By the time he had ingested the entire Crystal, his physique would have achieved, at the very least, the durability of the Nirvana Stage. At this stage, his lifespan would be more than 500 years, more than sufficient to wait for his parent's return.

Everything had been thought out by his Father for him. Just that it never occurred to him that Lin Qian would have another miraculous blessing, enabling him to train as a Soul Practitioner.

Secondly, Lin Qian learnt that his parents were not from Qing Province. Facing his lack of a Martial Soul, they were stuck in a tough predicament. Left with no choice, they left him and headed back to their homeland in search of the remedy. They would return in perhaps a year or two, or even a few decades or maybe never again.

Should they not return within 20 years, they wanted Lin Qian to remain in Mount Ba City, safely and peacefully spending the rest of his life in this small township.

Thirdly, if he was fortunate enough to have a life-changing encounter and awakened his Martial Soul, he was to absorb the Sacred Soul Crystals into his body, slowly and steadily increase his cultivation. Most importantly, to not search for their whereabouts and never ever mention his identity as their son. When the time comes, the family would naturally be reunited again.

Finally, LinQian's Father shed some light regarding the ruins on Mount Ba.

"Who are Father and Mother? Why can't I mention my identity as their son?" The odd instructions left Lin Qian perplexed. As his brows furrowed from confusion, his fist tightened. The letter within his grip exploded into tiny shreds as a bright glimmer from Lin Qian's Soul Energy sparkled.

The message from the letter and the groundbreaking discovery of a sizable Sacred Soul Crystal was simply unbelievable. Linking these surprising events together, the image of his parents got more and more shrouded in mystery. For the first time, they felt utterly foreign.

"In any case, I will definitely find both of you!" With his eyes clear and bright with determination, Lin Qian gripped his fist so tightly till his nails turned white, loudly swearing. Being an orphan in his past life, he would never let himself land in that depressed state for another time!

Leaping off his bed, he walked to the front lounge of his bedroom. Suddenly, his eyes widened three sizes.

Within his Martial Soul, Heaven and Earth's Energy was bursting out in volumes far more significant than before. This was unprecedented. Indeed, he had realised that the Heaven and Earth's Energy from within his Whirpool Martial Soul increased with time. However, the rate of increase was gradual and slow. Never had it boosted within several folds within instants.

"What in the world? What is happening to my Martial Soul?" Li Qian had never truly understood the workings of his own Martial Soul. Was this radical change the calm before the storm?

All of a sudden, the cause dawned upon Lin Qian. It had to be due to the Sacred Soul Crystal.

"Could it be… the Sacred Soul Crystal activated the Martial Soul, influencing some changes?" Wriggling his fingers, Lin Qian connected the potential causes together.

Immediately, a smug smile surfaced, "For one, I can't bring this gigantic Crystal out to use as currency. Then again, my cultivation level is too low to absorb it within my body. Even if I managed, I would be so sluggish that I might as well absorb High-class crystals instead. If this is really causing this burst of Heaven and Earth's Energy, I guess it's good for my training and cultivation."

Soaking the bountiful Heaven and Earth's Energy circulating around his body, Lin Qian closed his eyes and enjoyed the gradually strengthening of his physical body and the increasing Soul Energy. Pleased with the results, Lin Qian smiled to himself, lightly skipping out of the door.

Leaving Ye Mansion, Lin Qian strolled about Mount Ba City. Owing to his plain and inconspicuous robes, he went undetected, like any other Tom, Dick and Harry.

Yet, not long after he left the City gates, he strayed off the conventional paths, walking towards the dense vegetation and forest. When he entered a patch of forest, clear of any other townsmen, he could finally relax, heaving a sigh of relief.

All of a sudden, violent and dominating Soul Energy erupted out of thin air, cladding Lin Qian. The aura around him was a pure- pearl white, unblemished by any other colours. Finally, his aura was no longer suppressed, the dominance of a 5th tier, Materialised Vitality Soul Practitioner radiated uncontrollably.

Peng!

In one swift motion, he stamped his right sole onto the ground, his entire body rocketed off like a blast of wind. As the soil around burst into all directions, his being had long vanished from the spot.

Within the dense jungle, Lin Qian breezed through the trees, manoeuvring the bends and turns expertly. Despite the lightning pace he was at, he avoided any twigs and branches like a piece of cake.

After rushing forward at maximum speed for a full cup of tea's time, the jungle scenery made way for the sight of the gem-blue river, dribbling along quietly.

At its edge, three men had already gathered. Two of them being the Universal Phenomenon Sect Disciples back at Ye Mansion, the brothers, Zhao Qiang and Zhao Jian.

On their side, stood a dashing young man, clad in regal clothes. His perfectly sculpted face, coupled with his neatly kept appearance, made handsome an understatement. This stunning young man was the son of the Governor, the young master of Bai Family, the man renowned as the man blessed by the Heavens within Mount Ba City, Bai Ren!

Seeing the fast approaching Lin Qian, they were taken aback. Quickly, they cupped their fist in a courteous greeting, Bai Ren was no exception.

"Brother Lin!"

Just as the 3 men spoke, a loud snapping of branches stabbed through their words.

"Who's there!" Lin Qian's survival instincts blared within him. As he swiftly turned, his palm struck out expertly, blasting Soul Energy in the shape of his palm through thin air, crashing towards the tree branches.

A piercing scream quickly followed as a petite figure crashed down from the heights of the trees. As the silhouette cleared up, Lin Qian was dumbfounded. Not knowing to laugh or scold, Lin Qian questioned, "Ye Lin, what in the world are you doing here?"