LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 177
Chapter 177: The First Soul Pearl
As soon as Qin Bei said this, Mu Zhaoxue froze in place.
At that moment, she felt like the person on her back was assessing her with a very lewd gaze.
For some inexplicable reason, Mu Zhaoxue felt an itch and a warm sensation spreading across her body.
Very hot.
This was a feeling she had never experienced before.
At the same time, an inner conflict suddenly emerged.
Her husband had expressed himself so straightforwardly, and he was quite pitiful, wasn’t he?
Although this request was a little awkward—after all, it was underwear—it was her husband. Even giving him her underwear shouldn’t be something she couldn’t accept.
But why did it feel somewhat perverted?
How about just sleeping together instead?
Mu Zhaoxue’s thoughts drifted off, making them hard to grasp.
But none of that mattered, because Ji Zhuyue, standing nearby, had already taken action.
Having never seen such a perverse request before, Ji Zhuyue slapped Qin Bei on the back of his head.
Qin Bei, who was busy dreaming of his blissful life ahead, was instantaneously snapped back to reality.
He looked at Ji Zhuyue with a gaze full of grievance.
“Woman! This is the second time you’ve ruined my good thing!”
“Stop thinking about those bad things. There are so many people ahead; there’s bound to be an opportunity. Let’s discuss this later,” Ji Zhuyue said helplessly.
What could Qin Bei do? Since his wife had spoken, he had no choice but to obey.
However, Qin Bei didn’t obediently get down from Mu Zhaoxue’s back.
In such a beautiful moment, of course, if he could linger a bit longer, he would!
How could he just hop off because of Ji Zhuyue’s words?
He wasn’t at all worried about the strategy failing this time; it was something he had anticipated.
Failing once was inevitable. As long as he got some gains, it was all good. Judging from earlier, there were still plenty of gains.
So Qin Bei wasn’t in a rush at all.
After all, time was still on his side—one whole month!
He refused to believe he couldn’t win over his two wives with his sweet talk!
If he couldn’t capture both at once, he’d at least make sure to snag one!
…
Inside the palace.
Emperor Xia, who had been closely watching Qin Bei’s every move, had already balled his fists tightly.
This rebellious son!
Thinking that playing was just a joke, and now he really took it seriously!
As if that wasn’t enough, he was flirting with his wife while playing?
What did he think the Royal Tomb Trial was? A place to pick up chicks?
In the past, Emperor Xia had heard people say that Qin Bei liked to indulge in pleasures; he had just let it slide.
He never really believed those rumors. After all, how could someone elevate their cultivation level so significantly in such a short time?
It was impossible for Qin Bei’s cultivation to upgrade on its own.
So he figured those rumors were just spread by people jealous of Qin Bei.
But now it seemed he had been too idealistic.
Some people really could eat, drink, and play while cultivating.
If there weren’t any special reasons, Emperor Xia would have to go in and give Qin Bei a good beating!
This was just outrageous!
On the contrary, the expressions of the others were quite peculiar.
They probably had never seen such a unique person as Qin Bei.
Everyone was thinking about how the rumors from the outside world weren’t so precise.
This had nothing to do with being a young hero, arrogant or domineering.
Only the Beast Lion sneered coldly within.
He had initially thought Qin Bei would be a competitor, but now it seemed he was just average.
In that case, Beast Frenzy would have the chance to enter the core area.
Once successful, the Beast Taming Sect could immediately break away from the Great Xia Dynasty, venture far away to the Holy Demon Dynasty, and become the nobles among the nobility of the Holy Demon Dynasty!
…
Qin Bei, unaware of these people’s thoughts, was enjoying himself inside the Royal Tomb Trial.
Even if he knew, he wouldn’t care. After all, once he entered the Imperial Tomb, no one could control him! He could play however he wanted!
Right now, Qin Bei only felt like something was missing.
Because there really was an opportunity here.
Namely, the tombstone of an ancestor.
He reluctantly got off Mu Zhaoxue’s back.
The bizarre actions of the three drew the attention of a crowd.
Everyone had seen men carry women, but this was the first time they’d seen a woman carry a man.
And such a beautiful woman at that!
What a goddess! To willingly let someone carry her on her back.
How utterly envious!
Most importantly, everyone present recognized this beauty.
The Saintess of the Wu Nation—no, the former Saintess of the Wu Nation.
Now, she was the Princess of the Northern Prince.
However, all the spectators could do was be envious and condemn Qin Bei in their hearts. But none dared to overstep any boundaries.
Even because of Qin Bei’s hostile stare, some geniuses present didn’t dare to look at Mu Zhaoxue and Ji Zhuyue more than once.
Qin Bei didn’t pay any mind to these people.
Even though these individuals were geniuses in their sects, being able to secure this spot meant their future potential had to be massive.
However, calling them top geniuses was still a stretch.
After all, the sects they belonged to weren’t top-tier, and there were only a handful who could rise from a minor sect to become a top genius.
Not every loser had the protagonist’s halo.
The truly capable ones were actually the core geniuses of the major sects.
Though Qin Bei’s perspective may seem dismissive, such was the truth.
The differences in background and power were on entirely different scales, so comparison was unwarranted.
In the entirety of Great Xia, the only geniuses worthy of the royal family’s attention were those nurtured by the major sects, like the Sword Sect and Talisman Sect.
Still, they were far from being in Qin Bei’s sights.
After all, in Qin Bei’s eyes, only beauty and fun mattered.
As for cultivation? Just use a cheat!
…
Qin Bei approached the group of young people, who seemed hesitant but quickly parted to make way for him as he arrived, allowing him to reach the front effortlessly.
With such momentum, even if his cultivation wasn’t the highest, all present had already lost.
“Wow, it’s actually a tomb group.”
Qin Bei observed in surprise.
Compared to a solitary tombstone, a burial group was undoubtedly more likely to contain martial arts he had practiced.
Thus, the chance of acquiring a Soul Pearl would naturally be greater.
After examining the tombstones, Qin Bei reached a conclusion.
This was an army’s tombstone, and judging from the names, it wasn’t part of the Great Xia royal family’s forces.
However, the fact that they could enter the Imperial Tomb after death meant this army had made contributions to Great Xia.
“Cheng Family Army? It should be the family militia recruited during the Great Xia’s wars.”
Qin Bei muttered.
Sure enough, upon turning around, he saw a plaque outside the tombstone, detailing the achievements of this Cheng Family Army.
“Cheng Family Army, in the year 389 of Heyuan, escorted a prince and was attacked. They fought until the last man, buying time for rescue. Fortunately, the prince was unharmed, hence they entered the Imperial Tomb.”
Below this description was an extensive and detailed account, mainly discussing how this army traded their lives for the prince’s escape during the turmoil.
“During the Heyuan period? That was the era of the Emperor’s ancestors!”
Qin Bei murmured.
The souls of this army had lingered in the Imperial Tomb for countless ages. Now, if they could still produce Soul Pearls, it was completely due to the Imperial Tomb’s unique nature.
After all, these individuals weren’t particularly powerful; after so many years, the remnants of their souls had long since faded away.
Thankfully, the Imperial Tomb’s special essence allowed incoming geniuses to continue acquiring Soul Pearls.
But at this moment, Qin Bei wasn’t focused on that; he was more curious about the royal family’s stance.
Countless years had passed since the army existed. Despite that, the tombstone remained perfectly intact and unblemished.
Clearly, the royal family had never forgotten those who had rendered contributions!
Not bad.
Just as Qin Bei pondered this, a surprising voice broke his train of thought.
“Hahaha~ Soul Pearl! It’s really a Soul Pearl! I didn’t expect to obtain one so soon!”
The surprised voice drew everyone’s attention, with everyone involuntarily looking toward him.
They beheld a youth, in the Golden Core realm, holding a white pearl aloft with an ecstatic smile on his face.
Evidently, as the first person to obtain a Soul Pearl, he was quite proud.
“Brother, could you let us take a look? This is our first time here, and we would love to see what a Soul Pearl looks like.”
Seeing his excitement, those around him all shared curiosity about what a Soul Pearl could possibly be.
After all, it was everyone’s first time entering the Imperial Tomb, having only heard of Soul Pearls before without any real experience.
However, the youth’s response to the suggestion was not only a firm refusal but one met with disdain from others nearby.
This situation left the suggestion-maker a bit baffled, unsure of what was happening.
“Damn! Are you an idiot? Before a Soul Pearl is used, it’s an unowned item. If I show it to you and you use it immediately, this brother will find no place to weep! It only takes a thought to make use of this thing.”
Qin Bei chuckled while scolding from the side.
Honestly, how had the proposer managed to reach this age without a clue?
He seemed so naive!
It looked as if those major sects were too protective of their disciples.
They had no concept of the dangers lurking in the cultivation world.
After hearing Qin Bei’s explanation, the individual finally recognized his previous request was a bit excessive. He scratched his head, feeling embarrassed as he glanced at the youth in the distance.
“While you can’t give it away, can you at least tell us how you obtained it? It would also be great if you could share what level the Soul Pearl is.”
Qin Bei proposed to the distant youth.
The boy eyed Qin Bei, still somewhat doubtful. His original intention had been to simply use it straight away.
Had it not been for being the first to acquire a Soul Pearl among so many, he wouldn’t have celebrated so loudly, drawing so much attention.
After all, no rule stated one couldn’t snatch a Soul Pearl from another.
So, using it quickly was the way to go.
However, after seeing the curious stares from the others, the youth ultimately opted to showcase his Soul Pearl.
“I’ll hold it up. Don’t anyone come close; keep your distance. As for how I got it, it’s because the martial art this senior specializes in is one I learned before coming here, so…”
The boy left his sentence hanging, but everyone grasped his implication.
He hadn’t comprehended it by watching this ancestor’s tombstone in real-time, but rather had learned this martial art beforehand. That’s why he was able to earn the recognition of the ancestor’s soul before anyone else and receive the Soul Pearl.
Once he explained, a collective sense of relief washed over the crowd.
Good thing he had already learned this martial art; had he tried to grasp it from scratch on-site and still secured a Soul Pearl so quickly, the other geniuses would’ve certainly faced some self-doubt.
“There’s only one line. In that case, this Soul Pearl must be just the most basic first-level Soul Pearl; it doesn’t even meet the minimum standard to enter the inner area.”
“Tsk~ See how careful you were? Thought you’d struck gold, but it turns out it’s just the most ordinary first-level Soul Pearl.”
“A bunch of all talk! If you could do it, then why don’t you go and snag a few?”
“Tsk! If you want, go! Who among us doesn’t have a few martial arts they could show off? Just encounter a senior practicing the same martial art, and securing a higher-level Soul Pearl would be a breeze!”
Everyone present wasn’t just some run-of-the-mill folks; many held lofty ambitions.
So when they spoke, they seemed to forget to temper their words.
The youth didn’t pay too much attention to their chatter, but after all had taken a look, he smashed the Soul Pearl in his hand.
A surge of soul energy, mixed with a trace of the ancestor’s unawareness, surged into the boy’s mind.
Qin Bei wasn’t in a hurry to claim any Soul Pearls, instead, he observed the youth’s reaction after using the Soul Pearl.
The effect of the Soul Pearl arrived swiftly, as fusion was merely a matter of a moment.
When the boy opened his eyes again, he disregarded the surrounding crowd and raised his hand to unleash a martial art skill into the distance.
“Hahaha~ I’m undeniably more skilled now! Both the speed and power have significantly increased. I’m at least at the mastery level of this martial art, right?”
The boy exclaimed in delight.
He had employed an earth-grade martial art that he had only recently grasped, previously just an entry-level technique.
That’s why he could only obtain a first-level Soul Pearl.
Yet even this Soul Pearl, despite being first-grade, had elevated his proficiency directly to mastery.
Who knew how much training time this boy had saved!
Thus, his excitement was palpable.
After his excitement waned, the boy went on the hunt for other ancestor tombstones to tap into.
Given that one tombstone could only be sensed by a single individual once, one either forfeited the Soul Pearl or demonstrated their martial arts for recognition to acquire it.
Yet, there was only one opportunity at that—no do-overs.
So, even if the boy had become proficient in this martial art, he could no longer connect with the ancestor’s tombstone.
He walked toward another tombstone, hoping to quickly find the next one that would suit him.
He was truly on the path to significantly enhancing his strength.
“Husband, let’s give it a shot too.”
Ji Zhuyue proposed to Qin Bei.
At last, she’d found an opportunity for Qin Bei to participate in the trial meaningfully, so she couldn’t let it go to waste.
However, at that moment, Qin Bei had other ideas.
…