In the blink of an eye, another half month hurried by.
Over that half month, Ye Xuan went to the back mountain almost every day.
He used those demonic beasts to temper himself and hone his physique.
Though his cultivation had improved little in that half month, his combat strength had advanced by leaps and bounds, improving to an astonishing degree.
With his current combat strength, dealing with cultivators at the Peak Essence Condensation Realm was no longer a problem.
Ding! System sign-in count refreshed. Would you like to sign in now?
That day, Ye Xuan was reflecting on his gains when the system's cold voice suddenly rang out, filling him with delight.
"Sign in!"
Ding! Congratulations, host. You have obtained True Solar Fire. Would you like to use it now?
As the system's voice faded, Ye Xuan immediately sensed a flame appear within the system space.
The flame radiated terrifying waves of heat, making Ye Xuan wild with joy.
True Solar Fire-this was good stuff!
Born from the sun and formed by heaven and earth, it could be called a peerless treasure.
Most importantly, True Solar Fire could not only temper his body and strengthen his physique, but also attack enemies. It was truly a rare find.
"Use it!" Without any hesitation, Ye Xuan chose to use it.
Boom!
Almost the instant he made his choice, the True Solar Fire vanished from the system space and entered his body.
A wave of heat suddenly spread throughout his body, circulating along his meridians.
"Fuck, that hurts..."
A tearing pain struck him, and Ye Xuan could not help baring his teeth, his brows furrowing into three deep lines.
Soon, however, the tearing pain eased.
Ye Xuan clearly perceived his spiritual channels, meridians, and bones widening at a speed visible to the naked eye, becoming tougher and more solid than before.
Crystal clear!
"This really is good stuff!"
Ye Xuan could not help exclaiming as he continued controlling the True Solar Fire to temper his flesh.
Though he possessed the Chaos Sacred Body, it was akin to an innate gift, merely placing his starting line far ahead of others.
Without diligent honing afterward, he might be able to handle ordinary prodigies and monstrous geniuses, but against powerful descendants of Gods and Devils, he would likely find himself stretched thin.
Several more days passed as he cultivated.
By then, the day the Ancient Desolate Holy Land would appoint its Holy Son was drawing ever closer.
That day, just as Ye Xuan was about to go out for a stroll, a breathtakingly beautiful figure appeared before him.
The woman's white robes were like snow, her beauty noble and cold.
She was like a snow lotus standing upon a mountain summit, one to be admired from afar but never defiled.
Her grace was unrivaled.
Upon seeing Han Bingning, Ye Xuan immediately rose and respectfully approached. "Master."
When Han Bingning saw Ye Xuan, a stunning smile bloomed on her cold, lovely face, beautiful enough to topple a city.
She smiled and nodded. "Only half a month remains until you are appointed Holy Son. Are you ready?"
Ye Xuan was about to nod when Han Bingning continued, "Don't rush to answer. Do you know what being the Holy Son means?"
Still not waiting for Ye Xuan to answer, she continued on her own:
"The Holy Son is the leader of all disciples of our Ancient Desolate Holy Land. It means all disciples must look to you as their leader, and that you must shoulder the great banner and revitalize our Ancient Desolate Holy Land."
"As the saying goes, he who would wear the crown must bear its weight. Once you become the Holy Son, you will receive unprecedented glory and honor, as well as the full nurturing of our Ancient Desolate Holy Land."
"But in turn, you will also bear the pressure the position brings you, along with all manner of deadly crises."
At this point, Han Bingning's expression suddenly turned solemn. "As your master, I ask you once more: are you ready?"
Ye Xuan did not hesitate in the slightest. "I am ready."
His voice was decisive as a blade cutting through iron, and just as unwavering.
As the saying went, pies did not fall from the sky. Ye Xuan naturally understood that principle.
To gain something, one had to give something in return!
Seeing Ye Xuan's earnest expression, Han Bingning suddenly smiled again.
This time, her smile was more genuine and more radiant.
"In that case, I'll take you to choose a few martial techniques."
"On the day you are appointed Holy Son, the various major powers will certainly provoke and challenge you, so learning some martial techniques to defend yourself is quite necessary."
Han Bingning said.
Ye Xuan nodded again.
A few minutes later, the two arrived at the Martial Technique Tower.
The Martial Technique Tower had nine floors in total.
It was an important location within the Ancient Desolate Holy Land, housing the foundations it had accumulated over tens of thousands of years.
Apart from a few exceptionally precious martial techniques and cultivation methods, most of the cultivation methods and martial techniques the Ancient Desolate Holy Land had acquired over the years were kept here.
Security outside the Martial Technique Tower was also extremely tight.
Not only was one powerful expert openly stationed there, but two ancestors guarded it in secret as well.
In addition, each floor had its own floor master stationed there.
It was no exaggeration to say that within the Eastern Wasteland, even the ancestors and Holy Lords of the other two great holy lands had absolutely no chance of breaking in.
With Han Bingning, his master and the Holy Lord, leading him, Ye Xuan naturally faced no such trouble.
Normally, ordinary disciples, even elders and direct disciples, could go no higher than the fifth floor.
Yet Ye Xuan was taken straight to the top-the ninth floor.
Only the Holy Lord, the ancestors, a handful of extremely senior elders, and elder-level figures who had made great contributions to the holy land were permitted to enter the ninth floor.
"Oh, Little Ning'er, is this that disciple you recently took in?"
The two had only just stepped onto the ninth floor when a dry, withered voice suddenly rang out.
Ye Xuan turned toward it and immediately saw a stooped old man.
The old man was around 1.6 meters tall, hunched and with one foot in the grave. He coughed from time to time, looking as though he might croak at any moment.
As he spoke, his small eyes narrowed and darted over Ye Xuan, his brows and eyes giving him a shifty, ratlike look.
Ye Xuan could not help inwardly blurting, What the fuck? Then he hurriedly lowered his head and said with utmost respect, "This junior, Ye Xuan, greets Senior."
From the way the old man addressed Han Bingning, Ye Xuan already knew he was no ordinary figure.
Naturally, he had to be polite.
Han Bingning gave a cold snort instead, ignoring the squinting old man as she led Ye Xuan straight to a particular spot.
Pointing at the floating orbs of light ahead, she said, "These are martial techniques suitable for you to cultivate. Choose one or two yourself."
"All right." Ye Xuan nodded, then looked up at the orbs of light before him.
Seeing this, the squinting old man chuckled. "Little Ning'er, you're just letting him choose like that, without helping?"
"You should know that even those monstrous geniuses at the Peak Wheel Sea Realm might not be able to break the restrictions on these orbs."
Yet the moment he finished speaking, his aged face abruptly changed.
A strange light suddenly bloomed within Ye Xuan's clear, bright eyes.
The next second, Ye Xuan reached out a hand and grabbed one of the orbs.
The instant his hand closed around it, the orb seemed to possess a consciousness of its own. A flash of light bloomed, forming a ring of light that began resisting fiercely.
Ye Xuan sneered. Spiritual Qi surged out of his body, and True Solar Fire flowed along his palm.
The next second, he squeezed hard.
Bang!
The barrier of light covering the orb instantly shattered.
Watching this, the old man's smile froze on his face.
After a long while, he raised his withered fingers and rubbed his eyes hard, abandoning all dignity, before uttering two words:
"The fuck..."