Chapter 1658: So easy?

Hun Que shook his head. He still didn't understand what kind of technique that was, but this person was truly extraordinary, capable of touching the Ancestral Land's will.

The Ancestral Land's will had instructed them to treat him well. After much thought, Hun Que concluded that the only way to do so was to open the Lotus Pond and allow him to benefit from it. Directly offering him treasures, on the other hand, might only make him suspicious.

Although this human's efficiency in refining the pond water was astonishing, the Lotus Pond's inherent power was also extraordinary. Three days of use, even with some loss, would not significantly impact it.

Lu Ye strolled leisurely. Before long, unusual colors appeared in his sight ahead. He quickly approached and immediately saw a small lotus flower quietly suspended nearby.

The lotus flower displayed two colors: purple and white.

This was a Two-Colored Divine Lotus!

The divine lotuses in the Lotus Pond were categorized. According to Li Shang, they ranged from single-colored to five-colored. The more colors a divine lotus possessed, the rarer it was. Each time the Lotus Pond opened, there were only two or three five-colored divine lotuses, with single-colored and two-colored ones being the most common. Yet, even single-colored and two-colored divine lotuses were not easy for the Soul Clan to refine. Consequently, each time Soul Clan members entered the Lotus Pond, only about ten percent of them successfully acquired a divine lotus. The majority merely experienced a slight increase in strength due to the pond's influence, without obtaining a divine lotus itself.

Lu Ye felt that since he had coincidentally encountered the opening of the Lotus Pond and was allowed to enter, if he could refine a divine lotus, he should naturally aim for a higher quality one. He wouldn't aim for the rare five-colored divine lotus, but he should at least hope for a four-colored one. At worst, a three-colored one would suffice. A mere two-colored divine lotus was naturally not worth his attention.

However, since it was his first time encountering a divine lotus, Lu Ye decided to try connecting with it mentally to see if he could refine it. If not, then so be it. But if he could, it would mean he was indeed qualified to obtain a divine lotus here. His divine sense surged, spreading forward invisibly and quickly enveloping the divine lotus quietly suspended in the pond water. Immediately after, Lu Ye felt his divine sense penetrate the divine lotus without any obstruction. This made him pause in surprise. How was the situation different from what Li Shang had described? Hadn't he been told that refining a divine lotus was very difficult? Hadn't he been told that out of a hundred Soul Clan members who entered, only ten would succeed? Logically speaking, refining a divine lotus shouldn't be this easy. But in fact, he hadn't even exerted himself yet, and there were already signs of refinement!

Lu Ye could clearly feel at this moment that if he continued to let his divine sense penetrate this two-colored divine lotus, he could easily refine it successfully and absorb it into his spiritual sea. This was a bit awkward. He was just trying it out, and a two-colored divine lotus was not his goal. If this divine lotus had been four or five-colored, Lu Ye would have readily accepted it. Even if it were three-colored, he would have had to consider it, as he might not get another chance. But this was only two-colored after all! The quality was a bit too low... After a brief hesitation, Lu Ye decided to give up on this divine lotus and go look for a better one.

As his divine sense retracted, however, something unexpected happened: along with his returning divine sense, there was actually a two-colored stream of light! That stream of light was precisely the divine lotus transformed, shooting directly towards him as if carried back by his own divine sense. Even though Lu Ye reacted quickly, he couldn't be faster than the retraction of his divine sense. By the time he reacted, the two-colored stream of light had already disappeared. He stood stunned for a while, unable to react.

"This..."

Above the Lotus Pond, Hun Que and a group of Soul Clan elders were also stunned. Throughout history, no one had ever gained anything so quickly from the Lotus Pond. After all, refining a divine lotus was not an easy task; it required the consumption of time and soul power. But what had they just seen? Lu Ye saw a two-colored divine lotus, glanced at it, and then... the two-colored divine lotus was refined!

Hun Que frowned. He had already reminded the young man to choose carefully, yet he had gone and picked a two-colored one. Although no five-colored divine lotuses had appeared in the Lotus Pond yet, there were still four-colored ones. At worst, choosing a three-colored one would have been fine. Why choose a two-colored one? The Ancestral Land's will had asked him to take care of this young man, and he had even gone to the extent of opening the Lotus Pond early. And this was the result? He wondered if the Ancestral Land's will would be satisfied. Hun Que had a headache. He was already considering whether to just give Lu Ye a treasure when he left, but treasures were ultimately external forces. How could they compare to the wonder of a divine lotus? A divine lotus... that was something that could enhance a cultivator's foundation, a treasure unique to the Soul Clan!

"That's very impressive," an elder praised. "Regardless of whether it's single or two-colored, this refinement speed could be said to be the fastest in history. It's just a pity this human didn't choose carefully."

In the Lotus Pond, Lu Ye's face was dark. He was just trying it out! He had no intention of refining that two-colored divine lotus. How did things turn out like this? Was refining a divine lotus really this easy? If so, then Li Shang wouldn't have told him those things earlier. Lu Ye thought hard and concluded that it was probably related to his choice. Divine lotuses of lower quality were definitely easier to refine. If he had chosen a three or four-colored one just now, it certainly wouldn't have been this easy. But this was the first divine lotus he had encountered, so there was no room for choice. Since things had come to this, regret was useless.

Lu Ye could only calm his mind and inspect his spiritual sea. Upon observation, he indeed found an additional two-colored divine lotus in his spiritual sea, exactly like the one he had just seen. Lu Ye also noticed some unusual aspects. After quietly experiencing it for a while, Lu Ye discovered that this two-colored divine lotus in his spiritual sea was actually slowly absorbing his soul power. But at the same time, soul power was also escaping from its petals, filling his spiritual sea. The entire divine lotus was like a transit point; each time his soul power circulated through it, it would grow stronger by a trace. Indeed, as Li Shang had said, this divine lotus was miraculously unique, possessing the effect of nurturing the soul. In other words, with this divine lotus in his spiritual sea, even if Lu Ye did nothing, his soul would slowly and robustly grow stronger as the divine lotus functioned. This was a unique and gentle form of nourishment; for a cultivator, it offered only benefits and no drawbacks. In the short term, nothing might be apparent, but over time, his soul would definitely become much stronger than those of cultivators in the same realm. Anyone could understand the benefits of a strong soul. Such a treasure that could slowly nourish the soul was a rare find even across the entire starry sky.

But the more he experienced the preciousness of the divine lotus, the more heartache Lu Ye felt. This was only a two-colored one. What about a three-colored, four-colored... or even a five-colored one? He had so easily refined a two-colored one; he might also be able to refine higher-quality ones. If he had known this earlier, he would have definitely tried to find a higher-quality one. But there was no medicine for regret in the world after all. Lu Ye couldn't have known such a result beforehand. Since things had come to this, he could only accept his fate. Thinking one step back, this was ultimately a freely obtained treasure. It was good enough to have it; how could he ask for too much? After forcefully consoling himself, Lu Ye finally felt a little relieved.

The Lotus Pond would be open for three days; it had just begun, but for Lu Ye, it was already over. Of course, he wasn't prepared to leave so soon. His Talent Tree was here devouring the pond water, which was greatly beneficial for the strengthening of his soul. This pond water was equivalent to the melted remains of a top-grade Soul Refining Pill, so he naturally couldn't let it go to waste. He no longer went to look for divine lotuses; instead, he calmly refined the pond water here.

Suddenly, a strange color emerged not far away. When Lu Ye turned to look, he saw two points of light intertwined there, and a divine lotus slowly emerged. Another two-colored divine lotus! However, it was different from the divine lotus he had just refined; this one was black and white. Lu Ye glanced at it and subconsciously extended his divine sense towards it. The next instant, Lu Ye was stunned for a moment, because he felt his divine sense penetrate the divine lotus without any obstruction again, exactly like what had just happened. His heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself, 'That can't be, can it?' He retracted his divine sense. Immediately after, a scene that he couldn't comprehend unfolded: along with the retracted divine sense, there was also a two-colored stream of light! Lu Ye couldn't help but be stunned!

He swore that regarding this second two-colored divine lotus, he absolutely had no ulterior motives. He simply wanted to see what difference it had from the one he had just acquired, as their colors looked different. Furthermore, Li Shang had told him that a Soul Clan member could only acquire one divine lotus in their lifetime, and it was absolutely impossible to acquire a second one. Yet this is exactly what bizarrely happened! Truly outrageous!

After his initial surprise, Lu Ye hurriedly inspected his spiritual sea. Immersing his mind and manifesting his soul body, he couldn't help but be astonished upon close inspection. 'Where was the second two-colored divine lotus? Where was that large divine lotus?' He had clearly refined and absorbed it into his spiritual sea just now, but where was a second two-colored divine lotus here? Within the spiritual sea, there was only one two-colored divine lotus. However, soon Lu Ye realized something was wrong. This two-colored divine lotus in his spiritual sea seemed to have undergone some subtle changes compared to before. It was originally only purple and white, but now, upon closer inspection, it seemed to have gained some other colors. However, those colors were very faint, so faint that they couldn't be detected without careful observation. Moreover, the effect of this two-colored divine lotus in nurturing the soul seemed to have strengthened slightly! Lu Ye couldn't help but think of a possibility, and his mind became active.

Above the Lotus Pond, Elder Xu Yuan rubbed his eyes hard, and the other Sunlit Soul Clan members also widened their eyes. 'What had they just seen? That human named Lu Yiye had actually refined another divine lotus? Hadn't he just refined one? How could he possibly refine a second one?'

"Patriarch!" Elder Xu Yuan couldn't help but look at Hun Que.

Hun Que's expression didn't show much shock, but his eyes were also filled with incomprehension. Logically speaking, it was common knowledge that one could only refine one divine lotus. Throughout the history of the Soul Clan, no clan member had ever been able to refine a second divine lotus. If it was so for the Soul Clan, it should be the same for humans; this had nothing to do with race. After much thought, Hun Que could only think of one possibility and solemnly stated, "The Ancestral Land's will!"