Chapter 1115: Xu Vice President

"A mid-grade Saint artifact?" The attendant was startled.

Saint artifacts are usually only possessed by experts of the Saint Realm. A mid-grade one is even rarer; even Emperor Qingyuan's Boundless Sword is only of this caliber. Whenever one appears, it attracts countless powerful individuals who fight to claim it.

Originally, seeing the other party was so young, he thought the best they might have was a top-grade spirit artifact. He never dreamed they would possess a treasure of this level.

"This young master... is a Master Teacher, isn't he?" he couldn't help but ask, looking over.

"Yes," Zhang Xuan nodded, a little surprised. "How did you know?"

He wasn't wearing the distinctive attire of a Master Teacher, nor was he emitting any aura related to the profession. How could the other party have known?

"If you weren't a Master Teacher, someone would have surely tried to snatch a Saint artifact of this level by now..." The attendant gave a wry smile.

A mid-grade Saint artifact is a super treasure throughout the entire Qingyuan Empire. Once news of its existence gets out, many people would undoubtedly want to acquire it. How could such a young cultivator possibly protect it?

Unless... they were a Master Teacher!

With the protection of the Master Teacher Pavilion, no one would dare to plot against a Master Teacher.

"Right!" Zhang Xuan nodded, understanding the situation.

He also understood this point clearly.

If he weren't a Master Teacher, many people would have coveted his cultivation speed and techniques along the way, and troubles would have followed one after another long ago. He wouldn't have been able to reach this place so easily.

Being a Master Teacher is not just a responsibility; it's also a powerful protective umbrella.

"To awaken the intelligence within a mid-grade Saint artifact, a Seven-star Spirit Awakener is required. There are only three individuals in the entire guild who have reached this level: the Guild Leader and two Vice Guild Leaders. Their locations are a bit out of the way... I'll take you to make the application..."

Knowing the other party was a Master Teacher, the attendant didn't press the issue further.

Zhang Xuan acknowledged him, then asked, a little curious, "Are Spirit Awakeners, like other professions, divided into many ranks?"

"Yes, they also have ranks... but the minimum is Four-star!" the attendant explained.

"Minimum Four-star?" Zhang Xuan was puzzled.

"Other professions generally range from One-star to Nine-star, but Spirit Awakeners are different. Once an apprentice finishes their training, they automatically qualify as Four-star upon passing the assessment..."

The attendant continued, "Actually, this naming convention is to align with other professions. In reality, their true ranks are Junior, Intermediate, and Senior! Junior corresponds to Four-star and Five-star, Intermediate to Six-star and Seven-star, and Senior to Eight-star and Nine-star! However, dividing them this way would separate their ranks from those of other professions, which would be inconvenient."

"Oh!" After a moment of thought, Zhang Xuan understood.

Since it involves spirituality and the soul, it means one's cultivation must at least reach the Soul Integration Realm of Saint 5-dan. Such a cultivation level is already at the peak of Four-star, equivalent to a half-step Five-star Master Teacher.

If they were to be ranked starting from One-star again, they would be completely disconnected from the ranks of other professions, so naturally, they start from Four-star.

There are countless professions in the world, and an innumerable variety of strange rules.

For instance, like the Diviners he had heard about previously, who deduce heavenly secrets and determine fortune and misfortune. They need to understand the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and the ebb and flow of fate, requiring a minimum cultivation of the Saint Realm.

Their initial rank would naturally be higher, perhaps even directly Seven-star.

The Seven-star Spirit Awakener the attendant mentioned was actually what's known as an Intermediate Spirit Awakener, and their cultivation would likely be at least Saint 2-dan.

Following behind the attendant, he entered the grand hall.

As they walked, he continued to ask questions, and soon, he gained a certain understanding of the guild.

The guild leader and vice leaders were all experts who had reached the Primordial Spirit Realm. Their personal cultivation was considered top-tier throughout the entire Qingyuan Imperial City.

The hall was spacious, and at a glance, many cultivators were queuing, waiting for Spirit Awakeners to help them refine their souls and enhance their strength.

"I still haven't been able to enter the Soul Integration Realm; I can never sense my soul. I hope to receive some guidance..."

A cultivator from the Transcendent Mortal 9-dan (Turbid Clear Realm) came before a young man.

"Have a seat!"

The young man nodded faintly and pointed forward.

The Transcendent Mortal 9-dan cultivator quickly sat down on a nearby round platform.

Once he was seated, the young man raised an eyebrow, pressed his palm to the ground, and a beam of light immediately spread out, forming a halo that enveloped the cultivator.

"Relax your mind and body..."

The faint words slowly resonated, and the young man seemed to possess a special magic and allure.

The Transcendent Mortal 9-dan cultivator involuntarily closed his eyes, as if sinking into a unique state.

"This is... stimulating the soul? Allowing them to perceive the power of the soul, and then break through? Impressive..."

Witnessing this scene, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

When he first heard the introduction, he thought a Spirit Awakener was merely a special method of stimulating the soul. Now it seemed it wasn't that simple.

This profession was somewhat similar to a Spirit Oracle. The latter cultivated themselves through special means, while the former enhanced others through their techniques.

Taking this Transcendent Mortal 9-dan cultivator as an example, he previously couldn't perceive his soul and thus couldn't enter the Soul Integration Realm. But by being stimulated by the person before him, his soul became stronger, allowing him to naturally utilize its power, bringing him close to a breakthrough.

Boom!

As he was pondering, he indeed saw the Transcendent Mortal 9-dan expert before him let out a long cry, his aura rapidly increasing. He had already glimpsed his soul and broken through to Saint 4-dan.

"No wonder everyone wants to go to higher empires; the opportunities are indeed much greater..."

Watching the cultivator go from the initial awakening by the Spirit Awakener to breaking through in just a few minutes, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

In places like the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance, the Soul Integration Realm is the biggest hurdle, and countless people struggle their entire lives to succeed. Yet here, it was so simple. This profession was truly extraordinary.

However, although everyone knew there were more opportunities in higher empires, not just anyone could come here.

Not to mention the distance from the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance to here and the countless dangers along the way, simply the price for this one awakening was more than most could afford... a full high-grade spirit stone!

Such a price, even the Alliance Leader's Mansion in the Kingdom Alliance, couldn't afford.

Coupled with various restrictions... it was like Dubai in his previous life. Everyone knew it was easy to make money there, but... it was useless. If you didn't reach a certain level, no matter how much money you had, you couldn't earn more.

"Alright, today's quota is reached. I need to rest. Those who wish to see me, please come back in ten days!"

With the breakthrough of the Transcendent Mortal 9-dan cultivator, the young man's face turned pale, as if he were utterly exhausted.

"A Spirit Awakener's awakening consumes a great deal of their own soul. They can awaken a maximum of three people at a time, but then they need to rest for at least ten days!" Fearing the young master might not understand, the attendant explained.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

As a Spirit Oracle, he had extensive knowledge of souls, so he could naturally perceive the difficulty of the awakening process. Ten days of rest was already considered a rapid recovery.

Continuing forward, he saw some Spirit Awakeners helping cultivators refine their souls, while others were awakening the spirits of weapons. To secure a spot for awakening, many people even paid exorbitant prices to buy their place in line.

"It certainly is profitable..."

After watching for a while, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but sigh.

This profession was indeed quite lucrative.

Soul cultivation is different from body and true qi cultivation. Body and true qi are tangible and easier to cultivate. The soul, however, is different; cultivating it independently is more troublesome. But by relying on a Spirit Awakener, one's soul can rapidly become stronger, several times faster than individual cultivation. Furthermore, making the spirit of a powerful weapon submit takes an unknown amount of time; some people fail for years. Rather than struggling, it's simpler to directly erase the existing spirit and then, with the help of a Spirit Awakener, replace it with an obedient one.

These two services alone were enough to make this profession incredibly popular.

"Ahead is where Vice Guild Leader Xu performs awakenings. Her price for an awakening is extremely high, especially for mid-grade Saint artifacts..."

Bypassing the crowd, they arrived outside a spacious room, and the attendant stopped.

"How many spirit stones will it cost?" Zhang Xuan knew it wouldn't be cheap, so he cut to the chase and asked directly.

"100 high-grade spirit stones!" the attendant replied.

"Not expensive!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

As long as he could revive the Golden Origin Cauldron, he would willingly pay, not just 100 high-grade spirit stones, but even 10,000.

Swish!

With a flick of his wrist, he produced 100 high-grade spirit stones and handed them over.

"Please wait here for a moment..."

The attendant entered the room and, after a short while, returned with a joyful expression. "Young Master, you're in luck! Vice Guild Leader Xu happens to have one last slot available today. Let's go in!"

Zhang Xuan followed behind him and entered.

The room was over a hundred square meters in size. In the very center sat a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her early thirties. Although she wasn't actively displaying her power, her every movement carried an inherent aura, indicating she had already reached the Primordial Spirit Realm of Saint 4-dan, just like Master Wu.

"Vice Guild Leader Xu, this is the Master Teacher who wishes to restore the spirit of a mid-grade Saint artifact!" the attendant introduced.

"Mm," Vice Guild Leader Xu nodded, then looked at Zhang Xuan with a hint of surprise. "You possess a mid-grade Saint artifact?"

The person before her was merely at the peak of Saint 1-dan. Even as a Master Teacher, he shouldn't be qualified to wield such a powerful weapon.

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan replied, and with a flick of his wrist, placed the Golden Origin Cauldron on the floor.

"The consciousness of this weapon has fallen into a deep slumber. I hope Vice Guild Leader Xu can help awaken it..."

"Slumber?"

Vice Guild Leader Xu rose and approached the Golden Origin Cauldron, examining it carefully. Her brows furrowed into a knot. After a moment of thought, she looked back at Zhang Xuan.

"A slumbering consciousness... Are you planning to birth a new consciousness to replace the old one, or awaken the one that's asleep?"

There are two ways to restore a slumbering weapon's spirit: first, to birth a new consciousness; second, to awaken the one that is asleep.

"Awaken it, of course!" Zhang Xuan quickly said.

Birthing a new consciousness would be equivalent to erasing the Golden Origin Cauldron's original spirit, which he would never do.

"This will be somewhat difficult..." Vice Guild Leader Xu shook her head, just as she was about to continue speaking, a knock sounded from outside the room. Immediately after, another attendant entered.

"Vice Guild Leader Xu, Senior Dao Kou wishes for you to help his disciple awaken their Infant Soul, to attempt a breakthrough to the Primordial Spirit Realm!"

"Dao Kou?"

Vice Guild Leader Xu shook her head. "Tell him I don't have any slots left today..."

Before she could finish, an old man pushed open the door and entered, followed by a middle-aged man.

"No slots left? I heard you only awakened two people today. Isn't there still one more?"