Soul Emperor Awakening

Riding the Phoenix, Lin Xuan flew at top speed to Qingcheng Mansion. The journey, which normally took two days, was cut down to just half a day! This speed left Lin Xuan astonished. ’From now on, I can significantly reduce my travel time wherever I go.’

After dismounting, he recalled the Phoenix. He wouldn’t dare ride it into the Inner Hall; if he were seen, there was no telling what might happen.

’It had no problem flying for half a day, and it’s clearly still absorbing the surrounding Elemental Power to replenish itself. Looks like I’ll be able to use it for a long time.’ As Lin Xuan stared at the Phoenix Statue in his hand, he could distinctly feel the ambient Elemental Power flowing into it, replenishing the Elemental Power of the Five-Colored Spirit Wood.

This was the biggest difference between Divine Wood and ordinary wood. Even when severed from the main body of the Five-Colored Spirit Wood, it still possessed the ability to absorb Elemental Power. It was just like a Treasure Jade, which could absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi when worn, bringing benefits to its owner.

Regardless of how long the Five-Colored Spirit Wood could last, the fact that it could hold out for a day or two was already a huge boon for him. At the very least, it wasn’t as fragile as before and even had self-repairing properties. It was truly a treasure.

Once he had put everything away, he headed for the mountain range where the Inner Hall was located. As soon as he reached the entrance, two Guards greeted him with a smile. "Lin Xuan, you’re back," one of them said. "Fifth Elder left instructions for you to see him as soon as you returned. Also, congratulations on taking first place in the Pattern Master competition! All the Elders are thrilled!"

How could they not be happy about getting one over on the Divine Rune Sect?

Lin Xuan wasn’t surprised they knew; it would have been more surprising if they didn’t. Qingcheng Mansion had eyes and ears in every city. Any major event was sure to be reported back, especially something like the Pattern Master competition. The news would have been reported even if Lin Xuan hadn’t participated.

If a Major Sect couldn’t even stay on top of such basic information, it would quickly fall into decline.

From their words, he surmised that Fifth Elder’s summons was definitely about a reward.

Mentally prepared, he headed straight for the Fifth Elder’s residence. Many people stared at him along the way. Their gazes held a measure of respect, but were filled more with jealousy. He was about the same age as them, yet Lin Xuan had not only broken into the top thirty but had also won the Pattern Master competition!

Ranked twenty-second in the Inner Hall and a Fourth Grade Pattern Master!

The two titles were enough to intimidate most people into silence. ’Just what kind of Heaven-Defying talent does it take to achieve all that? Is his talent really only Fourth-class?’

The truthfulness of his supposed Fourth-class Talent became a topic of discussion in the Inner Hall. Some suspected his talent was at least Fifth or Sixth Grade; otherwise, how could he have reached such a Heaven-Defying Cultivation level?

When he appeared before Fifth Elder Qing Piaoyun, the latter was stunned for a moment before his face broke into a joyous grin. "You’re back! I was about to go pick you up myself!" he exclaimed. "You sly dog, I had no idea you were also a Pattern Master. Why didn’t you tell me before?" His words were chiding, but his tone held no trace of actual blame.

"The Grade was too low. I was too embarrassed to bring it up," Lin Xuan said with a faint smile.

Qing Piaoyun rolled his eyes. "If a Fourth Grade Pattern Master is considered low, then what does that make the rest of us? That’s being overly modest, you know. We can’t have that."

"Elder, one of the main reasons I returned was to discuss the Shang Family matter. I imagine you’re already aware of the situation?" Lin Xuan asked as he retrieved a small piece of Five-Colored Spirit Wood from his Storage Space. He had deliberately cut this piece off before he left; if the whole thing were confiscated, he’d have nothing left to carve with.

He handed it over. "This is Five-Colored Spirit Wood. The Shang Family’s Elder said that you can make your demands, but they must be on the condition that the Five-Colored Spirit Wood is not relocated. Otherwise, they won’t agree. There’s one more thing: they want me to act as the intermediary. All negotiations are to go through me!"

Qing Piaoyun took the Five-Colored Spirit Wood and examined it briefly, his eyes wide with surprise. "This really is Five-Colored Spirit Wood! To think the Shang Family actually had it... We had our suspicions before. As for your two conditions, I can’t say for certain. We’ll have to wait for the council of Elders to discuss it. I can’t make any promises right now."

He wasn’t the one who called the shots in Qingcheng Mansion. His rank was, after all, only fifth. The Fifth Elder had a voice, but he couldn’t make the final decision on his own. To be honest, not even the Mansion Master could do that. Especially for a matter of this importance, it wasn’t something one or two people could decide. This was tantamount to making enemies of a great many people.

Qingcheng Mansion was powerful, but not so powerful that it could afford to make an enemy of everyone. Of course, it wasn’t so weak that its words could be ignored, either. They had true powerhouses of their own; it all depended on whether the other side dared to make a reckless move.

Lin Xuan nodded. This was as much as he could do. Qingcheng Mansion wasn’t his family’s business, after all. If Qingcheng Mansion proposed conditions so harsh that the Shang Family refused, there would be nothing he could do. His current standing was high, but he didn’t have enough influence to sway a decision made by Qingcheng Mansion.

Not even becoming a Core Disciple would be enough to sway them!

Unless he became a Spirit Pill Stage expert, or even a Core Formation Stage expert, he wouldn’t have any real authority. But for someone his age to break through to the Spirit Pill Stage or higher was nothing but a pipe dream.

"Let’s put this topic aside for now. Come with me!" Without another word, Qing Piaoyun began pulling Lin Xuan outside.

Lin Xuan had no idea what Qing Piaoyun wanted, so he could only follow along obediently. He soon found out where the Elder was taking him: the Talent Stone!

It was clear that Qing Piaoyun wanted him to re-test his talent, to see if the previous result had been a mistake or simply misremembered. With only a Fourth-class Talent, he had achieved things that even those with Sixth-class Talent could not!

A few disciples were gathered near the Talent Stone. When they saw Qing Piaoyun approaching with Lin Xuan, they immediately knew what was about to happen. They rushed off to tell their friends to come watch, eager to see what kind of Talent Level the Heaven-Defying Lin Xuan would display.

Soon, a crowd had gathered, including Wan Ning and Chen Yun, who were ranked tenth. Their expressions soured when they saw Lin Xuan. Who could have possibly imagined that Lin Xuan would be so Heaven-Defying?

"Boss, what Grade do you think his talent is? Is it really just Fourth-class?" Chen Yun whispered.

"You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?" Wan Ning’s expression was grim. He was starting to worry about the competition six months from now.

With the support that came from being a High Grade Pattern Master, one’s Cultivation breakthroughs were faster and more stable, with less risk of developing a Heart Demon. That was why so many people chose to become a Pattern Master or an Alchemy Master—both paths could aid one’s own Cultivation.

"Go on, test your talent. I suspect your previous Talent Level was recorded incorrectly!" Qing Piaoyun gestured for Lin Xuan to step forward.

Without hesitation, Lin Xuan walked up to the Talent Stone and took a deep breath. ’I reached Fourth-class Talent last time; I wonder what I’ll reach now?’

’Will I reach Fifth-class Talent, or maybe even Sixth-class? Or will it stay the same?’

’Is the Lin Clan’s bloodline awakening...?’

Lin Xuan then reached out and placed his hand on the Talent Stone. The moment he touched it, the entire stone lit up. Its color shifted rapidly before finally settling on the color that represented Fifth-class Talent.

Fifth-class Talent!

This Talent Level wasn’t considered particularly high, but inwardly, Lin Xuan was ecstatic. ’My bloodline has awakened even further!’

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