Soul Emperor Awakening

Qing Piaoyun was not satisfied with the result of Fifth-class Talent. If Lin Xuan had achieved Sixth-class Talent, he likely could have skipped the Core Disciple assessment entirely.

The others breathed a collective sigh of relief when they saw the result. At least it wasn’t too Heaven-Defying; otherwise, they might as well give up. A Fifth-class Talent was considered normal in the Inner Hall. The average was Fifth-class, with some disciples reaching Sixth-class, and even a few with Seventh-class Talent.

Lin Xuan’s Fifth-class Talent was, evidently, just average. Average it may be, but none of them could become a Fourth Grade Pattern Master. Even those who also had Fifth-class Talent felt deeply ashamed in comparison.

"Only Fifth-class Talent..." Qing Piaoyun sighed, finding it a great pity.

They might not be satisfied, but Lin Xuan was. He was very satisfied, because his talent could be gradually improved. ’In fact, I didn’t even need a test to know my talent had improved. I could feel it clearly from my Cultivation speed. The higher the talent, the faster one’s Cultivation.’

"Fifth Elder, is there anything else?" Lin Xuan asked.

"Nothing, really. It’s just that you’ve been so Heaven-Defying, I assumed your talent would be very high. Still, Fifth-class Talent isn’t low. I just thought you might have reached Sixth-class, or even Seventh-class Talent," Qing Piaoyun said.

"These things can only come with time. They can’t be rushed," Lin Xuan replied.

"Yes, it can’t be rushed. It’s best to take it slow. But with your current achievements, you’ve already overshadowed everyone with a Fifth-class Talent. A Fourth Grade Pattern Master... not a single person in the Inner Hall can match that," Qing Piaoyun mused.

Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Fifth Elder, are you saying that someone among the Core Disciples has achieved it?" ’He had quickly picked up on the phrasing. "No one in the Inner Hall" didn’t mean there was no one among the Core Disciples.’

"Yes, there are indeed Core Disciples who have reached that level. Their skills are very high in all respects." Qing Piaoyun patted his shoulder. "You’ll have to work even harder. Don’t get arrogant. The Core Disciples are even more exceptional. A person’s potential can far exceed your imagination."

Lin Xuan nodded. He had never been arrogant or complacent. ’This achievement is nothing. I know full well that there’s always a higher mountain to climb, a stronger person to face. There are even people with Seventh-class Talent. What does my current progress amount to?’

’Some people spend a short amount of time on their Cultivation and devote the rest to practicing patterns, and they still achieve great things. Others have special physiques, allowing them to cultivate at divine speeds—far beyond what I can compare to.’

"As for this month’s challenge tournament, will you choose to postpone, or challenge directly?" Qing Piaoyun asked an important question.

"There’s no need to postpone. I’ll challenge directly!" Lin Xuan declared.

"A direct challenge, then. Who will you choose?" Qing Piaoyun asked.

The people nearby all pricked up their ears, wondering who he would challenge this time. Every move Lin Xuan made was now under a microscope. He was just too conspicuous; even if one didn’t want to pay attention, the news would spread so widely it was impossible to ignore.

Lin Xuan raised his hand, pointing at Chen Yun not far away, and declared in a heavy voice, "My next challenge will be the disciple ranked twelfth, Senior Brother Chen Yun!"

At his words, all eyes fell upon Chen Yun, looks of surprise on every face. Lin Xuan was really biting off more than he could chew—or maybe he was just a fearless newborn calf unafraid of a tiger—to jump ten places at once and directly challenge Chen Yun, who was ranked twelfth!

They had thought Lin Xuan would be a bit more reserved. Who would have guessed that after such a short time, he had already set his sights on challenging Chen Yun.

"This Lin Yunlong is way too aggressive! He’s just charging ahead like he has a death wish!"

"What the hell do you know? The guy’s a Fourth Grade Pattern Master. Who’s to say he doesn’t have a trump card up his sleeve?"

"Another insane challenge. Next, he’ll probably challenge Wan Ning. If he actually succeeds, he’ll have broken into the top ten in just a few months... Gods, I’ve been here for so long and only just cracked the top fifty, and he’s done it in a matter of months..."

...

Most of the crowd was optimistic about Lin Xuan’s chances against Chen Yun. Previously, they would have dismissed him as arrogant and overreaching. But now, with so many dazzling accomplishments to his name, they felt he might just succeed.

"Approved!" Qing Piaoyun nodded. "Then you shall challenge Chen Yun at the end of the month. I hope you won’t disappoint me."

At the same time, Qing Piaoyun turned to Chen Yun and said, "You’d best not disappoint me, either. Show your full strength and defend your position!"

’I won’t show favoritism, but I do hope Chen Yun can hold his ground. It would be best if Lin Xuan suffers a small setback. His path has been too smooth so far, and that isn’t always a good thing.’

However, because of the Elder’s words, it was now impossible for Chen Yun to refuse the challenge.

"Understood. I am also very happy to accept Junior Brother Lin’s challenge. I hope Junior Brother Lin can give me a little surprise when the time comes!" Chen Yun’s face was grim. He was clearly anything but happy.

The truth was, he wasn’t confident. Even though he was a level higher than Lin Xuan, having reached the Fifth Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage, he still felt uncertain about facing him.

Qing Piaoyun nodded, offered a few more words of instruction, and then departed. The matter of the Five-Colored Spirit Wood still awaited his attention, and it was a major affair.

After Qing Piaoyun left, Chen Yun turned to Lin Xuan, his face dark. "Junior Brother Lin, you certainly have a big appetite, planning to challenge me this very month. Skipping ten ranks isn’t so simple." Though he felt uncertain, that didn’t mean he wasn’t furious. To be challenged by a junior who had only been here for a few months—he felt he was being looked down upon.

"Isn’t the difficulty what makes it a worthy challenge?" Lin Xuan said as he slowly walked toward them. As he brushed past, he added, "Senior Brother Wan, you’re next. Get ready."

With that, he vanished down the hall, leaving two grim-faced disciples in his wake. To provoke both of them back-to-back—the onlookers couldn’t help but admire Lin Xuan’s sheer audacity. Challenging Chen Yun was one thing, but to go after Wan Ning too?

’Then again, it makes sense,’ they thought. ’Considering the wager Wan Ning forced on him before, anyone would be furious. That threat was practically blackmail; it showed Wan Ning’s true colors.’

"Boss, that kid is way too arrogant! If we weren’t forbidden from fighting here, I’d have slapped him across the face!" Chen Yun fumed.

Wan Ning’s face was so dark it looked like storm clouds were gathering. If Chen Yun was furious, he was doubly so. He had expected Lin Xuan to be afraid, but instead, the boy was brazenly arrogant, showing no fear whatsoever. To Wan Ning, this was a grave insult!

"Challenge me? We’ll see if he has the skill!" Wan Ning growled. "When the time comes, if I don’t break both his legs, then my surname isn’t Wan!"

"I’ll lend you my Weapon for the match. When you get the chance to strike, make it hurt," Wan Ning whispered to Chen Yun.

Chen Yun’s eyes lit up, and a sinister grin spread across his face. "With your Weapon, Boss, it’ll be like having help from the heavens. I’ll make that brat understand that a ten-rank gap isn’t so easy to close. So what if he’s a Fourth Grade Pattern Master? This is a martial contest, not a competition to see who’s better at carving patterns!"

And so, the two began to plot, and a bitter battle surely awaited Lin Xuan.

’Of course, I expected this,’ Lin Xuan thought. ’Even a saint has his limits. They’ve provoked me constantly, so now it’s my turn to take the initiative. We were bound to face off eventually, so I might as well build some momentum and put some pressure on them!’

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