Soul Emperor Awakening

Three days. In the blink of an eye, three short days had passed, and the end-of-the-month challenge tournament had arrived.

The most anticipated match in this tournament was between Lin Xuan and Chen Yun. The rest were hardly worth mentioning. To put it bluntly, for everyone else, it was just minor squabbling, nothing like Lin Xuan’s meteoric rise, where he had skipped several ranks at once.

This time, he had broken into the top twenty and was directly challenging the twelfth-ranked Chen Yun. If he succeeded, his next opponent might be Wan Ning. His speed was absolutely astonishing. Not even Ling Tian had been so fearsome back in the day. Ling Tian had climbed the ranks one step at a time. He was fast, yes, but definitely not as domineering as Lin Xuan.

The crowd in the Martial Arts Arena grew larger and larger. Chen Yun had arrived early and was waiting, but there was no sign of Lin Xuan. Only when everyone else had gathered did Lin Xuan finally appear, strolling leisurely as if he didn’t take this match seriously at all.

’This kid!’ A surge of anger rose in Chen Yun’s heart. He really wanted to smack Lin Xuan dead with a single slap. Who would have thought Lin Xuan would show up so late, making him wait for so long?

The moment he appeared, all eyes focused on him, and he instantly became the center of attention.

Lin Xuan looked no different than usual. He had spent the past few days making minor adjustments, bringing his entire being to its Peak state.

"Sorry for the wait." Lin Xuan walked onto the Martial Arts Arena and retrieved the Dragon Cloud Rod from his Storage Space. This was his signature weapon—not too strange, not too conspicuous.

"You really know how to make an entrance, don’t you!" Chen Yun snorted coldly and took a Flying Claw from his Storage Space. It was pitch-black, without any luster, and looked somewhat old. The long chain attached to it proved its attack range was terrifying.

’A Flying Claw?’ Lin Xuan was taken aback. This type of weapon was rare. As he focused his senses, he could feel a faint, strange aura emanating from it, as if it were forged from some peculiar material.

The moment the claw appeared, a clamor arose from the crowd below the Martial Arts Arena, and they began to buzz with discussion.

"How did that Spatial Flying Claw end up in Chen Yun’s hands? To protect his rank, Wan Ning even lent him his prized weapon!"

"I’m afraid Lin Yunlong is in danger this time. He even borrowed the Spatial Flying Claw. That’s a top-tier Treasure Artifact!"

...

The crowd was abuzz with discussion, and their words reached Lin Xuan’s ears. He furrowed his brow. ’It seems this Flying Claw is not as simple as it looks.’

"Lin Yunlong, watch out for that Flying Claw! It has a Spatial Pattern and can perform Instant Teleportation!" Liu Xuan shouted the warning from the crowd, his expression changing the moment he saw the weapon.

’It can perform Instant Teleportation?’ Lin Xuan was startled. He could have guessed something from the name, but he hadn’t expected it to be an offensive Spatial Pattern instead of one for storage, giving it the ability to teleport.

This Spatial Pattern was different from ordinary ones; it was a type that enabled Instant Teleportation. The difficulty of inscribing it was comparable to that of a Fifth Grade Pattern. It could be called the most difficult pattern within the Fourth Grade.

This type of pattern was generally suited for weapons with a wider range. After all, it was a throwable weapon that could be retrieved. It was obviously less suitable for things like blades or swords. Once thrown, they couldn’t be brought back.

"I can’t deny your talent is astonishing, but it won’t be so easy to defeat me!" Chen Yun slammed the Flying Claw in his hand onto the ground. With a few loud THUDS, the heavy claw smashed cracks into the arena floor.

That alone was enough to prove the Flying Claw’s astounding weight. Even if you weren’t caught by it, just being hit by a heavy swing would be enough to shatter your bones.

"I never said defeating Senior Brother Chen would be easy. I just hope Senior Brother Chen will show mercy later," Lin Xuan said with a smile. ’The Flying Claw is formidable, but it’s impossible to make me cower. I didn’t feel any fear when facing the Cyan-Scaled Python, let alone a mere Flying Claw.’

Seeing Lin Xuan’s calm expression only fueled the rage in Chen Yun’s heart. His face darkened. "Let’s begin!"

Seeing the two, their auras bristling with tension, Qing Piaoyun waved his hand and declared, "The match begins!" They were not allowed to make a move before his announcement.

The words had barely faded when Chen Yun charged toward him, taking the offensive! His heart was filled with rage, and he was undoubtedly eager to unleash it. It was no surprise that he attacked first.

When he was halfway there, he viciously flung the Flying Claw at Lin Xuan. The claw shot out like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, flying with a WHOOSH. It looked unremarkable; aside from its powerful momentum, there was nothing unusual about it. It seemed like an ordinary throw.

Inwardly, Lin Xuan was not nearly as calm as he appeared. He remained wary of this seemingly ordinary attack. Without hesitation, he swung the Dragon Cloud Rod down on the Flying Claw. The tremendous force of the blow vibrated through the space, so much so that even the spectators could feel the air tremble.

Suddenly, the space around the airborne Flying Claw distorted abnormally. The next moment, the claw, which had been several meters away, let out a WHOOSH and instantly appeared right in front of him, its sharp talons spread open and lunging for his chest!

From the seemingly ordinary claw, a sharp burst of Qi Force extended outward, forming an invisible talon that enveloped Lin Xuan.

"Cyan Cloud Step!"

With almost no hesitation, Lin Xuan executed the Celestial Level Martial Arts, Cyan Cloud Step, his figure rapidly retreating. But he was still a fraction too slow. The Flying Claw didn’t touch him, but the Qi Force extending from its sharp talons viciously carved a deep, bloody gash across his chest. Blood flowed ceaselessly from the wound, staining his clothes red.

BOOM!

Having missed Lin Xuan, the Flying Claw slammed viciously into the ground, sinking deep into the arena floor as if cutting through tofu.

After landing and steadying himself, a sharp pain shot through his chest, making Lin Xuan suck in a sharp breath. He hadn’t underestimated his opponent, but in his first encounter with this strange attack, he had been thoroughly defeated in the opening exchange.

If he had been any slower, the Flying Claw would have gouged a chunk of flesh from his body. Fortunately, his Physique was relatively strong, and the bleeding from his wound quickly stopped. Still, the injury looked horrific. His clothes were soaked in blood, making him look like a warrior fresh from a bloody battle.

He hadn’t even gotten close before being intercepted by the Flying Claw, leaving him almost no opportunity to engage at close range. This Flying Claw was truly a trump card. For the first time, he felt a flicker of pressure.

"What a pity. If you’d been any slower, you’d be lying on the ground right now," Chen Yun said as he forcefully yanked the Flying Claw back, dragging deep gouges into the floor. Its sharpness was plain to see.

His tone was filled with contempt. Any lingering worry he’d had was completely dispelled by that one attack. He was now convinced that, against his Flying Claw, Lin Xuan was nothing more than a paper tiger.

Lin Xuan, however, just smiled nonchalantly. "This Flying Claw’s Instant Teleportation is indeed unpredictable, but that’s all there is to it."

"What do you mean by that?" Chen Yun frowned, thinking Lin Xuan was just putting on a brave face.

"I mean I just have to stop it!" Lin Xuan extended the Dragon Cloud Rod to his side, and the draconic patterns on it began to glow.

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