Soul Emperor Awakening

The three Princes took their seats, each with a different aura and personality. The Eldest Prince, Xu Yunxuan, was clearly decisive and clear with his rewards and punishments, attracting many ruthless experts. The Second Prince, Xu Yunfei, was just a bystander watching the show; this was evident from the events at the Bone Dragon Ruins—he had pitifully few followers and almost no families supporting him.

The Third Prince, Xu Yunlong, was humble and courteous, recruiting many families by treating talented individuals with respect. However, his faction was still not as strong as the Eldest Prince’s. Ruthless men tend to flock to other ruthless men, which was why the Eldest Prince’s faction had become so formidable.

Lin Xuan assessed each of the Princes. After weighing all the factors, he still leaned toward the Third Prince. ’It’s possible Xu Yunlong is hiding a dagger behind his smile, but it’s certainly better than dealing with the Eldest Prince. His attitude seems excellent. Most patriarchs aren’t fools; for them to stand with the Third Prince’s faction, Xu Yunlong must have some extraordinary qualities.’

When it came to truly conquering the empire, the Eldest Prince, Xu Yunxuan, was the more pragmatic choice with his ruthless methods—something Lin Xuan knew from personal experience. The Prince had sent assassins to kill him back when he was only at the Spirit Refining Stage. Such decisiveness was chilling. The path to the throne was inevitably a bloody one. The Eldest Prince played his part well, but Lin Xuan didn’t like it.

The time that followed was for the various Sects to present their treasures. Since it was the Great Emperor’s birthday, celebratory gifts were a must, and they all brought out their most precious items to offer.

However, Xu Qianlong didn’t even glance at the gifts. He would just nod impassively, indicating his acknowledgment, showing no interest in any of it. With one foot already in the grave, these objects held no meaning for him. His acceptance was purely ceremonial.

"Thank you all for your congratulatory gifts," Xu Qianlong said in a low voice. "More than these, this Emperor is interested in the new generation from each family and what level they have reached over the years." Though his voice sounded quiet, each word was as powerful as if whispered right in one’s ear, making it impossible to miss a single one.

Every year on his birthday, a martial arts tournament was held for the various families to display their strength, similar in principle to the Pattern Master competition. Likewise, only members of the younger generation could participate, and their Cultivation could not exceed the Essence Pill Stage. This was the time for each family to demonstrate their power before the Great Emperor.

But the true meaning behind it was a contest of power between the Princes’ factions! Nearly every family present had already chosen a side, so wasn’t this tournament just a battle between the different camps?

It served as a form of entertainment that had been held for many years, a public forum for sparring. More importantly, it was a way to show the Great Emperor which Prince’s faction was stronger! If one faction demonstrated overwhelming dominance, their Prince’s ascension to the throne was all but guaranteed.

"Lu Hua of the Lu Family, here to compete!" Lu Hua strode onto the stage, brandishing a longsword. The blade flashed with white light—it was a Half-Spiritual Artifact.

He looked across with a haughty expression, waiting to see who would be sent to fight him. His Cultivation was not low; sending someone with a Low Cultivation would be a death sentence.

"Lin De of the Lin Family, here to compete!"

A young man leaped onto the stage, holding a long staff. It was merely an Upper Grade Treasure Artifact, a level lower than Lu Hua’s weapon. This was to be expected; the Lin Family was not wealthy, so producing an Upper Grade Treasure Artifact was already commendable. Fortunately, his Cultivation wasn’t low—he was at the Seventh Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage. Otherwise, there would be no hope of putting up a fight.

From the audience, Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes. He had heard of this Lin De—a disciple from the Inner Hall. His talent wasn’t low, and achieving this level of Cultivation was quite impressive.

"Lu Family versus Lin Family! The match officially begins!" the announcer bellowed.

The moment the announcement was made, Lin De gripped his staff and charged at Lu Hua. His figure flickered as he executed the Cloud-Walking Step, moving as if drifting through white clouds and stirring a gentle breeze. The staff in his hands was already brimming with Qi Force, and as he closed in on Lu Hua, he thrust it forward.

"Cloud-Entering Form!"

Lin De executed the first form of the Lin’s Staff Technique, thrusting forward with immense power. He poured all his momentum into the staff, and with an explosive burst of air, he unleashed the Cloud-Entering Form at its absolute peak, causing the vague shape of a Qi Dragon to erupt forth.

This move made Lin Xuan’s eyes light up. Lin De’s execution was truly masterful; very few could refine this technique to such a degree.

"Too slow. Like a snail!" Lu Hua, who had been standing perfectly still, suddenly sneered. With a slight shift of his feet, the Qi Force grazed right past him. He had dodged the attack perfectly, though it looked as if it was by sheer luck.

He dodged the Qi Force, but the physical staff was still thrusting toward him. A cold smirk remained on Lu Hua’s face. With another slight shuffle of his feet, Lin De’s vision blurred—Lu Hua had vanished!

The next moment, he felt a chill on his neck. The longsword was already resting against it. An icy sensation traveled from the sharp blade into his body, freezing him in place. A slight, involuntary tremor caused the blade to slice his skin, leaving a thin line of blood.

It was fast. Too fast! The match was over in the blink of an eye. If Lu Hua pushed his hand forward even a single centimeter, Lin De would be dead.

’An Initial Micro Level Body Technique...’ Lin Xuan frowned. ’This Lu Hua is indeed skilled. He cultivated an Earth Level Body Technique to the Initial Micro Level, allowing him to evade those attacks with such precise movements.’

"Get lost!"

Lu Hua snorted coldly and delivered a heavy kick to Lin De’s body. With a muffled grunt, Lin De lost his grip on the staff and was sent flying.

A figure drifted up behind Lin De, catching him by the shoulders and setting him down steadily. It was the Lin Family Patriarch, Lin Feng. His expression was calm; he was not surprised by the outcome.

"Patriarch, this disciple has failed..." Blood trickled from the corner of Lin De’s mouth. The kick had been viciously heavy, almost scrambling his internal organs. It had seemed like a simple kick off the stage, but it had left him severely injured—his Dantian had nearly been shattered.

Such ruthless methods. As expected of one of the Eldest Prince’s men, he showed no mercy.

"Is this the best the Lin Family can do? Your skill is pathetic. He couldn’t even take one of my moves," Lu Hua taunted. "Doesn’t the Lin Family have anyone else competent? With this level of ability, you should just stay off the stage and stop embarrassing yourselves!"

"Patriarch, I..." Another disciple couldn’t remain seated, wanting to volunteer to fight Lu Hua.

"Don’t go!"

Lin Feng stopped them, his face ashen. "Lin De already has the highest Cultivation among you. Sending anyone else up there would be suicide. This is clearly a goad. If we keep sending people up, we’ll only humiliate ourselves further. It’s better to be called cowards than to suffer one defeat after another."

"Is no one else really coming up?" Lu Hua spat on the ground and sneered. "I thought the Lin Family might have some capable people. Turns out you’re all just a bunch of cowards!"

SWISH!

Suddenly, a figure stood up. All surrounding eyes immediately focused on him. They saw that the person who had risen was Lin Xuan, from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion’s delegation.

Lin Xuan’s face was ashen. He was a member of the Lin Family through and through. Even if his was just a branch family, Lu Hua’s insults were directed at the entire Lin Clan! Anyone with the surname Lin would find it intolerable.

Most importantly, Lu Hua’s words were clearly directed at him, a blatant attempt to provoke him.

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