Soul Emperor Awakening

At Xu Qianlong’s word, the contest came to an end. It relieved the pressure on Lin Xuan and, more importantly, gave the Eldest Prince’s faction a way to save face.

However, Lin Xuan’s sheer dominance was now etched in everyone’s minds. He had soundly vented the frustrations of the Third Prince’s faction, putting the Eldest Prince’s arrogant followers in their place.

After the Great Emperor’s announcement, the event transitioned into a simple banquet. All sorts of delicacies were served and beautiful dances were performed, returning the gathering to a more conventional celebration. However, many of the guests wore grim expressions, showing no interest in the fine food and beautiful women before them.

"Young Master Lin, your cultivation has improved again. You really stole the show in that competition," Zi Yi said with a light chuckle, covering her mouth. She was quite satisfied with Lin Xuan’s performance.

"Miss Zi Yi, you’re teasing me. I suspect you brought me here because you anticipated I would have to step in, didn’t you?" Lin Xuan chuckled. "I even wonder if you’re one of the Third Prince’s people. After all, if I’m here when trouble starts, I’m not the type to just stand by and do nothing."

’Now that the contest was over and he had a moment to think, he could piece a few things together. He hadn’t actually helped Zi Yi with anything, and no one had come to harass her—with the exception of Lu Hua, of course. That’s why he suspected she had some sort of partnership with the Third Prince. Why else would she go out of her way to bring him here?’

Zi Yi simply offered a faint smile, avoiding a direct answer. "You can think whatever you like, Young Master Lin. Besides, you did help me a great deal by taking care of Lu Hua. Wasn’t that the reason I invited you?"

Lin Xuan shook his head; he didn’t buy that for a second. ’It was true Lu Hua had been pestering her, but he would never have dared to actually lay a hand on her unless he had a death wish. The guards escorting them were at the Peak of the Essence Pill Stage. Who else would get that kind of protection?’

Just then, Lin Feng and the others walked over. Lin De raised his wine cup gratefully. "Thank you, Brother Lin, for fighting on behalf of our Lin Family. To show my respect, I’ll drink first!"

Lin De downed the wine in one gulp, but his internal injuries made him cough a few times. A companion next to him patted his back. Lin De was injured and shouldn’t have been drinking, but he threw caution to the wind to offer Lin Xuan a toast.

It wasn’t just Lin De; the other Lin Family disciples also raised their cups to Lin Xuan one by one.

Without wasting words, Lin Xuan drank a cup in return and smiled. "All those who share a surname are one family. Anyone else named Lin would have done the same!"

"Not necessarily," Lin Feng said, his gaze burning as he raised his cup to Lin Xuan. "I’ll toast you as well!"

Lin Xuan said nothing, simply drinking another cup. Everything was understood without words. There were people with the surname Lin on the Eldest Prince’s side, too, but they couldn’t care less if the main Lin Family lived or died. Sharing a surname didn’t guarantee allegiance.

The banquet concluded without further incident. Xu Qianlong said little else before everyone dispersed, bringing the birthday celebration to a close. The next day, Lin Xuan returned to Vast Origin City with Zi Yi. The journey was completely uneventful, as the Fang Family would never dare to attack a carriage from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

If they were discovered, the Fang Family would suffer a devastating blow—it would be no different from ambushing the Qingcheng Mansion. They would have to pull it off without leaving a single trace. But the guards from the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion were no pushovers. If they sent a signal, experts from the Imperial Capital would immediately swarm the area, and no one would be able to stop them.

Meanwhile, as they were leaving, the Eldest Prince, Xu Yunxuan, was in a luxurious bedroom, his face dark as he stared at the group of people before him, all with their heads bowed. If Lin Xuan had been present, he would have recognized them as the clan leaders of various families, all standing before the Eldest Prince with shame written on their faces.

"A fine batch of disciples you chose this time!" Xu Yunxuan said coldly. "Completely crushed by that Lin Xuan, and not one of them dared to make a peep!"

"It was a grave miscalculation on our part," a cold glint flashed in the eyes of Lu Xuan, Patriarch of the Lu Family. "Who could have predicted Lin Xuan would even appear, let alone that his strength would have soared so dramatically? He should be preparing for the top-ten finals right now. Core Disciples are incredibly busy, so for him to show up... we were indeed not thorough enough in our considerations!" He was seething with rage. Lu Hua had been crippled, and Lu Sheng was dead. Of all the patriarchs present, he had the most reason to feel wronged.

Lu Xuan was right. It wasn’t that their families lacked capable disciples, but that those disciples all happened to be occupied with other matters.

"The top-ten finals..." Xu Yunxuan mused for a moment before his voice turned chilling. "I don’t care what methods you have to use. Get rid of him for me during those finals!"

The patriarchs exchanged glances. They knew Lin Xuan was strong, but they had their own people among the Core Disciples as well. ’Why is the Eldest Prince being so ruthless about this?’ they wondered. ’No matter how astonishing his talent, Lin Xuan is still only in the Spirit Refining Stage. To have any real impact on the political situation, you need to be at the Spirit Pill Stage. As he is now, he poses no real threat.’

’How long would it take for Lin Xuan to reach the Spirit Pill Stage? Five years? Ten? Twenty? In five years, the power struggle would be long over. No matter how strong he became then, he wouldn’t be able to make any waves.’

Such were their thoughts, but they could only nod in agreement.

"Understood. We will do our best!"

"Not ’do your best.’ You *will* succeed!" Xu Yunxuan said icily. "I don’t know why, but that boy gives me a very bad feeling!"

The patriarchs exchanged glances again, privately concluding that Xu Yunxuan was being paranoid. As heads of their families, they didn’t really see Lin Xuan as a major threat. Anger was one thing, but taking such a huge risk to eliminate him during the finals was another. If they were discovered, the consequences would be dire.

...

Lin Xuan, now outside the city, was completely unaware that he had just been plunged into a grave crisis.

"Thank you again for your help, Young Master Lin," Zi Yi said with a smile as they traveled. "We have plenty of time now. Shall we head to the cultivation site?"

"Sounds good. Let’s head over now," Lin Xuan agreed with a nod.

’As he was only at the Sixth Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage, he didn’t feel confident about winning the top-ten finals. He had been planning to break through by cultivating in the Cyan Cloud Tower for some time. In fact, the main reason he had agreed to Zi Yi’s request was for the opportunity to cultivate, especially at a place she described as so mysterious. He was eager to see it.’

’A quick breakthrough would be ideal. He still had the Dragon Blood Pill and the Blood Jade Fruit in his Storage Space—two incredible treasures for strengthening the body, perfect for consuming during cultivation. After he broke through, he would be able to dominate the top-ten finals!’

’He wanted to defeat Ling Tian once and for all, not drag things out. If he broke through, he was confident he could do it. Without a breakthrough, his chances weren’t nearly as good.’

’He was trying to improve, but so were Ling Tian and his peers. Ling Tian’s talent, in particular, was astonishing. Who was to say that by the time Lin Xuan emerged from his cultivation, Ling Tian wouldn’t have already reached the Peak of the Spirit Refining Stage? If he remained stagnant at the Sixth Layer, his defeat would be certain.’

Following Lin Xuan’s decision, Zi Yi directed the carriage toward the cultivation site she had mentioned—a place even more advanced than the Cyan Cloud Tower.

After traveling for several hours, Lin Xuan realized they weren’t heading toward Vast Origin City at all, but in a completely different direction. The landscape here was also quite desolate.

When he peered out of the carriage, he saw that the ground outside was a vast expanse of blood-red. A terrifying killing intent washed over them from the distance, making the horses pulling the carriage agitated and restless.

A fire ignited within Lin Xuan, and the blood in his veins began to boil, surging with killing intent. ’So this is the special cultivation site Zi Yi mentioned?’

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!