Soul Emperor Awakening

He was completely unaware of the discussions about Lin Xuan outside. All Lin Xuan knew was that he had to keep charging forward, to storm the Fourth Layer in one go! The Seventh Layer was his target, but that didn’t mean he absolutely had to reach it. If it was too difficult to break through, he would choose to retreat. After all, saving his own life was paramount.

Upon reaching the Second Layer, he was greeted by the sight of another Ironman Array, but the six Iron Men had become seven! The difficulty had clearly been ramped up a level.

’They added another Iron Man...’ Lin Xuan’s brow furrowed. ’Could it be that they add one for each floor? By the time I reach the Seventh Layer, will I have to face a siege of twelve Iron Men? That would be a huge jump in difficulty.’

This was just Lin Xuan’s speculation. Heaven knew what kind of challenge lay ahead. But if it was truly like that, it seemed rather manageable. After all, he only had to break through the Iron Men’s encirclement and rush to the stairs to succeed; he didn’t need to destroy them at all.

Lin Xuan took a deep breath, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. Pushing his Cloud-Walking Step to its limit, he charged for the stairs. His body seemed to transform into a cloud, drifting forward with an erratic pace, at times fast and at others slow, as if he were truly riding the currents of the wind.

The moment he entered the Array, the seven Iron Men lunged, their speed a whole level faster than before! They sealed off every escape route with perfect coordination, leaving no gaps, pressing in on him like a solid iron wall.

The Dragon Cloud Rod in Lin Xuan’s grip was already swirling with astonishing Qi Force. His eyes locked onto the Iron Man at the edge of the formation, and the instant it drew near, he thrust forward forcefully.

"Cloud-Entering Form!"

He unleashed his most practiced move, the Cloud-Entering Form. A terrifying Qi Force, like a flood dragon, ran the Iron Man through. THUD! The Iron Man was sent flying viciously into the wall, its entire chest caved in.

The instant that Iron Man was sent flying, Lin Xuan executed his Cloud-Walking Step, slipping through the newly created gap at lightning speed and charging for the stairs. By the time the remaining six Iron Men arrived at his previous position, he had already passed them and reached the staircase. Before they could even react and turn around, he had already vanished.

With a masterful application of his Body Technique, all he needed was to create a single opening, and the rest was simple. His incredible judgment and formidable Martial Technique, when combined, were terrifyingly effective.

He might not have much personal combat experience, but he had gained a great deal when Lin Hua’s soul merged with his. His judgment now far surpassed that of his peers! He didn’t even need to use Lin Hua’s Soul Possession. Just by relying on his Cloud-Walking Step pushed to its limits, he could clear the floor with ease.

This approach wasn’t as brutish as his performance on the First Layer; simple control was all it took to pass with ease. After all, with seven floors to climb, it would be impossible to reach the top without carefully conserving his Elemental Power.

「Meanwhile.」

Huang Ming, wielding a sword, executed his Shock Cloud Step and charged the seven Iron Men at top speed. He brandished his sharp Treasure Sword, forcing the Iron Men back repeatedly. The instant a gap appeared, he quickly maneuvered through with his footwork and successfully ascended to the Third Layer.

Both his Body Technique and his swordsmanship were incredible, far surpassing most of his peers. No wonder he was so arrogant—he had the skill to justify it.

「Outside the Cloud Ascension Tower.」

"Lin Yunlong and Huang Ming are both on the Third Layer already! Isn’t that speed way too fast...?"

"The others haven’t even reached the Second Layer, but they’re already on the Third Layer..."

...

The crowd was utterly shocked. Their speed was staggering. The contrast made it all the more stunning—while others had yet to reach the Second Layer, those two were already storming the Third. Their pace was unbelievable; it was as if the Second Layer was even easier for them than the First!

Lin Xuan stormed onto the Third Layer in one breath. When he got a clear look at his surroundings, he saw it was just as he had guessed. They had simply added one more Iron Man, bringing the total to eight!

Adding one Iron Man increased the difficulty slightly, but it wasn’t a significant leap. However, getting past these Iron Men would be impossible without solid fundamentals. It was a test of one’s Body Technique and judgment.

Simple brute force was useless, unless one could apply overwhelming power. It was obvious that ordinary attacks were ineffective here. No matter how he attacked, these Iron Men were fearless and incredibly difficult to damage.

His strength was the most terrifying of all the participants, yet he could only leave minor marks on their bodies. Destroying them was simply too hard.

’Looks like passing the Third Layer will be pretty easy, too...’

Lin Xuan charged forward, rod in hand. Just like before, the moment he stepped within range, the eight Iron Men clanked to life and lunged at him. The aura they unleashed was far greater than that of the Second Layer, but to him, the pressure was nothing special!

"Cloud-Entering Form!"

Lin Xuan executed the Cloud-Entering Form again, but his movements were even faster than before. He thrust forward three consecutive times, sending three Iron Men flying! Then, he used the Cloud-Walking Step to drift past them, reaching the staircase with ease. The difficulty had increased slightly, but it wasn’t a major jump.

As he disappeared into the stairwell, the display outside updated to show he had ascended to the Fourth Layer! He had no idea how his speed ranked; all he knew was that he had to keep climbing. He wasn’t worried. This wasn’t a race of speed, but a test of who could climb the highest!

「Outside the Cloud Ascension Tower.」

"How is Lin Yunlong even faster than Huang Ming? He’s already on the Fourth Layer! They’re not human! Some people are already escaping from the Second Layer, but he’s already charged up to the Fourth!"

"Look! Huang Ming has reached the Fourth Layer too! Their speed is just terrifying."

...

Lin Xuan had just stormed the Fourth Layer, and Huang Ming followed right behind. It was as if the two were in a race to see who could climb faster and with more ferocity!

"Elder Chen, at this rate, do you think they’ll make it to the Fifth Layer?" someone asked, turning to Elder Chen.

"Do you know why the rewards start at the Fourth Layer?" Elder Chen asked with a chuckle, shaking his head. "Because the Fourth Layer is completely different from the first three. The first three are the standard assessment—passing them means you’re qualified. The Fourth Layer, however, is a step above. Without formidable strength and extensive experience, it is nearly impossible to pass."

"Those two should both be capable of passing the Fourth Layer, but there’s no telling how long it will take them. As for the Fifth Layer... I can only say that if you don’t want to die, you’d better get out!" Elder Chen’s tone grew heavy as he finished.

By now, Lin Xuan had arrived at the entrance to the Fourth Layer. As he climbed the relatively short staircase, he felt a wave of killing intent wash down from above before he even set foot on the floor itself.

When he arrived on the Fourth Layer, he was stunned by the sight that greeted him. There was no Ironman Array here—only a single Iron Man!

This Iron Man, however, looked completely different from the ones on the floors below. Its entire body was a deep crimson, and though he couldn’t identify the material, the metallic luster of its surface proved it was forged from some kind of ore. The killing intent he had felt moments ago emanated from this very figure.

It stood there perfectly still, yet it exuded a palpable sense of crisis!

He glanced around and saw that the stairs leading to the Fifth Layer were sealed shut. There was no way to slip past using a clever Body Technique. He could only bite the bullet and face it head-on.

’So this is the Fourth Layer?’ Lin Xuan tightened his grip on the Dragon Cloud Rod, his eyes glinting with fighting spirit!

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