Soul Emperor Awakening

This extreme burst surpassed the limits of his current power. The price was the consumption of most of his Elemental Power; his muscles swelled, and his veins bulged, becoming clearly visible all over his body.

Lin Xuan panted heavily, his body drenched in sweat, and his hands were already dripping with blood. As he watched the two Iron Men he had sent flying, his gaze remained sharp, showing no signs of letting up.

He immediately took a stone carving from his Storage Pouch and once again summoned a disciple of the Flame Heart Sect. ’As long as I have enough Elemental Power and enough statues, I can summon them infinitely! It’s just a shame I only have two powerful souls. If I possess one, there’s only one left. If I had several decent souls, I could definitely crush this level!’

"Soul Recovery!"

The effects of Lin Hua’s soul had dissipated. It felt as if something had been drained from his body; both his perception and strength dropped drastically. Fortunately, he had taken a few Solid Essence Pills earlier, or he would have collapsed long ago. But now, with no more Solid Essence Pills, he couldn’t hold out for much longer.

The time it takes for two incense sticks to burn wasn’t long, but under this terrifying siege, every second felt like a year.

Still, he clenched his jaw, pulled Lin Hua’s statue from his Storage Pouch, and summoned him. ’Now I have two helpers. Including me, that makes three! I thought about doing this earlier, but it has its drawbacks. For one, the consumption is high. For another, their power is significantly reduced, and they lack flexibility.’

The statues were always lacking in intelligence. Even though he could control them, he wasn’t yet adept enough to handle two at once; it consumed too much of his Heart Spirit.

Now, to stall for time, he had no choice but to summon another. ’Even if it just acts as a meat shield, that’s fine.’

The two Iron Men knocked back by Extreme Point Inch Light had already climbed to their feet, the dents in their chests gradually healing. To them, such a violent attack was nothing special. The hardness of their bodies alone was comparable to a Treasure Artifact, so piercing through them as he had done before was clearly impossible now.

"Stop them!"

Lin Xuan commanded his two helpers to intercept them while he, holding the Dragon Cloud Rod, watched intently from the side. The moment either Iron Man revealed an opening, he would immediately attack and force it back.

But the two stone statue helpers had barely rushed forward before they were instantly shattered by the greatswords! The Iron Men’s power had increased drastically; the closer it got to the time limit, the more brutal they became.

The instant the stone carving shattered, Lin Xuan felt a wave of emptiness as another portion of his Elemental Power was drained away. ’Summoning two statues consumes too much Elemental Power, and they can only block a single strike!’ Their potential duration was long, but they never lasted until their time was up. They were always smashed to pieces with one slash.

’This statue summoning is quite Heaven-Defying, but only when facing opponents of a similar Cultivation level. In those cases, summoning them is enough to crush the enemy. When the Cultivation gap is too large, and the statues can’t release Elemental Power, their effectiveness is drastically reduced.’

’If I keep summoning them, I probably won’t even have the strength left to run away...’ Lin Xuan’s heart sank. He had prepared many stone carvings in advance, but without enough Elemental Power, they were useless no matter how many he had.

The crucial point was that after being summoned, they were shattered in a matter of breaths. It was completely pointless.

’Then I have no choice but to fight them head-on!’

Lin Xuan immersed himself in a wondrous state. When he opened his eyes again, the two Iron Men slashing toward him seemed to have slowed down considerably—Unity of Heaven and Man!

He had once again entered the Realm of Unity of Heaven and Man, merging with the entire area. He could clearly hear the rush of wind stirred by their charge, every detail becoming exquisitely subtle.

He easily entered a Realm that others struggled to reach. The reason was simple: it was an insight he had gained during his many years of blindness, which had made his senses far more acute than a normal person’s.

Holding the Dragon Cloud Rod, he stood motionless, his gaze locked on the two charging Iron Men. Just as they nearly aligned into a single file, Lin Xuan suddenly moved. A light flashed in his eyes as he thrust the Dragon Cloud Rod forward like a bolt of lightning.

"Extreme Point Inch Light!"

He executed the fourth form of the technique, Extreme Point Inch Light. While his mastery might not have been as great as Lin Hua’s, its power, when combined with his Unity of Heaven and Man, was not to be underestimated!

THUD!

With a fierce strike, he hit the Water Venerable, which bore the brunt of the attack, squarely in the chest. The immense force sent it flying back into the Wood Venerable behind it. This ultimate burst of power sent both Iron Men flying, and they crashed into the wall in a heap, creating a violent impact.

Drip...

Blood dripped down the Dragon Cloud Rod onto the floor. The hand gripping the rod trembled slightly. This was truly his limit; he had almost no Elemental Power left. Yet, he remained standing, refusing to collapse.

The battle lust in his eyes hadn’t diminished in the slightest. ’Even if I die, I won’t fall here and now!’ And he wouldn’t fall. He still had to join the Inner Hall, become a Core Disciple, see Lin Xue, and protect the Lin Family!

He could not fall. He absolutely could not fall.

The two Iron Men indomitably got back to their feet and charged again, swinging their greatswords with no loss of speed.

"Get back!"

Lin Xuan roared, fiercely thrusting the Dragon Cloud Rod forward and once again unleashing Extreme Point Inch Light.

His furious roar seemed to grant him more strength. He unleashed an attack at his absolute limit, sending the two Iron Men flying once more. But this time, the impact ruptured the blood vessels in his arm. Blood seeped through his skin, and his vision began to blur.

Even the strongest will cannot hold out after being pushed so far beyond its limits.

Lin Xuan swayed, on the verge of collapse. He took a step back, using the Dragon Cloud Rod as a crutch to keep himself from falling. He estimated that time was almost up, but even if only a moment remained, the two Iron Men were already on their feet, preparing for another assault.

"Die!"

Lin Xuan roared, his nerves stretched to their breaking point, and charged forward, swinging his rod. In that instant, he felt something inside him elevate. A warm current surged from his core to his limbs, soothing the pain that wracked his body.

A breakthrough!

At this critical moment, he had broken through, advancing from the Seventh Layer of Body Refining Stage to the Eighth Layer of Body Refining Stage. His Elemental Power began to replenish itself in a steady stream.

"Extreme Point Inch Light!"

Lin Xuan roared, transforming into a dazzling white light. BANG!!

The two Iron Men were sent flying again, the blow far heavier than any before. The dent on the front one’s chest was more focused, but a large bulge now protruded from its back!

The power of the Eighth Layer of Body Refining Stage was a massive improvement over the Seventh Layer.

"The time for two incense sticks is up. You have passed the Asura trial." The cold voice held no trace of congratulations.

All tension drained from Lin Xuan’s body as he collapsed to the ground, murmuring, "Did I finally pass...?"

He breathed an internal sigh of relief. He had finally made it through. It really had felt like every second was a year. ’Fortunately, their intelligence wasn’t high, or I wouldn’t have even known how I died. If I had been up against a normal Cultivator at the Peak of Body Refining Stage, I really wouldn’t have lasted for even a single stick of incense.’

’Who would be stupid enough to just let you attack them without dodging? They could have just worn me down and killed me using only Body Techniques. If that were the case, who could possibly pass the Seventh Layer?’

’Now that I’ve passed the Seventh Layer, I wonder what the reward will be?’ Lin Xuan looked at the now-open stairway and saw a passage leading up. ’There’s an Eighth Layer?’

Regardless of what lay ahead, he quickly sat down to meditate and regulate his internal condition. He had just achieved a breakthrough and needed to consolidate his new Realm.

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