Soul Emperor Awakening

"The third move..."

Lin Xuan gripped the Dragon Cloud Rod and walked toward Huang Ming. A faint smile played on his lips, but in Huang Ming’s eyes, it was terrifying—the smile of a Demon.

Lin Xuan then hoisted the Dragon Cloud Rod and smashed it down again, this time with even more force than the previous two strikes—twenty-five hundred jin of power!

Just by advancing one layer, his original limit of over a thousand jin had shot up to twenty-five hundred! The sheer scale of this improvement was staggering, but it was the truth. Such results varied from person to person. Lin Xuan’s physique was far stronger than the average person’s, so the effects of advancing his cultivation were drastically different.

"Measuring Heart Swordsmanship, Third Stance!"

Huang Ming let out a low roar, mobilizing all the Elemental Power in his body. His sword erupted with a dazzling light as he charged forward to meet the attack. He thrust out with his terrifying swordsmanship, a single stab transforming into dozens of sword gleams—the signature feature of this technique.

But no matter how dazzling the Martial Technique, it was insignificant in the face of absolute power!

DONG!

With a heavy blow, the sword gleams struck the Dragon Cloud Rod without causing the slightest ripple. Then, just like before, the rod smashed down hard on the body of the sword. The blade bent even further, almost pressing flat against Huang Ming’s chest. If it hadn’t been a Treasure Level artifact, it would have been snapped in two by the impact.

Huang Ming’s face was flushed crimson as he tried to forcefully resist the heavy blow. But then he saw a cold sneer appear on Lin Xuan’s face. Immediately after, he felt an even greater pressure bear down on him. BANG! Huang Ming was sent flying, sword and all, the blade slipping from his grasp as he flew.

He tumbled backward through the air before slamming hard onto the ground. A mouthful of blood surged up his throat. He shot Lin Xuan a venomous glare before collapsing, unconscious.

"That was three moves. Brother Huang, please make your move." Lin Xuan gestured for Huang Ming to attack. This was, without a doubt, a blatant lie—Huang Ming was already unconscious. What move could he possibly make?

The crowd below, however, was gasping in shock. Who said brute force was useless? Relying on nothing but raw power, Lin Xuan had forcibly shattered Huang Ming’s strongest attack without the slightest pause. It was a completely one-sided beatdown!

"Young Master!" An attendant rushed up, cradled Huang Ming in his arms, then pointed at Lin Xuan and cursed, "Your methods are too vicious! What’s so special about relying on brute force? Use a Martial Technique if you have the guts!"

"I’m afraid that if I used a Martial Technique and couldn’t hold back, your Young Master Huang would be dead," Lin Xuan sneered.

At his words, the crowd froze. There was actually some truth to what he said. If he could crush his opponent one-sidedly with just brute force, what would happen if he used a Martial Technique? He’d be left crippled, if not dead.

The attendant opened his mouth to say something but couldn’t find any reason to object. It wasn’t just him; everyone else inwardly agreed with Lin Xuan. Seeing was believing. If his attacks were that violent already, how terrifying would they be when combined with a Martial Technique?

"Anyone else unconvinced? Feel free to come up and challenge me. If you win, I’ll hand over the Dragon Blood Pill with both hands, and I’ll throw in a Spirit-Breaking Pill!" Lin Xuan swept his gaze over the crowd below, which had fallen completely silent.

At this point, who would dare to cross Lin Xuan unless they had a death wish? Their talent was far inferior to Huang Ming’s. If even Huang Ming lost, what chance did they stand? The Dragon Blood Pill and Spirit-Breaking Pill were certainly precious, but you had to be alive to use them!

"The winner of this match is Lin Xuan!" Elder Chen announced the result. His gaze toward Lin Xuan was now completely different. ’Based on this performance alone, he really might be able to pass the Seventh Layer.’

"This is the Dragon Blood Pill, your reward from the Cloud Ascension Tower." Elder Chen smiled as he took out the Dragon Blood Pill and handed it over.

Lin Xuan accepted it without hesitation, his heart pounding with excitement. With the help of this Divine Pill, breaking through to the Spirit Refining Stage wouldn’t be difficult. ’As for the Spirit-Breaking Pill,’ he thought, ’that will have to wait until Huang Ming wakes up.’

"Thank you, Elder Chen. I assume I should be able to join the Inner Hall now?" Lin Xuan asked.

"Well... we’ll have to wait for the Elder to arrive to know for sure. According to the latest notice, the Fifth Elder is already rushing over and should be here soon." Elder Chen didn’t dare make the decision himself; everything had to be determined by his superiors. After all, he had never encountered such a strange situation.

The words had barely left his mouth when a figure shot toward them from the front. Before anyone could react, the person had already landed in front of Elder Chen and asked in a deep voice, "Which is the boy who caused the strange phenomenon?"

Lin Xuan sized up the old man who had just arrived. His speed was simply astonishing. ’If this person wanted to kill us,’ he thought, ’he could take everyone’s lives here in the span of a few breaths!’

Without a doubt, this was the Fifth Elder, Qing Piaoyun, whose cultivation had reached the Spirit Pill Stage Level. Any random Elder from Qingcheng Mansion was significantly stronger than Lin Feng, which was why it would be so easy for Qingcheng Mansion to crush the Lin Family.

Elder Chen was stunned. When he came to his senses, he quickly and respectfully said, "Greetings, Fifth Elder..."

"Cut the crap! I asked you, where is he?" Fifth Elder Qing Piaoyun said coldly.

"It’s... it’s him," Elder Chen said, pointing at Lin Xuan.

Qing Piaoyun’s gaze shifted to Lin Xuan. It was so intense it felt tangible, as if it could pierce right through his body, making Lin Xuan extremely uncomfortable. Before he could react, Qing Piaoyun had already reached out and grabbed him. Immediately, Lin Xuan felt a terrifying surge of Elemental Power probing inside his body.

This was an extremely rude thing to do, but he was in no position to resist. ’I just hope he doesn’t discover the Soul Pearl,’ he prayed.

"Eighth Layer of Body Refining Stage, Fourth Grade Talent... His physique is solid enough, much stronger than others at the same layer. Logically, the chances of passing the Asura trial should still be quite small..." Qing Piaoyun frowned, then released his grip and looked at Lin Xuan. "Tell me what happened."

Lin Xuan immediately explained everything: how he had defeated the Red Venerable, which then triggered the Asura trial, and how he had ultimately seen the Stone Stele with the Cyan Cloud Step carved on it!

"Then recite the contents for me to hear!" Qing Piaoyun said, visibly excited after hearing the explanation.

As he spoke, he waved his hand, releasing an astonishing amount of Elemental Power that enveloped the two of them, forming a Sound Insulation Shield. People outside could no longer hear what they were saying or even see them clearly, which also prevented anyone who could read lips from understanding.

"The contents of the Cyan Cloud Step, are, for the most part..."

Lin Xuan recited a portion of the contents. He had only spoken a few sentences when Qing Piaoyun’s eyes went wide. The elder held up a hand, signaling him to stop, and then dissipated the Sound Insulation Shield.

The crowd outside had no idea what was happening. They stared intently at the two, as if the current assessments no longer mattered. The only thing that was important was what Elder Qing Piaoyun would say. Had Lin Xuan completed the Seventh Layer, or hadn’t he?

"Excellent, excellent!" Qing Piaoyun beamed, his eyes crinkling in a smile. "To think someone would stumble into the Asura trial by accident and actually pass it! I will give you your answer right here: not only can you join the Inner Hall, but you will also soon receive the qualifications for the Core Disciple assessment!"

The moment he said this, the entire audience was stunned! It was one thing to successfully join the Inner Hall, but to even be considered for the Core Disciple assessment was unheard of. In the past, one had to at least secure a firm position in the Inner Hall before they could even be considered to join the ranks of Core Disciples.

Lin Xuan had broken this rule. Having just joined the Inner Hall, he was already being given the chance to meet the Core Disciple assessment criteria!

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