Soul Emperor Awakening

"If you want to see Lin Xue, it’s quite difficult right now. She’s in seclusion. I have to say, that girl Lin Xue has more than just astonishing talent; she’s also an extremely diligent cultivator—a complete cultivation maniac! While others take their time, she just dives headfirst into her Cultivation."

Qing Piaoyun seemed to recall Lin Xue’s situation and said with an envious look, "When Third Elder saw how diligent Lin Xue was, he was absolutely overjoyed. Someone with her level of talent who also works so hard is a rare sight indeed. I have no idea what she’s pushing herself so hard for... but it’s a good thing nonetheless!"

Lin Xuan fell completely silent after hearing this. If not for that embroidered cloth with its message, he truly wouldn’t have believed that Lin Xue was pushing herself so desperately for his sake. The once high and mighty Princess now seemed so moving. ’If that’s the case, what reason do I have not to give it my all?’

"Yes, I do want to see her... but since she’s in seclusion, I won’t disturb her." Lin Xuan chose to keep his reasons to himself. He decided to wait until he had joined the ranks of the Core Disciples before approaching her openly!

Perhaps he wouldn’t have surpassed Lin Xue by then, but their strength definitely wouldn’t be too far apart. At the very least, they would be able to fight side by side.

"Alright, I’ll go in first and report your arrival. You can look around for a bit," Qing Piaoyun said, waving a hand forward. "Liu Xuan, come over here."

A young man from up ahead walked over. He wore a smile and seemed approachable, yet his Cultivation had reached the Second Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage—a rather astonishing level.

"Fifth Elder, did you want me to show this newcomer around and get him familiar with the place?" Liu Xuan asked with a wide grin, appearing quite cheerful.

"Yes. Show Lin Yunlong around and explain how things work here. I’m going to make my report," Qing Piaoyun instructed before heading toward the council hall inside.

"Liu Xuan," Liu Xuan said.

"Lin Yunlong," Lin Xuan replied, still concealing his real name. Under normal circumstances, it would be difficult to trace him, as he had always kept to a remote corner of the Lin Family estate. Aside from collecting his Elixir Pills, he hardly ever appeared in public.

"Joining the Inner Hall at only the Eighth Layer of Body Refining Stage... you must have passed the Seventh Layer of the Cloud Ascension Tower. I have to say, you’ve got real skill!" Liu Xuan gave him a thumbs-up in admiration. "I also passed the Seventh Layer of the Cloud Ascension Tower back in the day, but my Cultivation was at the Peak of the Body Refining Stage. You’re two whole layers below where I was."

Lin Xuan was no longer surprised by the feat of passing the Seventh Layer of the Cloud Ascension Tower. He figured that many people here had likely passed the tower’s trial. It seemed difficult, but for someone at the Peak of the Body Refining Stage, it was actually quite easy to pass and not particularly challenging.

The difficulty was for those with low talent whose Cultivation was only at the Sixth and Seventh Layers of the Body Refining Stage. With that kind of strength, how could they possibly pass the Cloud Ascension Tower?

"I was just a little lucky," Lin Xuan said with a smile.

"Well, luck is a part of strength too!" Liu Xuan led him toward a Stone Stele up ahead, explaining as they walked, "There’s a lot you need to know when you enter the Inner Hall. The first thing is to understand the rankings!"

Liu Xuan didn’t press the matter. Everyone has their secrets, and he was certain Lin Xuan had an ace up his sleeve. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to pass the Cloud Ascension Tower at only the Eighth Layer of the Body Refining Stage.

"Rankings?"

Lin Xuan followed him over. As he got a little closer, he could see that the stele was inscribed with names. He scanned it briefly, and the one that made the deepest impression was the very first name: Ling Tian!

’To tower above the heavens! What an imposing name.’ If his performance were mediocre, he would surely be ridiculed for it. But since his performance was astonishing, he faced no ridicule; he truly lived up to that name.

He didn’t recognize almost anyone else, aside from Liu Xuan, who was ranked a mere thirty-second! The entire Stone Stele recorded one hundred names—that’s right, only one hundred! No more, no less, exactly one hundred people. He hadn’t expected that someone at the Second Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage like Liu Xuan would only be ranked thirty-second.

This was clearly a strength-based leaderboard, where rankings were determined by one’s power. The fact that Ling Tian could occupy the top spot was proof enough of how Heaven-Defying he was.

Of course, no matter how Heaven-Defying he was, he couldn’t compare to Lin Xue. She didn’t even need to take an assessment and had already joined the Core Disciples. Now that was a true genius! Ling Tian was by no means weak, but in terms of talent, he was still a cut below Lin Xue.

"This is the ranking of everyone in the Inner Hall. There are only one hundred people. The number will never exceed one hundred; it can be less, but never more!" Liu Xuan said with a sigh. "In one month, you will have to challenge the lowest-ranked disciple among these one hundred. Only if you win can you truly join the Inner Hall. If you lose, you still get one more chance, and you’ll be given another month."

Lin Xuan was taken aback. His gaze immediately and subconsciously shifted to the very last name at the bottom: Zhao Hua.

He hadn’t expected the rules here to be like this. He had to participate in a duel right after joining, and against the lowest-ranked disciple at that.

"If Ling Tian becomes a Core Disciple, won’t that free up a spot? Would a challenge still be necessary then?" Lin Xuan asked.

"Let me repeat myself: the number can only be less, never more!" Liu Xuan said sternly. "Forget about just the first-ranked disciple; even if the entire top ten joined the Core Hall and opened up ten spots, a newcomer would still have to challenge the lowest-ranked disciple!"

Lin Xuan sighed internally. ’The requirements really are strict.’ The system indirectly pushed the person at the bottom to cultivate diligently. However, it also put immense pressure on newcomers. To have to challenge an Inner Hall disciple right after arriving... even if they were at the bottom, they were still an Inner Hall disciple!

"So, Brother Lin, you’d better be prepared. This Zhao Hua’s Cultivation isn’t what you’d call high; he’s only at the First Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage. He just broke through a few months ago," Liu Xuan reminded him.

The First Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage!

’He’s only one layer below Liu Xuan, yet he’s at the very bottom. Isn’t that gap a bit too big?’ But it all came down to comprehensive strength. Weapons, Martial Techniques, and experience—all these things combined could make a world of difference. This was especially true for those with a solid foundation; someone at the Second Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage could even rival those at the Third or Fourth Layer.

This was what it meant to fight above one’s level! Lin Xuan himself could already do it. His domineering strength surpassed even the Ninth Layer of Body Refining Stage, making it comparable to the Peak of the Body Refining Stage.

However, when facing someone at the First Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage, he could only turn tail and run. Otherwise, he would just be courting death. The gap between them spanned a Great Realm, which represented a qualitative leap in power!

"It seems the competition in this Inner Hall is quite intense. What happens to the bottom-ranked disciple if they lose?" Lin Xuan asked.

"It’s simple. Qingcheng Mansion still gives them a chance. After one month, they get to challenge the new bottom-ranked disciple. If they win, they can come back. If they lose..." Liu Xuan smiled and said, "...then they are truly kicked out of Qingcheng Mansion, never to join again."

Lin Xuan sucked in a sharp breath. ’This is simply a waste of talent!’ Any disciple who could join the Inner Hall was highly gifted. Pluck any one of them out, and their Talent Level would be Fifth-class or higher. They would be seen as geniuses on the outside, but here, they were treated as nothing more than weeds!

’Then again, it makes sense.’ Without a solid foundation, without strength, what was the point of remaining in the Inner Hall?

"So you’re saying, if someone joins the Core Hall, some spots do open up, right?" Lin Xuan said.

"That’s a given, but don’t worry. Sometimes, a recruit is so monstrously talented that they don’t even need to go through this basic assessment and can challenge someone in the top ten right away," Liu Xuan added. "But it’s true that the total never exceeds one hundred. One hundred is the maximum. That’s just how it is for now."

All Lin Xuan could do was marvel at this. It was truly a system of quality over quantity! An absolute "elite" model designed to compel every single person to cultivate. If you fell behind, you would really be kicked out, and there was no greater loss of face than that.

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