Soul Emperor Awakening

From Liu Xuan’s explanation, Lin Xuan gained a general understanding of the situation here. The competition in the Inner Hall was simple: challenges could be issued once a month, but not just to anyone.

Someone at the bottom of the rankings couldn’t challenge the person in first place; instead, they could only challenge those ranked slightly ahead of them. For example, someone ranked one-hundredth could only challenge those ranked ninetieth or higher. You could only jump ten ranks at a time and not much more.

At that rate, it seemed like it would take ten months to challenge for first place. But that wasn’t actually the case. To account for those who had sudden, explosive breakthroughs, there was an option for an unranked challenge match each month. However, the loser would be expelled from Qingcheng Mansion!

The punishment was incredibly severe, yet perfectly reasonable. If you weren’t confident, why issue a challenge? Wasn’t that just courting death? It was a complete waste of other people’s time. In a real life-or-death battle, a mistake like that would cost you your life! That was why the unranked challenges were so strict.

Most people chose to take it slow. Advancing ten ranks was already considered remarkable. Jumping several dozen ranks was simply unheard of, unless someone had a miraculous encounter or their comprehension suddenly skyrocketed, allowing for a rapid breakthrough.

"For now, Brother Lin, you should just focus on your cultivation. I know you have some ability, but the gap is just too wide," Liu Xuan kindly advised.

Lin Xuan nodded, well aware of the gap in their abilities. ’To defeat Zhao Hua, I’ll probably need to be at least at the Ninth Layer of Body Refining Stage, but even that isn’t a sure thing. I should be able to win if I reach the Peak of Body Refining Stage. With my explosive power, I ought to be able to contend with him. But whether I can actually succeed will depend on Zhao Hua’s true strength.’

"The good news is you have a month. It’s not the end of the world if you lose; you’ll get another chance to challenge him. Of course, you could also wait two months to challenge him, but then you’d have to win on your first attempt," Liu Xuan said. "In the meantime, you can train in the Inner Hall’s Cultivation Secret Chambers, or you can go hunt some Demon Beasts to earn points. You can use those points to exchange for Cultivation Time in the Cyan Cloud Tower."

"Kid, I think you should go hunt some Demon Beasts to earn points. For one, it will increase your real-world combat experience. For another, using those points to train in the Cyan Cloud Tower is your best bet. You’ll definitely have a breakthrough within a month!" Qing Liuyun piped up. He, too, was eager for Lin Xuan to rapidly increase his cultivation. Without power, no one would believe anything he said.

’Besides, Qingcheng Mansion is fraught with hidden dangers. How can Lin Xuan help me if he has no power?’ However, he wouldn’t let Lin Xuan throw his life away. Their enemy was a Spirit Pill Stage expert, who could crush the boy with a single finger.

"I was thinking the same thing," Lin Xuan said, completely agreeing with him.

’Real combat experience is important, but that’s just a bonus. The main goal is to get those points. Different point totals can be exchanged for different numbers of days. The resources in the Cyan Cloud Tower are extremely valuable, so not just anyone is allowed inside.’

"Before you do that, I think you should go to the Cyan Cloud Tower and absorb the Dragon Blood Pill first. You’ll easily break through to the Ninth Layer of Body Refining Stage," Qing Liuyun added. "Then you can go hunt Demon Beasts. Your chances will be much better that way."

Every new disciple was granted three days of access, a pitifully small amount.

"Thank you for the advice, Brother Liu. I plan to train in the Cyan Cloud Tower for a few days, then go hunt Demon Beasts to earn points," Lin Xuan said.

"Don’t mention it. You’re the Inner Hall Disciple with the lowest cultivation I’ve ever seen, so all I can do is give you some advice. I can’t really help you with much," Liu Xuan said, being brutally honest.

Lin Xuan now had a grasp of the basics. Sparring was normally forbidden. Anyone who attacked another disciple would face severe punishment, like being demoted in rank or even expelled from the Inner Hall!

So, he didn’t need to worry about others attacking him randomly. The most they could do was provoke him into a fight during the next official challenge match.

Just then, Qing Piaoyun emerged from inside, his face alight with excitement. "I have a few announcements to make! I ask that all disciples present spread the word!"

"First, for the new disciple, Lin Xuan! The other Elders have agreed to allow him to take the Core Disciple assessment!" Qing Piaoyun announced.

The moment he spoke, the crowd erupted. Liu Xuan stared at Lin Xuan, completely dumbfounded. He had just spent all that time explaining things, thinking Lin Xuan was in for a rough time. Who would have thought that right after arriving, at only the Eighth Layer of Body Refining Stage, he would qualify for the Core Disciple assessment!

Under normal circumstances, there was only one way to qualify for the Core Disciple assessment: you had to be ranked in the top three of the Inner Hall. The fact that Lin Xuan could participate the moment he joined made everyone else see red with envy. ’Could it be that he’s just pretending to be weak?’

’But that can’t be right. No matter how amazing someone at the Eighth Layer of Body Refining Stage is, there’s a limit to their strength.’

"The first requirement is to break into the top fifty of the Inner Hall within six months. The second is to break into the top ten within a year. And the third is to defeat Ling Tian within two years! If these goals are completed ahead of schedule, there will be generous rewards, including extra time in the Cyan Cloud Tower. However, if any goal is not met within the allotted time, he will be barred from taking the Core Disciple assessment for five years."

When Qing Piaoyun finished announcing the three benchmarks, the entire crowd was stunned. A moment later, they all sucked in a sharp breath. ’Aren’t these requirements a little too high?’

Breaking into the top fifty within six months meant he had to climb about ten ranks every single month. That was practically the limit of what was possible through challenges.

Breaking into the top ten within a year followed the same logic. It just gave him an extra six months, but the difficulty was still outrageous.

The third task was even more horrifying: he had to defeat Ling Tian! Who knew when Ling Tian would be promoted to Core Disciple? Once he was, his power would soar. How could Lin Xuan possibly fight him then?

Besides, if he could actually defeat Ling Tian, wouldn’t becoming a Core Disciple be guaranteed? Still, since they had set such requirements, completing them would surely come with commensurate rewards. That was certain.

Forget everyone else; even Lin Xuan himself felt a wave of bitterness upon hearing those words. ’This is basically painting a target on my back. I haven’t even fought anyone here, and I’ve already made a whole new batch of enemies. After all, to meet these goals, I’ll have to keep stepping over people to climb the ranks.’

’Every single person who made it into the Inner Hall is a genius. Who among them would be willing to be used as a stepping stone? Especially Ling Tian—he’s the final boss here. I have to defeat him to become a Core Disciple. As soon as word of this gets out, we’ll be instant enemies.’

The leadership of Qingcheng Mansion had essentially created a massive problem for him, ensuring his years in the Inner Hall would be fraught with peril.

"Ha! The people in charge here are pretty ruthless!" Qing Liuyun laughed loudly from within Lin Xuan’s Soul Pearl. "But if it were me, I would have set the same goals for you. It’s not for nothing; your starting point is simply higher than everyone else’s. You’ve learned the Cyan Cloud Step, a Celestial Level Martial Arts! That’s something only Core Disciples with incredible Comprehension are allowed to study. Since you learned it early, your challenge is naturally on a different level. To put it bluntly, they’re forcing you to frantically master the Cyan Cloud Step!"

Lin Xuan rolled his eyes. ’So that’s why they gave me such absurd conditions. It’s all because of the Cyan Cloud Step!’

The Cyan Cloud Step was a Celestial Level Martial Arts, a Body Technique of ghostly elusiveness. Legend said that once it was mastered, one could move through an army of thousands as if no one were there! Countless attacks would simply dissipate into thin air, making it impossible for the user to be hit.

’With a Martial Arts that Heaven-Defying, you could just wear your opponents down until they collapsed. They can’t even land a hit on you... it’s practically cheating. However, the Cyan Cloud Step consumes a great deal of Elemental Power. Nothing is ever truly perfect.’

"Brother Lin, you’ve really got your work cut out for you now... making an enemy of everyone the moment you walk in the door. I just hope you’ll go easy on me when the time comes," Liu Xuan said, though the look he gave Lin Xuan was one of pity.

’It was for one reason only: from this day forward, Lin Xuan was going to get thrashed... and Qingcheng Mansion was not only allowing it to happen, but practically demanding it!’

"Can I just say, could you please not set me up like this?" Lin Xuan felt this "blessing" was a bit too much to handle all at once. He had already wanted to improve his cultivation rapidly, but now, it seemed he was being *forced* to do so.

Qingcheng Mansion was a real piece of work!

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