Soul Emperor Awakening

"He’s just an Inner Hall Disciple. Honestly, miss, I’ve never seen an Inner Hall Disciple with such low Cultivation. He’s probably a fake!" the guard said viciously, extremely displeased with Lin Xuan’s recent attitude.

"Exactly. Besides, so what if he’s an Inner Hall Disciple? This map was drawn by an expert at the Essence Pill Stage. Doesn’t everyone who enters the Mysterious Fragrance Forest buy this map?" another guard said.

"That’s right. This is a matter of life and death. If he leads us the wrong way, we’ll be dead for sure," the guard said again.

Liu Menghua rubbed her forehead and sighed. "Let’s just keep moving. We’ll be fine as long as we follow this." She really wanted to foster a good relationship with Lin Xuan, but the situation wasn’t so simple. The Mysterious Fragrance Forest was especially dangerous; a single wrong turn could get them all killed.

These giant bears were no pushovers. If they truly attacked, you wouldn’t even know what hit you.

...

Lin Xuan ignored them and continued deeper into the forest alone. This actually made it easier for him to maneuver. With the Cyan Cloud Step, if he couldn’t win a fight, he could run! The giant bears weren’t slow, but they were far from intelligent. He could shake them off with a few quick moves, especially in such a dense forest.

’Their map is correct, but correct doesn’t mean completely safe. Even I wouldn’t dare say this path is absolutely safe, let alone that one,’ Qing Liuyun lamented. ’A map is static, but Demon Beasts are alive. They roam far and wide; you can’t just avoid them because you want to.’

This path was just relatively shorter and safer. There would still be Demon Beasts; it was just a matter of whether he could avoid them.

In truth, finding safe spots wasn’t that difficult. Any place with Celestial Cloud Honey was bound to be dangerous. Celestial Cloud Honey was the giant bears’ favorite food, so it was only natural for them to be active in the vicinity.

Previously, Lin Xuan had fought brutal battles with the giant bears for this very Celestial Cloud Honey. He would usually gulp it down or smear it on his body the moment he collected it. The scars covering his body were the best proof of that!

However, the location of Celestial Cloud Honey was unpredictable. Any tree in this forest could potentially produce it, but which specific one would was completely random.

ROAR!

Suddenly, a terrifying roar echoed from the distance. It was so deafening it seemed to shake the entire forest.

’Damn it, they ran into a giant bear, as expected!’

Lin Xuan frowned. Their lives were not his problem; he couldn’t be blamed if they went looking for death. But this would affect him. The massive roar would attract the attention of other giant bears nearby. Once the bears started roaming, there would be very few safe places left.

Though displeased, he still took out his Dragon Cloud Rod and shot off toward the sound of the roaring.

A few moments later, he finally arrived at the source of the sound. Peering through a gap in the trees from a distance, he saw three guards fighting two giant bears. One guard was already on the ground, barely breathing and covered in blood. It was clear he wouldn’t survive.

Liu Menghua was panicking on the sidelines, wanting to help but not knowing how. A seasoned eye could tell she had no combat experience. And of course, she didn’t—when would a young lady from a major family ever participate in life-or-death battles?

’Two giant bears at the Second Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage. A bit tricky...’

Lin Xuan charged forward without hesitation. Just as he broke cover, a guard’s shout reached his ears: "Young miss, look out!"

ROAR!

Suddenly, a giant bear at the First Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage lunged from the side. It was so abrupt that the two remaining guards didn’t have time to react. After this sudden turn of events, Liu Menghua reacted quickly, raising her slender longsword to block. But how could her petite frame possibly withstand such a terrifying strike?

She raised her longsword to block, but it was a pointless gesture, merely holding the blade out in front of her. The color drained from her face, a testament to her panic. She had no idea what to do.

"BEGONE!"

At the critical moment, Lin Xuan burst out from the woods. He swung the formidable Dragon Cloud Rod, bringing it down with immense force, like a towering wave crashing down to engulf its foe.

"Sea-Entry Form!"

The second form of the Lin Clan’s Martial Technique!

BAM!

The incredibly violent Martial Technique slammed into the giant bear, instantly crushing its skull. Blood and brain matter splattered everywhere! Its massive body swayed for a moment before collapsing to the side.

The sight stunned Liu Menghua. She was too shocked to even process what had just happened.

"Are you an idiot? Just standing here like a fool!" Lin Xuan growled, yanking her aside.

At the same time, he raised the Dragon Cloud Rod and gave it a twirl. A glint flashed in his eyes, and he vanished from his spot, transforming into a flash of light.

"Extreme Point Inch Light!"

He no longer bothered to hide his Martial Techniques; besides, the Liu Family had never seen these moves before. Qing Liuyun knew many Martial Techniques, but none of them were suited for a Staff Technique. Only the Lin Family’s Martial Techniques were the most appropriate.

THUMP!

He pierced through the head of one of the giant bears at the Second Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage, leaving a gruesome hole in its massive skull. It was an incredibly bloody sight. After piercing one bear’s head, he swung his staff again. The long, heavy Dragon Cloud Rod pulsed with a faint red light, tracing a crimson arc through the air like a bloody scythe.

WHAM!

The heavy blow missed the giant bear’s head and slammed into its massive torso instead. The entire beast was sent flying. The bear, weighing over three thousand pounds, was knocked away by his staff as if it were a toy, sent hurtling into a large tree like a ball of flesh.

ROAR!

The giant bear let out a pained roar. Famous for its thick hide, the beast couldn’t even get back on its feet. It had clearly suffered multiple broken bones.

In the space of a few short breaths, Lin Xuan had taken down three giant bears. His astounding brute force left everyone stunned, especially the guards who had previously called him a fake Inner Hall Disciple. They were utterly dumbfounded. Now, if anyone dared to say Lin Xuan wasn’t an Inner Hall Disciple, they would be the first to argue!

The sudden outburst had consumed a great deal of his Elemental Power. He took a deep breath, circulating the Elemental Power within his body to recover. He stood with his back to them, holding the long staff in one hand.

At that moment, Liu Menghua felt that Lin Xuan’s back seemed immense—so imposing she could barely look up at it, yet also so incredibly safe!

"Let’s move!"

Lin Xuan turned, his eyes filled with authority, and let out a low growl. He grabbed Liu Menghua and pulled her along as he ran into the forest. If he hadn’t, she wouldn’t have been able to run at all—her legs had turned to jelly.

This time, the other three didn’t dare to object, following Lin Xuan as he ran. Under his leadership, they quickly left the area and hid behind a giant tree.

"Hide here for a bit. As long as we don’t stand up, the bears won’t see us," Lin Xuan said in a low voice, his eyes scanning the area. His ears twitched faintly as he focused on the sounds around him, bringing his entire surroundings under his perception.

The others didn’t dare to breathe too loudly as they squatted there with Lin Xuan. Soon, the roars of distant giant bears echoed, filled with rage over the death of their kin.

But the roaring soon subsided. With no target in sight, the giant bears naturally grew quiet.

「An hour later」, Lin Xuan finally stood up. "It’s safe now," he said. "You all can be idiots if you want, but please, don’t drag me into it!"

He wasn’t a saint, but he wasn’t heartless either. Still, they had made a massive mistake that had endangered his own life. How could he not be furious?

The three of them knew Lin Xuan was scolding them, but they couldn’t say a word in response. They had only been apart from him for a short time before they’d stumbled into such huge trouble. If Lin Xuan hadn’t stepped in, they would have all been annihilated.

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