Soul Emperor Awakening

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. When news of Lin Xuan’s death reached Qingcheng Mansion, it was like a bombshell had gone off in the Inner Hall. The talk spread like wildfire, and most of it was mockery.

Upon hearing the news, Fifth Elder Qing Piaoyun slumped into his chair, stunned. He muttered, "How could he just die like that? Why on earth did he have to choose the Mysterious Fragrance Forest? Going there with only a Body Refining Stage Cultivation... Was that not just asking to die?"

While Qing Piaoyun felt a sense of grief, others were more inclined to gloat. They whispered that the Elders must have been blind to choose an idiot for the Core Disciple assessment. Now things had worked out for the best; he had died not long after joining the Inner Hall, so the issue of his special qualification was moot.

"An idiot is an idiot. He really thought he was hot stuff with that pitiful amount of strength. Now, forget about the Core Disciple assessment—he doesn’t even have a chance to enter the challenge tournament anymore!" Zhang Qi’s eyes were filled with scorn. Thinking of the several times Lin Xuan had humiliated him, he felt a wave of immense satisfaction.

"I never thought he’d turn out to be such a worthless coward, completely overestimating his own abilities!" When Zhao Hua heard the news, his eyes showed a hint of relief, but even more so, disdain.

This was the general sentiment among most people. He had no real strength, yet he went to the Mysterious Fragrance Forest—if that wasn’t asking for death, what was? Aside from newborn giant bears, the weakest creatures there were at the Spirit Refining Stage. With Lin Xuan’s level of skill, he would have been at the very bottom of the food chain.

It was true that by using Martial Techniques, a person could fight above their level. But once the enemies started to pile up, death was the only thing waiting for him.

Without a doubt, Lin Xuan had to be struck from the Inner Hall’s roster, and his chance at the Core Disciple assessment was gone completely. All that remained were the sighs of the few who lamented the loss of a great talent. Anyone who could pass the Cloud Ascension Tower’s Asura trial was destined for great things. It was a pity he had overestimated himself and ventured into the Mysterious Fragrance Forest alone...

...

「Inside the Ice Sealed Palace.」

The aura around Lin Xuan, who was deep in Cultivation, was steadily rising. It seemed as if something had changed, yet at the same time, it felt as if nothing had changed at all. In reality, under the impact of the Spirit-Breaking Pill, the meridians in his body had expanded severalfold. He was on the verge of breaking through to the Spirit Refining Stage.

He still had no idea that on the outside, rumors of his death were spreading like wildfire, and that everyone already considered him a dead man. But Liu Menghua couldn’t be blamed for this. After all, if she hadn’t reported his supposed death, the people at Qingcheng Mansion would only have found out months later, and the result would have been the same.

This whole affair had no effect on him, so it wouldn’t have mattered even if he had known. ’Once I break through and go back, my spot in the Inner Hall will still be mine. Nothing will have changed.’

"Break!"

Lin Xuan’s eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing within them. A powerful aura erupted from his body, surging outward in all directions!

At this moment, he could feel that everything from his sensory perception to the amount of Elemental Power he could store in his body had improved dramatically. Most importantly, his own soul was stronger, and he felt he could now control the Soul Pearl within his body with far greater ease.

The Spirit Refining Stage, as its name implies, is for tempering the soul! First comes refining the body, then comes refining the soul, strengthening the soul’s will. That was the theory, anyway. In practice, most people didn’t focus on this tempering process and just broke through via normal Cultivation, which led to them being quite mediocre.

Lin Xuan let out a long breath. ’I’ve finally broken through! Thanks to the two Spirit-Breaking Pills, I’ve reached the First Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage, and my foundation is completely consolidated... I’m already close to breaking through to the Second Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage!’

Lin Xuan exhaled, his eyes full of pleasant surprise. He felt a massive increase in his body’s power. If he continued to cultivate for a while longer, he would be able to break through to the Second Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage. Two Spirit-Breaking Pills were no small thing. Under normal circumstances, the first Elixir Pill one takes is the most effective; the effect is halved when a second is consumed.

This is mainly because the body adapts, preventing it from manifesting its strongest effect again. Taking two at once, however, is a different story—the second pill’s effect isn’t diminished at all, making it just as potent as the first!

It’s just that people don’t normally do this. Taking even one pill causes a significant amount of Elemental Power to leak out, so what’s the point of taking a second? If the Elemental Power becomes overwhelming, it could lead to cultivation deviation or even cause one’s meridians to burst. Therefore, taking more is not a good thing. Unless one possesses extremely strong Control Power or a formidable Physique, taking multiple Elixir Pills at once is simply suicidal!

Of course, this didn’t mean that taking more pills guarantees a swift breakthrough. Spirit-Breaking Pills are precious for cultivators at the Body Refining Stage, but they aren’t worth much to those at the Spirit Refining Stage. For them, consuming one barely increases their Elemental Power. It’s like upgrading from a bucket to a large water tank; the amount required to fill it is on a completely different scale.

’Time for a test!’

Lin Xuan picked up the Dragon Cloud Rod. The weapon, which weighed over three hundred pounds, now felt as light as a feather to him; he barely needed to use any strength at all.

"Cloud-Entering Form!"

He executed the most basic move of the technique. A tremendously powerful Qi Force was unleashed with his swing, transforming into a blade of white light that shot out and struck one of the stone pillars.

With a loud BANG, the Qi Force dissipated, leaving not a single trace on the pillar. It wasn’t that the attack lacked power, but that the walls of the Ice Sealed Palace were simply too tough.

"Projecting Qi Force... I can project my Qi Force externally now!"

Lin Xuan’s eyes lit up. Breaking through to the Spirit Refining Stage meant he could control more Elemental Power and, crucially, project his Qi Force outside his body. The destructive power he could now unleash naturally far surpassed anything he could do before.

Why else would they say the jump from the Body Refining Stage to the Spirit Refining Stage was a massive leap, a practically qualitative change? He was a slight exception, of course. During the Soul Possession from the Spirit Pill Stage experts, they had been able to achieve the same kind of control, as they all possessed incredible Control Power.

Under normal circumstances, breaking through to the Spirit Refining Stage further enhanced one’s Control Power. As one’s soul awareness strengthened, this kind of control naturally became much easier.

’With this power, I can definitely take on that Cyan-Scaled Python!’ His eyes burned with fighting spirit, already eager to go out and battle the massive serpent.

"What is your name?" Just then, Bingxin’s voice drifted out from within the palace.

"Hm?" Lin Xuan was taken aback, sensing a slight shift in Bingxin’s attitude toward him. He didn’t dwell on it and simply answered, "Lin Xuan."

He didn’t give a fake name; there was no need. After breaking through to the Spirit Refining Stage, his senses were sharper, and he could increasingly tell that Bingxin was a supreme expert, at least at the Spirit Pill Stage Level. ’Since that’s the case, there’s no point in hiding anything. Besides, she couldn’t possibly know who I am. She’s been locked in here for a century—she was imprisoned before I was even born.’

"Lin Xuan..." Bingxin fell silent for a moment before continuing, "I am going to give you a method to destroy the Array in this place!"

"Destroy the Array here?" Lin Xuan said with a faint smile and a shrug. "Funny you should mention it. Weren’t you the one who said I wasn’t capable? Why the change of heart now? I’m starting to think you were right. I’m not up to it. We should probably just forget about it..."

’I’m not some dog you can just order around. So what if you’re powerful? So what if you’re beautiful? What does that have to do with me? It’s not worth half a Primordial Stone to me!’

"Alright!" Bingxin knew Lin Xuan was mocking her, and she looked a little embarrassed. "I misjudged you before. It was only after seeing your incredible Control Power that I realized you are capable of destroying this Array! Rest assured, if you can destroy this Array and free me, your reward will be immense. With your potential, I can give you a Cultivation Technique that will guarantee you can cultivate all the way to the Spirit Pill Stage!"

It was a classic case of hitting someone with a stick and then offering them a sweet.

Lin Xuan walked back in from the outer area and looked at Bingxin with a cold smile. "That reward is very tempting, but how do I know why you were sealed in here? What if you’re some evil Great Witch who has committed every crime under the sun? If I let you out, I’d probably be the first person to die!"

’The reward is tempting, but it won’t work on me.’ The Cultivation Technique Bingxin offered was undoubtedly powerful, but even without it, he was confident he could break through to the Spirit Pill Stage. He had that much faith in himself, all because of the Soul Pearl!

Having experienced Soul Possession from Spirit Pill Stage experts, breaking through bottlenecks was a trivial matter for him—at least for any stage up to and including the Spirit Pill Stage.

’The crucial point is, who knows if she’ll just kill me after I let her out! People don’t get sealed away by powerful experts for no reason. It’s not like those experts were just bored and had nothing better to do, was it?’

He wouldn’t be swayed by this temptation, nor would he let her stunningly beautiful face cloud his judgment. ’My own life is the most important thing!’

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