Soul Emperor Awakening

With a single move, Lin Xuan instantly defeated Zhao Hua, stunning the entire crowd! A large section of the Martial Arts Arena had been blown apart by their exchange, and the ground was now riddled with a dense web of cracks. One could only imagine how terrifying their previous clash had been.

"Is... is this really the power of someone at the Second Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage?"

"I’d say even someone at the Third Layer, or maybe even the Fourth Layer, couldn’t compare..."

...

The disciples were all dumbfounded. Gauging the explosive power of that attack, many realized they couldn’t unleash such terrifying strength themselves. But on second thought, it made sense. His weapon was Treasure Level, his Martial Technique was a Celestial Level Martial Art, and his Cultivation wasn’t weak. The resulting damage was bound to be terrifying.

In truth, it wasn’t that rare for a disciple to possess a Treasure Level weapon. Every disciple present had decent talent and at least some backing. However, a Celestial Level Martial Art was not something just anyone could have.

"That explosive power..." Zhang Qi frowned, feeling a sense of trepidation.

’At this rate, Lin Xuan might really catch up to me and grind me under his heel!’

"No, impossible!" Zhao Hua shrieked hysterically. He hadn’t passed out. His arms trembled uncontrollably as he glared up at Lin Xuan. "You... how do you also have a Celestial Level Martial Art!"

"If you have one, why can’t I?" Lin Xuan said nonchalantly, giving his Dragon Cloud Rod a flick.

His progress with the Heaven-Striking Staff Technique was remarkably fast. Because he had already grasped its underlying Realm, he was able to train in it with incredible speed. And with the help of the Soul Pearl, his progress was even faster. The Soul Pearl provided him with immense Spiritual Power, which allowed him to easily comprehend this Celestial Level Martial Art.

’Still, it’s far inferior to Soul Possession. I’ve only learned the first form so far, and my mastery is just barely passable—nowhere near a state of true perfection.’

Though his progress was considered rapid, it had still taken him over a month of dedicated Cultivation to reach this stage. He had spent nearly a week in the Ice Sealed Palace alone. After taking stock of his time, he had continued to train frantically in the Mysterious Fragrance Forest, where countless giant bears served as his best sparring partners.

"Impossible... I won’t lose! I won’t lose!"

With a furious roar, Zhao Hua sprang up from the ground. He retrieved another greatsword from his Identity Token. Though it was inferior to his previous one, its Grade was by no means low. Especially when empowered by a Celestial Level Martial Art, even a weapon of mere Mortal Iron could unleash astonishing might.

"Overbearing as a Rainbow!"

Zhao Hua leaped high into the air. Ignoring the agony in his arms, he swung the greatsword down hard at Lin Xuan. The wounds on his arms split open, gushing more blood, but he paid it no mind. He still brought the blade down with every ounce of his strength, his domineering aura seeming powerful enough to cleave the sky in two!

"A desperate struggle. Just delaying the inevitable..."

Lin Xuan gripped the Dragon Cloud Rod again, a glint flashing in his eyes. He once again entered the Realm of Unity of Heaven and Man. Facing the descending blade, he countered with an upward swing of his own.

The arc traced by the long rod looked extremely slow, but in reality, it produced countless afterimages!

"Broken Mountains and Rivers!"

Lin Xuan snorted coldly. The Dragon Cloud Rod warped the space around it. The descending red light of the sword was twisted and torn apart by this force! This was a power that warped Heaven and Earth itself; how could Zhao Hua’s attack possibly compare?

BOOM!

Another explosion erupted. The greatsword Zhao Hua had brought down was shattered into two pieces. A terrifying force slammed him down, and he crashed heavily into the ground, gouging a deep crater in the hard-packed earth. He stared wide-eyed at the sky, then his head lolled to the side, and he fainted.

Blood gushed uncontrollably from his arms, many of his meridians having ruptured. It was clear that he would lose the use of them. This meant that even if he recovered, it would be difficult for him to ever exert his full strength with his hands again. He was effectively a cripple.

Zhao Hua’s desperate attack had only harmed himself, not Lin Xuan.

Qing Piaoyun hurriedly floated over, quickly staunching Zhao Hua’s bleeding and stuffing a Healing Elixir into his mouth. He then looked up at Lin Xuan, his heart filled with an incomparable level of shock!

’Lin Xuan is just too strong... but that’s not the main point. The point is, he’s actually touched upon the true threshold of a Celestial Level Martial Art!’

The naming of Martial Arts wasn’t arbitrary. Celestial Level Martial Arts were so named because they could merge with the Power of Heaven and Earth. Zhao Hua’s Celestial Level Martial Art was genuine, but he hadn’t fully unleashed its potential. He hadn’t mobilized the Power of Heaven and Earth in his attack, so he had displayed less than half of its true power!

But Lin Xuan’s was a true Celestial Level Martial Art. He had truly merged with the world around him, and its power easily crushed Zhao Hua’s technique. This was the importance of talent. Both were at the Second Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage, so why was the gap between them so vast? It came down to their comprehension of the heavens and their understanding of Martial Techniques!

In the distance, Ling Tian, who had been meditating, suddenly opened his eyes. His gaze was so intense it seemed to materialize as it fixed on Lin Xuan. He then smiled faintly. "Interesting, very interesting... To think a mere Second Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage cultivator can utilize the Power of Heaven and Earth. The Fifth Elder’s judgment was spot on. Let’s see if you can climb to my level!"

Ling Tian, who usually cared about nothing, had finally opened his eyes. Even he was inwardly shaken by such talent. This was not a simple matter; it was something incredibly difficult to achieve through hard training alone. He had no idea how Lin Xuan had reached such a Realm.

In fact, it wasn’t that difficult. The blind Lin Xuan was constantly in a state of sensing the world around him, forcing him to perceive Heaven and Earth! Therefore, when he unleashed his power, a force merged with the Power of Heaven and Earth was revealed.

It was a coincidence, but also an inevitability!

When the crowd finally understood the outcome of the battle, they broke out in a cold sweat over Lin Xuan’s strength. They hadn’t seen him in two months, and his Cultivation had clearly been built up steadily, not artificially boosted with Elixir Pills. But if that was true, wasn’t that a little too terrifying?

The facts were right before their eyes; they had no choice but to believe it. Lin Xuan already possessed the strength to challenge for the top fifty. The once-mocked Lin Xuan was mocked no longer. Aside from those ranked far ahead of him, everyone else now acknowledged him.

No matter where one was, strength was the ultimate authority!

"Excellent! Excellent!" Qing Piaoyun stood up excitedly. He had thought Lin Xuan would lose to Zhao Hua, but who knew he would actually win, and so easily at that. It brought him great honor.

The previous gloom he felt instantly vanished. After all, the public opinion had been quite harsh, with everyone saying the Elders had poor judgment. Who would dare say that now?

"Lin Xuan, you have won this match. Congratulations on officially becoming a disciple of the Inner Hall!" Qing Piaoyun said with a smile. "Since you successfully challenged Zhao Hua, you will directly rise to the ninetieth rank!"

He had just joined, yet he had already soared to the ninetieth rank. This was quite an impressive achievement.

"Thank you, Fifth Elder. This disciple has one more question." Lin Xuan’s expression was calm; he wasn’t overjoyed by the news. ’This was an inevitable outcome, so what was there to be happy about?’

"What is it?" Qing Piaoyun asked.

"This disciple would like to ask, don’t the rules state that a disciple can challenge one more person, with no restrictions on rank?" Lin Xuan said.

"Yes, you can challenge any rank you wish. So, who do you want to challenge?" Qing Piaoyun wasn’t surprised. With Lin Xuan’s strength, he was definitely above the ninetieth rank. Thus, he didn’t find Lin Xuan’s request strange; he was just curious about who he would challenge.

Lin Xuan raised his rod, pointed at a disciple in the distance, and said in a heavy voice, "The one I want to challenge is the twenty-second ranked Zhang Qi!"

The twenty-second ranked Zhang Qi!

The crowd gasped. Wasn’t he biting off a bit more than he could chew?

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