Soul Emperor Awakening

The bet was set. If he refused, he would have no place left in the Inner Hall. After all, both parties had signed off on it, and there was absolutely no backing out. Unless one party disappeared or died, the bet had to be carried out.

This seemed reckless, but just as Lin Xuan had said, he was just that confident. After all, he still had a massive trump card he hadn’t used yet: the Phoenix Essence Blood!

He hadn’t used a single bit of his Phoenix Power. This was one of his hidden cards, and he hadn’t even needed it to deal with Zhang Qi, so there was nothing to fear.

The incredibly strong Phoenix Power could erupt with Phoenix Fire, capable of incinerating everything! This was one of his greatest trump cards. How could he use it casually?

The challenge matches didn’t last long. Not many people actually issued challenges, so it ended quickly. You weren’t required to challenge others in the competition; it all came down to your own strength. If you weren’t strong enough, who would want to try?

When the challenge matches ended, Lin Xuan’s name was carved onto the Stone Stele at the front. With a flick of his hand, Qing Piaoyun made a slight change to the names on the Stone Stele.

Lin Xuan’s name was carved in the twenty-second spot, but it was written as Lin Yunlong, not Lin Xuan. This meant Lin Xuan had officially become an Inner Hall Disciple, and one ranked twenty-second at that, allowing him to receive the corresponding benefits.

"This concludes the challenge matches. I hope you will all strive for better rankings next month!" Qing Piaoyun announced the end of the competition and left without saying much else.

He didn’t ask Lin Xuan to stay behind. In truth, there wasn’t much to say. All he could do was watch and see how Lin Xuan would grow.

After the competition, Lin Xuan went to a Cultivation Chamber in the Cyan Cloud Tower to recover his Elemental Power. At the same time, he tipped the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill out from its bottle.

The Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill was crystal clear, looking like a transparent Treasure Pearl, but the fragrance it emitted proved it was an Elixir Pill, and a rather good one at that.

He popped it into his mouth without hesitation. For him, the sooner he took the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill, the better. The faster he took it, the more it would help his Cultivation.

The moment the Elixir Pill entered his mouth, an extremely fiery impact surged through his body. He instantly turned beet red, and the surface of his skin began to writhe in a terrifying sight.

PSHHHH!

A pillar of black blood shot out from his body. Immediately after, all the acupoints in his body opened, and countless streams of black blood sprayed out from them. The area around him was covered in a dark, viscous liquid, and the air filled with a thick, metallic stench mixed with the smell of blood.

These were all the impurities from his body, which had been integrated into his every meridian and even his physical constitution! Lin Xuan gritted his teeth. This marrow cleansing was extremely painful, like countless needles piercing every inch of him, poking holes in his skin to push the impurities out.

The process was both painful and long. But to him, it was nothing. He could endure any kind of pain. ’Compared to the agony of my past, what is this superficial suffering?’

This process lasted for a full day before the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill’s effects were fully realized. He sat there quietly in meditation, his entire body covered in a layer of black grime. This layer had long since solidified, like an eggshell encasing him.

CRACK!

Suddenly, a crack appeared in the layer of black grime. It was quickly followed by larger cracks, and as the shell of filth peeled away, a flawless, jade-like body was revealed.

The surface of his skin looked so delicate it might break with a touch. It was fair and fine, just like a baby’s. All the various scars on his body had now vanished, leaving behind a perfect physique.

He snapped his eyes open, and a bright light flashed within them. He stood up, his naked body as smooth as a freshly peeled egg. Combined with his handsome features, he might have looked like a pretty boy, but the perfect lines of his powerful muscles made it clear he was no weakling.

’My meridians are completely clear, and the speed at which my Elemental Power circulates has doubled!’ Lin Xuan was ecstatic. The speed at which he could mobilize his Elemental Power was much faster than before, and the smooth flow felt incredibly comfortable.

The Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill hadn’t increased his Cultivation by a single bit, but it had accelerated his Cultivation speed. This was far better than a temporary boost to his Cultivation. One was a short-term gain, the other permanent; it was obvious which was superior.

’I’m about to break through the Third Layer of Spirit Refining Stage.’ Lin Xuan inspected his body and found that his Cultivation was on the verge of breaking through to the Fourth Layer of Spirit Refining Stage. The two battles had greatly advanced his Cultivation.

As long as he cultivated here for a few days, he would definitely be able to break through with ease. But he couldn’t do that right now. He had to go out and wait for Qing Yiyi. He could feel that Qing Liuyun’s consciousness was growing weaker and weaker; if they didn’t meet soon, it would disappear.

Therefore, he planned to wait outside instead of in the Cultivation Chamber. Inside a Cultivation Chamber, as long as the person within didn’t open the door, no one outside could get in!

Except for the Elders, of course. But Qing Piaoyun wouldn’t come and call him out; he would just postpone the matter until next time. Lin Xuan could afford to wait, but he was afraid Qing Liuyun could not!

After leaving the Cultivation Chamber, he inquired with the Elder at the entrance. Upon learning that Qing Yiyi had not yet come out of the Cyan Cloud Tower, he headed alone to the Hunting Hall. His appearance caused many eyes to turn toward him.

His status was different now, making him quite conspicuous.

"Well, well, isn’t it Junior Brother Lin? Are you here at the Hunting Hall to pick up a mission? If you ask me, you should be cultivating in the Cyan Cloud Tower. Otherwise, your Cultivation might not be able to keep up." The one who spoke was Chen Yun, ranked twelfth. He was a companion of Wan Ning, which meant he was definitely up to no good.

"No, I’m just here to turn in a mission. I accepted one here before and came back specifically to complete it," Lin Xuan said with a faint smile, paying him no mind.

"Oh, I remember now. It seems Junior Brother Lin accepted a mission to hunt a giant bear. Don’t tell me it took you two months to complete it? Come to think of it, I took that mission before too, but it only took me three days." Chen Yun’s face was filled with contempt. It was this very mission that had made everyone think Lin Xuan had died in the Mysterious Fragrance Forest.

Taking a full two months to complete a mission—his inefficiency was plain to see.

Lin Xuan had defeated Zhang Qi, but in Chen Yun’s eyes, that was nothing. He could also take out Zhang Qi in an instant; there was no doubt about it.

"Yes, it took me two months to complete the mission," Lin Xuan said with a smile, admitting how long it had taken.

This time, it wasn’t just Chen Yun; everyone around them shot him contemptuous looks. That kind of efficiency was just too low. Any of them could have done it in a few days.

"So it really did take you two months. What, were you trying to hunt a giant bear at the Fourth Layer of Spirit Refining Stage? Or maybe the Fifth Layer? If you were really hunting a giant bear with such high Cultivation, it would indeed take a lot of time, but it wouldn’t be worth it. The points you get are the same regardless."

Chen Yun’s tone was utterly mocking, as he was bluntly calling Lin Xuan an idiot. To him, it was useless to go after a higher-level bear since the reward was the same.

"But let’s just see what level of giant bear you hunted that took you so long." Chen Yun gave a sinister smile, clearly wanting to see Lin Xuan make a fool of himself.

No matter what Cultivation level the giant bear had, it was still a waste of time.

"You’re too kind, Brother Chen. I’ll turn in the mission now." Lin Xuan walked up to the Steward in the Hunting Hall and said, "I’d like to turn in the giant bear mission."

He then produced the corpse of a giant bear at the First Layer of Spirit Refining Stage from his Identity Token. When the Steward saw it, he couldn’t help but give Lin Xuan a disdainful look. ’It took him this long just to kill one giant bear at the First Layer of Spirit Refining Stage? That’s just pathetic efficiency.’

"Wow, a giant bear at the First Layer of Spirit Refining Stage! You spent two months in the Mysterious Fragrance Forest and only managed to kill one giant bear at the First Layer of Spirit Refining Stage? That efficiency... tsk tsk. Junior Brother Lin, you weren’t just cultivating in the forest, were you? Or perhaps you were off sightseeing somewhere else?" Chen Yun’s expression was extremely exaggerated, as if he’d just stumbled upon a priceless treasure.

Lin Xuan ignored him and continued, "That was for the mission. Next, I’d like to turn in some Demon Beast carcasses to exchange for points."

Then, Lin Xuan produced the corpse of a giant bear at the Fourth Layer of Spirit Refining Stage from his Identity Token. Before anyone could react, he produced another one at the Fifth Layer of Spirit Refining Stage! And after the Fifth-Layer bear, he produced yet another at the Sixth Layer of Spirit Refining Stage!

After tossing out the three giant bears, he continued to produce more, of various Cultivation Grades. One after another, they slowly appeared, seemingly without end, until the entire Hunting Hall was piled high with the carcasses of giant bears!

The sight left everyone dumbfounded and horrified. What shocked them wasn’t just the sheer number, but also the fact that the average Cultivation of the giant bears was around the Fourth or Fifth Layer!

Now they finally understood. Lin Xuan had spent the past two months in the Mysterious Fragrance Forest using these giant bears as target practice!

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