Soul Emperor Awakening

Lin Xuan took his Wooden Token and sat down to the side. The others already waiting glanced up at him before ignoring him completely. No one wanted to bother with him. At best, he could only become an apprentice Pattern Master, so they couldn’t be bothered to waste their breath on a greeting.

After sitting for a while, Lin Xuan grew a little confused. Seeing that no one had come and the assessment had yet to begin, he asked, "Excuse me, when does the assessment start?"

"Assessment?" the person he asked snorted disdainfully. "Young Master Huang of the Huang Family isn’t here yet. You think the assessment can start? Just sit tight and wait for Young Master Huang to arrive!"

The man’s tone was extremely hostile. He was utterly disdainful and clearly wanted nothing to do with him.

"Young Master Huang?" Lin Xuan frowned. ’Someone from the Huang Family?’

"You don’t even know that, and you still came for the assessment?" The man’s gaze grew even more disdainful, as if he had just heard something incredible. He stared at Lin Xuan as if looking at a country bumpkin who was completely out of the loop.

"Why would I need to know?" Lin Xuan asked with a faint smile.

His words left the man speechless. He just gave a cold snort and refused to acknowledge him further.

In truth, Lin Xuan did know a few things. On his way here, he’d overheard people mentioning that the Huang Family’s Young Master, Huang Qianyun, was coming to take the assessment. To put it bluntly, the reason the assessment had been delayed for so long was that everyone else was just here to be a foil. If Huang Qianyun didn’t show up, they could only sit here and wait.

Huang Qianyun wasn’t a once-in-a-millennium prodigy. But even so, he was held in high regard. At only eighteen, he had already been evaluated as having the ability of a Second Grade Pattern Master, with the potential to even become a Third Grade Pattern Master.

To become a Second Grade Pattern Master at eighteen was considered quite an accomplishment. ’How ridiculous,’ Lin Xuan thought. ’Liu Menghua is around the same age, and she’s already a Third Grade Pattern Master. Compared to her, what is Huang Qianyun even worth?’

"Huang Qianyun is here..."

"Huh, the Young Master of the Shang Family is here too..."

The crowd murmured amongst themselves, clearly shocked by the arrival of the two young men.

Lin Xuan followed their gaze. The youth in the lead, flanked by several Attendants, was undoubtedly Huang Qianyun. His very presence screamed ’great family.’ It wasn’t the Attendants that gave him away, but his damn arrogant expression—it was just like Huang Ming’s. Since they were brothers, a resemblance was to be expected.

The other arrival was a youth walking alone, also about eighteen years old. His presence was equally impressive, but his expression was one of apathy, as if nothing held any interest for him.

He was the one they were all whispering about: Shang Zhihao, the Young Master of the Shang Family. Rumor had it that his abilities had reached the Third Grade, but since he had yet to pass the assessment, no one knew his true Pattern Level.

The moment they arrived, someone rushed forward to greet them, bowing obsequiously. "Young Master Huang, Young Master Shang, you’re here. The assessment has been prepared."

Huang Qianyun nodded, his gaze sweeping over the area before landing on Shang Zhihao. He sneered, "Young Master Shang, it’s been a long time. I hear your skills have improved again. I wonder if you can reach Third Grade Pattern Master? Why don’t we have a little competition this time? Let’s see who can become a Third Grade Pattern Master!"

Judging by his tone, his relationship with Shang Zhihao was clearly not a good one. In truth, the two families did not get along. It was the same old story: they belonged to different factions. The Shang Family was aligned with the Liu Family.

"Win or lose, what does it matter? What has it to do with me?" Shang Zhihao said calmly.

"It seems you’ve lost your nerve, not even daring to accept this challenge. The Shang Family has been in decline lately, haven’t they? I heard Clan Leader Shang was the victim of a sneak attack and now only has half a life left..."

BANG!

Shang Zhihao suddenly threw a punch. Huang Qianyun blocked it but was still knocked back several steps. He shook his hand out lightly and said, "My, my. Starting a fight here isn’t a very wise decision." His eyes swept the area; the surrounding Stewards were already closing in.

Shang Zhihao reined in his aura and glared at him. "Fine, a competition it is! You think I’m afraid of you? State the terms for winning and losing!"

He had clearly been provoked at a sore spot, confirming that Huang Qianyun hadn’t been lying—his father truly was clinging to life by a thread. Otherwise, he never would have attacked someone inside the Pattern Master Association.

"Simple," Huang Qianyun sneered. "If you lose, you have to call me ’Grandpa’ a few times, nice and loud."

"No problem!" Shang Zhihao, his heart ablaze with fury, readily agreed.

A flicker of delight entered Huang Qianyun’s eyes. He grinned and said, "Then it’s a deal. I’d advise the rest of you to come back for your assessment tomorrow. Today isn’t exactly a suitable day for it!"

He had a point. When two tigers fight, anyone caught in the middle is bound to be affected, which would only increase their own chances of failure. After all, their presences were overwhelming. Anyone who wasn’t a complete fool knew what the smart move was.

Lin Xuan shook his head. He wasn’t about to postpone his assessment until tomorrow. The grand Pattern Master competition was only a few days away. These two were undoubtedly here now because they also wanted to participate.

After a moment’s thought, he followed them into the assessment room. Many of the onlookers trailed in behind them, eager to watch the excitement unfold. A showdown between the young masters of two great families was sure to be a good show.

The layout of the assessment room was simple: just a few stone tables. Just then, an old man walked in from outside. The instant he stepped into the room, Lin Xuan felt an immense pressure wash over him. ’Spirit Pill Stage!’

’This is definitely the pressure of a Spirit Pill Stage Cultivation. It’s even stronger and more terrifying than the pressure Fang Feng released before!’

"Master Luo, we will be in your hands for this assessment," Huang Qianyun said respectfully.

Shang Zhihao offered a respectful greeting as well, and everyone else in the room adopted looks of reverence.

This man was the Pattern Master examiner, Luo Xiao. He would be proctoring today’s assessment, and his strictness was infamous. Trying to bluff one’s way past him was impossible.

A Pattern Master emblem was a strange thing; in a way, it was both important and unimportant. It served as proof of one’s identity. In certain places, simply presenting the emblem granted you access. That was power. Without emblems, it would be impossible to verify every single person’s qualifications.

Luo Xiao nodded. Upon seeing Huang Qianyun and Shang Zhihao, he merely gave a slight dip of his head, showing no hint of a fawning expression. Given his current status, every family had to treat him with respect. In addition to his formidable Cultivation and high Pattern Level, he held another important position: Vice President of the Pattern Master Association!

"Those who wish to be assessed, bring your Wooden Tokens over now," Luo Xiao said.

Those who wished to take the assessment brought their Wooden Tokens forward, but only three people stepped up: Shang Zhihao, Huang Qianyun, and a third, completely unexpected person—Lin Xuan.

He calmly walked up and presented his Wooden Token. As he handed it to Luo Xiao, everyone stared at him as if he were an idiot. ’Even if you want to be a foil, to serve as cannon fodder, do you have to be in such a hurry?’

The others who had originally planned to take the assessment now held back, not daring to submit their Wooden Tokens. They were afraid of becoming mere foils. If the gap in skill was too great, how could they not lose face?

Some guessed he was there to prop up the Huang Family, while others speculated he was there to prop up the Shang Family. That way, even if one of the two young masters lost their bet, at least there would be someone ranked even lower. He was the ultimate cannon fodder.

"Kid, I’d advise you to just watch from the sidelines. Didn’t you hear we’re having a competition? If you want to make a fool of yourself, kindly do it somewhere else," Huang Qianyun said, his face a mask of disgust as he watched Lin Xuan submit his Wooden Token.

"Make a fool of myself? Are you talking about yourself?" Lin Xuan spread his hands, a faint smile on his lips. "Besides, you two can have your little competition, and I’ll take my assessment. The two don’t conflict, do they?"

Once again, Lin Xuan’s words were stunning, causing the onlookers to gasp. ’Was this kid kicked in the head by a donkey?’ they wondered. ’How dare he say such a thing?’

’It wasn’t that Lin Xuan was in a particular hurry; Huang Qianyun’s tone just rubbed him the wrong way. ’Just because you think you’re hot shit, you can’t stand anyone else being near you? What kind of logic is that?’’

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