Soul Emperor Awakening

When Lin Xuan returned to the Liu Family and told them what had happened, both Liu Menghua and Liu Qing were dumbfounded. He had actually managed to pass the Third Grade Pattern Master assessment, leaving them completely stunned.

They hadn’t believed it before, but now, seeing the Pattern Master Identity Card and the Guest Minister Token in Lin Xuan’s hands, they were speechless. All they could say was that Lin Xuan was simply too Heaven-Defying.

All that was left was to continue his Cultivation and wait for the Pattern Master Competition to begin. After all, there were only a few days left.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Hearing the knock on the door, Lin Xuan opened his eyes from his meditation. He knew the time for the Pattern Master Competition had come.

Lin Xuan pushed open the door and walked out to see Liu Menghua standing outside, a sweet smile on her face. ’With two Third Grade Pattern Masters, we’ll definitely secure a spot in the competition.’ The thought made her genuinely happy.

"Young Master Lin, we’ll be heading to the venue for the Pattern Master Competition shortly. Is there anything you need to prepare?" Liu Menghua asked.

"I don’t need to prepare anything. Let’s head out now," Lin Xuan said.

Liu Menghua nodded and led him toward the main gate. A carriage was already waiting outside. Once they were both aboard, it set off for the competition venue.

"Miss Liu, is it just the two of us from the Liu Family participating in the Pattern Master Competition?" Lin Xuan asked.

"Yes. The others are of too low a Grade. If they were to participate, they would just be cannon fodder," Liu Menghua said.

"Have you considered hiring outside help? From the Divine Rune Sect, for example?" Lin Xuan inquired.

"The Divine Rune Sect isn’t so easy to hire. The Fang Family must have paid a tremendous price to get one of their members. Besides," Liu Menghua looked at Lin Xuan, her face breaking into a radiant smile, "we did hire outside help, didn’t we? And an extremely powerful one at that." Her heart felt much more at ease.

’Powerful outside help, huh...’ Lin Xuan smiled but didn’t say anything more.

The arena for the Pattern Master Competition was built in a rather remote part of Vast Origin City. The area was usually deserted, but people were sent to maintain it. It was prepared solely for this competition and was only open to the great families. As for outsiders, it was impossible to get in to watch unless they were personally invited.

The competition grounds were enormous, capable of holding over ten thousand people. With so many families attending, each taking up its own section, the space was just barely enough.

The journey wasn’t particularly long. After some time, they arrived at the venue for the Pattern Master Competition: the Gathering Pattern Hall.

When Lin Xuan stepped down from the carriage, the scene that greeted him was simple. There were no special decorations, just a large, open space enclosed by a brick wall that resembled a city gate.

By the time they arrived, the place was already swarming with people. A large crowd of onlookers had gathered outside, and many more were heading inside. The families’ carriages seemed to be a point of competition, each one a luxurious, high-end model. One, in particular, stood out. It was the same ultra-luxurious, pattern-inscribed carriage he had seen upon first entering Vast Origin City.

The patterns inscribed on it could withstand an attack from a powerful expert. It was unclear for how long, but no one would dare to test it. Attacking that carriage would be the same as declaring war on the entire Divine Rune Sect, and surely no one was foolish enough to do that.

"Miss Liu, for your Liu Family to only send two contestants this time... isn’t that a bit too few?" The speaker was a young man whose eyes roved up and down Liu Menghua’s figure with a hint of lewdness.

"That’s none of Young Master Su’s business. Instead of worrying about our numbers, perhaps you should focus more on quality. Don’t just bring people to fill the roster. A large group doesn’t guarantee a top spot." Liu Menghua’s expression turned cold, her sweet smile vanishing in an instant. She had become a thorny rose.

The newcomer was Young Master Su Cheng of the Su Family. They were in the same camp as the Fang Family, but their overall strength wasn’t particularly formidable—about on par with the Liu Family.

"Is that so? And I wonder, what Grade of a genius is this ’outside help’ Miss Liu has hired?" Su Cheng looked Lin Xuan up and down with open disdain.

In the great families, any child with a decent background was required to be trained as a Pattern Master. Those without the talent for it would be trained as Alchemy Masters instead. The status of a Pattern Master was sublime and greatly aided future Cultivation, so it was always the priority. However, Alchemy Masters were also highly valued—where else would their Elixir Pills come from?

If only the true prodigies competed, the numbers would be too small, so families sent more members to participate. The ultimate goal was to showcase the family’s overall power; it was a contest of who was stronger. They didn’t object to hiring outsiders to compete. If you had the means to recruit someone, that was a display of your own capability.

In this era, the ability to recruit talent was a strength in itself, so it didn’t matter if they were homegrown. To put it another way, if you’re so capable, why don’t you go hire someone yourself? This was precisely why the position of Honored Guest existed.

The Divine Rune Sect was the perfect example. Securing their help was a testament to one’s own power, and the cost went without saying.

"What Grade he is has nothing to do with you, does it?" Liu Menghua shot back without a hint of politeness.

"I don’t know what Grade he is, but seeing how young he is, he’s a Second Grade Pattern Master at best." Su Cheng smirked. "Earlier today, we paid a special visit to your esteemed father. I wonder, is Miss Liu willing to marry into the Su Family? With the strength of my Su Family, I guarantee we can help the Liu Family rise to the next level and restore its former glory!"

’A few sentences of insults followed by a marriage proposal?’ This method of wooing a woman made Lin Xuan’s face twitch. ’She’d have to be a ghost to agree to a proposal with an attitude that aggressive.’

"I believe the sow my Liu Family is raising would be quite willing to marry into the Su Family. If you don’t mind, we can arrange it for tomorrow," Liu Menghua said coldly.

Lin Xuan sucked in a sharp breath. He hadn’t realized Liu Menghua had such a venomous tongue. ’Her comeback has some real bite.’

Anger flared in Su Cheng’s heart. He opened his mouth to retort, but just then, he spotted two acquaintances and called out with a smile, "Young Master Huang, Young Master Fang, you’re here!"

The "Young Master Huang" he called out to was none other than Huang Qianyun, and "Young Master Fang" was Fang Qingyu. The swelling on Fang Qingyu’s face hadn’t completely subsided. Even with the best medicine, it would take half a month, maybe even a full month, to fully heal. It looked less puffy now, at least, but no one else dared to ask about it.

Hearing their names, they walked over. Upon seeing Liu Menghua, Fang Qingyu was about to hurl an insult, but then he saw Lin Xuan and his courage evaporated. He froze on the spot, too stunned to take another step.

When Huang Qianyun saw Lin Xuan, his face turned ashen as well. His feet felt as if they were nailed to the ground, and he didn’t dare to advance a single step.

"Young Master Huang, Young Master Fang, look at this. The Liu Family only brought one other person. They’ve clearly given up on the competition this time. Aren’t they guaranteed to lose?" Su Cheng, failing to notice their strange reactions, stepped forward and clapped them on the shoulders, sneering at Liu Menghua.

’Since she won’t agree to the marriage, I’ll just have to apply more pressure!’

"You idiot! He’s a Third Grade Pattern Master and an Honored Guest of the Association, personally appointed by Master Luo!" Huang Qianyun fought the urge to slap him. ’I was just as blind as he is not too long ago.’

"What Third Grade this, Third Grade that... A Third Grade Seal Master?!" Su Cheng’s eyes bulged. He stammered, "Are you saying he’s a Third Grade Pattern Master *and* an Honored Guest of the Pattern Master Association?"

Huang Qianyun’s face was grim. He didn’t answer, nor did he want to. He simply remained silent.

"Lin... Lin Yunlong?"

Suddenly, Su Cheng recalled something he had heard. It seemed Huang Qianyun had suffered a setback at the Pattern Master Association, and at the hands of an expert from the Inner Hall, no less.

Just then, Luo Xiao walked over from the side. Seeing Lin Xuan, he smiled casually and said, "Lin Keqing, what brings you here? Did you come to watch?"

Lin Keqing!

Everyone sucked in a sharp breath. To be addressed as an Honored Guest, one had to be at least a Fourth Grade Pattern Master. ’Could it be... this young man before us has reached the Realm of a Fourth Grade Pattern Master?’

Lin Xuan hadn’t uttered a single word, yet Su Cheng felt as if he’d been slapped across the face, his cheeks burning with shame.

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