Soul Emperor Awakening

Lin Xuan smiled faintly and said, "I also wanted to come and watch, but this time I’m here to compete. Some people, however, treat me like a mere Second Grade Pattern Master, saying I’m not presentable."

It didn’t take a genius to guess who he was talking about. It was definitely Su Cheng.

Su Cheng’s eyes flew wide. He had assumed Lin Xuan was a Second Grade Pattern Master at most. Who could have known that not only had he reached the Third Grade, but he had also been appointed as an Honored Guest by Luo Xiao? The title of Honored Guest was a privilege reserved for Fourth Grade Pattern Masters. From a certain point of view, this meant Luo Xiao believed Lin Xuan was destined to reach the Fourth Grade Pattern Master Realm!

But that wasn’t the biggest shock. The real blow was the name Lin Yunlong. That name was the talk of all Vast Origin City, its fame blazing like the midday sun. Was there a single family that hadn’t heard of it?

He had confronted the future heirs of two great families, and with his status in the Inner Hall, he was rumored to be an absolute prodigy. His Cultivation was astounding, and his Grade as a Pattern Master was equally incredible.

Pattern Masters were different from ordinary Cultivators; they refined their Spiritual Power. Currently, there were no Elixir Pills available that could enhance Spiritual Power. Such pills surely existed, but they weren’t sold here. This made its Cultivation exceptionally difficult. To reach the rank of a Third Grade Pattern Master at such a young age, while also possessing shocking strength, meant he either had incredible innate talent or possessed some unique Cultivation Technique.

"So you’re a contestant. In that case, I’m very much looking forward to your performance. Your opponents this time are no pushovers..." Luo Xiao smiled. "I’ll be one of the judges, and my standards will be even more stringent than they were for the assessment."

For the assessment, you only had to meet the minimum standard to pass. This competition was different—it was a clash between masters.

"I’ll be waiting for you inside the arena." Luo Xiao left him with these words and departed. He wouldn’t get involved in inter-family affairs. Even though Lin Xuan was the association’s Honored Guest, that title didn’t mean he could speak for the association.

The title of Honored Guest was both extraordinary and, in some ways, quite ordinary. It certainly wouldn’t provide any backing in a confrontation between families.

"So Miss Liu managed to invite such a capable person. No wonder you dared to show up with only two contestants." Su Cheng no longer dared to act arrogant—what right did he have to be haughty in the face of Qingcheng Mansion?—but his words were still barbed. "But so what? Young Master Fang, isn’t the person you invited even more formidable?"

Fang Qingyu had been a bit intimidated by Lin Xuan, but Su Cheng’s words gave him a surge of confidence. He glared at Lin Xuan and said, "A Third Grade Pattern Master is decent, I’ll give you that. But what good is it? Do you really think you can take first place? Before the Divine Rune Sect, your Liu Family is nothing!"

Fang Qingyu sneered. With a wave of his hand, a subordinate of his quickly ran over to the Divine Rune Sect’s luxurious carriage, bowing and scraping as he spoke.

A moment later, a young man stepped out of the carriage. His eyes swept over the crowd, his gaze like a tangible beam of light. All who met it couldn’t help but shudder inwardly, quickly averting their eyes.

This was the astonishing effect brought by powerful Spiritual Power.

But when that gaze met Lin Xuan’s, he didn’t flinch. The two locked eyes, and the young man’s piercing stare had no effect on him whatsoever.

The young man paused, a flicker of interest in his eyes as he started walking toward them.

"Lord Sun Zhe, you’ve come." Fang Qingyu immediately put on a fawning expression, bowing and scraping before him. Given the young man’s status, Fang Qingyu’s behavior was entirely understandable.

Sun Zhe ignored him, his eyes still fixed on Lin Xuan. "Decent Spiritual Power," he said. "You must be Lin Yunlong, the one who’s been making such a name for himself lately?"

"That’s me," Lin Xuan said with a faint smile. "Is there a problem?"

’The name Lin Yunlong has really made an impression,’ he thought. ’If I had stuck with the name Lin Xuan, I wonder what the Lin Family would think? They’d probably just assume it was someone with the same name. After all, it’s a common one.’

Sun Zhe chuckled, his tone arrogant. "You seem quite confident. Your Cultivation might be strong, but this is a competition of drawing patterns, not brawling. As for a Third Grade Pattern... before my Divine Rune Sect, that’s just a superficial title. Just because you’re called a Third Grade Pattern Master doesn’t mean you’re truly at the Third Grade Level!"

His tone was clearly disdainful of Lin Xuan. Qingcheng Mansion and the Divine Rune Sect were on the same Level, so there was no reason for him to fear Lin Xuan. Especially in the Domain of drawing patterns, the Divine Rune Sect would never relinquish its top position.

But he wasn’t wrong. Even among those at the Third Grade, there were vast differences in skill. It was just like with Cultivation; though they were all at the Second Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage, Lin Xuan could kill his opponents in an instant. The assessment only tested the most basic patterns; no one had to draw anything advanced. It was impossible to tell who had true substance.

"What does that have to do with me?" Lin Xuan replied lightly.

Sun Zhe was taken aback for a moment, then snorted. "What do you mean, ’what does it have to do with you’? Unless you plan on forfeiting, you’re about to find out what a real gap in skill looks like!"

"No, you misunderstand me," Lin Xuan said with a placid smile, his calm tone delivering a shocking statement. "I’m going to take first place anyway. What do any of the other Third Grade Pattern Masters have to do with me?"

The crowd was stunned for a beat before the words registered. They had all heard that Lin Yunlong was incredibly arrogant, but they never expected him to be so brazen as to say something like this to a member of the Divine Rune Sect.

"Take first place? How dare you say something so absurd!" Sun Zhe roared. "If you can actually beat me, I’ll walk on my head for the rest of my life!"

Young and hot-headed, he was easily provoked, especially when challenged in his own field of expertise.

"Walk on your head? I don’t think that’s necessary. What if you bump it?" Lin Xuan sneered. ’The initial provocation already pissed me off. Am I supposed to just stay silent?’

’Hesitate for too long and it becomes cowardice. People will take you for a fool!’

Liu Menghua stared at him in shock. ’He was so level-headed before. Why is he acting so out of character?’

It wasn’t that Lin Xuan was acting out of character. With so many people targeting him, lying low was no longer an option. The name Lin Yunlong was known everywhere; keeping a low profile was impossible. Since that was the case, what was the point in trying, especially when so many people were already hostile toward him?

If you act like a sheep in the face of hostility, you’ll end up getting slaughtered like one.

"Good, good, good!" Sun Zhe laughed, his voice tight with rage. "In that case, I’ll be eagerly awaiting your first-place finish. I’m going to teach you what cruel reality is... Let me tell you, I’ve nearly reached the Realm of a Fourth Grade Pattern Master. A Third Grade Pattern is nothing!"

Fourth Grade Pattern Master!

The crowd reeled from another piece of shocking news. Sun Zhe was on the verge of becoming a Fourth Grade Pattern Master! Even if he had only just touched the threshold, that was still an astonishing feat. He could absolutely crush a newly-minted Third Grade Pattern Master.

"A Fourth Grade Pattern Master, you say? And what does that have to do with me?" Lin Xuan shrugged, a look of utter nonchalance on his face, completely unmoved by the revelation.

Sun Zhe’s chest tightened. Blood rushed to his head, and he nearly spat out a mouthful in sheer anger. Lin Xuan’s attitude was absolutely infuriating!

"You’ll find out what it has to do with you during the competition!" Sun Zhe snorted furiously. He flicked his sleeves, turned on his heel, and stalked away, unable to bear the sight of Lin Xuan’s face for another second.

’I’d love to fight Lin Xuan right now, to give him a few good slaps,’ he fumed, ’but circumstances don’t permit it. If I make a move here, I’ll be disqualified.’

’My own Cultivation isn’t bad either. I don’t believe for a second I’m weaker than Lin Xuan. If we really fought, the outcome would be far from certain!’

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