Soul Emperor Awakening

When Lin Xuan appeared before the crowd, everyone was stunned. They had all expected Ling Tian to be the first to finish. Now that it was Lin Xuan, how could they not be in shock?

Among them, Qing Yiyi, who was sitting off to the side, was so shocked she covered her mouth. She was utterly floored by Lin Xuan’s performance. She knew how difficult Hurricane Valley was, yet Lin Xuan had managed to take first place. The most crucial part was that just six months ago, he was a mere novice, and now he had secured this victory so decisively!

This result was truly beyond anyone’s expectations, leaving everyone stunned. And it was a complete domination, an absolutely crushing victory.

When Lin Xuan reached the finish line, Ling Tian was still nowhere in sight. Only after Lin Xuan had stopped to catch his breath did Ling Tian and the others gradually appear. The contrast was simply too great.

Lin Xuan hadn’t won by a narrow margin; he had won with an overwhelming advantage. He seemed completely untroubled, making it look so easy, as if he were just returning from a leisurely stroll.

"Lin... Lin Yunlong won?"

"Damn it, this can’t be real, can it?"

"Even the Wind Realm wasn’t enough to beat Lin Yunlong? Could it be that Lin Yunlong also possesses the Wind Realm?"

...

The spectators were so shocked they could have swallowed their tongues; they were all completely dumbfounded. The scene was simply too staggering. Absolutely no one had ever expected this would be the outcome.

After returning, Ling Tian looked at Lin Xuan and said, "As expected, you didn’t disappoint. In fact, you greatly surpassed my expectations..."

"Likewise," Lin Xuan said with a smile, showing no hint of pride.

’My victory in this match was practically a foregone conclusion,’ he thought. ’If it hadn’t been for the stones holding him back, I might not have won so easily. After all, the speed of the Wind Realm at full power is terrifying. I would have needed to at least use the Soul Pearl just to keep up.’

The other contestants sighed. Who could have imagined that Lin Xuan would manage to overtake them, and in such a dominant fashion? If all the assessments were like this, they were doomed to lose.

"In this assessment, Lin Yunlong has taken first place with a flawless performance and a perfect score!" Qing Piaoyun announced upon his return, his voice still tinged with shock.

"First place with a flawless performance"—that was Qing Piaoyun’s evaluation. A perfect score was ten points, and the scores for the remaining contestants decreased sequentially, with the tenth-place finisher receiving only a single, pitiful point. There were no bonus points; no matter how perfect the performance, the maximum score was ten.

However, many things could be inferred from these results. Winning first place didn’t guarantee an immediate promotion to Core Disciple. It was even possible for the second-place finisher to meet the qualifications for consideration ahead of schedule. Everything depended on overall performance and, more importantly, potential.

A burst of power was impressive, but it also had to be sustainable. Therefore, the judges were all looking for different qualities.

’Flawless, is it...’ Cyan Cloud Peak, sitting in the chairman’s seat, narrowed his eyes slightly but said nothing more.

The crowd exchanged glances, etching Lin Xuan’s performance into their minds. They never imagined his Body Technique could be so astonishing; it gave them a completely new impression of him.

"The first assessment is over! Everyone, take a short rest and prepare for the second!" Qing Piaoyun announced. After a brief period of recovery, the second assessment would begin.

Everyone sat down in meditation to recover, and Lin Xuan was no exception. The long sprint had drained a good deal of his Elemental Power. Even if the drain hadn’t been severe, he still needed to recover. There were more assessments ahead, and he had to maintain sufficient Elemental Power to perform his best.

’I’ve decided to take first place,’ he resolved. ’Even if I can’t get first, I have to at least get second! But deep down, I’m dead set on number one. I have to win!’

’I don’t want to drag this out any longer,’ he thought. ’After so much Cultivation, I’m confident I can defeat Ling Tian.’

After a short rest, the second assessment appeared to be set up. The contestants roused themselves from their meditation. The crowd’s chatter gradually died down; the sudden appearance of this dark horse had thrown all their predictions into disarray, and now they were all discussing whether Lin Xuan could even break into the top three.

That’s right—no one believed Lin Xuan could easily take first place, mainly because Ling Tian and Lei Zhantian were simply too formidable. Winning first place would be no easy task. If he really did pull it off, it would be truly Heaven-Defying. To meet the criteria for a Core Disciple in just six months... the thought alone was enough to make one sick with envy.

When they roused themselves from their meditation, they were met with the sight of a series of Cage Arrays that had already been set up. As the name implied, it was an Array designed to trap people inside. There was no way out, except by finding the Array Hub and breaking the Array to escape.

This assessment tested one’s understanding of Arrays and their sensitivity to the flow of Energy. When exploring ruins in the future, they would likely encounter such Arrays; anyone unable to escape would be trapped inside to die.

The assessments of Qingcheng Mansion were never arbitrary; they were designed with practical future applications in mind. The goal was to ensure that when disciples encountered similar challenges later on, they could handle them with relative ease.

"For the second assessment, you must escape these Cage Arrays. The faster you finish, the higher your score. You must find the Array Hub by tracing the flow of Energy!" Qing Piaoyun announced gravely. "You will go in groups of five, according to your rankings from the last trial!"

Five Arrays had been prepared, allowing five contestants to be tested at once. This would save a lot of time, enabling the assessment to be completed in just two rounds.

Since Lin Xuan’s overall rank was tenth, he would be in the second batch.

The first five contestants entered the Arrays. Qing Piaoyun activated the Cage Arrays, immediately sealing them firmly inside. The moment the trial began, they all sat down in meditation and began searching for the Array Hubs.

This was the most fundamental method. The Array Hub was always the core that sustained an Array, the source of its Energy supply. As long as that source was cut off, the Array would easily collapse. One didn’t actually need extensive knowledge of Arrays to do this, but understanding even a little would make the process much faster.

Regardless of one’s knowledge of Arrays, one had to sit in meditation, sense the flow of Energy, and locate the Array Hub. This required an extremely subtle perception; without sharp perceptive abilities, it would be very difficult to find. Therefore, the difficulty was considerable—if anything, it was even harder than the first assessment.

Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes, observing them. Each contestant had their own method. Ling Tian was using his unique Wind Realm, directing the surrounding wind to buffet the Array in order to detect subtle variations within it.

Lei Zhantian utilized his Thunder Attribute, sending it spreading outwards through the ground to locate the Array Hub.

Time ticked by. The crowd’s attention was fixed on Ling Tian and Lei Zhantian, eager to see which of them would emerge victorious this time. After all, the contest between the top two contenders was the main event. Would the top-ranked contestant maintain his lead, or would the runner-up manage to surpass him?

’I wonder who will break the Cage Array first?’ Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes. He wanted to see who finished first, establish their time as the benchmark, and then shatter it.