Soul Emperor Awakening

Utter shock. Lin Xuan’s performance had once again stunned everyone. In less time than it takes an incense stick to burn, he had shattered the Cage Array and accomplished what everyone had deemed impossible!

Their earlier mockery and ridicule felt like a silent slap across the face, leaving a stinging, five-fingered mark on their cheeks.

ROAR!

The dragon’s roar echoed for some time before finally fading away. Lin Xuan slowly descended from the sky, the White Pupil Rod in his hand having already returned to its original state. He looked so transcendent, a faint, confident, and composed smile still on his face.

While the others were still struggling to break the array, he had shattered the Cage Array in the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Even the onlooking Elders were left gaping in astonishment.

They had considered it possible for Lin Xuan to break the Cage Array, but never this quickly. Who would have thought he would shatter it on just his second attack? The power of that strike was simply Heaven-Defying, as if it had jumped an entire level in strength.

That dragon’s roar sent shivers down many people’s spines, making their bodies tremble. ’If that last strike from his rod had hit me, what would it have even felt like?’

’So it finally broke. That really took some effort.’ Lin Xuan let out a breath, regulating the flow of energy inside him. ’This was my first time trying that, but elevating my weapon’s power was definitely the best approach.’

"Holy shit, that’s just Heaven-Defying! He actually shattered the Cage Array! That’s an array that can stop an Essence Pill Stage expert, and he... he’s still at the Spirit Refining Stage?"

"Am I seeing things...?"

...

The audience was dumbfounded. Once they came to their senses, they all erupted in cries of disbelief. The sight was simply too shocking, too incredible to be real.

"Such overwhelming power. How exciting!" Ling Tian’s eyes flashed, showing no signs of retreat.

It wasn’t just Ling Tian; Lei Zhantian, standing nearby, was also overcome with excitement. Far from being intimidated, he was thrilled! A stronger opponent meant a more interesting fight—a chance for true improvement. They had been in their top positions for so long that they had started to lose interest in combat. But when faced with Lin Xuan, they felt the thrill of genuine danger!

"Full... full marks!" Qing Piaoyun shouted, his face and neck flushed red. He yelled out the score before any of the other disciples had even broken through. "For the first time in history, someone has managed to shatter this Cage Array with a direct attack! You might be wondering how Lin Yunlong was able to accomplish this. It’s actually related to one’s Spiritual Power, which allows a person to sense the array’s weakest point. By repeatedly attacking that spot, it’s possible to destroy the Cage Array in a very short time!"

"This is actually the method we most recommend, but it’s nearly impossible to succeed without a certain level of power. Lin Yunlong did it, and he did it perfectly! Therefore, he receives full marks for this round. Ling Tian and Lei Zhantian will also receive full marks, as will anyone who finishes in less than the time it takes four incense sticks to burn!"

Qing Piaoyun offered this explanation as he announced the scores. The results were largely as expected, with no major changes in the rankings. Only a select few had earned full marks.

The other contestants seemed like they were just going through the motions. Compared to those three, they were completely unremarkable, utterly outclassed.

Only then did the crowd understand how Lin Xuan had managed it. The prerequisite was an extremely high level of sensitivity, allowing one to find the absolute weakest point. None of the other contestants could do that; it was a feat only the truly powerful could achieve.

Besides, just as Qing Piaoyun had said, even if one found the weak spot, breaking through it was impossible without formidable power. It was like a sheet of Profound Iron—no matter how thin, an ordinary person could never poke a hole through it with their finger. Only a Cultivator could accomplish such a thing.

There was no suspense left; Lin Xuan had taken first place, and in perfect fashion. Although finishing in one incense stick’s time didn’t technically give him a higher score than others who finished within the four-stick limit, his kingly bearing was deeply etched into the minds of the crowd.

They had all received full marks, but in the hearts of the audience, Lin Xuan was the only one who truly deserved it! What he did was simply too Heaven-Defying—so Heaven-Defying it beggared belief.

Clearly, Lin Xuan was more formidable. His ability to find the weakest point of the Cage Array and drastically reduce its defensive power was something that neither Ling Tian nor Lei Zhantian could do.

Taking first place twice in a row caused Lin Xuan’s popularity to skyrocket, and many people were now optimistic about his chances. They believed he had a real shot at claiming the number one spot and securing the title of Core Disciple!

Of course, they only thought it was a possibility. Until the final result was in, no one knew who would ultimately win or lose. At the very least, the competition now had another major contender to watch. Everyone had originally assumed the champion would be either Ling Tian or Lei Zhantian, but with Lin Xuan’s emergence, the contest had become far more exciting.

After all the contestants had completed the second trial, they weren’t given much time to rest. Unless one brute-forced the array as Lin Xuan had, the trial didn’t consume much Elemental Power. Thus, the next trial began almost immediately.

"The third trial will be the same as in previous years," Qing Piaoyun announced. "You will enter the Yuanling Mountain Range to hunt Demon Beasts. To get full marks, you simply need to be the first to kill a Demon Beast at the Peak of Spirit Refining Stage and return here. Of course, if you find that too difficult, you may hunt two Demon Beasts at the Ninth Layer of Spirit Refining Stage instead."

The events for the top ten finalists never changed, following a fixed format year after year. But anyone who thought that made things easy was sorely mistaken—if it were, there wouldn’t be so few people with perfect scores.

This was especially true for the third trial. One might assume that hunting four Demon Beasts at the Eighth Layer of Spirit Refining Stage would be the easiest option, as their lower Level would make them easier to kill.

Unfortunately, that assumption was wrong. The Demon Beasts in the Yuanling Mountain Range were extremely rare. To be precise, they were placed there by the Elders, and their number was fixed. Not a single extra beast was available, meaning every one that was killed was one less for everyone else.

The number of Demon Beasts released was pitifully small. So, even if one wanted to hunt four Demon Beasts at the Eighth Layer of Spirit Refining Stage, they would have to search high and low. By the time they found enough, an unknown amount of time would have already been wasted.

From a cost-benefit perspective, hunting a single Demon Beast at the Peak of Spirit Refining Stage was undoubtedly the best choice. It was a much harder fight, but the advantage was that one kill was all you needed.

No matter how it played out, the majority of contestants were destined to receive low scores, since the number of available beasts was limited. As for the exact number, only the Elders knew. They might have released a few more, or they might have released a few less.

"And let me give you all a solemn reminder," Qing Piaoyun said, his tone grave. "You are absolutely forbidden from fighting one another! Anyone who violates this rule will have their Cultivation crippled and be imprisoned for life!" The top ten finalists were all exceptional talents; the loss of any one of them would be a grave blow to the sect. Therefore, the Elders did not want to see their disciples killing each other.

If a disciple died at the hands of a Demon Beast, the Elders could do nothing about it; that would simply be a matter of incompetence. But they would absolutely not tolerate a disciple dying at the hands of another.

After the rules were announced, a red glint flashed in the eyes of two of the contestants. They stared at Lin Xuan’s back, a trace of killing intent in their gaze, but it vanished in an instant. No one noticed their fleeting expressions.