Soul Emperor Awakening

Lei Zhantian’s words made Lin Xuan take note. He hadn’t expected Ling Tian to be this powerful; it was beyond what he had imagined.

Of course, even without Lei Zhantian’s warning, Lin Xuan knew Ling Tian was formidable. To have mastered the Wind Realm at such a young age meant his Comprehension had to be extremely high. To claim he wasn’t strong was impossible—in fact, he had to be exceptionally powerful!

Lin Xuan didn’t think that just because he had broken through to this level so quickly, he could deal with Ling Tian easily. He figured he would have to draw upon the full power of the Soul Pearl just to contend with him.

"Lin Xuan wins this match!" Qing Piaoyun announced. He was very satisfied with Lin Xuan’s performance and equally impressed by Lei Zhantian’s strength.

Lei Zhantian nodded at Lin Xuan and said, "I hope you can defeat Ling Tian. I have a feeling you can do it!" He had a very strong premonition, a feeling that Lin Xuan had not yet displayed his full strength.

"Let’s hope you’re right." Lin Xuan smiled. Deep down, he was confident. After all, he had his ultimate trump card—the Soul Pearl!

After their brief conversation, Lin Xuan finally faced Ling Tian—the number one expert of the Inner Hall! Even before he had joined Qingcheng Mansion, the name Ling Tian had been a constant buzz in his ears. Anyone who dared to consider him an opponent was seen as a fool who didn’t know their own limits!

Now, he stood across from Ling Tian, facing the strongest disciple of Qingcheng Mansion’s Inner Hall, ready for the final battle. If he won, he would become number one in the Inner Hall. If he lost, he would only be number two. But he had no intention of losing. He wanted to become a Core Disciple!

He didn’t want to miss this opportunity. If he did, the next chance to have a proper fight with Ling Tian would be six months later. That was how the top-ten finals worked—they were held once every half-year. It was impossible to challenge them in the usual ranking matches, which was why the top-ten disciples rarely appeared, though they might show up every month or two.

They all wanted to see if any dark horses would emerge. And now, they had seen one. That dark horse was Lin Xuan!

At this moment, Lin Xuan was filled with a myriad of emotions. He was finally standing at the Peak of the Inner Hall. ’Although I still have a long way to go to reach the true Peak, to be able to stand here right now... it feels incredible.’

’More than half a year ago, my eyes were still shrouded in darkness. Now, I’m standing before the number one expert of the Inner Hall, having surpassed the vast majority of the Lin Family disciples.’

"We finally meet. I knew this day would come," Ling Tian said with a smile, looking at Lin Xuan.

"I thought so, too." Lin Xuan wasn’t being modest, nor did he need to be. Ling Tian was merely his current target; his greater ambitions lay far deeper.

"It’s just a shame that this is as far as you go." Ling Tian retrieved a rapier from his Storage Space. It was a sword, of course—six or seven out of every ten Weapons were swords.

The rapier he held was pitch-black, completely devoid of luster. Yet, its dark blade was like an abyss that could pull a person in, trapping them so they could never escape. From this seemingly unremarkable rapier, Lin Xuan could sense an ancient aura. But that wasn’t the most important part. The most important part was that there was a soul on the blade!

This small cluster of soul drifted faintly, yet it condensed an extremely terrifying power. It was far stronger than the souls contained in any of the other Spiritual Artifacts he had ever seen! It felt as if it were alive—and incredibly powerful.

’It’s definitely a Spiritual Artifact, but this one is different from the others. Could it be... a Top Level Spiritual Artifact?’ Top Level Spiritual Artifacts were extremely rare. The few Spiritual Artifacts Lin Xuan had found at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion had all been Middle Grade Level or below, far inferior to this one.

’But there’s this indescribable feeling... The strongest sensation comes from the soul. It seems to be completely fused with the rapier, unable to break free! The sword is the soul, and the soul is the sword.’

"You are worthy of me drawing my sword. But how much of my strength I use will depend on how much strength you can show me." Ling Tian’s tone wasn’t arrogant, but the words themselves were the very definition of arrogance.

’He has seen many of my fights, yet he still dares to say something like that. It’s obvious he has absolute confidence in himself—a confidence rooted in power that is far beyond anyone’s expectations.’

"Ling Tian actually drew the Black Abyss Sword! It seems he’s finally treating Lin Xuan as a real opponent. You rarely see him draw his sword."

"Yeah, when Ling Tian draws his sword, he’s guaranteed to win! I wonder if he’ll be able to handle it?"

"He’ll probably lose. It feels like Ling Tian never uses his full strength. In fact, he’s probably never had to fight a match with his all!"

...

The discussions among the many Inner Hall Disciples all reached Lin Xuan’s ears. ’Looks like that sword has quite the reputation,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, these disciples wouldn’t be speaking with such certainty.’

"I’ve heard people say things like that to me many times, but in the end, they all lost to me." Lin Xuan, holding his White Pupil Rod, smiled at Ling Tian, showing not a single trace of fear.

"I advise you to use your full strength. If you relax even for a moment, you will lose instantly. That’s not what I want to see. I hope you can give me a satisfying fight. It’s been too long since an opponent could..." Ling Tian spoke as if to himself, completely ignoring what Lin Xuan had said.

This behavior seemed rude, like the ravings of a madman, the very picture of an unrivaled master seeking a worthy opponent.

Anyone who didn’t know Ling Tian might have thought he was just being arrogant, but after hearing from Lei Zhantian that he couldn’t even withstand a single one of Ling Tian’s moves, Lin Xuan knew Ling Tian truly had the right to be proud. As for Lei Zhantian, Lin Xuan believed he himself could defeat him in one move if he used his full strength—but that would require the Soul Pearl.

The fact that Ling Tian hadn’t needed to do so proved just how terrifying he was.

"Don’t worry," Lin Xuan smiled. "I’ll give you the satisfying fight you’re looking for."

"Perhaps..." Ling Tian took a deep breath, his eyes glinting. "Your control over the Power of Heaven and Earth far surpasses my own. It’s a shame that against me... it’s useless."

The moment the words left his mouth, a terrifying aura erupted from his body. It spread rapidly in all directions and surged directly toward Lin Xuan, blasting him with a powerful shockwave of pressure.

"Essence Pill Stage Cultivation!"

Lin Xuan sucked in a sharp breath. Not only was this something he hadn’t expected, but the surrounding audience was also stunned to find that Ling Tian had already reached the Essence Pill Stage Cultivation.

With this, the difference between them was no longer a matter of a few minor levels, but an entire Great Realm!

The blast of aura lasted only a moment before vanishing in the blink of an eye, completely retracting back into his body. However, the pressure of the Essence Pill Stage Level still radiated from him, a powerful presence capable of suppressing all else.

’And the crucial part is, it seems he still wasn’t using his full power. At this rate, it’s just as he said—if I don’t go all out, I really will lose instantly.’

’Spirit Refining Stage versus Essence Pill Stage... Isn’t this gap in power a little too wide?’