Soul Emperor Awakening

Ling Tian’s Essence Pill Stage Cultivation shocked the entire arena. No one had expected him to have already broken through to the Essence Pill Stage; they all thought he was still at the Peak of the Spirit Refining Stage.

After all, reaching the Essence Pill Stage was extremely difficult, even with the aid of a Breaking Essence Pill. Otherwise, some Minor Sects wouldn’t have designated the Essence Pill Stage as an Elder-Level rank.

This meant that at only twenty-some years old, Ling Tian was already qualified to become an Elder in those Minor Sects. What a terrifying thought.

"It’s only been a few months, and Ling Tian has already reached the Essence Pill Stage. It seems like he must have just broken through, so his foundation probably isn’t stable yet."

"So what if he just broke through? He’s still at the Essence Pill Stage. How is Lin Yunlong supposed to fight this?"

"Ling Tian truly is a Heaven-Defying prodigy. He has a Seventh-class Talent, right? His Cultivation speed is simply unmatched! Even in the Core Hall, he’d be able to secure a spot for himself."

...

Everyone was shocked. It felt like the match was already decided. A gap in Cultivation this vast drained all suspense from the fight, making it hard to muster any interest.

’He broke through to the Essence Pill Stage... Ling Tian is just too strong...’ Lei Zhantian clenched his fists, then slowly relaxed them and took a deep breath. He had once been arrogant, but after facing Ling Tian, all the fight had been knocked out of him, leaving him feeling utterly crushed.

When he had encountered Lin Xuan, he had been inwardly relieved that at least he wasn’t facing a monster like Ling Tian.

’Essence Pill Stage Cultivation, is it? But it’s not that far beyond my expectations.’ Lin Xuan’s aura gradually intensified. He knew he had to take this seriously. If he relaxed for even a moment, he would lose in the blink of an eye.

"Is that so? Then get ready. First move!" Ling Tian even offered a warning. One would never do so in a true battle of life and death, but Ling Tian wanted Lin Xuan to use his full strength, so he gave him a heads-up.

The moment his voice fell, Ling Tian moved like a gust of wind, vanishing from sight. All anyone could see was a streak of black light, and they could even feel a breeze swirl past them!

The Wind Realm!

As a fierce gale swept past, Lin Xuan’s pupils constricted. With a WHOOSH, flames erupted from under his feet as he instantly shifted slightly to the side. He had dodged by barely a centimeter when a black rapier thrust past him. A SWISH cut through the air, accompanied by a faint tremor.

The next moment, Lin Xuan had dodged more than ten meters away, but the cloth over his chest had been slashed open, and blood began to flow from the wound.

"Wind Blade!"

Lin Xuan frowned. He had dodged Ling Tian’s initial attack, but a Wind Blade generated by the thrust had still slashed him, and it was a long one. If he had been even a fraction of a second slower, a gash deep enough to reveal bone would have been carved into his chest!

Fast. It was simply too fast. Ling Tian’s Cultivation was already high, and when combined with the Wind Realm, not even Lin Xuan’s Micro Level Cyan Cloud Fire-Treading Step could completely evade the attack. That single move revealed so much. Ling Tian was terrifyingly strong; that one attack alone could have instantly killed most people.

When the Wind Realm was applied to an attack, its power was terrifying.

Everyone stared in a daze. It was all too fast—or rather, both of them were too fast. Ling Tian’s speed was Heaven-Defying, yet Lin Xuan had still managed to dodge. Though he was injured, it was merely a superficial wound.

"I told you, use your full strength... or you will lose!" A black glint flashed in Ling Tian’s eyes as his figure once again transformed into a black tempest, sweeping toward him even faster than before.

"Soul Possession!"

Lin Xuan let out a low roar as Qing Liuyun’s soul possessed him. A glint of green light shone in his eyes. In an instant, an incomparably profound aura enveloped him, and his entire being seemed to merge with the space around him. His senses sharpened dramatically, and the Elemental Power within him surged, its circulation speed increasing severalfold!

At that moment, he seemed to transform into the silhouette of another person, startling the spectating Elders.

"Qing Liuyun?"

This made one of the spectators from Cyan Cloud Peak start. He blinked, and seeing it was still Lin Xuan, he shook his head, thinking his eyes had played tricks on him.

"SWISH!"

An even faster sword light thrust toward Lin Xuan, unleashing countless terrifying Wind Blades that sought to envelop him. It was just a single thrust, but combined with the Wind Realm, it was like a hundred thrusts at once!

"Phantom Step!"

As everyone watched, the sword thrust heavily into Lin Xuan’s chest. They all froze, stunned. It was all over, just like that.

The next moment, an overwhelming blast of white light materialized out of thin air and smashed down on Ling Tian’s back. It flashed through the air, as dazzling as a sun rising right behind him.

Ling Tian’s expression remained unchanged as he swung his sword around in a backhanded counter. The Black Abyss Sword, pushed to its limit, transformed into a black vortex that rushed to meet the attack, as if it could devour anything!

"BOOM!"

The two attacks collided. Lin Xuan was blasted out of the white light, sent flying backward. His clothes were now covered in fresh tears, and blood seeped from several of the new wounds.

Ling Tian only staggered slightly, almost completely unaffected. The only visible effect was the slight tremble of the Black Abyss Sword in his hand; the webbing between his thumb and forefinger had turned red, the overwhelming power having been just enough to draw blood. Still, compared to the wounded Lin Xuan, he was in far better shape.

Two Lin Xuans!

In that lightning-fast exchange, they had seen two Lin Xuans on the stage. But the "Lin Xuan" Ling Tian had struck quickly vanished. It was an afterimage, one that had managed to persist for a remarkably long time.

Several Elders gasped. Lin Xuan had already executed a deeper level of the Cyan Cloud Step’s Heart Method; Phantom Step was one of its most advanced applications.

"A genius! An absolute genius! Lin Yunlong’s speed can actually contend with Ling Tian’s Wind Realm! It’s simply Heaven-Defying! To have cultivated the Cyan Cloud Step to this degree... I doubt even the Grand Elder had reached this level when he was Lin Xuan’s age..." Qing Piaoyun was dumbfounded. The performance Lin Xuan had shown them was simply astonishing.

He had surpassed their imagination by more than just a little. From the look of things, Lin Xuan’s speed was actually faster—terrifyingly so. It seemed he had anticipated the attack, moving behind Ling Tian in advance. This level of Heaven-Defying talent was beyond anyone’s wildest dreams!

"Your speed is impressive, but your power is still lacking. You can’t defeat me like this. If this is the extent of your strength, then I’ll be very disappointed!" Ling Tian raised his sword, preparing for his next attack. It seemed he could still unleash even more power.

Lin Xuan shook his head. ’I can’t believe that even with the help of Qing Liuyun’s soul, it’s still this hard to harm Ling Tian,’ he thought. ’This guy is a monster. Without Soul Possession, I would’ve been on the ground long ago. Compared to someone like Ling Tian, who’s been a genius for so long, my own progress seems almost laughable.’

"In that case, as you wish!" A red light began to glow in Lin Xuan’s eyes as a wave of Killing Intent erupted from him. He growled, "Godslaying Soul, possess me!"

The Soul Pearl inside his body hummed as the soul of the God of Slaughter possessed him as well—an incredibly powerful dual Soul Possession. In that instant, his power surged to a new height, but the most direct change was the eruption of the God of Slaughter’s aura, which wildly swept out to blanket the entire arena.

The overwhelming Killing Intent made everyone’s face drain of color. It was as if their vision had been dyed blood-red, and they had been plunged into the heart of a gruesome battlefield.

Everyone had the same thought: this might truly be the ultimate battle of the Inner Hall!