Soul Emperor Awakening

By the time Lin Xuan awoke, the sky had already darkened. The crowd had long since dispersed, leaving only those who were close to him standing guard. He had only recovered slightly and was far from his peak condition. To fully heal would take at least a few days.

"You’re awake," Qing Piaoyun said with a sigh of admiration. "You won the match. Congratulations on becoming a Core Disciple."

"I finally passed the assessment, didn’t I?" Lin Xuan took a deep breath. ’What an arduous process.’ It hadn’t been easy—in fact, it had been brutally difficult.

’I used up all my Soul Pearls. Fighting opponents above my level is just too damn hard. If it wasn’t absolutely necessary, I really wouldn’t want to push myself to the brink like that. I’m breaking through, but Ling Tian is too. Once he enters the Core Hall, his Cultivation speed will skyrocket.’

’The challenge will be even greater then. After all, Ling Tian’s own fortuitous encounters are nothing to scoff at. They might not be as profound as mine, but they’ll give him a massive burst of power in the short term. The Black Abyss Elder was a legendary figure; his inheritance is enough to benefit Ling Tian for a lifetime.’

"Yes, you passed. Once you’ve fully recovered, you can come with me to the Core Hall. Of course, it’s all up to you. You can go whenever you’re ready. You are now officially a Core Disciple. Your Token has already been reforged for you." Qing Piaoyun took out a Token and handed it over. There was no need to collect the old Inner Hall Disciple Token; it was unnecessary.

Lin Xuan accepted it. As he held the more exquisitely crafted Identity Token in his hand, a wave of excitement washed over him. He was finally going to be able to see Lin Xue! ’I wonder how she’s doing now?’

But he quickly calmed himself. ’My purpose in joining the Core Hall isn’t for Lin Xue, but to become stronger! If I don’t grow stronger, I won’t be able to protect anyone, let alone Lin Xue.’

’Besides, seeing Lin Xue is just a matter of time. But I really can’t predict what her attitude will be. What kind of expression will she have when she finds out that I’m Lin Yunlong?’

"We said before that if you defeated Ling Tian within two years, you would receive a reward. Of course, that reward isn’t here. It’s in the Core Hall. I’ll tell you about it when you get there," Qing Piaoyun said, deliberately keeping him in suspense. At the same time, he pressed a vial of Elixir Pills into Lin Xuan’s hand and smiled. "These are the best Healing Elixirs. Recover quickly, and be sure to absorb the experience from this battle."

"Ahem, aside from that, there’s one more thing I need to tell you." Qing Piaoyun cleared his throat, but just as he was about to speak...

Qingyu, who had been sitting off to the side, leaped to his feet. "You’re a Core Disciple now! How would you like to have me as your master? Let me tell you, if you become my disciple, you’ll enjoy a ton of benefits. I’ll find you better Spiritual Artifacts and even better Celestial Level Martial Arts! I can also teach you a top-tier Cultivation Heart Method that will absolutely double your Cultivation speed with half the effort!"

"That’s enough, Fourth Elder!" Qing Piaoyun said angrily. "I’ve already told you, Lin Yunlong is already my disciple! Are you still trying to steal him from me?"

"Bullshit! He hasn’t even agreed yet. It’s up to him to choose, not for you to just run your mouth!" To become Lin Xuan’s master, Qingyu was making a huge investment, promising all sorts of benefits that left the onlookers dumbstruck. The offer was simply too good.

"He’ll definitely choose me! Lin Yunlong, tell us, who do you want as your master? I can give you everything he promised, and even more! You know I’ve always taken special care of you..." Qing Piaoyun turned his head to Lin Xuan.

"Bullshit! Your main duty is managing the Inner Hall! ’Special care’? If you didn’t manage the Inner Hall, how would you have even been able to look after him?" Qingyu cursed again.

"Then why didn’t you come manage the Inner Hall? You already have plenty of disciples, yet you still want to take Lin Yunlong. You’re just being greedy!" Qing Piaoyun roared back, not yielding an inch. "I don’t have a single disciple yet! Think about how many you already have!"

’No wonder Qingyu has been waiting here this whole time. He wants to take me as his disciple,’ Lin Xuan thought. ’I have to admit, this is a difficult choice.’

"Who said you don’t have one? Isn’t Qing Liuyun your—" Qingyu’s words had barely left his mouth when he abruptly stopped, unable to finish his sentence.

A bitter expression appeared on Qing Piaoyun’s face, as if a painful memory had been dredged up. He was left speechless.

Qingyu looked awkward for a moment before saying, "Alright, I’m heading back to the Core Hall. If Lin Yunlong doesn’t want to be your disciple, there’s nothing you can say to change that." With that, he hurried away without another word.

Just as Qingyu had implied, Qing Liuyun’s master was indeed Qing Piaoyun. In the end, his own disciple had completely surpassed him, even becoming the Grand Elder—a position higher than his own!

But Qing Piaoyun wasn’t jealous. On the contrary, he was happy; for a disciple to surpass their master was certainly something to celebrate. In public affairs, Qing Liuyun always acted as the Grand Elder, but when the two were together, Qing Liuyun would still respectfully address Qing Piaoyun as "Master." He never put on airs or refused to acknowledge his master just because his rank was a few levels higher.

All of this was in his memories, unchanged. The sudden terrible news had caused the Spirit Pill Stage expert, a man who would normally never fall ill, to become gravely sick. Qing Piaoyun fell seriously ill and shut himself in his room, refusing to come out. When he finally emerged, he looked as if he had aged several years.

One could only imagine what a devastating blow it had been to him. His most prized disciple had gone missing, which was no different from being dead. A Spirit Pill Stage expert going missing? Impossible. An expert at that level wasn’t a child; how could he disappear for so long? The only explanation was that he had met with disaster.

Ever since then, he had not taken another disciple. His desire to accept Lin Xuan as a disciple now was largely because Lin Xuan reminded him of Qing Liuyun!

Was Lin Xuan’s talent high? Of course it was; his immense potential was clear to see. But there were others in the Core Hall with even greater talent. Before Lin Xuan appeared, Qing Piaoyun had never considered taking a disciple, the sorrowful memory still lingering in his heart.

But when Lin Xuan appeared, everything changed. The first time he used the Cyan Cloud Step, it was as if Qing Piaoyun had seen Qing Liuyun himself!

Qing Piaoyun fell silent. He simply sighed, saying nothing more.

"This disciple is willing to take the Fifth Elder as my master!" Lin Xuan declared without hesitation and bowed. Qing Piaoyun had shown him great care, and he felt it would be wonderful to become his disciple. He had been thinking this all along, especially since he was slightly influenced by Qing Liuyun’s soul memories and had long felt an inclination to take Qing Piaoyun as his master.

Qing Piaoyun quickly helped him up, his eyes reddening. "Good, good... For now, focus on healing. In a little while, we will go to the Core Hall!"

He didn’t say anything else, turning and hurrying away. There was so much he wanted to say, but he found he couldn’t stop the tears. It was joy, it was remembrance... He was overjoyed to be able to accept a disciple so strikingly similar to his most treasured one from the past, yet he couldn’t hold back his tears.

For the moment, he needed to go and compose himself. How could he face a junior in such an emotional state? He’d be laughed at—though there was nothing laughable about it.