Soul Emperor Awakening

As Qing Piaoyun departed, the surrounding crowd exchanged glances. Many didn’t know the full story and were surprised to find it ran so deep.

"Lin Xuan, your strength is beyond my expectations. Since you seem to be fine, I’ll take my leave. I’ll be waiting for you in the Core Hall." Qing Yiyi stood up and said to Lin Xuan. She had waited for him to wake up, only to say this before leaving without another word.

Qing Piaoyun’s earlier words had affected her as well. ’Perhaps it would be an excellent choice for Lin Xuan to become Qing Piaoyun’s disciple.’

The only one left was Lei Zhantian. He looked at Lin Xuan and exclaimed in admiration, "You’re ridiculously strong! I said you had a good chance of beating Ling Tian, and you actually did it! I truly admire you. If you have the time, come visit the Lei Family. I’ll be joining the Core Hall soon. When that time comes, we must fight again!"

His tone was filled with fighting spirit. He wasn’t intimidated by Lin Xuan’s Heaven-Defying abilities; instead, he was even more fired up.

"I’ll be waiting," Lin Xuan said, smiling and shaking his head. He appreciated Lei Zhantian’s frank personality.

All that was left was to enter the Cyan Cloud Tower and recuperate. In his current condition, healing inside the tower would be effortless; in fact, the effects would be even more potent.

It took him nearly half a month, with the aid of Healing Elixirs, to fully recover from his wounds. He had severely depleted both his Elemental Power and Spiritual Power. That he could recover in such a short time was largely thanks to the Elixir Pills from Qing Piaoyun.

After those few battles, Lin Xuan felt he was on the verge of another breakthrough. ’Cultivation is advanced through constant battle, especially life-or-death struggles; that’s when breakthroughs happen fastest. Those who frequently walk the edge of death possess terrifying levels of Cultivation, since they are forced to constantly break their limits. Otherwise, the only result is death!’

’Before heading to the Core Hall, I should visit the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion first,’ Lin Xuan decided, setting off. He hadn’t seen Liu Yue’Er and the others for a long time and wondered how they were doing.

He wasn’t in a rush to get to the Core Hall, since he knew that once he entered, he likely wouldn’t be coming out for a while.

Riding the Phoenix, he quickly reached Vast Origin City. He landed outside the gates and proceeded to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion on foot. When he arrived, he found that nothing had changed; just like before, nobody recognized him as the pavilion’s Chief Appraiser.

None of them had ever seen him, so of course they didn’t know he was the Chief Appraiser, merely assuming he was an ordinary customer. Lin Xuan didn’t mind. After all, he hadn’t taken the position for the sake of receiving respectful greetings.

He turned and headed for the third floor, where Liu Yue’Er and the others worked. They had been assigned to a more upscale level, which was quieter. The first and second floors were where most of the customers gathered, making them much busier.

He had just stepped onto the third floor when he heard the sounds of a commotion.

"Just come with me. Become my companion, and I guarantee you’ll enjoy endless wealth and glory!"

Lin Xuan had just arrived to see a handsome young man grabbing Liu Yue’Er’s arm, trying to drag her away. But as soon as he took hold of her, Liu Yue’Er forcefully flung his hand off and glared, "No! I want to stay here with my sister!"

Liu Yue’Er had matured since the previous month, though her appearance had settled around that of a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old. She had blossomed beautifully. Her skin, fair with a rosy blush, looked so delicate it seemed flawless. In both temperament and appearance, she far surpassed Liu Xin, who stood beside her, forming a stark contrast.

More importantly, Liu Yue’Er was emitting a unique Spiritual Qi. Her Cultivation was clearly not low; Lin Xuan could sense a powerful force within her, something at the level of the Spirit Refining Stage, though he couldn’t tell the exact layer. ’To think, before I left, her Cultivation was only at the Body Refining Stage Level. To break through to the Spirit Refining Stage in the blink of an eye... Her progress is astonishing.’

’Is this the innate talent of the Dragon Race?’ Clearly, the young man had also been captivated by Liu Yue’Er’s special aura. There were plenty of beautiful ordinary women, but powerful cultivators rarely gave them a second glance. Without a spiritual aura, a woman could hardly catch their eye.

This continent was vast and its population immense; there was no shortage of beautiful women. However, women who possessed Spiritual Qi were few and far between, making them highly coveted.

"Stay here with your sister?" Jiang Chengyun glanced at Liu Xin, who was standing beside them, and sneered, "You mean this serving girl? Fine, you can both come back with me. One more makes no difference."

"I’m not going!" Liu Yue’Er glared at him. "I’m waiting for my brother to return. I would never go with you!"

"Your brother?" Jiang Chengyun sneered. "What’s the big deal? If he knew my identity, he’d be desperate to trail after me like a dog. And as for you... you’re coming with me whether you want to or not!"

Just as he spoke and reached out to grab Liu Yue’Er, a nearby guard stepped forward to intervene. "Young Master Jiang, please adhere to our establishment’s code of conduct. You mustn’t break the rules here." His tone was exceedingly deferential, making it clear that Jiang Chengyun’s status was considerable. Anyone else would have been thrown out long ago.

In fact, one look at the guards behind him, who were at the Essence Pill Stage Level, was enough to know that his status was anything but low.

"Who do you think you are to speak to me like that?!" Jiang Chengyun shot him a cold glare, and the guard didn’t dare utter another word.

As he finished speaking, he reached for Liu Yue’Er again. But this time, she reacted with a backhanded slap across his face. SLAP! The crisp sound echoed, and a red handprint bloomed on Jiang Chengyun’s handsome cheek.

"I told you, I am not going with you!" Liu Yue’Er exploded. As her Cultivation had increased, she had also matured, and now the domineering spirit of the Dragon Race was on full display. She would slap anyone who provoked her.

"You dare hit me? You’re courting death!"

Jiang Chengyun swung his palm to retaliate, channeling his Elemental Power into the blow. His counterattack was merciless. A powerful pressure bore down, and for a moment, Liu Yue’Er froze. Her opponent’s Cultivation was much higher than hers, and he was far faster. If that slap landed, she would be severely injured.

At that moment, someone appeared at Liu Yue’Er’s side in a flash, moving even faster. With a lightning-quick backhand, he struck. WHACK! A much louder crack echoed as Jiang Chengyun was sent flying through the air, crashing into a nearby display shelf!

The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned. Someone had appeared out of thin air and, without the slightest hesitation, returned the blow!

"So what if I did?" Lin Xuan said, staring coldly at Jiang Chengyun.

’Forget hitting him; he’s lucky I haven’t killed him. If not for the fact that this Jiang Chengyun clearly has a powerful background, a mere slap would be getting off far too lightly. He dared to touch my people, and even tried to take her away. I know exactly what was on his mind. Hitting him is letting him off easy.’