Soul Emperor Awakening

Lin Yunlong, half an incense stick!

He had completely shattered the first-place time of over one Hour. It wasn’t just a win; he had left the competition in the dust, stunning everyone. They had all been scanning the ranking from the bottom up, so finding Lin Yunlong’s name at the very top left them speechless.

The speed was simply too fast, so fast it was unbelievable. A thought immediately surfaced in their minds—’He must have been brought in by another Elder! Or maybe he’s been here before!’

However, that idea was quickly dismissed. If either of those things had been true, his name wouldn’t have been recorded on the Stone Stele. Furthermore, there was a Memory Stone at the entrance that could replay the events exactly as they happened. Therefore, they were forced to accept that Lin Yunlong had truly managed to break through the Illusionary Mist Array in just half an incense stick’s time!

If that was true, then it was simply too Heaven-Defying. Wasn’t this a bit too astonishing?

Soon, everyone began sending messages to their respective families via expensive Communication Stones. This method was much faster and more secure than using something like a carrier pigeon, but the price was extremely high. A pair of Communication Stones cost around several hundred thousand Primordial Stones, but for crucial information, this price was considered negligible, especially in emergencies.

Soon, this shocking news reached the ears of various major figures, but the first to know was the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion! The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion controlled all information, and their network of spies was far more extensive than anyone could imagine.

"Heavens... passing the Illusionary Mist Array in half an incense stick’s time... What will the higher-ups say now..." Zi Yi collapsed into her chair when she heard the report from her subordinate, her eyes glazed over as she murmured, ’Young Master Lin, just how many talents do you possess? Are you an expert in Arrays, too?’

It wasn’t clear what kind of uproar this would cause within the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion or how it would change their opinions, but one thing was certain: this news reaching the Eldest Prince’s ears was not a good thing.

"Half an incense stick... a marvelous half an incense stick!" Eldest Prince Xu Yunxuan violently smashed the expensive Jade Cup in his hand and snarled, "This is the result of your incompetence! You couldn’t eliminate him in the top-ten finals, and now he’s this prominent. How are you supposed to eliminate him now? What use are you worthless fools!"

Xu Yunxuan was furious. The Patriarchs below him were drenched in cold sweat, all aware of the gravity of the situation. Who could have possibly imagined that Lin Xuan would be so Heaven-Defying?

"E-Eldest Prince, please rest assured! It’s much easier to make a move in the Core Hall than in the Inner Hall," one of the Patriarchs below hurriedly said, trying to placate him. "Besides, we still have one final obstacle. He will absolutely not get past that one... No matter how brightly he shines, he’s still just a greenhorn. The Eldest Prince needn’t worry!"

Xu Yunxuan seemed to recall something and slowly sat back down. "Fine. With him there, I can be at ease..." A cold light glinted in his eyes; he wished he could personally crush Lin Xuan to death.

Meanwhile, back in the Inner Hall, the news had also caused a massive stir.

"Half an incense stick? He passed through the Fog Array in just half an incense stick. He really is strong..." Lying in bed, Ling Tian gazed out the window. There was no hatred in his eyes, nor despair, but rather a renewed fighting spirit.

He had lost, but he had not been completely defeated in spirit. He would still madly strive to catch up.

"Half an incense stick... he actually passed in just half an incense stick’s time! That’s too fast! I-I’m going over there right now! This kid always delivers a surprise, and this one is sure to leave those old geezers dumbstruck!" Qing Piaoyun let out a great laugh, tossed aside his duties in the Inner Hall, and turned to hurry toward the Core Hall.

In a short period, the news that Lin Xuan had broken through the Fog Array in half an incense stick’s time spread through half the Soaring Dragon Empire. Almost everyone in the upper echelons now knew of such a figure. Lin Xuan was already a person of great renown, and now he was even more sensational. The only thing was, this name was just his alias, but that wasn’t important.

After all, a name is just a label. Even if he called himself Lin Xuan, no one would connect him to the Lin Family now. Then again, so what if he was from the Lin Family? Who would dare to make a move against the Lin Family anymore? With two future Elders in Qingcheng Mansion, their future was as bright as the midday sun!

Lin Xuan was still unaware of all this. In the time it took him to walk to the Core Hall, the news had already spread from there. The speed of its transmission would surely have shocked him silly as well.

’Huh, a lot of people.’

As Lin Xuan passed through the main gates of the Core Hall, he noticed quite a few people looking over at him. There were about a dozen of them, which wasn’t a huge number, but it was considered a lot for the Core Hall. As he scanned the area, he saw that most of them were at the Essence Pill Stage Level. In the outside world, the Essence Pill Stage was considered incredibly powerful, but here, such cultivators were a dime a dozen.

’First Layer of the Essence Pill Stage? That’s still considered a pretty low level here. Of course, there are some with even lower Cultivation who haven’t even reached the Essence Pill Stage. The Core Hall has a lot of recruitment rules. Those with exceptionally amazing talent or an extremely rare constitution can join without even taking the assessment.’

’In their eyes, a Seventh-class Talent isn’t particularly astonishing; one would need at least an Eighth-class Talent to be admitted at will. Then there are special cases like Lin Xue’s Celestial Yin Body, which also grants automatic admission. It’s an incredibly powerful constitution, essentially on par with an Eighth-class Talent, so it’s perfectly normal for her to join the Core Hall without an assessment.’

However, most members still joined by passing the assessment. But not everyone who passed the assessment had to be promoted from the Inner Hall; it was also possible to take the assessment from the outside, as long as one’s talent was sufficient.

As a result, it seemed like elites were everywhere. Just the sight of the people before him made Lin Xuan feel a considerable amount of pressure. This truly was the start of a new Chapter.

But he had only just walked in and he could already feel their strange gazes. Some even seemed hostile. ’I haven’t offended anyone, have I?’ he thought.

"Junior Brother Lin, you’re truly incredible! You passed the Illusionary Mist Array in just half an incense stick’s time!" Just then, Zheng Hua walked over with a smile, reaching out to clap Lin Xuan on the shoulder. But Lin Xuan dodged, causing his hand to meet empty air, which made things a bit awkward.

Lin Xuan no longer let people touch him casually, especially those he wasn’t familiar with. It was a matter of self-preservation.

"Ah, Senior Brother Zheng," Lin Xuan said with great humility. "It was just luck. I happened to take the right path."

"Happened to take the right path? That would be some Heaven-Defying luck," Zheng Hua said, leaning in and lowering his voice. "You’re too much in the spotlight right now. Some people here don’t look kindly on those who are promoted from the Inner Hall. To them, anyone from the Inner Hall is trash, so you’d better be careful."

’Everyone from the Inner Hall is trash? These people are certainly arrogant,’ Lin Xuan thought. "Don’t worry, I’ll be careful," he said. "If others don’t provoke me, I certainly won’t go out of my way to provoke them." He didn’t pay it much mind. He couldn’t change their opinions anyway, and as long as no one started trouble with him, nothing would happen.

Just as he was about to say something more, his gaze froze. In the distance, a familiar, graceful figure appeared before his eyes... so familiar, so captivating, it overlapped with the memories of his childhood.

It was Lin Xue—the one who had occupied his thoughts and dreams for so many years!