Soul Emperor Awakening

"A reward? What kind of reward?"

Lin Xuan was desperate to improve his strength. The Core Hall was rich with resources, but he had just arrived and didn’t know the first thing about it. Of course, it didn’t really matter whether he familiarized himself or not. With Qing Liuyun’s memories, the Core Hall felt like home to him.

The most crucial thing was to find out what this reward was. After defeating Ling Tian, he figured it wouldn’t be anything ordinary. He recalled how Qing Piaoyun had deliberately kept him in suspense, acting all mysterious and waiting until he arrived at the Core Hall to reveal the prize.

"The Bone Forging Pool!" Qing Piaoyun uttered three words.

"The Bone Forging Pool?" Lin Xuan was stunned. His mind drifted as he seemed to get lost in his memories.

Qing Piaoyun didn’t notice and began his explanation. Of course, Lin Xuan knew about the Bone Forging Pool; he knew from Qing Liuyun’s memories. As the name implied, it was for forging bones! It was a process that reforged the bones in one’s body, making them much harder. Bones were the foundation of the human body; if a person’s bones were broken, they wouldn’t be able to move at all.

For instance, if the bones in your arm were shattered, you wouldn’t be able to move your hand, even if there were no visible injury. After being tempered in the Bone Forging Pool, one’s entire skeleton would be reforged, drastically increasing its durability. While not as tough as a Spiritual Artifact, it could at least reach the Treasure Level.

This was the greatest reward in Qingcheng Mansion—the absolute greatest. Only those with immense accomplishments or the super-geniuses were granted entry. It wasn’t that Qingcheng Mansion was stingy; the Bone Forging Pool was simply too precious. If they let just anyone in, its effects would soon be depleted.

The fact that he was being given access to it now sent a thrill through him.

"Are you listening?" Qing Piaoyun asked, looking quizzically at the distracted Lin Xuan. "This is the greatest reward you could get. Many Core Disciples never get this opportunity. Your current cultivation level is perfect for it, but there’s no need to rush. Everyone only gets to enter once in their lifetime. Are you ready?"

Anyone could only enter the Bone Forging Pool once. The extent of its effect depended on the individual, and if you missed your chance, you could never go again. The main reason for this was that the effects were most potent on the first visit; subsequent entries had almost no effect. Thus, only one visit was permitted, as any more would be useless.

Therefore, the timing of entry depended on whether the person was at their absolute Peak. However, a lower cultivation level was better, though not too low—anywhere within the Essence Pill Stage was optimal. For those with higher cultivation, their bones would have already set, making the forging process incredibly difficult and yielding minimal results.

"I’m ready!" Lin Xuan answered without a moment’s hesitation. His current cultivation level was perfect for this. He had never expected a reward like this. It truly was the best prize, and one that could only be obtained here in the Core Hall.

"Then let’s go. We’ll head to the Bone Forging Pool right away. Everything has been prepared; we were just waiting for you to wake up." Qing Piaoyun then led him away toward the Bone Forging Pool.

Along the way, he saw quite a few Core Disciples. The Core Hall didn’t have many disciples in total, only about fifty or so—a full half fewer than the Inner Hall—but every single one was an elite. Their talent and cultivation were both astonishing, and the division between factions was clear.

The Genius Sect was the largest, with nearly thirty members. The remaining twenty or so were split between the Inner Hall Sect and the Neutral Faction. However, the Inner Hall Sect was in the worst shape, with fewer than ten members—even the Neutral Faction was larger.

That’s why the Inner Hall Sect was suppressed to the point of suffocation. Zheng Hua was part of the Inner Hall Sect, which was why he had befriended Lin Xuan in the first place. If members of the Genius Sect saw them together, they would treat him as a traitor.

Along the way, many members of the Genius Sect glared at him, their expressions of disgust open and undisguised.

"Damn it, he just got promoted from the Inner Hall and already gets to enter the Bone Forging Pool? We’ve never even been!"

"Can’t be helped. It’s the reward stipulated by the Elders: reach first place in the Inner Hall within two years and you get this prize. I don’t know what that previous number one was thinking, he couldn’t even hold his spot. Figures the Inner Hall is full of trash."

"Makes me want to go back to the Inner Hall and take a look. First place? Forget two years, I could’ve taken the top spot in a few months!"

"That’s not the point. The point is that this Lin Yunlong stole Xiao Qian’s spot. When Xiao Qian gets back, he’s definitely going to lose it..."

...

The numerous Genius Sect disciples pointed and gestured at Lin Xuan, voicing their displeasure. They kept their voices low, but with their cultivation levels, how could Lin Xuan and Qing Piaoyun not hear them? Qing Piaoyun definitely heard, but he didn’t say anything in rebuttal. Lin Xuan also chose not to respond—not because he couldn’t, but because he couldn’t be bothered!

This group from the Genius Sect was arrogant, looking down on everyone and considering the Inner Hall to be trash. Lin Xuan gave them a passing glance and knew they were all talk. Their cultivation was high, but they would be no match for Ling Tian; defeat would be their only outcome.

Following Qing Piaoyun, they arrived at the deepest part of the Core Hall. The further in they went, the richer the Elemental Power became. This was generally the cultivation area for the Elders; Third Elder and the others lived in this region. In other words, Lin Xue also cultivated here, which was a great benefit to her.

"The Bone Forging Pool is up ahead," Qing Piaoyun reminded him.

Lin Xuan looked up. Before him wasn’t a pool, but a sturdy building. Its walls were forged from thick Profound Iron and etched with intricate patterns that greatly enhanced its Defense Power. Even a Core Formation Stage expert would have a hard time breaking through it.

Two Essence Pill Stage Cultivators stood guard outside the entrance. When they saw Qing Piaoyun approach, they nodded and stepped aside. Qing Piaoyun walked up and used a Stone Slab to open the heavy gate. It was similar to the Bone Dragon Ruins, which also required a Stone Slab to be opened.

It was like a key, but far more secure. After all, only the specific patterns on this Stone Slab could integrate with the gate; any other would be useless.

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE.

The heavy gate slowly rumbled open, and white vapor drifted out from within. What came into view was a small pool, its contents as thick and white as milk, or perhaps like the viscous liquid that drips from a stalactite. At a single glance, it was clearly something extraordinary.

’So this is the Bone Forging Pool...’ Lin Xuan thought as he followed Qing Piaoyun inside. Merely standing outside the pool, he felt sharp, stabbing pains shoot through his bones whenever the white mist drifted over him, as if they were about to shatter.

’If I just stay in here for a while, my physique will improve dramatically.’ He had always focused on physical training, but tempering the body was the most difficult kind of cultivation, and he was short on time. The Bone Forging Pool before him was the perfect solution to that problem!