Soul Emperor Awakening

Qing Piaoyun was keeping a close watch on Lin Xuan’s situation. He wanted to see just how long Lin Xuan could last. Naturally, the longer he stayed, the better the effect would be. The purpose of the Bone Forging Pool was to re-forge the bones within one’s body. To put it bluntly, the Bone Forging Liquid would flood the entire body and merge with the bones.

This process was inevitably painful. The moment the Bone Forging Liquid entered the body, it would shatter the surface of the bones and then seep into the marrow, strengthening them until they were comparable in hardness to Dragon Bone.

The reason Qing Piaoyun had said not to stay for less than two days was because two days wasn’t enough to replace all the bones in the body, but it was enough to replace a small portion—or rather, truly replace a small portion. Anything less than a day would only result in a surface-level replacement, not even swapping out half a bone, making it a complete waste.

Even without actively absorbing it, the Bone Forging Liquid could still seep in, but at most, it would only plate the surface of the bones, yielding minimal results. Still, the sensation was one of extreme, piercing pain, as if molten lava was being poured into the body—an agonizing, burning torment.

To be precise, what truly mattered wasn’t how many days one spent in the Bone Forging Pool, but how many days one spent *absorbing*. In his current state, Lin Xuan could sit in the pool for eight days without any issue—heck, even eighteen days would be fine. But that would be pointless, and Qing Piaoyun, sitting above, would be able to tell.

That would be like occupying a latrine without using it; Qing Piaoyun would have slapped him into the pool long ago for wasting time. In the end, it was the results that mattered, not the time spent. If, after eight days, his results were inferior to Tong Yulong’s, it would be a slap in the face to Qing Piaoyun.

The eight days that Tong Yulong had endured was already an astonishing feat, yet even he hadn’t managed to replace all his bones. He had only replaced the majority of them, not a complete set.

’How much you gain is up to you. Strength is something you must fight for yourself. This is all I can do to help...’ As Lin Xuan’s master, Qing Piaoyun couldn’t help too much. His role was merely to be a guide, and that was the mark of a truly competent master.

If he were to hold his student’s hand the entire way, it could lead them down the wrong path. Therefore, a master’s true duty was to provide guidance at critical junctures.

Down in the Bone Forging Pool, Lin Xuan first took a moment to acclimate himself before gradually increasing his rate of absorption. The Bone Forging Liquid surged madly into his body, subjecting it to a powerful tempering. The intense pain caused him to let out a few muffled groans, but he didn’t cry out. However, the cold sweat beading on his forehead was proof of the agony he was in.

In the Bone Forging Pool, the Soul Pearl was useless. Even Soul Possession was of no help. Soul Possession enhanced his Control Power, but no matter how strong his Control Power was, his body still had to be tempered, and the pain could not be negated. The only thing it could affect was the speed of absorption, but he didn’t need to be that fast just yet.

He had already closed his eyes and was gradually accelerating his absorption of the surrounding Bone Forging Liquid, starting with his legs. As he absorbed it, the liquid surged toward his leg bones. The excruciating pain made it impossible to stand, but he didn’t need to. The viscous Bone Forging Liquid was dense enough to hold him up, so he had nothing to worry about.

"Ngh..."

Lin Xuan couldn’t help but let out a pained grunt. The marrow was being drawn from his leg bones and replaced by the Bone Forging Liquid. The process was long and arduous. As the liquid was poured in bit by bit, his own marrow flowed out of his body. Blood welled up from beneath him, quickly dissipating into the Bone Forging Pool.

It hurt! It hurt far more than a simple broken bone. This was having his marrow extracted and replaced with Bone Forging Liquid—a pain so intense it nearly caused Lin Xuan to pass out. He had to stop the infusion at one point, and after a few fits and starts, only a tiny fraction of the bones in his legs had been tempered.

To be more precise, he had only managed to temper a few of his toe bones. The pain was unbearable, and he had almost fainted several times. The agony was akin to being flayed and having your tendons pulled out—no, it was even worse than that!

And yet, Tong Yulong had endured this very same agony for a full eight days and tempered most of his bones. His willpower must have been unimaginable.

’I must temper my entire body!’

Lin Xuan gritted his teeth. Instead of slowing down, he accelerated his absorption of the Bone Forging Liquid. The frenzied pain was relentless, but he could only grit his teeth and endure, forcing himself not to pass out. If he fainted, he would truly waste this opportunity.

Opportunity always presents itself to those who strive to seize it. If he couldn’t grasp this chance, he would have no one to blame but himself for being too weak!

As he absorbed massive amounts, the intense pain caused his consciousness to drift away again and again, bringing him to the brink of passing out. Yet he held on, maintaining this state and absorbing with frantic desperation.

Seated by the edge of the Bone Forging Pool, Qing Piaoyun stared intently, utterly shocked. ’This absorption speed is too fast! Not even Tong Yulong would dare to absorb it this quickly.’

’Kid, you have to hold on!’ Qing Piaoyun roared in his mind. He believed Lin Xuan could endure for even longer.

But he didn’t know that Lin Xuan’s consciousness was already adrift, on the verge of collapse. In his hazy state, he seemed to enter a special condition, and his absorption rate gradually slowed. Memories from the Soul Pearl began to flood his mind, completely beyond his control.

Specifically, the memories of Lin Hua began to pour into his head. With his consciousness already hazy, Lin Xuan couldn’t stop himself from reading them.

These were the very memories Lin Hua had repeatedly warned Lin Xuan never to read. But now, he was reading them.

"Lin Hua, take Xuan’er and escape now! Don’t ever look back!" a man with a stern expression, who bore a slight resemblance to Lin Xuan, commanded.

He was covered in red blood, impossible to tell if it was his own or someone else’s.

"Patriarch, but you..." Lin Hua cradled Lin Xuan in his arms, his own face smeared with blood. His eyes were bloodshot, giving him a terrifying appearance.

"Go! Any later and it will be too late..." The middle-aged man took a few steps forward, his back to Lin Hua. He paused, then turned his head to look at the infant in Lin Hua’s arms. In a low voice, he said, "If possible, I hope he never returns. Let him live this life in peace and safety. He must not get involved in this kind of strife. He’s just a child, after all. Why should he have to bear the hatred of the Lin Family?"

"But the blood of the Lin Family flows in his veins! Shouldn’t he avenge the family?" Lin Hua asked, kneeling on one knee.

"Yes, the blood of the Lin Family flows in him... If he turns out to be mediocre, then let him be mediocre. A simple, uneventful life will be enough. But if he develops a will of his own, he must reach a higher realm before he can be allowed to return. Otherwise, he must never come back... I wonder if I’ll still be alive by then?"

The middle-aged man gave a self-deprecating laugh. A long, solid-red staff appeared in his hand. He left Lin Hua with the sight of a hero’s back, a back that carried far, far too great a burden.

Lin Hua took one last look at the blaze-lit sky behind him, then turned and fled with the infant into the depths of the forest, tears streaming down his face.

That was the final scene of the Lin Family...

Submerged in the Bone Forging Liquid, his consciousness adrift, Lin Xuan couldn’t stop two streams of tears from falling from his eyes, merging with the waters of the Bone Forging Pool.