Soul Emperor Awakening

It was a one-punch knockout, the fist’s radiance flashing brilliantly. Only after he withdrew his fist did the golden light upon it begin to dissipate. Simultaneously, the soul of the Golden Dragon King faded away, and the shimmering golden bones within his body calmed down. But the impact of that punch was already seared into everyone’s minds.

No one dared to make a sound. They all stared in the direction where Xiao Qian lay unconscious, swallowing nervously. Lin Xuan was even more domineering than when he had dealt with Rao Longtian. For him, an opponent at the Second Layer of the Essence Pill Stage was no longer even a challenge.

Qing Piaoyun flashed to Xiao Qian’s side. After a brief examination, he stuffed an Elixir Pill into the boy’s mouth and announced in a heavy tone, "Lin Yunlong wins this sparring match. Take him back to the rest chambers."

There were no rewards for winning a sparring match, nor would it officially change the rankings. However, once word of this got out, the unofficial hierarchy would be set. With his Cultivation at the Ninth Layer of Spirit Refining Stage, Lin Xuan was strong enough to be ranked among the middle-tiers of the Core Hall!

Losing a spar meant you were almost certain to lose in the official tournament as well. Though it was called "sparring," everyone fought with their full strength. Thus, these matches were essentially a preview of the official rankings. The only way for the defeated to turn the tables was to train relentlessly before the actual competition.

As soon as Qing Piaoyun finished speaking, several disciples rushed to carry Xiao Qian away. Many of them were from the Genius Sect. They shot Lin Xuan a venomous glare before departing with Xiao Qian. They were powerless against Lin Xuan at the moment and could do nothing but watch in frustration.

Qing Piaoyun then approached Lin Xuan, sizing him up as if meeting him for the first time. "You’ve truly achieved the perfect Golden Dragon Body," he said. "You’re a good deal stronger than that Tong Yulong. This way, you’ll be able to secure a much higher rank in the upcoming placement tournament. I’m greatly looking forward to it!"

The Inner Hall had its placement tournaments, so it was certain the Core Hall would have them too. Every division had to rank its disciples from strongest to weakest to ensure the rational distribution of resources. It was impossible to give more to the weak and less to the strong, after all.

This wasn’t about fair distribution; it was survival of the fittest! Of course, if a high-ranking disciple didn’t need their allotted resources, they could pass them on to their own people. This was why factions were so important.

Tong Yulong, for instance, often shared his resources with members of his own faction, which was why everyone was happy to call him their leader. Besides, with his dazzling status as the Second Elder’s son, these resources probably held little attraction for him anyway.

"Now that you’ve just succeeded in refining your body, you should focus on stabilizing it. The Core Hall happens to have an excellent Cultivation Site you can try. It would be even better if you could break Tong Yulong’s record." Qing Piaoyun smiled, his eyes glinting, clearly eager to see Lin Xuan do just that.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lin Xuan smiled. "Since Master has said so, then I shall respectfully obey. I’m sure it must be a fine place if you’re recommending it, Master."

Qing Piaoyun was indeed looking out for him. After tempering one’s body, it was necessary to consolidate it and achieve a more perfect harmony.

"Come with me now." Qing Piaoyun didn’t give him time to rest, leading him directly to another location. The Core Hall had far more Cultivation Sites than the Inner Hall; the only notable one in the Inner Hall was the Cyan Cloud Tower.

Under Qing Piaoyun’s guidance, Lin Xuan arrived before a tower that was only one or two stories tall. It looked similar to the Cyan Cloud Tower in the Inner Hall.

"This is also considered a Cyan Cloud Tower, though not the same one as in the Inner Hall. To avoid confusion, we call it the Pressure Cyan Cloud Tower!" Qing Piaoyun explained. "Here in Qingcheng Mansion, our main focus is Body Refining, so most of our structures are designed for tempering one’s Physique. The Pressure Cyan Cloud Tower is no exception. The farther down you go, the greater the pressure, and the more you can strengthen your body."

Lin Xuan nodded. He already knew about this enhanced version of the Cyan Cloud Tower from Qing Liuyun’s memories. Unlike the one in the Inner Hall, this tower also descended downwards, but there were no Guards or obstacles. You simply ran down as far as you could. It was that simple.

The only catch was that the farther down you ran, the stronger the pressure—or rather, the stronger the gravity. The first few levels were already equivalent to tens of thousands of jin, and it only got heavier the deeper you went. The maximum was supposedly a million jin!

Running under such immense gravity was like running with weights, greatly enhancing the effects of one’s physical training. It was far better than strapping a giant boulder to your back. Besides, what kind of boulder would you even need to weigh over a hundred thousand jin?

Even if you found such a massive rock or block of iron, it would be too large to even fit through the entrance.

Having just emerged from the Bone Forging Pool, this was the perfect Cultivation Site for Lin Xuan. Under greater pressure, the harmony within his body would improve and become more stable. It was also a chance to test his limits and see just how many jin he could withstand.

Moreover, the Pressure Cyan Cloud Tower was also a place to practice the Cyan Cloud Step. Executing the technique under extreme gravity would undoubtedly increase his mastery of it. In short, the benefits were numerous; it was an excellent place for Body Refining.

No wonder the other disciples looked so tough. Take Xiao Qian, for instance. The power behind his blade strike had been terrifying; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been able to draw blood from Lin Xuan’s palm. Clearly, the Pressure Cyan Cloud Tower had brought them all great benefits.

"The Pressure Cyan Cloud Tower has no restrictions. You can enter whenever you wish," Qing Piaoyun explained. "In fact, none of the Cultivation Sites in the Core Hall have any restrictions. You are free to train in them for as long as you like."

Lin Xuan nodded and asked, "How far has Tong Yulong made it down?" He wanted to know what level this prodigy had reached, so he could set it as his goal.

"The path in the Pressure Cyan Cloud Tower isn’t that long. Following the spiral path, the total distance is one hundred thousand meters, with the final limit being a pressure of one million jin!" Qing Piaoyun’s expression grew serious. "Tong Yulong’s current record is around thirty thousand meters, which corresponds to about three hundred thousand jin of pressure. And that number is still increasing."

"He can withstand three hundred thousand jin..."

Lin Xuan sucked in a sharp breath. He wasn’t even sure if he himself could withstand three hundred thousand jin of force. Of course, while that number sounded terrifying now, it wouldn’t be so daunting for a Cultivator who had reached the Spirit Pill Stage. With powerful enough Elemental Power, one could resist that pressure without even relying on their physical body.

Withstanding it with one’s physical body, however, was a different story. Not all Cultivators focused on Body Refining. In fact, even a Spirit Pill Stage expert relying solely on their Elemental Power could only barely withstand the full million-jin force. Therefore, for someone at the Essence Pill Stage to withstand over three hundred thousand jin, even with the aid of Elemental Power, was truly formidable.

Lin Xuan knew that if he were to face Tong Yulong now, he would be the one getting instantly killed. This only proved that Tong Yulong’s prodigious talent was truly unparalleled!