Soul Emperor Awakening

Tuo Zhanhong’s gaze sent a chill through Lin Xuan. ’This matter must be more complicated than it seems,’ he thought.

"Please speak, Senior!" Lin Xuan said in a deep voice.

After studying him for a long moment, Tuo Zhanhong finally said thoughtfully, "To have reached such a high level of Cultivation at your age, and with only a Seventh-class Talent, your background must be anything but ordinary. I don’t care where you come from or who you are. The only thing I care about is whether or not you are willing to become a member of the Tu Family."

Upon hearing this, Tuo Yunhai, who was standing nearby, looked at Lin Xuan with a hopeful gaze, wishing he would agree to become a member of the Tu Family so they could be together.

But Lin Xuan shook his head without a second thought. "I can’t do that. I’m not willing to change my name. I was born with the surname Lin, and I will not take another!"

It was his principle to never change his name. He was incredibly proud to be a member of the Lin Family. In his view, everyone should be proud of their family name, as it bestows upon them a unique sense of purpose.

"Very well. I won’t force you on that point. But would you be willing to join as a Foreign Disciple?" Tuo Zhanhong hadn’t given up. He was still determined to pull Lin Xuan into the Tu Family; it would be a profitable move no matter how he looked at it.

"Senior, the only reason you want me to join the Tu Family is so that I will help the Tu Family in the future. The Tu Family is the number one great family in the Demon Cloud Sea; the role I could play would be minuscule. But I will say this: as long as the Tu Family treats Yunhai well, then should the Tu Family ever face trouble, I will absolutely not stand idly by!" Lin Xuan’s answer was firm and decisive.

’If Yunhai is with them, then I am with them. If Yunhai is not, then I will ignore the Tu Family completely!’

’This so-called number one family is just a load of nonsense. They’ll treat you well when you have value to exploit, but the moment you don’t, they’ll ignore you completely.’

Tuo Yunhai was deeply moved. He knew that if Lin Xuan really did work on behalf of the Tu Family, it wouldn’t be for the family, but for him.

This wasn’t just empty talk from Lin Xuan. Tuo Yunhai had saved him, and he genuinely considered Yunhai one of his own people; nothing else mattered. He was a man who valued relationships and loyalty, one who believed in repaying a drop of kindness with a gushing spring. Recalling the moment Tuo Yunhai was captured, shouting for him to flee, made his heart ache.

Since Tuo Yunhai was willing to go to such lengths for him, he could do the same for Tuo Yunhai.

"Excellent. Your word is enough." Tuo Zhanhong squinted at Lin Xuan for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Yunhai said you could obtain the essence of the Martial God Tower. Now I’m truly keen to see if you can live up to that."

"The essence of the Martial God Tower? What does that mean?" Lin Xuan asked, puzzled.

"The essence of the Martial God Tower is something one obtains by reaching the Fifth Layer. As for what it is, I can’t describe it with words. The reason the Tu Family became the number one family is largely due to this Martial God Tower. Normally, we don’t open it to outsiders. I might not even let someone with a Seventh-class Talent enter. But this time, I’m making an exception for you. Do you know why?" Tuo Zhanhong said with a faint smile.

"And why is that?" Lin Xuan was curious to hear Tuo Zhanhong’s answer.

"Because I saw you fly into Divine Martial Island, riding a Phoenix with Yunhai..." Tuo Zhanhong said in a low voice.

Lin Xuan was shocked, his aura flaring instantly, but Tuo Zhanhong’s hand was already on his shoulder. "If I wanted to capture you," he said with a small smile, "I wouldn’t have let you set foot on Divine Martial Island, let alone stand here. And you wouldn’t be able to escape."

"What do you mean by that, Senior?" Lin Xuan retracted his aura. Tuo Zhanhong was right. With a Core Formation Stage expert this close, he had long since lost any chance to escape. Besides, if Tuo Zhanhong had wanted to capture him, he would have done so outside.

He appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he was reeling. ’I can’t believe I was discovered without realizing it.’ Then again, he was facing an expert at the Core Formation Stage; it was perfectly normal that he wouldn’t have sensed anything.

"It doesn’t mean anything. I have no interest in that paltry reward..." Tuo Zhanhong condensed his Elemental Power into a thread, sending his voice directly into Lin Xuan’s ear, "To possess such a powerful Puppetry Technique, your background can’t be simple. I want you to help the Tu Family!"

"The Tu Family is in crisis?" Lin Xuan asked, taken aback.

"Yes, a great crisis!" Tuo Zhanhong didn’t deny it. So, it wasn’t Lin Xuan he valued, but his background.

Talent is important, but in a crisis, talent is a pile of shit! A genius who hasn’t matured—even one with Ninth-class Talent—is still just a pile of shit. With no actual combat power, what’s the use? If a Spirit Pill Stage expert were to show up, all these undeveloped geniuses would be completely crushed.

"Senior, I’m afraid I have to apologize. My background isn’t that powerful; you could say I’m a lone wolf. However, if the Tu Family is truly in trouble, I won’t stand by and do nothing—as long as the family doesn’t forsake Yunhai!" This was the only answer Lin Xuan could give. ’My background isn’t strong at all. Qingcheng Mansion wouldn’t listen to my commands, so how could I possibly mobilize them?’

"Is that so... Fine. I suppose I was too eager for quick results. So be it." Tuo Zhanhong sighed and withdrew his hand. "Go on in. I hope you can reach the Fifth Layer of the Martial God Tower. That is where its true essence lies."

He was clearly disappointed, but he recovered quickly. As a peerless expert, his mental fortitude was naturally exceptional.

"Senior, if I may ask, what is the highest layer you and the Island Master have reached?" Lin Xuan inquired.

"The Fifth Layer. The Island Master and I have only ever made it to the Fifth Layer. It’s also the highest anyone in the Tu Family has ever reached," Tuo Zhanhong said. "In other words, if you can reach the Fifth Layer, your future achievements will surely equal ours, if not surpass them!"

Lin Xuan was inwardly shaken. ’With their Heaven-Defying Cultivation, they only reached the Fifth Layer? But this Martial God Tower has eight layers... If someone were to reach the Eighth Layer, would they truly become a god?’

He didn’t dwell on it further and turned to walk into the Martial God Tower. The tower had no gate, only a massive opening for an entrance. The Guards standing beside it only stepped aside to let him enter after Tuo Zhanhong gave them a signal.

Many spectators had gathered outside, all eager to see what layer Lin Xuan could reach. The Martial God Tower might not have a physical gate, but not just anyone was allowed inside. If entry were unrestricted, the tower would have been mobbed into ruin long ago. Under normal circumstances, only five people could enter at a time.

With so many members in the Tu Family, there were never enough slots to go around. Thus, the Tu Family used entry as a reward; a chance was only given to those who had made significant contributions or had reached a certain level of Cultivation.

Today, as it happened, only Lin Xuan was entering, giving everyone a chance to see just how high an outsider could climb.

The moment he stepped inside, the scene around him changed abruptly, as if he had entered some strange dimension. But that wasn’t what mattered. What mattered was that the instant he was in, he felt his Elemental Power become completely sealed!

To be more precise, he couldn’t release his Elemental Power at all. Without the ability to use Elemental Power, a cultivator was practically crippled, forced to rely solely on their physical body. In other words, Cultivation was almost useless here. The only things one could rely on were their own techniques and their physical form!