Soul Emperor Awakening

"CREAK... GROAN..."

Lin Xuan felt his body groan under the terrifying gravity, the sound of his bones creaking a testament to his body being pushed to its absolute limit.

He knew why the Martial God Tower was doing this—to restrict his movement and drastically reduce his mobility. This was especially true of the Fourth Layer, where many got stuck precisely because their mobility was so severely hampered. Dodging attacks under such astonishing gravity was no easy feat, especially when surrounded by five statues. Who could possibly evade them all?

Now, the Fifth Layer was even more terrifying. It had hit him with extreme gravity the moment he arrived, making his movements as slow as a snail. Forget running—even walking quickly was a feat. As for jumping to attack, that was pure fantasy!

Unless Lin Xuan activated his Cloud Return Technique or used the Golden Dragon King’s Soul Possession to unleash his body’s maximum potential, there was no easy way out of his current predicament.

For now, though, he didn’t need to resort to that. First, he wanted to see what this version of "himself" was capable of.

The Illusion, holding the Chi Dragon Heavens Rod, stared intently at Lin Xuan. A moment later, a surge of Martial Intent rose from its body, coalescing into the massive, spectral image of a staff-wielding figure. Its aura far surpassed that of the Staff Envoys on the Fourth Layer.

"External projection of Martial Intent!"

Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes. He could feel that this projected Martial Intent was even a bit stronger than his own. ’No wonder the Fifth Layer is the essence of the Martial God Tower,’ he thought. ’This external projection of Martial Intent truly is the key. Just by witnessing it, I can clearly see what the next stage is.’

’Of course, if I defeat it, this technique might be the reward.’

’This floor is even more difficult. If my Martial Intent were too weak, I would surely be defeated here. No matter how you look at it, this won’t be easy for me.’

Lin Xuan didn’t feel much pressure, however. He could already project his Martial Intent externally, so he wasn’t worried. For someone who couldn’t, defeat would be certain; the terrifying gravity alone would make it impossible to move. The release of Martial Intent was not bound by this gravity and could still be unleashed with its full power.

The only things that could truly affect this Martial Intent were terrifying Elemental Power attacks or an even stronger Realm!

The Illusion of Lin Xuan stomped its foot and executed the Cyan Cloud Step, vanishing from Lin Xuan’s sight in an instant. Lin Xuan’s pupils constricted. He rapidly activated his Cloud Return Technique, a soaring aura erupting from him as he once again merged it with his Spiritual Power, allowing his Staff Martial Intent to possess him and wrap tightly around his body.

Igniting his bloodline greatly enhanced his endurance, making the 300,000-jin pressure feel much lighter.

Just as the possession took hold, he swiftly swung the Chi Dragon Heavens Rod in his hand, aimed, and unleashed Extreme Point Inch Light. Fused with his Martial Intent, the originally tiny red glint instantly magnified and thrust out to the side!

He had only just thrust out when a similar red glint flashed from the exact spot he was aiming for, colliding with his Extreme Point Inch Light.

BOOM!

Lin Xuan was knocked back by the terrifying blow. Its force was a fraction stronger than his own. The power bestowed by the Martial God Tower was truly different, making the Illusion stronger than the original.

’It’s so proficient with Extreme Point Inch Light and Cyan Cloud Step. The Martial God Tower must have perfectly simulated my techniques over these past few floors...’ Lin Xuan wasn’t too shocked; this was within his expectations. If the opponent wasn’t strong, how could the Fifth Layer be so difficult to pass?

"Then how about you try this one?"

A smirk traced Lin Xuan’s lips. He abruptly raised the Chi Dragon Heavens Rod, the bloodline within him surging wildly, boosting his strength once more as he thrust it forward with all his might.

"Cane Shatters the Heavens!"

The Sixth Form of the Lin’s Staff Technique. Under his swing, even without any Elemental Power infused into it, the Chi Dragon Heavens Rod emitted a faint glow. The absolute force caused it to friction-heat rapidly in the air, turning the entire iron rod red-hot.

Since the Illusion of Lin Xuan hadn’t learned this move, it countered with the Cloud-Entering Form. But how could the first form compare to the sixth? ’As expected of something that isn’t truly human,’ Lin Xuan mused. ’Its intelligence is rather basic.’

BOOM!

The two Staff Martial Intents clashed. Lin Xuan’s Staff Martial Intent, combined with the ultimate Cane Shatters the Heavens, blasted out a terrifying Qi Force that seemed to transform into a Qi Dragon, soaring into the sky!

The Illusion of Lin Xuan was violently thrown back. Small cracks appeared on its Martial Intent, which had nearly been shattered by the blow. But it merely swayed for a moment, and the cracks on its projected Martial Intent quickly repaired themselves.

With the Martial God Tower’s support, it had no fear of such consumption. Anyone who tried to win a battle of attrition was simply courting death. Backed by the Martial God Tower, these Illusions were completely unafraid of expending energy.

When Lin Xuan managed to chip off a piece of his opponent’s Martial Intent, the resulting fragments actually drilled into his own body!

"Hm? Such pure Spiritual Power. I feel like my Spiritual Power has grown slightly stronger... and is that a trace of Martial Intent?" Lin Xuan was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "So that’s how it is. This floor truly is the essence of the Martial God Tower. By continuing to attack, even someone who doesn’t know how to project their Martial Intent can learn by fighting long enough!"

The core reward of the Fifth Layer was this external projection of Martial Intent. To him, the strongest application of Martial Intent was projecting it externally. No wonder the Island Master and Tuo Zhanhong were so powerful—they had both learned to project their Martial Intent, making them far stronger than others.

However, it wasn’t something one could learn that easily. One would either have to go through numerous battles or even defeat the Illusion to obtain the true essence of Martial Intent.

Having just regained its footing, the Illusion of Lin Xuan swung forward violently, and the Staff Martial Intent burst out from its body, smashing down toward Lin Xuan. It had finally unleashed a Martial Intent attack. The massive projection loomed over him, wielding a gigantic staff, and tried to bring it crashing down on him.

"Go!"

Lin Xuan responded by releasing his own Staff Martial Intent. The two projections collided. The difference was that Lin Xuan’s Staff Martial Intent was tinged with the crimson light of his bloodline. The Martial God Tower’s illusion couldn’t replicate that perfectly.

BOOM!

The two Staff Martial Intents slammed into each other viciously, their staves striking each other’s massive bodies. Under the heavy impact, both sustained cracks of varying degrees, but the damage was heavier on the Illusion’s side, not Lin Xuan’s.

With that heavy clash, even more Martial Intent fragments fused into his body, allowing him to comprehend a deeper level of Martial Intent. However, since he had already mastered it, this benefit was of no importance to him.

"Since this is all about the essence of Martial Intent, I see no need to play around any longer. Anyone else might have trouble beating you, but unfortunately for you, you’re facing me!"

The Soul Pearl in Lin Xuan’s body trembled. The Golden Dragon King’s Soul Possession activated! A spectral image of the Golden Dragon King instantly appeared behind him. He didn’t need to summon any more Martial Intent; it would only take two moves to finish off "himself."