Soul Emperor Awakening

A brilliant golden light flared as the Golden Martial Intent rose from within him, appearing exceptionally dazzling against the pitch-black, starry sky. The emergence of two Martial Intents made Lin Xuan’s aura incomparably vast, kicking up a wave of air that billowed his clothes.

The Illusion of Lin Xuan felt nothing, watching with a blank expression as the two Martial Intents rose. It possessed no emotions and thus felt no fear. It charged forward again, simultaneously commanding its own Martial Intent to lunge.

Cane Shatters the Heavens!

The opponent’s Martial Intent was a mere copy, unleashing the same Martial Arts Lin Xuan had just used. But the outcome was already set in stone.

The Martial Intent, which had seemed so powerful, was insignificant before Lin Xuan. Two against one—the result was already clear.

"Go!"

A cold light flashed in Lin Xuan’s eyes as his two Martial Intents charged forward. They raised a fist and a giant cane, smashing down with immense force. BOOM! The opponent’s Martial Intent was instantly shattered to pieces! But it wasn’t over. The giant fist and cane continued down toward the Illusion of Lin Xuan, giving it no chance to dodge. Just as it was about to use the Cyan Cloud Step to evade, the attack landed.

THUD!

The Illusion of Lin Xuan was easily defeated, dissolving into a shower of starlight that scattered before drilling into Lin Xuan’s body.

As the starlight entered his body, Lin Xuan immediately felt a surging wave of energy well up from within, frantically boosting his Cultivation and his Martial Intent!

Lin Xuan quickly dispelled the Cloud Return Technique and his vast Martial Intents, immediately sitting down in meditation to absorb the surging energy. ’This must be the reward for passing the Fifth Layer!’

The absorption process didn’t last long, and he soon awoke from his meditation. As he opened his eyes, a Divine Light shot forth, making them shine like two dazzling stars in the night.

’What powerful battle intent! It raised my Spiritual Power by quite a bit, and my Cultivation nearly broke through...’ Lin Xuan’s eyes filled with pleasant surprise. He had finally received a significant reward.

’If I hadn’t already known how to release my Martial Intent, I would definitely be able to learn after absorbing this energy. The Martial Intent contained within this energy is an enlightenment in itself. Whether one can fully grasp it, however, depends on the individual.’

’Anyone who could brute-force their way through this without the ability to release Martial Intent would have to be an absolute monster.’ Lin Xuan shook his head. He hadn’t tried it himself; it would have been an incredibly arduous way to pass. After all, releasing Martial Intent was an overwhelming advantage, essentially turning the fight into a two-on-one.

"Trial of the Fifth Layer passed. Preparing for the trial of the Sixth Layer!" The familiar voice sounded again. Immediately after, a beam of light enveloped him, teleporting him to the Sixth Layer!

Outside the Martial God Tower, another light flared, proving that he had been transported to the Sixth Layer!

If the crowd had been shocked before, they were now shaken beyond measure. Lin Xuan had actually passed the Fifth Layer and was now ascending to the Sixth Layer.

This meant Lin Xuan had successfully passed the Fifth Layer, reaching a level equivalent to the current Island Master and the Grand Elder. It completely defied their expectations. From his sluggish pace on the Second Layer to his current unstoppable momentum, he had charged straight to the Sixth Layer in an incredibly short time!

In terms of total time, Lin Xuan had absolutely crushed everyone else. Most people took a long time on the later layers, but Lin Xuan was the complete opposite—he was slow at the beginning but blazingly fast now. The contrast was so stark that many couldn’t accept it. They remembered that even Tuo Zhanhong had spent a considerable amount of time passing the Fifth Layer back in his day.

Now, Lin Xuan had passed with ease in a very short amount of time, a fact they found hard to believe.

"Is there something wrong with the Martial God Tower? How could anyone pass the Fifth Layer that quickly? It’s just too fast!"

"That’s right, there must be a problem with the Martial God Tower. How else could he be so fast?"

"An outsider stronger than our own Tu Family? I refuse to believe it!"

...

Normally, the higher a challenger climbed, the more convinced people became of their strength. But now, the higher Lin Xuan went, the more they disbelieved! In the end, this was just their way of comforting themselves. They believed Lin Xuan had found some loophole, refusing to accept that an outsider could reach such heights.

Passing the Fifth Layer was a point of pride for the Tu Family, and now an outsider had accomplished it. How could they possibly accept that?

"Brother Lin is incredibly strong! How can you say that about him? If you don’t believe it, go try it yourselves!" Tuo Yunhai could no longer stand by and listen. He had believed from the very start that Lin Xuan could pass the Fifth Layer.

"We refuse to believe it! We can’t see what’s happening from out here. Who’s to say there isn’t a problem with the Martial God Tower?"

"Exactly! It’s just a coincidence that the Martial God Tower is having a little trouble today, that’s all!"

...

The crowd retorted against Tuo Yunhai. Ultimately, they were just unwilling to believe Lin Xuan had succeeded, making excuses to protect their last shred of pride. But it was all meaningless.

"Silence!" Tuo Zhanhong snorted, and the noisy crowd immediately fell quiet. "For those of you who suspect there’s a problem with the Martial God Tower, I will permit you to send one person in. Consider it an extra opportunity for a trial!"

In his heart, Tuo Zhanhong was confident there was nothing wrong with the Martial God Tower, but public rumor was a powerful force. Someone had to go in and test it.

"Grand Elder, allow this disciple to try!" A talented disciple, who had previously managed to reach the Fifth Layer, stepped forward.

"Very well. Go on in and see for yourself," Tuo Zhanhong agreed without hesitation.

"Thank you, Elder!" The disciple was delighted and immediately walked into the Martial God Tower. This was a rare opportunity.

After entering, he quickly cleared the First Layer and broke through to the Second Layer with extreme speed. He then passed the Second Layer with ease. But upon reaching the Third Layer, his progress slowed to a crawl, nowhere near the speed Lin Xuan had shown.

After a good while, he still hadn’t passed the Third Layer. The expressions of the crowd finally changed. There was nothing wrong with the Martial God Tower! If there had been a problem, the disciple would surely have been faster than Lin Xuan, or at the very least, just as fast.

This time, they were left speechless. The entire area fell silent; no one dared to utter another word. This indirectly proved that Lin Xuan had truly passed the Fifth Layer and was now on the Sixth Layer. But whether or not he could pass the Sixth Layer remained to be seen.

If he really did pass it with the same unstoppable momentum, they would truly lose their minds.

’The Sixth Layer... its difficulty is more than just a small step up. If you can actually pass it, your future will be truly limitless...’ Tuo Zhanhong thought, filled with emotion. Forget the Sixth Layer; no one had even passed the Fifth Layer for many years. And now, an outsider had done it. The irony was palpable.