Soul Emperor Awakening

With a Sixth Layer Soul Possession active, complemented by his own bloodline power, his aura surged to an unprecedented realm. In that instant, Lin Xuan felt as if he had entered a strange world. The space around him seemed to freeze; or rather, the flow of everything had slowed to a crawl.

This was the realm of the Core Formation Stage. He could feel his own realm elevating at incredible speed, and his aura was skyrocketing. Most importantly, his spirit also reached an unprecedented state.

The Elemental Power in his body circulated frantically, coordinating with his bloodline’s power. His meridians bulged, and a white aura radiated from the surface of his skin.

Soul Possession was capable of strengthening his Spiritual Power. It wasn’t merely an increase in Control Power, but also a tremendous surge in Spiritual Power. Since Spiritual Power hadn’t been of much use before, there was still the soul of a top-tier expert he had yet to integrate: the soul of the Liu Family’s Sixth Grade Pattern Master!

The greatest strength of a Sixth Grade Pattern Master is their Spiritual Power. While their combat prowess is not weak, Spiritual Power is their true specialty. For this reason, he rarely allowed the Sixth Grade Pattern Master’s soul to merge with him. Besides, his body had reached its limit back then; a Fifth Layer Soul was the absolute maximum. Only now, with his enhanced Cultivation and improved Physique, did he dare to attempt a Sixth Layer Soul Possession.

Just as expected, after initiating the Sixth Layer Soul Possession, his body once again reached its absolute limit. The rapidly flowing Elemental Power, amplified by his bloodline’s strength, had truly unleashed his greatest power to date!

He had not been using his full potential before, but now he was. The Sixth Layer Soul Possession, combined with his activated bloodline power, stacked layer upon layer!

"Hah..."

Lin Xuan exhaled, and the light in his eyes grew increasingly startling. He was like a completely different person compared to before he unleashed his power. If his Elemental Power weren’t completely sealed within his body, the force he’d unleashed would have been even more terrifying. But what he needed right now wasn’t an outburst of Elemental Power, but an enhancement of his Spiritual Power!

"So strong! Your potential is immense!" the Young Martial God was stunned by Lin Xuan’s transformation. This vast aura seemed capable of devouring everything. If that Elemental Power weren’t sealed away, he felt he would have been killed in an instant.

"Soul Martial Intent, fuse!"

Lin Xuan roared and slammed the Chi Dragon Heavens Rod heavily against the ground. A powerful aura shot toward the heavens, and an immense Staff Martial Intent rose from within him. It was not multiple Martial Intents, but a singular, pure Staff Martial Intent.

But this Staff Martial Intent, centered on him, had been enhanced several-fold, becoming enormous. Within the phantom image, a fusion of various Martial Intents swirled, manifesting as several colors, each corresponding to a different Martial Intent.

A phantom of Lin Xuan himself materialized in the air. Just like Lin Xuan, it brandished a long staff and pointed it at the Young Martial God. The phantom’s colossal staff radiated a formidable, magnificent aura.

This was the fusion of Martial Intents, his ultimate technique. He hadn’t wanted to reveal it, mainly because he sensed the Young Martial God’s Martial Intent was overwhelmingly strong, and he wasn’t sure he could win. But things had come to this, so he had no choice but to bet everything on this one move.

"Somewhat interesting. But regrettably..."

The Young Martial God summoned his own Martial Intent. A phantom wielding a massive saber emerged from his body. It was slightly smaller than Lin Xuan’s, but its aura was not the least bit inferior.

"Cane Shatters the Heavens!"

Lin Xuan swung the Chi Dragon Heavens Rod upwards. His phantom Martial Intent mirrored the action, smashing its own colossal staff upwards. The originally transparent staff now blazed with a red glow as it hurtled toward the Young Martial God. The magnificent weapon whipped up powerful gales, and the force of the blow looked as if it could truly shatter the heavens!

"Slash!"

The Young Martial God swung his Yanyue Saber, and his Martial Intent phantom slashed out horizontally in unison. A massive blade of light was flung out, and the two tyrannical auras collided.

An unbelievable scene unfolded. The blade of light from the Young Martial God’s slash split everything in its path in two, including the blow from Lin Xuan’s Staff Martial Intent. The staff attack was effortlessly cut in half before dissipating into thin air. The blade of light then continued on to horizontally slash Lin Xuan’s Staff Martial Intent, cutting it into two pieces as easily as slicing a radish.

"BANG!"

Lin Xuan’s summoned Martial Intent shattered, dissolving into a fierce gust that whipped all around him and sent his hair flying. But he didn’t even blink. He simply stared, stunned, at the inviolable Martial God in the sky. His fused Soul Martial Intent had not caused the slightest bit of damage to the Young Martial God’s Martial Intent. Not even a shred.

This was his ultimate power, yet it had inflicted no damage. He had long anticipated a gap between their respective Martial Intents, but he never imagined it would be this vast.

’I... lost?’

The souls within Lin Xuan’s body dispersed. He gripped the Chi Dragon Heavens Rod, his hand trembling so hard that veins bulged on its surface. For the first time ever, he had been so thoroughly defeated.

It was not the first time he had been beaten black and blue, but it was the first time he had lost so completely. What made it so demoralizing was that they had seemed relatively close in power, yet he had still lost. He hadn’t even landed a scratch. It was a complete rout.

Even the Soul Pearl had been useless, having no effect whatsoever.

"Yes, you lost!" The Young Martial God retracted his Martial Intent, his expression calm. "You didn’t lose to me; you lost to your own power! You are strong, even stronger than me. That last move could have easily defeated me. Your Martial Intent is powerful, but not powerful enough. That is to say, it has presence but no force; it isn’t tyrannical enough! It needs an edge, a power sharp enough to cut down the world. That is the true power of will!"

"To put it plainly, your Martial Intent lacks destructive power. It is resolute, but it lacks a cutting edge!"

The Young Martial God pointed out Lin Xuan’s shortcomings. Though he was a Martial God in his ’young’ form, his essence was still that of a Martial God! He was more qualified than anyone to give Lin Xuan pointers.

He possessed an aura that was second to none, but it lacked any offensive quality. Some people could make an opponent collapse to the ground with a mere glance, using no Elemental Power at all. That is an offensive aura!

Lin Xuan looked up at the Young Martial God, then down at the Chi Dragon Heavens Rod in his hand. It was covered in a dense web of scars. He recalled that final scene—an aura that would not yield even if it meant fighting to the very end, an aura that was all sharp edges, one that could shatter anything!

’One can bleed, but one’s will must not falter!’

In a flash, Lin Xuan seemed to understand many things. He immediately cupped his fist toward the Young Martial God and said gratefully, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior. This junior understands now!"

He immediately sat down cross-legged to recover. At the same time, he sank into a state of deep immersion and began to cultivate.

"This is the Unity of Heaven and Man... This child’s Comprehension is incredible. He is truly a dragon among men!" The Young Martial God hopped to the side and sat on a railing, leaning against the wall with his Yanyue Saber in his arms. A faint smile touched his lips. "It would be my honor if he were the one to inherit my legacy. His future achievements... they might even surpass my own..."