Soul Emperor Awakening

"Does it hurt?" Outside the city, Lin Xuan gently stroked the mark from the slap on Lin Xue’s face. It had been a heavy blow, a testament to just how furious Qing Piaoxue must have been.

He had no intention of starting trouble with Qing Piaoxue this time. Her intervention had been for the best, and he wholeheartedly agreed with her actions. Even though she had slapped Lin Xue, he wasn’t going to try and settle the score. It wasn’t about taking a loss; it was about protecting her.

The main issue was that Lin Xue had been too rash. If they had just talked things over, Qing Piaoxue might have even gone with her to search the Demon Cloud Sea, treating it as a training excursion.

Of course, Lin Xue had been frantic with worry, so it was understandable that she would make such a decision.

"Of course it hurts! You want to try getting slapped?" Lin Xue pouted. All traces of her frosty demeanor had vanished, and she looked just like a girl in love.

"Go ahead!" Lin Xuan leaned in, smiling and offering his cheek for Lin Xue to strike.

Lin Xue reached out and tapped him gently. "Hmph! I’m not letting you off that easy!" she huffed. "The Core Disciple competition is about to start. I absolutely won’t hold back then. You’ll have to let me give you a proper beating!"

"Uh..." Lin Xuan’s smile faltered. He quickly changed the subject. "We should hurry back. Master is waiting for me."

"Aren’t we taking a carriage?" Lin Xue asked, noticing that Lin Xuan had led her to a more remote area.

"A carriage is too slow. We’ll fly back on something else." Without another word, Lin Xuan retrieved the Phoenix from his Storage Ring and tossed it out in front of them. The magnificent bird materialized instantly, leaving Lin Xue utterly stunned.

Lin Xuan didn’t mind Lin Xue knowing about the Phoenix. The secret would get out sooner or later anyway. Besides, he trusted her completely; he knew she would never tell a soul.

"Let’s go!" After helping Lin Xue onto the Phoenix’s back, they shot off toward the Core Hall at top speed.

Lin Xue remained silent for the entire journey, asking no questions. She simply leaned tightly against Lin Xuan’s chest, her beautiful eyes filled with delight. She didn’t need to know his secrets. All that mattered was knowing he had the power to protect her; that was more than enough.

They soon arrived at the Core Hall. After guiding Lin Xue through the Illusionary Mist Array, they reached the main entrance. However, just as they were about to pass through, an invisible barrier at the gate blocked them. The guards inside were startled and rushed out.

"Aren’t you Lin Yunlong?" These guards knew Lin Xuan all too well. The memory of him breaking through the Illusionary Mist Array was still fresh in their minds—he had been unbelievably fast.

"Did you lose your Identity Token?" Lin Xue asked.

"I did. In a godforsaken place like the Demon Cloud Sea, I’m lucky I made it out alive. Losing a few things couldn’t be helped," Lin Xuan said with a helpless shrug.

All his belongings were gone, and some of them had still been useful. It was a real shame. The exterior of the Core Hall was layered with arrays. Without an Identity Token, even passing through the Illusionary Mist Array wasn’t enough to get in; you’d still be blocked outside. It was a form of double-layered security. The Identity Token was essentially a key that the arrays could recognize, and without it, entry was impossible.

"Let him in!" one of the guards ordered. He immediately deactivated the gate’s array, allowing Lin Xuan to walk through. At that moment, disciples from within the Core Hall started heading over, drawn by the alarm that sounded whenever someone tried to enter without an Identity Token.

But when they emerged, the sight of Lin Xuan walking in while holding Lin Xue’s hand left them utterly dumbfounded. None of them had expected Lin Xuan to return alive after being missing for half a year.

Lin Xuan had barely stepped inside when someone pointed at him and sneered, "Lin Yunlong, you actually lost your Identity Token! An Identity Token represents the honor of Qingcheng Mansion! You’ve disgraced the Mansion, so how dare you show your face here again?"

Lin Xuan looked toward the voice and saw that the person scolding him was none other than his old acquaintance, Rao Longtian. In the half-year since they’d last met, his Cultivation had increased considerably, advancing from the Second Layer of the Essence Pill Stage to the Fourth Layer of the Essence Pill Stage. Such speed was quite impressive. The higher one’s stage, the harder it was to break through, so he had likely consumed a great number of Elixir Pills and dedicated himself to his Cultivation.

’His aura is a bit shallow and unstable, though,’ Lin Xuan noted. ’Clearly, he relied too heavily on Elixir Pills.’ The aura produced by natural Cultivation felt completely different from one artificially boosted by pills. Anyone sensitive to auras could easily tell the difference.

Rao Longtian’s words were both right and wrong. Under normal circumstances, losing an Identity Token was a matter Qingcheng Mansion would handle with extreme seriousness. But Lin Xuan’s case was special. What kind of place was the Demon Cloud Sea? Even Spirit Pill Stage experts could die there if they were careless, to say nothing of someone with Lin Xuan’s level of Cultivation.

Losing an Identity Token was trivial; the fact that he had returned at all was a miracle. Besides, who would dare make an issue of it? Lin Xuan was Qing Piaoyun’s Direct Disciple, and his star was on the rise. It was just a token. The crucial part was his return from the Demon Cloud Sea. If Rao Longtian was so capable, why didn’t *he* take a stroll through the Demon Cloud Sea?

He wouldn’t just lose his Identity Token; he’d lose his life.

"Why don’t you take a trip to the Demon Cloud Sea and see if you come back with your Identity Token intact?" Lin Xuan sneered. ’This guy is just looking for trouble. His Cultivation rises a little, and he immediately gets arrogant.’

Rao Longtian faltered for a moment before retorting coldly, "What’s the difference? You lost it, which just proves you have no respect for Qingcheng Mansion! And you still have the gall to return!"

"Whether I return is none of your business. You’re spouting all this nonsense because you just want revenge, don’t you? If you want to fight, just say so. Why beat around the bush? It’ll be the same as last time—I’ll finish you in a single move. If I can’t, I’ll leave Qingcheng Mansion forever. But if I can, you will shut your mouth for good!" Lin Xuan sneered. ’This Rao Longtian has no other motive than to cause trouble for me.’

Rao Longtian’s temper flared. He truly couldn’t stand the sight of Lin Xuan, and seeing him return holding Lin Xue’s hand only infuriated him more.

"One move? Such arrogance! Fine, let’s fight! Who’s afraid of who?" Rao Longtian roared. "You’re only good because you can use the Power of Heaven and Earth! Without it, you’re nothing but a piece of shit!"

With a roar, he charged at Lin Xuan, aiming to land a punch and tear him away from Lin Xue.

Lin Xue was about to intervene, but Lin Xuan held her hand back. "Against scum like him, who knows nothing of true tempering," he said with contempt, "I don’t even need to lift a finger."

’Martial Intent!’

An immense Martial Intent surged from Lin Xuan’s body. This wasn’t even the Martial Intent he used with his staff. The moment it manifested, it shot forth from him, transforming into a terrifying cannonball that blasted toward his opponent.

Faced with this immense pressure, Rao Longtian had no time to react. The Martial Intent slammed into him like a heavy fist. Rao Longtian’s own punch connected at the same instant, but upon contact, he felt as if he had struck an impossibly hard boulder. A powerful recoil force shot back from the impact, surging into his body.

BOOM! Rao Longtian was sent flying like a meteor, crashing into a thick nearby wall. The force was so immense that it blasted a deep crater into the stone, burying him completely under a pile of rubble as a cloud of dust billowed into the air.

A single question echoed in the minds of the onlookers: ’What the hell kind of freakish technique was that?!’