Soul Emperor Awakening

A fierce wind howled across the mountain peak, rustling the trees. Lin Xuan and Qing Yiyi stood atop the summit, looking at each other.

Qing Yiyi had seen Lin Xuan many times, and Lin Xuan had seen her several times as well, but they had never spoken. After all, Qing Yiyi’s current status was a dangerous one. Heaven only knew when Qing Yunfeng might decide to eliminate her to prevent future trouble.

"You’ll be participating in the Core Hall competition this time, won’t you, Miss Yi Yi?" Lin Xuan asked.

"Yes, I will..." A cold glint flashed in Qing Yiyi’s beautiful eyes. "I want to defeat Tong Yulong!"

"About this matter of revenge..." Lin Xuan asked, "Do you have a plan, Miss Yi Yi?"

"What plan could I have? I have no plan at all." Qing Yiyi’s gaze turned cold as she said, "All I can do is endure and hope to find an opportunity. But right now, I don’t see any chance, not unless my cultivation surpasses his! That’s impossible for now. Only by defeating Tong Yulong can I get a better chance at success!"

"Can you defeat Tong Yulong?" Lin Xuan had never met Tong Yulong, but with so many rumors about him, and him being the leader of the Genius Sect, it was impossible for his cultivation to be weak.

Qing Yiyi’s cultivation wasn’t bad either; she was already at the Fifth Layer of the Essence Pill Stage, which was considered quite formidable. This was related to her talent and constant hard work. Fueled by hatred, she was more motivated, but her heart was also more easily twisted, and she trusted no one.

The most important thing for Qing Yiyi was to first become a candidate Elder, or even an Elder. Then her chances of revenge would be much greater. As for launching a sneak attack on Qing Yunfeng, that man was so insidious and cunning, how could he not have his guard up? Unless she could find someone stronger than Qing Yunfeng, or become stronger than him herself, it would be impossible to kill him.

"I can’t beat him, but I have to try!" Qing Yiyi had not chosen to give up; she could only give it her all.

"Miss Yi Yi, aren’t you going to tell your Master?" Lin Xuan asked.

Qing Yiyi shook her head and said, "I can’t tell him. If I do, the Fifth Elder will surely go fight Qing Yunfeng to the death. Besides, there’s no solid evidence, and if this gets out, it will damage the reputation of Qingcheng Mansion."

Disciples from the same sect killing each other—it would be a terrible scandal if word got out, especially for a Major Sect. The key was the lack of evidence. Without evidence, who could prove that Qing Yunfeng had killed Qing Liuyun?

It wasn’t just Qing Yiyi; even if Lin Xuan knew how Qing Yunfeng had killed Qing Liuyun, he couldn’t step forward as a witness. This wasn’t like dealing with an outsider whom one could simply kill. Qing Yunfeng’s reputation in Qingcheng Mansion was at its zenith, and he was the certain successor to the Mansion Master. Therefore, the claim that he murdered Qing Liuyun was simply not credible, nor would anyone believe it.

Lin Xuan sighed and said, "Miss Yi Yi, this must be so hard on you... But as for Tong Yulong, I will help you defeat him!"

"I hope so. Tong Yulong is far stronger than you imagine..." Qing Yiyi gave a faint, bitter smile. One could only imagine what it felt like to have her father’s murderer right in front of her, yet be able to do nothing but watch.

Without much more conversation, it was time for them to part. Qing Yiyi usually lived in this small cabin as a way of remembering her father.

’I should get back to my cultivation. There isn’t much time left,’ Lin Xuan thought. He wanted to go train, which meant heading to the Pressure Cyan Cloud Tower. The Core Hall duels were only about a month away, time that would pass in the blink of an eye. Most of the Core Disciples who had been away had already returned.

He had to consolidate his cultivation further. Breaking through to the next level would be difficult, and his Second Layer Essence Pill Stage was considered relatively low among the Core Disciples. But his foundation was more solid, his power greater. He could still instantly kill those at the third or fourth layer of the Essence Pill Stage without breaking a sweat.

Soon, he arrived before the Pressure Cyan Cloud Tower. As he approached, the people standing outside looked at him with strange expressions, seemingly surprised that Lin Xuan would come here.

"Lin Yunlong, Tong Yulong is inside. You’d better be careful!" a disciple from the Inner Hall Sect ran over and whispered to him.

"Oh, Tong Yulong." A glint flashed in Lin Xuan’s eyes. ’So I finally get to meet this legendary super genius, huh?’

Far from being afraid, he quickened his pace and walked inside. Just as he stepped in, he saw Tong Yulong cultivating at the bottom of the tower, in a spot with 430,000 jin of pressure!

He knew at a glance that this was Tong Yulong. His features bore some resemblance to Qing Yunfeng; beneath a handsome face, there was a hint of feminine allure, but he was undoubtedly a man.

The man had an incomparably domineering Golden Element Body. Just by sitting there in meditation, one could feel the surrounding Golden Elemental Power continuously pouring into his body, raising his cultivation.

This was the advantage of an Innate Golden Element Body; in fact, anyone with a special physique could achieve a similar effect. The corresponding Attribute Elemental Power would flow in ceaselessly without any need for active absorption. With such an ability, it would be difficult *not* to have a fast cultivation speed. If someone had Ninth-class Talent combined with a special physique, their cultivation speed would be absolutely Heaven-Defying.

Reaching the Core Formation Stage would be the easy part; breaking through to realms beyond it wouldn’t be a problem at all. Of course, the same was true for someone with Eighth-class Talent. The younger you were when you broke through to a high cultivation level, the more likely you were to reach the next stage. It was a complete race against time.

’So this is Tong Yulong. Domineering indeed!’

Tong Yulong was meditating with his eyes closed under 430,000 jin of pressure. His face was expressionless, but a faint golden light emanated from him, invisibly neutralizing the crushing gravity. What was even more terrifying was his cultivation—he had already broken through to the Sixth Layer of the Essence Pill Stage!

Was this cultivation level very high? Not exceptionally so, but it was by no means low. Especially given his excellent foundation, it was likely that even cultivators at the Seventh or Eighth Layer of the Essence Pill Stage would have a hard time gaining any advantage over him.

Most importantly, he was incredibly young—only a few years older than Lin Xuan, just into his early twenties.

As he was sizing up Tong Yulong, the latter’s eyes suddenly snapped open. A golden glint shot from his position at the base of the tower, locking directly onto Lin Xuan’s gaze.

’What powerful Spiritual Power!’ Lin Xuan felt his body tremble slightly as their gazes met, finding himself slightly affected by the sheer intensity of the look.

Seeing is believing. He had finally witnessed Tong Yulong’s domineering aura for himself; this was truly a super-strong opponent. A real fight would involve all sorts of abilities, with too many factors determining the outcome, but from this first impression alone, he felt the pressure on him multiply.

This world was truly full of geniuses, especially in a place like the Core Hall where the most stunningly talented individuals were gathered. The opportunities they received were no worse than Lin Xuan’s own.

Tong Yulong gave a contemptuous, provocative smile, then closed his eyes again, seemingly waiting for something.

Everyone else saw this and knew that Tong Yulong was provoking Lin Xuan. He wanted to see if Lin Xuan could charge into the area where he sat—the zone with 430,000 jin of gravitational force.

’Interesting. Fine, then. I’d like to see how my Physique compares to yours!’ Lin Xuan’s heart filled with fighting spirit. The Core Hall duels hadn’t even started, but a skirmish was already beginning right here.