Soul Emperor Awakening

Just when everyone thought both of them were reaching their limits, Lin Xuan seemed to transform into a Phoenix, rocketing forward at extreme speed and easily leaving Tong Yulong far behind.

Tong Yulong’s eyes widened, and he bit his lip so hard that it started to bleed as a bitter sense of indignation surged within him. But no matter how unwilling he was to accept it, his body was gradually approaching its limit, forcibly dragging down his speed. When he tried to push faster, cracks had already begun to appear on his Golden Armor.

Still, he gritted his teeth and gave chase. ’I can’t lose. I don’t want to lose.’ The most tyrannical aspect of the Golden Element Body was its physique, yet here, he—the one with the supposed physical advantage—could hardly demonstrate it. The thought filled him with indignation.

’Doesn’t this prove that my Golden Element Body is inferior to Lin Xuan’s mere mortal flesh?’

Of course, the reality wasn’t that the Golden Element Body was inferior to Lin Xuan’s perfect Golden Dragon Body. Rather, it was that Lin Xuan had spent a full half-year in the Martial God Tower. The gravity he had endured in those six months was far beyond anything Tong Yulong could imagine.

All his effort had not been in vain; when applied correctly, it paid off, allowing him to effortlessly crush Tong Yulong’s Golden Element Body! Besides, Tong Yulong’s was an acquired physique, not a true Golden Element Body.

Lin Xuan’s body was forged through genuine, painstaking Cultivation. He may not have been born with extraordinary talent, but he possessed endless diligence!

"Tell me this isn’t real! Lin Yunlong has surpassed Tong Yulong—surpassed the man with the Golden Element Body!"

"They’re at seventy thousand meters and still running... This Lin Yunlong is terrifying! He’s completely crushing Tong Yulong!"

"Did you see that?! You all said Lin Yunlong could never surpass Tong Yulong. How about now?!"

...

The members of the Inner Hall Sect roared triumphantly toward the Genius Sect, unleashing years of pent-up resentment, anger, and frustration.

The Genius Sect was speechless. Their leader had lost, and lost utterly. As Lin Xuan pulled further and further away, they could see that the Golden Armor on Tong Yulong’s body was already starting to shatter. If it broke completely, the crushing gravity would be enough to seal his defeat.

Sure enough, as Tong Yulong reached the sixty-seven-thousand-meter mark, his Golden Armor exploded with a loud BANG. It scattered in all directions, dissolving into motes of golden light. Deprived of his Golden Armor, Tong Yulong was forced to one knee, a crushing force of 670,000 jin bearing down on him.

A golden light flickered around Tong Yulong’s body, just enough to keep him from collapsing completely, but not enough to allow him to continue running. He had already reached his limit. Meanwhile, Lin Xuan had reached the seventy-thousand-meter mark—a full seventy thousand meters, equivalent to a force of 700,000 jin!

To withstand a force of 700,000 jin with only a Second Layer Essence Pill Stage Cultivation—his physique was simply monstrous. No one knew how Lin Xuan had trained it.

The key point was that Lin Xuan was still charging forward. He was no longer competing with Tong Yulong, but with himself.

’Does he have no limits?’

Of course, Lin Xuan had his limits. But for now, he could still endure, so he continued to run. His entire body was flushed crimson under the terrifying gravity, and the Golden Dragon Scales on his skin had also begun to crack—all signs that he was about to reach his limit.

’Am I finally about to reach my limit...’

Lin Xuan’s pace gradually slowed. It was difficult for him to go any faster, now that he was withstanding a pressure of over 700,000 jin—a level that was quite close to his limit. But he still pushed onward, widening the gap between himself and Tong Yulong, a sight that left the onlookers dumbfounded.

Seventy-one thousand meters... seventy-two thousand meters... seventy-three thousand meters...

He moved forward at a pace that was neither fast nor slow, finally coming to a stop at just over seventy-four thousand meters. He was drenched in sweat, and the Golden Dragon Scales on his body flickered, on the verge of shattering. He knew this was his limit; he couldn’t run any further.

To continue would only injure his body, and there was no need to be so reckless. Reaching his current Peak was enough; that in itself was a form of surpassing his limits. Unless Tong Yulong caught up, there was no need for him to push harder.

He had completely crushed Tong Yulong, with a gap of more than seven thousand meters between them! Looking back, he saw Tong Yulong several flights of stairs below, recovering. Even if he recovered fully, he wouldn’t be able to catch up.

’I’ll end it here. 740,000 jin, huh? That really is quite the limit... I wonder if the Seventh Layer of the Martial God Tower will reach this number.’ Lin Xuan didn’t turn back. Instead, he sat down on the spot and began his Cultivation.

Tong Yulong glared at Lin Xuan, his eyes filled with resentment. He felt incredibly bitter, but he truly could not run anymore. Just withstanding the pressure made it difficult for him to even move.

’I can’t believe I lost here. Am I really inferior to him in this regard?!’ Tong Yulong roared inwardly. But he hadn’t truly admitted defeat. This was merely a lack of physical endurance, not a lack of comprehensive strength.

To put it bluntly, it was rare for even experts at the Spirit Pill Stage to withstand such immense pressure, yet they could easily kill the likes of Lin Xuan in an instant. This wasn’t a matter of physique, but of the intensity of one’s Elemental Power. The damage unleashed by an eruption of Elemental Power was beyond what could be explained by mere physical force. If one had to quantify it, however, it would be equivalent to a force of several million jin without any issue.

Against such power, their bodies would be crushed instantly! But if Lin Xuan’s Physique reached the point where it could withstand millions of jin, he could truly take a hit without suffering any damage.

"Over seventy-four thousand meters! His limit is over seventy-four thousand meters... Quick, spread the word!"

"Lin Yunlong has easily surpassed Tong Yulong in the Cyan Cloud Tower! Get the news out!"

...

The members of the Inner Hall cheered. They didn’t even need to spread the news; the Guards had already reflected Lin Xuan’s record on the Stone Stele. Soon, on a Stone Stele in the main plaza, the first-place name—Tong Yulong—was replaced by "Lin Yunlong."

Thanks to Lin Xuan’s exploits, this alias had become famous throughout the entire Soaring Dragon Empire. However, what he was called was no longer important. A name is just a label; the man himself is what truly matters!

Never mind "Lin Xuan," the name "Lin Yunlong" was itself incredibly common, shared by countless others.

Those who were walking through the plaza saw the light flashing on the Stone Stele and stared intently at it. First place was Lin Yunlong! He had pushed Tong Yulong down a rank, a development that left them completely stunned.

At that moment, a petite figure saw the name at the top and cried out in delight, "Brother’s back! My brother is back!" She turned and grabbed a passerby, asking, "How do I get to the Cyan Cloud Tower?!"

The disciple who was grabbed stared blankly at the young woman before him, then pointed toward another path and said, "It’s, it’s over there. D-do you want me to show you the way?"

The words had barely left his mouth when the young woman shot off like a gust of wind toward the Cyan Cloud Tower, leaving a sweet fragrance in her wake that captivated the surrounding disciples.

"If only she could be my partner..."

"Don’t be a fool. She’s a newcomer with Eighth-class Talent. Your partner? Are you even worthy?"

...

Everyone sighed. Were powerful experts just popping up more and more frequently these days? Were they being left in the dust?