Soul Emperor Awakening

The top three consisted of two disciples from the Genius Sect and one from the Inner Hall Sect, giving the Genius Sect a clear advantage. If they drew lots to fight, Lin Xuan would be at a disadvantage no matter what. At best, it would be a draw.

If Lin Xuan had to fight the other Genius Sect disciple first, what chance would he have against Tong Yulong afterward? With his Elemental Power severely depleted, he would be in no condition to fight.

Qingcheng Mansion was certainly unwilling to let such an unfair situation play out. With so many people watching from the stands, any perceived injustice would tarnish the Mansion’s reputation.

As for what to do, they would surely have to add another trial. The many Elders were currently discussing what it would entail. This was a completely impromptu decision, so they needed to come up with a different kind of challenge.

After a round of discussion, a decision was finally reached. Mansion Master Qing Deyun had contributed several suggestions himself. He then announced, "With three contestants remaining, we must add one more trial. We have decided that this trial will be a test of strength!"

A test of strength!

Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes. He was extremely confident in his physical strength, so this was nothing to him. This tiebreaker round was practically a free pass. Adding a strength test wouldn’t consume much of their Elemental Power—it was just a couple of strikes, typically two.

"Compared to other Sects, our Qingcheng Mansion places a relatively high value on strength. Therefore, we’ve decided to hold a test of strength. The two with the highest scores will advance!" Qing Deyun explained.

No combat was required; they could advance based purely on a contest of strength. This meant skills and techniques would be cast aside. It was clearly a disadvantage for those who focused on technique, but with only three contestants, it wasn’t a major issue.

"This is practically a gift to us! Lin Xuan was able to withstand 700,000 jin of force in the Cyan Cloud Tower!"

"Yeah, it’s a total freebie. He’ll advance with no problem."

"How could the Elders propose such a test? It’s unfair!"

...

The Inner Hall Sect burst into cheers. Lin Xuan’s ability to withstand 700,000 jin of force had been astonishing, shocking the entire Core Hall. Now that the Elders were testing strength, he had a massive advantage.

The amount of force one could withstand didn’t directly translate to one’s explosive power, but it was certainly related. After all, physical strength was just one component; Elemental Power and Spiritual Power could also provide significant boosts.

Take Lin Xuan’s Martial Intent, for example. The power it unleashed far surpassed what his physical body alone could produce. That didn’t mean physical strength was useless, however. It offered a huge advantage in battle, especially when reserves like Elemental Power were running low. That’s when pure strength truly revealed its worth.

Of course, the Elders knew this. In fact, it wasn’t just the Elders; most of the spectators knew it as well. One could only say Lin Xuan was simply too Heaven-Defying, having even surpassed Tong Yulong in that regard. Wasn’t holding a strength test now a bit unfair?

All eyes turned to Tong Yulong, only to see his calm expression; he didn’t seem to have any objections. If the contestant himself had nothing to say, then they certainly had no grounds to complain.

The three of them then walked up to the Power Stele. For this test, they couldn’t augment their attacks with Elemental Power or other abilities. It had to be a strike using pure physical strength, displaying one’s raw explosive power.

"Now, draw lots to see who goes first," Qing Deyun announced. Before he could toss the bamboo slips, Tong Yulong stepped forward.

"I’ll go first in this trial!" Tong Yulong declared, stepping forward with an arrogant look. He didn’t care about the order of turns.

In truth, the order was quite important in a competition like this. Those who went later would know the score to beat, making it easier for them to surpass it. Unless, of course, one had absolute confidence in their own abilities.

"Very well, Tong Yulong will go first. You have two attempts, and we will record your strongest strike." Qing Deyun put the bamboo slips away, which saved him some trouble.

Tong Yulong walked up to the Power Stele and took a deep breath. A faint golden light enveloped his body, and he immediately swung his fist, striking the stone with immense force.

THUD!

With the heavy thud, numbers began to flash across the surface of the Testing Stele, finally settling on a figure as high as 610,000!

THUD!

He followed up with another punch. Before anyone could even react, the number skyrocketed to 760,000 jin!

A full 760,000 jin! The number stunned the entire crowd. Wasn’t that leap in power a little too astonishing? Previously in the Cyan Cloud Tower, the force he could withstand was only around 600,000 jin, and that was with the help of his Elemental Power.

Now, relying on his physical body alone, he could unleash such formidable strength. It was far beyond their imagination! While the force one could withstand isn’t the same as one’s explosive power, it was usually quite close to the physical body’s maximum output.

This proved that in just over a month, Tong Yulong had managed to raise his body’s strength from the 400,000-500,000 jin range to over 700,000! The scale of this improvement was simply terrifying.

Tong Yulong was very pleased with his own strength. He turned and shot Lin Xuan a provocative glance, as if challenging him to match that number.

’760,000 jin, huh... That’s truly terrifying power. He’s improving much faster than I am...’ Lin Xuan shook his head. He admitted defeat—at least in terms of improvement speed. The Golden Element Body was truly in a class of its own, a natural-born powerhouse.

He could generate that kind of output without relying on any Elemental Power, unlike in the Cyan Cloud Tower where he needed to use his Elemental Power as Armor just to endure. It was clear that over the past month, something had spurred him into a frenzy of Cultivation, allowing him to achieve such a powerful result.

"760,000 jin! Our leader is on another level! He can reach such a terrifying level without even using any Elemental Power!"

"That completely crushes Lin Xuan’s previous record! And he had to rely on his Elemental Power just to achieve that."

"When our leader gets even a little bit serious, he’s completely unrivaled!"

...

The disciples of the Genius Sect were pumped up as if they were on steroids, every one of them ecstatic. This time, they could finally hold their heads high, feeling they had completely crushed Lin Xuan in terms of strength.

When Lin Xuan went all out, he could at most withstand a little over 700,000 jin. But now, Tong Yulong had reached that level with a simple strike, without needing any special burst of power. As far as they were concerned, Lin Xuan’s defeat was certain!

Although three people were participating in this trial, one was guaranteed to come in last. That person wouldn’t be Lin Xuan, but the other disciple from the Genius Sect, whose strength was inferior to both Lin Xuan’s and Tong Yulong’s. But this competition wasn’t about who came in last—it was about who would be number one!