Soul Emperor Awakening

Tong Yulong’s result stood above all others—a staggering 760,000 jin, pushing the atmosphere to a fever pitch. The crowd stared at the unbelievable figure. Many of those present would be unable to unleash such immense strength. Even a cultivator at the lower end of the Spirit Pill Stage would struggle to produce that much power using only their physical body.

This was the sheer dominance of the Golden Element Body. Under the constant tempering of Golden Elemental Power, the strength contained within the body was easily enhanced. In addition to increasing raw strength, the physical body itself was also significantly fortified. It was said that at the pinnacle of its cultivation, the body alone could achieve the durability of a Spiritual Artifact.

That meant even an attack from a Spiritual Artifact would cause no harm. This was its advantage. Others could cultivate their bodies to the same degree, but it would take them a very long time to reach such a stage.

Such a powerful result put immense pressure on the next challenger. All eyes fell upon Lin Yunlong, waiting to see if he could surpass Tong Yulong. Even if he couldn’t, it wouldn’t be a total disaster. It would just be a loss in this one area, not an overall defeat.

But with so many people watching, just passing wasn’t enough. He had to be outstanding.

"I’ll go next."

Lin Yunlong stepped forward and walked up to the Testing Stele. He could feel everyone’s eyes fixed on his back. It was, admittedly, a lot of pressure. Someone with weaker mental fortitude might have faltered just from being stared at so intensely.

The disciples of the Inner Hall Sect all clenched their fists. They wanted to shout their support but held back. They desperately hoped Lin Yunlong could defeat Tong Yulong. Otherwise, the Genius Sect would forever hold this over their heads, putting them in an embarrassing position.

Lin Yunlong took a deep breath, drew back his fist, and smashed it down hard. BAM! A number appeared on the Testing Stele, flickering wildly before finally settling at 620,000 jin.

The members of the Inner Hall Sect were stunned. A force of 620,000 jin was incredibly strong—far beyond what they could achieve—but it was a full 140,000 jin less than Tong Yulong’s score! ’Is the gap too wide? Can he possibly make up for it with his second punch?’

To surpass Tong Yulong, his second punch would need to be over 140,000 jin stronger than his first. Tong Yulong, relying on his Golden Element Body, could at most increase his output by 50,000 jin. Lin Yunlong was now faced with the challenge of increasing his by 140,000 jin.

’He lost?’

Everyone was stunned. Those who had been optimistic about Lin Yunlong were now dumbfounded, utterly speechless.

They had hoped to see Lin Yunlong work a miracle and were now disappointed. But their hope wasn’t completely extinguished; this was only a loss in terms of raw strength. He had yet to display his other techniques.

But a loss was a loss. Losing in strength proved that if they were to compete in the Cyan Cloud Tower again, Tong Yulong would utterly crush Lin Yunlong. This was Tong Yulong’s way of evening the score. Face was incredibly important to these people—in truth, it was important to everyone, but especially to these so-called geniuses.

"Haha, only 620,000 jin? That’s way worse than our leader! Hey, Inner Hall Sect, you see that? In the end, our leader is still the strongest!"

"A difference of 140,000 jin! You think you can make up a gap like that? When our leader gets serious, he’s more formidable than anyone!"

"So what if you won at the Cyan Cloud Tower? You’ve still lost now!"

...

The Genius Sect was exultant. None of them could have managed 620,000 jin, but they acted as if Tong Yulong’s 760,000 jin was their own achievement, and they were thrilled.

The faces of the Inner Hall Sect members were flushed red with frustration. They could only endure the taunts. A difference of 140,000 jin... it would be nearly impossible to make that up with a second punch. They had hoped to put the Genius Sect in their place, but in the end, the tables had been turned on them.

’So, 620,000 jin... Is this the current limit of my body? As expected, the Golden Element Body is truly dominant. The gap between us is still quite large. But if you think I’m going to lose... not a chance!’

A red glint flashed in Lin Yunlong’s eyes as he began to circulate the Cloud Return Technique. The power in his bloodline started to boil. As his blood circulation accelerated, veins bulged on his arm, and his entire aura changed. However, few people noticed this transformation; they simply assumed it was impossible for Lin Yunlong to surpass the record with his second punch.

The next moment, Lin Yunlong swung his fist, smashing it viciously into the Testing Stele. As the heavy blow landed, a red light flashed around his knuckles.

DONG!!

A colossal sound reverberated from the Testing Stele. With a loud rumble, fine cracks spiderwebbed across the monolith’s surface. At the same time, the number on the stele began to flicker wildly, skyrocketing upward!

The number that finally materialized before the crowd was no longer 620,000 jin, but 790,000 jin. An increase of 170,000 jin in a single blow, shocking the entire audience!

By coordinating with the power of his bloodline, he had unleashed his body’s strength to its absolute limit, adding 170,000 jin in one go. It was sheer, brutal force. This was the power of a bloodline—a power filled with the will to fight.

The cheers of the Genius Sect disciples died in their throats, their smiles freezing on their faces. They stared, stunned, at the unbelievable number on the stele. ’His second punch was 170,000 jin stronger? How is that possible?!’

’Could it be that he was holding back on the first punch? That it was just a warm-up, and the second was his real attack?’

This terrifying number even shocked Tong Yulong, who was standing nearby. Not only had Lin Yunlong surpassed him again, but he had exceeded his score by 30,000 jin! Normally, the higher the force, the harder it is to increase it further. Lin Yunlong’s explosive power left him completely dumbfounded.

He had been so confident in his ability to beat Lin Yunlong, yet who could have guessed that Lin Yunlong would turn the tables and win the round?

A moment later, the Inner Hall Sect erupted in cheers. The sound came in waves, each louder than the last, as they wildly vented their pent-up frustration. It was an incredibly cathartic release.

"How is that possible?! Mansion Master, Lin Yunlong is definitely cheating! He must have used his Elemental Power, otherwise how could his score be so high!"

"That’s right, Mansion Master! He’s cheating! Please disqualify him!"

"To be 170,000 jin stronger than the first punch... that’s impossible! It’s definitely cheating! Please remove Lin Yunlong from the competition!"

...

The Genius Sect began to voice their doubts. They refused to believe Lin Yunlong could generate so much more force on his own. They were convinced he must have secretly infused his punch with Elemental Power.

"Quiet!" Qing Deyun’s deep voice boomed, drowning out all other sound. Once the entire venue fell silent, he spoke slowly, "Lin Yunlong did not violate any rules. He did not use any Elemental Power. He completed the test relying solely on the strength of his physical body. I did not sense the release of any Elemental Power whatsoever!"

As soon as Qing Deyun spoke, no one dared to question him further. Qing Deyun was the referee, and he had been standing extremely close. If even he couldn’t sense it, then it meant no Elemental Power was used. ’But without using Elemental Power, how could there be such a massive increase?’

Of course, he didn’t need Elemental Power for such a large increase, because this was the power of his bloodline, not the power of the elements!

And with that, he had easily won another round.