Soul Emperor Awakening

Seven hundred and ninety thousand jin. The number stunned the entire audience. Qing Deyun’s personal verification left them with nothing to say in rebuttal, nor did they dare to question it. To question Lin Xuan would be the same as accusing Qing Deyun of protecting him.

Questioning the Mansion Master was simply courting death. This silenced the disciples of the Genius Sect, leaving them unable to utter a single word. In contrast, the Inner Hall Sect erupted in cheers. They had won this round!

"Seven hundred and ninety thousand jin..."

Lin Xuan retracted his fist and shook his head. ’I only surpassed him by a small margin, and that was after activating my bloodline’s power. Tong Yulong is truly formidable. If I hadn’t activated my bloodline, I really would have failed to surpass him. In a sense, I’ve already lost.

’If I hadn’t found the Cloud Return Technique, I would’ve been doomed. I would’ve been utterly crushed, both back in the Cyan Cloud Tower and here today.

’But since it’s the power of my bloodline, it counts as my own power. It isn’t against the rules. It’s just like Tong Yulong’s Golden Element Body. Let’s see him try fighting without *that*. His power would be absolute shit!’

Qing Piaoyun’s face was flushed with joy. Of course he was happy that his disciple had defeated Tong Yulong. The master of Cyan Cloud Peak, however, was not so pleased. How could he be happy when someone else had stolen his son’s thunder?

"Brother, you’re the strongest!" Liu Yue’Er shouted excitedly, waving frantically at Lin Xuan. She had been on the edge of her seat the entire time, practically wishing she could go up and fight herself.

Lin Xuan glanced at her, feeling a sense of resignation. ’It’s a good thing Yue’Er isn’t competing,’ he thought. ’If she were, neither of us could possibly match her in the strength test. Her power is the most dominant of all; she’s a Golden Dragon, after all. Her strength is on a completely different level.’

The remaining disciple from the Genius Sect was defeated without a doubt. He couldn’t compare to the other two at all. His punch only landed with two or three hundred thousand jin of force, meaning the combined force of two of his punches wouldn’t even equal one of theirs.

The two of them advanced smoothly, becoming opponents in the final showdown. The winner would become the prospective Grand Elder, and the loser would become the Second Elder. Both were Elder positions, but the Grand Elder’s prestige was the greatest!

At last, the two stood on the Martial Arts Arena, truly face to face. The real fight was about to begin. Who would emerge victorious would depend on the final outcome. Judging from their previous performances, it was impossible to tell. Who knew what other trump cards they were hiding?

Tong Yulong had displayed heaven-defying, tyrannical power, and Lin Xuan had proven to be no less impressive. Moreover, Lin Xuan’s Body Technique was cultivated to the extreme. This battle was destined to be a clash of titans. At the same time, the difference in their Cultivation was immense.

One was at the Second Layer of the Essence Pill Stage, the other at the Sixth Layer of the Essence Pill Stage—a full four-layer difference. Against anyone else, Lin Xuan would have been thrown off the stage long ago. With such a massive gap, it should have been a complete stomp.

But he had created a miracle, fighting and winning against higher-level opponents all the way here, leaving everyone dumbfounded. No one dared to underestimate him now. His foundation was just too strong—unbelievably so!

However, this was limited to Cultivation within the Spirit Pill Stage. Above the Spirit Pill Stage, it was much harder to fight against higher-level opponents. In fact, seeing someone overcome a gap of several layers was almost unheard of. Generally, with a difference of two or three layers, it wasn’t just a loss, but a complete annihilation. Above the Spirit Pill Stage Level, each step was like ascending to a new heaven, which showed just how difficult breakthroughs were.

But nothing was absolute. Human potential was limitless, and with a heaven-defying foundation, this was certainly no problem. Take a Divine Beast, for example. To be blunt, Liu Yue’Er could easily fight against higher-level opponents, even those in the Spirit Pill Stage. Overcoming a two or three-layer gap would be a piece of cake for her.

Things like special physiques, when activated, were like consuming a Frenzy Elixir, temporarily boosting one’s Cultivation. Of course they allowed for fighting those at higher levels.

"We finally meet," Tong Yulong snorted. "Your previous performance wasn’t half bad, but if that’s all you’ve got, I can only say that you’re destined to lose!"

"That’s what you said back in the Cyan Cloud Tower," Lin Xuan replied. ’It’s impossible not to feel the pressure,’ he thought. ’Tong Yulong has shown so little of his true power; he must have plenty of trump cards left. I have to be careful, especially with such a huge gap in our Cultivation.’

"Is that so? Well, this time, it will become a reality." Tong Yulong drew a long golden spear. A golden serpent was carved into the shaft, coiling around its length. The golden spearhead was also engraved with dense patterns, resembling the sharp fangs of the serpent. Amidst the gold was a hint of dark green, and it shimmered not just with a golden light, but also with the eerie green of poison.

The moment the spear appeared, before its tip even touched the ground, a casual thrust from him blasted a deep hole in the arena floor! Just the radiating shockwave of qi was enough to shatter the hard ground.

"A Divine Artifact!"

Lin Xuan’s pupils constricted. He could see an incredibly powerful serpent soul literally coiled around the spear’s shaft. It wasn’t just a small wisp like in a Spiritual Artifact, but a complete snake. It was a Golden-Scaled Snake, an extremely tough serpent that possessed the bloodline of the Golden Dragon Race.

Although it was only a Low Grade Divine Artifact, it was a whole level higher than the Chi Dragon Heavens Rod in Lin Xuan’s hands. The main difference was the addition of a soul, which changed everything.

Lin Xuan took out his own Chi Dragon Heavens Rod. The scar-covered weapon appeared before everyone. The crowd could tell it was a Divine Artifact, but it clearly lacked a sharp, imposing aura. In other words, it had no soul!

A Divine Artifact without a soul was merely a Half-Divine Artifact, a far cry from Tong Yulong’s weapon. They weren’t even in the same league. Especially with all its scars, if they were to clash, Lin Xuan would definitely be at a disadvantage.

"Oh, you have a Divine Artifact too? How surprising," Tong Yulong said, his eyes filled with disdain. "It doesn’t even have an aura. It’s just a Half-Divine Artifact. Nothing more than a piece of junk, really. But I suppose it’s better than you pulling out a mere Spiritual Artifact. If you did that, you probably wouldn’t be able to withstand even a few of my blows." His contempt was clear; he knew how much of a role a weapon played in battle, especially a Heaven-Defying Divine Artifact.

"There’s no such thing as a useless weapon, only a user who doesn’t know how to wield it!" Lin Xuan declared, holding the Chi Dragon Heavens Rod to his side. The soul of the Golden Dragon King instantly entered it. In that moment, the aura of the Chi Dragon Heavens Rod transformed. Its originally deep-red body was suddenly entwined with a streak of gold, as if a Golden Dragon were coiling around it!

Even the scars on its surface began to emit a faint golden light, as if they were being filled by energy. An astonishing aura of a Golden Dragon erupted from within it. Suddenly, it felt as though the rod had gained a soul. Its presence was completely different.

Two golden weapons now faced each other, but one of them, a blend of red and gold, seemed to have the upper hand! This was a true Divine Artifact.

This was it—the final battle of the Core Hall tournament. As for who would win and who would lose, no one dared to say for sure.