Soul Emperor Awakening

The earth-shattering explosion finally subsided after what felt like an eternity. Once the dust settled, the entire Martial Arts Arena had been blasted into a massive crater. The arenas were designed for different levels of combat, but who could have known the power they would unleash would be so far beyond expectations? This was something none of the Elders had anticipated.

Many in the audience were only just now snapping out of their daze. Normally, watching a match was just that—watching. This time, they had all been dragged into the fray. The aftermath was a scene of carnage, leaving many seriously wounded and even more with minor injuries. It was like a living Hell.

When all the smoke and dust cleared, the figures of Lin Xuan and Tong Yulong finally came into view. Lin Xuan stood, using the Chi Dragon Heavens Rod to prop himself up. Tong Yulong, in contrast, was sprawled on the ground, twitching uncontrollably. The red mist that had enveloped him began to dissipate, and this time, it was clear his body would not be regenerating.

The outcome was clear. Lin Xuan had won, and it was a decisive victory. The ever-domineering Tong Yulong was defeated, left twitching on the ground as if Lin Xuan had shattered most of the bones in his body. After all, that terrifying last strike had been powerful enough to make the very sky change color!

The dark clouds in the sky vanished. Daylight returned, once again illuminating the land.

"You... you brat... If I recover, there’s no way you could..." The Demon Evil Monarch, speaking through Tong Yulong, was still struggling, but he was on the verge of being forced into a deep slumber.

Lin Xuan took a deep breath, a sharp glint in his eyes. He strode over to Tong Yulong and grabbed his head.

The moment he made contact, he activated the Soul Pearl inside him and began to frantically absorb the Demon Evil Monarch’s soul. ’A soul this powerful? How could I possibly let it go to waste?’

"You—what are you doing?! What is this thing?!" the Demon Evil Monarch shrieked. He tried to make Tong Yulong’s body thrash about, but it barely twitched. With most of its bones shattered, how could it possibly move?

"Absorb!"

Lin Xuan let out a cold snort and pulled the soul into his Soul Pearl. The Monarch was utterly powerless to resist.

The moment the Demon Evil Monarch’s soul was pulled into the Soul Pearl, he screamed, "What is this place?! What kind of treasure is this?!"

’That’s none of your concern,’ Lin Xuan thought. ’Erase!’ With a cold mental command, he mobilized the Soul Pearl to obliterate the Demon Evil Monarch’s consciousness, showing no mercy.

"No, don’t! I’ll tell you so many things! I can teach you more Martial Arts! Don’t erase me—AAGH!" The Demon Evil Monarch had only just realized something was terribly wrong when he felt his consciousness being annihilated. All that remained was the purest of soul memories, nothing more.

The moment the consciousness was gone, a flood of memories surged out and poured into his mind, causing his entire body to shudder. Vast, chaotic memories crashed through his thoughts, and in an instant, he understood a great deal.

This entity was the Demon Evil Monarch, whom Tong Yulong had discovered while out on a training expedition. The Monarch was only able to perform the Soul Possession because his soul had a high affinity with Tong Yulong’s body. The Monarch had considered completely taking over, but in truth, seizing permanent control of a living person was an extremely difficult task.

Thus, the Demon Evil Monarch had struck a deal with Tong Yulong: find him a suitable physical body, preferably one on the brink of death with a Cultivation that wasn’t too high, and he could seize it. In return, the Demon Evil Monarch would teach him many things and lend his aid when necessary.

Crucially, the masters of Cyan Cloud Peak were also aware of this and had not objected. To them, having the soul of a powerful expert as a guide was far better than their own instruction. After all, in his life, the Demon Evil Monarch had been a Core Formation Late Stage powerhouse, on the same Level as the Mansion Master and even stronger than Qing Deyun!

By absorbing this soul, Lin Xuan now held the souls of two Core Formation Stage experts within him. If both were to possess him at the same time, his power would reach an even higher plane. That is, if his body could withstand the strain. Otherwise, no matter how powerful the souls, they would never dare attempt such a reckless possession.

"The winner of this match is Lin Yunlong!" Qing Deyun announced. After the explosion subsided, he had sensed Tong Yulong’s practically nonexistent aura and declared the victor.

He could tell that Tong Yulong was completely unconscious, not just faking it like before. He had also discerned the presence of an expert’s soul, but he chose to remain silent on the matter. Now that the powerful soul had gone dormant, he knew Tong Yulong’s defeat was absolute.

Even with a Soul Possession from a powerful expert, Tong Yulong had failed to win. Lin Xuan had won instead. Of course, Lin Xuan was also relying on a Soul Possession, but the others simply hadn’t been able to sense it. The two situations were, after all, completely different.

Tong Yulong’s Soul Possession was imperfect; it damaged his body and spirit. Lin Xuan’s, on the other hand, was flawless. It even allowed him to use the soul’s complete repertoire of Martial Arts. They were not on the same Level.

Upon hearing the announcement, Lin Xuan’s body swayed. He managed a faint smile. "So I finally won..."

His aura was now incredibly weak. Having just finished absorbing the soul, his body gave out and he collapsed, falling sideways. He landed in a soft embrace as a faint, cool energy seeped through the person’s clothes and into his body, soothing his injuries.

"Brother Lin, are you all right?" Lin Xue’s voice came from behind him. The moment Qing Deyun had declared him the winner, she had rushed down from the stands to begin healing him.

"I’m alright... See? I won..." Lin Xuan felt mentally exhausted, but he had won. ’If it weren’t for the Martial God’s soul,’ he thought, ’I really would have lost here.’

’My opponent was just too strong,’ he reflected. ’His opportunities were no worse than mine, and he was a true super genius.’ After all these years, he had finally climbed to the very peak of Qingcheng Mansion, standing above all the so-called geniuses!

"Lin... Lin Yunlong actually won... Our leader lost. Our leader really lost..."

"The Genius Sect lost, and the Inner Hall Sect won... This can’t be happening... It’s impossible!"

"We really lost... That Lin Yunlong is just too strong. He’s way stronger than our leader..."

...

The members of the Genius Sect sat dejectedly in the stands, their eyes glazed over. They couldn’t accept this loss, but they had no choice but to. Lin Xuan had truly won, beating Tong Yulong to a pulp. While it wasn’t a complete domination, he had clearly held the upper hand for much of the fight.

The members of the Inner Hall Sect were equally stunned. The Genius Sect had suppressed them for so long, and now, they had finally reached the summit, standing above them! It was an incredibly cathartic moment of vindication, and this was the glory Lin Xuan had brought them—a peerless dark horse no one could have ever imagined.

The fledgling kid from back then now stood at the very pinnacle of Qingcheng Mansion, looking down on all his rivals!

He was now the one, true, undisputed genius—the super genius of Qingcheng Mansion!