Soul Emperor Awakening

"So, does that mean members of the Golden Dragon Race might be staying in here? They wouldn’t be attacked, and they can still cultivate," Lin Xuan asked.

"Yes, that’s more or less our conclusion. It’s incredibly safe here, a completely peaceful zone. As long as you’re inside, you’re protected. Likewise, if we were to leave, the Ice and Snow Badge would disappear and offer no protection at all. But upon re-entering, the badge would reappear, branded onto our bodies once more."

Hu Hong explained, "Whether the Golden Dragon Race is here is just our guess, but there’s a high probability they are. In terms of both safety and the opportunity to improve one’s strength, this is the best choice. You could say that most of the experts on the Demon Race Continent would stay here. However, there’s a condition: only those with a Cultivation below the Spirit Pill Stage can enter."

She had never been here herself, but she knew all this. The Demon Fox Race kept extensive records, so this was all considered common knowledge. Ice and Snow City was renowned throughout the entire Demon Race Continent, almost on par with a Holy Land Level sanctuary.

"Only those below the Spirit Pill Stage can enter? What’s that about?" Lin Xuan was taken aback. ’No wonder everyone I’ve seen on the way here has an Essence Pill Stage Cultivation. The cultivation of all the Demon Race members coming and going is at the Essence Pill Stage or below.’

"The moment one’s Cultivation surpasses the Spirit Pill Stage, entering this place will trigger a Celestial Punishment that instantly obliterates them into ash! As for why, we don’t know either. But that doesn’t stop people. Most top experts at the Peak of Essence Pill Stage deliberately suppress their Cultivation to avoid breaking through, just so they can stay here. Because of this, some cultivators with a Peak of Essence Pill Stage Cultivation are actually far stronger than experts at the third or Fourth Layer of the Spirit Pill Stage!" said Hu Hong.

"Some Spirit Pill Stage experts even go so far as to damage their own Cultivation, forcing it back down to the Peak of Essence Pill Stage, just so they can come here to train. For us in the Demon Race, however, the Spirit Pill Stage is a massive threshold. It’s incredibly difficult to break through, but doing so brings about a true qualitative transformation, allowing us to fully unleash the power of our bloodlines."

Hu Hong continued to explain.

"So that’s how it is... But what’s the benefit? Is it just for the sake of climbing to the top of the Ice and Snow Tower?" Lin Xuan inquired.

"Yes. It’s not just a way to temper oneself. More importantly, it’s about mastering the power of the Ice and Snow Tower. Anyone who reaches the summit will be able to wield the purest power of the Yulan Sacred Fire!" Hu Hong said in a low voice.

"The purest power of the Yulan Sacred Fire?" Lin Xuan exclaimed in surprise. "So that’s what this is about! No wonder I felt a faint aura of the Yulan Sacred Fire. Does that mean reaching the summit lets you obtain the Yulan Sacred Fire, or is it the Yulan Pearl?"

Lin Xuan looked up. This place could truly be called a city. As far as the eye could see, there were rows of houses, with many members of the Demon Race coming and going.

But the most conspicuous feature was the grand staircase in the very center, which spiraled upward. This was the way to the Second Layer. It was so wide that even from down below, they could see people climbing it.

The members of the Demon Race walking about indeed all had Essence Pill Stage Cultivations. It wasn’t a particularly high level, but it was the only level allowed to be active here.

"I’m not entirely sure about that. The rumors just say it’s the ’purest Yulan Sacred Fire,’ which I suppose must be the Yulan Pearl. No one has ever actually seen it, and I imagine no one has ever obtained it, because whoever gets this purest Yulan Sacred Fire will become the true City Lord of Ice and Snow City!" Hu Hong said. "To this day, no member of the Demon Race has ever become the City Lord, so I assume no one has succeeded."

"It’s that difficult? Is climbing the Ice and Snow Tower that hard?" Lin Xuan asked, frowning.

"The climbing itself isn’t the hard part. The key is collecting Ice and Snow Badges. Once you’ve gathered ten badges, they will transform into the purest Yulan Sacred Fire on their own; you don’t need to go anywhere to claim it. The different layers just have different levels of gravity, which in turn means the Demon Race members staying there have different cultivation levels and a different number of Ice and Snow Badges."

For instance, you only need one Ice and Snow Badge to stay on the First Layer, but you must have two to go up to the Second Layer. Those with more Ice and Snow Badges can descend to lower layers, but those with fewer badges cannot ascend. It’s as simple as that.

"How do you collect them?" Lin Xuan asked.

"By fighting," Hu Hong said. "Constant battle. Defeat opponents here, and you’ll win their badges."

"Constant battle? But didn’t you say fighting wasn’t allowed?" Lin Xuan was confused. ’That’s a clear contradiction.’

"Fighting isn’t allowed in the common areas, but that doesn’t mean you can’t fight in the arena. As long as both parties consent, a battle can take place. The loser’s badges are all automatically transferred to the winner, and the loser is sent back to square one with a single badge. It’s not as simple as just defeating ten people, either. The higher you go, the more badges you need. Quality matters too; just fighting on the First Layer is meaningless," Hu Hong explained.

Lin Xuan finally understood. ’So, it really is like climbing a tower,’ he thought. ’You have to keep defeating opponents to keep climbing higher!’

He would have to experience it for himself to understand it fully.

"Does that mean the more powerful members of the Golden Dragon Race can’t stay here?" Lin Xuan brought the conversation back to the Golden Dragon Race.

"That’s right. But their lower-level cultivators are definitely sent here to train, since this place is a huge help for breaking through to higher cultivation realms. If we can find any members of the Golden Dragon Race here, we should be able to learn a lot," said Hu Hong.

"It seems this is our only option for now. Looking for them outside would be like finding a needle in a haystack. ’But this... this is interesting. Constantly fighting to collect badges, huh?’ A flicker of fighting spirit appeared in Lin Xuan’s eyes. This was exactly what he needed—battles that would constantly raise his Cultivation. He was desperate for more power right now.

With that, they headed for the First Layer’s arena. As soon as they got close, they could hear the sound of cheering from within. When they stepped inside, Lin Xuan saw a dense crowd roaring with excitement. The arena was vast, capable of holding many spectators at once.

He could also see several pairs of combatants dueling, fighting viciously. There were no rules here. Unless someone surrendered, killing your opponent was perfectly acceptable. There was no referee, either, because the referee was the very Law of the tower itself!

"Well, look what we have here. A couple of Demon Fox fledglings. I’m surprised you managed to climb this far. Aren’t the Demon Fox Race famous for being the weakest? Or are my eyes playing tricks on me?"

"They must be the ’best’ the Demon Fox Race has to offer. I wonder if you nearly died just getting up here. Got the guts to face one of us? Let’s see just how ’fragile’ that strength of yours really is!"

"Heh, it’s useless. Look at the pathetic state they’re in. With bodies that small, how could they possibly fight us?"

They had only just arrived, but the surrounding members of the Demon Race had already spotted them and begun to jeer, their disdain palpable.

"A match? I’d be happy to," Lin Xuan said with a faint smile, looking at the taunters. He had just been worrying about finding someone willing to fight him, and now, volunteers had delivered themselves right to his doorstep.