Soul Emperor Awakening

"Am I seeing things? A dozen members of the Giant Bear Race were all defeated by one of the Demon Fox Race. Every one of them was taken down in a single blow, and his strength is far greater than any Giant Bear’s. Is he really a Demon Fox?"

"Why don’t you go up and beat him? Look, he’s already collected two Ice and Snow Badges. If you defeat him, you’ll get both of them and be able to enter the Second Layer."

"Bullshit! Why don’t *you* go fight him? Didn’t you see how ridiculously strong he is? I admit I’m no match for him!"

...

While the audience chattered, Lin Xuan glanced at the Ice and Snow Badge on his arm, which was only partially filled. This was his reward for defeating over a dozen members of the Giant Bear Race. The energy consumption was one thing, but this return on investment was poor. Besides, if a powerful member of the Demon Race came along next and it took a great deal of effort to win, it would be an even worse deal.

’To fight tooth and nail just to defeat an opponent, only to gain so little? Isn’t that enough to make you spit blood in frustration?’

Thus, after defeating all the members of the Giant Bear Race, he chose to step down from the Martial Arts Arena to avoid further challenges. Of course, most were unwilling to challenge him anyway. Anyone could tell he wasn’t using his full strength. Even those who felt somewhat confident didn’t dare to cross him. If they lost, they would be thrown out of Ice and Snow City completely—a terrible loss.

Those who had two or more Ice and Snow Badges wouldn’t linger on the First Layer. They would have already moved on to the Second Layer; there was no point in staying here. So what if you became king of the hill? After a certain point, fighting here became useless. The badge would stop filling up, making it a complete waste of time.

Even if someone with two or more badges did stay behind, they wouldn’t pick a direct fight with Lin Xuan. It wasn’t about the risk of defeat; there was simply no profit in winning. It was far better to wait for Lin Xuan to grow stronger, then defeat him. Only then would they receive a significant amount of Ice and Snow Badge Energy.

The only exception would be those seeking revenge. They wouldn’t care what Level Lin Xuan was. Even if he only had one badge, they would still try to defeat him—or even kill him.

The absolute rule here was no fighting outside the Martial Arts Arena. But once inside, anyone could fight anyone, regardless of their Level!

So, even if Lin Xuan had remained on the stage, no one would have dared to challenge him, unless they were either eager to be thrown out or supremely arrogant. For now, at least, he had stunned the members of the Demon Race. None of them had expected a Demon Fox could be so powerful; it completely shattered their perceptions.

"What’s wrong? Speechless?" Lin Xuan walked over to Hu Hong, seeing her staring blankly at him.

Hu Hong’s eyes grew red. She shook her head and wiped away her tears, saying, "No, I’m just so happy to see you help the Demon Fox Race silence so many of our detractors... Our people have come here before. The previous Fox King had the most glorious record, reaching the Eighth Layer."

"The Eighth Layer?" Lin Xuan was puzzled. "Your previous Fox King could have gotten the Yulan Pearl, then. Isn’t the Yulan Pearl supposed to be obtained in Ice and Snow City?"

’He couldn’t find any information about this in the memories he’d inherited from the previous Fox King. It was probably because too much time had passed, causing many memories to fade. Only the purest, most essential ones remained. This was actually quite fortunate. If all he’d gotten were fragmented memories instead of Martial Arts techniques, it would have been a true waste.’

"The Yulan Pearl is indeed found in Ice and Snow City, but it’s not created by collecting Ice and Snow Badges," Hu Hong explained. "And to this day, there has never been a City Lord, so no one knows what happens when you successfully collect ten full badges."

"So that’s how it is. Becoming the City Lord here would truly make one an Overlord..." Lin Xuan looked at her and said with a faint smile, "But if you really want to silence the critics of the Demon Fox Race, you should be the one to do it. Don’t you want to try a few matches? I imagine you didn’t come here just to be a spectator, did you?"

"Yes!" Hu Hong clenched her small fists, her gaze resolute. "That was my intention. I came here to train myself!"

’She was the next Fox King, and she shouldered a heavy burden. If her Cultivation didn’t improve, she would never be able to take up the mantle. Everything was based on strength; without it, words were meaningless.’

With that, Hu Hong’s petite figure ascended the Martial Arts Arena. Her appearance also caused an uproar, largely due to Lin Xuan’s performance just before. Their shock was palpable. Were they in for another round of brutal dominance?

"I’ll take this one!" A member of the Minotaur Race leaped onto the stage. His massive build was comparable to a Giant Bear’s. Two streams of air shot from his flared nostrils, and muscles bulged all over his body, giving him a terrifying appearance. "Let this old bull have a go at her. We’ll see just how strong the Demon Fox Race is. When it comes to strength, my race concedes to no one!"

To be blunt, Hu Hong simply looked like an easier target. If Lin Xuan had been the one on the stage, this Minotaur would never have dared to step up.

The moment the Minotaur stepped onto the Martial Arts Arena, his eyes met Hu Hong’s. His vision blurred, and the scene instantly changed. He was no longer in an arena, but in the middle of a forest!

"Th-This is a Charm Technique!" the Minotaur roared. Trying to break the illusion, he began to flail his massive body around, striking out blindly like a madman.

At this time, Hu Hong had already charged forward. Her hand, now a sharp claw, plunged viciously into the Minotaur’s chest. Red Elemental Power enveloped her palm, allowing it to pierce his flesh as easily as if it were a sheet of thin paper.

"MOO!"

The Minotaur let out a pained bellow. He swung an arm to swat Hu Hong away, but she had already withdrawn her hand and retreated with incredible speed. His wild swing hit nothing but air. Clutching his chest, the Minotaur collapsed, his body twitching violently. His heart had taken a severe blow; if he wasn’t dead, he was close to it.

Hu Hong stared coldly at the fallen Minotaur, a red light glinting in her beautiful eyes. She had no intention of showing mercy. She hated the Minotaur Race to the bone; after all, they had captured so many of her sisters. How could she possibly hold back?

After twitching a few more times, the Minotaur went still. His Ice and Snow Badge dissolved into a stream of Energy that flowed into her body, filling her own badge by a third.

’Her improvement is too fast, especially her Charm Technique. The Fox King must have personally taught her something,’ Lin Xuan thought, his eyes glinting. ’After all, the last time Hu Hong faced a Minotaur, she had no way to fight back and was captured easily.’

Now, both her Charm Technique and her strength had improved dramatically; the Fox King had clearly passed something on to her. Without such an improvement, Hu Hong wouldn’t have been able to hold her own here.

"Members of the Minotaur Race! Is there anyone else who has a problem with my clan? I, Hu Hong, will take on all challengers right here!" Hu Hong’s domineering aura radiated from her. Within her small frame beat the heart of a warrior striving to reach the top!

Lin Xuan nodded in satisfaction. ’This is the result I was looking for. If she couldn’t even do this much, how could she ever dream of becoming the Fox King? It would have been a waste of my effort to bring her here.’