Soul Emperor Awakening

"What did you say!" The Giant Bear was furious at Lin Xuan’s attitude. Lin Xuan was showing him no respect whatsoever. If not for the restrictions here, he would have slapped him across the face long ago. "To the Martial Arts Arena, now!"

Lin Xuan gave a faint smile, not even bothering to waste his breath on them. He turned and walked into the Martial Arts Arena, with the members of the Giant Bear Race following close behind. The two sides wore starkly different expressions: Lin Xuan appeared nonchalant, while the Giant Bear Race was flushed with rage.

Some of the onlookers knew what was happening, but most were clueless. They just watched as the group entered the Martial Arts Arena without hesitation, and a protective shield immediately materialized around it.

"Brat, you dared to injure my kinsman! I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t forget and show you that you’ve come to the wrong place!" The Giant Bear stomped the ground and charged toward Lin Xuan at extreme speed. To remain so agile under the pressure of five hundred thousand pounds of gravity was indeed a display of some skill.

However, compared to Lin Xuan, it was still far from enough. Five hundred thousand pounds of gravity was child’s play to him.

’This is boring. Let’s get this over with!’

Lin Xuan immediately activated the Cloud Return Technique. His power surged, and the blood in his veins began to sing. He savored the familiar, exhilarating rush of battle intent.

The next moment, he shot forward, transforming into a streak of red light that slammed viciously into his foe. To the Demon Race members watching from outside, it looked as if a red meteor had crashed violently into the Giant Bear. The impact sent the Giant Bear flying, and he smashed hard against the protective shield.

He let out a muffled grunt and collapsed, unable to rise again. The corresponding Ice and Snow Badge Energy floated over and entered Lin Xuan’s body. Instantly, the progress toward his next Ice and Snow Badge jumped by nearly half. This was far more than the amount he’d gained from defeating over a dozen Giant Bears earlier. ’By this logic,’ he thought, ’I only need to defeat four opponents of the same level to forge my third Ice and Snow Badge!’

As expected, fighting opponents at the same level was the only way to gain a significant amount of Energy. Fighting those at lower levels required too many battles to be worthwhile. Of course, he had to admit that same-level opponents were a cut above in strength. If the Giant Bear Race weren’t so dim-witted, they would have been a real handful.

"Anyone else?"

Lin Xuan looked up at the other members of the Giant Bear Race and beckoned to them with a gesture full of provocation.

"You bastard! I’ll be the one to take you down!" Another Giant Bear leaped into the arena, charging straight for Lin Xuan without a moment’s hesitation.

The result was no surprise. He too was sent flying by a single punch from Lin Xuan, who absorbed the Ice and Snow Badge Energy. After Lin Xuan defeated several more in quick succession, his third Ice and Snow Badge finally coalesced. Once it had formed, however, the Energy he gained from new victories became negligible, just like when he had defeated opponents with a single badge back on the First Layer.

The sight of a member of the Demon Fox Race winning so many matches in a row sent another shockwave through the Demon Race spectators. Word spread like wildfire; this was big news.

’My third Ice and Snow Badge is complete. Just as I thought, the Yulan Sacred Fire in my body has been enhanced again, but the amount is still too little...’ Lin Xuan frowned, not entirely satisfied with the result. ’Still, this tower has ten layers in total. The real rewards must be waiting in the upper floors.’

’Looks like it’s time for the next floor.’ Lin Xuan left the Martial Arts Arena, only to be blocked by a furious Giant Bear who was just about to step inside.

"Why’d you stop? Are you trying to run away!?" The Giant Bear Race member was exasperated. They knew they couldn’t win, but they still wanted to have a go at Lin Xuan.

"Run?" Lin Xuan sneered at them. "Do you think you’re worthy of making me run? No matter how many of you come, it’s just a waste of my time. There’s nothing to be gained by defeating you. If you want revenge, send your stronger kinsmen. And remember," he added, "they’d better have three or more badges!"

Leaving them with those words, he headed straight for the Third Layer, his ascent continuous and unstoppable.

He then continued up the stairs. Just as he’d expected, the gravity intensified rapidly. By the time he reached the Third Layer, the pressure had reached a staggering seven hundred thousand pounds!

When he arrived, he saw that there were far fewer members of the Demon Race on the Third Layer. Fewer, perhaps, but still a considerable number. A glance at the densely packed buildings told him that this floor was by no means empty.

"So you’re that brat from the Demon Fox Race? Reaching the Third Layer in such a short time... I guess you have some skill. But if you plan to stick around, you’d best drop the arrogance! Then again, you’ve already provoked our Giant Bear Race, so you’ll have to pay the price!" Xiong Zhou and several of his companions walked over, surrounding Lin Xuan. As expected of opponents from a higher floor, their presence was a full notch above those on the Second Layer.

Although their Cultivation was similar, both their auras and the density of their power were stronger. This was the result of a sturdier foundation. Their Cultivation was around the sixth or seventh layer of the Essence Pill Stage, but having been tempered by the tower, the amount of force they could withstand had increased tremendously. Naturally, their presence felt completely different.

This explained how someone could easily crush an opponent with a similar, or even identical, Cultivation level. It was also why so many of the Demon Race chose to suppress their Cultivation and delay their breakthroughs. By not advancing, someone with a Peak of Essence Pill Stage Cultivation could battle opponents one or two layers into the Spirit Pill Stage—a fight that crossed a major realm.

"Don’t tell me your Giant Bear Race owns the Ice and Snow Tower? If you won’t even allow challenges, then what’s the point of this place?" Lin Xuan sneered.

"You actually guessed right. You could say the Ice and Snow Tower is run by our Giant Bear Race. Our leader, Xiong Ba, is the Floor Master of the Fourth Layer!" Xiong Zhou pointed at Lin Xuan and laughed. "And you dared to come barging in here without even knowing that! If our leader says the word, you won’t be challenging anyone, much less advancing any higher!"

"The Floor Master of the Fourth Layer?"

Lin Xuan’s brow furrowed. He knew a little about this. A so-called Floor Master was the master of their respective floor—in other words, the strongest person there. To put it bluntly, the Fourth Layer was Xiong Ba’s personal territory. The greatest benefit of being a Floor Master was the ability to control a more potent form of Ice and Snow Energy.

In other words, a purer form of the Yulan Sacred Fire. The Floor Masters of the Ice and Snow Tower could control more of it, and they enjoyed many other privileges as well. For example, the Ice and Snow Tower contained many special Cultivation Sites. To enter one, a person had to expend some of the Ice and Snow Energy stored within their body.

Entering a Cultivation Site once might cost half an Ice and Snow Badge’s worth of Energy. If you had four badges, you’d be down to three and a half. While this wouldn’t get you immediately kicked off the floor, you wouldn’t be able to return if you left. The wisest strategy was to stay on your designated floor and win a challenge or two to replenish what you spent.

Ultimately, the Ice and Snow Badge was the currency of the tower. All its facilities ran on this Energy, and nothing else was accepted.

"That’s right. Scared now, are you?" Xiong Zhou sneered. "If you get on your knees and beg for mercy, and hand over all your possessions, we might consider letting you off the hook!"

Seeing Lin Xuan’s silence, he assumed the youth was afraid.

"Scared?" Lin Xuan actually laughed. "On the contrary, I’d rather challenge this Floor Master of yours and see just how strong he really is!"

He had never known the meaning of the word fear.