Soul Emperor Awakening

An instant kill. Another one! Even Xiong Zhou, who possessed three and a half badges, was instantly defeated with ease. But what stunned the assembled demons wasn’t Xiong Zhou’s defeat, but the sheer volume of Lin Xuan’s Yulan Sacred Fire.

That amount of power was far beyond what three and a half badges could produce. You’d need at least four full badges to achieve such an effect.

"What just happened? How does this Demon Fox have so much Yulan Sacred Fire?"

"That’s not right. He only has three badges, so how is he so strong?"

’I think he must also have an Ice Constitution. When combined with the Yulan Sacred Fire, the effect is naturally enhanced!’

"Is he really from the Demon Fox Race? How is he so strong? It’s just like the rumors said. He’s just too powerful."

...

No one suspected that Lin Xuan had obtained the Yulan Pearl. It was true the Demon Fox Race once possessed the Yulan Pearl, but that was many years ago. Nothing had been heard of it for a long time. Besides, there was only one Yulan Pearl in existence. Logically, it should belong to someone at the Fox King Level. How could a mere Essence Pill Stage cultivator possibly possess it?

But the truth was, Lin Xuan really did possess the Yulan Pearl. Xiong Zhou’s challenge was a classic case of overestimating his own strength—like a novice showing off his axe skills before a master craftsman.

Upon defeating Xiong Zhou, the Energy from his opponent’s Ice and Snow Badge transferred into Lin Xuan’s body. Instantly, an additional one-fifth of a badge materialized on his arm. This meant he needed to defeat five such opponents to form a complete fourth badge.

As the Ice and Snow Badge Energy flowed into him, the emblem on Xiong Zhou’s arm was reduced to a single badge, forcing him to start over from the beginning. The moment the partial badge vanished, Xiong Zhou’s body disappeared, teleported down to the First Layer. This was nothing like spending badge energy to purchase resources.

Purchasing resources wouldn’t get you sent down; only defeat would. The two outcomes were completely different. The system was brutal—a single loss meant starting over. While powerful cultivators could climb back up quickly, they still had to defeat opponent after opponent, wasting their own time while becoming obstacles for others trying to ascend.

This created a cycle. Most cultivators hoped never to be matched against one of these veterans who had been knocked down—it was an absolute nightmare.

"Don’t you want to avenge your companion?" Lin Xuan said with a cool smile, his contemptuous gaze a clear provocation.

"You’re courting death!" another Giant Bear roared, charging onto the Martial Arts Arena.

’What a bunch of idiots...’ Lin Xuan thought, watching them with cold eyes. It was easy to provoke them. ’Then again, this is for the best. I can find opponents easily without having to search for them.’

Unsurprisingly, the outcome was a foregone conclusion. With his terrifyingly solid foundation and the power of the Yulan Sacred Fire, instantly defeating these foolish bears was almost effortless for Lin Xuan.

He quickly obtained his fourth badge. The moment it formed, he stepped off the Martial Arts Arena, ignoring the Giant Bears who were roaring in fury. There was no benefit in continuing to fight, so why bother?

The Demon Race cultivators on this layer were significantly stronger than those below. While his victories were still easy, they weren’t without cost. Most notably, his opponents now knew how to use the Yulan Sacred Fire. Although the fire itself was useless against him, it was always mixed with their own Elemental Power, which could still affect him.

To convert their Yulan Sacred Fire into his own, he would have to go through a lengthy transformation process. Because of this, he chose not to block their attacks directly, instead dodging and then counter-attacking.

"Don’t think you can just walk away!" A few Giant Bears surrounded him, but they only dared to block his path, not attack.

"Why would I stay? Is there any point?" Lin Xuan looked at them coldly. "Go back and tell your leader this was a legitimate challenge. The Ice and Snow Tower wasn’t built by your Bear Race. If you have a problem with me, feel free to send your boss over!"

Arrogant. Utterly arrogant. Since they were going to be so brazen, why should he bother being discreet? Besides, it was impossible for him to keep a low profile now. Just by being here as a member of the Demon Fox Race, he was already conspicuous enough.

Many members of the Demon Race had taken notice of him. While his progress wasn’t unprecedented, it was still remarkable in recent years. At the very least, he had made it to the Third Layer and was about to ascend to the Fourth!

"How audacious! You learn a few little tricks and suddenly you think you’re invincible?" the Giant Bear roared. "Just you wait for our leader’s punishment! You can forget about ever climbing higher in this tower!"

Lin Xuan’s eyes narrowed into a faint smile. "I’ll be waiting. Let’s see if you can actually stop me." With that, he turned and headed for the entrance to the Fourth Layer, unwilling to waste any more time. After all, he was one step closer to finding Liu Yue’Er.

Then, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he headed straight for the Fourth Layer, causing a huge uproar among the demons. In less than a day, this young member of the Demon Fox Race had stormed from the First Layer to the Fourth. It wasn’t an unprecedented feat, but for someone from the Demon Fox Race, it was utterly incredible.

The Demon Fox Race was universally acknowledged to have weak physiques. So much for that! Even the Giant Bear Race couldn’t suppress him. He instantly defeated them and was now heading straight for the Fourth Layer!

As he continued toward the Fourth Layer, the gravity steadily increased. Along the path, he could already see members of the Demon Race sitting in meditation; they had reached their limit. Compared to the floors below, far more cultivators stopped on this ascent to acclimate to the crushing weight.

This was entirely unnecessary for him. His foundation was already powerful, and as his Cultivation rose, his Physique grew stronger as well. Thus, he reached the Fourth Layer with ease.

The moment he set foot on the Fourth Layer, he felt his body sink under an immense pressure—a crushing weight of nine hundred thousand pounds. This was genuinely taxing. Without circulating his Cloud Return Technique, he was already nearing his limit. To climb any higher, he would have to rest and acclimate, just like the other members of the Demon Race.

However, now that he had reached the Fourth Layer, he could take a temporary break. The structure of the tower changed dramatically from this point on. The architecture was completely different; everything below the Fourth Layer seemed to be self-built, but from this layer upward, the buildings were grand and well-planned.

Lin Xuan gazed out and saw numerous shops—stores selling all sorts of Weapons and even Elixir Pills! If the floors below were the slums, then this was a true city. It had everything one could want, from storefronts to dedicated Cultivation Sites.

The only difference was that the currency here wasn’t Primordial Stones, but Ice and Snow Badge Energy. Only from the Fourth Layer upward could the badge’s Energy actually be used for trade; on the lower floors, it was essentially worthless as currency.

’So this Fourth Layer is the true first floor of the Ice and Snow Tower,’ Lin Xuan thought as he surveyed his surroundings. ’This is where it really begins.’ It felt like a proper city, the true gateway into the tower.

From this point on, the Ice and Snow Badge finally had a real purpose, unlike on the floors below, where its existence felt almost insignificant.