Soul Emperor Awakening

"I just want to go in for half a day," Liu Yue’Er said.

"In that case, please pay five hundred Energy Points," the Attendant said respectfully.

Liu Yue’Er placed her hand over the inscription. The badge on her arm began to diminish, the lost portion flowing into the inscription. Only then did the large Stone Gate slowly swing open. The moment it cracked open, Lin Xuan felt a dense life force gush out, enveloping him in a comfortable warmth.

He could feel this aura seep into his body and begin to replenish his depleted energy. If he had any injuries, it could heal them as well. There was no need to take Elixir Pills here; one could recover simply by going inside and meditating.

"I’m going in to recover, then. I’ll be out in a bit." Liu Yue’Er nodded to him and entered the room. Only one person could enter a single room unless additional Energy Points were paid.

After Liu Yue’Er went inside, the Stone Gate closed automatically. Just then, Lin Xuan saw a faint blue wisp of Energy drift into the Attendant’s arm, slightly increasing the Energy there.

Lin Xuan could tell it wasn’t much Energy—about a fifth at most. To put it plainly, about one-fifth of the Energy Points Liu Yue’Er had spent became the Attendant’s own Points.

These people weren’t from the Demon Race of Ice and Snow City. They were also from the outside, but they had become attendants who maintained the city’s various facilities. Their payment was this Ice and Snow Energy.

Starting from the Fourth Layer, there were many ways to earn Ice and Snow Energy. For example, one could set up a stall to sell things, trading them freely. The price in Points could be set by the seller, but most of the Demon Race were cautious buyers. Ice and Snow Energy was hard to come by, so of course, they wouldn’t spend it recklessly.

Besides setting up stalls to trade, another way was to become an attendant for these facilities, but not just anyone could do it. The decision was up to the Floor Master; you could only do the job if they allowed it. Therefore, the Floor Master’s authority was quite significant, but it was also limited to this.

Even the Floor Masters of the Ice and Snow Tower had to spend Ice and Snow Points to use these facilities; they just received a small discount.

Another way to earn Ice and Snow Points was through challenge missions. There were various missions available in the Ice and Snow Tower, but unfortunately, they were only available on the Fifth Layer and above.

The final way to earn Ice and Snow Points was also the most straightforward and brutal: dueling. It was also the most lucrative. This was undeniable, as directly winning an opponent’s Points was far simpler than any form of trade.

That said, it all depended on whether the opponent would accept the challenge and whether one’s own strength was sufficient. Those who didn’t want to fight could choose to do missions, set up a stall, or become an attendant here.

There were many ways to earn Ice and Snow Energy, not just through challenges, which was a form of accommodation for them. With enough Energy Points, one could use the Cultivation Sites here to become stronger.

’Clearly, the Creator of this Ice and Snow Tower is quite tolerant of the weak. As long as you work hard enough, you’re given a chance to climb higher. However, to ultimately obtain ten Ice and Snow Badges, you must earn them through combat. That cannot be changed.’

’The higher you go, the more terrifying the number of Points required becomes. Can you reach ten Ice and Snow Badges by relying on these piecemeal methods? The answer is yes, but it might take thousands or even tens of thousands of years. Whether one could even live that long is another question entirely.’

’That’s why when I defeated those members of the Demon Race on the First Layer, the Energy I gained seemed to decrease. It wasn’t that the Energy itself was less, but that the Energy required to form a single badge had increased!’

According to what Lin Xuan had learned from Hu Hong, the requirement increased by a factor of five each time, with the initial base being one hundred Points. If the second badge was five times that, it would be five hundred Points. The third would be five times that, making it two thousand five hundred Points. Following that, the fourth would be twelve thousand five hundred Points.

Following this pattern, stacking fivefold increases all the way to the tenth badge, the required Points would be two hundred million! What a terrifying number.

’No wonder badges from below the Fourth Layer can’t be used as currency. The amount of Points they hold is just too low. Entering a Recovery Chamber for half a day costs five hundred Points. A low-level Ice and Snow Badge would be gone in an instant. That’s why the standard was set at the Fourth Layer and above. At that level, at least you wouldn’t use up a badge in half a day; you could even stay for a few days.’

’And that’s just for the Recovery Chamber. The Energy Points consumed by the other Cultivation Chambers are truly astronomical. As for being an attendant here, being able to draw one-fifth of the Energy is a considerable amount overall, but the further you progress, the more trivial it becomes.’

’After all, the energy in the later badges is measured in the millions. A single victory is equivalent to spending several years, or even decades, working here. In the end, earning Points through challenges is much faster than being an attendant. This side money is simply too little.’

’So most people don’t do it for life. They only do it when they’re not strong enough, as a way to earn some Ice and Snow Energy to use for Cultivation Sites. Once they get stronger, they go back to challenging others.’

"I’d like to go to a Cultivation Chamber. Do you have any recommendations?" Lin Xuan thought for a moment. He planned to do some cultivating, feeling he was on the verge of a breakthrough and wanted to push for the Fifth Layer of the Essence Pill Stage.

The key issue was that he would have to face the Fourth Layer’s Floor Master, Xiong Ba. He didn’t know the strength of this Bear Race member, but he felt that if he didn’t improve his own abilities, just surviving on the Fifth Layer would be a problem, let alone dealing with Xiong Ba.

’Based on this progression, the pressure on the next floor will be 1,100,000 jin! I can withstand that terrifying weight by activating the Cloud Return Technique, but withstanding it is one thing. What about fighting in it?’

’I have to plan ahead for everything. Besides, after so many battles, I feel like I’m about to break through. It’s time.’

"Yes!" The Attendant’s eyes lit up. He made a welcoming gesture and said, "This way, please!" He was obviously happy about the potential commission, but he would have greeted anyone with a smile, no matter who they were.

Led by the member of the Black Tiger Race, they arrived at a deeper section of the facility. The Attendant introduced, "Here, you can choose a chamber based on your Attribute. May I ask what your Attribute is?"

"Attribute..." Lin Xuan frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "I don’t really have one." In a sense, he was right. As long as he used Soul Possession, he could gain the corresponding Attribute, so he couldn’t be defined by any single one.

"In that case, are there any Cultivation Sites that increase gravity? That’s what I’d like to try right now." Lin Xuan’s main goal was to improve his Physique; that was his top priority.

"Ah, you wish to temper your body, is that right? Please come this way. I have an excellent place to recommend to you..." After speaking, he turned and led the way forward, a cold glint hidden in his tiger-like eyes!