Soul Emperor Awakening

The attendant from the Black Tiger Race led Lin Xuan to a room and stopped. Turning, he beamed at Lin Xuan and said, "This is the Cultivation Room you requested. It’s a Cultivation Site with increased gravity, and I guarantee you’ll be satisfied!"

"Increased gravity? By how much exactly?" Lin Xuan asked.

’I definitely have to be clear about this. What if I go in and find the gravity is two or three million jin? I’d be crushed to death! More importantly, it would be a waste of Ice and Snow Points, and to me, that’s like money! Actually, it’s even more important than money; it’s not easy to earn them here.’

"It’s roughly one million two hundred thousand jin. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied!" the Black Tiger Race attendant said with a smile.

"One million two hundred thousand jin..." Lin Xuan nodded, quite satisfied with this level of gravity. It was beyond his limit, but that was necessary for good Cultivation. ’How can you break through without any pressure?’

"Alright, I’ll take this room. How many Points does it cost?" Lin Xuan finally decided on the room.

"This room costs two thousand Points a day. How many days will you be needing?" the Black Tiger Race attendant said respectfully. "I recommend at least five days. To get the best results from this Cultivation Chamber, you need to stay inside for an extended period."

"Two thousand Points a day?" Lin Xuan sucked in a sharp breath. ’That price really is steep. Five days would cost ten thousand Points. With my four-plus badges, I have at most twenty or thirty thousand Points, and that’s only because I defeated Hei Qing.’

’At this rate, ten thousand Points would be gone in a flash. Earning these Energy Points is relatively easy, but spending them is even easier. I was originally planning to stay for ten days or even half a month, but who would’ve thought it was two thousand Points a day? If I really stay for ten days, my four badges will be completely drained.’

"Alright then, I’ll go in for five days to try it out." Lin Xuan nodded and placed his hand on the pattern on the side. Instantly, he could feel his badge link with the pattern, allowing him to freely transfer Ice and Snow Energy into it.

He immediately transferred ten thousand Points of Energy. The door slowly creaked open, and once a gap appeared, he stepped inside without hesitation. The moment he was through, the door slammed shut just as abruptly, sealing itself so tightly it seemed impossible to pull open.

After he went inside, a portion of the Ice and Snow Energy that had been infused into the pattern floated out and drilled into the Black Tiger’s arm. At this, he snickered, "Idiot! He actually went in. With that meager bit of power, he’s as good as dead in there!"

Just then, a member of the Demon Race walked over. If Lin Xuan were here, he would have recognized him as being from the Giant Bear Race!

"Heh heh, did you get that kid inside?" the Giant Bear asked as he walked in, his expression grim. He had obviously been waiting outside the whole time.

"Brother Xiong, of course I got him inside. And he went in like a fool! Luckily he didn’t ask too many questions, or the cat would’ve been out of the bag." The Black Tiger had a fawning expression on his face. If Lin Xuan had asked, he wouldn’t have been able to lie and would have had to explain the situation inside.

However, there was a huge loophole: if no questions were asked, he only needed to give the simplest of answers.

"Hmph, how dare he offend our Giant Bear Race! And he expects our Brother Xiong to deal with him? Brother Xiong is in Cultivation on an upper layer right now; he has no time for trash like this!" A trace of fear flickered in the Giant Bear’s eyes. The truth was, they didn’t want Lin Xuan’s case to reach their big brother, because if they couldn’t even handle a small matter like this, their fate would be miserable.

"Of course, of course! The only reason I can keep my position here is thanks to your patronage, but now..." The Black Tiger rubbed his palms together, signaling that he wanted his reward.

"Alright, here’s your payment. Take it!" The Giant Bear impatiently transferred some of the Ice and Snow Energy from his hand. It was at least ten thousand or so Points, causing the Ice and Snow Badge on the Black Tiger’s hand to grow by a small section. He was close to reaching his fifth badge.

"Thank you, Brother Xiong!" Upon receiving the Points, the Black Tiger’s face lit up with a huge smile. This meant he would soon be able to ascend to the Fifth Layer. How could he not be happy?

The Giant Bear shot him a look of disgust, then glanced one last time at the room Lin Xuan had just entered before turning and leaving with a flick of his sleeve. After the Giant Bear was gone, the smile on the Black Tiger’s face vanished, replaced by an icy coldness. He turned to look at the room, his gaze filled with pity. "What a shame. Your only mistake was provoking the Giant Bear Race. They control this entire Fourth Layer..."

There is no absolute fairness in this world; it’s all about whether you can turn a disadvantage into an advantage.

「Inside the Cultivation Chamber.」

The moment Lin Xuan stepped inside, he felt a terrifying gravity press down on him. He immediately activated the Returning Technique within his body, channeling his Bloodline Power to resist the immense pressure. From the feel of it, the gravity was exactly one million two hundred thousand jin, no more, no less. The Black Tiger hadn’t lied to him.

The crucial part was that, in addition to the gravity, Lin Xuan felt a terrifying heat surge over him, as if he had been plunged into high-temperature molten lava! When he got a clear look at his surroundings, his expression changed. Before him were towering volcanoes, currently erupting violently, with scorching magma spewing from their craters.

It was as if he had entered another dimension. Besides the towering volcanoes, the sky was dark, covered by a sheet of black clouds. The entire scene was vast but covered in volcanoes. Magma flowed down from the craters, surging toward Lin Xuan like a tidal wave!

"How could it be this kind of place? I’ve been set up!" Lin Xuan immediately understood the problem. This place was filled with dense Fire Elemental Power, making it an excellent Cultivation Site for someone with a Fire Attribute Physique, but also an extremely dangerous one.

The temperature of the erupting lava was extremely high, enough to easily melt a person’s body. The ambient temperature alone was unbearable. Compounded by the terrifying gravity, it was nearly impossible to take a single step, let alone run.

In his current state, just being able to walk was an achievement, never mind running. Besides, even if he could run, he wouldn’t be able to outrun the surging lava!

In a sense, this was a dual-purpose Cultivation Site, which was quite perfect. But if one’s physique was incompatible, or if one couldn’t resist the lava, it was simply a death sentence.

"Leave!" Lin Xuan unhesitatingly decided to get out of there. But when he turned to push the door open, he found there was no door behind him! The main door had long since vanished. When he looked back, all he saw was more volcanoes. There were no other entrances or exits to speak of.

"Don’t tell me I have to endure this for five days before I can get out?" Lin Xuan’s expression turned ugly. He hadn’t been careful this time and had been tricked by that Black Tiger!

’Still, I can guess who was behind this,’ he thought. ’It must have been the Giant Bear Race that put the Black Tiger up to it. I assumed an employee of the Ice and Snow Tower wouldn’t lie. And technically, he didn’t lie... but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t leave things out!’

"Looks like I have no choice but to endure now!" Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes. Watching the surging lava, he licked his lips, showing no sign of despair.