Soul Emperor Awakening

It's true that collecting ten Ice and Snow Badges makes one the City Lord, but there's a prerequisite. You must first be the Floor Master of the Ninth Layer. Only then, upon collecting the tenth badge, can you directly become the Floor Master of the Tenth Layer—the true City Lord! Whether you're called City Lord or Tower Master is irrelevant at that point; the Ice and Snow Tower will belong to you.

The reason for this rule is that the City Lord must be the strongest member of the Demon Race! Anyone capable of becoming a Floor Master is bound to have considerable ability, which is why they qualify to become the City Lord. If the City Lord lacked great talent and strength, they would be unworthy of the title.

If anyone who collected ten badges could become the City Lord, the position would have been filled long ago. Amassing ten badges requires a lot of Energy Points, but it's not impossible to gather that many. The Ice and Snow Tower has existed for many years; that amount of Energy Points is ultimately trivial.

With an organized team, members could simply transfer Energy Points to one another to create a City Lord. Unfortunately, in all these years, not a single member of the Demon Race has become the true City Lord!

It wasn't that the various races failed, but rather that after collecting ten Ice and Snow Badges, there are still many trials. The rumor circulating outside—that collecting ten badges makes you the City Lord—is inaccurate. It's merely a prerequisite. The real challenges come later. This was all information that only appeared after Lin Xuan became a Floor Master.

This was the most accurate information, clarifying every aspect, including details about the Cultivation Sites. Of course, he didn't know everything. Only by becoming the Floor Master of a higher layer would he be able to learn more.

"This Recovery Chamber is pretty good. I recovered so quickly." Lin Xuan walked out of the Recovery Chamber. When he found Liu Yue'Er, he saw that she had fought a few more matches, all against the Giant Bear Race.

Of course, she had won, but she still hadn't obtained five badges, which meant she couldn't ascend to the Fifth Layer.

"Those stupid bears won't fight me anymore. No matter how I provoke them, they refuse. It's the same with everyone else." Liu Yue'Er was quite dissatisfied. She was just a little short of getting her fifth badge, but no one dared to fight her.

The Giant Bear Race was very strong, but they were no match for Liu Yue'Er of the Golden Dragon Race. The strength of the Dragon Race was second to none. The power that could erupt from their Dragon Bones alone was far beyond anything the Giant Bear Race could hope to match.

As a result, no member of the Demon Race on the Fourth Layer was willing to fight Liu Yue'Er. Meanwhile, the Black Dragon Race was nowhere to be seen, no doubt scheming something. 'They haven't just given up on us,' Lin Xuan thought. 'It's only a matter of time before they show up. I just don't know when.'

"You're so strong, who would dare challenge you?" Lin Xuan said with a smile. "You're just a little short on energy. Here, I'll transfer some to you." Without hesitation, Lin Xuan sent ten thousand Points her way. Instantly, the Ice and Snow Badge on Liu Yue'Er's arm lit up with five full badges, with a little to spare.

Starting from the Fourth Layer, Points could be traded freely, like currency. This was why obtaining ten badges wasn't the real problem; at most, it was a matter of time. The principle of "strength in numbers" was perfectly demonstrated here. If a group pooled their resources, they could certainly amass ten badges. The regrettable thing was that no City Lord had ever emerged.

Therefore, becoming the City Lord was definitely not so simple. One had to pass through many trials.

"That's great! Now I can go to the Fifth Layer with you!" Liu Yue'Er was thrilled. She had wanted to go to the Fifth Layer with Lin Xuan all along; being stuck on the Fourth Layer by herself would have been incredibly boring.

"But before we go, let's find someone first..."

The person Lin Xuan wanted to find was, of course, Hu Hong. After spending so much time on the upper floors, he didn't know how she was faring below. When he went down, he discovered that Hu Hong had successfully reached the Second Layer and had even fought several battles there. With her formidable Illusion Technique, she was invincible in the fights on the lower floors.

By the looks of it, she would soon have three badges. Her progress was quite fast. While it couldn't compare to Lin Xuan's, it was a massive breakthrough for Hu Hong herself.

When Liu Yue'Er learned that Hu Hong was the next Fox King of the Demon Fox Race and understood their situation, she felt immense gratitude toward her. The Demon Fox Race was fiercely loyal and willing to stand with the Golden Dragon Race to the bitter end. How could she not be moved by such devotion?

After a brief explanation, Liu Yue'Er understood the general situation, but for now, there was nothing she could do to help the Demon Fox Race. After all, her own Golden Dragon Race hadn't even contacted her yet. Even if she wanted to unite their two peoples, she first needed to find her own.

All they could do was leave Hu Hong on the Second Layer for now. Even if Lin Xuan gave her the Energy Points to rush straight to the Fourth Layer, it would be pointless. Hu Hong couldn't withstand the gravity there. Bringing her up wouldn't help her at all; on the contrary, it would only harm her.

Therefore, she had to stay and cultivate slowly, adapting to the environment before ascending to the Third Layer or beyond.

After settling matters, Lin Xuan and Liu Yue'Er headed straight for the Fifth Layer—the very place where Mo Qianji was waiting for him!

Soon, they arrived on the Fifth Layer. As expected, the gravity increased by another two hundred thousand pounds, soaring to a total of 1,100,000 pounds of force. Since Lin Xuan had already adapted to this terrifying gravity, he felt no pressure at all.

"Welcome to the Fifth Layer. I've been waiting for you for quite some time."

Lin Xuan had just arrived to see Mo Qianji standing off to the side, watching him with arms crossed. It looked like he had been waiting here from the start, and for a very long time at that.

"It seems you're impatient for a match," Lin Xuan said, frowning. 'If you wanted to fight, we could have done it on the floor below. Why wait until the Fifth Layer?'

"A match?" Mo Qianji said. "I'd love to fight you, but first, you have to complete a challenge. If you can't even pass that, what right do you have to fight me?"

"Complete a challenge? I'm not going!" Lin Xuan's brow furrowed. Mo Qianji's tone greatly displeased him. It was as if he were looking down from a great height, holding him in utter contempt.

In Mo Qianji's eyes, so what if Lin Xuan had beaten Xiong Ba? It was nothing worth mentioning, not the least bit impressive. If it were him, he could have finished off Xiong Ba in an instant.

'This guy clearly has ill intentions. If I just smile and do as he says, I'd have to be an idiot.'

Mo Qianji seemed surprised by Lin Xuan's blunt refusal. He frowned and said, "Don't you want the position of Floor Master of the Fifth Layer?"

"The position of the Fifth Layer's Floor Master? This floor doesn't have a master?" Lin Xuan was surprised. He hadn't realized the Fifth Layer's position was vacant.

"Of course!" Mo Qianji sneered. "The Floor Master position is a must-win. By the time I realized what was happening, I already had six badges, so I lost my chance to challenge for the Fourth Layer. Otherwise, do you really think that Xiong Ba would still be alive?"

Arrogant. Utterly arrogant! His tone was unbelievable. It was as if he felt Lin Xuan's entire existence was merely to pave the way for him.