Soul Emperor Awakening

Hei Zhenxuan was completely unaware that he was already in grave danger. He ran frantically through the space of endless snow, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find an exit. He glanced around, only to see he was surrounded by countless Stone Steles, which vexed him greatly.

’Heart of the King... What kind of hint is this?’ Hei Zhenxuan had no idea how to interpret it. As for being a King, he absolutely possessed a kingly demeanor. However, it was more the arrogance of a superior being, looking down on everyone—even those of his own race.

This was not the bearing of a true King. A true King possessed great inclusivity, not fanatical exclusion.

Suddenly, the Youlan Emperor appeared before Hei Zhenxuan. A faint aura of the Yulan Sacred Fire emanated from his body as he floated in mid-air, looking down at him coldly. "Your aptitude is so poor. After all this time, you still haven’t comprehended the Heart of the King. When it comes down to it, you simply don’t have the Heart of a King!"

"S-Senior!" Upon seeing the Youlan Emperor, Hei Zhenxuan immediately guessed his identity from the aura he exuded. "Senior, you must be the Youlan Emperor," he said respectfully. "My Comprehension may not be the best, but give me enough time, and I will surely be able to grasp it!"

"I heard that your Black Dragon Race not only wiped out the Golden Dragon Race, but the Demon Fox Race as well?" the Youlan Emperor asked nonchalantly.

Hei Zhenxuan didn’t know why the Youlan Emperor was asking this, but he didn’t dare lie to his face. He nodded and said, "Yes. They were simply too weak. The true Kings are the Black Dragon Race. My understanding of the Heart of the King is to be the strongest! Only the strongest race can be called Kings. And since I am the only one with ten Ice and Snow Badges, I am the King of this Ice and Snow Tower!"

As Hei Zhenxuan explained, he was smug and pleased with himself, believing he was the strongest and that no one could compare. He might have been happy, but he failed to notice the Youlan Emperor’s expression growing darker and darker. This was a classic case of courting death.

"This is your Heart of the King?" the Youlan Emperor asked in a low voice.

"Y-Yes! That’s what I believe. The strongest are the ones who can become Kings!" Hei Zhenxuan maintained.

"Then you can get lost!" The Youlan Emperor snorted coldly, viciously flinging a ball of Yulan Sacred Fire that enveloped Hei Zhenxuan.

Before Hei Zhenxuan could even react, he was engulfed by the Yulan Sacred Fire. The intense pain forced him to quickly sever his connection to this place.

"AHHHH!"

The moment he severed his spiritual connection, he started screaming in agony. Clutching his head, he fell to the side and began to roll around on the ground. Although he had cut the connection quickly, his soul had still suffered considerable damage. Blood trickled from his nose and ears.

It wasn’t a fatal blow, but it had greatly damaged his Vitality, causing his strength to drop by at least one level. It would be impossible to fully recover without several years of rest; soul injuries were the most difficult to heal.

"What’s going on? Why did Hei Zhenxuan suddenly end up like this? Did he fail to comprehend it?"

"Possibly. But why is Lin Xuan fine? Could he be comprehending it?"

"If that’s the case, doesn’t that mean Hei Zhenxuan is guaranteed to lose? The position of City Lord will go to Lin Xuan!?"

...

The crowd of the Demon Race was in an uproar; everyone exploded with discussion. A genius from the Black Dragon Race had lost to someone from the Demon Fox Race—it was truly unbelievable. A supreme genius’s Comprehension was worse than a member of the Demon Fox Race’s? How was that possible?

But the reality was right before their eyes, forcing them to believe it!

Hei Zhenxuan continued to roll madly on the ground. After a long time, he finally climbed to his feet. His soul had stabilized by now, but his injuries were far from light. It took him a good while to compose himself. His gaze toward the Mysterious Blue Holy Stele was filled with terror. ’What happened? Why would the Youlan Emperor reject me?’

He couldn’t figure out where his answer had gone wrong to make the Youlan Emperor punish him like that, but he no longer dared to touch the Mysterious Blue Holy Stele. If he went in again and suffered that kind of damage a second time, he would truly be turned into an idiot.

’I need to take some Elixir Pills to recover...’ Hei Zhenxuan immediately took out some Elixir Pills from his Storage Ring and consumed them. Although these Elixir Pills couldn’t heal him completely, they could at least alleviate the pain and make him feel a bit more comfortable.

He had no idea that his pathetic display had been seen by the entire Demon Race. It was more than just pathetic; he had lost all of his previous superior demeanor and instead looked like a madman.

「Inside the Mysterious Blue Holy Stele.」

Lin Xuan watched the scene displayed before him, feeling a secret sense of satisfaction. ’This is the price for provoking a major figure. It’s just a pity that the attack didn’t turn him into an idiot. If it had, I could have defeated Hei Zhenxuan without even fighting, meaning I could have easily become the Floor Master of the Ninth Layer.’

Since Hei Zhenxuan himself possessed ten Ice and Snow Badges, defeating him would give Lin Xuan ten Ice and Snow Badges, which would also fulfill the condition. However, even with ten Ice and Snow Badges, he couldn’t ascend to the Tenth Layer. That was where the City Lord resided, and no one could go up without the City Lord’s permission.

"What a shame. He reacted too quickly, or I definitely would have damaged his soul enough to turn him into a complete idiot!" The Youlan Emperor was not satisfied. "If I weren’t trapped here," he said coldly, "I would have already flattened the Black Dragon Race!"

Seeing the Youlan Emperor’s fury, Lin Xuan didn’t dare to interrupt. ’This has nothing to do with me, anyway.’

Then, the Youlan Emperor turned his gaze to him, his eyes glinting. "Do you want to become the City Lord?"

Lin Xuan’s heart skipped a beat. He nodded vigorously. "Of course I want to become the City Lord! Why else would I have come to participate in the Path of the King?"

’The Youlan Emperor is stating the obvious. If I didn’t want to become the City Lord, who would be bored enough to come play around here? These trials are deadly.’

"Good. It’s very simple!" The Youlan Emperor pointed at Hei Zhenxuan in the scene appearing before them and said, "Go out there now, kill him for me, and you will become the City Lord!"

"Um, do I not need to pass any other tests?" Lin Xuan asked cautiously.

"Isn’t this the test? Just kill that brat, and the position of City Lord is yours," the Youlan Emperor said in a low voice.

"That’s not a problem, but if I attack freely, I’ll be struck by this place’s Celestial Punishment. With my current strength, I can’t withstand it." Lin Xuan had wanted a fight with Hei Zhenxuan anyway. ’This test is practically a gift.’

A glimmer of light flashed from the Youlan Emperor’s fingertip and shot into Lin Xuan’s forehead. He then lowered his hand. "You will not suffer any Celestial Punishment now. If my true self were here, I could have dealt with this personally! When my true self is free, I will return here and personally take care of the Black Dragon Race!"

Lin Xuan drew in a sharp breath. ’So this is what they call flying into a rage that topples crowns. All the tests are meaningless now; the first priority is to deal with this Black Dragon.’

’The Black Dragon Race probably never expected one of their idiots to provoke the Youlan Emperor. The day his true self descends will be their doomsday.’