Soul Emperor Awakening

"What is it? Feel free to speak your mind." The speaker was Tuo Shengfeng. As the Island Master, he held the most authority, so naturally, he took the lead. At the same time, he gestured for Lin Xuan to sit, treating him with considerable courtesy.

To them, Lin Xuan’s future potential was greater than all of theirs. The reason was simple—Lin Xuan had passed the Sixth Layer and was heading straight for the Seventh Layer!

They might not believe in innate talent, but they absolutely believed in the Martial God Tower. The Martial God Tower was the ultimate judge of one’s true latent potential.

"No, I’m fine standing." Lin Xuan then explained the situation in the Soaring Dragon Empire, laying out all the details. The summary was simple: he needed Divine Martial Island to mobilize its experts to provide aid. The key, however, was that they needed Core Formation Stage experts; Spirit Pill Stage experts were not needed.

After hearing Lin Xuan’s words, they all fell silent and turned their gazes to Tuo Shengfeng. The final say still rested with him.

"Send reinforcements? To be frank, Elder Lin, the Tu Family’s situation is not exactly optimistic. The Lan Family has already gathered many people and has been watching us like a tiger stalking its prey. If we were to temporarily lose a few of our experts, especially those at the Core Formation Stage, it would put the Tu Family in grave danger!"

Tuo Shengfeng was speaking frankly, prioritizing his family’s interests. If they saved the Empire only to be annihilated themselves, it would be far worse than simply mismanaging their priorities—it would be a calamity for the ages.

Experts play a decisive role in battle. To put it bluntly, with a single Void Spirit Stage expert in command, no one would dare attack, even if they had no other Elders under them.

Cultivation decided everything; numbers were useless. Lin Xuan had experienced this firsthand. To him, no matter how many Essence Pill Stage experts came at him, that’s how many would die. Quantity had long since lost its meaning.

"I understand. Elder Tuo already mentioned this to me... I just came to ask, holding onto a sliver of hope. If it’s not possible, I won’t insist." Lin Xuan didn’t feel particularly disappointed, as he had already lowered his expectations to the minimum before arriving.

"It’s not that there’s no chance. We could temporarily dispatch two Core Formation Stage experts, but it would require appropriate compensation. We can’t be expected to take such a great risk for nothing in return, can we?" Tuo Shengfeng was blunt. To date, Lin Xuan hadn’t done anything for the Tu Family, so it was only natural to ask for something in return.

"That’s not a problem. The compensation from Qingcheng Mansion will be substantial. In addition to that reward, if the Tu Family is ever in trouble, I will absolutely come to your aid!" Lin Xuan made a solemn promise. He couldn’t guarantee much else, but he could guarantee that.

Tuo Shengfeng, however, shook his head. "To be honest, we have no interest in the compensation you’re offering. It’s nothing more than some Elixir Pills or perhaps Divine Artifacts. These things are quite precious, but they’re nothing special in the Demon Cloud Sea! You must have seen many Cultivators from the Demon Cloud Sea heading this way when you arrived, correct?"

"Yes. I saw many Cultivators heading this way and thought Divine Martial Island had been overrun. Turns out I was overthinking it." Lin Xuan chuckled, admitting he had guessed wrong.

"Actually, you weren’t entirely wrong. Do you know why we are called Divine Martial Island, and not Martial God Island?" Tuo Shengfeng asked.

"I’m not entirely sure. It was indeed called Martial God Island before, but now it has been renamed Divine Martial Island. It’s a bit curious." Lin Xuan had found it strange before, but he figured it was just a name change and didn’t see the need to get to the bottom of it.

"It’s simple. The place you reach after passing our Divine Martial Island is called the Divine Martial Hall!" Tuo Shengfeng said. "In a short while, it will become a battlefield for several major families. Since Martial God Island is very close to the Divine Martial Hall, the Cultivators of the Demon Cloud Sea started calling it Divine Martial Island."

Understanding dawned on Lin Xuan. ’So that’s how it is.’ The name had essentially been forced upon them.

"But it’s not wrong to call it Divine Martial Island either; it’s just a reversal of the characters. The key point is that the Divine Martial Hall is the Martial God’s palace, containing countless treasures he left behind. To put it bluntly, most of the weapons you see floating outside are just low-tier treasures that have drifted out of the Divine Martial Hall!"

"The Divine Martial Hall is sunken in the depths of the Demon Cloud Sea. Every few years, the tides recede, revealing its main gate. That’s when everyone rushes in to plunder its treasures. It remains open for only two months. That might seem long, but it isn’t, because the Divine Martial Hall is vast—so much larger than Divine Martial Island, it’s practically a massive island in itself!"

"Inside the Divine Martial Hall, there are not only countless treasures but also all sorts of top-grade Elixir Pills. Weapons and the like go without saying. The key is that after all these years, we’ve only ever managed to get our hands on treasures from the middle layers. We’ve never obtained the treasures from the true interior."

As he discussed the Divine Martial Hall, Tuo Shengfeng’s eyes gleamed, filled with unconcealed desire. The Divine Martial Hall must hold a treasure he desperately wanted.

Hearing this, Lin Xuan was stunned. ’No wonder so many Spiritual Artifacts are floating outside. They all drifted out of the Divine Martial Hall?’ The thought was terrifying. ’Isn’t that an absurd amount?’ Of course, this also included the belongings of explorers who had perished, as well as items dropped by experts who died seeking their own fortuitous encounters.

All of these were included, which was why Tuo Yunhai had said "most" and not "all."

"Are you saying you want me to participate in this contest, Island Master?" Lin Xuan asked.

"You could say that, but that’s not the whole story. You can participate in the contest regardless; there’s no issue with that. However, to open the gate to the true interior of the Divine Martial Hall, the condition is very simple: it requires a Cultivator who has passed the Seventh Layer of the Martial God Tower!" Tuo Shengfeng explained.

With his explanation, the reason for their great interest in Lin Xuan became blindingly obvious—he was a key!

Lin Xuan was a key that could open the inner gate of the Divine Martial Hall. Once that gate was opened, the items that could be obtained would be terrifyingly valuable. The compensation offered by Qingcheng Mansion paled in comparison. The Divine Martial Hall was the ultimate treasure trove.

There were certainly many Divine Artifacts inside, but more importantly, there were numerous top-tier Martial Arts left behind by the Martial God, which could help them break through to higher levels of Cultivation.

No wonder they valued Lin Xuan so highly. He was a key. Although not the only one, he was at least a very promising one. That was why they were so open with him, all in the hopes that he could pass the Seventh Layer.

"So, let me get this straight. The ’compensation’ you want from me is to pass the Seventh Layer and open the inner gate of the Divine Martial Hall. If I do that, you’ll send reinforcements?" Lin Xuan asked.

"Correct. There is no other way. Besides, we won’t send anyone away until the Divine Martial Hall closes. This is a matter of the utmost importance," Tuo Shengfeng stated.

"Alright then, I’ll try to challenge the Seventh Layer!" Lin Xuan didn’t hesitate for a moment. It felt a bit like he was being used, but hadn’t he also benefited from them? He was going to challenge the Seventh Layer anyway; this was just part of the journey.

He didn’t know if he could conquer the Seventh Layer, but at least now, he had hope!