Soul Emperor Awakening

After receiving the inheritance, a portion of the young Martial God’s energy surged into his body, helping him achieve a new breakthrough. It pushed him from the Seventh Layer to the Eighth Layer, a speed that could only be described as astonishingly fast.

This was a pleasant surprise for Lin Xuan. He hadn’t expected such a significant gain. The energy transferred to him was like a top-tier Elixir Pill, capable of rapidly boosting his Cultivation.

"You really did pass the Seventh Layer of the Martial God Tower. You didn’t challenge the Eighth Layer?" Tuo Zhanhong watched him with a wide smile, his eyes glowing with a fiery light. To the Tu Family, Lin Xuan was now a true treasure, and his status had skyrocketed.

It was all because he could open the inner gates of the Divine Martial Hall. That alone was enough. Without him, the chances of obtaining any treasures from the Divine Martial Hall this time would be slim. The hall had existed for so many years that anything accessible had long since been picked clean.

Only a few things remained. Most people now just went inside to try their luck. Generally, as long as no major treasures appeared, there wouldn’t be any fighting or robbery. It was relatively safe. If a major treasure did appear, the great families would be the ones to contend for it; everyone else could only stand aside.

"That’s right. With my current abilities, I can’t challenge the Eighth Layer just yet." After taking that heavy blow from the young Martial God, Lin Xuan knew he couldn’t pass the Eighth Layer.

He had managed to win on the Seventh Layer by going all out, but it was only a narrow victory, not a decisive one. If he had continued upward, he would have been doomed to lose.

Judging by the leap in power from the Sixth Layer to the Seventh Layer, the difficulty had increased by at least fivefold. If the young Martial God’s power on the final layer increased by a similar margin, Lin Xuan definitely wouldn’t be able to win. Making the attempt and failing would reduce the reward, so he had no choice but to withdraw. He would wait until his strength was sufficient before returning to challenge it again.

’This is my last chance; I have to complete it! But I don’t have much time right now, so climbing higher is out of the question for now.’

"Brother Lin!" Just then, Tuo Yunhai appeared in Lin Xuan’s line of sight. The moment he saw Lin Xuan, he ran over and threw his arms around him in a hug.

"Whoa, it’s been half a year! Yunhai, you’ve gotten so tall, and your Cultivation has progressed by leaps and bounds!" Lin Xuan said with a smile as he ruffled the boy’s hair. He truly saw Tuo Yunhai as a younger brother. After more than half a year, not only had Yunhai grown taller, but his Cultivation had also skyrocketed to the Fifth or Sixth Layer of the Spirit Refining Stage.

Such was the effect of an Eighth-class Talent. When supplemented with Elixir Pills in the Early Stages, one’s Cultivation would advance so quickly it was unstoppable.

"Mhm!" Tuo Yunhai pulled away from Lin Xuan’s embrace, his face beaming with joy for him. "Brother Lin, you’re amazing! You even passed the Seventh Layer! You’re so strong. You’ll definitely pass the Eighth Layer in the future and become the first person ever to clear the Martial God Tower! I knew you’d succeed, Brother Lin. You’re the best!"

Tuo Yunhai had always looked up to Lin Xuan as his idol, and even more so as his savior. He was genuinely happy to see Lin Xuan grow stronger and was willing to help him in any way he could. As soon as he heard the news about Lin Xuan, he had left his Cultivation Chamber to see him. Even after half a year, his excitement remained just as strong.

"Don’t praise me so much, you’ll make me arrogant," Lin Xuan said with a chuckle.

"Oh, right! Brother Lin, I found your thing!" Tuo Yunhai took another Storage Ring from his own and handed it to Lin Xuan. "You said before that you lost this in the Slave Prison. I had people search for it, and they finally found it. It had fallen into deep water; it took a lot of effort!"

Lin Xuan accepted the Storage Ring. Nothing inside was missing—the White Pupil Rod, the Identity Token, everything was still there. Not a single item was gone. He was touched that Tuo Yunhai had remembered, but the items in the Storage Ring were no longer suitable for him.

His Cultivation had improved so drastically that the White Pupil Rod and the statues he owned were now little more than decorations.

"Yunhai, you’re too thoughtful. Lost things are just lost. You didn’t need to go to so much trouble to find it," Lin Xuan said with a smile.

"I just remembered it while I was there. I actually took people to completely level that Slave Mine!" A deep hatred flared in Tuo Yunhai’s eyes. That place had filled him with so much resentment. After his Cultivation had improved, he had taken a group of Tu Family guards and stormed the place, truly razing the Slave Mine to the ground!

This had happened recently, not long ago at all, and the Island Master had even given Tuo Yunhai permission to do it. There was just one condition: Tuo Yunhai had to successfully pass the Fourth Layer of the Martial God Tower. They didn’t need him to rush to the Fifth Layer; just clearing the Fourth was enough to grant his request.

After all, this action would provoke the Lan Family’s wrath. But since Tuo Yunhai had demonstrated sufficient potential, he was granted a corresponding reward—the right to eradicate the Slave Mine.

This was done to help Tuo Yunhai eliminate his Heart Demon. The Slave Mine had always been his nightmare. Only by destroying it could he remove this Heart Demon, clear his mind of lingering thoughts, and cultivate better.

Of course, once Tuo Yunhai’s Cultivation reached a certain level in the future, he would have inevitably destroyed the Slave Mine anyway, so for the Tu Family, it was merely a matter of time.

"No wonder your Cultivation improved so quickly. It seems clearing your mind has been a great help to you." Lin Xuan smiled, then shifted his gaze to Tuo Shengfeng and said coolly, "Island Master, I have passed the Seventh Layer. As long as I open the inner area of the Divine Martial Hall, I should be able to get those reinforcements, I presume?"

"Yes, I will not go back on my word! As soon as the Divine Martial Hall closes, we will dispatch experts to reinforce you. There will be at least two Core Formation Stage experts, perhaps even more!" Tuo Shengfeng said with a calm smile. "The number will only be greater, not less. We have been waiting for this for many years."

"Island Master, if I find anything good inside, will I be required to hand it over?" Lin Xuan asked bluntly. There could be no conflict of interest. He was helping them open the gate; if he had to give up his rewards as well, then the price for this support was truly steep.

"We only require the Martial God’s Inheritance Martial Arts. If you obtain anything else, you don’t have to give it to us... though it would be for the best if you could. We are also short on resources," Tuo Shengfeng said with a smile, his words just as blunt. But what he truly wanted was the Martial God’s Inheritance Martial Arts.

Possessing the Inheritance Martial Arts would allow the entire Tu Family’s strength to increase immensely. The reason the Martial God’s Inheritance Martial Arts were so important to them was simple: the Martial God’s surname was Tuo. He was a member of the Tu Family!

Just like the Lin Family’s Cloud Return Technique and Lin’s Staff Technique, it was tailor-made for their bloodline, so its effects would naturally be extraordinary. Therefore, they had to obtain this Inheritance Martial Arts, no matter the cost.