Soul Emperor Awakening

The Martial God told the first three who had climbed up to rest. Lan Xuan and Zeng Xuan had no other choice; they could only sit down on the spot and meditate to recover. It was a good opportunity for them to catch their breath and prepare for the sprint to the final layer.

The continuous climb had been incredibly taxing, and both of their faces were extremely pale. It wasn’t that the gravity was overwhelmingly strong, but rather that the Illusions were growing more intense. If their Willpower hadn’t been decent, they would have ended up just like the others—falling from the heights, struggling endlessly, and almost completely losing their ability to move.

This was the general pattern. Those bewildered by the Illusions were sent out by the Martial God for the people outside to treat. Sometimes, they were just knocked unconscious with a slap, which was a slightly better fate.

Their mad dash up the platform had drawn everyone’s attention, so most people hadn’t noticed what was happening below. By the time they settled down, more than half of the contestants had already been eliminated. The only ones left were a dozen or so people climbing up toward Lin Xuan.

Out of one hundred people, only a dozen or so remained. This was elimination in its cruelest form. One’s true strength was laid bare here. In the end, only about a dozen were left, but as for the true elites, it remained to be seen who could ultimately climb to Lin Xuan’s level—the Fifth Layer!

Lan Xuan and the others paid no mind to the situation below. They simply focused on meditating and recovering. The final layer was sure to be the most difficult, so they needed to conserve all their energy for it.

Finally, after a long while, only two more people managed to reach the Fifth Layer!

Including the three who were already there, that made a total of only five people. It was a pathetic figure—only five survivors out of a hundred. The crucial thing was that they hadn’t even reached the true summit yet. The very top of the Fifth Layer was the final goal. ’Who knows how many will be left by then?’

The two who had just arrived immediately collapsed to the ground to rest, panting for breath with extremely pale faces. They quickly consumed some Elixir Pills and began to meditate to regulate their energy.

"For two members of our Lan Family to reach the Fifth Layer, it seems our strength is superior after all!" Lan Qinghua smiled, very satisfied with this outcome. Of the five qualifiers, the Lan Family had claimed two spots!

This was enough to prove the Lan Family’s strength was truly extraordinary. As for one of the others who made it, he wasn’t from one of the three great families, but from an inconspicuous, smaller family. His performance had surely brought great honor to his clan.

However, they had not rested for long before the Martial God shook his head and spoke. "Pathetic. Utterly pathetic. I expected at least ten people to reach this layer, yet there are only five! This number is abysmal. How in the world have you all been practicing your Cultivation all these years? Physique and Willpower are fundamental, and you are all lacking in both."

No one dared to refute the Martial God’s words. Still, some of them couldn’t help but feel annoyed. ’We’re so young. How could we possibly have had enough time to train our Willpower and Physique? We barely have enough time for our Cultivation, let alone finding extra energy for other aspects.’

"I had you stop on this layer for a simple reason," the Martial God said in a deep voice. "The Divine Martial Platform isn’t just for climbing; it’s also for combat! However, since the numbers are insufficient, I intend to exempt one of you from the fight!"

As he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and five beams of light shot out, landing on the contestants. In the end, it was the inconspicuous Cultivator who began to glow. It was obvious he had been exempted from the fight.

"You may continue the climb shortly. The remaining four must compete in a match. I will designate the opponents!" the Martial God declared, his gaze sharp as he looked at them.

Everyone was stunned. Lan Qinghua’s heart, in particular, was about to leap out of his chest. He prayed the Martial God wouldn’t pit the two members of his Lan Family against each other. That would be a complete waste of one of their hard-earned spots, a truly unacceptable outcome.

But if the Martial God made his decree, there was nothing they could do. His word was law. They could only watch on, stunned and helpless.

"You, fight him!" The Martial God pointed at Lin Xuan and Lan Xuan. He then pointed to Zeng Xuan and the other Lan Family disciple, "And you, fight him! I will now remove your restrictions, allowing you to fight at your full strength!"

Seeing this, Lan Qinghua finally breathed a sigh of relief. A crazed glint immediately appeared in his eyes. "Patriarch Tuo, it looks like I have to thank you for conceding this match. You all worked so hard to open the door for us. Truly, thank you for your trouble!"

His meaning was clear: he had already concluded that Lin Xuan was going to lose. Essence Pill Stage Eighth Layer against the Third Layer Spirit Pill Stage—was the outcome even up for debate? This was especially true now that the restrictions were lifted. Without the suppression, the sheer depth of one’s Elemental Power would be the deciding factor.

Tuo Shengfeng’s face turned ashen. This was a truly difficult situation. They had never expected the Martial God to pull a stunt like this. At this rate, they were truly going to lose.

No one from their Tuo Family had managed to make it this far. Only Lin Xuan had reached the Fifth Layer; all the others had been eliminated.

"Is that so? Then we shall wait and see!" Tuo Shengfeng certainly wasn’t one to back down, and he would never admit defeat. His only hope was that Lin Xuan could somehow pull off a miracle.

The Zeng Family, on the other hand, had no such worries. Zeng Xuan was guaranteed a win. The Lan Family disciple he was facing was essentially a freebie; if that disciple had been strong, he would have reached the top much earlier. Why would he have struggled until now?

At that moment, with a light flick of his finger, the Martial God erected protective barriers around the two pairs. This effectively created two small Martial Arts Arenas on the platform, allowing them to use their Elemental Power.

"The one left unable to fight is the loser. The matches begin now!" the Martial God announced.

As the restriction on his Elemental Power was lifted, Lan Xuan felt it surge through his body, flowing across his skin. He finally felt like his old self again and couldn’t help but laugh maniacally. "My Elemental Power is unsealed! Brat, you’ve already lost this fight! You killed our Young Master, and now I will personally take my revenge!"

As he spoke, the powerful aura of the Spirit Pill Stage erupted from him, crashing down on Lin Xuan as if to show off the depth of his Elemental Power.

"Only at the Essence Pill Stage Eighth Layer? I could crush you with one hand!" Lan Xuan cackled and charged forward without hesitation. "Go die! This is the price you pay for killing our Young Master!"

But as he charged, a flash of golden light shot out at an even greater speed. It streaked through the air like a bolt of lightning, curving sharply to intercept Lan Xuan.

The speed was so incredible that before Lan Xuan could even react, he found himself face-to-face with the golden light. He quickly swung his palm and snorted, "You’re courting death! How dare you attack me first!"

He swung his palm, unleashing the surging Elemental Power of the Spirit Pill Stage. His Water Elemental Power coalesced into a blue Palm Seal that shot forward to meet the attack.

BOOM!

The golden light effortlessly pierced through the blue Palm Seal and slammed heavily into Lan Xuan. With a tremendous CRASH, Lan Xuan coughed up blood and was sent flying backward into the solid protective barrier. His body shuddered from the impact, and he collapsed forward, clearly unable to get back up.

"You talk too much." Lin Xuan said coolly, flicking his wrist and dispersing the golden light in his hand.