Soul Emperor Awakening

In the blink of an eye, Lan Xuan collapsed, his body convulsing. The match had only just begun, yet he was already on the ground, half-dead. The more discerning experts in the crowd had seen exactly what happened.

Lin Xuan had been brutally simple. He had landed a single, heavy punch right on Lan Xuan’s chest. A devastatingly violent force slammed into him, causing his chest to cave in significantly. The protective barrier around Lan Xuan had been utterly useless. Even the Physique that was the pride of the Demon Cloud Sea was easily shattered.

"What just happened? The man from the Lan Family was defeated already?"

"A flash of golden light, and Lan Xuan was on the ground? I feel like if I were on that platform, I would’ve been defeated just as easily."

"Wasn’t that a little too easy? Did the Lan Family throw the match on purpose?"

...

The crowd instantly erupted. Who could have expected such an outcome?

"Is that the power of the Essence Pill Stage? How is that possible!" Just moments ago, Lan Qinghua had been gloating, certain that Lin Xuan was about to be defeated. Who would have thought Lan Xuan would be taken out with a single punch, defeated before he even had a chance to react?

The scene stunned the entire audience. An Essence Pill Stage cultivator would normally have no chance of defeating a Spirit Pill Stage expert. Yet, Lin Xuan had done it—an effortless, one-shot victory.

"That’s our Elder Lin for you! So strong! As expected, anyone who can pass the Seventh Layer of the Martial God Tower is no slouch. That power is just so overbearing; it might even be greater than ours!" Tuo Shengfeng was stunned, but more than that, he was full of praise. His usually stern, handsome face instantly flushed with delight, and he was clearly overjoyed.

The Lan Family and the Tu Family were already on bad terms. Now, one of their experts had been demolished with a single punch. It looked like he wasn’t going to make it. Even if they managed to save him, he would certainly need a very long period of recuperation before he could fully recover.

"Patriarch Lan, the man you sent up seems a bit lacking. He couldn’t even take a single punch from our Elder Lin. How could you have the gall to send him out to compete?" Tuo Shengfeng seemed to enjoy a war of words and couldn’t resist berating the Lan Family at this moment.

Lan Qinghua’s face was livid, but he had no rebuttal. They had sent out their strongest, and he had been defeated. What else was there to say? Any argument they could make would be utterly feeble.

’A one-punch takedown, hmm? That power is certainly overbearing—far more than I ever was!’ The Martial God smiled in satisfaction. With a light wave of his hand, Lan Xuan was teleported from the platform, materializing in the air below. Lan Qinghua quickly caught him.

Only now did the crowd get a clear look at Lan Xuan’s condition. His chest was caved in, and a golden fist-shaped brand was seared onto his skin, shimmering faintly. The overbearing might of Golden Elemental Power was truly peerless!

’That brat... I have to kill him!’ Lan Qinghua’s eyes burned with such fury they looked ready to split, the rage in his heart soaring to an unbearable peak. He desperately wanted to strike Lin Xuan dead with a single blow, but it was impossible right now.

On the Divine Martial Platform, the other match also ended quickly. Zeng Xuan’s fight was relatively easy as well. While he didn’t achieve a one-shot victory, he still finished his opponent off within three moves.

The member of the Lan Family who had climbed up to face him had a relatively low Cultivation, so his defeat was a foregone conclusion. He had only put up a token struggle.

Now, only three contestants remained. Only these three would be able to ascend to the very summit. Who would be the first to reach the peak was anyone’s guess.

"Very good. You have all defeated your opponents. You may now continue your ascent," the Martial God said with a faint smile. "This is the most difficult layer; I hope you can make it to the top. My legacy, my Ultimate Skill, can be obtained by only one person. I wonder, which of you three will be the first to reach the summit!"

The words had barely faded when the three of them rushed toward the steps. Grabbing onto small, protruding bricks, they began to slowly climb upward.

Their speed was incredibly slow, far slower than before. The gravity had increased to a crushing one and a half million jin, and the Illusions meant to distract them had intensified several-fold!

And that number would only continue to increase as they climbed. By the time they reached the summit, the gravity would likely hit two million jin—to say nothing of how much worse the Illusions would become.

This presented an immense challenge for the other two climbers. But for Lin Xuan, his speed was the same as before, climbing upward at a steady, unhurried pace. Though his speed hadn’t changed, he was now significantly faster than the others. At this rate, Lin Xuan would certainly be the first to reach the top!

’His speed... it’s too fast...’ Zeng Xuan’s face was pale. After just a few more handholds, he was already struggling to hang on. Illusions swirled madly in his mind, and his vision began to warp. The brick in his hand no longer felt like a brick; it felt as if he were gripping a mountain of blades, and searing pain shot up from his palm.

He shook his head sharply, and the Illusion before his eyes gradually faded. For a brief moment, things returned to normal. But as he continued to climb, the Illusions rapidly intensified, blurring his vision once more. At the same time, seeing Lin Xuan getting further and further ahead filled him with a burst of fury. He quickly retrieved a Weapon from his Storage Ring and hurled it forcefully in Lin Xuan’s direction.

Climbing far above, Lin Xuan immediately sensed danger from below. He turned his head to see a sharp longsword hurtling toward him. Just as he was about to reach out and grab it, a flash of light flickered in front of him, deflecting the blade.

After spinning a few times in the air, it shot back toward Zeng Xuan. It happened so suddenly that Zeng Xuan, still lost in the Illusion, was impaled. The sword pierced straight through his chest.

THUD!

He fell heavily from high up on the wall. Although he wasn’t dead, the sword wound had caused him considerable damage. It was unlikely he could continue climbing.

This development stunned everyone. How could the Weapon have bounced back?

"Resorting to such tricks will only harm yourself," the Martial God’s voice boomed. "Anyone who attacks another will have their attack reflected, and at double the power!" As he spoke, he waved his hand, and Zeng Xuan was flung off the platform.

Outside, Zeng Yinghua swiftly caught him. His face was livid, and he was utterly mortified. He never thought that resorting to such petty tricks would backfire so spectacularly, bringing shame upon them and earning a public rebuke from the Martial God.

"Patriarch Zeng, your man certainly has your style. Always hiding in the shadows, scheming against others. I guess it finally backfired on you, huh?" Tuo Shengfeng sneered. "He couldn’t climb up on his own, so he tried to attack someone else from behind. He has no one to blame but himself for his own lack of ability!"

Zeng Yinghua’s methods were indeed known to be extremely insidious. Truly, like patriarch, like disciple.

Zeng Yinghua’s face turned a shade of crimson usually reserved for pig’s liver. Many had witnessed the failed sneak attack. Had it succeeded, no one would have said a word. The crucial part was that it had failed.

This was the simple logic of "the victor is king, the vanquished is a villain." Success makes you a king; failure makes you a pariah.

"Patriarch Tuo, I hope your man makes it to the top... and I hope he makes it back down in one piece!" Zeng Yinghua spat, his words a clear threat. He had obviously been provoked by Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan was catching blame for doing nothing. It was clearly that idiot Zeng Xuan whose own sneak attack had failed, yet the blame was somehow being pinned on him.

"Don’t you worry. He’ll fare much better than your people did!" Tuo Shengfeng retorted with a cold sneer, completely unafraid of their threats. He then turned his head back to the Divine Martial Platform just in time to see the last remaining competitor fail to continue his climb. Overcome by the Illusions, he too fell from a great height and was sent out by the Martial God.

At this moment, only Lin Xuan remained on the Divine Martial Platform!