Soul Emperor Awakening

Golden Dragon Scales emerged, revealing a perfect physique that withstood the countless falling bolts of lightning. No matter how terrifying the strikes, they could no longer harm him or leave his body even slightly charred.

His Golden Dragon Scales fully manifested, unleashing the power of his indestructible body to completely nullify the lightning. In reality, he wasn’t immune, but the scales prevented any further damage to his skin. The earlier strikes had only affected the surface, and only now had Lin Xuan fully activated all the Dragon Scales covering his body.

With his overwhelming Dragon Scales activated, his strength surged. Any wave of Martial Intent that rushed at him was shattered with a single punch. He even charged forward, using his body to ram through it all without the slightest bit of pressure.

The onlookers were left dumbfounded. His physique was simply too sturdy; they were stunned silly watching him. Those who had mocked him for being unable to climb were once again slapped in the face by reality.

At this rate, it wasn’t a question of whether he could climb up; Lin Xuan would reach the summit in no time.

"Are... are those Dragon Scales? Just how much Dragon Blood or how many Dragon Bones did he have to absorb to reach this state?" Lan Qinghua was stupefied. To be blunt, this formidable physique had already surpassed his own.

"What a kid! I knew Elder Lin was strong, but this physique... it’s just unreal!" Tuo Shengfeng’s eyes were wide with shock. He had seen signs of it before, but he never imagined it would be this astonishing when fully unleashed.

This was no exaggeration. His body was tougher than anyone else’s present, including the Core Formation Stage Level experts. However, a strong body didn’t mean his overall combat strength was greater than theirs. The power derived from Elemental Power was a factor that couldn’t be ignored.

In any case, Lin Xuan couldn’t defeat Lan Qinghua. His body was tough, but it could still be easily destroyed by a Core Formation Stage Level expert. That was the reality. It was why humans rarely specialized in Body Refining. No matter how strong one’s body became, it was almost meaningless unless facing an opponent of a similar level.

Besides, Body Refining was time-consuming and could easily cause one’s cultivation progress to fall behind. This created a dangerous gap. For example, by the time a Cultivator had strengthened their body, their Cultivation might still be at the Essence Pill Stage. Even if their physique was stronger than a Spirit Pill Stage Cultivator’s, they would still be killed in a single blow by one.

That was why there were so few Cultivators who focused on Body Refining. Comparatively, the Demon Cloud Sea had a fair number of them, but even they couldn’t achieve the monstrous strength of the Demon Race.

But Lin Xuan’s performance was now changing everyone’s perspective. Without such a powerful body, reaching the summit would be impossible! With one’s Elemental Power sealed and all sorts of attacks pressing down, the pressure was absolutely suffocating. Without a formidable physique, there was no way to ascend.

’Golden Dragon Scales... impressive!’ The Martial God’s eyes lit up, and he sighed in admiration. ’Finally, someone is going to make it to the top. At last, someone will receive my inheritance... Even though it’s just a small part, once mastered, it will be enough for them to stand above all others in this world!’

A moment later, Lin Xuan shot to the very top with incredible speed. The instant he landed, the dark clouds and the oppressive Martial Intent vanished completely. Everything disappeared without a trace, as if it had never been there at all.

THUD!

Lin Xuan landed steadily on the ground and let out a sigh of relief. It was all over. Lightning still coursed through his body, leaving him feeling somewhat numb. ’Thankfully, it’s nothing serious overall. If the effects had been any worse, I really wouldn’t have made it.’

He had just steadied himself when he looked around. The area before him was completely empty. There was nothing to see; everything seemed perfectly ordinary.

"Congratulations on successfully reaching the summit. Your performance has shown me your potential. Your incomparably powerful body and a mind impenetrable to Illusions are both testaments to your strength!" the Martial God praised. "Therefore, you have earned my inheritance. You may take it and pass it down to your descendants, bringing prosperity to your entire family!"

As he finished speaking, the Martial God waved his hand. A Jade Pendant descended slowly from the air and landed in Lin Xuan’s grasp. When he caught it, it wasn’t cold to the touch, but pleasantly warm and smooth. As he probed it with his Spiritual Sense, a torrent of memories concerning Martial Arts flooded his mind. A moment later, he pulled his consciousness back from the Jade Pendant.

This was a Jade Pendant whose contents could be freely shared. However, the information within was somewhat limited, on par with the inheritance he had received from the Young Martial God at best. Its greatest advantage was that it could be shared. In contrast, the memories Lin Xuan had absorbed directly were difficult to pass on—they could be understood but not easily taught.

Unless Lin Xuan’s Cultivation reached a certain level, only then could he, like the Martial God, condense this knowledge into a form that others could use for their Cultivation. After all, learning something and being able to teach it were two different things. It was a matter of one’s Realm.

It was like watching a blacksmith forge an item. Just because you’ve seen it done doesn’t mean you can successfully forge it yourself. You need a period of practice to truly internalize the process before you can teach it to others as a master.

"Thank you, Martial God!" Lin Xuan clutched the Jade Pendant excitedly. It wasn’t the contents that thrilled him, but the fact that this could save the Soaring Dragon Empire.

"Think nothing of it. It is what you have earned," the Martial God said with a faint smile. "Furthermore, you need not worry about the others outside. Since this Divine Martial Hall has been opened, everyone will be given an opportunity. In a moment, the inner Divine Hall will open completely. There are many treasures inside, artifacts I have left behind in this world. I hope you all have the good fortune to acquire them..."

After he spoke, the Martial God offered a faint smile and vanished on the spot. He dissolved into countless specks of light that dissipated into the air, merging with the surrounding space.

The contest for the inheritance was now over. Then, with a soft POP, the Divine Martial Platform dissolved into innumerable points of light and vanished. Lin Xuan began to fall from the sky, but he quickly tapped his feet against the air several times to slow his descent.

By the time he landed firmly on the ground, the last traces of the Divine Martial Platform had faded away. Just like that, it was all over.

Lin Xuan walked out, holding the Jade Pendant. A crowd of people immediately fixed their gazes on it—that was the Martial God’s inheritance! The treasure was incredibly precious, but would anyone dare try to snatch it? It would be difficult. Experts like Tuo Shengfeng and Tuo Zhanhong were not to be trifled with. Crucially, they had also brought several other Elders. While they might not be strong enough to completely overwhelm the opposition, protecting the Martial God’s inheritance would be no problem at all.

Besides, the Martial God himself had just said there were other treasures in the Divine Martial Hall. Rather than fighting for this one Jade Pendant, they were better off seeing what other treasures were inside.

"Island Master, this is the Inheritance Jade Pendant!" Lin Xuan handed the Jade Pendant over. He wasn’t worried about Tuo Shengfeng going back on his word. There were people whose words you couldn’t trust, but there were also those whose promises were ironclad.

"Good. Very good!" Tuo Shengfeng was thrilled. After accepting the Inheritance Jade Pendant, he quickly stored it away and said in a low voice, "We’ll discuss the rest when we get back. You’ve worked hard."

RUMBLE...

Suddenly, the area where the Divine Martial Platform had been began to sink, revealing a massive staircase leading down. It seemed to be calling out to them, promising countless treasures within!