Soul Emperor Awakening

Lin Xuan’s body rapidly swelled, stretching his clothes taut. The amount of Elemental Power surging into him was simply astonishing, and it continuously seeped into his meridians, wildly widening them.

Meridians are the body’s foundation. No matter how strong one’s Elemental Power is, if their meridians aren’t strong or wide enough, the resulting burst of power will be comparatively weak. It’s like a water tank: if the opening is only the size of a pinhole, no amount of water will allow it to flow out quickly. But if the hole were as wide as a thumb, the water would gush out furiously.

It’s the same with meridians. Only when they are spacious can Elemental Power circulate freely, allowing one to unleash their strongest might. Otherwise, no amount of Elemental Power can be released all at once; it can only trickle out slowly.

The Coiling Dragon Ginseng had the effect of expanding one’s meridians while simultaneously strengthening the body. It was similar to absorbing Dragon Blood, but far superior. Normally, it was only consumed by cultivators at the Spirit Pill Stage. For Lin Xuan to dare take it while only at the Essence Pill Stage was quite bold.

Lin Xuan also discovered something terrifying: the residual Energy left in his body from climbing the Divine Martial Platform had been triggered. It merged with the essence of the Coiling Dragon Ginseng and began to surge wildly through him.

The effect of the Energy from the Martial God was no weaker than that of the Coiling Dragon Ginseng. In addition to expanding his meridians, it also strengthened his body. This created a twofold effect, resulting in a massive reinforcement of his physical form!

The benefits were immense, but the crucial question was whether he could withstand them. As the two energies wildly combined, his entire body immediately began to swell. Blood seeped from the surface of his skin. If this inflation continued, Lin Xuan would undoubtedly burst apart!

’Has he been too reckless?’ Tuo Shengfeng’s eyes flickered. Just as he was about to step forward to help, an incredibly powerful aura suddenly emanated from Lin Xuan. In that instant, it was as if Lin Xuan had transformed, forcefully retracting all the overflowing Elemental Power back into his body!

Not only did he retract the overflowing Elemental Power, but he also began absorbing the Fire Elemental Power from the Flame Heart Cave. He was like a bottomless pit, frantically drawing it all in!

As he absorbed the energy voraciously, his body, far from continuing to expand, rapidly returned to its normal size. His entire aura became extremely stable, showing no signs of fluctuation.

Tuo Shengfeng’s eyes widened in disbelief. The aura Lin Xuan now displayed made him feel that even he couldn’t compare. Seeing Lin Xuan sitting there in meditation, he seemed profound and unfathomable. He was as firm as a boulder, utterly motionless, as if he had merged with the Flame Heart Cave itself—a state of Unity of Heaven and Man!

’His Control Power is that strong? He can absorb all that Elemental Power completely... That’s absolutely Heaven-Defying!’ A storm of shock raged in Tuo Shengfeng’s heart, and he stared wide-eyed. He couldn’t believe such overwhelming Control Power was possible.

He had assumed Lin Xuan would inevitably waste a portion of the ginseng’s essence. Who would have thought that not only was none of it lost, but he was even absorbing the additional Fire Elemental Power from the Flame Heart Cave.

From his perspective, even if he were to absorb it himself, he couldn’t have achieved a much better result. The problem was, Lin Xuan only had an Essence Pill Stage Cultivation. How could his Realm be so profound?

While Tuo Shengfeng was shocked by Lin Xuan’s Realm, Lin Xuan himself was long accustomed to it. Although his Soul Possession didn’t allow him to unleash the possessed soul’s full might, it granted him a Realm that far surpassed his peers. With a sufficiently high Realm, one held a massive advantage in manipulating Elemental Power.

That was precisely why he chose souls with high cultivation for his Soul Possession. He couldn’t use their true combat strength, but with their profound Realm guiding him, the power he could unleash was astonishing.

It was thanks to Soul Possession that he wasn’t worried about wasting the Coiling Dragon Ginseng. As for the potential damage to his meridians and body, or the accompanying pain, he was more than accustomed to it. Pain was trivial to him now; he had endured far worse in the past.

Still, the infusion of two immense energies was overwhelming. But compared to the chance to advance his cultivation, it was a small price to pay!

Time flew by. Lin Xuan remained steadfast, his meridians continuously expanding and his cultivation rapidly rising. He couldn’t afford to be distracted by these changes, however. All his focus was on completely absorbing the two streams of Energy; he had no attention to spare for anything else.

Gradually, the Elemental Power within Lin Xuan’s body subsided, and he entered a state of tranquility. Everything became serene.

’Looks like I’m not needed here. This kid doesn’t need a Protector at all. That Control Power... that talent...’ Tuo Shengfeng shook his head, his eyes filled with delight. ’Before long, his cultivation will surely reach a Realm that even we can only look up to in awe!’

He wasn’t denigrating himself by saying this. Possessing an Eighth-class Talent was an astonishing feat in itself, but he had always abided by the Tu Family’s ancestral teachings: Anyone who passes the Eighth Layer of the Martial God Tower is destined to become a Martial God!

Lin Xuan had already passed the Seventh Layer. Even if he couldn’t pass the Eighth Layer, his future achievements would undoubtedly surpass theirs. The Tu Family was just that direct. They measured all future potential by one’s performance in the Martial God Tower. For example, if someone with an Eighth-class Talent could only pass the Third Layer, they would be considered utterly useless!

Of course, this was an exaggeration. Someone with high talent was unlikely to perform poorly in the tower ascent. But to them, even for someone with an Eighth-class Talent, the higher they could climb, the more limitless their future.

「Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.」 Lin Xuan’s aura remained calm as he continued to absorb the energy.

「Twenty days passed.」 His aura remained stable as he continued the absorption process. Tuo Shengfeng had long since stopped acting as his Protector, having left to handle other affairs. He would occasionally send someone to check in, but no longer came himself. As the Island Master, he was indeed swamped with duties; it was not a relaxed position. This was especially true now that the Inheritance Jade Pendants had arrived and required proper distribution.

「A month passed.」 But today, something was different!

Outside Divine Martial Island, a peculiar dark cloud had gathered, with lightning flickering ominously within it, as if preparing to strike. The Demon Cloud Sea was perpetually shrouded in dark clouds, so that in itself was not unusual. What was strange was that beneath this familiar cloud cover, a second layer of dark clouds had formed!

This new cloud layer felt distinctly different. An immensely powerful pressure blanketed the area, making everyone below feel suffocated. Those who drew near felt an overwhelming urge to kneel in reverence!

’Which one of our Stewards is breaking through to the Core Formation Stage?’ A flash of delight appeared in Tuo Shengfeng’s eyes. Tribulation clouds typically only appeared when a cultivator broke through to the Core Formation Stage.

If the Spirit Pill Stage was a threshold, then the Core Formation Stage was a qualitative leap—a complete evolution of the body! One could see this from the ability to form Elemental Power Wings; the leap in power was absolutely astonishing.

’No, that tribulation cloud seems to be coming from the direction of the Flame Heart Cave. Could it be Elder Lin who is facing a tribulation?’ Tuo Shengfeng shot to his feet in shock and hurried toward the Flame Heart Cave. Just as he drew near, an Elder burst out of the cave in a panic.

"I-Island Master... There’s a tribulation cloud over Elder Lin’s head! Is he... is he undergoing a tribulation?" the Elder asked, his face a mask of horror. This was something that should only appear for someone with Core Formation Stage Cultivation; how could Lin Xuan have triggered one?

It was the first time in their history they had ever witnessed such a thing, so no one could blame them for losing their composure.