Soul Emperor Awakening

Lin Xuan observed the area around the Divine Seal Sect. It didn’t seem to be heavily guarded; at most, there were two Essence Pill Stage guards stationed at the entrance, and that was it.

This was to be expected. The area around the Divine Seal Sect was covered in defensive patterns, sealing it off so tightly that it was completely impenetrable. Even flying was useless, as the space above was also blocked by a protective pattern barrier.

This was quite an extravagant measure, as maintaining these patterns required a vast amount of Primordial Stones, but the Divine Seal Sect could afford the expense. The problem was, Lin Xuan couldn’t get in through the main gate. He didn’t have an Identity Token, and worse, his portrait was on wanted posters throughout the entire Empire. If he were seen there, he would definitely be surrounded.

Of course, not everyone would have seen his face, but guards of their rank would surely be able to recognize him.

’Where can I sneak in from?’ Lin Xuan frowned. The main gate was out of the question, which meant he’d have to break through the protective barrier to slip inside.

This would be incredibly difficult. The barrier wasn’t easy to break, and crucially, it was a self-contained system. Damaging it would alert everyone. Of course, with his current strength, he could hardly damage the barrier anyway.

A barrier that powerful probably couldn’t even be broken by experts at the Void Spirit Level. Even if it could be damaged, it would hold for some time before shattering completely. At the very least, Lin Xuan couldn’t break it now. Since he couldn’t break the barrier and he couldn’t use the front entrance, he felt rather troubled.

’Is there really no way to sneak in?’ Lin Xuan’s initial idea had been simple: intercept a Divine Seal Sect disciple, steal his clothes, and walk right in.

After observing for a while, however, he completely abandoned that plan. He saw that even those with an Identity Token had to undergo a thorough, head-to-toe inspection before being allowed entry.

After a moment’s thought, Lin Xuan decided to circle around to the edge of Divine Concealment Mountain. Reaching out, he pressed his hand against the barrier. It felt like a solid wall, impossible to pass through.

’I wonder if I can get through,’ Lin Xuan thought. He wanted to try, mainly because he had managed to pass through a barrier once before, a long time ago. It had been at the underwater Crystal Palace. There was clearly a barrier there, yet he had passed through it with ease.

It had surprised him at the time, and he hadn’t tried it again since; other barriers had always blocked him. ’Maybe it’s because I didn’t activate the Soul Pearl, so it had no effect.’

’Could it be that the Soul Pearl has to interact with the barrier for me to pass through?’ After a moment of thought, Lin Xuan immediately activated the Soul Pearl inside him. The Soul Pearl began to hum, and an aura surged forth from his body.

Now, when he placed his hand on the barrier, the aura from the Soul Pearl coated its surface, allowing him to penetrate it with ease! He lifted his foot and stepped forward. Just like that, his whole body passed through, without any difficulty whatsoever.

Lin Xuan was stunned. ’It really works!’ As long as he activated the Soul Pearl, he could pass through the barrier as easily as dispelling an Illusion. The barrier wasn’t damaged at all, yet he had simply walked right through. The realization shocked him.

’I never considered this possibility before. I have to admit, my understanding of the Soul Pearl isn’t very deep. It feels like it still has many abilities I haven’t discovered yet.’

Now, he had finally learned one more of its abilities: the power to ignore defensive pattern barriers!

He had experienced this once before at the Crystal Palace at the bottom of the lake. If not for this ability, he would have died long ago, and he certainly would never have met Bingxin. Trying it again now, he realized just how incredibly useful it was.

Then again, he hadn’t encountered many barriers that needed breaking, so it wasn’t a big deal that he’d forgotten about this power.

’Does this mean I could have gotten the Coiling Dragon Ginseng from the Divine Martial Hall even without that Treasure Pearl?’ Lin Xuan thought, recalling the protected ginseng.

Of course, if anyone saw him pass through the barrier so easily without damaging it, they would go absolutely insane. This ability was simply too outrageous.

Once inside, Lin Xuan completely suppressed his aura and quickly ducked into hiding. He carefully observed his surroundings, watching for any sign of activity. His current attire was a dead giveaway and would get him discovered easily. He decided to wait there for a disciple to pass by, ambush them, strip them of their clothes, and then continue his search after changing.

Sure enough, a moment later, a disciple at the Refining Spirit Stage Level started walking toward the exit. Lin Xuan shot out like a lightning bolt. Before the other man could even react, he was knocked unconscious with a single palm strike. Lin Xuan dragged him into a corner and quickly donned his clothes.

’They fit pretty well. This should be much safer.’ Lin Xuan looked down at his new attire. The robes of the Divine Seal Sect were quite distinctive, with the character for "Divine" stitched over the chest, giving them a rather imposing look.

At the same time, he took a thin mask from his Storage Ring and applied it to his face. It adhered tightly, transforming his features into those of another person. This was the most basic form of the Disguise Technique, but even with it, he hadn’t dared to try the main gate.

Guards are trained to remember faces, and an unfamiliar one would be easily spotted, but things were different once inside. The Divine Seal Sect had countless disciples; no one could possibly know everyone. Therefore, blending in was much easier after he had already slipped past the perimeter.

In fact, he had always planned to apply his disguise *after* sneaking in, as it would be most effective that way.

After dressing, he walked openly toward the sect’s interior. He had learned from Qing Deyun that the most famous location in the Divine Seal Sect was the Divine Seal Pavilion. It supposedly contained all of their Martial Arts, with the techniques becoming higher in Grade the further up one went.

An Ultimate Skill for Soul Attacks might be found in the Divine Seal Pavilion. Of course, this was only a possibility; he had no idea if it was truly there. After all, it was an internal sect secret, so how could an outsider like Qing Deyun know for sure? Even if his information was once accurate, it could be outdated by now.

Nevertheless, he headed for the Divine Seal Pavilion first. He wouldn’t be able to access the more restricted areas anyway. After all, he was currently posing as an ordinary disciple, not an Elder. If he went too deep into the sect’s grounds, he would surely be recognized.

After wandering around for a bit, he finally found the Divine Seal Pavilion. It was actually quite easy to locate, as the building was tall enough to be seen from a great distance. Along the way, he saw many Divine Seal Sect disciples and exchanged nods with them as a simple greeting.

Everything went just as he had expected; no one recognized him. The main reason was their overconfidence in the barrier. They believed no one could get in without using the main gate, so anyone wearing the robes of a Divine Seal Sect disciple was automatically considered one of their own.

’So this is the Divine Seal Pavilion...’ Lin Xuan thought, gazing at the lavish structure before him. At that moment, he also saw a familiar face—Sun Zhe!

Sun Zhe, his strongest opponent from the Pattern Master competition. He never expected to run into him here.