Soul Emperor Awakening

"Sun Zhe..." Lin Xuan was a bit stunned to see the familiar face before him. He hadn’t expected to meet Sun Zhe again.

Back then, Sun Zhe had been filled with hatred for him. Lin Xuan had completely stolen his thunder, even snatching the first-place ranking away, which had made him furious.

Of course, Sun Zhe was still full of hatred for Lin Xuan now. Their last battle had left him completely paralyzed. If not for the vast amount of Elixir Pills provided by the Sect, he wouldn’t even be able to get up.

That was why Lin Xuan was so surprised to see him. Sun Zhe was a member of the Divine Seal Sect, so it was inevitable they would meet. It was just that last time, Lin Xuan had crippled him so badly that, without medicine, he would have spent the rest of his life bedridden.

But now, here he was, perfectly fine and with an improved Cultivation, having reached the Fifth Layer Essence Pill Stage. This Cultivation was quite decent. Clearly, the Divine Seal Sect had spared no expense in treating Sun Zhe; otherwise, he wouldn’t be up and about now.

Sun Zhe’s talent wasn’t bad, and more importantly, he possessed the rare Spatial Constitution. They truly wouldn’t have gone to such lengths for anyone else.

At this moment, Sun Zhe walked into the Divine Seal Pavilion, and Lin Xuan followed. An Elder sitting off to the side glanced over at Lin Xuan, his piercing gaze sizing him up as if trying to see through him. Lin Xuan had long since suppressed his aura, displaying only a Spirit Refining Stage Cultivation.

This was a very common Cultivation level, the most numerous in fact. He had originally intended to suppress it only to the Essence Pill Stage Level. The problem was, there weren’t that many at the Essence Pill Stage in the entire Divine Seal Sect, making them easy to identify. So, he had suppressed his Cultivation to the Spirit Refining Stage, which would be a bit safer.

That being said, whether he could actually fool him or not was up to this Elder.

"Sixth Elder, this disciple has come to participate in the soul assessment. May I go in now?" Sun Zhe walked up to the Elder and asked respectfully.

"The soul assessment... You can go in now. I remember you just went in half a year ago. Are you sure you want to go in now? If you haven’t made any progress, you’ll just be wasting an opportunity," the Sixth Elder said earnestly.

"Of course. This disciple’s soul has strengthened considerably over the past six months. I’ll definitely be able to obtain a better Soul Martial Arts!" Sun Zhe was full of confidence. He had been cultivating diligently for the past half-year, never slacking for a moment.

"Mm. Ever since you lost to that Lin Xuan, you’ve been working very hard. But I’ve heard that Lin Xuan’s Cultivation is even stronger now... Are you sure you still want revenge?" the Sixth Elder inquired.

"Revenge! I will have my revenge!" Sun Zhe’s eyes turned cold, his voice filled with fury. "I’ll never forget the harm he caused me for the rest of my life! I must raise my Cultivation and kill him with my own hands! I’ll raze Qingcheng Mansion to the ground, and I’ll snatch away every woman associated with him and humiliate them viciously..."

His eyes were bloodshot, and Killing Intent surged from him. He was completely consumed by hatred.

"Your Killing Intent is too strong... He has become your Heart Demon. If you can channel that hatred into motivation, you might actually be able to do it!" the Sixth Elder chuckled. "Are you about to break through to become a Sixth Grade Pattern Master?"

"Soon. I can feel it! With my Spatial Constitution, I should be able to break through within five years!" Sun Zhe calmed down from his rage, but his eyes were still bloodshot.

"Good, very good!" The Sixth Elder smiled. This was exactly the effect they wanted. Hatred could easily make one lose their reason, but sometimes it was also a way to promote a breakthrough.

Especially in recent years, Sun Zhe’s breakthroughs were plain to see. He was full of motivation, a true cultivation maniac.

Standing behind them, Lin Xuan’s gaze turned icy. ’He wants to raze Qingcheng Mansion to the ground and snatch away the women close to me to humiliate them...’ These were things he absolutely could not tolerate. He wanted nothing more than to smash Sun Zhe into a meat paste with a single punch. Some things should never be said!

Back then, it was Sun Zhe who had shown Killing Intent towards him first, yet now he was the one being blamed. But when it came to hatred, there was no right or wrong.

"Go on up. Good luck." The Sixth Elder handed the Identity Token back to Sun Zhe with a smile. "If you can obtain the strongest Soul Martial Arts, your future will surely be promising!"

"Thank you, Sixth Elder!" Sun Zhe took the Identity Token and headed upstairs.

Lin Xuan then walked over, handed over an Identity Token, and said respectfully, "Sixth Elder, this disciple also wishes to participate in the soul assessment. May I take part?"

"Oh, you want to participate too?" The Sixth Elder looked Lin Xuan up and down. With his Spirit Pill Stage Cultivation, it was difficult to see through Lin Xuan’s disguise unless he knew everyone personally. "No problem. It’s just that your Cultivation is a bit low. But it’s good to get some ordinary Soul Martial Arts in advance to practice with for now. Besides, you’ve never been here before, so with this Cultivation, you’re eligible to enter once."

After tapping the token, the Sixth Elder handed it back to Lin Xuan. This action made him sigh in relief. It seemed the Elder hadn’t recognized him.

’Looks like my luck is good. I happened to grab a token from someone who’s never been here before. Otherwise, this would have been troublesome...’ Lin Xuan nodded to himself. ’Choosing someone with a low Cultivation really makes a difference. If I had picked an Essence Pill Stage Level cultivator, I would have definitely been recognized.’

After Lin Xuan went upstairs with the Identity Token, the Sixth Elder stared at his back for a moment and muttered, "Strange. Why does he look so unfamiliar? He’s never been to the Divine Seal Pavilion before? Whatever. I’ll go up and see what new level Sun Zhe has reached in the past six months."

He left his seat and followed them upstairs. Lin Xuan glanced back, his heart tightening slightly, and his pace slowed. ’Did he see through my disguise?’

At the same time, his fingers gently brushed his Storage Ring. If the Sixth Elder were to attack or try to capture him, he would immediately counterattack, then take out the Phoenix and escape. This would mean his infiltration had ended in failure... A pity, but at least he would save his life.

But then, the Sixth Elder simply walked past him, following Sun Zhe upstairs without paying Lin Xuan any mind. This made him let out a sigh of relief. It seemed he had just been mistaken.

Composing his tense nerves, he followed them to the Third Layer of the Divine Seal Pavilion. This was the place for the soul assessment.

There were no Martial Arts manuals on the Third Layer. The room was simple, with only Grass Mats placed on the floor. The general rule was simple: one had to sit and meditate on a Grass Mat. Upon undergoing the assessment, one would be granted a Soul Martial Arts of a Level corresponding to their Soul Strength!

This was the soul assessment—a system that awarded Soul Martial Arts of varying quality based on one’s own ability. If your soul was too weak, the reward would be poor. If it was very strong, the result went without saying—you would receive a top-tier Soul Martial Arts.

Everything was based on one’s own ability. The strong would receive good Martial Arts, while the weak would only get poor ones. It was very fair.