Soul Emperor Awakening

The moment Lin Xuan sat down on the Grass Mat, a Soul Attack immediately surged from it into his body, frantically assaulting his soul.

Initially, the attack was relatively weak, so he barely felt a thing as his soul held firm, unshakable. It grew stronger as time passed, which didn’t surprise Lin Xuan. ’The soul assessment is just that simple.’

The main point was to assault his soul to test the strength of his soul power and see how long he could withstand the attack. Different Ultimate Skills required different Soul Levels to be cultivated, and if one’s soul wasn’t strong enough, cultivating them was fundamentally difficult.

Therefore, it was impossible to pass through sheer luck; one could only steadfastly endure the relentless attacks.

At that moment, Sun Zhe had snapped out of his daze. When he saw Lin Xuan’s back, the figure seemed somewhat familiar, but he paid it no mind.

The figure was familiar, but the thought that it could be Lin Xuan never crossed his mind. His preconceptions were too strong—the protective barrier was supposedly unbreakable and hadn’t been damaged, while entering through the main gate was even more out of the question.

So, whether the person seemed like a stranger or was vaguely familiar, they would never consider the possibility of it being Lin Xuan. Since no alarm had sounded at the main gate, there couldn’t be any problem.

"Sixth Elder, I’m sorry. I failed again..." Sun Zhe said shamefully to the Sixth Elder, not paying Lin Xuan any mind.

"Don’t worry, you’ll have other chances. Go back and focus on your Cultivation. Who knows, maybe you’ll be able to break through next time," the Sixth Elder said, not blaming him in the least. It was never easy to begin with. If Sun Zhe could overcome this hurdle, becoming a Sixth Grade Pattern Master wouldn’t be difficult!

After they exchanged a few words, a short while had passed. They noticed that Lin Xuan hadn’t been repelled; on the contrary, he was sitting there steadily, showing no signs of pressure.

"This new disciple isn’t half bad. He’s holding on for a while. If he can keep this up, obtaining an ordinary Earth Level Soul Martial Arts should be no problem," the Sixth Elder commented with a touch of praise. He always appreciated anyone with potential, though for now, it was merely a passing thought.

Sun Zhe glanced at Lin Xuan again, then said to the Sixth Elder, "I’ll go to the Recovery Chamber to rest for a bit..." His face was pale, a clear sign of the considerable strain he had just endured.

The soul assessment was certainly not easy. If it were, everyone would be able to obtain powerful Soul Martial Arts.

"Yes, go get some rest. I’ll head down now." The Sixth Elder didn’t care what Lin Xuan’s results would be. He wasn’t particularly interested anyway; at best, the boy would only qualify for an Earth Level Soul Martial Arts.

After they left, someone remained on the Third Layer. It was just an ordinary Guard, watching over Lin Xuan in case of any accidents.

’So it’s reached the illusion stage...’

A smirk touched the corner of Lin Xuan’s lips. As time passed, the attacks began to intensify. Illusions started to bubble up from the depths of his mind, materializing before him and assailing him as he meditated.

If he was forced out by the illusions, he would be judged to have failed. In other words, rising from the Grass Mat was equivalent to failure.

To him, however, this was all rather meaningless. Even without relying on the Soul Pearl, these illusions and Soul Attacks were mere child’s play.

"Perish!"

With his eyes still closed, Lin Xuan grunted softly. His voice seemed to transform into a Breaking Demon Sound, spreading in all directions and utterly destroying every illusion it touched.

An Hour passed in the blink of an eye. The sight made the Guard’s eyes go wide. He had assumed Lin Xuan would last for half an Hour at most, but a full Hour had now passed!

After a moment’s thought, he hurried downstairs and reported to the Sixth Elder, "Sixth Elder, that disciple who went in just now has already lasted for a full Hour!" He had decided to report it. While lasting an hour wasn’t unheard of, what was astonishing was that Lin Xuan only had a Spirit Refining Stage Cultivation!

The stronger one’s Spiritual Power at a lower Cultivation level, the greater their potential for future achievements! To them, Soul Strength was fundamental—the stronger the Spiritual Power, the better. It was generally referred to as soul power.

"What? An Hour!?" The Sixth Elder shot to his feet. Without the slightest hesitation, he headed upstairs. Rather than ask more questions, he would see for himself.

When he arrived on the Third Layer, he saw that Lin Xuan was indeed sitting there, perfectly stable. His expression hadn’t changed in the slightest. He just sat there quietly, his aura completely undisturbed.

"He really managed to last an Hour! I thought he would have been in the Recovery Chamber by now..." the Sixth Elder said, extremely excited. "To have such a powerful soul with only a Spirit Refining Stage Cultivation—his future achievements will be limitless!"

Generally, anyone at the Spirit Refining Stage Cultivation who could last this long would absolutely be groomed with greater resources. The soul assessment was like the test at the Talent Stele, but it was much stricter, which was why its results carried the most weight.

Lin Xuan paid no attention to the situation outside, simply continuing his meditation. In the blink of an eye, another half Hour passed. An hour and a half meant he was guaranteed to obtain a Celestial Level Soul Martial Arts!

Shock! Utter shock!

Someone at the Spirit Refining Stage with a Soul Strength comparable to a Spirit Pill Stage expert—how could they not be shocked? Generally, only those at the Spirit Pill Stage possessed such Soul Strength, or at the very least, those in the Late Essence Pill Stage.

"Quick, go and notify the other Elders!" the Sixth Elder exclaimed in a joyous surprise. "Our Divine Seal Sect is about to witness the emergence of a shocking genius! It looks like he can keep going. I wonder if he can last for two Hours! Two Hours would be truly Heaven-Defying. As for three Hours... I dare not even imagine it!"

The Guard hurried off to notify the other Elders to come and witness the situation. At that moment, Sun Zhe walked out of the Recovery Chamber and found that everything had changed. A crowd of people was surging up from the lower floors, though he didn’t know what they were all coming to see.

When Sun Zhe went closer, he saw several Elders gathered around, and he couldn’t help but ask, "What’s going on?"

"This disciple has been in here for over two Hours. Quiet down and just watch!" the Sixth Elder snapped impatiently, his eyes glued to Lin Xuan. The others didn’t dare to breathe too loudly, afraid of affecting Lin Xuan in the slightest.

In just a matter of hours, Sun Zhe was completely ignored as Lin Xuan’s status skyrocketed. The Elders had already ordered silence, so Sun Zhe naturally had to swallow the rebuke.

"This... how is this possible? He lasted two Hours with only a Spirit Refining Stage Cultivation!" Sun Zhe was shocked. As he watched the meditating Lin Xuan, his gaze turned cold. ’What in the world is happening? Can it be that he’s really going to obtain the Spirit God Technique?’

His heart filled with jealousy. The Divine Seal Sect had rescued him and invested heavily in his training precisely because they saw his talent. If this young man before him were to take his place, all the resources prepared for him would undoubtedly be transferred over. How could he not burn with resentment?

Lin Xuan, still resisting the Soul Attacks, was completely unaware of the situation outside. He had no idea that his actions had already stunned the entire Divine Seal Sect.