chapter 11
11 – The Crimson Frost Arena
The once-forgotten northern province of the Mountain Kingdom—Lianwu Frontier—had become a battlefield of blood and frost.
Lin Sheng stood within the Crimson Frost Arena, a circular pit carved into glacial stone, its surface laced with ancient runes that burned a cold blue. Jagged banners of the Frost Mark Sect fluttered in the wind, icy strands curling toward the sky.
It was a sacred trial ground where only Soul Root cultivators dared challenge fate. And Lin Sheng—still only at late Mystic Pulse stage—stood alone against three elite sect heirs.
Mu Yanyu watched from the crystal pavilion above, her silver eyes like moons behind the veil. She was flanked by her cold-tempered uncle, Mu Wenzhen, elder guardian of the Moonfrost Path, and representative of her clan.
> "He dares fight at this disadvantage..." Wenzhen murmured.
"He's not fighting to win," Yanyu replied softly. "He's fighting to evolve."
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🔹 The Challengers
1. Liu Fenghai – Peak Soul Root stage, wielder of the Blazing Cloud Pike, known for bursting flame strikes.
2. Zhuo Lanxin – Mid Soul Root stage, disciple of the Jade Needle Pavilion, master of venomous Qi and silent poisons.
3. Han Xu – High Mystic Pulse stage, but infused with a False Heaven Vein pill, temporarily boosting his meridians.
All three bore marks of established sects. Their presence was no accident.
> The Frost Mark Sect had offered a cruel deal: defeat three chosen warriors in a public match, and Lin Sheng would earn entry to the Eagle Ascension Path—a test only given to those who sought early Soul Root awakening.
Lose, and he'd never be permitted to walk northern cultivation roads again.
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🔹 Battle Unleashed
A bell chimed. Wind howled.
Zhuo Lanxin struck first, a web of green mist streaming from her fingers. But Lin Sheng, calm and unwavering, shifted left, tracing a path with his bare foot across the runed floor. As she attacked, her venom recoiled—redirected by a reversal formation Lin Sheng had memorized from ancient texts.
> "How did he—?" Lanxin hissed.
Before she could retreat, Lin Sheng's palm erupted with a jade-black pulse, surging from the Mystic Soul Mark embedded within his chest.
Then Liu Fenghai charged, flame trails dancing from his spear. A single sweep could boil blood. But Lin Sheng's eyes burned silver—his Heavenly Internal Body momentarily activated.
> "Pressure... He's suppressing my Qi!" Fenghai yelled.
The arena shook as a forbidden sigil bloomed beneath Lin Sheng. He wasn't only defending—he was using the battle to force the breakthrough.
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🔸 Breakthrough Amid Combat
With blood staining the cold stone and spiritual force raging like a storm, Lin Sheng sat down in the middle of the chaos.
Han Xu lunged forward.
> "Fool! You think you can break through in battle?!"
But Lin Sheng was already falling inward. Into his soulsea. Into the Golden Pillar of Destiny, the one that had cracked slightly after his last battle. Now, it pulsed with nine glowing chains—one for each Mortal Realm stage.
One of the chains broke with a shatter of fate.
A beam of white flame surged from his chest to the heavens.
> Lin Sheng advanced to the Soul Root Stage.
In the outer world, the three enemies collapsed—Fenghai crushed by gravity, Lanxin poisoned by her own mist, and Han Xu halted mid-lunge, frozen by the sheer suppression of soul energy now radiating from Lin Sheng.
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🔹 Mu Yanyu's Silent Vow
Mu Yanyu stepped down from the pavilion as Lin Sheng stood among the broken stones. The crowd had gone silent.
> "He is no longer a nameless prince from the south," Wenzhen said beside her. "He will threaten sect bloodlines."
She didn't answer. Her heart had already made a silent vow.
To walk beside him, no matter what world tried to tear them apart.
🌌 Lin Sheng – Cultivation Progress Profile
🔹 Current Realm:
Mortal Realm – Stage 5: Early Soul Root Stage
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🧬 Stage Explanation: Soul Root
The Soul Root Stage is the fifth cultivation realm in the Mortal Path. At this stage, a cultivator:
Establishes a unique spiritual imprint, known as the Soul Root.
Gains deep soul perception, allowing one to sense truth from illusion.
Begins to perceive and interact with laws, like time, flame, fate, or space.
Can manifest soul tattoos or imprints, which reflect inner truth and destiny.
Qualifies for high-tier sects, ancient trial paths, and divine inheritance attempts.
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🔥 Lin Sheng's Unique Traits at Soul Root Stage:
Trait Description
Soul Root Type ✴️ Heavenly Internal Root (linked to law, time, flame, fate)
Soul Tattoo 🔥 Sovereign's Memory Mark – A burning feather bound by a broken chain.
Law Perception 🌀 Fragment of Law of Forgotten Time
🔥 Echoes of Sovereign Flame
Trial Passed 🦅 Eagle Ascension Path – Trial of Will and Truth
Breakthrough Insight "Only by remembering what fate tried to erase can one rewrite destiny."
Combat Power Capable of defeating mid Heaven Vein-stage cultivators under certain conditions.
Current Title (Whispered) Sovereign of Forgotten Time
Result:
✅ Rejection of Heavenly Fate Path
✅ Set foundation for Destiny Law Rebellion
✅ Soul oath now resists fate-detection techniques
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Summary of Soul Root Trials:
Trial Name Outcome
Eagle Ascension Path Soul Tattoo awakened, law fragments gained
Lunar Vein Reconciliation Soul-link with Mu Yanyu, emotional balance
Memory Flame Mirror Flame brand, ancestral truth recovered
Imprint of Destiny Severance Soul freed from bloodline fate manipulation.