Chapter 97: Tempering the Soul

　　[Ding! The host has been detected to be on a spiritually rich level. If you stay here for an hour, you can automatically temper your soul and increase the power of your soul by 50%.]

　　As Lin An stood firmly on the sixth floor with the help of his protective clothing, he suddenly heard the notification sound go off.

　　He was startled, but he was then immediately overjoyed. As long as he could withstand the suppression of the tower of trials, his soul’s power would increase by fifty percent, and then, no matter how strong the tower of trials’ suppression turned out to be, it wouldn’t be difficult to endure it anymore.

　　Therefore, Lin An could save a lot of lottery coins since he would no longer need to draw the lottery machines.

　　If the sixth level had such a generous reward, the seventh and eighth levels had to have even more valuable advantages.

　　Lin An gritted his teeth and persevered through the sixth level with the belief that his soul would become stronger.

　　In order to withstand the effects of the pressure on the sixth level, Lin An frequently moved around in search of the points where the pressure was less intense.

　　An hour passed by quickly, and the success rate system’s notification finally rang in his ears again.

　　[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully undergoing the tempering. The power of your soul has increased by 50%!]

　　Buzz!

　　As the success rate system notification sounded, Lin An felt an ethereal sound originating from his mind.

　　The parts of his body related to the power of the soul became stronger, and according to his perception, the speed of his brain’s circulation also increased.

　　After Lin An’s soul increased in strength, its power spread outwards, breaking the suppressive force that was like a shackle on his body.

　　He immediately let out a long breath, and he felt as if a heavy burden on his body had been lifted.

　　“Since that’s the case, then watch me clear this tower of trials. I won’t listen to anyone who tries to persuade me!”

　　After he motivated himself, Lin An resolutely took a step towards the seventh level.

　　…

　　Outside the tower of trials, Lin An’s wooden token had remained at the height of the sixth level for over an hour.

　　The cultivators below the tower had stared at the wooden token for a long time, and the entire area had been filled with a dull atmosphere.

　　“How can he be so strong! He’s already been in there for an hour, and it seems like he’s continuously advancing on the sixth level?”

　　“This is already the highest record achieved since the establishment of the Hundred Flowers Valley Sect. Even if he exits the tower of trials in the next moment, he is already the best cultivator among the younger generation in the field of soul strength!”

　　“That’s right. It is said that the nine-star artifact master from the Green-Wood Kingdom Sect next door stepped into the sixth floor when he was young. However, he was ejected from the tower of trials just as he entered the sixth floor. From then on, that record became a mountain that countless young talents failed to climb over.”

　　“Who would have thought that a genius from our Ghanaian Empire would break this record? He entered the sixth level of the tower of trials at the peak of the golden core stage, yet he still persisted for close to an hour with no signs of defeat. It seems that the younger generation is outstanding!”

　　“How long do you think he can persist for?”

　　“I think he should be out soon. After all, it has already been an hour. It’s impossible for him to persist any longer.”

　　“I think no matter how amazing he is, he’ll probably be out in the time it takes an incense stick to burn.”

　　“That’s right. If he continues to hold on like this, he’ll probably permanently damage his soul power and become a cripple. It’s not worth the risk for him to stay in there any longer.”

　　The cultivators continued to discuss the situation animatedly. Basically, they all felt that it wouldn’t be long before Lin An exited the tower.

　　A few Hundred Flowers Valley Sect disciples looked at the tower with extreme nervousness, and their palms sweated profusely.

　　“I didn’t expect that our Hundred Flowers Valley Sect would have such good fortune. A hundred years ago, there was a proud daughter of the heavens with an ice spirit root who later became the Empress of the Ruoshui Kingdom. Now, we’re witnessing another disciple who has peak soul strength, and he could definitely reach the peak of alchemy and artifact refinement in the future!”

　　Buzz!

　　At that moment, Lin An’s wooden token began to move.

　　Everyone stared at it with their eyes wide open, and their mouths were aghast. The faces of all the cultivators at the scene were filled with shock and disbelief.

　　“How is this possible!”

　　“Oh my God!”

　　“Am I dreaming? Could what I just witnessed be my delusion?”

　　A majority of the cultivators couldn’t help but exclaim in awe. The shock in their hearts was indescribable.

　　The Hundred Flowers Valley Sect disciples had been the first cultivators to notice the movement. They had hurriedly raised their heads to look at the tower of trials and exclaimed, “Eh? Why isn’t the wooden token on the sixth level?”

　　Once they had cast their gazes at the higher parts of the trial tower, the disciples had been scared silly.

　　“The seventh level!”

　　Several female disciples from the Hundred Flowers Valley Sect screamed. Their voices were out of tune, and their hearts felt like they were being bombarded by reality.

　　How was it possible for a peak golden core cultivator to step onto the seventh level?

　　Was the person inside really human?

　　“No! No! This is absolutely impossible. I have spent my entire life studying the path of medicine refining. I have consumed countless natural treasures to nourish my soul, and until now, I was only barely able to step onto the seventh level of the tower of trials. This black-robed youth is only twenty years old; how could he do this?”

　　At the eye of the third stage, a white-haired and bearded elder saw the scene, and his face was filled with shock.

　　The few Hundred Flowers Valley Sect disciples beside him also had blank looks as they observed the tower.

　　Originally, they had been chatting casually, and they had estimated that Lin An would exit the tower after a few seconds.

　　However, who would have thought that before they could even finish their words, the youthful cultivator would suddenly charge towards the seventh level!

　　The move had caught all of them by surprise.

　　“S-senior, he went up to the seventh floor.”

　　“Huh? Ah, yes! I saw it.”

　　“No, senior! Have you forgotten? The Empress of the Shui Nation is currently in seclusion on the eighth floor. What if Lin An makes his way up to her level?”

　　“Uh…” The senior brother was momentarily stunned before he shook his head and said, “Don’t worry, the seventh level is definitely his limit. Even if it isn’t, the eighth level has already been closed by the elders. It’s impossible for him to proceed any further!”

　　…

　　Inside the tower of trials, Lin An was practically sprawled on the floor. He couldn’t even lift his face, and he was in a very sorry state.

　　Fortunately, there were no other cultivators on the floor, or else, they would have viciously made fun of him.

　　Lin An felt that he was about to be completely crushed by the power of the tower of trials. His soul was on the verge of shattering, and he had a feeling that it was about to split open.

　　His only respite was that the defensive clothing that he was wearing was partially resisting the suppression of his soul’s power. Otherwise, Lin An would have definitely been thrown out by the tower of trials.

　　However, he was determined to hold on because the success rate system had issued some encouraging instructions.

　　[Ding! The system has detected that the host is currently out of the training ground. As long as you hold on for an hour, you will increase the power of your soul by 80%!]

　　Under the high pressure, Lin An really wanted to curse the tower of trials, but the suppression was too strong, and it was basically impossible for him to make a sound.

　　However, as Lin An was holding on for dear life, a woman was on the eighth floor of the tower of trials, and she had just closed her eyes to begin her meditation on her cultivation techniques.