The Martial Emperor

Chapter 16 - The Torment Ring

Lin Feng remained frozen behind the thick bushes, his eyes unblinking as he stared at the figure in the middle of the river. The light blue aura enveloping Cen Linxi gradually became denser, yet at the same time, Lin Feng realized something was wrong.

The girl's forehead was covered with beads of cold sweat. Her lips, which were usually pink, now appeared pale and trembling violently. Her hands resting on her knees clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Lin Feng could feel waves of unstable soul energy, rising and falling like a storm trapped in a bottle.

"What kind of method is she using?" Lin Feng muttered softly. "Soul cultivation should be about tranquility and unity with nature, but she... she looks like she is being tortured from within."

Lin Feng was about to call out to her, but he quickly abandoned the intention. Disturbing someone at the peak of soul meditation could have fatal consequences; the person's soul could crack or even shatter permanently. Finally, Lin Feng chose to sit leaning against a large tree at the river's edge, waiting in silence.

One hour passed. The sun began to descend, creating long shadows on the waterfall's surface.

"Haaah..."

Cen Linxi exhaled a long breath that sounded very heavy. The blue aura around her faded slowly before finally being absorbed back into her body. She opened her eyes, but the light in them looked weary and full of exhaustion. When she turned toward the river's edge to wipe her sweat, her body jolted in surprise.

"Y-you?! Since when have you been there?" Cen Linxi shouted with a voice that was still slightly hoarse.

Lin Feng simply raised his hand, waving casually from under the tree. "Just now. Sorry if I startled you."

Cen Linxi immediately stood up, stabilizing her body on the slippery stone before leaping lightly toward the river's edge where Lin Feng was. Her movements were still very graceful, though her breath was still slightly panting.

"You... Lin Feng? You're back?" asked Cen Linxi while wiping her wet face with a handkerchief. "W-why are you here?"

"Just walking around," Lin Feng answered calmly. He stared intently toward Cen Linxi. "The question is, what were you doing? I saw you earlier. Why were you pushing yourself to look so pained like that?"

Cen Linxi fell silent for a moment, slightly bowing her head as if caught red-handed doing something secret.

"I didn't expect it either," Lin Feng continued, his voice slightly lowering in admiration. "Your soul power... You've reached the Heaven Soul level two. At your young age, that's extraordinary!"

Hearing that praise, Cen Linxi's cheeks suddenly flushed red. She averted her face, trying to hide her embarrassment. "That... that's nothing. I'm still far from being called great."

"Don't be excessively humble. Heaven Soul at our age is something impossible for most people," Lin Feng returned to the original topic. "So, why do you have to endure such great pain to achieve it?"

Cen Linxi sighed, apparently deciding to be honest. She moved her hand, and from the storage ring on her finger, a dull gray crystal ball emerged. The ball emanated a cold aura that made Lin Feng's hair stand on end.

"This is the cause," Cen Linxi said softly.

"What is that thing?" Lin Feng approached, observing the ball that appeared to have a swirling black mist inside it.

"It's called the Torment Ring. This is a level four soul artifact given directly by Master Ye to me," Cen Linxi explained while caressing the ball's surface. "How it works is quite simple yet terrifying. When I channel my soul energy into here, part of my consciousness will be sucked inside."

"Then?"

"In there, my soul will receive extraordinary torture. It feels like being burned, pierced by thousands of needles, and torn apart simultaneously. The Torment Ring forces the soul to endure in the most extreme conditions. Thus, every time I successfully get out, my soul will become stronger and denser."

Lin Feng furrowed his brow. "That's insane. You're training your soul by torturing yourself?"

Cen Linxi nodded resignedly. "I have no other choice, Lin Feng. I know my talent in physical cultivation and Qi is very limited. If I follow the normal path, I will never be able to become strong. Focusing on soul power is my only path to survive in this world."

Lin Feng looked at the girl before him with a new perspective. Behind her gentle beautiful face, there turned out to be extraordinary resilience stored. However, he still disagreed with such an extreme method.

"Hard work is important, but what you did earlier was clearly forcing yourself," Lin Feng said firmly. "If your soul isn't strong enough to endure that torture even once, you could lose your consciousness forever. Why do you have to do it so intensely like this?"

Hearing that question, Cen Linxi's face suddenly turned gloomy. She stared toward the flow of the waterfall that fell with great force, as if that water flow was the burden she carried.

"Three months from now... there will be a big tournament among sect disciples," Cen Linxi murmured. "All halls will send their best representatives."

Lin Feng nodded. "I know about that. But Master Ye himself once told me that he doesn't care too much about the tournament results. The Scholar Hall is indeed not a place for those who thirst for physical victory."

"Master Ye may not care, but I cannot be like that!" Cen Linxi suddenly turned, her eyes which had been weary now radiated a very strong flame of determination. "The Scholar Hall is always underestimated. Every year, disciples from the Battle Hall always mock us. They say we are just a group of bookworms who only know how to draw papers without knowing how to fight."

Lin Feng fell silent, listening to the girl's outpouring of heart.

"I want to raise the name of the Scholar Hall," Cen Linxi continued with a voice that trembled yet steady. "I want to prove that soul power too can dominate the arena. I don't want to see Master Ye looked down upon again by other elders just because his disciples are considered weak."

Lin Feng became intrigued. "Only that? Just because you want to raise the hall's name?"

Cen Linxi bit her lower lip, her grip on the Torment Ring ball tightening. "And... there is someone I want to defeat. Someone from the Battle Hall who has acted arrogant for too long. No matter what, in the tournament three months from now, I must win."

Lin Feng could feel the blazing determination from Cen Linxi's words. That determination was so pure and unshakable, slightly reminding him of himself when he first entered the Black Bone Valley to take revenge on Dan Wuji.

"You are really stubborn, aren't you," Lin Feng smiled thinly. "But I guess that's not a bad thing."

Cen Linxi jolted, she just realized that she had spoken too much to someone she wasn't actually very close to. She immediately stood up and put the Torment Ring back into her ring. Her face flushed red again from awkwardness.

"O-oh my, it seems I've talked too much today," Cen Linxi laughed lightly that sounded nervous. "Sorry, Lin Feng. You must be bored listening to my rambling."

"Not really. In fact, I find it interesting," Lin Feng replied honestly.

"Thank you for accompanying me to chat for a while," Cen Linxi tidied her slightly disheveled white robe. She gave an awkward yet sweet smile to Lin Feng. "I'm happy to chat with you. Turns out you're not as cold as people say."

Before Lin Feng could reply, the girl had already turned around. "I must return now to recover my energy. See you again, Lin Feng!"

Cen Linxi ran off lightly leaving the waterfall area, the figure in her white robe slowly disappearing behind the trees. Lin Feng stood alone again at the river's edge, accompanied only by the never-ending roar of water.

Lin Feng stared at his own palms. He remembered the level seven rune he had unleashed some time ago.

"Cen Linxi has her own target, and she's willing to torture her soul for it," Lin Feng thought. "Then what about me? If the enemies I must face are those in the floating palace, is this level three Marrow Refinement cultivation enough?"

Lin Feng sat cross-legged again at the river's edge. The shadow of the mysterious woman reappeared in his mind. He was certain, the help with the rune some time ago came from that woman through the Yin-Yang necklace he wore.

"I must meet her again," Lin Feng hissed. "No matter how, I must enter that dimension again. The secret about myself... only she has the answers."

Lin Feng closed his eyes, trying to practice the Qi purification meditation technique taught by the mysterious woman in the cave. The sound of the waterfall gradually faded from his hearing as he began to enter deep inner tranquility.