The Peerless Emperor

The Trial Land at this moment could be described as a battlefield ablaze.

The trialists gradually began to realize the various benefits of conquering cities, especially the significant amounts of Soul Energy infusion that could be obtained.

Almost everyone went mad, constantly attacking various cities, all for the sake of that Soul Energy infusion.

Regardless of whether one succeeded in the trials or not, or whether they could enter the Sea Spiral Holy Institute, the Soul Energy infusion was genuine and could improve one's strength and realm.

It was something tangible, something that could be grasped.

Melees kept breaking out at the Trial Land.

Because a Soul Pillar could retain the essence of twenty people, those who had not formed alliances began to seek temporary allies. They knew well that there was strength in numbers, and that forming an alliance would increase their odds of victory.

The slaughter within the Trial Land could not be described as anything but horrific.

It's possible that upon encountering each other, immediate combat would ensue. The fewer enemies, the more opportunities one had to receive Soul Energy infusions, not to mention the increased chances of entering the Sea Spiral Holy Institute. Why not seize the opportunity?

Some people also waited outside the cities, hoping to wait for others to attack and completely break the city's Array. They would then reap the benefits like fishermen taking advantage of the situation.

Such tactics were despicable yet unavoidable; after all, there were no rules prohibiting them.

Hiding in the shadows, waiting for Arrays to be broken before attacking was something Lin Qian had also encountered.

But those who tried such tactics on Lin Qian were simply foolish.

Often, it was only when they made their move that they realized whom they were up against.

After all, Lin Qian's reputation was far too minor; no one had taken notice of such a dark horse.

In everyone's mind, those worthy of attention were the members of the Overlord Alliance and the trialists from powerful forces who had no interest in competing for ranks.

To those from obscure and unknown places, like Lin Qian, few were familiar.

What was assumed to be an easy target turned out to be a truly terrifying monster.

Lin Qian and his group's speed of conquering cities was incredibly fast; considering travel time, they could break at least one city per day and receive the Soul Energy infusion.

At most, they even conquered three cities in a single day and received the Soul Energy infusion.

Not only that, but they also gained many resources within the cities, such as Soul Devices that could enhance strength or Array Maps for setting up Arrays.

Besides, the most important were the talismans of Soul Soldiers.

Once activated, these could summon the Soul Soldiers that had defended the cities during conquests, with each talisman summoning a thousand Soul Soldiers.

All things considered, Lin Qian's group now had five hundred such talismans in their possession, totaling a force of five hundred thousand Soul Soldiers they could summon. With such a formidable aid, they had a great advantage when battling enemies.

However, not every city possessed such items.

The rules also stated that the resources within the cities could only be utilized within this trial. Naturally, the more one had, the better—it was crucial to make good use of them.

Whether it was the pouring of Soul Energy or the talisman, it had already been made clear that the rules of the second phase of the trials were to conquer as many cities as possible. The more cities one conquered first, the more resources one would accumulate.

Then, when the real killing and seizing of the marks began, there would be an even greater advantage.

Moreover, after conquering the cities, Lin Qian and his companions also found many Saint Soul Crystals in the storerooms within the cities.

Naturally, Lin Qian distributed these to his followers. Since they fought without receiving the pouring of Soul Energy, rewarding them with these items was not treating them unfairly.

When the Saint Soul Crystals came into their possession, his followers were quite surprised. Logically, Lin Qian didn't have to give these to them, and it would not have affected anything.

But now, by giving these items to them, it showed kindness and righteousness.

Time slowly passed, and the entire Trial had reached a tumultuous stage; cities with rewards left were dwindling.

A whole year had passed since the start of the Trial, and Lin Qian had already conquered a whopping one thousand cities, his hands holding over ten thousand talismans.

After passing through a thousand cities and the pouring of Soul Energy, Lin Qian's realm had already soared to the peak of the Second Level of the Qi Refining Realm, and Ye Xin's realm was no different from his.

As for Ye Nanxin, her realm had risen to the peak of the Third Level of the Qi Refining Realm, powerful and the strongest in their trio.

The Berserk Fighter, too, had benefitted greatly from this pouring of Soul Energy. His pre-existing Fourth Level of the Qi Refining Realm had risen to the Fifth Level, and his combat power had soared to an alarming degree, completely incomparable to before.

The Berserk Fighter had completely mastered the power of his Fierce Battle Clan's bloodline, his Berserk talent was almost under control, and the strength he displayed in battles was far from simple.

Now full of confidence, the Berserk Fighter believed that once a battle began, he could possibly go toe-to-toe with a contender from the Saint Rune Clan, not yielding much and confident of victory.

And all this had been brought about by Lin Qian.

The members of his clan looked at him with envy, often quietly approaching to ask when they could restore their bloodlines like he had.

At this moment, inside a conquered city, Lin Qian stood on the city wall, gazing into the distance, when the Berserk Fighter approached him.

"Your Majesty, this..." the Berserk Fighter touched his head, looking a bit embarrassed as he spoke up, "My clan members, is there any chance they can restore their bloodlines?"

After saying this, the Berserk Fighter was extremely uneasy, wondering how Lin Qian would respond or if he would unleash his wrath.

"They would all be willing to pledge loyalty to Your Majesty, and become part of the Huaxia Empire, they really..."

"Of course," Lin Qian nodded straightforwardly before the Berserk Fighter could finish speaking, "Why not? Since they are willing to join the Huaxia Empire and become one of us, they are my subjects. Who wouldn't want their subjects to be stronger?"

"Your Majesty, you agree just like that?" Lin Qian's response surprised the Berserk Fighter. He looked up at him incredulously, "You had outright refused last time; I thought you were unwilling."

"Last time, the medicine for restoring the bloodline wasn't ready yet, so of course it couldn't be restored," Lin Qian said, looking at the Berserk Fighter before him, "Moreover, the more clan members here who have their bloodlines restored, the more persuasive you'll be when you report back to your clan, right?"

However, just at that moment, at the central palace of the Trial Land, all members of the Sea Spiral Holy Institute were taken aback because their Lady Principal had once again arrived at their location!

The purpose of her visit this time was again to see Lin Qian, but what was the reason for this?

What's more, this time, there was a stranger, a man who had come with the Principal.