The Sovereign's Ascension

The Sword Firmament Pavilion had four great halls, the Elders Hall, Pellet Hall, Contribution Hall, and Martial Hall. Aside from the Elders Hall that represented authority, disciples could come and go freely in the three other halls.

Lin Yun was standing before the Martial Hall toying with the Sword Firmament Token in his hand. Right now there were three stars in his token, which represented the third grade. Li Wuyou was standing next to him and was extremely envious. He had previously enquired with the Contribution Hall that to raise the Sword Firmament Token from zero to the third grade required eight thousand first grade spiritual jades.

It was an enormous amount for any outer disciple. Even Ku Yun was feeling heartache when he looked at the token because the eight thousand first grade spiritual jades came from him. Even for someone like Ku Yun, eight thousand was a considerable amount of spiritual jades.

But there was nothing he could do about it. Lin Yun needed resources to raise his Sword Firmament Token’s ranking or else he wouldn’t be able to enter the Martial Hall. If he couldn’t enter the Martial Hall, he wouldn’t be able to obtain powerful martial techniques. If he didn’t have any powerful martial techniques, there was no way he had any chance of beating Ye Liuyun one month from now.

Not to mention that if Lin Yun died, then Ku Yun’s identity as a two star alchemist would be revealed sooner or later. So he did not have any choice but to support Lin Yun fully.

The Martial Hall had nine levels, and every layer had many martial and cultivation techniques to pick from. The higher the level, the more powerful the technique would be.

“Wait for me here.” Lin Yun walked towards the Martial Hall with his Sword Firmament Token in hand.

Looking at Lin Yun walking towards the Martial Hall, Li Wuyou looked around before he smiled, “Master, what do you think of my talent? Why don’t you lend me some spiritual jades as well? I’ll repay you ten times in the future when I become the Great Qin Empire’s strongest swordsman.”

Ku Yun dismissed Li Wuyou’s words and crossed his arms while replying, “Nope.”

“What a miser…” said Li Wuyou.

Lin Yun headed straight to the third level the moment he entered the Martial Hall. His martial techniques were already lacking after he made it into the Profound Martial Realm. Martial techniques in the Profound Martial Realm were different from the Xiantian Realm in terms of their grades.

The martial techniques of the Profound Martial Realm were graded into Sky, Earth, Spirit, and Profound. Each grade was then further divided into the lesser, intermediate, advanced, and transcendent categories. 

On the third level of the Martial Hall, the best martial technique you could get would be the Advanced Profound Martial Techniques. Transcendent Profound Martial Techniques were available on the fourth level and Spirit Martial Techniques were on the fifth level.

Each grade had a huge difference in power. It was rumored that you could even find Earth Martial Techniques on the ninth level.

However, only disciples on the Sky Ranking could enter the ninth level. So only they would know if there were Earth Martial Techniques on the ninth level. But Lin Yun wasn’t thinking that far. He only wanted to visit the third level.

In the Martial Hall, the bookshelves in the surrounding were filled with jade plaques, which emitted a faint glow. Lin Yun was somewhat shocked when he entered. All the jade plaques here were profound martial and cultivation techniques. Back in the Azure Sun County, people would kill for a technique in the Xiantian Realm.

The first level alone was filled with Xiantian Realm techniques, but no one even bothered to look at them. This was the foundation of one of the four great sects that transcended the Great Qin Empire. But Lin Yun did not go for any of the cultivation techniques. After all, the Iris Sword Sutra was enough for him to reach the Violet Palace Realm.

“Returning Cloud Palm, Mountain Splitting Sword, Blossom Steps, Hundred Step Art, Seven Profound Sword, Streaking Sword Art…” Lin Yun was dazzled by the martial techniques here. All of them were tempting to him.

He now knew why so many people wanted to enter the four great sects. The martial techniques alone were enough to justify them. After all, the Martial Hall’s accumulation was contributed by predecessors of the Sword Firmament Pavilion and they spent thousands of years to accumulate these resources.

Who knew what people outside the sect had to pay to obtain a Profound Martial Technique. This was the reason why sect disciples were so powerful. The techniques that they practiced were finely selected and tailored for them. As for outsiders, they would be satisfied if they had a Profound Martial Technique, regardless of its compatibility .

Many wandering cultivators were still using Xiantian Realm techniques even after reaching the Profound Martial Realm because they couldn’t afford to buy a Profound Cultivation Technique. So it would make no sense if sect disciples weren’t strong.

“Ye Liuyun’s Sword Firmament Token is in the fourth grade…” Lin Yun’s face sank when he suddenly thought of something. This meant that Ye Liuyun had free access to Transcendent Profound Martial and Cultivation Techniques!

Lin Yun wasn’t worried about cultivation techniques. After all, if he had enough resources to support the Iris Sword Sutra to the seventh stage, it would only be stronger than Ye Liuyun’s cultivation technique. The only thing Lin Yun had to be careful of was Ye Liuyun’s martial techniques.

The Thunderclap Sword Art he practiced was a Xiantian Realm technique. It was one of the best and it was even stronger than some Profound Martial Techniques. But it was nothing compared to a transcendent technique.

“Deacon, what is the strongest sword technique here?” Lin Yun went straight to the middle-aged deacon on the third floor and asked for advice.

“If we’re talking about lethality alone, it would naturally be the Violet Thunder Sword, Nine Solar Sword, and Lone Peak Sword,” replied the deacon.

“How are they compared to transcendent martial techniques?” asked Lin Yun.

“They’ll be much worse, of course. How can they be compared when they’re different grades? Any comparable martial technique can’t be found in the third level.” The middle-aged deacon looked at Lin Yun and laughed.

Lin Yun was briefly stunned for a moment before he laughed at himself, “That’s right. An advanced is advanced, so how can it be comparable to a transcendent. May I trouble you to show me the three techniques for me to choose.”

“There’s one that’s comparable to a Transcendent Profound Martial Technique, but I don’t know if you’re bold enough to choose it. ” The deacon took out another jade plaque instead.

“Overlord Sword!” Lin Yun frowned when he looked at it.

“The Overlord Sword, this technique only has one sword,” said the deacon.

“One move?” Lin Yun found it strange that an Advanced Profound Martial Technique only had one move.

“Not one move, but one sword. Domineering everything with one sword,” said the middle-aged deacon.

When the deacon explained this, a scenery appeared in Lin Yun’s mind. It was a scene of sweeping the rivers and mountains with one sword, domineering and straightforward. It took him a long time to return to reality and when he did, astonishment filled his face.

The middle-aged deacon’s lips rose and he took the jade plaque back. He sneered when he saw Lin Yun stepping back from the shock, “This sword technique is extremely domineering. It was initially on the ninth level and everyone in the sect wanted to learn it. But over the past thousands of years, no one managed to learn it. So it has been constantly moved and now it’s ended up on the third level. This technique is extremely overpowering and not many people can control it. It’s clear that you’re not suitable for it.”

Lin Yun’s heart was reluctant, but he knew that what the middle-aged deacon said was true. There must be a reason why so few managed to practice this sword technique over the past thousands of years. When he saw the scene earlier in his mind, it felt so suffocating that it terrified him.

But when he looked around at the sword techniques on the third level, there wasn’t a single one that caught his attention. “What kind of garbage are these…”

Throwing the Violet Thunder Sword away, Lin Yun came before the middle-aged deacon and said, “I want the Overlord Sword.”

“Many people died trying to practice this sword. I suggest that you pick something else,” advised the middle-aged man.

“No. I’m determined to take it,” said Lin Yun.

In the end, the deacon gave the Overlord Sword over since he couldn’t get Lin Yun to change his mind.

Lin Yun headed down to the elder guarding the Martial Hall. The techniques recorded in the jade plaques were incomplete, so it was futile trying to steal them away. If you wanted the complete version, you would have to submit the jade plaques to the elder along with your Sword Firmament Token.

“Overlord Sword?” The elder looked at the cultivation technique recorded on the jade plaque and asked, “Who gave it to you?”

“I found it myself. What’s the matter? Can’t I pick it?” questioned Lin Yun.

The elder didn’t even bother raising his head and replied coldly, “Pick another one. There’s no way I can give you the complete copy for this Overlord Sword.”

“I’m determined to have it,” Lin Yun replied with resolution.

Raising his head to look at Lin Yun, the elder replied, “Go back to where you come from.”

But when the elder saw that Lin Yun wasn’t leaving, he snorted, “You can’t understand me? Get lost!”

“I’m not leaving unless I have the Overlord Sword.” Lin Yun stared at the elder without budging.

“Then you can keep standing here.” The elder sneered and no longer bothered with Lin Yun. As a result, everyone walking past saw a bizarre scene of Lin Yun standing before the elder.

“Isn’t that Lin Yun?”

“What’s wrong with that fellow? Why is he staring blankly at the elder?”

“He’s being punished. I personally heard the elder telling him to get lost earlier.”

“But isn’t that elder famed for his good temper? He actually scolded someone? Lin Yun isn’t trying to make an exception for himself to enter the higher levels, right?”

“That’s highly possible. After all, Ye Liuyun uses a transcendent sword technique and Lin Yun will die if he doesn't make it into the fourth level.”

“So what if he can enter? What can he learn in a month?”

The passersby conversed among themselves, looking at Lin Yun with sympathy. The challenge between him and Ye Liuyun was spread throughout the outer sect overnight.

It turned out that Lin Yun destroyed the sword intent of twelve elites in the Myriad Sword Painting and the Locket Mountain even went into war with the Gentlemen Union to protect him. But it was a pity that Lin Yun actually accepted Ye Liuyun’s challenge.

“So, are you leaving?!” The elder questioned impatiently when more people started to gather in the surrounding. Simultaneously, the pressure of his cultivation in the Violet Palace Realm came crashing down on Lin Yun.

Lin Yun was having a tough time withstanding the pressure, even though he had practiced the Thunderblitz Battle Physique. His bones were cracking under the pressure and his face was turning red. The huge difference in their cultivation was an insurmountable gulf that Lin Yun couldn’t resolve. It only took a brief moment for blood to start leaking from his seven orifices.

However, Lin Yun still endured it. He had already made up his mind that he would die before leaving. He had promised Senior Sister Xin Yan that he would kill Ye Liuyun and the Overlord Sword was his only hope.

A man had to keep his promises even if he had to cross a mountain of blades or a sea of fire.