The Sovereign's Ascension

The Xiantian Art — Dragon-Tiger Fist!

It was called a Xiantian Art because it was only intended to be cultivated by Xiantian Martial Practitioners. Unfortunately, Lin Yun knew nothing about the Xiantian Realm. The only reason he knew anything about the Xiantian Realm was because of he had been allowed to look through the Xiantian Arts in the Administration Hall.

From what he had seen, the Xiantian Realm was extremely powerful. It was rumoured that in the entire Azure Sky Sect, only the Sect Master had reached the Xiantian Realm, but no one knew if it was true.

“Let’s take a look at it first.”

Lin Yun looked at the fragmented Xiantian Art with reverence as he gently turned it over in his hands. He had decided. Defeating Zhou Yun was a worthy enough cause to warrant the risk he was about to take.

“The first form of the Dragon-Tiger Fist — Dragon-Tiger Might. Dragons are known to be ancient, mythical creatures who possess the ability to soar in the sky and dive into the sea. They are omnipotent and are one of the few sources of competition for the Vermillion Bird. They are sometimes referred to as the Dragon Kings of the Seas. In ancient times, the tiger also had a mythical variant, the White Tiger. It was the king of all land-based creatures, and no one dared to challenge its might. Clouds follow the Dragon, Winds follow the Tiger. As wind and cloud merge, the Dragon-Tiger Might is born…”

It was only the first form of the Dragon-Tiger Fist, but it was enough to stir something deep inside Lin Yun. The creator of this Dragon-Tiger Fist must have been a true genius.

Dragons were kings of the sky and sea and were only slightly inferior on land. If they fused with the tiger, they would become flawless. They would be invincible in the sky, the ocean, and on land!

The aura of the Dragon-Tiger Might would suppress anything on earth.

“Dragon-Tiger Might!”

Lin Yun’s face was brimming with excitement. If he managed to comprehend even a fraction of the Dragon-Tiger Fist, he would have no reason to fear Zhou Yun’s aura. This was the same aura that had suppressed each of his opponents to completely they had been unable to lift a finger during their match.

“The second form — Dragon-Tiger Steps. A movement technique with the posture of the two creatures combined. Its nine steps perfectly embody the pouncing tiger and the soaring dragon. As for the third form…”

He had reached the part that made it fragmented. There wasn’t a complete cultivation method for the third form. The remaining forms had even less recorded, and some were even completely glossed over.

After Lin Yun had read everything thoroughly, he was able to form a rough idea of it in his mind.

The Dragon-Tiger Fist was a fist technique that also had aura and movement components.

It was no wonder that Hall Master Wang had only asked him to look through it to expand his horizon. Every single move in the Dragon-Tiger Fist was comprehensive, including the cultivation manual, steps, and cultivation chant. He could learn so much without even practicing it.

For that same reason, he could see why he had been warned not to practice it. There was so much to unpack for each step. If you missed even the slightest thing or misinterpreted one of the instructions, the results could be dire.

“I think I might be able to handle it. I have the tiger painting, I’ve absorbed the Saber-toothed Tiger’s beast core, and I’ve achieved complete mastery of the Ferocious Tiger. So I‘ve got the tiger part covered. But for the dragon’s might…”

Lin Yun weighed his options carefully. He was blessed to have already met some of the conditions, so it would be a huge pity if he didn’t at least give it a try.

“I’m pretty sure there was a Aurora Dragon’s statue in the Main Hall. People say that a sculpture can capture the prestige and might of its subject. Maybe some art appreciation will do me some good.”

Looking at a sculpture would definitely pale in comparison to observing the actual creature, but Lin Yun wasn’t trying to grasp the Dragon-Tiger Might completely; his target was to grasp a tiny bit of it.

Half an incense’s time later, he arrived before the gigantic statue of the Aurora Dragon. There weren’t many people in the Main Hall at this time of night. Only odd-job workers who were responsible for cleaning the place had any reason to be here, but you would still find the occasional sleepless disciple wandering around.

Just a glance at the statue was enough for Lin Yun to feel an intense pressure. Dragons did really exist in the world. They were divine creatures on par with the gods, not something the likes of a human could observe

There was incense lit before the sculpture as a token of respect.

“Pardon me.”

After putting his hands together and bowing, Lin Yun walked back a hundred meters to where the might of the Aurora Dragon was at its peak. As he looked at the Aurora Dragon, an intense pressure enveloped him. It was as if Cloud Horizon Mountain itself had come crashing down on him.

This sculpture had been here when the sect was founded and had received the worship of countless disciples over the years. Despite being only a sculpture, it already possessed a prestige that ordinary humans could not contend with.

In order to resist the pressure, Lin Yun began circulating the Ferocious Tiger Fist within his body and imagined the tiger from the painting in his mind. It did not take long for the tiger’s might permeating from Lin Yun to completely counteract the Aurora Dragon’s prestige.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, the doors to the Main Hall were forced open by a gust of wind. Fallen leaves poured in, carried by the current.

“What the hell? Where is this wind coming from?!” an odd-job worker complained as he looked the mess he was going to have to rake up. It was going to be another long night…

Fluffy white clouds began to accumulate in the air above Lin Yun.

Clouds follow the Dragon, Winds follow the Tiger!

Lin Yun rejoiced as he recalled the description on the first form. However, the book had talked about gathering clouds from ten thousand miles away and wind from the nine heavens, a scale much greater than what he had achieved. Even so, under this phenomenon, Lin Yun’s comprehension advanced at a lightning pace.

The cultivation chant appeared in his mind as it began to clear up, and all those parts that he couldn’t figure out disappeared with a sudden flash. As the winds and clouds gathered, a mysterious existence deep within Lin Yun’s body unleashed an unhappy snort.

Crack!

Without warning, giant cracks spread over the sculpture of the Aurora Dragon and it collapsed. As the sound of the statue crumbling echoed throughout the Main Hall, the wind died down.

The disciples present stopped in their tracks. The prestigious Aurora Dragon that had stood in the Main Hall since the creation of the sect now lay in a pile of rubblew.

“Holy shit!” Lin Yun exclaimed under his breath. He had just unintentionally destroyed a precious, ancient artifact. If this came under investigation, he would be in big trouble.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Just as he was mulling over what to do next, the doors to the Main Hall burst open as the Young Sect Master, Bai Yufan, entered with a group of Elders following behind him.

When they saw the collapsed sculpture, the color in their faces disappeared.

“How is that possible?!”

“The Aurora Dragon’s sculpture that has accompanied our sect throughout the centuries collapsed?!”

“This is an inauspicious sign!”

“We MUST find out what happened!”

Lin Yun tried to remain calm as he desperately looked for a chance to escape.

“Is that you, Lin Yun?”

He had just about made it out of there when Bai Yufan recognized him.

Did he figure it out?

Despite feeling uneasy, Lin Yun kept a straight face and replied, “Yes, Young Sect Master.”

“You were here when we first walked in. Did you see what happened?” Bai Yufan asked as he looked over the wreckage.

“I’m not exactly sure. I came here to pay my respects and it collapsed not long after I had started. Even I was startled by the sudden commotion,” Lin Yun said, keeping his composure as he told the ‘truth’.

Nodding his head, Bai Yufan replied, “Alright, you can go back home, but tell no one of this. Go make your preparations for the elimination round. If you prepare well, you might even stand a chance. Everyone else, follow suit. No one is to say a word about what happened here today.”

“Yes, Young Sect Master.”

It seemed he had left a deep impression on Bai Yufan during the mid-year test and, thankfully, Bai Yufan did not link to the collapse of the sculpture.

“I previously saw that the winds and clouds were gathering outside. That means a Xiantian Martial Practitioner must have passed through here. Is it possible that the aura of that Xiantian Martial Practitioner clashed with the Aurora Dragon’s prestige and caused the sculpture to crumble?”

“That’s highly possible. I wonder which expert passed by our Azure Sky Sect.”

Lin Yun was relieved to hear the speculation of the Elders. After all, he was just another outer disciple in their eyes, how could he cause the collapse of the Aurora Dragon’s sculpture?

“Did I really do that?” Lin Yun muttered as he took one last look at the Aurora Dragon’s fragments. The mighty statue that had stood for in this same spot for centuries was nothing more than a pile of rubble.

Shaking his head, he decided to move on. There was nothing he could do about it now regardless of how he felt. What was important was the fact that he had successfully comprehended the profundity of the Dragon-Tiger Might.

Lin Yun ran home excitedly. He was itching to start practicing it.

While observing the Aurora Dragon’s sculpture, the mighty prestige of the Aurora Dragon had left a deep impression on his mind. It had helped him complete the missing pieces of his comprehension and had given him an idea of what to do next.

He sat before the wooden shack and closed his eyes. Time ticked by slowly as Lin Yun sat there, unmoving, for two days. When the dawn of the third day shone on his face, Lin Yun opened his eyes. His pupils shone with a dazzling splendour.

Having successfully mended the fragmented Dragon-Tiger Might, he circulated his internal energy within his body as the Aurora Dragon and Tiger appeared together in his mind. As he did, the winds and clouds began to gather overhead. He stood and threw a punch.

In the blink of an eye and a boulder three hundred meters away exploded into dust and the leaves on the ground around it vaporized.