The Sovereign's Ascension

When Tong Hu saw that his choice wasn’t anything particularly precious, he smiled, “It’s yours if you want it, but I want to warn you that this technique can only be cultivated by an alchemist. It’s also not very flashy. I really don’t think it will be of much use to you.”

“That’s good to know, thank you. I think I’ll stick with it. If you’re still feeling generous, you can throw in a Pale Remnant Flower’s seed as well,” Lin Yun said jokingly. He already had plans for how to use the Spiritual Convergence Art, but there was no need to tell Tong Hu about it.

“Sure thing!” Tong Hu agreed hurriedly. He quietly let out a sigh of relief. He was just glad Lin Yun hadn’t wanted something more expensive

After Tong Hu retrieved the Pale Remnant Flower’s seed, the two said their good byes. Boss Tong saw Lin Yun to the door and smiled as he reminded Lin Yun that he was always welcome.

As Lin Yun walked down the street, he turned back and gave the Myriad Treasure Pavilion one more look. He thought he had gone on a shopping spree last time when he spent 3,000 low-grade spiritual stones. This shop really would pick you clean if you weren’t careful, but Lin Yun was glad he found it.

“The sun’s going down. I should start heading back to the sect,” Lin Yun said as he quickened his pace.

Thanks to the auction, Clear Water City was even busier than normal. Even as dusk approached, people filled the streets, a surprising number of which were martial practitioners.

Lin Yun had been walking the streets for an incense’s time, when suddenly he heard the sound of horses galloping in the distance.

Boom!

A dense demonic aura accompanied the sound of hooves beating the earth. Lin Yun’s hair stood on end as he looked for the source of the penetrating aura.

“Everyone get out of the way!” A holler burst through the air, and the sound of whip lashing grew in intensity. People began to scatter frantically, desperate to get out of the way. Lin Yun stood his ground, facing the oncoming chaos head on. He could see a handful of people riding on horseback, fearlessly charging their way down the street. The one who was leading the group rode a robust, crimson horse. The very sight of it caused Lin Yun to falter. It’s hooves pounded the ground like a rolling thunder, getting louder and heavier with each strike. As the ground shook beneath his feet, Lin Yun locked eyes with the beast.

Its large, dark eyes were filled to the brim with the haunting aura of death. Lin Yun realized it was a demonic beast and took a step back. He refocused to examine the rider of this immense creature. Lin Yun cursed. The rider was none other than the young patriarch of the Yun Clan. He had a sinister look on his face as he stared back at Lin Yun.

“I’ve waited a long time for our reunion, man with the surname Lin. I hope you like it here in Clear Water City because you’re never going to leave!”

Back at the auction house, Lin Yun calling the young patriarch’s bluff had been a slap in the face. Out of anger and humiliation, the young master had sent someone to tail Lin Yun while he prepared to exact his revenge. When he found out that Lin Yun was in the Myriad Treasure Pavillion, he gathered his guards and waited on a nearby street for the perfect moment to strike. Now it was time for the young master to capture his prey. The silence of the nearly empty streets was oppressive and unnatural. Only martial practitioners remained, eyeing Lin Yun with pity.

“This guy actually offended the young patriarch of the Yun Clan and stayed in town?” They whispered amongst themselves.

“Doesn’t everyone know that the young patriarch is a horrible person? That psychopath is genuinely evil. I feel sorry for anyone that has to deal with him.”

“Right? I mean, just look at his horse. That thing’s a monster!”

“The Dragon Blooded Horse. It’s a demon beast whose strength is in the seventh stage of the Martial Path!”

“It’s the Yun Clan’s prized possession and someone let this idiot ride it,” The onlookers watched anxiously as they speculated.

The young patriarch of the Yun Clan charged Lin Yun, his ferocity second only to that of his demonic horse. His guards followed closely behind, their yells drowning out the silence from moments before. Lin Yun watched as they approached with terrifying speed while his mind, equally as quickly, flickered through his options. Lin Yun’s first thought was to hide among the crowd. But then again, he wasn’t familiar with the Clear Water City’s topography. So, even if he hid, it was just a matter of time before they found him again, likely with more guards. Facing more than twenty in the sixth stage of the Martial Path at once was not something he wanted to try quite yet.

His only option was to face the young master head on.

His eyes darkened with determination as he assessed the situation further. He had to defeat all of them in a single move, and he would only get one chance to do it. If he failed, reinforcements from the Yun Clan would gather and his death would be assured. Flower Burial quivered slightly in his left hand as he drew it. Lin Yun’s whole body tensed in preparation. More people had flocked back to the edges of the streets to watch the drama unfold. In their eyes, he was nothing more than a terrified fool frozen in his tracks.

“Dad, why isn’t that young man running?”

“He’s probably scared silly, sweetie.”

The onlookers couldn’t help but feel anxious for him when seeing the oncoming attack. Once the Yun Clan’s guards were a hundred meters away, they were certain Lin Yun was done for, but at that moment, Lin Yun took one step to the side. His movements were subtle, but the results were not. A violent aura exploded from Lin Yun as immense winds and dark clouds gathered overhead. He had executed the Dragon-Tiger Might.

Before those from the Yun Clan could respond, their horses lost all control. Lin Yun had successfully caught nearly twenty guards, along with their young master, by surprise.

Swish!

Seizing the moment of chaos, Lin Yun aimed Flower Burial just above the center of the pack and lunged.

Wind Assembling!

Flower Burial began rotating violently in his hand, accelerating until it was just a blur. Once it reached its maximum momentum, the two of them burst forth as if shot from a geyser. Lin Yun’s internal energy was sucked into the sword in a blink of an eye. Lin Yun ripped through the air, sending waves of dust billowing over the buildings on either side of the street. The attack would be devastating but a keen eye would see that his aim was slightly too high. Lin Yun had no intention of connecting with Wind Assembling. It was merely a way for him to get in range. His true intention was to execute a move he had never shown in battle — Reflective Shadow!

When he a meter above the center of the group of Yun Clan men, Lin Yun turned sharply and launched straight into the sky, his shadow cresting in the pale light of the moon. As his figure passed over the brilliant sphere’s lower border, he vanished. The onlookers watched in awe as hundreds of after images of Lin Yun’s sword glistened in the growing moonlight. When the dazzling display had ended, Lin Yun landed softly at the center of the horseman.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The moment Lin Yun’s foot touched the ground, a crimson mist erupted from the guards. The once eerie silence was replaced by cries of anguish as the men began dropping form their horses like flies, each having suffered a minimum of three separate wounds.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

All of it had happened in a blink of an eye. In just three seconds, Lin Yun had flipped the situation around. Exclamations of shock came from the onlooking crowd as they slowly realized what they had just seen. The breath-taking beauty of Lin Yun’s movements had delayed them from processing the sheer violence of the act.

The Dragon Blooded Horse, on the other hand, had become enraged. When it saw that its owner had been injured, the horse began bucking wildly as it let out blood-curdling cries. It turned on Lin Yun and unleashed its killing aura in a heart-stopping blast. Lin Yun knew he would sustain internal damage if even a single hoof of this monstrous beast connected; but, still, he faced it with a calm smile. Sheathing his sword, Lin Yun executed the Wild Goose Art. He leapt over to the beast in a graceful arc, placing a hand on its head as he descended.

Embody the tiger, smell the rose.

The Dragon Blooded Horse that had been going berserk just moments before fell to its knees, terrified.

The onlookers and surviving guards looked on, utterly dumbfounded. The Dragon Blooded Horse, the Yun Clan’s prized demonic steed, had gone from unbridled rage to prostrating itself before Lin Yun after being touched by a single palm?

Lin Yun simply smiled. His plan had worked better than expected. Stroking the horse, he said, “Hello, my friend.”

The young master of the Yun Clan, who was lying on the ground covered in blood, stared in disbelief, “M-my Dragon Blooded Horse!”

In one swift action, Lin Yun saddled the crimson stallion. He looked down at the cowardly young master of the Yun Clan and said, “Thank you for the horse. I will take good care of him, don’t worry. You should probably see to your men. Some of them aren’t looking so good.”

He began to turn away when something sprang to his mind, “Oh, and one more thing. Those Flaming Blood Bones that you paid such a generous price for? They belonged to me.”

“What…” The young master of the Yun Clan was both deeply terrified and extremely confused.

“HYA!” Lin Yun barked, spurring the horse onwards. The young master of the Yun Clan had to scramble to get out of the way. He could only watch as Lin Yun sped off with the Yun Clan’s prized possession. Letting himself go limp under the pale moonlight, the young patriarch laid in the street surrounded by his broken guard, lost and alone.