The Sovereign's Ascension

Lin Yun now understood why they came to find him. Liu Chenyi really didn’t have any enmity with him. On the contrary, Liu Chenyi had some admiration for Lin Yun and even wanted him to join the Shattered Sword Pavilion.

In Liu Chenyi’s thoughts, there was no place, other than the Shattered Sword Pavilion, that was suitable for Lin Yun. So, staying in the Heavenly Province Academy was a waste of Lin Yun’s time, but he smiled bitterly when he saw Mo Ling’s token. He probably misunderstood that Lin Yun fell for Mo Ling. Otherwise, there was no reason for Lin Yun to stay in the Heavenly Province Academy.

Lin Yun merely smiled. He didn’t bother to clarify Liu Chenyi’s misunderstanding.

“What a pity. You have no idea what it means to grasp xiantian sword intent before reaching the Violet Palace Realm…” Liu Chenyi looked at Lin Yun and sighed, “Even in the Ancient Southern Domain, there’s only one person who managed to achieve what you did.”

“Who is it?” Lin Yun was curious as to who did what he did. After all, even Lord Thirteen was shocked when he saw Lin Yun’s xiantian sword intent back then.

“The Northern Snow Manor’s Nangong Wanyu,” said Liu Chenyi with a grave expression. Lin Yun could tell that he was rather afraid of this person. He probably suffered in the hands of this person in the past.

“Nangong Wanyu, sounds like a woman’s name…” Lin Yun muttered to himself.

“You better not say that in front of him. He’s even more beautiful than a woman, but that’s also a taboo topic for him,” smiled Liu Chenyi. “But unlike your Sword Firmament Pavilion, the Northern Snow Manor is one of the overlord forces. So it’s not surprising that he was so talented. But you came from the Great Qin Empire, so your achievement is even more terrifying.”

Seeing Lin Yun falling into deep thought, Liu Chenyi continued, “Lin Yun, I believe you’ll join the upcoming Draconic Banquet. After all, how could a swordsman like you be willing to wait for four years?”

Lin Yun was briefly stunned by those words because Liu Chenyi was right.

“Join my Shattered Sword Pavilion. Staying in the academy is just a waste of your talent. If you join the Shattered Sword Pavilion, you will surely have a spot in the next Draconic Banquet!” Liu Chenyi said with his gaze blazing with flames. Clearly, he hadn’t given up recruiting Lin Yun.

Lin Yun smiled bitterly because Liu Chenyi really thought highly of him. However, Liu Chenyi was right in guessing that Lin Yun would join the upcoming Draconic Banquet. After all, he wasn’t even afraid of death, so why would he restrain himself? He wanted to let himself free and let his name spread throughout the Ancient Southern Domain. He would surely participate in the upcoming Draconic Banquet.

After all, he had given his promise to the Sword Firmament Pavilion, but that didn’t mean that he had to join the Shattered Sword Pavilion. If he could comprehend just a little bit of the rose painting, his harvest would far exceed a stay at the Shattered Sword Pavilion.

Liu Chenyi was strong and the Shattered Sword Pavilion was a quasi-overlord force, but that didn’t attract Lin Yun a bit. He would definitely fight in the Draconic Banquet, but he wasn’t just after having a spot. He even wanted to fight for the Dragoncloud Ranking, so why would he only be after a spot?

“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid that I have to reject,” replied Lin Yun.

Liu Chenyi had regret in his eyes as he smiled bitterly. He smiled, “Since that’s the case, then I won’t force you.”

Nodding his head, Lin Yun suddenly thought of something and asked, “Big Brother Liu, can you tell me what kind of place is the fourth layer?”

His words surprised Liu Chenyi as he asked, “What cultivation technique do you cultivate? That three hundred meter tall flame is actually not enough for you to reach perfection?”

Perfection? It was far from perfection. It wasn’t even enough for the pinnacle ninth stage. However, in other people’s eyes, Lin Yun must’ve gotten a satisfactory harvest from such a terrifying phenomenon. But judging from Lin Yun’s expression, Liu Chenyi could tell that he wasn’t satisfied.

“I’m just casually asking about it,” smiled Lin Yun. There was no way he would reveal the Iris Sword Sutra.

Liu Chenyi also reacted in time. He knew that he had asked a reckless question, so he smiled, “The fourth layer is a peculiar existence. Anyone who goes in there will be trapped in a cage that you have to break within two hours. Otherwise, the cage will continue to shrink until your body explodes. The damage can be as small as falling from your current cultivation. However, the worst case scenario will be death.”

Nie Feng also spoke out, “Brother Lin, the fourth layer is considered forbidden since many people have died in it.”

Lin Yun’s heart trembled because he didn’t expect the fourth layer to be so terrifying.

“I heard that the fourth layer has a test left behind by the powerhouse who refined the divine flame. If you’re able to break through the cage, you can obtain an Infernal Flower, while the pieces of the cage will fall into the third layer and benefit everyone,” explained Liu Chenyi.

“How do I break the cage?” asked Lin Yun.

“It’s not easy. You need to improve your strength by 50% within two hours,” smiled Liu Chenyi. “What’s the matter? Brother Lin, do you want to give it a try?”

It didn’t sound easy, but it didn’t sound impossible either. An ordinary person wouldn’t be able to do it within two hours unless it was a breakthrough in their cultivation. No one dared to take the bet and those who were incinerated into ashes were a deterrent.

But Lin Yun was absolutely confident. If the Iris Sword Sutra could reach the pinnacle ninth stage, his strength would definitely improve by 50%. After all, he could even summon a Violet Ice Sparrow after reaching the pinnacle ninth stage. The only thing he had to be worried about was what if he failed. But he couldn’t base his life on what ifs!

Lin Yun’s eyes lit up as he made his decision, “I wish to give it a try.”

His words instantly caused Liu Chenyi and Nie Feng’s faces to change. When Lin Yun turned around, Liu Chenyi finally made a decision and spoke out, “Lin Yun, the Nethercloud Ghost has announced that whoever kills you will obtain his unique cultivation technique. All the core disciples in the Bloodwing Pavilion are after you now. The Heavenly Province Academy might be able to protect you, but my Shattered Sword Pavilion can kill him for you if you’re willing to join us!”

Lin Yun wasn’t surprised by Nethercloud Ghost’s bounty, but Liu Chenyi’s insistence surprised him. If the Shattered Sword Pavilion killed Nethercloud Ghost, they would definitely be standing against the Bloodwing Pavilion, which was a huge price to pay.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t intend to change my mind,” said Lin Yun as he continued forward. 

Liu Chenyi was stunned. Liu Chenyi never expected that Lin Yun would still refuse him even after he made such a generous offer. Liu Chenyi raised his voice in reluctance, “Lin Yun, you’ll regret it!”

Liu Chenyi’s words had two meanings. One was that Lin Yun would regret losing the opportunity to join the Shattered Sword Pavilion. The other one was that Lin Yun would regret stepping into the fourth layer. But, regret? Lin Yun never felt such a thing before.

“No. I will never regret any decision I make. The sword in my hand won’t allow me to!” Lin Yun continued forward with a grave expression and heavy footsteps.

Liu Chenyi was shocked as he looked at Lin Yun because Lin Yun’s sword intent seems to be even more refined. Only a swordsman could see the glow that was currently coming from Lin Yun.

“Senior Brother, aren’t you placing a little too much importance on him? Only Heavenly Soul Realm elders can be confident about killing Nethercloud Ghost. With Senior Brother’s position, there’s no need for you to be so polite to him,” said Nie Feng after he mustered up his courage to speak.

Liu Chenyi smiled bitterly, “Nie Feng, you don’t understand what it means for a dragon to enter the sea. He’s a dragon. Now that he came to the place where he belonged, he’ll definitely shine like a gem. Sooner or later, his name will spread throughout the Ancient Southern Domain. But I never imagined that his will would be so firm at such a young age.”

“Senior Brother, isn’t your evaluation of him a little too high?” smiled Nie Feng awkwardly.

“Even if he fails in the fourth layer, he’ll definitely rise. Of course, that’s based on the prerequisite that he doesn't die. You and I can’t imagine how terrifying someone like him is. But…” Liu Chenyi smiled, “He’ll regret it. The Heavenly Province Academy isn’t suitable for him, so he shouldn’t enter the fourth layer now.”

Liu Chenyi was one of the four elites in the Nether Prefectural City, a monstrous genius on the Dragoncloud Ranking. He was the idol of many people. So it would be embarrassing if Lin Yun didn’t regret his offer when he lowered his tone. He and Lin Yun had bet on their honor and only time would reveal the winner.

Right at this moment, an azure figure soared into the sky. This figure was Lin Yun and he would press forward, without regrets, just like his sword.