The brilliance in the Extermination Mountain Range only lasted for an instant. After the initial chaos, the demonic beasts hidden in the mountain range also calmed down. However, the wandering cultivators in the mountain range couldn’t calm their emotions for a long time. The brilliance might have lasted for an instant, but it was deeply imprinted in their minds. They couldn’t figure out how someone did that.
“Finally!” Lin Yun’s features were defined under the sunlight. He might not have made a breakthrough in his cultivation, but the boost in his strength over the past month was unimaginable. Just the Heavenly Seal alone was enough to shake the entire Great Qin Empire, not to mention combining the four seals and having the Seven Profound Steps reach the Manifestation Stage. He made a breakthrough in his fist, movement, and body-refining techniques.
“The Dragon Gate Competition should be three days away now. So there’s no need for me to be in such a hurry.” Lin Yun sat back down. In the end, his martial techniques required the support of his origin energy. Without the support of origin energy, his effort for the past month would go down to drain.
Covered in a veil from the sunlight, Lin Yun retrieved the second grade spiritual jades from his interspatial pouch and started cultivating. The Iris Flower in his dantian bloomed as it started absorbing the spiritual energy frantically.
Within his body, the spiritual runes engraved on his nine profound veins slowly glowed and formed a painting. It was the painting that Lin Yun had inscribed with his age energy and origin energy. It was his trump card, but since it was already revealed, his opponents would be cautious against it.
“The amount of resources needed for the Iris Sword Sutra to make a breakthrough is astronomical. I’m clearly at the threshold, but I can’t make a breakthrough into the tenth stage. However, this should be enough. With the density of my origin energy, I won't have to be afraid even if I face a quasi-Violet Palace Realm.” Lin Yun recalled how tough his cultivation had been along the way.
Compared to Bai Lixuan, his aptitude was inferior. Compared to Qin Yu, his authority and status was insignificant. After all, he used to be a sword slave. However, since he was already on this path, this meant that he no longer had any paths of retreat. He could only use the sword in his hand to pave his way.
Lin Yun opened his eyes and his black pupils radiated like stars. “Pinnacle ninth stage?”
Lin Yun realized that his senses had gotten much better, so much so that he could even sense the fine movements of the surrounding insects. He should’ve made a breakthrough long ago in his cultivation. After all, he had gotten a greater harvest than anyone in the tenth level of the Black Lotus Palace.
Aside from refining countless Demonlotus Cores, Lin Yun also refined the Yin-Yang Pellet that granted him a sturdy foundation. If he didn’t shatter his own profound vein, he would’ve already reached the tenth stage by now. So his cultivation in the past month and refining two Violet Palace Realm’s beast cores had smoothly brought him up to the pinnacle ninth stage.
“I’ve used up all my spiritual jades. But the three origins left in my body by Guardian Plum can aid me in breaking through at any time.” Lin Yun considered it and ultimately denied that idea. He decided to leave that as his trump card since he believed that Guardian Plum didn’t want him to refine the three cultivation origins he left, but rather for Lin Yun to protect himself with them.
Getting back up on his feet, Lin Yun let out a roar towards the forest. It didn’t take long for a crimson figure to appear within his sights. Lin Yun revealed a smile when he saw the Dragon Blooded Horse. He was confident in Lil’ Red’s speed so he said, “I’ll be depending on you to make it back in time.”
Even Sword Condors could no longer be compared to the Dragon Blooded Horse’s speed. After all, the Dragon Blooded Horse possessed the bloodline of a dragon and its speed was unimaginable after its bloodline was awakened.
In the blink of an eye, two days had passed and the Dragon Gate Competition had finally started. Before dawn even arrived, the Dragon Gate Plaza was filled with people. The place was heavily guarded by the Divine Guards as Liu Feilong took command personally.
The empire’s aristocrats and clans also entered the plaza under countless spectators’ envious gazes. The guest seats were the best seats available for watching the competition, but not everyone had the qualification to be up there.
“The Heavenly Profound Sect is here. Look, it’s Trueorigin! He’s the Heavenly Profound Sect’s only hope after Drifting Goblet withdrew. I wonder if he can stop His Highness from becoming the champion. After all, Drifting Goblet was the champion in the previous competition.”
The appearance of the first titled figure naturally caused an uproar as many people wanted to take a look at him.
“The Sword Cloud Pavilion is here too. Is that black-clothed youth Twilight?”
“That’s him! The person standing beside him is his junior brother, Luo Yuhang. He’s ranked fifth in the Newly Risen Ranking. I also heard that he trained the Supreme Radiance Sword to a high level. He’s only second to Twilight in the Sword Cloud Pavilion.”
The Sword Cloud Pavilion might not be one of the four major sects, but Twilight was famous in the empire. Recently, the Sword Cloud Pavilion’s fame was catching up to the four major sects. After all, Xin Jue didn’t participate in the previous Dragon Gate Competition, so this meant that the Sword Firmament Pavilion didn’t have anyone receive a title. So everyone had been comparing the two sects.
“The Primal Origin Sect is also here. That’s Heartcliff! The one beside him must be Zuo Yun!”
“This Zuo Yun is a genius. He’s only ranked after Situ Yi and Bai Lixuan on the Newly Risen Ranking.”
“Hehe, speaking of Situ Yi, the Demonic Moon Villa is also here.”
Unlike the other sects, the Demonic Moon Villa was like a special guest because their party arrived in floating ships. One must know that it was forbidden to fly around the Dragon Gate Plaza. But since the Divine Guards did nothing to stop them, this meant that they had acknowledged the Demonic Moon Villa’s special rights.
“The Heavenly Qin Institute is here!” The spectators became excited when more sects were arriving.
“The Sword Firmament Pavilion too…”
“Where? Where are they?” A voice instantly attracted countless gazes when they saw the Sword Firmament Pavilion’s party entering the Dragon Gate Plaza from the Northern Gate.
“Bai Lixuan, Ye Feng, and Xin Yan… Where’s Lin Yun?”
“It looks like the rumors are true!”
The Sword Firmament Pavilion’s arrival had attracted everyone’s attention, but Lin Yun was nowhere seen. This instantly made some people rejoice, while others were concerned. After all, many of them were attracted to the bet on whether or not Lin Yun would participate in the competition. Some of them had even bet their entire fortune on it.
However, everyone’s attention was instantly attracted to the royal family’s arrival. A group of robust horses strode into the Dragon Gate Plaza as they walked towards the throne. The one leading the group was a middle-aged man donned in an imperial gown. His arrival had instantly shut down the commotion coming from the spectators.
He was the Great Qin Empire’s monarch, Qin Luochen. Behind him, Qin Yu and the Bloomphoenix Princess were quietly following. The three of them gave off a different temperament, the temperament of a ruler. This was because the three of them were the rulers of this empire, holding the lives of millions in their hands. Their birthright gave them this ruler’s temperament.
However, when they saw the princess and crown prince walking side by side, this made many people feel weird. This meant that the two had the qualifications to inherit the empire in the eyes of Emperor Qin.
The entire empire naturally paid attention to this competition, so if the emperor intended on letting Qin Yu inherit the throne, he wouldn’t allow the princess to walk side by side with Qin Yu.
“Greetings, Emperor Qin!” The elders and disciples stood up from their seats.
The four sects might transcend the empire, but they naturally have to give their respect to the emperor on the surface.
“Please, be seated.” Emperor Qin stretched his hand out with a smile.
“Thank you, Emperor Qin.” The elders and disciples waited for the princess and prince to be seated before they sat down.
“The Dragon Gate Competition is a grand occasion in the Great Qin Empire. The rules remain the same. There is no restriction to letting geniuses below the age of twenty-five with cultivation at least in the eighth stage participate, regardless of their sect or origin. All of you can have an incense’s time to register.” Emperor Qin wasn’t hosting the competition for the first time, so he didn’t have much change on his face.
He sat down, which was a signal that the registration had begun. On the eight stages, there were naturally people prepared to handle registration and there was also someone who lit up an incense.
The Dragon Gate Competition’s rules were simple. The fight would be divided into two rounds, the first being the elimination rounds. The participants would be divided into eight groups and four people would emerge from each group. In the second round, the thirty-six people would then fight for the eight titles.
The Dragon Gate Competition had a strict requirement as only those beneath the age of twenty-five and in the eighth stage could participate. Even the four major sects didn’t have many people that qualified. But the Great Qin Empire had over a hundred counties, so this meant that there were countless cultivators.
The moment Emperor Qin made his declaration, many people went over to register themselves. If it wasn’t for the fact that some people knew that they wouldn’t be able to make it through the first round, the number of people registering would be much higher.
An incense’s time wasn’t long, but it was more than enough for everyone to register. When half an incense’s time passed, the number of people registering began to decrease. When the incense was nearly burnt out, the Sword Firmament Pavilion’s party became anxious as they looked around.
The various sects naturally knew what the Sword Firmament Pavilion was concerned about. Bai Lixuan and Ye Feng were both here, so this meant that they must be looking for Lin Yun.
While other sects were rejoicing, Qin Yu suddenly spoke out, “Royal father, I think that the Sword Firmament Pavilion must have a situation. Why don’t we extend the registering process to half an hour?”
Emperor Qin glanced at Luo Feng and asked, “Elder Luo, what do you think?”
Luo Feng raised his head with a grave expression and replied coldly, “Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. But the incense hasn’t burnt out. It doesn’t matter if we run out of time. Don’t think that I don’t know what’s in your mind.”
“Everyone knows what’s in my mind,” snorted Qin Yu. A trace of disdain flashed in his eyes and he laughed, “If he really wants to participate, it won’t matter much if we extend the registering process by half an hour. I’m only afraid that he’s too scared to be here.”
No one had imagined that Qin Yu would have such a deep hatred for Lin Yun. Although Qin Yu didn’t mention anyone’s name, everyone naturally knew who he was talking about. Aside from Lin Yun, who snatched his bride-to-be, who else could it be?
The disdain Qin Yu showed made the faces of Sword Firmament Pavilion’s disciples and elders turn ugly. However, Lin Yun was truly nowhere seen and the registering process was also coming to an end. No one was concerned about the process. The only concern was the results. The Sword Firmament Pavilion’s group wanted to rebuke the prince, but they had nothing to say.
“I’m afraid that you will be disappointed. He’s already here,” said the Bloomphoenix Princess. Her words instantly made everyone from the Sword Firmament Pavilion’s faces change as they saw a youth coming over on a horse with a sword box on his back.
“Lin Yun!”
“It’s really Lin Yun!” An uproar instantly rose in the Dragon Gate Competition. Qin Yu had declared that he would take Lin Yun’s life in the competition and Lin Yun really showed up.
Qin Yu was briefly shocked before his face became dark. A brutal and cold sneer rose on his lips that sent chills down the spines of those who saw it.