Everyone turned their attention to Lin Yun. This was a rare scene in the Dragon Gate Competition. In the past, no one would pay any attention to a ninth stage cultivator because the ninth stage meant that he wouldn’t be able to obtain a title, not to mention becoming the champion.
The limelight was always saved for geniuses like Qin Yu. However, the attention on Lin Yun had far surpassed Qin Yu even before the competition started. Why? It was just because his name was Lin Yun.
He was an influential figure in the Great Qin Empire. First, he won the Alliance-Union Battle, he also rang the Phoenix Plum, he defeated three enemies at the princess’ banquet, he created a legend in the Demonlotus Realm, and he drew his sword on the crown prince’s wedding. He was the Sword Firmament Pavilion’s Lin Yun.
In just one year, he rose to fame and everyone in the hundred counties knew of him. Compared to Bai Lixuan and Situ Yi, his fame even overshadowed them. His story was too legendary. He was initially a sword slave, but he came so far that he could even stand against the crown prince.
Just who among the younger generation could compare to him? Who among the younger generation could openly stand against the crown prince? So how could his arrival not set off a bomb among the spectators?
“I knew it! I knew that he’d come! He’s someone who even dared to draw his sword against the Divine Guards, so how could he possibly be a coward?”
“Haha, he’s finally here! I was right in betting my entire fortune!”
“Hehe, I’ll probably become broke, but that doesn’t matter. The Dragon Gate Competition won’t be complete without him.”
“I heard from the Sword Firmament Pavilion’s disciples that Lin Yun has already gained back his cultivation in the ninth stage. He might not be comparable to those on the Newly Rise Ranking, but that doesn’t mean he has no hope to receive a title.”
“Hehe, let’s just wait and see.” The discussion was heated, and even those who lost their bet became emotional after sighing. The reaction wasn’t limited to just the spectators. Even those located in the guest seats were looking at Lin Yun with interest.
“That’s Lin Yun? Three core disciples of my Primal Origin Sect died in his hands?” frowned Heartcliff.
“It’s time!” Wen Yanbo gnashed his teeth as he glared at Lin Yun.
“He’s courting death…” Heartcliff didn’t seem too concerned with Lin Yun. It wasn’t easy to fight someone above your cultivation. It might be possible for someone in the ninth stage to defeat a cultivator in the tenth stage or quasi-Violet Palace Realm. But among geniuses, a small gap could be fatal in a fight, not to mention the drastic gap in their cultivation.
The difference was huge in the late phase of the Profound Martial Realm, so it was impossible for someone weaker to win in a fight between monstrous geniuses. Not only Heartcliff, but everyone else also had the same thoughts. In their view, Lin Yun shouldn’t have come.
Even if he was called a coward, it would still be better than being killed by Qin Yu. At the same time Luo Yuhang smiled when he saw Lin Yun’s arrival. He hoped that he could be in the same group as Lin Yun so that he could take his revenge.
Twilight asked, “This is the person who defeated you in the Sword Firmament Pavilion?”
“I was just tricked by him. He clearly has a ninth stage cultivation, but he lied to me that he’s only in the eighth stage. Otherwise, it would have been easy for me to defeat him at my strongest state,” said Luo Yuhang with reluctance.
“You don’t have to be bothered with him. He has offended so many people, but he still dares to be here. He’s really ignorant about the Dragon Gate Competition’s brutality,” said Twilight.
You could surrender in the competition, but true experts wouldn’t give you the chance to call out a surrender. This was how the many geniuses died in the past competitions, so many participants had this concern.
The registration finally came to an end after Lin Yun obtained his plaque. Now, he just had to wait to be appointed to a group. The assignments soon came out and it wasn’t surprising to see that the seven titled figures were placed in different groups. The other geniuses like Bai Lixuan, Situ Yi, and the rest were also divided. This wasn’t surprising because they could be considered seeded candidates. After all, it would be a pity for them to be eliminated early on.
Eight groups.” Luo Yuhang raised his brow because he didn’t see any titled figures in the eighth group. With Drifting Goblet withdrawing from the competition, this meant that there would be an empty group among the eight.
Luo Yuhang soon rejoiced because he was confident of making it into the second round. But when he looked down at the list, he soon saw a familiar name, Lin Yun.
Twilight glanced at it briefly and smiled, “Your wish came true. You’re in the same group as him.”
“Great! Let this brat be our stepping stone then! The strongest sect of swordsmen should belong to our Sword Cloud Pavilion!” said the Sword Cloud Pavilion’s elders. The enmity between the two sects ran deep. After all, the Sword Firmament Pavilion had snatched the title as the strongest sect of swordsmen from them.
“Pretty lucky. You didn’t run into Qin Yu in the first round.” Luo Feng smiled when he saw Lin Yun’s group. But he soon sighed, “Actually, you shouldn’t have come.”
“But I’m here,” smiled Lin Yun.
When Luo Feng saw the smile on Lin Yun’s face, he was dazed. For a moment, he actually couldn’t see through Lin Yun. But before he could even speak, a few old men descended onto the eight stages. They were all Violet Palace Realm cultivators, who would act as the judges for the eight stages.
“It’s finally starting!” Everyone’s attention was soon diverted to the eight stages. The spectators all looked at the eight judges. The various sects’ elders wore a grave expression because this was also a competition between the sects.
“First group, Heartcliff VS Wang Ning!”
“Second group, Trueorigin VS He Yunxiao!”
“Third group, Bai Lixuan VS Luo Ming!”
The old men standing on the various stages announced. The first to fight were either titled figures or monstrous geniuses like Bai Lixuan. It was clear that they were trying to fire up the atmosphere.
“Hehe, the first few groups are either talented or famous figures. I wonder if Lin Yun will show up in the first fight.”
“The eighth group doesn’t have any titled figure. If we’re considering fame, then Lin Yun is naturally the best pick.”
“Let’s just watch.”
The judge on the eighth stage naturally knew that everyone’s attention was on him as he raised the list of names, so he loudly announced, “Eighth group, Lin Yun VS Luo Yuhang!”
“Luo Yuhang?”
“Lin Yun!”
Lin Yun and Luo Yuhang were both surprised when they heard the name of their opponent. They were clearly shocked that they would fight each other in the first round, but Luo Yuhang soon recovered from his shock and smiled, “Interesting…”