Monster Paradise

At a Golden City lake garden not too far away from the noodle house.

Two figures strolled around the lake as they chatted.

“This garden hasn’t changed too much over all these years. It’s probably the least commercialized place in the entire Golden City now. It’s been a few years since I was last here,” Sword11 introduced the place casually.

“It’s pretty good for morning exercises.” Lin Huang saw some older men and women beginning their morning exercises here, but there was one more thing he did not say aloud— that this place was even better for plaza dancing.

“You’re not a hundred years old yet, are you?” Sword11 asked suddenly.

“Nope.” Lin Huang gave a minimal reply without telling Sword11 that he was actually only nineteen.

“To think your Sword Dao is already approaching the true meaning, and you’re not even a hundred yet. That’s some talent and potential you have there,” Sword11 praised him.

“I’ve been training my sword skills since childhood, but I’m not at all talented. I only understood the level-1 Sword Dao when I was 183, and I was more than 1,500 years old when I got to the level you are now. In terms of actual combat power, though, ten of the me’s back then would be no match for you as you are now…”

Lin Huang listened to Sword11’s rant quietly without interrupting.

“Then, when I was 1,561 years old, I accidentally stumbled onto some ruins that changed me completely from inside out. After that, my Sword Dao improved tremendously…”

Lin Huang’s pupils dilated slightly at that. It was highly likely that Sword11 was talking about the Great Heaven inheritance, he guessed. Finally, he could not hold back anymore, asking,

“You received the inheritance from those ruins?”

“No. I wasn’t talented enough.” Sword11 just shook his head and smiled bitterly. “Even after my transformation, I was still nowhere near talented enough for that lord.”

After Sword11 said that, Lin Huang could now be certain that he was talking about the Great Heaven inheritance.

Sword11’s current talent at the Sword Dao was the strongest Lin Huang had seen, aside from his own (and that was because he had a cheat code). Even among the Protoss, this class-4 supreme god-level genius was one in a million.

Lin Huang even suspected that Sword11 might not be weaker than Buried Heaven should their combat levels be equal.

However, even a genius like that said that he was not talented enough to obtain the inheritance.

It was likely that only Great Heaven, a man who conquered an era, could be that picky about his heir.

“Are you telling me this because it has something to do with the reason you came to me, sir?” Lin Huang did not quite understand why Sword11 would tell him all these secrets of his own accord.

“Although I didn’t earn his inheritance, I promised that lord I would find him a suitable heir,” Sword11 explained at his own pace. “After I left the ruins, I’ve actually been secretly approaching all sorts of sword cultivating geniuses over all these years, sending them into the ruins to participate in the trials.”

“Did anyone succeed?” Lin Huang hurriedly asked.

“No.” Sword11 shook his head helplessly. ‘Over the past millennia, I’ve identified thirty-five talented sword cultivators, and not one of them passed the first round.”

“No one even passed the first round?!” Lin Huang was quite surprised.

“No one even passed the first round.” Sword11 nodded.

“How many rounds are there in total?”

“I don’t know that either. At least three or four, I guess.” Sword11 shook his head with a laugh.

“Can I ask one more thing? How high is the trial’s survival rate?” Lin Huang asked again.

“The death rate is higher than 90%. Out of the thirty-five, only three got out alive,” replied Sword11 honestly.

“It’s just the first round, but the death rate is already so high?!” That death rate scared even Lin Huang.

“That’s right, it’s very difficult. The later rounds could be even more challenging.”

After a moment’s silence, Lin Huang suddenly asked again, “If that inheritance finds an heir, will you get any benefits, sir?”

Lin Huang was actually asking about Sword11’s motives. All Sword11 said was that he was helping Great Heaven find an heir because of a request, but of course Lin Huang did not believe that.

Sword11 stopped walking and turned around to look at the pond.

“On one hand, yes, I benefited from that lord. I went from a sword cultivator with barely any talent to a decently talented one after a single transformation. He helped me, so I want to return the favor.

“On the other hand, that lord promised me that he would increase my Sword Dao talent again if I made it work.” With that, Sword11 turned around to look at Lin Huang.

Lin Huang nodded slightly. “When do those ruins open?”

“They’re always open. You can go in whenever.” Sword11’s reply took Lin Huang by surprise. “Actually, many people know about that place, but no one really dares to go there because it’s extremely dangerous.”

“Where is it?!”

“Swordfiend Abyss!”

That name made Lin Huang instinctively narrow his eyes.

He was not unfamiliar with this name. Two days ago, he had read it in the information from the black market. It was a dangerous place at the border between human and Abyssal Tribe territories.

According to the information from the black market, almost no one who entered the Swordfiend Abyss ever made it out alive. There had even been a True God powerhouse who went in to explore and eventually went missing. According to the records, only one person in the entire Great Heaven Territory ever made it out of Heavenly God Abyss alive, and that was a heavenly god-level sword cultivator from a hundred thousand years ago. History books said that after that sword cultivator returned from Heavenly God Abyss, he turned into a world-ending Swordfiend. Eventually, the human Heavenly Gods joined forces with those of other races to kill him.

This contradicted Sword11’s words completely.

Sword11 said that aside from him, three others emerged from the Swordfiend Abyss trials alive.

Sword11 seemed to read the suspicion on Lin Huang’s expression, so he continued,

“The reason so many powerhouses can’t leave Swordfiend Abyss alive is because only sword cultivators can survive in Swordfiend Abyss, and only Sword Dao skills work there. If they’re not a sword cultivator, any powerhouse who enters there without the Sword Dao in their bodies would immediately meet extermination at the hands of the entire Swordfiend Abyss.

“That lord’s ruins would never be sullied by any powerhouse who doesn’t cultivate the sword.”

Lin Huang did not say anything more after that.

The two of them walked along the lake, chatting idly like old friends.

Although he could not verify the truth in Sword11’s words, at least Lin Huang now had a rough understanding of Swordfiend Abyss.

“If you’re interested in these ruins, I can send you more detailed information about Swordfiend Abyss and the trials. However, I only know about the first trial. I don’t know a thing about the ones after that,” said Sword11 extremely helpfully when they parted.

“Sir, do you know who the powerhouse who left behind that inheritance was?” Lin Huang finally asked that crucial question.

“That powerhouse calls him Great Heaven, but I’m not sure if it’s his real name or a title.” With Sword11’s reply, Lin Huang was absolutely certain now that he was referring to the Great Heaven inheritance.

“Give me some time to think about it. If I really decide to go, I’ll contact you, sir.” In the end, Lin Huang did not give him any confirmation.