The Sovereign’s Ascension

It was strange enough that the sword had gotten heavier, but the patterns on the sword had become clearer too. Holding onto the wooden sword, he stared at the blade as he tried to put the pieces together.

First, the sword had gotten heavier. It had been about five kilograms to begin with and now it was heavy enough that he had to use his internal energy in order to brandish it.

Second, it seemed to possess its own spirituality. Lin Yun could tell at a glance that this was no ordinary sword.

Plucking a single strand of hair, Lin Yun allowed the wind to carry it over the edge of the sword. It was sliced in two without facing any resistance. Lin Yun was shocked. His sword had undergone a drastic change.

The previous owner of his body had been working with swords for a long time, so he knew that this Flower Burial was at least as strong as the Profound Artifacts possessed by inner disciples. He had so many questions.

Any flora that could be forged into a sword had a high chance of producing a famed sword. It was possible that this sword was one such famed sword that had been severely neglected over time. If he knew the sword’s origin, he might be able to return this sword to its former glory.

“Something still feels off. What am I missing?” Lin Yun furrowed his brow as he cautiously looked around. “The scent of flowers!”

Try as he might, he couldn’t smell a single flower! The floral scent from the Hundred Flower Valley had been overwhelming before, but now he couldn’t smell a thing.

Could a sword truly be maintained by the scent of flowers? It was a stretch, but Lin Yun felt he was onto something.

While he was lost in thought, the sword began to pulse. As it did, a voice whispered in his ear, “Drifting like the duckweed for half a lifetime only to be destroyed by the cold-hearted rain; the life of the cattails was akin to incense, withering with the wind.”

Whoosh!

The words faded in the wind. All around him the flowers danced as if they had been reborn.

“This…” Lin Yun was dumbfounded. He paused a moment before continuing, “The origin of this sword seems to be greater than I’d imagined.”

When he tightened his grip, the sword felt like an extension of his arm once again. Any resistance he had felt from the sword had disappeared.

“With this sword, killing the Flaming Blood Python will be a piece of cake!” he exclaimed with confidence. Simply wielding this sword increased his strength by half.

It took only fifteen minutes for Lin Yun to return to where he found the Blood Lilies. When he arrived, the huge rock shook as the Flaming Blood Python revealed itself.

It looked at Lin Yun mockingly. Just a moment ago this human ran for his life. He actually dared to come back? The python flicked its tongue and hissed as the tip of its tail beckoned Lin Yun to approach.

Convergent Stream, Flowing Wind!

Lin Yun leapt as if he were breaching the surface of water. His Flowing Wind Sword shot out like a geyser as it combined with the wind in the Hundred Flower Valley perfectly. In an instant, he had vanished before the Flaming Blood Python’s eyes.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Flourishing his sword, Lin Yun left horrifying wounds on the Flaming Blood Python, slicing its flesh to ribbons as blood splashed onto the ground. The Flaming Blood Python hissed violently as it writhed in pain.

The unimaginable pain brought forward the Flaming Blood Python’s true potential. It released its vicious aura and struck at Lin Yun with its mouth agape.

“Bring it on!” Lin Yun scowled as he faced the Flaming Blood Python’s swift attack. He knew it would only take one strike for the Flaming Blood Python to kill him.

They were fighting as equals, though, as the Flaming Blood Python was forced to expose its vitals during the attack. The two of them were gambling their lives, two souls entwined in a deadly dance.

Wind Assembling!

Lin Yun pointed the tip of the sword at the ground as he poured his internal energy into the blade, causing it to rotate rapidly. Just as the Flaming Blood Python was about to reach him, Lin Yun raised his Flower Burial.

Whoosh!

The momentum of his swing carried him over the Flaming Blood Python’s head just as it sunk its fangs into the dirt. As it struggled to get free, Lin Yun crested the apex of his jump, his body straight as an arrow, and drove the sword into the base of the Flaming Blood Python’s skull.

Boom!

The internal energy stored within the sword exploded the moment the sword pierced the python’s body.

Crack!

The immense power behind the attack split the Flaming Blood Python clean in two. When Lin Yun regained his footing, he turned to see his handiwork. He was glad to see that the Flaming Blood Python had died instantly. This was the true might of the Flowing Wind Sword.

Sheathing his sword, Lin Yun harvested the deceased python. He was disappointed to find the Flaming Blood Python did not have a beast core, but he knew he shouldn’t be surprised. Beast cores were rare, after all.

The entire corpse of the Flaming Blood Python was filled with treasures, but it was impossible for him to take the whole thing with him. He could only harvest the snake’s gallbladder, the red stripe on its back, and its fangs without overburdening himself. He would have to leave the rest behind.

Most importantly, he retrieved what he came here for… the Blood Lily!

“What’s mine is fated to be mine!” Lin Yun said with a smile as he put the Blood Lily into a box.

He decided he would spend a few days searching the area for extra Blood Lilies before leaving. After all, he knew what to look for now. Finding them would be much easier.

In the end, he managed to find another eight Blood Lilies after only a couple days. He also found and took care of the eight Flaming Blood Pythons guarding them. He made short work of them, and was quite pleased with his pile of materials after all was said and done. His diligence in the Hundred Flower Valley had paid off. It wasn’t until his tenth Blood Lily that he ran into another problem.

Just as he found his last Blood Lily and the python that guarded it, Lin Yun heard the banter of two men growing louder. The Hundred Flower Valley was situated deep in the range surrounding Cloud Horizon Mountain, so it was safe to assume anyone who could make it here wasn’t a pushover. Over the past few days, he had encountered a handful of people but had done his best to avoid them. For these two to discover him as he was harvesting his last Blood Lily was terrible luck.

“Seems like luck’s on our side! We found the Blood Lily that the young master asked for pretty quickly.”

“Heh, the Flaming Blood Pythons that guard the Blood Lilies are pretty rare themselves. We’ll make a fortune off its parts!”

Lin Yun turned to see two middle aged men making their way towards him. Neither seemed to be from the Azure Sky Sect, but their cultivation was nothing to scoff at. Both of them had reached the sixth stage of the Martial Path.

The emblem embroidered on their clothes caught his eye. It was the name ‘Yun’ embroidered on top of a rippling pattern.

The Yun Clan of Clear Water City!

Lin Yun had heard of Clear Water City. It was the most prosperous commercial city in the Aquasky Nation, drawing in martial practitioners from all over. There were several powerful families situated in the city that were to rival the four great sects.

If he wanted to get a good price for the materials he had harvested, he would have to pay a visit to Clear Water City.

“Brat, what are you doing here? Get lost. This Blood Lily belongs to us,” shouted the man on the left. It seemed these people intended to steal it from him.

“Sorry, but I was here first,” Lin Yun said sternly. Any other day he might have let them have it, but this was the last Blood Lily he needed.

When the two men from the Yun Clan heard his words, they looked at each other and laughed.

“Hahaha! Am I hearing things? Trash in the fourth stage of the Martial Path actually wants to challenge the Flaming Blood Python?”

“Get lost, kid. You’re wasting our time,” as the man spoke, the two of them stepped forward and unleashed their sixth stage aura.

Upon seeing their aura, Lin Yun left without a word When the two men saw Lin Yun leave, they laughed and one said, “And here I thought that you might have some talent, being a disciple of a sect and all. But it turns out you’re just a coward!”

“At least he’s tactful. Forget that trash and get rid of the Flaming Blood Python. Its defense is terrifying. Stay sharp, this won’t be easy.”

“Yeah, let’s get to it.”

Lin Yun made it three miles before he stopped to look back. In his hand, he was holding the five precious Body Refining Pellets. He had hoped to make his breakthrough into the fifth stage of the Martial Path smoothly, but it looked like there would be a change of plans.