The Sovereign’s Ascension

Three days was considered a short break for everyone. The intensity of this round was clearly a lot higher than the two previous wounds and many people were only barely holding on. It hadn’t been easy for Lin Yun either.

But fortunately, his outcome was good. He successfully became the seeded candidate for the fourth group. Plus, he benefited greatly from his fight with Nangong Wanyu. He could sense that his comprehension of the sword had increased a lot through their fight.

After the judge made his announcement, the audience slowly left.

“This is the most exciting banquet ever.”

“Having seeded candidates made the battles even more intense. The most intense journey has to be Lin Yun’s journey.”

“Hehe, there are also geniuses in the other groups like Fang Hanluo, Zhu Qingshan, and Bai Lixuan!”

“Speaking of which, many of the seven elites were defeated. I never would have expected this. From the previous banquet’s geniuses, only Jiang Ziye and Wu Xiaotian had outstanding performances.”

“The next round of the competition will be brutal. Sixteen people are fighting for six spots. Everyone will probably reveal their trump cards now.”

“The newly risen geniuses will be ferocious while the veteran geniuses will be cautious. I’m sure it won’t be easy to force anyone to reveal their trump cards.” Although the crowd had dispersed, the conversations were still heated. The conversations were even more intense throughout the inns. Many people talked about Lin Yun killing Lin Tao and defeating Li Mubai with one attack. To a lesser degree, they also talked about Zhu Qingshan, Yue Weiwei, Bai Lixuan, and the other dark horses.

As night descended, the Sword Firmament Pavilion’s courtyard was brightly lit as everyone congratulated Lin Yun on his victories. They were especially happy that he made it into the top ten. Even if he was defeated by the three kings, no one could shake his position in the top ten.

No one from the Great Qin Empire had ever achieved such a terrifying ranking before. Lin Yun’s achievement wasn’t limited to the glory of the Sword Firmament Pavilion, but also the glory of the Great Qin Empire. In the future, when cultivators from the Great Qin Empire wandered around, they wouldn’t be looked down on because of Lin Yun.

Everyone had gathered to eat, drink, and talk. Although Lin Yun wasn’t the kind of person who liked these celebrations, he was happy when he looked at everyone’s faces. When he looked around, he discovered that the only person missing was Zuo Yun. When he thought about it, he hadn’t seen Zuo Yun since the first round.

It was a shame that Zuo Yun couldn’t join given his strength. After all, Lin Yun had noticed during the beast tide that Zuo Yun was a lot stronger than Feng Ye. This was in addition to Zuo Yun concealing a portion of his strength. Had he participated, his performance might have been similar to Fang Hanluo or Bai Lixuan.

“Have you guys seen Zuo Yun?” Lin Yun asked Feng Ye, whose face was red from the wine.

“Huh, that fellow isn’t here? He is a little too much…” Feng Ye placed his cup down and looked around.

“How can I miss out on the celebration?” Right at this moment, Zuo Yun appeared in the courtyard with his saber hanging from his waist.

Seeing Zuo Yun, everyone put their cups down and greeted him. At this moment, Feng Ye laughed, “Haha, you’re late. Your punishment is three cups of wine, but even that’s not enough.”

Putting his saber down, Zuo Yun smiled, “Then I’ll punish myself with a jar. Lin Yun, congratulations on defeating Nangong Wanyu and becoming the seeded participant.”

“Haha, yeah!” Everyone laughed as they slammed their palms on the table while Zuo Yun lifted a jar of wine. Then, he started chugging the entire thing.

“I want to make a toast! To the Sword Firmament Pavilion!” Lin Yun said before he drank his cup of wine.

“To the Firmament Sword Pavilion!” Everyone stood up and raised their cups.

“You guys don’t mind if two guests join, right?” Out of nowhere, Bai Lixuan walked in with Jiang Ziye. The atmosphere became silent once Bai Lixuan came. They were toasting to the Sword Firmament Pavilion and Bai Lixuan was no longer part of it. He was part of the Cloudtrigram Sect now.

“Everyone, make room. Lil’ White, Miss Jiang, have a seat.” Pavilion Master Plum politely offered them seats. He had no resentment towards Bai Lixuan as he could understand that people would always try to aim for a higher position. He was genuinely happy that Bai Lixuan was able to join an overlord force.

“Congratulations.” Bai Lixuan said as he raised his cup to Lin Yun.

“Young Master Lin, this toast is for you,” smiled Jiang Ziye.

“You’re too courteous.” Lin Yun returned a toast to Jiang Ziye. It didn’t take long before two more guests arrived in their courtyard. The newcomers were Wu Xiaotian and Ji Wuye. Wu Xiaotian was still fighting in the tournament while Ji Wuye had been eliminated. Wu Xiaotian even managed to crush Ji Feng who previously stood above him. This was proof that Wu Xiaotian had a high possibility of making it into the top ten.

The two were naturally here to congratulate Lin Yun. Initially, Wu Xiaotian was going to congratulate Lin Yun and leave, but he suddenly decided to sit down. After all, he had a grudge with Jiang Ziye from the previous banquet and had been holding it in his heart for a long time.

“What are the chances that you would be here to congratulate Lin Yun too? Our fight in three days is unavoidable, so what do you say to a little spar?” Wu Xiaotian smiled as he provoked Jiang Ziye a little.

Jiang Ziye raised her cup and replied, “Forget about it. I’m afraid that you might lose terribly and act as insane as you did four years ago. If that happens, you’ll miss your shot at the top ten.”

The atmosphere was intense between them and it felt like they would start fighting at any moment. Everyone became nervous because Jiang Ziye and Wu Xiaotian had the strength of the top ten. A fight, no matter the size, would cause a huge commotion.

Lin Yun placed his cup down, which drew everyone’s attention. “Miss Jiang, you’re the one who understands the three kings the most. Can you help me sort out my thoughts?”

Lin Yun did this because he wanted to stop Jiang Ziye and Wu Xiaotian from fighting. Additionally, he wanted a gauge of the three kings’ strength. After all, the three kings had yet to show their true strength.

The moment Lin Yun asked his question, everyone turned to look at Jiang Ziye.

“I’ve interacted with them briefly, but I also don’t have much information on them. Let’s start with Yan Long’zi first…” Jiang Ziye pondered briefly before she continued, “Yan Long’zi’s physique is probably the strongest in the whole tournament. I once saw him kill a newly risen Heavenly Soul Realm demonic cultivator with one fist. Additionally, he comprehended the flame intent and is proficient in a domineering fist technique.”

It might sound like a lie that Yan Long’zi could kill a Heavenly Soul Realm expert with one punch, but Lin Yun knew this was the truth. He was unfazed because Yan Long’zi managed to heavily injure the Indigothunder Dragonvulture. An ordinary Heavenly Soul Realm demonic cultivator was nothing in comparison to the Indigothunder Dragonvulture.

“The strongest physique? Is his physique stronger than Lin Yun’s Azure Dragon Battle Physique?” asked Feng Ye.

Jiang Ziye smiled, “It’s probably stronger. He’s from the demon clan and has a wisp of the Flame Dragon’s bloodline. Although it’s just a wisp, it’s still a dragon bloodline. Young Master Lin’s physique isn’t weak, but I believe you haven’t reached the peak yet, right?”

Lin Yun nodded his head. His Azure Dragon Enneaform was only at the octaform, and he knew that there was no hope for him to make a breakthrough any time soon. Furthermore, he needed a beast core or fruit containing dragon bloodline to make a breakthrough.

But there was a chance he could reach the quasi-Heavenly Soul Realm or that his Iris Sword Sutra could make a breakthrough.

Jiang Ziye’s words made everyone take a deep breath. However, Feng Ye still wasn’t willing to accept it and whispered, “Even if his physique is strong, it doesn’t mean he can resist Lin Yun’s sword.”

“That will depend on how sharp Young Master Lin’s sword is,” replied Jiang Ziye. She continued with a different king, “There are rumours that Zhao Wuji has grasped two different martial intents and brought both of them to complete mastery. I also heard that he had a fortunate encounter when he was travelling outside and grasped a powerful secret art. However, I’ve never seen him use it.”

“What about Yu Haotian?” Feng Ye asked.

Jiang Ziye didn’t answer Feng Ye and looked Lin Yun in the eyes, “You have a huge grudge with the Indigomoon Elysium, so I suggest you surrender when you face Yu Haotian. Then again, this is just my personal opinion.”

“What do you mean?” Feng Ye instantly became unhappy when he heard that. Even if that was true, was there a need for her to be so blunt? After all, everyone here was from the Great Qin Empire.

“Lin Yun, my senior sister, isn’t trying to be rude. Yu Haotian might not seem to be as violent as Yan Long’zi, but he’s a ruthless person with great ambitions,” explained Bai Lixuan.

“I understand,” smiled Lin Yun.

“Miss Ziye, why don’t you talk about yourself? I heard that you’ve fought one of the three kings and exchanged a hundred moves.” Zuo Yun said as he dropped a bomb on everyone present.

Jiang Ziye’s eyes flickered before she replied solemnly, “You don’t have to probe me for Young Master Lin’s sake. He’s already seeded, but I still have to fight for the top ten. Plus, I have a madman chasing me from behind.”

“Hehe, it’s good that you know it.” Wu Xiaotian smiled and was unfazed by her words.

The conversation continued and eventually focused on Fang Hanluo and Zhu Qingshan. The moment Zhu Qingshan’s name was brought up, everyone became serious. Jiang Ziye, Wu Xiaotian, and Bai Lixuan were especially solemn because they knew that Zhu Qingshan was greatly underestimated.

Furthermore, they knew that he would shock everyone in the upcoming battle. The conversations continued until night fell, forcing everyone to bid farewell. Determined to make the most of the next three days, Lin Yun eagerly returned to his courtyard.

Jiang Ziye’s words had affected him greatly. If he wanted to take another step in the banquet, he had to defeat the three kings. Even though they were akin to three towering mountains, he had to face them. He had already come this far, so there was no way he would shrink back and cower. After all, admitting defeat was not part of his vocabulary.