Chapter 529 - 527: Blunting the Edge

Of the Fifth Layer Celestial Peaks, Lin Xuan chose the Fourth Celestial Peak, placing himself under one of the Four Peak Masters, Elder Bu Chi, to be managed as one of his disciples. The other Elders were somewhat disappointed upon hearing Lin Xuan had chosen Bu Chi’s Celestial Peak, but not excessively so.

Especially after the recent test, their enthusiasm for him had cooled, but not to the point where they would ignore him completely.

After the selections, everyone followed their respective Peak Masters back to their Celestial Peaks, and Lin Xuan headed for the Fourth Celestial Peak with Bu Chi. Once they had left, the many Stewards began to whisper amongst themselves. Bu Lingyu, the Patriarch, frowned before sighing and saying, "I hope he can keep up this momentum. It would be a real shame if he can’t..."

News that Lin Xuan possessed only Seventh-class Talent and a Moderate Constitution spread like wildfire through the Bu Family. Sounds of mockery were constant, but there were sighs of disappointment as well. They had finally gotten a first-place champion from the Empire’s grand tournament, yet his aptitude seemed rather average. Still, most people chose to hold their tongues.

At least Lin Xuan had taken first place. So what if his other qualities were lacking? ’If you’re so great, why don’t you go fight in the Empire’s grand tournament?’ Of course, the Bu Family’s own members weren’t permitted to participate. If they could, they would surely secure a spot for themselves. The event was called the Empire’s grand tournament for a reason—the ruling Empire sent the participants, not families like the Bu.

Lin Xuan paid no mind to any of it. His reason for coming to this region was to get more information about the Lin Family; he couldn’t care less about anything else. He had long grown accustomed to walking a path paved with ridicule. When others saw him as ordinary, he himself knew he was extraordinary. ’Everything that exists does so for a reason.’

"I’ll be waiting for you at the Fourth Celestial Peak. Just walk straight there. I’m giving you two days. If you can’t climb up to the Fourth Celestial Peak in that time, you can go find another Celestial Peak." After throwing out that line, Bu Chi manifested his Elemental Power Wings and flew off toward the Fourth Celestial Peak.

The words had barely left his mouth when Lin Xuan unfurled his Phoenix Wings and swiftly gave chase. Flying alongside Bu Chi, he asked, "Second Elder, why did you say to walk? Is flying not allowed?"

Bu Chi whipped his head around, astonished. He stared at the Phoenix Wings on Lin Xuan’s back, dumbfounded for several seconds before saying, somewhat at a loss for words, "Fine. Flying is indeed a bit faster..."

The truth was, the walking path to the Fourth Celestial Peak was riddled with Maze Arrays of various sizes, designed to test Lin Xuan’s abilities. It was the same principle as the test to enter the Core Hall. But who would have thought that Lin Xuan could just fly!

The Fifth Layer Celestial Peaks could be considered both a collective and a set of individual domains. This meant that even if an intruder managed to get in, they would still have to face the Maze Arrays protecting the interior, which were not so easily broken.

For someone who could fly, however, the effectiveness of this defense was greatly reduced. They could fly directly to their destination. Although they would still land inside a Maze Array, it was far better than having to run the entire way and face numerous arrays one after another.

After flying to the Fourth Celestial Peak, Lin Xuan descended with Bu Chi. The moment he touched down, Bu Chi left him with a parting shot: "If you can’t find your way out of here in half a day, you can go find another Celestial Peak."

The time limit had been drastically cut from two days to just half a day. How could Bu Chi have imagined Lin Xuan could form Elemental Power Wings? He didn’t ask any questions, but he still wanted Lin Xuan to break through the Maze Array. It was a show of force, meant to intimidate this newcomer and demonstrate the Bu Family’s power.

’Another Maze Array...’

Lin Xuan looked around. He was surrounded by a forest with no distinguishing features. But the very lack of anything strange was what made it so peculiar.

He knew he could easily dispel the Maze Array simply by using his Soul Pearl. It would be effortless. However, he decided to try solving it on his own first. He started walking into the forest. After a few wrong turns, he grasped the overall pattern and then strode out of it with ease.

As soon as he stepped out of the forest, Lin Xuan saw numerous houses forged from Profound Iron. The architectural style was stern and severe, perfectly suited for a place dedicated to forging Divine Artifacts—it felt rigorous and demanding. An ordinary person would find it uncomfortable to live here; the atmosphere was simply too oppressive.

It was a reflection of Bu Chi’s own stern face. Except, the Elder himself was finding it hard to remain stern at that moment. He had just instructed some others to watch and see how long it would take Lin Xuan to get out.

But who could have predicted that just as he finished giving the order, Lin Xuan would walk right out of the Maze Array? He smiled and said, "Second Elder, I’ve made it out. Where to next?"

Bu Chi froze. ’How long has it been? Fifteen minutes at most, and he’s already out of the Maze Array? Isn’t his ability to solve arrays a little too powerful?’

It was perfectly normal for Lin Xuan to have solved it so easily. Even without relying on the power of the Soul Pearl, he could draw upon the memories of countless experts, making this Maze Array a simple puzzle. If he couldn’t even accomplish this, then he would have absorbed all those powerful memories in vain.

"Ahem. To be able to get out in such a short time, it seems your Comprehension is truly remarkable..." Bu Chi coughed dryly. "Come with me. I’ll give you a tour and help you get familiar with the place."

He could only curse inwardly that Lin Xuan was simply too Heaven-Defying. He had wanted to take the boy down a peg, but his attempts had been effortlessly thwarted, leaving him feeling rather awkward. He was already trying to figure out another way to temper Lin Xuan’s spirit. The boy was young and a first-place champion; if that edge wasn’t dulled a bit, it would be bad for him to become too arrogant later on.

In truth, Bu Chi was overthinking things. Lin Xuan was not that type of person at all. Having already witnessed many great things, he simply couldn’t muster any arrogance. ’Experts are as numerous as the clouds, and there is always a higher mountain.’ One could be arrogant for a moment, but not for a lifetime. Most of the time, it was essential to stay low-key.

"Do you have any experience with forging?" Bu Chi asked as he led him forward.

Lin Xuan followed him, surveying his surroundings as he walked. There were many disciples along the path, and all of them were sizing him up, curious about his identity. News of him had not yet fully spread here. The upper echelons all knew, of course, and it was only a matter of time before the details became public knowledge. By tomorrow, at the latest, everyone would know.

"I have a little experience," Lin Xuan said after a moment’s thought, telling a small lie.

He possessed a great deal of experience, but he had never actually forged anything himself. He simply never had the spare time, nor were the circumstances ever right.

"A little experience, you say..." Bu Chi frowned, but his expression quickly relaxed. "That’s fine. We can take it slow. Some experience is better than none. Come with me. A Divine Artifact is about to be finished. You can witness the entire process; it will be a good way for you to absorb some practical forging experience."

’The process of finishing a Divine Artifact...’ Lin Xuan’s eyes lit up. He had plenty of memories related to it, but he had rarely witnessed it firsthand.