The Sovereign’s Ascension

Chapter 1912 - He's Out

“Failed?” Lin Yun slowly got up but wasn’t in a hurry to leave. He asked, “Isn’t this trial about emptiness?”

“That’s right. Empty, but what is emptiness?” The old man sat down and smiled, “That is to absorb the sword intent here. The thirty-six wooden houses have the soul guardians left behind by Sword Saints, and they all left their sword intent beyond the ninth grade here. It’s everywhere, like water, and it’s also unfathomable, like air. Most people can’t sense it because this is more profound than them. So they can make it through as long as they can sense it within an incense’s time.”

Sword intent beyond the ninth grade? Lin Yun fell into deep thought. If that were true, just some of it would benefit him greatly. So he had comprehended it wrongly?

Lin Yun awkwardly smiled, “I thought I had to forget and purify my sword intent like the wooden houses…”

As disdain flashed across the old man’s pupils, he snickered, “I was wondering if you had some standards after hearing what you said. You want to forget them at such a young age? We’re over a thousand years old, and you’re no different from a blank piece of paper in our eyes. This isn’t something you should do at your current cultivation.”

“I’m sorry about it,” Lin Yun smiled.

“Ha.” The old man sneered. “You might’ve failed, but you ultimately possess the Sword Heart. So your sword intent is stronger than others, and it’s too much of a pity for you to fail now. So I planned to give you another chance by lighting an incense.”

The old man yawned and continued, “But I have a change of mind now. You can get lost!”

The old man laid on the desk and closed his eyes. He might’ve closed his eyes but secretly opened a small seep. He just wanted Lin Yun to admit defeat because Lin Yun was too cocky.

Shaking his head, Lin Yun muttered, “That’s not something people of my cultivation should go for? But I clearly managed to do it. This is weird…”

“Brat, stop right there!” The old man sat up before Lin Yun was about to leave the wooden house and roared, “What did you say earlier?!”

“I did forget some things, and my Heavenly Dome Sword Intent became purer. I even grasped my Sword Heart completely,” Lin Yun said.

“Bullshit. How is that possible for someone your age? Is there any meaning for you to carry on putting on an act here? Show me your sword sea!” The old man said he didn’t believe it, but his facial expression was so anxious that he ran over.

Lin Yun briefly pondered before he opened his sword sea, allowing the old man to examine it.

When an old man appeared within the sword sea, he first saw an untainted azure dragon. This dragon had purple scales and a pair of brightly lit eyes.

“An Azure Dragon Sword Soul? Not bad. This dragon might only be ten-odd feet, but it’s pure and untainted. …It’s too pure.” The old man exclaimed.

Right then, the golden human opened his eyes, and the gaze of the golden human was like two sharp swords shining brightly.

“Dual Sword Souls!” The old man’s face changed. When he came to his senses, he appeared above Lin Yun’s sword sea, and the golden ocean had become a calm lake.

“The scale isn’t huge, but the lake is clean and pure aside from some dust.” The old man praised, and those specks of dust only made the lake look even more realistic. Furthermore, the dust was transparent, like crystals.

“How did he manage to do it?” The old man had seen many geniuses in his lifetime. The sword sea of those people was larger than Lin Yun’s, but Lin Yun’s sword sea was calm and pure. But the old man knew that this sword sea only looked calm on the surface because it was accumulating every moment. When Lin Yun drew his sheath, he could tear through heaven.

The entire process only lasted for a brief moment. When the old man returned, he looked at Lin Yun with shock as he muttered, “How is this possible…? How did you manage to do it…?”

“Forget if you can, and don’t force it even if you can’t. I tried it and realized I could forget many things,” Lin Yun said.

The old man fell silent before sighing, “You’re really a genius, and I have nothing to teach you.”

“Is that really difficult? Isn’t Astral Sword Intent more difficult?” Lin Yun asked. Forgetting wasn’t hard for him, and it was nothing compared to achieving the Astral Sword Intent.

“This is why I said you’re young,” the old man smiled. “Is the Heavenly Dome Sword Intent hard? It’s hard when you try to achieve it, isn’t it? What about the Firmament Sword Intent? Spiritual Sword Intent? Xiantian Sword Intent?”

His series of questions stumped Lin Yun, but he soon understood what was happening. To this old man, whose sword intent went beyond the ninth grade, it wasn’t hard because it could be achieved sooner or later if you had enough talent and time. But what Lin Yun did was harder than making a breakthrough in sword intent.

“You must have a habit that others don’t, and this is how you can easily achieve it,” the old man said in a certain voice.

“What habit?”

“Think wisely. You must have a habit.”

Lin Yun held onto his chin and briefly pondered before he replied, “If there’s a habit, I have aimed to reach the manifestation stage in each sword technique. I’ve had this habit before I even reached Xiantian Realm.”

“That’s weird. Many swordsmen will change to a new technique whenever they reach a certain height. After all, they might be at Xiantian Realm this month and reach the Violet Palace Realm next month. So they would even forget the old sword techniques that they practiced.”

The old man’s words instantly made Lin Yun understand what was happening. So they forgot about it before they could even remember them.

“Well said.” Lin Yun cupped his hands together.

The old man smiled, “How can I possibly accept the praise of a future Sword God? I’m already dead, and it no longer matters. Hahaha!”

Lin Yun also smiled and knew this old man must’ve been adorable when he was still alive.

“You can attempt this trial again. Your lake is too small, so let me guide you.” The old man lit up another incense when he was done speaking.

Wang Muyan and Bai Shuying came out of the wooden houses simultaneously. Their faces were calm, and it was hard for anyone to tell if they had made it through this trial. When they exchanged a glance, Wang Muyan greeted her with a smile while Bai Shuying ignored her. But they didn’t carry on and stopped to find a place to sit.

“Big Sister Shuying, you’re also curious if he can make it through this trial?” Wang Muyan smiled.

“What has it got to do with you?” Bai Shuying replied indifferently.

“Haha. Then stay away from him. After all, he’s my baby, and you can’t snatch him away,” Wang Muyan smiled.

“Don’t bother trying to put on an act. I might not fancy him, but I won’t let him interact with you,” Bai Shuying replied indifferently. She was pretty confident about that. After all, Ye Qingtian had waited for her earlier, and anyone could see his sincerity for her. If Ye Qingtian had changed, he wouldn’t have interacted with someone like Wang Muyan and wasted his talent.

“Why don’t we take a bet, then? If he comes to me when he comes out, you will never appear before him again,” Wang Muyan smiled enchantingly.

“I’m not interested,” Bai Shuying said, but she had taken note of what Wang Muyan said.

“Haha!” Wang Muyan laughed.

It didn’t take long for Ye Feifan to disappointedly make it through the trial. He worked hard, but he still failed. He managed to sense the sword intent, but it disappeared when he tried to refine it. He tried several times, but his attempts were all futile.

Ye Feifan was outstanding in terms of aptitude and comprehension. But he came from the Ye Clan, which meant his growing-up journey was smooth. He couldn’t be compared to Lin Yun, who placed his life on the line multiple times. He might have an advantage over Lin Yun now, but Lin Yun would surpass him soon enough if he didn’t have any encounters. If he couldn’t make it through that threshold, it would be difficult for him to become a Saint.

Ouyang He also came out, and he sighed the moment he appeared. He also failed as well.

After Ouyang He, more people also came out with depressed expressions. They were all geniuses amongst saint disciples since they could come this far, but they practically failed. This trial was as tough as Chen Zhong had said.

“Ye Qingtian hasn’t come out yet?” Ouyang He asked.

“Not yet, but the time has already passed, so he probably failed as well,” someone said.

“This trial isn’t about cultivation, and he can’t fail with his aptitude,” Ouyang He replied.

“There’s a difference between being able to make it through and making it through the first attempt. If he wants to make it through this trial, he must at least wait another three years!” Ye Feifan said.

“That’s right. It’s already impressive that he can come this far as a newly conferred saint disciple.”

“Even if he can make it through, he must’ve cheated!” Discussion resounded from the surroundings, but they weren’t determined in their tones, fearing their words might slap them.

After all, Ye Qingtian was a newly conferred saint disciple while they had become a saint disciple for at least three years. Some even became a saint disciple for ten-odd years, and it would make them seem useless if Ye Qingtian made it through in the first attempt after he had just become a saint disciple.

Ye Feifan restored his gentlemanly disguise and smiled, “Our ancestors must pity this fellow clansman of mine to let him refine half a saint origin. But he’s still lacking in terms of comprehension. There’s no way he can compete with us. Let’s wait and see if you guys don’t believe it. When he finishes digesting the saint origin, he will immediately expose himself. He’s not as strong as you people think…”

But before he could finish, the wooden house opened, and Ye Qingtian walked out from it.