Though winning the championship was mainly to join an Immortal’s sect, the champion’s reward was equally important.
At the palace gates.
“So it’s Champion Lin Yun, His Majesty has already given instructions, I’ll guide you in,” the imperial guard said courteously.
With that, the guard led Lin Yun all the way to the gates of Jingtai Hall.
The doors of Jingtai Hall were open, Lin Yun spoke directly at the entrance, “I am Lin Yun, here to pay respects to the Emperor.”
“Come in.”
A robust voice echoed from within the hall.
Lin Yun stepped inside.
This was his second time here, so the place was no longer unfamiliar.
The last time, the Xingwu Emperor had offered a Heaven-tier secret manual in exchange for Little Azure Dragon, which Lin Yun refused, angering the Emperor.
All under heaven belongs to the king, all on its shores are his subjects.
This Xingwu Empire was his, yet Lin Yun had defied him.
Inside the hall.
The Xingwu Emperor sat on the throne at the front, seeing Lin Yun enter, he set down the scroll in his hand and looked at him.
“Greetings, Xingwu Emperor,” Lin Yun clasped his fists in salute once more.
“For the Wanhua Tournament champion’s reward, I’ll give you the freedom to choose, first, a Heaven-tier secret manual, second, a Devil Fruit, third, a protective chestplate, this chestplate’s strength surpasses a Saint Spirit-grade one by quite a bit, though it doesn’t quite reach Heaven-tier standards, it’s considered pseudo-Heaven-tier,” the Xingwu Emperor said.
Protective gear was far more valuable than other items of the same grade, a Saint Spirit-grade chestplate could match the price of several Saint Spirit-grade weapons, and the one the Xingwu Emperor offered was even higher quality.
The gap between Saint Spirit-grade and Heaven-tier was vast, so achieving full Heaven-tier quality wasn’t easy, items significantly stronger than Saint Spirit-grade but not quite Heaven-tier were dubbed pseudo-Heaven-tier.
As for a Heaven-tier secret manual, its value and rarity needed no explanation.
As for the Devil Fruit, Lin Yun didn’t know what it was.
Though he’d bought heaps of books yesterday, he’d only digested a tiny fraction last night, and in what he’d read, there was no mention of this Devil Fruit.
“Your Majesty, what is this Devil Fruit?” Lin Yun asked.
“A rare natural wonder, it can help you condense your divine sense, greatly boosting your divine sense realm, you’re currently at Divine-tier second rank, consuming it should push you to fifth to eighth rank, exactly which rank depends on your own comprehension,” the Xingwu Emperor said calmly.
“I see,” Lin Yun nodded in understanding.
Enhancing divine sense was notoriously difficult, resources to boost it were exceedingly rare and precious, leaving most common cultivators with very low divine sense realms.
But that only applied to those without wealth or influence.
For a colossal power like the Xingwu royal family, resources to enhance divine sense were plentiful, they even had powerful secret techniques dedicated to it, the geniuses and powerhouses within the royal family couldn’t possibly have weak divine senses.
That was the foundation of a mighty faction!
All three options were immensely valuable, priceless treasures, Lin Yun wanted all three, but he could only pick one.
“The Devil Fruit, then,” Lin Yun decided after a moment’s thought.
A Heaven-tier secret manual was great, but Lin Yun already had one, more importantly, once he joined an Immortal’s sect, he believed he’d have chances to learn more Heaven-tier manuals.
So, he could afford to pass on the first reward, he could get it later.
As for the pseudo-Heaven-tier chestplate, Lin Yun was fairly wealthy now, he could buy a Saint Spirit-grade one, and even a pseudo-Heaven-tier one might be obtainable with effort.
Though all these items were excellent, if he had to choose, the Devil Fruit was the best option.
Lin Yun knew how precious a natural wonder that boosted divine sense was.
To jump so many ranks from below Divine-tier was a testament to the Devil Fruit’s power, buying something like this with money would be nigh impossible!
“Good, catch!”
The Xingwu Emperor waved his hand, a square box flew towards Lin Yun.
Lin Yun caught it, gently opening it to look inside.
Within lay a fruit as big as two fists, blood-red in colour!
So this was the Devil Fruit?
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Lin Yun saluted.
“I called you here today for another matter, regarding your apprenticeship under an Immortal,” the Xingwu Emperor said slowly.
“Apprenticeship? I wonder what guidance Your Majesty has,” Lin Yun looked up at him.
“I suggest you join Cao Jun’s sect, he was once my prized disciple, if you join him, it’d be akin to joining the Xingwu Empire, I’d appoint you as an Imperial Inspector, besides Cao Jun guiding your cultivation, you’d also enjoy some of the empire’s resources, far better than joining the other three,” the Xingwu Emperor said.
Clearly, he wanted to keep a talent like Lin Yun within the empire.
He continued, “I hear you’ve got a feud with the Gu family, once you’re an Imperial Inspector, the Gu family wouldn’t dare touch a hair on your head.”
The conditions the Xingwu Emperor offered were undeniably tempting.
“Thank you for the suggestion, Your Majesty, but… I’ve already made my choice regarding apprenticeship,” Lin Yun said.
“Oh? What’s your decision? Mind sharing?” the Xingwu Emperor looked at him.
“To join Senior Zhuang Song, the ‘Little Sword Immortal’,” Lin Yun said.
Zhuang Song was a sword practitioner, highly skilled in swordsmanship, which Lin Yun felt suited him, plus Zhuang Song’s letter had shown great sincerity.
So after reviewing the reports yesterday, Lin Yun had settled on this choice.
“As long as you haven’t formally joined him, you can still change your mind, in terms of resources, he can’t match the Xingwu Empire,” the Xingwu Emperor said.
“Your Majesty, this is a decision I’ve made after deep consideration, I don’t intend to change it,” Lin Yun replied.
Joining the Xingwu Empire offered immediate benefits, but it meant serving the empire, perhaps for life.
Moreover, Lin Yun sensed that joining would involve a lot of political intrigue, he’d already felt it during the Wanhua Banquet when meeting the Emperor, Prince Jin Yi’s displeasure towards him was palpable.
That kind of scheming wasn’t Lin Yun’s style, he preferred the freedom to cultivate without restraints!
Joining Zhuang Song would come with fewer shackles, much like his apprenticeship under the Wanderer, he’d still be relatively free.
As for the Heavenly Sword Sect’s grudge with the Gu family, once Lin Yun joined Zhuang Song, he’d ask him to ensure the sect faced no threats.
