Half a day later.
“Divine-tier third rank,” Lin Yun smiled faintly.
In just half a day, nourished by the Devil Fruit, his divine sense had risen to divine-tier third rank.
“There’s still potency left, keep going!” Lin Yun pressed on, absorbing the surging energy.
His divine sense continued climbing steadily.
Divine-tier fourth rank, divine-tier fifth rank…
Every half day or so, it jumped a minor rank.
Only when it hit divine-tier sixth rank did the fruit’s energy fully deplete.
“A full four-rank boost, not bad!” Lin Yun nodded, pleased.
Four ranks of divine sense growth was a massive leap for him!
Cultivation involved realm, divine sense, and body (refinement arts), each crucial, Lin Yun balanced all three, excelling in each, this was his edge for fighting above his level.
“This Devil Fruit boosted me four minor ranks at once, truly worthy of a champion’s prize,” Lin Yun couldn’t help but marvel.
No one disturbed him over these two days of cultivation.
“With my divine sense so enhanced, and my Wanhua Tournament swordplay improved, let’s try the next stage of the Flying Snow Sword Array—256 swords!”
Lin Yun stood.
Going from 128 to 256 swords nearly doubled the power, but the difficulty spiked too!
With a wave, he summoned over two hundred swords—mostly high-grade, top-tier, and pseudo-divine, keeping his best ones hidden.
“Rise!”
At his command, the swords glowed, enveloped in light, hovering around him!
“Go!”
*Buzz!*
The swords trembled, shooting out to form an array.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
Just as they launched, many lost control, clattering to the ground.
Controlling 256 swords at once failed.
“Not too far from success,” Lin Yun smiled, undeterred.
He’d half-succeeded, better than expected, he could roughly handle 256, but forming an attacking array was still beyond him.
Doubling from 128 to 256 was a steep challenge.
“Again!”
With a wave, the fallen swords flew back to him.
…
In the camp’s main tent.
The Grand Commander pored over military reports.
His force, the Azure Banner Demon Suppression Army, numbered 500,000—not vast, but all elite, hand-picked!
He was their commander, overseeing deputies and lieutenants.
The vice commander who’d dealt with Lin Yun hurried in.
“Grand Commander, we’ve confirmed it, over a year ago, a second-rank Mahayana named Lin Yun in Xingwu was chased by foes into the Demonic Beast Mountain Range, here’s his file,” he said, handing over documents.
“He actually crossed it?” The Grand Commander took the file, stunned.
Crossing the range, if word spread, would shock the continent!
“Per his file, he’s a prodigy in Xingwu, worked miracles, though Xingwu’s the weakest of the four empires, their prodigies aren’t as standout here,” the vice commander noted.
“Even so, he’s a rare talent, Grand Commander, you could try recruiting him into our army,” he suggested.
The Fire Cloud Empire was the mightiest of the four, its emperor unfathomably strong, outshining the other three rulers.
Without the range splitting the continent, forming a natural barrier, the Fire Cloud Emperor might’ve unified it all.
Its land dwarfed Xingwu’s by half again, rich in resources, its people fierce, martial cultivation thriving far beyond Xingwu.
The Grand Commander shook his head, “Recruiting him now isn’t wise, his human identity’s confirmed, but we can’t rule out the demon clan turning him, sending him as a spy, if so, he’d be a ticking bomb in our ranks.”
His caution ran deeper.
“Fair point, your concerns make sense,” the vice commander conceded.
“Since he’s human, let him go,” the Grand Commander ordered.
“Yes, I’ll release him,” the vice commander saluted.
…
Lin Yun’s crossing took over a year, as for the Zhutian Alliance, they’d guarded the range’s edge for three months before leaving with smirks.
They were certain no one could survive there that long!
Inside the tent.
“Someone’s coming!”
Sensing movement, Lin Yun swiftly recalled his swords.
A year-plus alone in the range had sharpened his senses, any rustle snapped him alert.
Moments later, the tent flap lifted, the vice commander stepped in.
“Friend Lin Yun, we’ve verified everything, you’re free to leave,” he said.
“Thanks, then I’ll take my leave,” Lin Yun flashed a rare smile, clasping his fists.
He exited the camp.
Outside the gates.
“Now, where to?” Lin Yun felt a pang of uncertainty.
The Fire Cloud Empire was unfamiliar territory.
He pulled out Senior Zhuang Song’s jade pendant—long expired, its six-month window for apprenticeship gone.
“Fate’s a tricky thing,” he sighed.
He’d hoped to join Zhuang Song, but reality loved its twists.
Rising into the air, he decided to find a city, buy basic info on the empire, maybe a map.
“It’s really desolate here.”
Flying a while, he saw no one.
This was, after all, the border abutting the range.
He didn’t even know where the nearest city lay.
“Hmm? A caravan! I’ll ask.”
Spotting a long convoy below, he descended, landing beside it.
“Who’s there?!”
The group tensed at his sudden arrival.
His second-rank Mahayana aura made many wary.
“Folks, I’m an outsider, just asking directions, where’s the nearest city?” Lin Yun inquired.
