The sword’s tip halted before Zhuang Song’s throat, its chilling gleam palpable to him.
“Senior Zhuang Song, you’ve lost,” Lin Yun said slowly.
Zhuang Song’s swordsmanship was indeed formidable, but in the face of an absolute power gap, it was utterly useless!
One force can overcome ten skills.
“He won!”
“Lin Yun actually won! The battle was so intense just moments ago, yet Lin Yun turned the tables and claimed victory in an instant!”
“A new record for the initiation trial has been set!”
That moment left many immortals in the audience thrilled.
They had witnessed the birth of a new record in the history of the Heavenly Deity Palace!
“I never imagined Lin Yun was still holding back earlier. For someone at the Second Layer of the Eternal Realm to unleash such immense power, it’s terrifying!” the Master of the Ancient Sect exclaimed in awe.
“This fellow is far from ordinary,” even the usually stoic Kunyuan Empress remarked with a sigh.
“He’s indeed set a new record, excellent!” Vice Palace Master Yao cheered with a smile.
After all, Lin Yun was a talent of the Heavenly Deity Palace. The more dazzling his performance, the happier Yao naturally was.
Before this, they hadn’t been certain whether Lin Yun had the strength to pass this stage.
“Haha, exhilarating! Truly exhilarating!” Fire Cloud Emperor laughed heartily.
He had been genuinely anxious for Lin Yun during this stage.
While he hadn’t insisted that Lin Yun pass this trial, deep down, he certainly hoped he would.
And with his disciple setting a new record for the initiation trial, how could he not be overjoyed?
Then, Fire Cloud Emperor turned to Xingwu Emperor.
“Xingwu, Lin Yun has successfully passed the fifth stage, so our bet has a result, hasn’t it? One thousand Bright Moon Crystals, hand them over,” Fire Cloud Emperor said, grinning broadly.
Xingwu Emperor’s eye twitched, his face darkening to the extreme.
He had come today to turn the tables, to win back the Bright Moon Crystals he lost last time!
“What was Zhuang Song doing? He couldn’t even handle Lin Yun!” Xingwu Emperor fumed, visibly irritated.
“Haha, Xingwu, haven’t you realised? It’s not that Zhuang Song was lacking, it’s that my disciple is just too exceptional!” Fire Cloud Emperor let out a hearty laugh.
The Lord of the Carefree Tower also chuckled, saying, “Xingwu, you shouldn’t have tried to make a comeback. Now you’ve gone and shot yourself in the foot, haven’t you?”
Xingwu Emperor was so furious he could burst.
“Fine, one thousand Bright Moon Crystals… here you go!” Xingwu Emperor gritted his teeth, tossing out the crystals to Fire Cloud Emperor.
He had dared to bet on a comeback because he was convinced Lin Yun couldn’t pass the fifth stage, as no one in the Heavenly Deity Palace’s history ever had.
Yet, Lin Yun had done just that!
On the arena.
“Lin Yun, you… you were still holding back!” Zhuang Song’s eyes were filled with shock, his numb arm still trembling.
Zhuang Song knew full well that in a real battle, Lin Yun’s sword wouldn’t have stopped at his throat, it would have pierced right through!
The thought sent a chill down his spine.
“Senior Zhuang Song, you were merely being gracious,” Lin Yun said humbly.
As he spoke, Lin Yun sheathed his sword and, with a wave of his hand, Zhuang Song’s fallen sword flew back to him.
“Senior Zhuang Song, your sword.”
Lin Yun grasped Zhuang Song’s sword and respectfully returned it with both hands.
“I never would’ve thought that the seedling I once saw in you has now grown strong enough to defeat me. Back at the Ten Thousand Flowers Banquet, I knew you had limitless potential, but I never anticipated you’d rise so swiftly,” Zhuang Song couldn’t help but sigh.
Back then, he had nearly taken Lin Yun as his disciple.
“Senior Zhuang Song, you flatter me,” Lin Yun said with a smile.
At the Ten Thousand Flowers Banquet, immortals like Zhuang Song were figures Lin Yun could only look up to. Now, he had successfully defeated him.
“Good luck to you.”
Zhuang Song took his sword and turned to leave the stage.
“Next up, the sixth stage. I wonder how difficult its trial will be,” Lin Yun murmured to himself.
Each stage’s difficulty soared exponentially. The fifth stage had already pitted him against a powerhouse like Zhuang Song, so what would the sixth bring?
Lin Yun felt uncertain, but he was content with his achievements. Even if he failed the next stage, he had no regrets.
After all, he had already set a new record, what more could he ask for?
In the spectator stands.
“This is the first time in the Heavenly Deity Palace’s history that someone has reached the sixth stage of the initiation trial!”
“What could this stage’s trial be?”
Since no one had ever reached this stage, no one knew what the sixth trial of the initiation entailed.
Just then, a figure flew from the stands, landing directly on the arena.
The crowd looked closely, it was Duan Qiu, ranked 55th on the Heavenly Deity List.
“No way! Is this stage about defeating Duan Qiu, ranked 65th on the Heavenly Deity List? That’s simply impossible!”
“The gap is just too vast!”
The crowd gasped in astonishment upon seeing Duan Qiu take the stage.
Though Lin Yun had just defeated the 85th-ranked Zhuang Song, Duan Qiu was in the Mahayana Realm!
The gap between Duan Qiu and Zhuang Song, the Little Sword Immortal, was immense!
Moreover, the Mahayana Realm and the Eternal Realm were separated by a major realm.
The Mahayana Realm was a qualitative leap!
Its power was far beyond what the Eternal Realm could match!
Normally, a Mahayana Realm cultivator could easily crush an Eternal Realm one!
The difference between ranks 85 and 65 might seem small, but the reality was stark, they were divided by a major realm!
And Duan Qiu wasn’t even at the bottom of the Mahayana Realm, he was quite capable. Starting from around rank 70 on the Heavenly Deity List, all were Mahayana Realm immortals.
“Is the sixth stage really this outrageous? Vice Palace Master Yao, could there be a mistake?” Fire Cloud Emperor couldn’t help but ask.
The difficulty seemed absurdly high.
“This is indeed excessive,” many immortals in the audience gasped.
“Rest assured, this stage involves facing a Mahayana Realm opponent, but victory isn’t required. If Lin Yun can withstand Duan Qiu for ten minutes, he passes,” Vice Palace Master Yao explained with a smile.
After a pause, he added, “Of course, during those ten minutes, Duan Qiu will use every means to try and defeat Lin Yun.”
“Even so, the difficulty is still immense,” Fire Cloud Emperor said with a wry smile.
Many immortals nodded in agreement, finding this stage’s challenge terrifying.
“Normally, no one reaches the sixth stage, so its difficulty is meant to be outrageous,” Vice Palace Master Yao said.
Xingwu Emperor’s eyes lit up, and he immediately spoke, “Fire Cloud, how about another round? Let’s bet on whether Lin Yun can pass this sixth stage!”
For Xingwu Emperor, this was his chance to turn the tables!
“Xingwu, you’re at it again? Betting is a one-way street. You keep chasing a comeback to recoup your losses, but you’ll only sink deeper,” Fire Cloud Emperor said.
“Haha, this time, I refuse to believe Lin Yun can pass. This is a Mahayana Realm opponent!” Xingwu Emperor laughed confidently.
