Starting the cultivation of the fifth level of the Dragon Claw, Lin Yun immediately felt its difficulty.
…
Time flew during cultivation. The fifth level of the Dragon Claw took a full four months.
“Phew…”
“Close call, but I did it!”
Lin Yun opened his right hand, his arm instantly covered in shimmering golden dragon scales, his palm transforming into a dragon claw. He felt a terrifying power surge through his arm, converging in his hand.
“Such immense power. The fifth level of the Dragon Claw far surpasses the Heaven-Shaking Hand, leaving it in the dust!” Lin Yun’s face lit up with joy.
Having succeeded at the fifth level, Lin Yun had to pause further progress.
For now, the fifth level was clearly his limit.
To reach the final two levels and perfect the Dragon Claw, Lin Yun would need to further enhance his physical body.
It wasn’t that Lin Yun was lacking; the Dragon Claw simply had a high ceiling.
The Heaven-Shaking Hand, for instance, had a lower limit. As Lin Yun’s physical body improved, he had already maxed it out, unable to advance further.
The Divine Dragon Art, however, offered plenty of room for growth.
This seclusion had undeniably boosted Lin Yun’s strength significantly.
But after such great progress, many areas had reached their current limits, temporarily stalling.
The only aspects Lin Yun could still improve were his realm and swordsmanship.
“Let’s focus on advancing my realm,” Lin Yun decided.
After all, realm was the foundation of everything, its advancement the most tangible and critical.
During this cultivation period, Lin Yun had also been converting Qiankun Crystals. The Qiankun Supreme Cauldron had already processed over ten million Ziyao Sea Crystals, yielding 240,000 Qiankun Crystals.
This was a substantial gain, a major haul from the Qianlong Abyss.
It was now perfect for Lin Yun’s cultivation needs.
Of course, Lin Yun’s consumption of Qiankun Crystals was far less than Little Green Dragon’s. Just over 40,000 crystals would suffice to reach the Third Layer of the Myriad Realm.
For the Eternal Realm cultivators of the Heavenly God Palace, 40,000 crystals was an astronomical sum, as they relied solely on the palace for resources. Lin Yun’s Qiankun Supreme Cauldron made it far easier.
Lin Yun took out the Qiankun Crystals and began absorbing and refining them.
As for swordsmanship, he planned to work on it slowly after returning from the dragon clan.
Ten days later.
“Hm? They’re out?” Lin Yun, in the midst of absorbing Qiankun Crystals, snapped his eyes open.
He quickly left the One Thought Bright Heart Pagoda and extended his divine sense to investigate.
“They’re all out!” Lin Yun was somewhat shocked.
He had expected the trial participants to emerge one by one, not all at once.
It seemed they had been teleported out by an array.
Little Green Dragon was among them.
“It looks like the Dragon Emperor’s trial is over. I wonder… who got the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance and the Divine Dragon Pearl,” Lin Yun said, feeling both anticipation and nervousness.
He rushed out of the cave.
Lin Yun knew that the end of the trial might not be the end but the beginning.
Whoever obtained the Divine Dragon Pearl could spark a fierce contest, even if the Dragon Emperor had forbidden it.
…
Before the Dragon Emperor statue.
“Dragon King! Great Elder, Second Elder!”
The West Sea Dragon Palace members rushed to greet Little Green Dragon and the two elders.
The East Sea Dragon Palace members similarly swarmed their Dragon King and other strong participants.
The other two dragon palaces followed suit.
At this moment, Lin Yun arrived, heading straight for Little Green Dragon.
“Dragon King, how did it go? Did you get the Divine Dragon Pearl?” the Great Elder of the West Sea Dragon Palace asked.
Lin Yun, puzzled, noted that the Great Elder had entered with Little Green Dragon and been teleported out together, yet didn’t know if Little Green Dragon had succeeded.
Lin Yun looked at Little Green Dragon tensely, awaiting the result.
Little Green Dragon shook its head in disappointment.
“You didn’t get the Divine Dragon Pearl or the inheritance?” the Great Elder exclaimed.
“No,” Little Green Dragon said, shaking its head helplessly.
Lin Yun’s face changed, as if struck by lightning.
This was terrible news.
“Little Green Dragon, who got the Divine Dragon Pearl?” Lin Yun asked urgently.
“I don’t know. All the trial participants were separated by the Dragon Emperor, so no one knows who got the pearl or the inheritance,” Little Green Dragon explained.
“Exactly. I failed midway but was trapped until just now when I was teleported out,” the Great Elder added.
“Could it be… the East Sea Dragon King got the pearl and the inheritance?”
Lin Yun glanced at the East Sea Dragon Palace group nearby.
To him, the East Sea Dragon King seemed the most likely, especially since Little Green Dragon had failed.
At the East Sea Dragon Palace group.
“Dragon King, did you get the Divine Dragon Pearl?” their Great Elder asked.
“No!” The East Sea Dragon King shook his head, his face tinged with anger and frustration.
“You really didn’t get it? Then… who did?” the Great Elder said, shocked.
“I’d like to know who did!” the East Sea Dragon King roared.
Lin Yun turned his gaze to the South Sea and North Sea Dragon Palace groups.
But they, too, claimed they hadn’t obtained the inheritance or the Divine Dragon Pearl, appearing disappointed and angry.
In other words, all trial participants were now saying they hadn’t received the Dragon Emperor’s final inheritance or the Divine Dragon Pearl.
Lin Yun was utterly baffled. What was going on?
“Could it be…”
A sudden thought struck Lin Yun.
Did the Dragon Emperor separate the participants to prevent conflict over the Divine Dragon Pearl?
This way, only the one who obtained the pearl and inheritance would know, while the others remained in the dark.
Those who failed at any stage were kept inside and teleported out together, making it even harder to guess who succeeded.
It seemed highly likely.
So, who had actually obtained the Dragon Emperor’s inheritance and the Divine Dragon Pearl?
