Palace Master Mo smiled and shook his head. “How will you know if you don’t try? Since you’re still in the Myriad Things Realm and not yet at the Dominator Realm, the challenge given to you should be less difficult than that for the Dominator Realm.”
“I see,” Lin Yun nodded, enlightened.
If that was the case, Lin Yun felt he might have a chance.
At that moment, another figure descended from the sky.
Lin Yun looked closely and saw an elderly man with white hair and a sage-like aura.
“Lin Yun, this is Elder Rong Zhen, the Heavenly Elder of the Heavenly God Palace. It’s probably your first time meeting him. Elder Rong Zhen usually guards this Tianji Mountain,” Palace Master Mo introduced.
“Greetings, Elder Rong Zhen,” Lin Yun immediately bowed.
“Lin Yun, I’ve long heard of your deeds. Seeing you today, you indeed have an impressive presence. To reach such heights at such a young age, achieving in a short time what took us tens of thousands of years,” Elder Rong Zhen said, stroking his beard with a smile, clearly admiring Lin Yun.
After all, Lin Yun’s exploits sounded truly legendary.
“Elder Rong Zhen, you flatter me. Compared to my seniors, I still have a significant gap,” Lin Yun said humbly.
“You’re modest, but I must warn you: the trials in this divine mansion are extremely difficult and pose a life-threatening risk. Be very careful. If it’s too much, give up. Don’t push yourself too hard,” Elder Rong Zhen said.
“This junior will keep that in mind,” Lin Yun replied.
“Lin Yun, see that cave entrance ahead? Go through it. I’ll wait for your news outside. If you pass the trial, the rewards from the Heavenly Fire Temple are quite enticing,” Palace Master Mo said, pointing to a cave entrance ahead.
“Yes, Palace Master, Elder Rong Zhen, I’ll go now.”
With that, Lin Yun headed straight for the cave entrance.
In an instant, his figure disappeared from the sight of Palace Master Mo and Elder Rong Zhen.
“Palace Master, this Lin Yun, defeating Emperor Xingwu while at the third level of the Myriad Things Realm, is truly remarkable. What kind of results do you think he’ll achieve in the divine mansion?” Elder Rong Zhen asked curiously.
“He should have no trouble passing the initial trial to become a provisional guard of the Heavenly Fire Temple. As for the intermediate trial, it’s hard to say,” Palace Master Mo replied.
“It seems you’re quite optimistic about him. He’s indeed impressive, but the trials in this divine mansion are truly formidable,” Elder Rong Zhen said.
…
Meanwhile, Lin Yun entered the cave, finding a narrow, elongated passage ahead.
“Hm?”
Lin Yun sensed an invisible oppressive force emanating from the passage’s surroundings, enveloping him.
This force could instantly kill any cultivator below the immortal level.
Even an immortal at the Eternal Realm would likely struggle to move forward.
For Lin Yun, however, this pressure was negligible.
This oppression served as a filter, ensuring the weak didn’t even qualify to enter.
After walking about a thousand metres through the passage, a massive hall came into view.
The hall was at least five hundred metres tall, with an exaggeratedly vast area.
Buzz!
Four silver-armoured stone statues, each five metres tall, suddenly emitted a glow.
“Are you here to take the Heavenly Fire Temple’s trial?” the four statues asked, staring at Lin Yun.
“Yes,” Lin Yun responded.
Upon his reply, a cloud of black mist appeared a few metres ahead of him, coalescing into a humanoid form.
“My lord,” the four silver-armoured statues bowed to the figure.
Lin Yun sensed a living aura from the black mist figure, indicating it was a living being, unlike the stone statues, though it seemed distinct from a true human.
“It’s been a long time since anyone came to challenge this place. What’s your realm?” the black mist figure asked Lin Yun.
“Third level of the Myriad Things Realm,” Lin Yun answered.
“Since when does someone at the third level of the Myriad Things Realm dare come here?” the black mist figure let out a hoarse, mocking laugh.
“Senior, can’t someone at the third level of the Myriad Things Realm take the challenge?” Lin Yun asked, looking at him.
“Of course they can. For the outstanding talents from the Ancestral Land, passing this initial challenge at the third level of the Myriad Things Realm is not difficult. But for someone from your world at that level, you’re not qualified,” the black mist figure said.
He continued, “Go back. Don’t waste time. And tell Mo Bai not to send riff-raff here in the future. It’s pointless.”
“Senior, I may not meet the standard, but I’d like to try,” Lin Yun said.
“Do you really want to be humiliated? Remember, starting this challenge carries a life-threatening risk. Don’t overestimate yourself,” the black mist figure said hoarsely.
“My lord, since this guy is so eager to try, let him have his wish. It’s been a while since I’ve had a fight, and my hands are itching,” one of the silver-armoured statues said, sounding eager for battle.
“Yes, my lord, let him try,” the other statues chimed in, equally eager.
Though not true living beings, these silver-armoured statues were endowed with consciousness.
“Since you want to try, let’s start the initial trial,” the black mist figure said to Lin Yun.
He added, “Though it’s probably a waste of time to explain, since you’re taking the challenge, I’ll make the rules clear. The Heavenly Fire Temple has set four levels of trials here: initial, intermediate, advanced, and ultimate.”
He continued, “Passing the initial trial makes you a provisional guard of the Heavenly Fire Temple. Passing the intermediate trial makes you a Heavenly Fire Guard, officially joining the temple.”
“What about the later trials?” Lin Yun asked curiously.
“You don’t need to know about those. You won’t even pass the earlier trials, so what’s the point of knowing? If you manage to pass the initial ones, then we’ll talk,” the black mist figure said dismissively.
“Alright then,” Lin Yun shrugged helplessly.
“My lord, let me guard the initial trial,” one of the silver-armoured statues said.
“My lord, let me!”
“My lord, it’s been ages since I’ve fought. My hands are itching. Let me crush this guy.”
The other silver-armoured statues eagerly volunteered.
It was clear they were keen to overpower Lin Yun, the ‘newbie’.
“Number Four, you take it,” the black mist figure pointed to one of the statues.
This was the statue that had mentioned not fighting in a long time and having itchy hands.
“Heh, thank you, my lord,” the chosen statue said, visibly delighted.
