“The main issue is that the cost for the Heavenly Fire Temple to bring someone in from here is significant, so the trial’s difficulty is set extremely high. If you were in the ancestral land, with your performance, you would have already advanced further in the Heavenly Fire Temple,” the black mist figure said.
Lin Yun fully understood the logic.
Since the cost of recruitment was high, one’s potential had to outweigh that cost for the Heavenly Fire Temple to deem it worthwhile.
“Lin Yun, keep working hard. There’s still plenty of time before this era’s destruction. You have ample time,” the black mist figure encouraged.
“Old Black, though there are still hundreds of thousands of years until this era’s end, the demon race has a demon lord who is incredibly powerful. If his strength advances further, the human race will face catastrophic disaster. So, for me, time is not as abundant as it seems,” Lin Yun said helplessly.
“If the human race is truly wiped out, those of you with Heavenly Fire Temple status can come here to hide. The demon beasts can’t enter this place,” Old Black said.
Lin Yun shook his head with a smile. “Old Black, I don’t just want to ensure my own safety. I want to protect the entire human race.”
Lin Yun knew that Old Black, not being a native of this world, had no attachment to the human race here. To him, their survival or extinction was irrelevant.
So, his words were not surprising.
But for Lin Yun, it was different.
This world was his second home, where he had many friends and loved ones, just as Earth was his first.
“If that’s the case, the pressure on you is immense,” Old Black sighed.
After a pause, he continued, “In the ancestral land, the demon race holds little weight, considered a lower-tier race. Only here do they pose such a threat.”
“Oh? Why is that?” Lin Yun asked, surprised.
“Because the demon race relies heavily on bloodlines, which limits their potential compared to the human race,” Old Black explained.
Lin Yun paused, recalling what Little Green Dragon had said before.
After reaching ten claws, Little Green Dragon found further advancement nearly impossible due to bloodline limitations.
As Little Green Dragon had said, bloodlines were both a strength and a weakness.
“Old Black, I won’t chat further. Next, I’m heading to the Thousand Mechanism Secret Room,” Lin Yun said.
With that, he bid farewell and headed to the Thousand Mechanism Secret Room.
With his realm at a bottleneck, Lin Yun could only improve his strength in other ways, though many aspects were already at their limit.
So, he planned to continue studying swordsmanship, hoping to enhance his strength through it.
…
Thousand Mechanism Secret Room, Sword Chamber.
The chamber housed a thousand stone pillars.
Lin Yun had studied their contents multiple times before.
But revisiting them after some time always yielded new insights.
It was like watching a film again years later, gaining a different understanding, sometimes completely different from before.
Lin Yun’s last visit to the Sword Chamber was over two hundred years ago.
After such a long gap, he believed he could gain new insights.
“Let’s begin.”
Lin Yun approached the first pillar, placed his hand on it, and began observing and comprehending.
After studying several pillars, he drew his treasured sword and started practising, clearly inspired by new ideas.
After a brief practice, he shook his head. “Not right.”
He dismissed the idea.
But Lin Yun wasn’t discouraged; this was normal for him.
He continued observing.
Though the content hadn’t changed, Lin Yun’s perspective and ideas about it were different this time.
…
Twenty years later.
Lin Yun was wielding his sword in the Sword Chamber.
“This approach still doesn’t work,” he said, shaking his head and stopping.
His goal was to create a stronger attack, the third form of the Lingyun Sword Art.
Over the past twenty years, he had gained many insights into swordsmanship.
But he hadn’t created the third form.
He had made some progress, but for Lin Yun, only a qualitative leap would qualify as the third form.
At that moment, his communication bracelet buzzed with a message from Deputy Palace Master Yao.
“Lin Yun, the Dragon Clan sent a letter for you,” Yao said.
“Is that so? I’ll return immediately!”
Hearing of a letter from the Dragon Clan, Lin Yun sheathed his sword and left the Sword Chamber.
…
After leaving the divine mansion, Lin Yun headed straight to the Heavenly God Palace.
In the palace’s main hall, Deputy Palace Master Yao asked, “Lin Yun, it’s been over five hundred years. What have you gained?”
“You know, after reaching the Triple Dominator realm, advancing further is nearly impossible. I’ve made some progress in other areas, but passing the Heavenly Fire Temple’s ultimate trial remains incredibly difficult,” Lin Yun said helplessly.
“Indeed, at this stage, further progress is extraordinarily hard. In our world, your strength is nearly at its peak,” Yao said, descending the steps with a sigh.
“For now, I can only keep refining. I’ll spend time contemplating my realm and improving other aspects,” Lin Yun said.
“That’s the right approach. You can’t neglect either,” Yao nodded.
“My only concern is the demon lord,” Lin Yun said, his expression growing serious.
Yao understood his meaning.
“Lin Yun, we can’t control everything. Regarding the demon lord, our options are limited,” Yao sighed.
He then handed Lin Yun a letter. “This is from the Dragon Emperor.”
Lin Yun took the letter and opened it.
He knew it wasn’t urgent, as Little Green Dragon had written rather than sending a signal.
The letter invited Lin Yun to visit the Dragon Clan to catch up when he had time.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Little Green Dragon in over five hundred years,” Lin Yun mused.
At his level, a single retreat or cultivation session could last centuries, even millennia, making his sense of time vastly different from ordinary people.
Since Little Green Dragon had invited him, Lin Yun would definitely go.
