“Even so, competing for the remaining two spots probably won’t be easy,” Lin Yun said.
Old Black nodded. “Indeed, to compete for the remaining spots, you need to have strength at the peak of the Saint Realm.”
“I’m only at the Dominion Realm now. I might just about manage against an Initial Saint, but against higher-level Mysterious Saints or Heavenly Saints, it’s simply impossible. If I participate in the Heavenly Fire Trial, I have no chance of winning,” Lin Yun said with a helpless, bitter smile.
Lin Yun was well aware that the gap between the Dominion Realm and the Saint Realm was a massive chasm, an enormous difference.
Even with his many techniques, he couldn’t possibly take on Mysterious Saints or Heavenly Saints. Lin Yun had enough self-awareness to know this.
“Captain Lin Yun, I’m not saying you should participate this time. After all, the Heavenly Fire Trial is held every two thousand years. You can wait until your realm and strength are suitable before joining. If you achieve a good result in the trial then, you can also make a name for yourself in the Heavenly Fire Temple,” Old Black said.
“Alright, I’ll consider it,” Lin Yun nodded.
In his heart, Lin Yun knew clearly that he would need to reach at least the Saint Realm to be qualified to participate in the Heavenly Fire Trial.
Old Black continued leading Lin Yun around, and soon they arrived in front of a massive building.
“Lin Yun, that building ahead is the Rule House of the Heavenly Fire Temple. It was built at great expense by the temple. Its effects are far superior to those of the Rule House in the Divine Mansion on the Cultivation Continent!” Old Black pointed at the huge structure ahead.
He continued, “If you want to break through to the Saint Realm sooner, you should try visiting the Rule House often. As a Death Squad member, you can access the inner circle, where the effects are even better.”
Lin Yun glanced at the Rule House ahead.
“By the way, Old Black, the resources in the ancestral land must be extremely abundant, with all sorts of natural treasures, right? Are there any resources or treasures that can help with breaking through to the Saint Realm?” Lin Yun asked curiously.
“Of course there are. For example, the Mysterious Heaven Fruit can assist in overcoming the bottleneck of breaking through to the Saint Realm. However, it only works if you’re already close to breaking through. It can help you take that final step. If you’re still far from reaching the Saint Realm, the Mysterious Heaven Fruit is useless,” Old Black explained.
“Then how can I get hold of this Mysterious Heaven Fruit?” Lin Yun quickly asked.
“The Mysterious Heaven Fruit is an extremely precious natural treasure. A Mysterious Heaven Tree takes four hundred thousand years to bloom, four hundred thousand years to bear fruit, and another four hundred thousand years for the fruit to ripen, a total of one million two hundred thousand years. And it only produces one fruit at a time. For people like us, obtaining such a treasure is almost impossible, so don’t even think about it,” Old Black said.
Old Black hadn’t reached the Saint Realm either, so naturally, he had also considered matters related to breaking through and was aware of these things.
“I see,” Lin Yun nodded in understanding.
“Captain Lin Yun, why don’t you go experience the Rule House ahead? The Heavenly Fire Temple token also serves as a communication device in the ancestral land. If you need me for anything, you can contact me anytime,” Old Black said.
“Alright, Old Black, thank you for showing me around today,” Lin Yun thanked him.
“No need to be so polite, Lieutenant. Just don’t forget me when you make it big in the future,” Old Black said with a smile.
After parting ways with Old Black, Lin Yun headed toward the massive Rule House.
For Lin Yun, the top priority now was to improve his realm and reach the Saint Realm as soon as possible.
If Lin Yun wanted to challenge the rules of the Heavenly Dao or revive his loved ones in the future, everything depended on having powerful strength and a high realm.
More immediately, participating in the Heavenly Fire Trial also required reaching the Saint Realm to be eligible to compete.
Inside the Rule House.
The entire Rule House was shrouded in a white mist. Looking around, there were quite a few cultivators comprehending the rules here.
“It really is much larger than the Rule House in the Divine Mansion on the Cultivation Continent,” Lin Yun remarked, gazing at the scene before him.
The Rule House in the Divine Mansion could only accommodate a few people for cultivation, whereas this one was vast, capable of holding thousands at once.
“Old Black mentioned an inner circle, which should be a better place,” Lin Yun thought, scanning the area.
Sure enough, in the central area, there was a cordoned-off section, likely the inner circle of the Rule House.
Lin Yun quickened his pace and headed straight to the central area.
This section was enclosed, with a guarded entrance, clearly off-limits to ordinary members.
“Please show your token,” the elderly guard said, looking at Lin Yun.
Lin Yun flipped his hand to reveal his Heavenly Fire Temple token and handed it to the elder.
After inspecting it, the elder returned the token to Lin Yun and said, “As a Death Squad member, you can enter the inner circle, but there’s a time limit. You can stay inside for two months each year. If you don’t use the time, it can accumulate.”
“So, if I haven’t come here for ten years, I could stay for twenty months at once, is that right?” Lin Yun asked.
“Yes,” the elder replied.
“Got it. Thank you, Senior,” Lin Yun said, taking the token and heading toward the inner circle.
“It’s truly remarkable.”
Lin Yun could clearly feel that being in the inner circle made it easier to grasp the mysteries of the rules.
The inner circle was small, with only a few figures inside. Lin Yun found a spot at random, sat down, and began to comprehend.
…
Two months later.
“Your time is up,” a voice startled Lin Yun awake.
Looking up, Lin Yun saw the elder guarding the inner circle standing before him.
“So soon?” Lin Yun stood up reluctantly.
Comprehending in the inner circle had indeed been very effective.
“The inner circle has limited space. Come back next year,” the elder said.
“Alright, thank you, Senior,” Lin Yun said, clasping his fists before leaving reluctantly.
Back in the outer circle, Lin Yun immediately felt that the effects there were far inferior to the inner circle.
Lin Yun wasn’t keen on spending time comprehending in the outer circle.
Moreover, since immortals in the ancestral land had infinite lifespans and the land wouldn’t face epochal destruction, he had plenty of time to come back to the inner circle in the future.
“I’ll head back for now.”
Lin Yun left the Rule House and returned to his camp.
During these two months, Old Black hadn’t contacted him.
Back at the camp, Lin Yun entered his assigned room.
The room was spacious, with areas for rest and training.
After familiarising himself with the room, Lin Yun took out the Mind Clarity Tower and entered it.
In the ancestral land, as long as immortals weren’t killed, they could truly live forever. Therefore, immortals here generally didn’t use time-acceleration artifacts for cultivation.
