If Bi Chaoqun had a chance to do it over, he would definitely give up vying for the top three in this Skyfire Trial. Let some other unlucky soul take his place; he would wait for the next one.
But reality doesn’t allow do-overs.
“Lin Yun, hold on a moment.”
As Lin Yun was about to leave, Elder Jun called him back.
Lin Yun was puzzled. Why did Elder Jun want him to stay behind alone?
After Bi Chaoqun and the other Tongtian Realm cultivator left, only Elder Jun and Lin Yun remained.
“Elder Jun,” Lin Yun said, bowing.
“You rascal, hogging all the Skyfire for yourself this time. Your gains must be impressive, right?” Elder Jun asked.
“Reporting to Elder, the gains were decent. My physical body has reached the Mid-Stage of the Indestructible Divine Body. Elder, was I a bit excessive?” Lin Yun said with a dry laugh.
“Excessive? More than that, you left Bi Chaoqun and the other empty-handed,” Elder Jun replied.
Then he changed his tone, “But your ability to block the cave entrance shows your skill. Cultivation is about competing for resources and seizing opportunities. If you don’t fight, how can you succeed? The Skyfire Temple needs people like you, who can achieve great things. They didn’t get the Skyfire Tempering because they lacked the courage to stand at the entrance.”
Lin Yun could tell Elder Jun was praising him.
“Elder Jun, it’s a pity the Skyfire Tempering only lasted an hour. If it were longer, I might have reached the Late Stage of the Indestructible Divine Body,” Lin Yun said wistfully.
“As far as I know, it takes three thousand years to gather the Skyfire. What was released just now was all of it. There’s none left for you to use again,” Elder Jun said.
“I understand,” Lin Yun nodded.
He was content with his gains.
Having reached the Mid-Stage of the Indestructible Divine Body, his physical strength and power had significantly improved. If he fought Bi Chaoqun again, Lin Yun was even more confident.
Yesterday, he could only knock Bi Chaoqun off the platform.
In a real fight, pushing an enemy back a short distance doesn’t decide the outcome.
Now, Lin Yun felt he could actually defeat him.
“Lin Yun, do you know why I kept you back?” Elder Jun asked, looking at him.
“I don’t know,” Lin Yun answered honestly.
“Before I came, Elder Li instructed me to bring you to him after the Skyfire Trial,” Elder Jun said.
“Elder Li?” Lin Yun was confused.
He was unfamiliar with Elder Li and had no idea why this elder wanted to see him alone.
Seeing Lin Yun’s confusion, Elder Jun smiled, “Come with me, and you’ll find out. Don’t worry, it’s definitely good news.”
“Good news?”
Lin Yun was both curious and expectant, wondering what it could be.
Following Elder Jun, Lin Yun arrived at a standalone courtyard in the Skyfire Temple.
Unlike the camps where Lin Yun and others lived, or even the separate houses of Skyfire Generals within the camps, this grand, isolated courtyard clearly belonged to an elder.
Inside the courtyard, Elder Jun said, “Old Li, I’ve brought the person you wanted.”
In a pavilion, an elder in red with white hair was seated.
Lin Yun recognized him instantly. At yesterday’s Skyfire Trial, besides Elder Jun, this was the other elder present.
Elder Jun led Lin Yun to the pavilion.
“Lin Yun, this is Elder Li. He specifically attended the Skyfire Trial yesterday to watch you,” Elder Jun said.
“What? For me?” Lin Yun was startled.
This puzzled him greatly. He had thought Elder Li wanted to see him because of his performance yesterday.
Did they know each other before?
Seeing Lin Yun’s confusion, Elder Li smiled, “Lin Yun, you seem puzzled. Though you didn’t know me before yesterday, I’ve long been impressed by you.”
“When did Elder Li take notice of me?” Lin Yun couldn’t help but ask.
Elder Li sipped his tea and said, “Since you climbed to the fifth floor of the Heart-Lock Tower. You probably didn’t know, but I was outside the tower then.”
Lin Yun suddenly understood.
Elder Li continued, “You volunteered to go to the border, stayed there for nearly two hundred years, and raised your strength to the Heavenly Saint Realm. You also reached the fifth floor of the Heart-Lock Tower and stayed there for a long time. And yesterday, you defeated a Tongtian Realm cultivator in the Skyfire Trial. Each of these feats, taken alone, would be remarkable for anyone. Yet you’ve accomplished them all, and as a Death Servant no less. You’re absolutely worth nurturing.”
Hearing this, Lin Yun felt a quiet joy.
It seemed his performances had caught Elder Li’s attention.
Indeed, gold shines wherever it is.
Lin Yun, this piece of gold, had clearly been noticed.
Elder Jun, standing nearby, smiled and said, “Old Li, this guy just did something else astonishing. During the Skyfire Tempering, he blocked the cave entrance, taking all the Skyfire for himself.”
“Really?” Elder Li looked at Lin Yun, surprised.
“Old Li, this guy’s got some nerve. He even tried to crawl into the cave. If I hadn’t stopped him, he probably would have. Has anything like that ever happened before?” Elder Jun said.
“What? Crawl into the cave?” Elder Li was stunned.
Such behavior was beyond their imagination.
Rising, Elder Li patted Lin Yun’s shoulder, “You’ve got some guts. But boldness is good. How can the timid achieve anything? You dare to think and act where others don’t. That’s a good thing.”
“Elder, you flatter me. I just wanted to absorb more Skyfire for tempering,” Lin Yun said with a smile.
- “Lin Yun, you’re truly remarkable. From today, I’ll represent the Skyfire Temple to personally nurture you. I’ve already secured some cultivation resources for you, and I’ll keep争取 more. Of course, you must continue to prove yourself with your performance. The more outstanding you are, the more resources I can secure for you,” Elder Li said.
