As the last ray of morning light pierced the sea mist, Lin Chen’s Cloud Pattern Shoes landed precisely on the thousandth step.
A sudden swell of sea mist appeared behind him, rolling up from the steps. Lin Chen turned to glance at them, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
After a moment, he turned back and gazed upward. The gilded gates of the Lingxiao Hall towered ten zhang high, and at that moment, the morning sun was flowing steadily toward the golden gates of the hall.
The Grand Square of the Hall!
Many senior disciples stood there,
and Lin Chen looked at so many of his senior brothers from the Lingxiao Martial Arts Academy with confusion on his face.
According to Junior Brother Meng Xing, the academy only allowed the top three to enter the Lingxiao Hall not only because other disciples couldn’t surpass the thousand steps but also because the Lingxiao Stone is very precious.
Even the Lingxiao Martial Arts Academy couldn’t distribute a Lingxiao Stone to every disciple.
And those senior disciples also had to pass the examinations to enter the Lingxiao Hall, although their numbers would be greater than that of the new students.
The most important point, only one disciple could enter the Lingxiao Hall at a time.
Once a disciple entered the hall, the door would close.
As for why the Lingxiao Martial Arts Academy had this rule, when Lin Chen asked Meng Xing yesterday, Meng Xing merely gave a mysterious smile, without explanation, only saying, "Senior Brother Lin will know after entering the hall tomorrow."
This was Meng Xing’s exact words. And precisely because of Meng Xing’s words, at this moment on these steps, in front of the hall’s plaza, seeing so many senior disciples, Lin Chen was somewhat puzzled.
The Lingxiao Martial Arts Academy, knowing that Lin Chen was to enter the Lingxiao Hall today, surely arranged for the entry of other disciples into the hall without conflict.
What was the purpose of these senior brothers standing here?
Could it be they were here to see him?
Lin Chen scanned over these senior brothers, nodding slightly, and then walked toward the hall entrance.
The senior disciples of the Lingxiao Martial Arts Academy present did not tell Lin Chen why they were here; they merely silently watched Lin Chen walk toward the main gate of the hall, sympathizing with Senior Brother Pei in their hearts.
Senior Brother Pei and Junior Brother Lin truly had conflicting fates.
It was understandable that the record of the Martial Arts Mountain was broken. After all, anyone could climb the mountain.
However, Lin Chen was not a disciple of the Lingxiao Martial Arts Academy, yet he still broke the record that Senior Brother Pei had set at the academy. If they weren’t fated opposites, then how could one explain it?
Lin Chen was making a name for himself by stepping on Senior Brother Pei’s shoulders.
At the grand gilded doors of the Lingxiao Hall, Lin Chen stepped onto the steps before the door, and the radiance of the rising sun fell precisely here, slowly moving from his feet and finally shining on the hall doors.
Boom!
In the next moment, the sea mist lingering on the steps, as if gaining some essence, began to seethe and condense. All the disciples in the square saw a mist dragon soar into the sky, rushing from the steps and soaring overhead.
A dragon’s roar shook the scene, causing the Qi Blood of all the disciples present to churn. Raising their hands to look, they saw the mist dragon circling in the sky several times before it suddenly lunged at the palace’s gates.
This spectacle stunned the disciples of the Lingxiao Martial Arts Academy in the square.
It wasn’t their first time here, and they had entered the Lingxiao Hall, but they had never seen such a phenomenon.
The appearance of sea mist on the steps was perplexing enough for them, and now this mist dragon crashing into the palace left them in awe, their mouths slightly agape.
What on earth was happening?
The solemn door, as the mist dragon struck it hard, began to slowly open.
Golden light shone through the door’s crevice, falling on Lin Chen, transforming into a golden dragon that accompanied him on either side.
The golden dragon circled, moving with him.
Lin Chen turned back, nodding once more to his senior brothers behind him, then without hesitation, stepped into the hall.
Bam!
As Lin Chen’s body crossed the threshold and entered the hall, the hall’s doors slammed shut.
Yet, the disciples in the square of the Lingxiao Martial Arts Academy still stood in place. They had not understood why this series of strange phenomena occurred.
Why had this situation never happened before with the Lingxiao Hall?
While the disciples of the Lingxiao Martial Arts Academy were still in shock, two elder figures appeared in the square.
"President, Vice President!"
Seeing the two elders, the disciples of the Lingxiao Martial Arts Academy quickly saluted.
"All of you, step aside."
Hou Zhantian waved his hand. Once the Lingxiao Martial Arts Academy disciples dispersed, he looked at the elder beside him: "Even now, I am unsure whether the decision to allow Lin Chen to stay in the hall without limits is correct."
"The Lingxiao recognizes him, President, this is beyond our decision-making now."
The elder at his side had a sparkle in his eyes. The disciples of the Lingxiao Martial Arts Academy only knew there was pressure on the thousand steps, thinking it was a test set up by the academy.
Yet, the pressure on these thousand steps wasn’t set by the academy, but by the Lingxiao Power.
What is Lingxiao? It is the power of the Rising Sun.
Lingxiao Power, beyond human control.
The Lingxiao Martial Arts Academy merely borrowed the Lingxiao Hall, drawing in the Lingxiao Power into the hall to let the disciples absorb it.
However, Lingxiao Power is not an ordinary energy; it has its own pride.
This is why the Lingxiao Hall can only permit one disciple inside at a time, because the Lingxiao Power tests those who enter.
If one cannot ascend the thousand steps, even upon entering the hall, Lingxiao Power will not manifest.
Only by ascending the thousand steps and gaining the recognition of the Lingxiao Power, will it descend within the hall, becoming the "Lingxiao Stone."
Years ago, Pei Qingming ascended the thousand steps and once also summoned the mist dragon.
However, that mist dragon failed to open the hall’s doors, whereas now Lin Chen not only brought the mist dragon crashing through the doors but also has a golden dragon to personally welcome him inside...
This is the recognition of Lin Chen by the Lingxiao power, and this recognition surpasses even Pei Qingming.
"Back then, Pei Qingming entered the hall and stayed for seven days. This time Lin Chen might stay even longer."
Upon hearing his junior brother’s words, Hou Zhantian’s mouth twitched. For every extra day Lin Chen spends inside, it means other disciples would have to wait an extra day to enter.
"Ten days, Lin Chen should be able to stay inside for at most ten days. I’ve already stated this, and there’s no way to call Lin Chen out now."
One must fulfill their words, even with tears in their eyes.
Inside the hall.
The moment Lin Chen stepped over the threshold, the golden dragon surrounding him vanished.
Gazing at the vast hall, confusion lingered on his face, where was the Lingxiao Stone?
"Is there a senior here?"
After a while, Lin Chen called out loudly, but no one responded.
However, in the next moment, sensing something, Lin Chen immediately looked up at the dome, his pupils constricting.
The dome inside the hall was lofty like a night sky, with thousands of stars casting reflections on the green jade bricks, and right in the center was a red sun.
The appearance of the red sun brought these stars to life, starting to flow and rotate.
When the first ray of dawn pierced through the Xuanji Jade Pendant on the dome, a sudden change occurred.
Nine golden light pillars descended thunderously from the star map, intertwining at the center of the hall.
Lin Chen squinted slightly, staring at the convergence point of the golden light. Within the light pillars, countless golden particles floated, slowly descending and finally accumulating on the ground to form golden crystals.
These crystals visibly grew and expanded, reaching the size of a fist in just a few moments.
"Is the Lingxiao Stone temporarily generated?"
Recalling Meng Xing’s mysterious smile from yesterday, a thought emerged in Lin Chen’s mind.
The fist-sized golden crystal, isn’t it the size of a stone?
A quarter of an hour later, the Lingxiao Stone stopped growing, fixed at the size of a fist.
No wonder the Lingxiao Hall only allows one disciple in at a time, the Lingxiao Stone must be absorbed before another can form.
As Lin Chen’s fingers touched the Lingxiao Stone, the myriad stars on the dome suddenly accelerated their rotation.
The red sun burst out with dazzling golden radiance, and the nine light pillars boiled like molten lava, illuminating the entire hall as if being in the core of a furnace.
The pores of his body opened wide, and his Qi Blood surged uncontrollably.
At this moment, a golden tripod appeared at the center of the hall.
A vortex of air swirled within the belly of the tripod, swallowing the hanging golden light pillars.
The entire hall transformed into a golden ocean, with temperatures reaching terrifying levels.
Lin Chen felt as if his whole body had been cast into a cosmic furnace, his bones spasming and contracting under the intense heat.
The searing pain made him howl to the sky, the sound waves causing the stellar map on the dome to tremble.
"Crack—"
Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of the Lingxiao Stone, with countless golden particles pouring into Lin Chen’s meridians through his pores, a cool sensation alleviating his pain.
"Lingxiao Stone..."
At this moment, Lin Chen understood what the Lingxiao Stone was!
It is Rising Sun Power, it is Ultimate Yang Power!
But pure Yang does not live, and pure Yin does not grow. The Lingxiao Stone is the companion of the Lingxiao power, the ultimate Yin within the ultimate Yang.
The Lingxiao Stone in his hand shattered in just three breaths, yet soon, as the star map turned, another Lingxiao Stone condensed into form.
In the instant the Lingxiao Stone formed, Lin Chen swiftly reached out and grasped it, like finding a source of water in a barren desert, holding the Lingxiao Stone reduced the pain of being in the furnace.
However, the energy of one Lingxiao Stone was like pouring a cup of water onto a desert, merely a drop in the ocean, sustaining for only a few breaths.
Staring at the golden tripod before him, an adventurous thought crossed Lin Chen’s mind.
"Take a gamble!"
With a stomp of his right foot on the ground, Lin Chen’s figure leapt forward, landing directly inside the golden tripod.
Not only is the Lingxiao Stone the manifestation of Lingxiao power, this golden tripod before him is also condensed from Lingxiao power.
Cold and refreshing!
At the moment he stepped into the golden tripod, the agony of being burned in the furnace vanished immediately.
He had gambled correctly!
But in the next moment, the previously stationary golden tripod began to spin rapidly as Lin Chen stepped in, with each rotation absorbing golden particles from the entire hall.
These golden particles were absorbed by the golden tripod and continuously poured into Lin Chen’s body.
To the point where Lin Chen suspected the coursing within his veins was no longer blood, but this golden energy.
Inhale and exhale, golden Qi was both drawn in and expelled.
And the golden Qi exhaled did not dissipate, with each exhale from Lin Chen, it continuously condensed, eventually forming a small golden figure.
The little figure raised its hand, bent its legs, and stood in a horse stance...
Lin Chen squinted slightly, the little figure was practicing a stance, and the next moment, the little figure clenched its fists, punching one strike after another.
This fist technique, Lin Chen was very familiar with, it was the Warm Sun Fist he once practiced at the Kaohe Town Martial Hall.

Comments

Loading...