"Martial nephew, congratulations on breaking through to the Dao Palace Secret Realm."
Three days later, Lin Yu emerged from the palace where he had been in seclusion and saw his nominal senior brother standing before the main hall, smiling as he happily congratulated him.
"Thank you, Martial Uncle, for standing guard." Lin Yu thanked him. Otherwise, he would probably have been surrounded by a crowd of old men the moment he stepped outside.
"No need to be polite. I thought it would take you some more time to break through, but you have given me quite the surprise. I'll take you to see Master now," Liang Jing said.
The two then transformed into Divine Rainbows and arrived at Zhang Lingxu's residence. They entered the palace with practiced ease, where Zhang Lingxu was already waiting.
"Yang Xuan, you truly possess extraordinary talent. You broke through to the Dao Palace Secret Realm so quickly, and when you did, the five vital energies shot into the sky. Your foundation is clearly profound."
Zhang Lingxu looked radiant, his eyes filled with admiration. There was competition even within the sacred land. The higher Lin Yu's talent, the stronger their lineage would become in the future.
"Do you wish to challenge for the position of Reserve Holy Son now?" Zhang Lingxu asked again.
"That's right. I'm ready." Lin Yu nodded, speaking with soaring confidence.
More than ready. If he had not been afraid of shocking them senseless, he could have swept through every Reserve Holy Son of Shaking Light even before breaking through to the Dao Palace Secret Realm. Now, he still had to give them some time to adjust.
"Good. I have already sent someone to summon your Senior Brother Yun Lan. He is the Reserve Holy Son of our lineage. Once you defeat him, you will take his position and participate in the Holy Son selection half a year from now."
Zhang Lingxu had clearly prepared in advance. With a wave of his hand, he wrapped them in his power and brought them to the training ground.
The training ground lay in the west of the floating island, covering an area of ten li. Once its formation patterns were activated, its space could expand further. The disciples could fight to their hearts' content there.
The ground was paved with some unknown metal and covered in dense patterns meant to withstand cultivators' attacks. Various Fist Seals, saber marks, and sword holes still remained upon it, while the will of battle lingered in the air.
A young man stood upon the training ground. His sword-like brows reached his temples, his features were sharply defined, and his lines were hard and resolute. His gaze was keen, and he stood as straight as a pine. Every glance revealed a sharp, exposed edge, carrying immense intimidation.
"This is your Senior Brother Yun Lan. Spar with each other and let me see your strength," Zhang Lingxu said, pointing at the young man.
"Yun Lan, Yang Xuan possesses the Radiant Divine Body. Do not underestimate him!"
"Greetings, Senior Brother!" Lin Yu saluted him.
"Junior Brother, I have already reached the peak of the Dao Palace Secret Realm. You had better use your full strength later and let me see the might of a divine body. Otherwise, I'll have to take your place in the Holy Son selection six months from now."
Yun Lan laughed heartily. His voice was bright and open, with no trace of jealousy toward Lin Yu.
His will was firm. Though his strength was not particularly outstanding among the Reserve Holy Sons, he was not discouraged. To him, a temporary disparity in strength was merely a shallow dip along the long road of cultivation, far from enough to shake his conviction.
"Fine, then I'll make the first move. Senior Brother, be careful!" Lin Yu did not waste words. With a single step, he crossed into the air as dazzling radiance gathered around him.
"At one time, the Divine Elephant King preached the Dharma in hell. In an instant, boundless radiance burst forth, dispelling endless darkness. The ten directions of the void were shaken by immense force, trembling three hundred and sixty billion times in succession, and the universe quaked.
"Above the Divine Elephant's head, divine flowers appeared. Their light was dazzling, their fragrance wondrous, seeping thread by thread into every inch of seventy-two billion Ganges-sand worlds..."
A low, distant chant emerged from Lin Yu's mouth, spreading through the void like an ancient angel of light singing a hymn of praise.
Immediately afterward, countless radiant runes erupted from every pore of his body, gathering into ancient divine patterns that coiled around his limbs and bones.
These divine patterns originated from the Divine Elephant power deep within his source. They circulated through all his blood and vitality, condensed into the majesty of the Divine Elephant, transformed into runes, and burst from his pores to circle around him.
In an instant, the divine patterns condensed into a radiant battle armor. Sacred brilliance glittered as light poured down, tightly enveloping Lin Yu like the Divine Elephant King clad in armor, ready to suppress the demons of hell.
This was a protective incantation Lin Yu had created by comprehending the Divine Elephant's Prison Technique, converting Solar Sacred Power into sacred light energy, expressing it through Divine Pattern Incantations, and arranging them through a secret method.
Once cultivated to a profound level, when this incantation was unleashed, all manner of angels and divine kings from billions of voids would come to protect you. You would command the heavens and remain invincible across all worlds.
"Primal Chaos Divine Light Technique!" Seeing such a tremendous display from Lin Yu, Yun Lan did not dare to be careless. Golden sacred light surged like a tide, protecting himself even as it attacked Lin Yu.
His body shone brilliantly beneath sacred radiance. He wielded the Shaking Light Sacred Sword and bore the Sacred Light Shield above his head, his figure lofty and his aura majestic.
Faced with such a fierce assault, Lin Yu remained as calm as an old monk in meditation, his incantation unceasing:
"Divine flowers bloom, sweet dew springs forth, jade nectar rains down. When hell receives it, scorched earth shines anew, and wounds are nourished. Resentful spirits find peace, obsessions disperse, and vitality spreads..."
Bang!
Lin Yu withstood Yun Lan's strike head-on. He remained standing in place without moving, expressionless, still covered in divine-pattern battle armor. Any damage to the Divine Pattern Armor was restored amid the chant, becoming denser instead. Even more Divine Pattern Incantations poured from his pores.
In an instant, the training ground's winds and clouds shifted. Sword qi crisscrossed the air like silver ribbons, wantonly slicing through the atmosphere with piercing howls.
Yun Lan's attacks came like a raging storm, every move fierce, sword shadows woven densely together. Lin Yu was as steady as an ancient boulder, standing firm and responding calmly with an indestructible force. Their clash was breathtaking.
"Thus, all demons of hell shall be subdued..."
The moment the incantation armor fully took shape, Lin Yu seemed to become the incarnation of the Divine Elephant King. Infinite radiance poured from the void, transforming the training ground into a Radiant Glazed World.
As the world condensed, Yun Lan became like an insect sealed in amber, utterly motionless, his expression frozen as he was suppressed on the spot.
After a while, Lin Yu withdrew the sacred light, and the glazed world dissipated. Yun Lan regained his ability to move, wearing an incomparably shocked expression.
"Senior Brother, thank you for yielding," Lin Yu said.
"Junior Brother, there is no need for humility. My strength truly falls short of yours. The Radiant Divine Body truly lives up to its reputation. I am fully convinced that you should be the Reserve Holy Son." Yun Lan was very frank. He was not the sort whose Dao Heart would shatter after a single defeat.
He simply had not expected Lin Yu to suppress him in one move. Although Lin Yu possessed a divine body, the difference between them was far too great. Even when he had previously fought the Yaoguang Holy Son of the Dao Palace Secret Realm, he had never felt so powerless.
Zhang Lingxu was equally astonished. The disciple he had painstakingly nurtured could not withstand even one move before Lin Yu. Yet when Lin Yu fought, he truly possessed the bearing of invincibility.
"Since you have defeated Yun Lan, Yang Xuan, you shall be the Reserve Holy Son from today onward." Zhang Lingxu then asked Lin Yu, "What is the name of the mystic art you used? Did you receive the inheritance of some Radiant Divine Body?"
"After breaking through to the Dao Palace Secret Realm, I gained a deeper understanding of my divine body's origin. Combining it with the Shaking Light Sacred Light Technique, I roughly created this divine art," Lin Yu replied.
"This was its first use today, and it still has many shortcomings. I call it the Radiant Divine King Incantation."
"I was defeated by a self-created divine ability..." Yun Lan was truly a little withdrawn this time.
"A roughly created divine art... and yet it allowed you to defeat Yun Lan across a realm. Not only is your source powerful, but your comprehension is also so heaven-defying." Zhang Lingxu stared wide-eyed, his face filled with shock as his heart churned violently.
"It seems that a Dao Severing King will not be your endpoint. You may have a chance of reaching the realm of the founding patriarch."
Before you continue