There was still some time before the Seven Kingdoms Grand Competition.
During these days, Su Lianxin, Wang Yan, and Qu Youmeng encountered countless unfriendly looks as they walked through the Jade Balance Sword Palace.
Xuan Mo, Mo Qingyun, and Liang Qu were renowned prodigies within the Jade Balance Sword Palace. Their strength placed them firmly among the younger generation's top ten, and their readiness to stand up for others had earned them no small number of followers within the sect.
In those followers' eyes, Su Lianxin and her two companions had appeared out of nowhere and stolen the spots that should have belonged to Senior Brother Xuan Mo and the others.
So... naturally, they would not show the three any friendly faces.
Su Lianxin and her companions, however, thought nothing of it.
It seemed as though the three of them had taken three of the Jade Balance Sword Palace's spots and gotten the better end of the bargain, but in reality, the Jade Balance Sword Palace had gotten the better end-and by a huge margin.
The next day.
"Senior Lin! There is something I wonder if you might be interested in."
Fairy Cold Moon's figure flashed into view before Lin Xuan, her expression respectful.
Though the young man before her appeared to be around her age, both his strength and his standing far surpassed hers. Even the palace master was merely a Sword Master under him.
"The Immortal Ascension Ceremony will soon be held on Silver Heron Sacred Mountain in the central region of the Heron Empire."
Lin Xuan was slightly puzzled. "The Immortal Ascension Ceremony?"
Fairy Cold Moon paused, then remembered that Senior Lin was not from this empire. She hurried to explain.
"The so-called Immortal Ascension Ceremony is actually a grand gathering where the Heron Empire's seven great sects come together to recruit disciples. It is held around this time every year. All seven great sects of the Heron Empire will send representatives, and geniuses from across the empire will also attend, seeking a chance to join one of them."
The seven great sects held a near monopoly over all the Heron Empire's cultivation resources and possessed untold numbers of advanced cultivation methods.
For talented rogue cultivators outside the sects, being fortunate enough to catch the seven sects' eye meant ascending to heaven in a single step. Not only would they gain backing and resources and escape a future of fighting alone, but they would also automatically gain entry to many sacred cultivation grounds closed to anyone outside the seven sects.
"Senior Lin, would you be interested?"
Fairy Cold Moon treated the powerful Senior Lin with particular courtesy and respect. Based on Chen Xiong's account alone-that he could kill two Kings with a single sword strike-he was not someone she could afford to offend.
"Of course."
After hearing Fairy Cold Moon's explanation, Lin Xuan grew interested, his eyes brightening.
So far, he had only three disciples, but he had ten disciple slots. He was nowhere near the limit, with seven vacancies remaining.
The more disciples he had, and the higher their talent, the faster he would cultivate.
If he could fill all ten slots with exceptionally gifted disciples, even describing his cultivation speed as covering a thousand miles a day would be an understatement.
Of course, they had to be prodigies.
With his system, Lin Xuan could see others' destinies and experiences, and could even identify geniuses with unusual physiques or monstrous talent who had been tragically overlooked. An Immortal Ascension Ceremony with its great crowds was a good thing for him.
Seeing that Lin Xuan was interested, Fairy Cold Moon said no more and took a token from her Storage Bag.
"This token represents our Jade Balance Sword Palace. If you are interested, Senior, simply take it with you to Silver Heron Sacred Mountain."
Lin Xuan accepted it without ceremony, calculating the timing.
There was still some time before the Seven Kingdoms Grand Competition. A round trip would not interfere with his schedule. It worked out perfectly.
Han Yue took the opportunity to say, "Silver Heron Sacred Mountain does not have many rules, but having someone familiar with it should make things easier for you, Senior. Let Chen Xiong accompany you."
Naturally, Lin Xuan had no objection.
"Very well."
"Then I shall go make preparations for your journey to Silver Heron Sacred Mountain, Senior!"
Meanwhile, at the Heron Empire's border.
"I've finally entered the Heron Empire..."
White clouds drifted leisurely as a small spirit boat glided through the sky over the Heron Empire's border, moving at a speed that seemed slow but was actually swift.
An elegant woman carrying an ancient zither on her back sat at its bow.
Yunyi, the foremost prodigy of the Spirit True Empire, primarily cultivated the Zither Dao and music. She had already comprehended zither intent, leaving many unable to catch even a glimpse of her dust despite her youth.
She had also met Lin Xuan and Su Lianxin once in the Heaven-Burning Mystic Realm.
That brief encounter had hardly been worth Lin Xuan's attention, but Yunyi had never been able to forget it. Even now, she recalled it from time to time, as though it had been engraved in her mind.
The splendor of that young sword cultivator in white, who had defeated the bronze-armored wooden construct with just two sword strikes-and, and that master of hers!
Just how powerful did someone have to be to teach such a monstrous disciple!?
Yunyi could not fathom it, nor could she forget it.
That single journey into the mystic realm had completely changed her mind.
She had originally planned to travel beyond the seven kingdoms after leaving the mystic realm and join the Thousand Sounds Pavilion, one of the Profound Domain's great sects. But after that journey, she had changed her mind entirely.
Previously uninterested in the Sword Dao, she had developed a keen interest in the path of the sword. She even wanted to combine the zither and the sword...
Once this thought emerged, Yunyi could no longer sit still.
She wanted to take him as her master!
Unfortunately... good as the idea was, it met with fierce opposition from her clan.
But that did not matter.
The woman aboard the spirit boat gently plucked her ancient zither, lifting her eyes calmly toward the clouds within arm's reach.
So what if they disagreed?
No one could sway her will!
No one could change what she had decided!
Not even her father, not even her clan's ancestor.
Previously, Yunyi had intended to seek a master at the Azure Yang Sword Sect. But before setting out, she received word that Lin Xuan and Su Lianxin had already left the Azure Yang Sword Sect and gone to the Jade Balance Sword Palace in the Heron Empire. Thus, she had changed course and come to the Heron Empire instead.
"The Azure Yang Sword Sect... how foolish."
As she thought of the news she had received, a look of disdain flickered across Yunyi's face. But as she watched the Heron Empire's mountains draw ever closer, she resumed her usual cool expression. Only the curve of her lips revealed her confidence.
"Silver Heron Sacred Mountain, Immortal Ascension Ceremony... here I come."