So it turns out that Bai Lixuan already joined the Azure Association, so there was no way the Sword Firmament Pavilion could possibly hand something so important like the Overlord Sword to him. After all, Bai Lixuan was basically the royal family’s spy. Unfortunately, the sect couldn’t just kill him without any evidence.

Furthermore, killing those with the jade plaques would only sour the relationship they had with the royal family. In the end, the Sword Firmament Pavilion could only turn a blind eye to it. Although the Great Qin Empire looked calm, the undercurrent was wild. In light of this information, Lin Yun had some doubt.

“Is the sect really that afraid of the royal family?” asked Lin Yun. After all, he heard that the four transcendent sects even transcended the royal family.

“We’re more or less the same. The royal family naturally would not dare to be arrogant if they were weak. But ever since the Heavenly Qin Institute was built, they’ve been producing elites. Individually, there isn’t a sect that can contend with the royal family. On top of that, there are grudges between the sects. So technically, it’s impossible for us to join hands to contend with the royal family.” Guardian Plum paused briefly before he continued, “The current situation isn’t optimistic and the sects will become the royal family’s subsidiary sooner or later if we don’t do anything about it. This is something that no one wishes to see.”

Lin Yun nodded his head. He asked, “Then what does the sect want me to do?”

Raising his head to look at Lin Yun, Guardian Plum said with a grave expression, “There’s a Draconic Banquet every four years in the Ancient Southern Domain. All the elites in that domain under the age of twenty-five gather there to participate. The banquet is two years from now and there are only eight quotas for the banquet.”

Eight quotas? Was that just a coincidence or was it related to the eight titles in the Great Qin Empire?

Guardian Plum smiled, “I believe you must’ve guessed it. The eight titles in the Great Qin Empire are the eight who joined the previous banquet. Six months before the banquet takes place, the Great Qin Empire will hold a competition, known as the Dragon Gate Competition.”

Passing through the dragon gate and soaring into the sky like a dragon. The name also meant that those who passed through it would have the qualifications to contend with the geniuses in the Ancient Southern Domain and go for the Draconic Banquet.

“Can you go into details about the Draconic Banquet?” Lin Yun was curious. He couldn’t imagine how spectacular it would be when all the geniuses in the Ancient Southern Domain were gathered together.

“Let’s talk about it when you make it through the Dragon Gate Competition. After all, there’s no need for us to talk about the Draconic Banquet if you can’t even make it through the Dragon Gate Competition. I’ll let you know about it when you made it through.” Guardian Plum’s words were like a bucket of water that fell on Lin Yun’s head. It was because what Guardian Plum said made sense.

It wasn’t just the eight titles either. Lin Yun was far from being a Heavenly Ranked disciple. He only had one year before the Dragon Gate Competition, so it wouldn’t be easy for him.

“All the geniuses in the Great Qin Empire will gather for the Dragon Gate Competition. Everyone wants to fight for the quota, but it won’t be easy. The top eight will be rewarded heavily and they will be able to make a request to the holy emissary.

“Who’s the holy emissary? Can we really make any requests?” asked Lin Yun.

“The holy emissary is the envoy sent from the Draconic Banquet and they will only show up during the Dragon Gate Competition. His words are even more effective than the Great Qin Empire’s emperor. So he’ll agree to anything as long as it’s not unreasonable,” explained Guardian Plum.

“It looks like the Dragon Gate Competition will be tough this year,” said Lin Yun.

Guardian Plum was rather composed. He replied, “You have no need to be in such a hurry. After all, you’re only seventeen, and you can just treat it as an experience. The sect can wait for four years.”

Strictly speaking, there were only eleven months left. With Lin Yun’s current cultivation, it would be unfair of them to ask him to compete with the geniuses. But it would be a different story four years from now. With Lin Yun’s aptitude, there was a high chance that he could reach the Violet Palace Realm.

At that time, he would have high odds of making it into the Dragon Gate Competition. But Guardian Plum didn’t exactly tell Lin Yun everything. He didn’t tell Lin Yun that the eight titles’ performance in the Draconic Banquet wasn’t that good.

But Lin Yun didn’t think about it that way. He wanted to give it a try since it was going to happen sooner or later. Then again, four years was a long time for him.

“Let’s drop it for now. The Dragon Gate Competition is still far out. For now, let me give you your rewards for becoming the champion,” smiled Guardian Plum. He took out an interspatial pouch and handed it to Lin Yun.

Lin Yun was startled when he saw what was in the interspatial pouch. It was filled with second-grade spiritual jades. “This is…”

Looking at Lin Yun’s astonished face, Guardian Plum told Lin Yun about Luo Feng and Bai Ting’s bet.

“Interesting… I never expected something like that to happen in the Alliance-Union Battle. Now, I’m curious as to what Elder Bai Ting is feeling right now,” grinned Lin Yun while he stored the interspatial pouch.

It felt great to give Bai Ting a slap to the face, not to mention that the second-grade spiritual jades were a huge sum for him. Aside from the 5,000 second-grade spiritual jades, there were an additional 1,000 that came from the sect for becoming the champion.

Last but not least, was the prized Scarletflame War Flag. Guardian Plum revealed a playful smile and said, “Xin Yan already told me that you even went as far as offering her this cosmic artifact. But there’s no way she can accept it with her personality. I can tell that she has genuinely considered you as a younger brother. So use it well.”

Guardian Plum’s teasing made Lin Yun feel awkward. In the end, he could only accept the artifact. But when he held onto the Scarletflame War Flag, he suddenly had a weird feeling rising in his heart.

“This Scarletflame War Flag has an extraordinary origin. It used to be one of the best high-ranked cosmic artifacts. However, it was damaged and became a low-grade cosmic artifact. I’ll unseal it for you and you can claim ownership by dripping your blood on it later.” Guardian Plum waved his hand and rubbed it on the Scarletflame War Flag.

Violent energy exploded from the flag. The golden runes on the flag shined and emitted a terrifying aura. The Scalretflame Runes on the flag started to ignite like a volcano, releasing the pressure of a cosmic artifact. It was so intense that Lin Yun had difficulty breathing.

“The Scarletflame War Flag has two forms. The first form is a long-range attack. It can release the Scarlet Trueflame. There’s even a possibility of defeating Violet Palace Realm experts if your cultivation is strong enough. The second form is the Scarletflame Warblade…” Guardian Plum held onto the Scarletflame War Flag and a crimson blade formed on the flag pole, shining coldly.

In the blink of an eye, the flag turned into a wild beast. When the blade retracted, it returned to feeling like a flag.

“Go on. Drip your blood on it,” said Guardian Plum with a grave expression as he handed the Scarletflame War Flag over.

Lin Yun was already getting impatient. He bit on his finger and dripped his blood on the flag. In the next second, Lin Yun’s consciousness jolted. He felt as if his soul had merged with the Scarletflame War Flag. When he held onto the flag this time, he could feel a special connection with it.

Sensing the boundless energy coming from the Scarletflame War Flag, Lin Yun had joy written on his face. If he encountered Chu Haoyu again, he could easily kill the latter with just the flag. But he soon realized that he was having a tough time swinging it due to his current origin energy.

“Put it away for now. Comprehend its secrets on your own time. With your current cultivation, it’s a little forceful for you to use it right now. I suggest that you don’t use it recklessly for now,” smiled Guardian Plum.

“Got it,” smiled Lin Yun. He carefully placed the Scarletflame War Flag in his interspatial pouch and then raised his head, “Guardian Plum, don’t you have something else for me?”

“You’re talking about the Overlord Sword’s complete book?” Guardian Plum smiled, “I’ll naturally give it to you when your cultivation is sufficient. Haven’t you wondered why it’s so hard for you to practice the Overlord Sword’s entry guide? The complete book won’t be easy.”

Lin Yun held onto his chin. What Guardian Plum said makes sense. But when he raised his head and saw the slyness hidden in Guardian Plum’s eyes, he started to doubt himself. He felt as though he had fallen into a trap dug for him.

“I can’t give you the complete book right now. But I raised your Sword Firmament Token to the sixth grade, so you can pick a spiritual sword technique in the Martial Hall for now. I’ll be taking my leave first,” smiled Guardian Plum.

A spiritual sword technique didn’t sound so bad. Lin Yun fell into deep thought. He had just been promoted to an inner disciple, so he could only choose a low-grade spiritual sword technique for now.

“Right, where are we right now?” Lin Yun still had no idea where he was.

“My cultivation ground,” responded Guardian Plum.

Guardian Plum’s cultivation ground?

 Lin Yun’s eyes lit up. The treasured grounds in the Sword Firmament Pavilion were all occupied by elders. This meant that Guardian Plum’s cultivation ground must be the best one around. It would be beneficial for him to go into seclusion here, especially if he could do this for a few months.

“Three days. Leave after three days.” Guardian Plum’s voice rang out, shattering Lin Yun’s wonderful thoughts. He smiled, “A guardian is being so stingy? Fine, three days. So be it.”