Lin Yun was extremely exhausted after making it through his most recent test in the Black Lotus Palace. The ninth level was more challenging than he had imagined. The flaw left behind by the white-clothed man was extremely subtle. But Lin Yun was able to find it since this was ultimately a test.

The white-clothed man had gone easy on him. But Lin Yun guessed that the others must have faced the same difficulty, if they were still in the Black Lotus Palace. The main reason why he made it through the test was due to the fact that he was trained in the way of swords. So he was extremely sensitive to the flaw leaked by the white-clothed man.

“There’s no hurry. Let me refine the Yin-Yang Pellet first.” Lin Yun waved his hand and retrieved the Yin-Yang Pellet. The aura from the pellet had manifested into two dragons that coiled around the pellet. With just a glance, he could tell that this wasn’t an ordinary pellet.

Lin Yun had a feeling that it would be a waste for him to refine this pellet at his current cultivation, but he couldn’t be bothered by it. The disadvantage in his cultivation was magnified in his battle with Bai Yue and if he didn’t rely on his physique to force Bai Yue to use his three trump cards, it was uncertain if Lin Yun could win the fight.

Furthermore, he would be suppressed if he purely relied on the Dragon-Tiger Fist and Dracophant Battle Physique without his sword. He could be lucky once, but not twice.

“Sorry about this. I don’t have a choice, even if you’re a divine pellet.” Lin Yun still had to fight for the ninth level’s Lotus Treasure Stage and then there was the tenth level’s testthat was waiting for him. So he didn’t have any other choice but to refine this pellet.

When the Yin-Yang Pellet reached his dantian, Lin Yun’s aura started to rise. He had never used any pellets after reaching the Profound Martial Realm, so the effects from the Yin-Yang Pellet were horrifying.

Others might not be able to make any progress even if they had reached the eighth stage for more than half a year. But Lin Yun’s cultivation was rising rapidly, reaching the mid phase eighth stage in the blink of an eye. The two dragons were rampaging in his body, breaking through Lin Yun’s bottleneck violently.

The other pellets and treasures Lin Yun had consumed couldn’t even compare to this pellet. Lin Yun understood why Bai Yue had such a big reaction when he saw the pellet.

The two dragons charged throughout Lin Yun’s body, transforming his body from within. At the same time, the energy from the pellet refined his origin energy once more. As the energy circulated, black impurities began to ooze out of Lin Yun’s skin.

He was like a piece of jade being cleaned. The entire process took two hours and Lin Yun’s cultivation reached the ninth stage. With all the impurities removed, his skin looked as smooth as a baby’s skin. When Lin Yun opened his eyes, his eyes glowed brightly without any hint of impurities. 

Lin Yun let out a breath and could feel that his body had gotten lighter. In reality, there weren't any changes to his weight or appearance, but he had been transformed from the inside out by the Yin-Yang Pellet. All of the hidden injuries he suffered in his cultivation and all the impurities left behind by the pellets he had consumed were removed.

“The Yin-Yang Pellet is truly mysterious.” Lin Yun fell into deep thought. He couldn’t imagine what effect there would have been had he refined this pellet at the tenth stage of the Profound Martial Realm. But there was no need for him to dwell on it because he wasn’t someone who would regret his decision.

“To the Lotus Treasure Palace!” Lin Yun didn’t have any hesitation in his eyes. He was filled with confidence, the confidence to defeat anyone who stood in his way.

A brief moment later, Lin Yun felt a familiar fluctuation. It was the spiritual energy fluctuation that signalled the birth of a treasure. After looking at the treasure on the eighth level, Lin Yun couldn’t imagine what kind of treasure was waiting for him on the ninth level.

When Lin Yun rushed to the hall, he saw the azure lotus emitting a glow. In the next second, the glow stopped and an ancient sword hovered in the air. The sword was covered in flowery runes and Lin Yun could sense how sharp it was without even touching it.

An ancient cosmic artifact?

 Lin Yun was shocked. This sword was practically prepared for him. Lin Yun took a liking to the sword the instant he saw it. This was the first time he had such a reaction after coming to the Black Lotus Palace.

After all, he had seen too many treasures in the Demonlotus Realm, so he had grown numb to them. He didn’t even show any reaction when he saw the Yin-Yang Pellet. But this sword had jolted something from the bottom of his heart.

Lin Yun slowly walked towards the lotus stage, with calm caution. He didn’t dare to be careless. After he took three steps forward, he gathered his origin energy on his palm and began to reach for the sword.

But the moment he raised his hand, a cold aura suddenly came at him. A powerful palmwas headed towards him that placed him under great pressure. Even his internal organs started to clump together under the great pressure.

If his cultivation wasn’t strong enough, his internal organs would have ruptured by now. However, Lin Yun calmly retaliated with a punch. His punch was like a sword that stabbed at the palm.

After Lin Yun shattered the palm, he saw his attacker. It was Shui Wuhen from the Demonic Moon Villa. Lin Yun looked at this person calmly. He didn’t have a favorable opinion of this person. The palm that Shui Wuhen used was sinister and he would be dead if he hadn’t reacted in time. But it was fortunate that he managed to bear the pressure coming from Shui Wuhen’s origin energy after he made a breakthrough in his cultivation.

“Lin Yun, I want this sword,” said Shui Wuhen. He didn’t bother hiding because they were enemies.

“You want me to give it to you? Why should I? I wouldn’t give it away even if Situ Yi stood before me,” retorted Lin Yun without any intention of taking a step back.

“Lin Yun, do you know how many enemies you’ve made along the way? I won’t mention everyone. Just Mu Xiuhan and Bai Yue are enough. Mu Xiuhan couldn’t make it into the palace due to you and Bai Yue was nearly killed by you. So are you sure you want to be an enemy of mine? Furthermore, you’ve already gotten a decent harvest with the Yin-Yang Pellet.” Shui Wuhen tried to persuade Lin Yun to give up on the sword.

“As you’ve said. I’ve already offended so many people, so why should I be concerned about having one more?” Shui Wuhen was too naive to try and persuade Lin Yun with mere words.

“I knew that you wouldn’t back down quietly. Since that’s the case, then I’ll have to defeat you!” Shui Wuhen grabbed his fan and stepped forward, appearing before Lin Yun in the next second.

He was using the Cloudmist Palm. His figure was like an immovable mountain with origin energy gathering in his palm like mist.

Lin Yun faced it calmly by tapping his fingers forward and destroying Shui Wuhen’s attack. Shui Wuhen attacked quickly and he also retreated quickly. He was pushed back by the force behind Lin Yun’s attack.

“What a strong sword intent!” Shui Wuhen frowned his eyebrows with a complicated look. Since he was also a swordsman, he could sense the powerful sword intent coming from Lin Yun. Then again, the Yin-Yang Pellet must have also helped increase Lin Yun’s strength and not just his sword intent.

It was just as Shui Wuhen had guessed, Lin Yun had wasted the Yin-Yang Pellet. Bai Yue was truly a piece of garbage. After all, Lin Yun wouldn’t have become so powerful if it wasn’t for Bai Yue.

“Flickering Shadows!” Shui Wuhen instantly thought of a countermeasure and his figure blurred. In the next second, countless palms came at Lin Yun from all directions, which instantly engulfed Lin Yun.

“You’re trying to test my cultivation? I’m afraid that I’ll only disappoint you!” Lin Yun might be startled by this attack if he didn’t cultivate the Iris Sword Sutra. After reaching the ninth stage of the Profound Martial Realm, Shui Wuhen no longer had any advantage in cultivation.

With both his fingers stuck together, Lin Yun unleashed countless sword rays. His attacks were like geysers rising on a lake that converged to form a water tornado. Lin Yun let out a roar and unleashed his attack, destroying all the palms coming from the surrounding.

“How about this then!” Shui Wuhen snorted coldly and started gathering his origin energy into his right palm before sending it out. The Demonic Moon Villa’s martial techniques were powerful. After all, they were known as one of the four major sects.

But it was a pity that Shui Wuhen bumped into the wrong person. Lin Yun formed a seal, combining the Undying Vajra Seal, 

Sky Breaking Seal, and Demon Vanquishing Seal together.

“

Hidden Dragon, Crouching Tiger!”

“Dragon Painting!”

“Soaring Dragon!”

“Hundred Beast Wave!”

“Vanquishing Dragon and Tiger!”

Lin Yun’s origin energy gathered together with the three seals and rained down punches on Shui Wuhen. At the same time, his quasi-xiantian sword intent also fused into the combined three seals.

Every punch from Lin Yun was powerful and when he used the Vanquishing Dragon and Tiger, Lin Yun’s punch broke through Shui Wuhen’s attack and landed on the latter’s chest.

Shui Wuhen was blown away as he threw up a mouthful of blood. But before he landed on the ground, he slammed his palm on the ground. Using the impact, Shui Wuhen spread his arms in the air before he drifted down. He was agile. His face was unsightly when he looked at Lin Yun.

“Interesting. You possess the Dragon-Tiger Fist that shocks the Great Qin Empire and even the strongest body-refining martial technique of the Great Qin Empire. It’s shocking that you can possess such a powerful sword intent. I’m afraid there’s no one else comparable to you among the juniors.” A laughter echoed out and Jing Jue appeared from a passage. He looked at Lin Yun and asked, “Shui Wuhen, you wouldn’t mind having a helper, right?”