The bizarre sensation fluctuated from the Iris Flower. At this moment, the crystal looking flower didn’t seem like a flower, but a violet ice sculpture instead. Looking at the thunderclouds in the sky, Lin Yun fell into deep thought.

At this moment, he felt that he could make a breakthrough in the Iris Sword Sutra anytime he wanted, which was beyond his expectation. As an ancient cultivation technique, the more Lin Yun cultivated, the more difficult it would be. Not only did he require an astronomical sum of resources, but he also needed comprehension and an opportunity to make a breakthrough.

He was stuck in the pinnacle eighth stage for a long time now and Lin Yun even wondered if the threshold to the next breakthrough required him to be in the Violet Palace Realm. But now that he reached the tenth stage, the Iris Sword Sutra actually started showing signs of making a breakthrough.

“Is it because of this secret realm?” Lin Yun muttered to himself while thinking. This secret realm was made of sword intent. Although this place was filled with danger, it was also an opportunity for swordsmen. Furthermore, the spiritual energy condensed by the sword intent here was more refined than the outside world.

It looks like he was really able to make a breakthrough here. The more he thought about the possibility, the more excited he felt. There was a hurdle every three stages of the Iris Sword Sutra. The Iris Sword Sutra would undergo a transformation at the sixth stage, and he could only be considered reaching the threshold at the ninth stage when he could create a sword formation within his body. At the tenth stage, he could even summon an Ice Phoenix.

The Iris Sword Saint once said that the sword box was sealed by him and that the Iris Sword Sutra was required to unseal it. So if he could make a breakthrough in the Iris Sword Sutra to the ninth stage, it would be more terrifying than the breakthrough that he just had.

“No matter what, I have to give it a try.” Lin Yun sat on the platform and the Flower Burial Sword returned to his hand. At the same time, the ancient platform beneath his feet gradually dimmed down as the array disappeared.

Looking at the thunderclouds tumbling like a ferocious beast to prevent anyone from reaching the fifth stage, Lin Yun instantly made the decision and executed the Seven Profound Steps, “Screw it.”

When he reached right below the thunderclouds, he could hear the thunderclouds emitting a deep roar. At the same time, bolts of lightning streaked across the horizon and came in his direction.

Activating his quasi-xiantian sword intent, he swung his sword out and shattered the bolts of lightning that obstructed him. Even when facing the black beast in the sky, Lin Yun showed no traces of backing down.

Suddenly, the thunderclouds began to tumble and gradually formed into a demonic face that glared at him. However, Lin Yun faced it calmly and a radiance burst out from his body that hung in the sky like a bright moon.

“Luminous Moon!” In the next second, the dazzling lunar light turned into a streak of purple light and flew across the sky. With the Aquaselenic Sword promoted to the manifestation stage, the streak of purple light blazed like a fiery flame that lit the darkness in the sky.

The demonic face was severed before it dissipated into the air. After he was done with it, Lin Yun landed on an ancient platform as his launching point to charge into the thunderclouds once again. His vision was soon blurred by the darkness and he could only hear the buzzing sword intent that lingered by his ears.

Wielding his sword, Lin Yun charged straight up. It didn’t take long before he saw a faint barrier that stood in his way. With a bark, Lin Yun stabbed his sword forward, “Break!”

The Flower Burial Sword roared as it stabbed into the barrier. The stab created a crack before it slowly spread out. In the next second, the barrier shattered into pieces and Lin Yun entered the fifth level.

When he arrived at the fifth level, he could sense the distinct difference between this place and the fourth level. The most direct change was the thunderclouds in the sky. The thunderclouds were red and he could see hundreds of lightning bolts flickering in the sky.

Whenever the crimson bolts of lightning struck the ground, they would create a loud booming noise. Lin Yun could sense his body shaking from just the booming sounds alone. Additionally, the floating platforms in the air looked wrecked.

On the platforms, Lin Yun saw broken sword after broken sword. This scene wasn't on the fourth level, which meant that this was where many people lost their lives. Perhaps the thunderclouds were red because it was dyed red from all the blood.

Lin Yun went around to look for a platform in a better state. When he found one, he plunged the Flower Burial Sword into it to activate the platform. After that, he could sense the thunderclouds begin to rumble and the bolts of lightning swiftly started to strike down.

In the blink of an eye, a bolt of lightning struck Lin Yun’s body. His teeth were clenched and a groan escaped his lips. He could sense the pain in every single one of his cells, but when the impact was gone, Lin Yun could sense a dense sword intent and spiritual energy flowing into his body through the flickering lightning on his body.

“It was worth it!” A smile rose on Lin Yun’s lips. No wonder this place could attract the Iris Flower. So it turns out that the spiritual energy here was ten times denser than the fourth level. With that, he no longer hesitated and sat down with his legs crossed to allow the Iris Flower in his dantian to absorb the violent energy.

As time gradually passed, Lin Yun was continuously struck by lightning. Simultaneously, he circulated the Iris Sword Sutra so he could finally make a breakthrough into the ninth stage of this cultivation technique.

“It seems to have slowed down…” Lin Yun frowned his brows as he opened his eyes. According to his speculation, he would probably make a breakthrough in ten days, but he was already here for two days. This meant that the competition would take place tomorrow.

Frowning his brows, he made a decision and took out the beast core. It was the beast core Lord Thirteen left for him to leave the place. However, Lin Yun stared at the beast core for a long time before he popped it into his mouth.

This meant that he would die here the moment he was in danger and would become one of the many broken swords that were left behind. This also meant that he was taking a huge risk. He was gambling that he could make a breakthrough in one day.

A violent storm suddenly swept through the Sword Burial Woods outside and the bamboos were snapping in patches. This made it difficult for Lord Thirteen to keep his eyes open. It also caused the fire he was using to boil the fish to grow even more ferocious.

“I knew he wouldn’t behave himself.” Lord Thirteen frowned his brows, but he soon revealed a smile when he discovered that the fish was already cooked.

“What an aroma.” An old man suddenly appeared in the woods of broken bamboo, staring at the pot of fish with a smile. He found himself a seat and started to pick up a piece of fish.

But Lord Thirteen’s chopsticks smacked his hands. Lord Thirteen glared at the plump old man, “You’re really shameless to come uninvited. That’s the best part of the fish, the crescent moon meat.”

It was a piece of meat that came from in-between the Snowdragon Carp’s gills and it was shaped like a crescent moon.

The plump old man revealed an embarrassed smile and he retrieved a jar of wine, “I’m naturally not here empty-handed.”

When he removed the lid, a fragrant aroma drifted out. The surface of the wine had several flower petals and the fragrance was intoxicating.

“Coldpool Dew!” Lord Thirteen’s eyes lit up. He looked at the plump old man and smiled, “You kept a flower for a decade just for this jar of Coldpool Dew.”

“You did the same thing. You raised that fish for a decade,” smiled the plump old man.

“It’s practically impossible to grasp xiantian sword intent before reaching the Violet Palace Realm. Is that why you sent him to the Sword Burial Woods?” asked the plump old man.

“You’re pretty knowledgeable,” replied Lord Thirteen.

“Haha, his grudge with Bai Lixuan was formed back in the Azure Sun Realm. Back then, we both practically flipped the entire Azure Sun Realm for the Iris Sword Saint’s inheritance. Anyone can guess that the brat obtained it back in the Azure Sun Realm as long as they’re not stupid. Then again, you might be an exception,” said the plump old man.

“Hmph, you think you’re the only smart one? But crippling a profound vein just because he killed a Wang Clan’s descendant. This is something that I would never do,” snorted Lord Thirteen with disdain. As they chatted, they didn’t stop their hands and their chopsticks flew into the pot like swords.

They were fighting among themselves, but neither of them went for the crescent moon meat. When the Dragon Blooded Horse smelled the fragrance from afar, it rushed over and stared at the pot, drooling.

But it was a pity that both Lord Thirteen and the plump old man could kill it with a finger. So the Dragon Blooded Horse didn’t dare to do anything. After all, it didn’t know if the two old men would suddenly act moody.

“Speaking of which, where are the dragon’s eyes?” asked the plump old man. The dragon’s eyes were the greatest treasure on the Snowdragon Carp.

“I naturally preserved it. I’m planning to refine it into a Fish-Dragon Pearl to give it to that brat when he becomes the champion,” said Lord Thirteen.

“Haha, you’re really generous. If I remember correctly, you were planning to cultivate the Dragonsword Gaze with it, right?” The plump old man was surprised.

“Hmph, I naturally have to treat someone who caught my eye well. Unlike you, stingy miser!” retorted Lord Thirteen.

This made the plump old man, who would usually rebut those words, fall into silence out of guilt. Right at this moment, a dazzling brilliance exploded from the Sword Burial Diagram’s direction that attracted both of their attentions.