“You already found out my identity?” Lin Yun asked as he collected his thoughts.

“Of course. I might not have practiced the Iris Sword Sutra, but I’ve seen it in the past. But I didn’t favor you because you obtained that lord’s inheritance. If you were defeated, I would still teleport you out of here. Then, everything would have gone to Ji Wuye,” smiled the empyrean.

“Since you’ve shown up, does that mean I’m qualified?” asked Lin Yun.

The empyrean stroked his beard and smiled, “I guess so. But I’m proficient in using a spear, which clashes with your sword. Furthermore, you’ve already received that lord’s inheritance. So my inheritance is nothing much to you. Biting off more than you can chew isn’t good for you.”

Lin Yun was somewhat disappointed, but he wasn’t too bothered by it. He didn’t have much interest in the inheritance. Not only him, but Ji Wuye and the rest were also only after the Astral Pearl. Secondly, Lin Yun’s other goal was the treasures left behind by the empyrean.

“Actually, even if you would have failed today, your harvest wasn’t that bad. You’ve obtained two of my greatest treasures,” smiled the empyrean with his eyes narrowed.

“Two?” Lin Yun fell into deep thoughts and pondered briefly before he asked, “The Azure Dragon Enneaform and Azure Dragon’s blood essence?”

“That’s right. There’s nothing I have to say about the Azure Dragon Enneaform, but the Azure Dragon’s blood essence is also extremely precious. It’s impossible for me to obtain it with my strength. I picked it off a senior’s corpse by luck in the past…” The empyrean sighed.

Lin Yun was briefly stunned and somewhat surprised that an empyrean had to use such a disgraceful method to obtain treasures. But it didn’t matter. The empyrean might seem invincible in Lin Yun’s eyes, but that didn’t mean that he was a great figure in the golden era. After all, the empyrean’s tomb didn’t attract any geniuses from the inner ranking.

Lin Yun pondered briefly before he asked, “Let me guess, did the third treasure have something to do with the Azure Dragon Art as well?”

“You’re smart. The Azure Dragon Art is a comprehensive technique that consists of spear, palm, fist, movement, and many other techniques. Someone else had obtained the Azure Dragon Sword Sutra,” smiled the empyrean.

Lin Yun was briefly stunned when he heard that. The Azure Dragon Enneaform and Azure Dragon’s blood essence was probably comparable to the Azure Dragon Sword Sutra in value. If he hadn’t gotten the Iris Sword Sutra, he would definitely not be able to accept it.

“Who got it?” Lin Yun asked.

“It’s not a big deal if I tell you. The sword sutra was obtained by someone called Bai Lixuan. He seems to be acquainted with you. He was always one step behind you in the tomb and he has been shocked by your achievements on multiple occasions. But it’s a pity that he failed the ninth trial,” said the empyrean with a complicated smile flashing in his eyes.

In the end, White Bai Lixuan had obtained the sword sutra, which was probably for the best. After all, Bai Lixuan also came from the Great Qin Empire and the Firmament Sword Pavilion. Since their enmity had been resolved a long time ago, it was better for Bai Lixuan to obtain it than someone else. But Lin Yun was shocked to hear that Bai Lixuan had been chasing after him. This meant that Bai Lixuan probably still couldn’t accept his defeat back in the Dragon Gate Competition.

“No, that doesn’t mean I have nothing for you. You came this far with great difficulty, so I’ve prepared a gift for you even if you didn’t get my inheritance,” smiled the empyrean as he waved his hand.

The lake suddenly lit up as pearls began to rise up. Looking at the sheer number of them, Lin Yun guessed that there were at least ten thousand. This had shocked Lin Yun and he knew that these Astral Pearls were refined by the empyrean when he was still alive. But for some reason, Lin Yun had a familiar feeling when he looked at them.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he exclaimed, “They look like spiritual jades.”

The empyrean was briefly stunned before he smiled, “I guess they can be considered spiritual jades. Spiritual jades are refined from pure spiritual energy in the world and an empyrean can refine astral energy directly. They should be considered fourth grade spiritual jades. As for the largest Astral Pearl, it can be considered a seventh grade spiritual jade…”

Lin Yun could no longer contain his shock as the number was simply too great. This was probably the whole asset of many quasi-overlord forces in the Ancient Southern Domain.

“They might be a lot in your eyes, but they’re nothing to me,” said the empyrean.

It took Lin Yun a long time for him to calm down as he expressed his gratitude, “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to be polite with me. This remnant soul of mine won't last for long. Is there anything you’d like to ask?” The empyrean’s figure had become dim without Lin Yun realizing.

“I would like to ask what martial souls are? And why are they so important to those in the Yin-Yang stage?” Lin Yun asked after he pondered briefly.

“Everyone has three immortal souls and seven mortal souls. The three immortal souls represent the heaven, earth, and fate souls. The heaven and earth souls are on the outside and the fate soul is within your body. The fate soul won’t show itself without reaching the Xiantian Realm. Upon reaching the xiantian realm, the fate soul will manifest in the form of martial souls. The Violet Palace Realm is divided into Yin, Yang, and Yin-Yang. Upon reaching the Yin-Yang stage, the martial soul will awaken an innate divine ability. This means that the higher the martial soul’s grade, the more powerful the divine ability will be,” said the empyrean.

“Upon reaching the Heavenly Soul Realm, you will unlock the seven mortal souls and each soul will amplify your power. When all seven souls are unlocked and are merged together, you’ll reach the Astral Realm. At that time, a whole new world is waiting for you…” The empyrean not only explained martial souls to Lin Yun, but he also explained how the Heavenly Soul Realm and Astral Realm worked.

“Can someone possess multiple martial souls?” Lin Yun asked.

“Lifebound martial souls? They might be rare, but they do exist. Some heaven-defying powerhouses back in my era even had hundreds of martial souls. But a lesser number doesn’t mean that it’s weaker. The key is to merge your martial soul with your martial path. You’ll know about it when you reach the Astral Realm.” The empyrean then paused briefly before he smiled, “I should get going now.”

The smile froze on the empyrean’s face as he began to fade. This meant that the ancient empyrean had completely disappeared from this world. As for his smile, it was full of memories of the world.

Lin Yun let out a sigh as he bowed in the empyrean’s direction. Then, he waved his hand and collected the gigantic Astral Pearl. When he grabbed it, he could sense a warm current flowing through his body as his injuries recovered at a swift speed.

Outside the Withernorth Sea, a figure slowly descended that was donned in azure clothes. On his sleeves were unique patterns that belonged to the Firmament Sword Pavilion.

“Lin Yun!” Even if no one recognized his clothes previously, they knew who he was by now. This was Flower Burial Lin Yun who defeated Ji Wuye. When he showed up, his presence instantly attracted countless gazes.

Those on the top ten of the outer ranking also looked at Lin Yun with a complicated gaze. They came here with confidence and they didn’t place anyone who wasn't in the ranking in their eyes, especially Ji Wuye and Yan Kong. Those two didn’t even place some who were ranked towards the rear on the outer ranking in their eyes.

They both came with the confidence to obtain the Astral Pearl, but they were both defeated. In the end, the Astral Pearl fell into the hands of Lin Yun, which was a resounding slap to their faces.

“It’s unbelievable that he actually defeated Ji Wuye. Could it be that Ji Wuye was injured in his fight with Yan Kong?” Xie Yunqiao questioned with doubt in his eyes. His sword intent wasn’t any weaker than Lin Yun and he was better according to his cultivation and his sect’s foundation. It didn’t make sense that Lin Yun was the last one standing.

Not only him, but even Qin An and Pei Yue’s faces were ugly.

“Lin Yun, over here!” Lin Yun raised his head towards the source of the voice and saw Mo Ling. Then, he headed for the Heavenly Province Academy.

“Are you alright?” Mo Ling asked.

“It doesn’t matter. I have already recovered from my injuries.” Lin Yun said as he glanced at Ji Wuye. The battle between them was ferocious, so it was fortunate that he had recovered from his injuries when he left.

“Did you really defeat Ji Wuye, Qin An, and Pei Yue?” The elders and disciples of the Heavenly Province Academy still couldn’t believe what they saw from the projection.

“I believe there’s no one else here aside from me, right?” Lin Yun smiled.

“So it’s true!” Everyone sucked in a cold breath as they were deeply shocked.

“I should’ve expected this since you were so confident about facing Ji Wuye outside the empyrean’s tomb,” smiled Zhang Yuan.

At this moment, the elders of the Heavenly Province Academy had complicated feelings. The strength that Lin Yun unleashed upon reaching the Yang stage had shocked them. They knew that Lin Yun was strong, but this had totally exceeded their imagination.

“Lin Yun, did you kill Leng Haoyu of my Bloodwing Pavilion?” A cold voice filled with a killing aura sounded out. When the Heavenly Province Academy turned their attention over, they saw the Bloodwing Pavilion’s party coming for them.