Chapter 2706 Above All at Ten Thousand Feet

At nine thousand nine hundred feet above the heavens was the very first great dao cloud! That was the height set by the first disciple of the Master of the Origin Sect, and it was a record no one had ever surpassed since time immemorial.

Despite that, Lin Xun’s tall figure had risen beyond that great dao cloud! He was relentless. His moon-white robe was soaked in sweat, and every ounce of his cultivation had been pushed to the absolute limit. He was like a vast abyss suspended beneath the blue sky.

The sight left everyone dumbstruck. Their minds went blank. They might not have truly grasped the significance of this height, but they knew one thing: Lin Xun had just broken the greatest achievement in history! That alone was enough to shake one to the core.

For those Immortals from the Eighth Heaven Domain, their understanding ran far deeper. They all knew that the one represented by the first great dao cloud was now a mighty figure in the Ninth Heaven Domain, an existence whose power and authority could pierce the heavens and encompass the earth.

This was a living legend who could make even the Immortal Giants of the Eighth Heaven Domain bow in awe! Now, the record set by that mighty figure ages ago had been surpassed. If it had been anyone else, they might have erupted in cheers and admiration.

Instead, it felt as though they had swallowed a dead fly, the taste bitter and revolting. Because the one who broke this record was...Lin Xun!

Fang Daoping, who had always been as serene and detached as one living beyond the mortal world, now revealed a complicated expression and sighed, “If our Origin Sect Master were here, he would likely be the first to take him in as a closed-door disciple.”

As a veteran of the Origin Sect Ancestral Court, Fang Daoping had long known that anyone who could surpass the nine thousand feet mark in the third round of assessment would be qualified to become the Origin Sect Master’s personal successor!

However, countless years had passed without a single person achieving this step, to the point that the matter was almost never brought up again.

“Yes, it’s a pity the sect master left on his travels long ago. No one knows when he’ll return...” Xiao Wenyuan murmured. He had lived for tens of thousands of years and could be called an old antique, yet before the Origin Sect Master, he was still just a junior.

Since ancient times, since the founding of the Origin Sect Ancestral Court, there had been only one sect master and it had never changed once. In other words, the Origin Sect Master had lived so long that even most of the oldest living immortals could only regard themselves as juniors before him.

“Even without the sect master here, based on today’s feat, Lin Xun’s future achievements on the immortal path will be no less than those of the sect master’s three closed-door disciples.” Li Zhen said in a deep voice.

Hearing these sighs of admiration, Donghuang Qing felt as if he had swallowed a dead fly himself. Furthermore, to make it worse, Li Zhen then turned to him. “Elder Donghuang, as chief examiner for the third round, what is your opinion of this?”

Donghuang Qing’s chest tightened, but he forced a smile. “This Lin Xun...hmm...even though I can’t stand him, I have to admit...he is...he is...quite an extraordinary young man...”

When he finished speaking, he felt utterly miserable. How did it feel to praise someone you despised and wished dead? Others might not know that feeling, but at this moment, Donghuang Qing knew it all too well.

“Beyond ten thousand feet!” At that moment, Fang Daoping spoke, his expression deeply moved.

At the same time, everyone saw that Lin Xun did not stop after passing the tallest great dao cloud. Instead, he continued upward, advancing step by step until he had gone beyond ten thousand feet. That was the stretch of void beyond the very pinnacle of the Absolute Sunder Sword Palace.

If the Absolute Sunder Sword Palace was a sword, then at this moment, Lin Xun was standing proudly upon its tip. In the boundless heavens and earth, none stood higher than he! All eyes were fixed on that tall, transcendent figure in utter silence.

Without a doubt, in today’s Origin Sect assessment, Lin Xun had shattered every record in history and even forged a legend of his own. Just for this feat alone, his name would echo through the Eternal True Realm and be remembered for all eternity.

......

At ten thousand feet high, the sky stretched into a boundless sea of white clouds. Upon arriving, Lin Xun no longer felt the oppressive force that had weighed on him all the way up. His body felt light, and he let out a long breath of relief.

Even he had not expected the ascent to ten thousand feet to harbor such immense force. By the time he reached nine thousand feet, fatigue was already setting in, and each step upward became increasingly arduous. The climb to the height of ten thousand feet grew ever more gruelling with every passing moment.

Fortunately, it was now all over. Lin Xun used the power of his will to condense a great dao cloud, and inscribed three elegant characters on it, Lin Daoyuan, before preparing to leave.

Suddenly, from the vast sea of clouds, a snow-white cat shot out. Its body was plump, its fur soft and gleaming, and its eyes as deep and serene as a green-blue lake.

A white cat?

Lin Xun froze in surprise. Over the years, he had encountered countless divine beasts and ferocious birds, such as the Celestial Phoenix, the Vermillion Bird, the Black Tortoise, the White Tiger, and even the True Dragon itself.

However, he had never expected that, during the third round of assessment, he would encounter a cat at ten thousand feet above the ground. It was a chubby, snow-white cat with a lazy posture.

Other than that, there was nothing remarkable about it. However, the next moment, Lin Xun stiffened, and an oppressive, suffocating aura pressed down on him.

The moment the white cat’s emerald eyes met his, an overwhelming, deadly aura he had never felt before surged toward him. It was so terrifying that it felt as though he was staring not at a cat, but instead at some unfathomable monster!

A moment later, the cat withdrew its gaze, shook its head, and vanished into the sea of clouds. At the same time, a lazy yet threatening voice sighed in his mind, “Little one, don’t tell anyone you saw me here. Otherwise, I’ll make you regret it.”

Lin Xun raised an eyebrow.

Am I...being threatened by a cat?

However, he quickly realized that the white cat had to be remarkably extraordinary and was most likely a fierce beast kept by some terrifying figure.

The fact that it could appear above this vast sea of clouds indicates it must have a significant connection to the Origin Sect Ancestral Court.

But why does it forbid me from revealing that I’ve seen it?

Could there be some unspeakable secret?

“If you continue making wild guesses, don’t blame me for being impolite!” The white cat’s lazy voice suddenly echoed again in Lin Xun’s mind, this time with a menacing edge.

Lin Xun flinched.

It can actually read my thoughts?

His expression changed and he didn’t dare to probe further.

Don’t be fooled by its appearance. It may look like a harmless fat cat, but if it strikes with its claws, the consequences could be disastrous.

With a shake of his head, Lin Xun turned and began descending. In the vast arena, the moment he appeared, countless eyes turned toward him as if witnessing the return of a living legend.

The tense silence was immediately shattered by a roar of excitement. People began chattering eagerly, their inner shock impossible to suppress. Only the forces that hated Lin Xun looked increasingly displeased, their expressions growing darker one by one.

As for the supreme Emperor Ancestors who had yet to take the assessment, such as Donghuang Shaowen and Mu Zunwu, their hearts felt unbearably heavy...

With Lin Xun having set a new record at ten thousand feet, anyone who followed, even if they performed brilliantly, would inevitably be overshadowed if they could not reach the same height! However, reaching such a towering height of ten thousand feet was no easy feat.

This realization weighed heavily on Donghuang Shaowen and the others. They deeply understood just how unlucky they were to take the assessment alongside Lin Xun.

Sure enough, in the following assessments, no one could match Lin Xun’s results. Not a single person even reached nine thousand feet! Even those as formidable as Donghuang Shaowen, Mu Zunwu, and Zhongli Feiyun could only ascend to around seven thousand feet.

The crowd’s reactions were also lukewarm. After witnessing Lin Xun’s astonishing feat, the remaining assessments seemed dull and unremarkable by comparison.

......

The three rounds of assessment came to an end. Lin Xun and thirteen other supreme Emperor Ancestors passed successfully, while nearly a hundred others were eliminated.[1]

However, no one would remember the losers. All anyone knew was that, from this day forward, Lin Xun and the other thirteen supreme Emperor Ancestors would become successors of the Origin Sect, and their feats in the three rounds of assessments would spread across the Eternal True Realm in record time!

Among them, the brightest star was naturally Lin Xun. This young man, gifted with the innate talent of the Grand Abyss Heaven Devourer and a successor of Fangchun Mountain, had left everyone astounded across all three rounds of the assessment.

No one could forget his astonishing feats in the first round. Nor could they forget that in the second round, he became the only contestant to defeat the gatekeeper, and the one he defeated was a figure ranked among the top ten of the Nine Peaks.

In addition, they would never forget that in the third round, he shattered the eternal record, writing a new legend atop the ten-thousand-foot sky!

In the past, his might and terror shook the world, and his fame was unrivalled, but he was despised by countless immortal forces. Despite his fame, everyone knew he could face death at any moment.

Now, he was about to become a successor of the Origin Sect. Who among the forces that once despised him would dare act as they had before? Even if they did dare, they would have to carefully weigh the consequences first!

Although the assessments had ended, the crowd around the Absolute Sunder Sword Palace lingered, unwilling to leave, and it took a long time for them to gradually disperse. Lin Xun and the thirteen supreme Emperor Ancestors would be led by Fang Daoping into the Origin Sect Ancestral Court for the ceremony to accept them as disciples on the next day.

“Elder, I need to speak with my senior sister,” Lin Xun said, seeking instructions from Fang Daoping.

“Go ahead. No one in this Absolute Sunder City would dare lay a hand on you. Just make sure to return to the Absolute Sunder Sword Palace before dawn tomorrow.” Fang Daoping replied casually.

Lin Xun turned and left. Outside the arena, Jun Huan, who had been waiting, ran forward and hugged him tightly, laughing warmly. “You truly deserve to be my junior brother!”

Her eyebrows danced with joy, her smile radiated pride, and her stunningly beautiful face was filled with genuine delight. However, Lin Xun felt slightly stiff.

Jun Huan was already tall, with only half a head’s difference between them. As she wrapped her arms tightly around him, even through the layers of clothing, Lin Xun could clearly feel the perfection of her figure...

1. Guess someone did fail the assessment that is hard to fail from... ☜