The Unparalleled Sword Emperor
Chapter 961 - 959: The Sun Palace!

Chapter 961: Chapter 959: The Sun Palace!

Lin Bai gave Zhu Kun a glare, then lifted his foot onto the White Jade Staircase.

This staircase exuded a thick immortal aura, as if by ascending all the steps, one could become an immortal on the spot.

"He’s going up!"

"The Ascension Bridge, ah!"

"Above the Nine Heavens lies the Heavenly Palace!"

"I’m really envious. Who knows what level Lin Bai’s Sword Intention will reach after he comes out of the Heavenly Palace?"

"I bet it’ll be at least Eighth Stage. Every warrior who enters the Heavenly Palace emerges with a qualitative leap in strength."

Thousands of warriors stood below the staircase, looking up as Lin Bai stepped into the Heavenly Palace, their faces filled with envy.

The Sword Demon stared blankly at Lin Bai, flicked his hand, and the Precious Sword disappeared, ready to turn around and leave.

Originally, the Sword Demon had planned to steal the Token if Zhu Kun and the others killed Lin Bai and obtained it.

But the thought of struggling with a Sixth Stage Sword Intention warrior for the Token; their strengths were not on the same level, and the Sword Demon didn’t want to stoop so low.

"Sword Demon, are you leaving?" Zhu Kun asked in surprise at that moment.

"Not leaving? Should we wait for Lin Bai to come out and invite us for a meal?" the Sword Demon said with a cold laugh.

"Sword Demon, although we didn’t make it into the Ascension Palace, if we few stay here and wait to act when Lin Bai makes a move, we can join forces to take him down. He’ll have to reveal everything he learned within the Ascension Palace to us. Isn’t that also a chance?" Wu Qing said.

"Exactly. I thought he was some tough character, but it turns out he’s just a piece of trash with a Yellow Level First Grade Martial Spirit. With his talent, he won’t comprehend much, and his cultivation certainly won’t increase by much," Chuyi said.

"I think that’s the most reasonable thing you’ve said in the past few hours," Bai Chen said with a smile. "Sword Demon, stay. Later, when we take down Lin Bai, your share of the opportunity will be there as well."

"Heh, you don’t know who Lin Bai is?" the Sword Demon asked with a laugh after a moment’s pause.

"Haha, I am a disciple of the Sword Art Academy. I’ve never heard of this Lin Bai. It seems he’s not famous at all in the Sword Art Academy or on the Miracle Ridge, and he has no background. There’s nothing to fear," Zhu Kun replied when he heard this, thinking the Sword Demon was concerned about that.

With a cold laugh, the Sword Demon said, "If you don’t know, you might want to go to Lingdong and ask around. This nobody you speak of has caused quite a stir in Lingdong over the past year!"

"He may be unknown now, but soon, his name will resound Under Heaven; his fame will shake the Miracle Ridge!"

"I advise you all, before you create a Blood Sea enmity with him, to back off early."

The Sword Demon said coldly.

Having finished speaking, he stepped aside, no longer intervening in the competition for the Ascension Palace.

"Psh, the Sword Demon is afraid of someone?" Zhu Kun said disdainfully with a glance at the Sword Demon.

"Let it be, if he doesn’t want this opportunity, it just means there’s one less to share," Wu Qing said coldly.

"Great, let’s wait here for that bastard to come out. A piece of trash with a Yellow Level First Grade Martial Spirit dares to compete with me for opportunities. He’s simply courting death!" Bai Chen said.

Chuyi flashed a cruel smile, crossed his arms, and watched Lin Bai ascend to the Ascension Palace with murderous intent in his eyes.

The Sword Demon stepped back to the side but didn’t leave too far. When he looked at Zhu Kun and the others, his eyes were full of pity: "What a bunch of pitiful people."

On the Ascension Bridge.

The Sky Ladder had a total of nine hundred ninety-nine steps, which Lin Bai climbed with resolute determination.

After taking the last step, Lin Bai looked up and saw above the majestic palace the words "Sun Palace."

"The Sun Palace!"

"Senior Brother Lu Zhen once mentioned that within Martial Intent Mountain there are four Heavenly Palaces!"

"And I’ve seen the map of Martial Intent Mountain; it’s divided into four regions. The Scorching Gobi is part of the Sunlit Land—is this the palace above the Sunlit Land?"

Lin Bai walked slowly forward, arriving at the palace gates.

With a push of his hand, the palace gates opened almost without effort.

Inside the palace, there was no Great Hall or tables and chairs.

Instead, within the palace, was a whole new world...

Can you believe it?

When Lin Bai pushed open this palace gate, inside was an entirely different world.

To put it plainly, Lin Bai saw an island, an expanse of sea, a Fishing Boat, and a Fishing Old Man.

Lin Bai took a step forward, crossing the threshold and entering the island.

As Lin Bai entered this inner world, the gateway behind him closed directly.

Lin Bai, with his usual calm demeanor, walked towards the fishing boat.

Arriving at the shoreline of the island, Lin Bai saw the fishing boat floating on the sea, with the Fishing Old Man sitting cross-legged at the bow, holding a bamboo fishing rod, engaged in fishing.

Swish—

Just as Lin Bai approached the shore, the Fishing Old Man’s hook twitched, and with a forceful cast, a five-pound white fish was hooked and pulled up by the Fishing Old Man.

"You’re in luck, just as you arrived, I just caught a fish."

"Just in time, I’ll grill it for you."

The Fishing Old Man turned back, smiling at Lin Bai.

Lin Bai quickly clasped his fists in a bow: "I am a disciple of the Sword Art Academy of the Nine Courtyards of the Miracle Ridge, Lin Bai!"

"Ah, let’s skip the formalities. Come, I’ll grill a fish for you. After all, our time here is neither long nor short," said the Fishing Old Man with a slight smile as the fishing boat moved closer to the shore for Lin Bai to sit down.

On the sandy shore, flames sprang up from nowhere, and the Fishing Old Man began to grill the fish for Lin Bai.

"Sit."

The Fishing Old Man said to Lin Bai with a smile.

Lin Bai sat down calmly across from the Fishing Old Man, his gaze fixed on the fish in front of him.

"You are the seven thousand two hundredth person to enter the Heavenly Palace," the Fishing Old Man said with a smile.

"May I ask who the senior is?" inquired Lin Bai curiously.

"Me? The years have been too long; I have forgotten my own name. You can just call me the Fishing Old Man. After all, fishing is quite enjoyable," the Fishing Old Man said with a kind smile.

"Elder Fish," Lin Bai said respectfully, bowing with clasped fists.

The Fishing Old Man smiled slightly, his attention fully on the fish over the fire, and asked, "How long do you think this fish needs to be grilled?"

Lin Bai looked down and noticed that the fish on the fire had been grilled for quite some time, yet its color had not changed at all — it was exactly the same as when it was first placed on the fire.

"Huh?" Lin Bai was taken aback, looking puzzled at the fish.

Isn’t it getting cooked?

Lin Bai patiently waited.

An hour passed.

The fish on the fire remained unchanged, still raw, not cooked at all.

"What’s going on?" Lin Bai asked, perplexed.

The Fishing Old Man laughed, "It seems that this fish needs to be grilled a while longer; it won’t be cooked in a short amount of time."

"So, during this time while we wait for the fish to be grilled, how about I have a chat with you, young friend?" The Fishing Old Man withdrew his attention from the fish and smiled at Lin Bai.

Lin Bai responded gratefully, "If the senior is willing to offer guidance, this junior will listen attentively."

"Not really guidance, for enlightenment in this world is not determined by age. Some people are profoundly attuned to the universe from birth, while others may sit in meditation for ten thousand years yet still cling to the mortal world."

"Enlightenment requires experience, requires history, requires insight," said the Fishing Old Man with a faint smile.

Lin Bai nodded in agreement.

"This junior’s knowledge is shallow, and what the senior is saying is too profound for me," Lin Bai said with an embarrassed smile.

The Fishing Old Man gave a slight smile: "Lin Bai, there’s no need for modesty. Your comprehension of the universe far exceeds your peers. In other words, even if you were placed in the Red Immortal Sect many years ago, you would also be considered monster-level talent."

"The Red Immortal Sect?" Lin Bai was startled.

"Hehe, old stories from the past, let’s not dwell on them," said the Fishing Old Man with a chuckle. "Lin Bai, you have extraordinary talent and remarkable bone structure. What you need now is someone to enlighten you, to help you understand the universe, this world, the Martial Art, the stars and the vast ocean..."

"Before this fish is cooked, I will explain the universe to you. How much you comprehend will depend on your fortune!" the Fishing Old Man said.

Upon hearing this, Lin Bai immediately perked up and listened attentively.