Chapter 243: Mist Dragon Smashes the Gate, Golden Dragon Personally Guides

As the last ray of dawn pierced the sea mist, Lin Chen's cloud-patterned shoe landed on the thousandth step.

Behind him, sea mist suddenly surged forth from the steps; he turned to look, his eyes filled with contemplation.

After a long while, he looked up again—the golden gates of Lord Lingxiao Hall stood ten zhang tall, and the rising sun now slowly flowed toward the hall's golden doors.

The Hall's courtyard!

Dozens of senior disciples stood there.

Lin Chen, seeing so many senior disciples of Lord Lingxiao Wu Academy, wore an expression of confusion.

According to Meng Xing, Lord Lingxiao Wu Academy allowed only the top three to enter Lord Lingxiao Hall not merely because other disciples couldn't climb the thousand steps, but also because Lord Lingxiao Stone was exceedingly rare.

Even Lord Lingxiao Wu Academy couldn't distribute Lord Lingxiao Stone to every disciple.

The senior disciples, too, had to pass a test to enter Lord Lingxiao Hall—only they were permitted in greater numbers.

Most crucially, only one disciple could enter Lord Lingxiao Hall at a time.

As long as a disciple remained inside, the hall's doors would remain shut.

When Lin Chen asked Meng Xing yesterday why this rule existed, Meng Xing had merely smiled mysteriously and said nothing, only: "Brother Lin, you'll know once you enter the hall tomorrow."

Those were Meng Xing's exact words—and it was precisely because of them that Lin Chen now felt puzzled, seeing so many senior disciples gathered here on the steps before the hall.

If Lord Lingxiao Wu Academy assigned him to enter Lord Lingxiao Hall today, they must have arranged it so no conflicts would arise with other disciples' entries.

Then why were these senior disciples standing here?

Were they here to see him?

Lin Chen's gaze swept over the senior disciples, he gave a slight nod, then walked toward the hall's entrance.

The senior disciples of Lord Lingxiao Wu Academy said nothing to explain why they were here; they merely watched silently as Lin Chen approached the main gate, their hearts pitying Brother Pei.

Brother Pei and Brother Lin are truly incompatible.

Breaking the record on Mount Dengwudao is one thing—it's open to anyone.

But Lin Chen isn't even a disciple of Lord Lingxiao Wu Academy, yet he still shattered Brother Pei's record. If not for incompatible destiny, how else could this be explained?

Lin Chen is climbing to fame on Brother Pei's shoulders.

…

…

At the golden gates of Lord Lingxiao Hall, Lin Chen stepped onto the threshold just as the morning sun's rays fell upon him, slowly advancing from his feet until they bathed the hall's doors.

BOOM!

The next instant, the sea mist lingering on the steps—as if summoned—began to churn and coalesce. All disciples in the courtyard saw a mist dragon surge skyward, rising from the steps and soaring above them.

A dragon's roar shook every disciple's blood; they looked up and saw the mist dragon circle the sky several times before slamming violently into the palace doors.

This sight stunned the Lord Lingxiao Wu Academy disciples in the courtyard.

They had come here before; some had even entered Lord Lingxiao Hall—but never had such a thing occurred.

The appearance of sea mist on the steps had already puzzled them; now, with the mist dragon crashing into the palace, they stood gaping in awe.

What had changed?

The solemn gates, struck hard by the mist dragon, began slowly to open.

Golden light seeped from the crack, falling upon Lin Chen—and transformed into a golden dragon that circled him.

The golden dragon circled him, moving with him.

Lin Chen nodded once more to the senior disciples behind him, then stepped without hesitation into the hall.

THUD!

As Lin Chen crossed the threshold, the hall's doors slammed shut.

Yet the Lord Lingxiao Wu Academy disciples still stood frozen in place, still unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Why had Lord Lingxiao Hall never shown such phenomena before?

While the disciples remained stunned, two old men appeared on the courtyard.

"Dean! Vice-Dean!"

Seeing the two elders, the Lord Lingxiao Wu Academy disciples hurriedly bowed.

"All of you, leave."

Hou Ziantian waved his hand; once the disciples had departed, he turned to the elder beside him: "I no longer know if allowing Lin Chen to remain in the hall indefinitely was the right decision."

"Lord Lingxiao has recognized him, Dean. This is no longer our decision to make."

The elder beside him had gleaming eyes. Lord Lingxiao Wu Academy disciples believed the pressure on the thousand steps was merely a test set by the academy.

But the pressure on those steps was not set by the academy—it was Lord Lingxiao Force.

What is Lord Lingxiao? It is the power of the rising sun.

Lord Lingxiao Force cannot be controlled by human will.

Lord Lingxiao Wu Academy merely uses Lord Lingxiao Hall to channel Lord Lingxiao Force into the hall, allowing disciples to absorb it.

Yet Lord Lingxiao Force is no ordinary energy—it possesses its own pride.

Why can only one disciple enter Lord Lingxiao Hall at a time? Because Lord Lingxiao Force tests those who enter.

If one cannot climb the thousand steps, even entering the hall will summon no Lord Lingxiao Force.

Only by climbing the thousand steps and gaining Lord Lingxiao Force's recognition, then stepping inside, does Lord Lingxiao Force descend into the hall and become the "Lord Lingxiao Stone."

When Pei Pei Qingming climbed the thousand steps, he too once summoned a mist dragon.

But that mist dragon failed to break open the hall's doors. Now, Lin Chen not only summoned a mist dragon to crash against the doors—but a golden dragon came to personally welcome him inside…

This is Lord Lingxiao Force's recognition of Lin Chen—and it surpasses even Pei Pei Qingming's. "When Pei Pei Qingming entered the hall, he stayed seven days. This time, Lin Chen will likely stay longer."

Hearing his junior's words, Hou Ziantian's lip twitched. Every extra day Lin Chen stayed meant every other disciple's entry would be delayed by a day.

"Ten days—Lin Chen can stay at most ten days. I've already said it publicly; I can't now call him out."

A promise made, even if it brings tears, must be kept.

…

…

Inside the hall.

The moment Lin Chen crossed the threshold, the golden dragon circling him vanished.

Gazing at the empty hall, his face still held confusion—where was the Lord Lingxiao Stone?

"Is there a senior here?"

After a long while, Lin Chen called out loudly—but no one answered.

Yet the next instant, as if sensing something, he instantly looked up—and his pupils shrank.

The hall's ceiling hung like a night sky, with countless stars reflected upon the blue jade tiles; at its center now glowed a red sun.

The appearance of the red sun made the myriad stars seem to awaken, flowing and rotating.

As the first ray of heavenly light pierced the celestial jade disc above, sudden transformation occurred.

Nine golden pillars erupted from the star map, crashing downward and converging at the hall's center.

Lin Chen narrowed his eyes, staring at the point where the light converged—golden particles floated within the pillars, slowly sinking until they piled upon the ground as golden crystals.

These crystals grew visibly, swelling to the size of a fist within mere seconds.

"Is Lord Lingxiao Stone formed on the spot?"

Recalling Meng Xing's mysterious smile yesterday, a thought struck Lin Chen.

A fist-sized golden crystal—wasn't that the size of a stone?

After a quarter-hour, the Lord Lingxiao Stone ceased growing, its size fixed at a fist.

No wonder Lord Lingxiao Hall permits only one disciple at a time—it must absorb this Lord Lingxiao Stone before a second can form.

The instant Lin Chen's fingers touched the Lord Lingxiao Stone, the myriad stars on the ceiling accelerated their rotation.

The red sun blazed with blinding golden light; the nine pillars boiled like molten lava, turning the entire hall into the heart of a furnace.

His pores flared open; his blood surged uncontrollably.

At the hall's center, a golden cauldron appeared.

Within its belly, a vortex howled, swallowing the descending golden pillars whole.

The entire hall became a sea of gold, its temperature reaching an unbearable extreme.

Lin Chen felt as if his entire body had been cast into heaven's forge; his bones spasmed and contracted under the heat.

Agony drove him to scream skyward, the soundwave shaking the star map above.

CRACK—

The Lord Lingxiao Stone's surface split into a spiderweb of cracks; countless golden particles surged through his pores into his meridians, a cool sensation easing his pain.

"Lord Lingxiao Stone…"

At this moment, Lin Chen finally understood what Lord Lingxiao Stone was!

It was the power of the rising sun—the ultimate yang force!

Yet solitary yang cannot give birth, solitary yin cannot grow—Lord Lingxiao Stone is the companion of Lord Lingxiao Force, the ultimate yin within ultimate yang.

The Lord Lingxiao Stone in his hand shattered within three breaths—but instantly, the star map rotated again, and another Lord Lingxiao Stone condensed.

The moment the new Lord Lingxiao Stone formed, Lin Chen seized it instantly, like a man in a desert finding water; holding it eased the furnace-like agony coursing through him.

Yet the energy of one Lord Lingxiao Stone was like pouring a cup of water into a desert—barely enough to sustain him for a few breaths.

Gazing at the golden cauldron before him, Lin Chen entertained a reckless thought.

"I'll gamble!"

He stomped his right foot and leapt, plunging straight into the golden cauldron.

Not only was the Lord Lingxiao Stone formed from Lord Lingxiao energy, but the golden cauldron before him was also condensed from Lord Lingxiao energy.

Cold, icy!

The instant Lin Chen stepped into the golden cauldron, the searing pain burning within his body vanished immediately.

He had guessed right!

But the next moment, the previously still golden cauldron began spinning rapidly as Lin Chen stepped inside, absorbing golden particles from the entire hall with every rotation.

These golden particles, drawn in by the cauldron, continuously surged into Lin Chen's body.

Eventually, Lin Chen began to doubt whether the blood surging through his veins was still blood at all — or merely this golden energy.

With every breath he inhaled and exhaled, golden qi flowed in and out.

Yet these exhaled golden qi did not dissipate; with each exhalation, they coalesced further, finally forming a tiny golden figure.

The figure raised its hands, bent its knees, and assumed a horse stance…

Lin Chen squinted slightly — the figure was practicing standing Zhuang. The next instant, the figure clenched its fists and threw punch after punch.

This fist technique was familiar to Lin Chen — the Warm Sun Fist he had trained in the Wu Tang of Kehetown.

(End of Chapter)