181: The greatest opportunity to enter Emperor Wu's lost palace three times.

Martial Province, Shanhe Prefecture.

Liuzhong Mountain, towering ten thousand ren high, majestic and boundless like a celestial pillar piercing the clouds, still stood upon this land as if eternally present.

At the foot of Liuzhong Mountain, on that same vast grassland, a streak of black light streaked across the void, then transformed into a young man with a small scar on his face, yet a rather gentle expression.

This person was none other than Lin Yi, who had adopted the alias Iron Sword and left the Raging Dragon River not long ago.

"Five years have passed, and I've finally returned to this Liuzhong Mountain."

Looking at the incredibly majestic, seemingly endless Liuzhong Mountain before him, a smile appeared on Lin Yi's face:

"After five years of cultivation, although my cultivation level, lacking the aid of Precious Medicine, has only reached the Middle Stage of the Innate Golden Core Realm, still far from the Peak of the Innate Golden Core Realm.

However, having comprehended the Dao of Water and possessing Martial Arts Techniques comparable to the Great Perfection of a Saint-level Martial Art, the difference between the Middle Stage and the Peak of the Innate Golden Core Realm is no longer significant for me.

After all, regardless of my cultivation level, relying on these two aspects, my strength is sufficient to surpass ordinary Early Stage Martial Saints.

And with strength at the Martial Saint level, it is time to enter the Martial Emperor's Relic Palace once again."

With this thought, a brilliant gleam flashed in Lin Yi's eyes.

The third test of the Martial Emperor's Relic Palace, the test for the Innate Golden Core Realm, is the ultimate trial of the palace.

According to Tianwu, the artifact spirit of the Martial Emperor's Relic Palace, as long as I pass this test, I will obtain the true Treasure Trove left behind by the Martial Emperor.

The rewards from passing the Innate Core Formation Realm test back then, such as the innate grade substitute death doll and micro will tempering crystal, were already so formidable.

If I obtain the Martial Emperor's true treasures this time, along with peerless divine weapons and others, and then break through to the Martial Saint Realm, how strong would my power become? I'm afraid I truly would have no need to fear the Yuan Emperor.

Filled with immense anticipation, Lin Yi then willed it. A golden token immediately emerged from the flesh of his palm.

The token was entirely gold, reflecting endless golden light under the sun. As Lin Yi took it out...

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"

The void trembled as countless rays of sunlight were instantly drawn by the martial emperor gold token, madly converging towards the golden token in Lin Yi's hand.

Then, under Lin Yi's expectant gaze, the martial emperor gold token suddenly erupted with a brilliant golden light.

Finally, after about seven or eight breaths, as if the energy within the token had accumulated sufficiently, an incredibly powerful force suddenly erupted from the martial emperor gold token, instantly enveloping Lin Yi completely.

Then... "Whoosh!"

On the grassland, a golden light flashed. In the next moment, Lin Yi had completely vanished from the foot of Liuzhong Mountain.

"Swoosh!"

The heavens spun, the stars shifted.

After being enveloped by the martial emperor gold token, the familiar, terrifying sensation of dizziness rose once more in Lin Yi's mind.

After tumbling for about three or four breaths, when Lin Yi opened his eyes again, he found himself once more inside the vast, pure-gold palace of the Martial Emperor's Relic Palace.

"Hmm? Little fellow, you've actually returned so quickly this time!"

As Lin Yi entered, a surprised voice immediately rang in his ear from the center of the palace.

Then... "Rustle!"

The void trembled in waves. In the next instant, the artifact spirit of the Martial Emperor's Relic Palace, the White-Haired Elder "Tianwu," walked out from the void.

"Senior Tianwu!"

Upon seeing the White-Haired Elder's figure, Lin Yi immediately cupped his hands slightly in greeting.

"Haha, no need for formalities."

Hearing this, the White-Haired Elder Tianwu waved his hand slightly, then said with a light smile:

"I remember it's only been a short five years since you last left, right? And now you're back already. Could it be you've come to my place seeking refuge again?"

"To answer Senior Tianwu,"

Lin Yi shook his head with a smile:

"Although I have many powerful enemies outside, I truly did not come here for refuge this time."

"To be frank, after five years, and with the treasures you bestowed upon me last time, Senior Tianwu,

just today, I have comprehended the Dao of Water. As for achieving Perfection in a Saint-level Martial Art? With my talent in the Blade Dao, I had already reached that long ago.

Therefore, my overall strength is now comparable to that of a Martial Saint!"

"What! Lin Yi, you said you've comprehended the Dao of Water, achieved Perfection in a Saint-level Martial Art, and your strength is comparable to a Martial Saint?"

Hearing this, even Tianwu couldn't help but widen his eyes in great shock, and even his address for Lin Yi changed.

He wasn't surprised that Lin Yi could achieve Perfection in a Saint-level Martial Art within five years. After all, Lin Yi's talent in the Blade Dao was truly immensely high, even higher than his master, the Martial Emperor.

Coupled with the Epiphany-type Precious Medicine he had gifted earlier, it was natural for Lin Yi to reach this level in just five short years.

But comprehending a Dao in five years?

That was truly Heaven-Defying!

After all, in the Nine Provinces Continent, there was no Blade Dao. So even if Lin Yi's talent and Realm in the Blade Dao were extremely high, it could only assist him in comprehending other Daos; it couldn't possibly provide as great an amplification as the Blade Dao itself.

And more importantly, Lin Yi's previous accumulation was far too shallow.

Five years ago, his cultivation had only recently reached the Peak of the Innate Core Formation Realm. His Will level and Divine Soul level were still worlds away from "Will Manifestation" and "Peak of Condensation," let alone comprehending a Dao.

And now, after such a short time, not only has his Will and Divine Soul both met the standards, but he has also directly comprehended a Dao? Isn't that too terrifying?

"Senior Tianwu, I am not lying, and I have no need to lie."

Lin Yi said with a smile:

"I'm not a fool; why would I risk my future with a useless lie."

"I truly possess Martial Saint-level combat power now. If you don't believe me, Senior, you can test me first to see if I'm deceiving you or not."

"Haha! No need!"

Seeing this, the White-Haired Elder Tianwu also laughed:

"Lin Yi, you are a smart person and would certainly not joke about such matters. Since you claim to possess this level of strength, I won't waste words. I will now open the test for you!"

"Haha! I am also eager to see someone pass the third test left by my master!"

The White-Haired Elder laughed, then waved his hand.

"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh..."

In the void, accompanied by spatial fluctuations, streaks of golden light flashed continuously.

In the next moment, twelve colossal, entirely Golden Giants, each thirty zhang tall, appeared before Lin Yi.

"These are... the legendary Twelve Golden Men forged by the Martial Emperor in his time?"

Seeing this, Lin Yi's pupils contracted slightly, his face showing surprise.

The Martial Emperor's Twelve Golden Men were legendary constructs forged by the Martial Emperor after founding the Sacred Martial Dynasty, using the finest metals collected from across the world. They represented the pinnacle achievement of the Puppet Dao on the Nine Provinces Continent!

As is well known, although the Puppet Dao on the Nine Provinces Continent is quite developed, compared to the Martial Dao, it is ultimately a minor path.

The Puppets created are basically of the Sixth Grade and below. Those that can reach Fifth or Fourth Grade are already quite remarkable.

As for Upper Three Grades Puppets, although Peak and top-tier forces like the Wanxiang Tower and the Heavenly Mountain Sect possess the technology to construct such Puppets, the cost required is simply too great.

So great that even cultivating ten Third Grade experts would cost less than forging a single Third Grade Puppet.

Therefore, in the current Nine Provinces Continent, Fourth Grade Puppets are basically the limit; Upper Three Grades Puppets are exceedingly rare.

As for Innate Puppets?

Organizations like Wanxiang Tower and Heavenly Mountain Sect don't even possess the technology to forge Puppets of this level!

Across the entire Nine Provinces Continent, only the Martial Emperors Relic Palace holds Puppets of this caliber.

And even among all the Puppets within the Martial Emperors Relic Palace, the Twelve Golden Men are the most powerful!

As for exactly how powerful they are? Lin Yi wasn't entirely clear on this point, but according to rumors, even Martial Saint-level powerhouses from the Sacred Martial Dynasty back in the day had been defeated under the combined assault of these Twelve Golden Men.

"Senior Tianwu."

Thinking of this, Lin Yi quickly asked the White-Haired Elder, Tianwu, beside him:

"May I ask what the specific assessment for the Innate Golden Core Realm is? Is it to have me fight these Twelve Golden Men?"

"However, I've heard the strength of these Twelve Golden Men is unimaginably great. If that's truly the case, if one only possesses Martial Saint combat power, can they really pass this stage's assessment?"

"Rest assured!"

Hearing this, the White-Haired Elder Tianwu smiled faintly and said:

"Since I said you having Martial Saint combat power is enough to pass the assessment, then naturally you can pass!"

"Although the Twelve Golden Men are the supreme crystallization of my master's path in puppetry, each one possesses roughly half the strength of an ordinary Martial Saint."

"After combining forces and integrating with their Formation, they are even powerful enough to suppress a Martial Saint in the Middle Stage, probably capable of blasting apart an Innate Martial Artist like you within three breaths."

"However, what you must accomplish today is not to defeat them all, but merely to defeat the seven Golden Men you face, and then shatter their combined Formation. That will count as passing the third stage's assessment."

"Whew! So it's only seven, that's good!"

Lin Yi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, then immediately calmed his mind and focused his spirit, wholeheartedly preparing for the assessment to commence.

At this moment, seeing Lin Yi was ready, on the other side, Tianwu's expression also became much more solemn:

"I declare that assessment candidate number 0000396's Innate Golden Core level assessment within the Martial Emperors Relic Palace now, officially, begins!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom..."

As soon as Tianwu's words fell.

Within the massive golden palace, terrifying sonic booms rang out one after another.

Seven enormous Golden Giants transformed into streaks of terrifying light, charging towards Lin Yi.

And as they moved, a profound Formation also manifested beneath their feet, making the seven giants seem as if they were a single, unified entity, converging infinite power onto the lead giant, which then explosively hurled it towards Lin Yi.

"Scram!"

Seeing this scene, a cold glint flashed in Lin Yi's eyes. Using his palm as a saber, he slashed towards the lead giant.

"Swoosh!"

Sounds of flowing water arose between heaven and earth. With Lin Yi's slash, the Dao of Water within the world was instantly leveraged.

Countless streams of water materialized out of thin air in the void. Then, under the convergence of the Saint-level Martial Art 'Circulation of Stars Saber Canon', droplets of water instantly formed into dazzlingly brilliant rivers of stellar saber light, which then transformed into saber-light stars and starry rivers, surging towards the foremost giant.

"Rumble!"

"Clang!"

The infinite water currents collided with the Golden Giant's fist, instantly producing a metallic clanging sound in the air.

Simultaneously, at the collision point of the two attacks, countless air currents were instantly blasted apart, wildly scattering in all directions and sweeping through the entire golden palace.

Under this attack from Lin Yi, the seven great Golden Giants were sent flying backwards as if struck by a divine mountain Peak moving at high speed.

Finally, after being blasted back several miles, they crashed with loud thuds against a wall behind them before finally coming to a stop.

"Not bad!"

Seeing this, Lin Yi smiled:

"A Great Perfection level Saint-level Martial Art combined with Dao strength at the Early Stage is indeed formidable, just as Old Ancestor Yan Hui said, enough to surpass more than half of Martial Saints at the Early Stage."

"Judging from that strike, although the combined force of the seven great Golden Giants is probably slightly inferior to a true Martial Saint, it is absolutely strength infinitely close to that level."

"Yet under this move of mine, they were defeated without offering the slightest resistance. Although this attack of mine also didn't destroy their energy cores, so it doesn't truly count as shattering them."

"But as long as the battle continues, shattering these seven giants within ten breaths shouldn't be difficult!"

A light flashed in Lin Yi's eyes, and he immediately attacked again.

Instantly... "Clang! Clang! Clang!"

"Rumble!"

A series of metallic collision sounds and explosion sounds echoed within the Martial Emperors Relic Palace.

Lin Yi slashed continuously with both hands, using the Dao of Water within heaven and earth as the core and the Saint-level Martial Art 'Circulation of Stars Saber Canon' as the framework, condensing rivers of stellar saber light imbued with the Water Dao, striking the seven giants until they were hard-pressed and in dire straits.

Finally, after seven breaths.

Accompanied by a loud "clang", the energy core of the first Golden Giant was finally shattered by Lin Yi, leaving only six of the seven giants.

Afterwards, although the six giants quickly formed a new Formation, converging their power.

Compared to the previous seven-giant Formation, the six-giant Formation was far too weak, estimated to have only about ninety percent of an ordinary Martial Saint's strength.

Thus, after merely one breath.

The second Golden Giant was shattered by Lin Yi.

Less than half a breath later.

The third!

More than half a breath later.

The fourth!

Afterwards... "Boom!"

When only three Golden Giants remained in the palace, Lin Yi used his hand as a saber and slashed out. The powerful force erupted, instantly shattering all three Golden Giants simultaneously!

The Innate Golden Core Realm assessment of the Martial Emperors Relic Palace, passed!

"Haha! Excellent!"

Seeing this, the White-Haired Elder Tianwu laughed heartily:

"Lin Yi, I indeed didn't misjudge you. To pass the Innate Golden Core assessment before the age of thirty, your talent is even greater than my master's was back then! Your potential is also greater than my master's! You are qualified to obtain the true Opportunity my master left behind!"

"Come, I'll take you now to the location of my master's greatest legacy, to let you truly realize your potential!"

Tianwu said with a loud laugh, then pointed and drew a line, opening a large door on one wall of the pure golden palace.

"Greatest legacy, truly realizing potential?"

Hearing this, curiosity and anticipation also flashed in Lin Yi's eyes. He then followed Tianwu through the door, winding through its passages.

Finally, after a moment, when Tianwu stopped with Lin Yi, the two had arrived outside a low, wooden hut that was only about ten square meters in size, looking utterly ordinary and completely out of place amidst the surrounding splendor and gold.

"Enter!"

Gazing at the low wooden hut before him, Tianwu's eyes became fervent as he said:

"My master's greatest legacy is inside. Only by obtaining this legacy can your talent and potential be truly realized. Only then will you, in the future, truly have the possibility to match or even surpass my master!"

"Yes!"

Hearing this, Lin Yi hesitated slightly, but then resolutely walked into the low wooden hut.

However, afterwards, when Lin Yi stepped into the hut, he found it to be completely empty inside, with nothing at all.

Until the next moment... "Hum!"

Streaks of golden light suddenly shot out from all directions within the hut, like the rays of the great sun, shining upon Lin Yi's body.

Then, a series of mechanical voices sounded in Lin Yi's ears.