Above the North Peak, clouds coiled and the wind whirled.

Countless palaces and pavilions dotted the North Peak; to build so many structures on such a treacherous height was testament to the sheer artistry of the immortals. Tucked away in the rear mountains of the North Peak was a delicate courtyard known as the Everlasting Spring Residence (Changchun Ju)—the dwelling of Li Yuanbai, the ninth-generation Elder of the North Peak.

The Everlasting Spring Residence was surrounded by lush, verdant trees, the whole compound enclosed by a simple wicker fence.

Currently, standing in the courtyard of the Everlasting Spring Residence was a boy of about fifteen or sixteen years.

The youth was not particularly tall, rather lean, yet his features held a vibrant alertness, his eyes flashing with unmistakable cunning.

“After practicing for so long, I’m getting a bit weary. Where should I wander off to now?” the wily youth of fifteen or sixteen mused with a grin, immediately scrambling up into the nearest tree. “I’ll just take a nap under this warm sun up here, and then decide.” With that, the boy was fast asleep in the branches.

“The sun is already high—perfect sleeping weather.”

“Lu Yuan, you lazy good-for-nothing!” A voice, laced with weariness and age, drifted from within the Everlasting Spring Residence. It was none other than Li Yuanbai.

Indeed, this cunning boy of fifteen or sixteen was Lu Yuan.

Six years ago, he had merely slipped his footing, only for his Master, Li Yuanbai, to mistake the clumsy accident for an extraordinary demonstration of selflessness, thus taking him in as a disciple. It was truly an immortal destiny brought about by a simple slip. For the subsequent six years, he had cultivated here on the North Peak of the Huashan Immortal Sect, following Master Li Yuanbai.

Six years of cultivation hadn't been excessively diligent; he was constantly chastised by Master Li Yuanbai as a ‘lazy good-for-nothing.’

Fortunately, his aptitude wasn’t subpar either.

Of course, the primary reason was the quality of his cultivation methods.

Thanks to Master Li Yuanbai’s high standing within the sect, and his own position as one of the top ten true disciples of the North Peak, Lu Yuan had access to absolutely top-tier cultivation techniques: the paramount technique for the mental arts, the Cloud Dragon Heart Method (Yunlong Xinfa), and the supreme sword art, the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud (Fengyun Yi Bai Ling Ba Jian).

In the cultivation world, the average practitioner simply did not qualify for such excellent techniques.

Only a select few could attain the very best methodologies.

And the difference in techniques caused a significant disparity: utilizing inferior methods resulted in achieving half the result with double the effort, whereas the superior techniques delivered results twice as fast with half the effort.

Lu Yuan practiced the North Peak’s two strongest supreme skills: the Cloud Dragon Heart Method and the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud.

Thanks to the Cloud Dragon Heart Method, despite not cultivating with intense effort, he had managed to reach the fourth stage of the Qi Refining Realm—the Eight Extraordinary Vessels—in a mere six years.

The first stage of Qi Refining was Sensation of Qi (Qi Gan Xian), where one first develops a sense of spiritual energy; this threshold was easily attained.

The second stage was True Qi Generation (Zhenqi Sheng), transforming that initial sensation into the practitioner's True Qi.

The third stage, the Twelve Main Meridians (Shi Er Zheng Jing), involved channeling that True Qi through the body’s twelve major meridians.

Currently, Lu Yuan was positioned at the fourth stage, the Eight Extraordinary Vessels (Ba Da Qi Jing), actively using his True Qi to impact and open these special channels.

The more meridians he forced open, the more profound and abundant his True Qi would become.

Right, enough thinking about cultivation. Time for a nap. He called it balancing work and rest. As for being called lazy by his master, he had long grown accustomed to it; he’d been called a 'lazy good-for-nothing' for six years now.

Being cursed as lazy didn’t matter much.

After all, no matter how much he was scolded, it wouldn't cost him a piece of flesh.

Speaking of flesh...

That reminded him.

Meat.

Legend had it that the esteemed immortals mostly subsisted on vegetarian fare; in fact, most cultivators in the Huashan Immortal Sect did adhere to this.

Unfortunately, Lu Yuan was a glutton.

His greatest pleasure was eating meat. Back in Donglin Town, he hadn't been able to indulge enough, having only eaten pork, chicken, goose, and dog meat. Back then, he had often eyed beef, but alas, cattle were forbidden to be slaughtered; anyone who butchered an ox would swiftly find themselves in the local yamen. Since arriving at the Huashan Immortal Sect, however, he had truly feasted to his heart's content. A significant driving force behind his practice of the cultivation method and swordsmanship was simple: the higher his mana and the better his sword skills, the easier it became to hunt various wild game. Since then, wild boar, wild pheasant, wild rabbit, wild dog—even wolf meat—nothing escaped his palate.

If Master Li Yuanbai ever learned that the techniques and sword skills he taught were primarily used to hunt game and satisfy his appetite, the old man would likely be furious enough to burst.

Lu Yuan had always believed he was born a foodie.

He had never seen someone who enjoyed eating so much fail to become plump and round, yet he himself never gained weight.

Never mind. Thinking of meat meant it was time to hunt some game and then roast it.

——————

A long, slender stick.

A rabbit was roasting upon it.

This rabbit was plump and large, its skin now sizzling as the fat began to render.

Lu Yuan sprinkled cumin over it; the cumin-dusted rabbit looked exquisitely tempting, making one crave to tear off a piece immediately.

He chuckled; this was going to be another feast.

Yellow rice wine was already poured nearby. Once the rabbit was done, he could wash it down with the wine—a truly grand enjoyment.

Just then, a streak of sword light zipped past from the east, aimed directly at the nearly cooked rabbit. Simultaneously, another streak of sword light flashed from the west, also targeting the roasting rabbit. The two beams converged precisely at the same moment, their energy intensely cold. Lu Yuan was unsurprised. His longsword hissed as it left its scabbard, instantly parrying towards the east and west, fiercely guarding his rabbit.

“Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!” A wave of clashing steel erupted, the sword intent frigid. The exchange had lasted mere moments, but the incessant ringing of metal filled the air. Amidst the barrage, Lu Yuan shouted, “You two gluttons, there’s no need to be so obvious about wanting a bite. Relax, I hunted three rabbits this time; there’s plenty for you!”

Hearing this, the sword lights immediately ceased.

Two youths appeared.

One had a round, chubby build; the other was noticeably thin, with unremarkable features.

The thin one was Ye Fang, and the plump one was Ye Yuan.

Ye Fang’s master was Fang Ru, the Gentleman Sword, one of the Six Sword Immortals of the North Peak. Ye Fang himself ranked ninth among the ten true disciples. As for the round Ye Yuan, his master was Ye Yangrong, the Harmonious Sword, and Ye Yuan ranked tenth among the true disciples. Thus, these two were Lu Yuan’s Ninth and Tenth Junior Brothers.

The six most famous figures on the North Peak were collectively known as the Six Sword Immortals of the North Peak. Lu Yuan’s master, Li Yuanbai, Ye Fang’s master, the Gentleman Sword Fang Ru, and Ye Yuan’s master, the Harmonious Sword Ye Yangrong, were all included in that esteemed group.

To return to the matter at hand, Ye Fang and Ye Yuan were also notorious gourmands.

Lu Yuan was perpetually fond of good food, and the Ye brothers shared this trait. They had casually befriended each other after an accidental meeting, and their shared vice forged a strong bond between the trio, making their relationship consistently excellent.

Incidents like the one just now—where the other two used their swords to sneakily steal food while one was roasting a rabbit—were not uncommon. Naturally, if Ye Fang or Ye Yuan were roasting something delicious, Lu Yuan would not hesitate to try and snatch it too. They would fight over the food, chasing and grabbing, much to their mutual enjoyment.

Ye Fang laughed heartily, “Good wine and good meat, truly satisfying.”

Indeed, days filled with wine and meat were undeniably satisfying.

Occasionally sparring, roasting mountain pheasants or rabbits, cultivating when the mood struck, or simply sleeping in under the sun—it was truly a carefree stretch of youth.

For these six years on the North Peak of the Huashan Immortal Sect, his life had been consistently excellent and untroubled.

It had to be admitted: coming to the Huashan Immortal Sect six years ago was absolutely the right decision.

Otherwise, how could he be enjoying such a comfortable life now?