Clang, Clang, Clang, Clang, Clang, Clang, Clang—a continuous sound of clashing metal. This was the sound of Senior Brother Yun Yi’s Middle Path Sword meeting Second Brother Yun Ping’s Dragon Head Sword. The two blades sparred mid-air, floating and weaving above and below each other. Both Senior Brother and Second Brother were high-level cultivators in the Qi Refining stage, their mana far surpassing the other eight disciples. They were capable of brief levitation, though not sustained flight, so their exchange involved vertical movements, and the clash of their swords echoed that up-and-down rhythm.

Not far from the clash of these two core disciples, the remaining eight core disciples were staring dumbly at each other.

This can happen?

This can really happen.

Generally speaking, one might hear of a rabbit so foolish it blunders headfirst into a tree stump, but never a cat so clumsy it walks directly into a person’s arms.

The other seven core disciples scrutinized Lu Yuan with curiosity. Did Lu Yuan possess some extraordinary charm? Yet, looking at him, Lu Yuan was still just a lean, slightly thin youth, his eyes full of cunning. How could someone like that possibly be overwhelmingly attractive?

Lu Yuan himself was baffled. Why would this Cloud Cat intentionally throw itself into his embrace? Perhaps it was because he carried three Cloud Rabbits in his Spirit Sealing Tablet, leading to a mutual attraction of the same kind. The Cloud Cat might have sensed the aura of the three Cloud Rabbits and mistakenly assumed he was also a Cloud-aligned spiritual creature, thus pouncing towards him.

In reality, Lu Yuan’s guess was remarkably close to the truth.

The question now was: what to do with this Cloud Cat?

This was what occupied the minds of the eight core disciples.

Lu Yuan yawned. “Very well. Since this Cloud Cat chose to run into my arms, it is now mine. This is the mandate of heaven choosing its master. Everyone else, disperse.” Indeed, now that it was in his possession, there was no way he was giving the Cloud Cat up.

If it has arrived, it belongs to me.

This declaration stunned everyone present.

Among those gathered were Third Sister Ling Yunzhu, Fourth Brother Fang Dan, Fifth Brother Sima Bo, along with the seventh, An Zhi, the eighth, Chen Fei, the ninth, Ye Fang, and the tenth, Ye Yuan. These seven stood there, all eyeing the Cloud Cat greedily. This creature was, quite literally, a scorching hot potato.

Yet, Lu Yuan had casually claimed it for himself.

Ling Yunzhu smiled, her laughter crisp and clear. Among the ten core disciples, she was the only female, and a formidable fighter to boot. “Sixth Brother, currently, it is the eight of us vying for this Cloud Cat. If you truly intend to claim this Cloud Cat, this Cloud-aligned spirit creature, for yourself, you’ll have to take on all seven of us.” Ling Yunzhu waited for Lu Yuan’s reply. This time, Sixth Brother Lu Yuan seemed like a worthy opponent, perhaps not weak. However, Fourth Brother Fang Dan was also skilled, having inherited the Gentleman’s Sword technique from Uncle-Master Fang, making him incredibly difficult to handle. Fifth Brother Sima Bo, inheriting Uncle-Master Sima’s Great Sun Sword technique, was equally challenging.

As for the others—Seventh An Zhi, Eighth Chen Fei, Ninth Ye Fang, and Tenth Ye Yuan—they were not nearly as troublesome and much easier to deal with.

These were all opponents. What would happen next?

She was still pondering her strategy when Lu Yuan’s next sentence rendered further thought unnecessary.

Lu Yuan drawled lazily, “Since this Cloud Cat has fallen into my hands, it naturally belongs to me. This is a heaven-sent bond. If that means fighting the seven senior brothers and sisters, then so be it.” Lu Yuan’s nonchalant statement left everyone nearby utterly astonished.

For a moment, no one knew what to say.

What kind of joke is this?

Lu Yuan, what on earth is he joking about?

The former Lu Yuan always ranked at the bottom among the ten core disciples, typically grouping with Ninth Ye Fang and Tenth Ye Yuan—essentially the absolute lowest tier.

Of course, during the last Northern Peak Grand Competition, he had put on quite a show, revealing a strength that was far from ordinary. But so what? In that competition, he had only faced ordinary disciples. The gap between an ordinary disciple and a core disciple was vast. Being able to handle five ordinary disciples did not guarantee he could handle even one core disciple.

He is truly audacious.

His Nourishing My Sword was already resting on his shoulder. The scabbard flowed like water.

“If you want to fight, then come,” Lu Yuan stated.

“Fine.” Sima Bo was the first to spring forward. He had recently mastered the Great Sun Sword technique, and his mastery genuinely grasped its essence, unlike Sima Wen’s superficial imitation. As he unleashed this technique, the temperature seemed to soar, making it feel as if one’s very blood might dry up.

Sima Bo was eager to avenge his previous lost wager and the humiliation suffered at the Northern Peak Grand Competition. His battle intent was currently blazing. Coupled with his Great Sun Sword technique, he felt as though he, and his sword, were burning, transforming him into a colossal ball of fire assailing his opponent.

Third Sister Ling Yuzhu and Fourth Brother Fang Dan held back for the moment. Sima Bo’s progress was indeed significant; he was quite good now. They were adamant that Lu Yuan could not possibly fight seven opponents at once. They let Sima Bo strike first, wanting him to test Lu Yuan’s true strength.

Now it seems Sima Bo’s attack has substance. Sixth Brother, let’s see your true measure.

As for the seventh An Zhi, eighth Chen Fei, ninth Ye Fang, and tenth Ye Yuan, seeing that the Third Sister and Fourth Brother weren't moving, they naturally felt no need to rush.

At this moment, it was essentially a one-on-one duel between Lu Yuan and Sima Bo.

Lu Yuan glanced at the Cloud Cat cradled in his arm and paid little heed to Sima Bo’s swordsmanship. If it were an unfamiliar technique, he would need to observe the sword intent first to find a weakness to exploit. However, he had witnessed Sima Bo’s Great Sun Sword technique through Sima Wen, Sima Yan, and Sima Hao. The sword’s brilliance was already clear to him.

Furthermore, his fight against Shura had been genuine, hard combat, purifying both his sword skills and his spirit. Thus, seeing Sima Bo attack with the move Blazing Great Sun, a move of immense power where the momentum had reached its zenith—what of it? Even at its peak, I shall shatter it.

Lu Yuan suddenly struck.

One sword move.

Fierce Wind Crossing charged straight forward, meeting Blazing Great Sun. Both these moves, Fierce Wind Crossing and Blazing Great Sun, had been pitted against each other countless times before, but never with such an unexpected result. Fierce Wind Crossing lived up to its name, sweeping through like a true tempest, completely annihilating Blazing Great Sun.

Moreover, this Fierce Wind Crossing move sent Sima Bo flying backward. Sima Bo was covered in countless injuries, all inflicted by this single technique. Faced with Lu Yuan’s overwhelming force, Sima Bo had absolutely no chance to counterattack and was defeated so thoroughly.

One move.

What kind of joke is this? The other core disciples were deeply stunned that Lu Yuan had defeated Sima Bo—who was touted as having greatly improved his strength and swordsmanship—with just a single strike. Yet, this was inevitable. Sima Bo possessed the maximum level of cultivation in the Fourth Layer of the Qi Refining stage, and his sword skill was at the peak of the First Layer.

Lu Yuan, however, was at the Sixth Layer of the Qi Refining stage, and his sword skill had reached the level of Sword Intent. Not to mention, Lu Yuan had already seen through the sword intent of the Great Sun Sword technique, allowing him to shatter it in one blow.

Sima Bo tumbled heavily backward. His mind went blank: How is this possible? Defeated by one sword strike? My strength surpasses my brother Sima Hao by quite a bit; Grandfather always said Lu Yuan defeating Sima Hao in one strike was pure coincidence, an exceptional performance.

Could it be that he’s having another exceptional performance? Sima Bo didn’t know what expression to wear.

(Updating slowly.)