The six true disciples faced Lu Yuan alone.

Six core disciples battling a single one—this was an anomaly, unseen for centuries. But Lu Yuan’s overwhelming power had forced the six to unite, converging upon him with five different sword styles from five distinct angles.

For a moment, the world was a deluge of glinting steel, the sword intent thick as gathering clouds. All around, there was nothing but blade— blade.

Lu Yuan gazed at the Yang Wu sword in his hand. After a rapid series of parries against the surrounding flying swords, Yang Wu vibrated softly; the time for counterattack had arrived.

His sword stance shifted, the speed of his thrusts accelerating, the resulting light chillingly sharp. He unleashed the move, "The Great Wind Rises!" As this technique manifested, the five disciples surrounding him felt the strike aimed squarely at them, its momentum fierce as a gale, compelling them to abandon defense and counterattack.

Lu Yuan immediately followed up with, "Mountain Depths Locked by Clouds, the Wind Cannot Stir." This blade targeted Ling Yuzhu’s longsword directly, its intention also encompassing Ling Yuzhu herself. Ling Yuzhu favored a style that was slanted, strange, bizarre, and unpredictable. However, the crucial element of "Mountain Depths Locked by Clouds, the Wind Cannot Stir" lay in the word lock. As this sword descended, Ling Yuzhu’s sword momentum inevitably slowed. Simultaneously, Lu Yuan’s hand moved, manifesting "The Wind Cannot Be Pursued." Among his myriad sword techniques, this move was famous purely for its velocity. It was blindingly fast; before Ling Yuzhu could react, the point had already struck her right wrist.

"Drop it!" A sharp shout echoed, and Ling Yuzhu’s longsword flew from her grasp.

At the very same instant, Lu Yuan faced the four remaining encircling disciples, executing "The Great Wind Rises" once more. Everyone closing in felt this strike was meant for them individually. Concurrently, Lu Yuan swept his hand out, employing "Cloud Coiling Sword Disturbance." His blade became a shadow, weaving around Fang Dan’s sword. Yang Wu collided and entangled with Fang Dan’s weapon in a relentless exchange, forcibly shattering Fang Dan’s perfectly centered, upright stance. A clear opening in his guard appeared. Lu Yuan hesitated no further, immediately deploying "The Wind Cannot Be Pursued" again. His sword flashed like the wind itself, piercing Fang Dan’s right wrist.

"Drop it!" Another harsh cry rang out. Fang Dan’s sword likewise slipped free.

With that, the two most difficult opponents among the six core disciples were neutralized. The remaining four were easy to dispatch. Lu Yuan ceased worrying about dissecting specific sword techniques; he simply wielded his longsword, letting Yang Wu move as it willed. Bursts of sword light erupted, shadows flickered, the blade turning according to his heart’s desire.

At this juncture, his focus was no longer on defeating his opponents, but purely on practicing his own swordsmanship.

The sword techniques flowed, the blade shadows dancing.

Yet, this very freedom placed immense pressure on the other four core disciples. Those remaining were the Seventh, An Zhi; the Eighth, Ye Fei; the Ninth, Ye Fang; and the Tenth, Ye Yuan. These four were the weakest among the Ten Core Disciples. Furthermore, witnessing the defeat of their Second Senior Sister, Ling Yuzhu, and Fourth Senior Brother, Fang Dan, coupled with Fifth Senior Brother Sima Bo’s prior loss, their morale plummeted.

The sword light moved again.

"Release!" "Release!" "Release!" "Release!" Four consecutive shouts punctuated the air. In those four sounds, the longswords of all four disciples were forcefully knocked away by Lu Yuan. By this point, the outcome was decided. Lu Yuan, single-handedly, had felled Sima Bo, and the other five core disciples had let go of their swords. This battle was won.

For a major, orthodox sect like the Huashan Immortal Sect, settling a dispute between disciples only required the opponent to drop their sword; it never escalated to the endless slaughter seen in demonic sects. The Ten Core Disciples were cultivated using countless elixirs and profound techniques; none would carelessly throw their lives away.

The Huashan Immortal Sect followed an elite cultivation route, starkly different from the elimination-based path of demonic factions.

It could be said that a sect like Huashan possessed considerable humanity, leading to very few disciples defecting and fostering exceptionally high internal cohesion. Conversely, demonic sects suffered from extremely low loyalty; should an outstanding disciple become too powerful, destroying the sect itself was hardly uncommon news among the great demonic powers.

The Underworld was infinitely more chaotic than the surface world.

Lu Yuan smiled. "That's settled. I won this round, and this Cloud Cat belongs to me." Hearing Lu Yuan state this, the other seven core disciples could only shrug helplessly. Lu Yuan was now undefeated against seven of them. Although they coveted the Cloud Spirit Creature, the Cloud Cat, it was undeniably his now.

At this moment, Ling Yuzhu and the others looked defeated, but their hearts were churning with profound shock.

Wait, did I just see that right?

Lu Yuan had defeated seven people by himself?

In terms of swordsmanship or sheer magical power, he had utterly crushed the seven of them. Such an achievement was almost unbelievable. True, Lu Yuan had an excellent master, but which core disciple lacked a capable teacher or ample spiritual resources? Yet Lu Yuan still proved superior. Could it be that he would become a contender capable of challenging the Eldest Senior Brother, Yun Yi, and the Second Senior Brother, Yun Ping, in the future?

If that were the case, the contest for the future leadership of the Northern Peak among the Ten Core Disciples would become fiercely crowded. Ling Yuzhu pondered this, imagining a struggle akin to the Warring States period evolving into the Three Kingdoms conflict. However, if it were Ye Fang and Ye Yuan thinking this, they would certainly not agree.

With Senior Brother Six being so lazy, how could he possibly undertake such arduous tasks as vying for the future Northern Peak Master position? Given Lu Yuan's nature, it was impossible. Contending would be troublesome, and even after winning, being the Northern Peak Master meant dealing with endless administrative duties—a bothersome mess. What joy could be found in that compared to sipping fine wine and enjoying exquisite food?

That was right; Lu Yuan was precisely that kind of person. His immense effort to claim the Cloud-elemental Spirit Creature, the Cloud Cat, this time was only because he was fundamentally lazy and disliked diligently cultivating Cloud-elemental techniques. He sought Cloud Spirit Creatures to compensate. By frequently absorbing and exhaling their elemental qi, these creatures could cultivate on his behalf, and far faster than he could himself.

When one can slack off, one should slack off.

Lu Yuan raised his hand, murmured an incantation, and moved the Cloud Cat into his Spirit Sealing Tablet. Inside, he already housed three Cloud Rabbits and one Cloud Cat, constantly drawing in and exhaling Cloud qi, ensuring his own magical power increased ceaselessly.

Rumor had it that there were also Cloud Tigers and Cloud Leopards—larger Cloud Spirit Creatures whose qi absorption rate far surpassed the smaller ones. If he possessed dozens or hundreds of these Cloud Spirit Creatures, wouldn't his own magical power soar exponentially?

But that was just fantasy. How rare were Cloud Spirit Creatures in this world? They were not something that could be acquired simply by desiring them.

Meanwhile, the struggle between Eldest Senior Brother Yun Yi and Second Senior Brother Yun Ping seemed to have concluded, as the sounds of clashing between the Zhong Zheng Sword and the Dragon Head Sword had ceased. Since the battle here was over, it was time to see who had triumphed in the contest between Yun Yi and Yun Ping.

Who truly stood as the head of the Ten Core Disciples?

(The main difference between this book and others is the high frequency of sword duels. I am currently stockpiling chapters; next week, I will release additional updates once I have a sufficient reserve.)