The ceaseless downpour had finally ceased. This brought a visible easing of tension to the residents around the Dongdao Estate; to have endured any more rain would have meant the entire season's rice harvest would be lost, likely culminating in a devastating flood. Should the East Heaven River dam break, the resulting deluge would sweep across a thousand li, the terrifying scope almost unimaginable.

For the common folk, further rain meant instant destitution, life or death hanging in the balance, forcing thousands into displacement. For the officials, surviving a local flood might save their lives, but keeping their official caps—their wushaomao—would be impossible. Such was the way of the Great Jin Dynasty: in times of disaster, officials had to be at the forefront, daring not to retreat a single step, or the black gauze cap would be forfeit. While minor graft was often overlooked if one wasn't excessively greedy, failure at a critical juncture meant immediate dismissal.

Fortunately, the incessant rain had finally broken.

The sky cleared.

What a magnificent, clear day it was.

The heavens cleared in the late afternoon, and as dusk approached, a long, seven-colored rainbow arched across the horizon. The green bamboo in the courtyard, freshly washed by the storm, appeared extraordinarily vibrant, its leaves a deep, brilliant jade. What well-established home lacked bamboo in its courtyard? Just as one cannot live without meat in their diet, one cannot live without bamboo in their dwelling.

In the rear courtyard of the Hua Rice Shop, the bamboo was intensely verdant, the leaves an arresting shade of emerald.

Nearby stood a rockery, a pond, and a stone bridge.

The entire courtyard was suffused with the fresh fragrance of the post-storm world.

The people from North Peak and South Peak were seated.

North Peak was led by the Ninth-Generation Sword Immortal, Chu Fei, with eight true disciples seated in the row below him.

South Peak was led by the Ninth-Generation Sword Immortal, Gu Fei, with seven true disciples seated in the row below him.

Chu Fei cleared his throat. "It is now nearly time to review everyone’s performance during this field exercise." After completing the training period, the custom was first to examine the results, followed by a reflection on shortcomings. This process allowed them to absorb the experience gained and strive for better performance next time.

However, because this mission had been jointly executed by North and South Peaks, and given the somewhat combative nature of the Jian Sect’s South Peak disciples, coupled with the unending rivalry between Chu Fei and Gu Fei, the gathering had inherently become a competition between the two peaks to see whose results were superior. Reflecting on it, the Elder Lords of North Peak, Yuan Yuan Shangren, and the Master of South Peak—those two old foxes—must have intended for the true disciples of North and South Peaks to engage in this comparison of skill.

True progress is difficult to achieve through constant indolence; applying pressure and fostering mutual competition among the true disciples is necessary to accelerate their growth. The Huashan Immortal Sect has maintained its strength for over five thousand years, consistently ranking among the top three of the Five Great Immortal Sects, a feat inseparable from the inherent rivalry among its Five Peaks.

Competition, this thing, can sometimes be benign, sometimes malignant; it all depends on how it is controlled.

Of course, whether the old foxes above truly intended this rivalry was still up for debate.

The long-standing grievances between Chu Fei and Gu Fei meant they maintained a façade of politeness, yet deep down, each felt compelled to surpass the other.

Gu Fei smiled at this point. "Very well. We have seven true disciples who participated in this exercise. Wei Bei, bring out your spoils." The spoils, naturally, were the heads of the Asuras. Yet, the environment here was exquisite: everyone held tea, sipping the fine brew, surrounded by rockeries, stone bridges, pools, and shaded bamboo. In the distance, the mountains were shrouded in mist after the rain, and the seven-hued rainbow hung high.

Such sublime beauty, contrasted with the sight of bloody heads—it truly felt like burning a priceless musical instrument for fuel.

Therefore, the task of dealing with the heads was delegated to the people of the Hua Rice Shop. The shop served as the Huashan Immortal Sect's covert outpost here, and as cultivators themselves, handling such matters was no difficulty. Moments later, the Head Manager of the Hua Rice Shop arrived to report: "This time, South Peak’s Fourth True Disciple, Wei Bei, has secured a total of six Asura heads. Among them is one Asura head from the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, three from the Fifth Layer, and two from the Fourth Layer." Asuras differ from humans; with every layer of advancement, their physical form shifts slightly, and the head allows for analysis of their exact Qi Refining layer. This, of course, requires an extremely extensive knowledge base, which had been taught back at Mount Hua, though Lu Yuan had likely been dozing through the lesson.

Setting asides these digressions, let us return to the rear courtyard of the Hua Rice Shop.

On the South Peak side, the Third True Disciple, Wei Bei, reported a tally of six Asura heads, meaning he had slain six Asuras. Even more astonishingly, among the three Asuras of the Fifth Layer he claimed, one was of the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining—slaying an Asura of this caliber required considerable skill, drawing every eye to him.

Next, the Second Manager of the Hua Rice Shop cleared his throat: "South Peak’s Fifth True Disciple, Shen Luo, has acquired a total of six Asura heads. Among them is one from the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, two from the Fifth Layer, and three from the Fourth Layer." Shen Luo, as the Fifth True Disciple of South Peak, possessed strength not inferior to the Fourth Disciple Wei Bei, and his results this time were no less impressive.

Following this, the remaining five true disciples of South Peak generally claimed five or six Asura heads each. While none claimed a Sixth Layer head, they secured heads from the Fourth, Third, and even Second Layers.

Naturally, the relatively even distribution among South Peak disciples had its reasons: only one person encountered a powerful Asura unexpectedly early and instantly lost their qualification for the exercise; the rest had operated together. Thus, the quantity of heads was evenly distributed, with the higher-ranked, stronger disciples claiming heads of superior quality.

The Second Manager of the Hua Rice Shop quickly finalized the total results for the Huashan South Peak exercise: "This time, the seven true disciples of South Peak have secured a total of forty Asura heads: two from the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, fourteen from the Fifth Layer, fifteen from the Fourth Layer, seven from the Third Layer, and two from the Second Layer."

The South Peak results were tallied—a decidedly excellent showing.

Forty Asura heads, including two from the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining—this outcome was certainly commendable.

Gu Fei smiled but said nothing. Meanwhile, Chu Fei also smiled, remaining silent.

Neither spoke, but their gazes met across the void.

Though both faces were plastered with smiles, the look exchanged between them was profoundly suggestive.

The Second Manager of the Hua Rice Shop, who inadvertently witnessed the clash of eyes between the two Ninth-Generation Sword Immortals, involuntarily wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. In their youth, one wielding the 'Flying Heaven Sword' and the other the 'Flying Goose Sword,' they had dueled countless times, causing chaos across numerous locales. If they were to clash here, not only would the covert operation be exposed, but the entire Hua Rice Shop would likely be reduced to ash under the swords of these two Ninth-Generation Sword Immortals.

The Second Manager coughed. "Next, we tally the North Peak results. North Peak’s Third True Disciple, Ling Yuzhu, has five Asura heads accounted for: two from the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining, two from the Fourth Layer, and one from the Third Layer." While this result did not surpass that of South Peak’s Fourth or Fifth Disciples, it was still respectable.

The report continued with the Fourth True Disciple, Fang Dan, whose achievements were also adequate: four Asura heads total. Then came Sima Bo, whose strength was fair, also securing four Asura heads.

Subsequently, the results of the Seventh and Eighth True Disciples were announced. In total, these five disciples accounted for nineteen Asura heads.

It was clear that excluding the results of Lu Yuan, Ye Fang, and Ye Yuan, the combined tally of these five North Peak disciples was only slightly more than half the quantity secured by the seven South Peak disciples, and the quality was vastly inferior—not a single Sixth Layer Asura head among them.