Twilight cast long shadows that danced and flickered.

In the courtyard at this moment, the shadow of the rockery stretched longer and longer, and the shadow of the bamboo followed suit, its leaves swaying in the wind. It was late.

Gu Fei smiled, gently swirling the tea in his cup. Hua Shi Rice Shop must have the evening banquet ready. This time, it was a minor victory for him against Chu Fei. He could certainly enjoy a few drinks during dinner. What a pity it wasn't a landslide; that junior from North Peak, Lu Yuan, had performed exceptionally well this time, taking down Yue Xiuluo single-handedly. However, this was a competition between groups, and winning overall meant losing individually. Overall, it was a slight win, but only a slight one. If it had been a great victory, how joyous it would be to drink with his opponent, Chu Fei, after such a decisive triumph!

Gu Fei's hands were long and fair.

Chu Fei, meanwhile, remained impassive. Looking at Chu Fei’s perfectly blank face, Gu Fei chuckled—what was the point? This time, he had won by a slight margin.

The Second Shopkeeper continued reading: "Ye Fang, five heads, including three heads of a Qi Refining Fourth Layer Xiuluo and two heads of a Qi Refining Third Layer Xiuluo." At this, An Zhi, the seventh true disciple of North Peak, and Ye Fei, the eighth disciple, both looked over. They each had three Xiuluo heads, and they hadn't expected Ye Fang, whose usual strength seemed slightly less than theirs, to secure five heads, almost catching up to Third Senior Sister. They were slightly surprised.

"Ye Yuan, five heads, including two heads of a Qi Refining Third Layer Xiuluo and three heads of a Qi Refining Third Layer Xiuluo." At this, the seventh true disciple An Zhi and the eighth true disciple Ye Fei nodded in unison. They finally understood: the reason Ye Fang and Ye Yuan’s results were nearly matching Third Senior Sister Ling Yuzhu’s was likely because they were operating alongside Sixth Senior Brother; otherwise, Ninth Junior Brother Ye Fang and Ninth Junior Brother Ye Yuan would hardly have achieved such a record.

Sixth Senior Brother Lu Yuan was, without question, the foremost figure among the top ten true disciples of North Peak, second only to the First and Second Senior Brothers.

Now, only Sixth Senior Brother Lu Yuan’s results remained to be reported.

Although Ye Fang’s and Ye Yuan’s scores were respectable, they had only pushed North Peak’s total to twenty-nine, still lagging significantly behind South Peak in both quality and quantity.

And on North Peak’s side, only the last person remained: Lu Yuan.

The Second Shopkeeper cleared his throat and paused, as if beholding something quite astonishing. All the results had just been tallied by the other staff at Hua Shi Rice Shop and immediately relayed. The Second Shopkeeper himself hadn't known until this moment. His hesitation caused a slight impatience among the others.

The Second Shopkeeper finally began reading: "North Peak Sixth True Disciple Lu Yuan, claims twelve Xiuluo heads. Among them: one head of a Qi Refining Seventh Layer Xiuluo, four heads of a Qi Refining Sixth Layer Xiuluo, and seven heads of a Qi Refining Fifth Layer Xiuluo, totaling twelve."

This announcement stunned the entire assembly.

No one was surprised except Chu Fei, who already knew the results, and the three principals involved—Lu Yuan, Ye Fang, and Ye Yuan. Everyone else was profoundly shocked.

What were those results just now? One person securing twelve Xiuluo heads in total? Including one Qi Refining Seventh Layer, four Qi Refining Sixth Layer, and seven Qi Refining Fifth Layer Xiuluo heads?

This overall achievement was terrifying.

Furthermore, looked at individually, each component of the achievement was equally terrifying.

Let's consider the first point: one head of a Qi Refining Seventh Layer Xiuluo. This feat alone was staggering. Defeating a Qi Refining Seventh Layer Xiuluo meant confronting someone of that immense power, and among the fifteen true disciples present, whether from North or South Peak, none dared claim they could best a Seventh Layer entity.

Then, the second point: four heads of Qi Refining Sixth Layer Xiuluo. Before this, no true disciple from North Peak had brought back a head from a Sixth Layer Xiuluo because they were too difficult to defeat. Even the Sword Sect of South Peak, famous for its swordsmanship, only saw its Fourth True Disciple Wei Bei and Fifth True Disciple Shen Luo manage to claim one Sixth Layer head each after arduous battles. Yet, Lu Yuan, with such ease, had acquired four! It seemed obtaining the heads of Sixth Layer Xiuluo was a simple matter for him.

And the third item: seven heads of Qi Refining Fifth Layer Xiuluo.

These heads from the Fifth Layer and above totaled twelve. One could only imagine if Lu Yuan had engaged weaker Xiuluo; his total count might have approached twenty.

These results! This, this, this!

These achievements were too horrifying.

At this moment, a person swiftly approached the Second Shopkeeper and whispered a report. The Second Shopkeeper’s expression shifted, and after a long pause, he slowly announced: "The results for North Peak Sixth True Disciple Lu Yuan must be increased by one: the head of Yue Xiuluo, the Master of the Moon Demon Gate."

In truth, these results should have been reported much earlier. However, for a mere tenth-generation true disciple, someone not even twenty years old, to defeat a Sect Master like Yue Xiuluo was unbelievable, almost sensational. Coupled with Chu Fei's earlier subterranean excursion, such a record required verification—it was the rule of the Huashan Immortal Sect.

As a massive sect, it certainly possessed numerous regulations.

Records sometimes needed verification. Usually, this scrutiny was merely procedural, but Lu Yuan’s performance this time was genuinely too shocking, transforming the process from routine to genuine examination. By tracing the residual combat marks, they confirmed that Chu Fei had indeed not intervened.

Only then was this confirmed as Lu Yuan's achievement. This verification process was precisely why the announcement was delayed until now.

With this final addition, the legend grew even more astounding!

The immense power of Yue Xiuluo was personally experienced by the five true disciples of South Peak, who had joined forces only to be defeated by him. Yue Xiuluo possessed unparalleled magical power and could summon Earth Puppets, making him incredibly formidable. Now that Lu Yuan had dealt with him—and though Lu Yuan had two helpers, Ye Fang and Ye Yuan—three true disciples managing to eliminate Yue Xiuluo was a feat terrifying to contemplate.

Lu Yuan’s accumulated record from this expedition was now utterly staggering: the head of Yue Xiuluo, the Master of the Moon Demon Gate; one head of a Qi Refining Seventh Layer Xiuluo; four heads of Qi Refining Sixth Layer Xiuluo; and seven heads of Qi Refining Fifth Layer Xiuluo—a total of thirteen.

Now it was South Peak's turn to look grim.

In terms of quantity, although the other six members of North Peak claimed a combined twenty-nine heads, adding Lu Yuan’s thirteen pushed North Peak past forty Xiuluo heads, surpassing South Peak.

In terms of quality, Lu Yuan had secured the head of the Moon Demon Gate Master—a quality achievement that far exceeded South Peak’s haul. Not to mention the Qi Refining Seventh Layer head and the four Qi Refining Sixth Layer heads. In quality, North Peak had clearly soared far beyond South Peak.

At this moment, Chu Fei smiled.

The night banquet was about to commence. Sharing a few drinks there, especially in front of his old rival Gu Fei, promised great entertainment. This wasn't a small victory; it was a resounding triumph. The performance of North Peak’s true disciples had decisively overwhelmed South Peak’s contingent. As for Gu Fei of South Peak, his expression was certainly not going to be pleasant now.

(The early bird catches the worm. Updating early and asking for recommendation votes. Why am I always so energized on Mondays?)