On such a late spring morning, a gentle breeze brought warmth, and the last vestiges of red clung to the falling leaves. A languid youth stood there, shouldering a longsword—a scene that should have been quite striking. However, as the youth currently stood before the Sima Sword Hall, having just shattered the gilded plaque with one foot, it was hardly a striking scene anymore.

A collective gasp of astonishment spread through the crowd; where did this youth find such audacity?

At that moment, Sima Changfeng shouted, "Kill him." Sima Changfeng was Sima Changbai's younger brother, naturally arrogant enough to believe dispatching a mere cultivator was no great feat. Immediately, over a dozen cultivators—ranging from the second to the third level of Qi Refining—surged toward Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan couldn't be bothered to draw his sword. Was it necessary to unsheathe his blade against such an inferior group? Before the scabbard even tapped, those attacking him were already felled. At that moment, Ye Fang and Ye Yuan also charged forward, taking down the remaining cultivators in just a couple of swift moves.

Tough underneath the facade.

The surrounding onlookers realized that this provocative youth possessed formidable skill; he was not someone to be trifled with easily.

Sima Changfeng also recognized the strength of his opponent: "Who are you?" If the opponent came from an influential background, relations could still be forged. Sima Changfeng had been around long enough to understand these intricacies.

"Why should you care who I am? Regardless, I'm here to challenge your hall today," Lu Yuan sneered.

Seeing the languid youth flatly refuse his suggestion, Sima Changfeng let out a cold snort. So what if the youth had connections? His own backing was far greater—the Sun-like Sword Immortal, Sima Changbai. Since the opponent wouldn't show respect, they would crush him utterly. Sima Changfeng's confidence this time stemmed from the fact that, for the reopening of the Sima Sword Hall, quite a few formidable individuals had been invited.

This reopening of the Sima Sword Hall required ten main generals to stand guard.

And the ten generals invited this time were all individuals of considerable renown.

For instance, there were Sima Wen, Sima Yan, Situ Zuo, Situ You, and Sima Hao.

Of course, the most famous among them was Sima Bo, no simple figure; he was one of the Ten True Disciples of Mount Hua's Northern Peak.

In addition, four retainers from Mount Hua's Northern Peak had been invited. These four retainers were all subordinates of Sima Changbai, named Jin Qin Yi, Wei Qi Er, Zhao Shu San, and Han Hua Si. None of these four hailed from the Northern Peak originally; they were all rogue cultivators who possessed distinct abilities. Sima Changbai had gathered them over half a year ago, after which they joined the Northern Peak as retainers.

The Mount Hua Immortal Sect generally had five ranks of identity.

The first was powerful elders with immense prestige and real authority, such as the Ninth Generation Sword Immortals. The second type consisted of elders lacking political power. The third type was the True Disciples. The fourth type comprised those who defected to Mount Hua’s Northern Peak later and were incorporated as retainers. The fifth type was the ordinary disciples.

These four retainers had not been under Sima Changbai long and were completely unfamiliar with Mount Hua; they obeyed only Sima Changbai. This time, Sima Changbai had ordered the four of them to come and boost the prestige of the Sima Sword Hall's reopening, so they had arrived.

Precisely because these ten main generals were present, Sima Changfeng felt entirely secure. —————— Meanwhile, inside the Sima Sword Hall, Sima Hao's voice echoed: "Which ignorant fool dares to challenge the hall on this day? They must truly court death."

"It’s good someone came to challenge us. It lets us sharpen our skills; otherwise, we'll just be idling around, feeling too idle," came a very familiar voice—Sima Bo’s.

"Fifth Senior Brother is right," Sima Wen chimed in with sycophantic praise.

"The challenger probably won't even require Fifth Senior Brother's effort; a few of us can squash him easily," Sima Yan remarked.

Hearing these voices, Sima Changfeng chuckled. The first four of the ten main generals he had specifically invited for this day were all present. Haha, with these men here, crushing this kid would be effortless, especially since the Sixth Guard Commander was the fifth-ranked True Disciple. Not long ago, Sima Bo had consumed numerous spiritual elixirs, forcibly raising his cultivation to the sixth level of Qi Refining. What did Qi Refining Level Six signify? It would surely obliterate the challenger.

Finally, the six figures behind the door stepped out.

The first to appear was Sima Wen. As soon as he showed himself, many people gasped in surprise. The Sima Wen they knew had served as a main general at the Sima Sword Hall for a time, and everyone recognized his prowess. The second to appear, Sima Yan, possessed strength no less than Sima Wen's.

When the third and fourth to appear, Situ Zuo and Situ You, stepped out, the surprise deepened. Situ Zuo and Situ You were renowned for their respective Left-Hand Sword Style and Right-Hand Sword Style—two sets of swordsmanship in which they excelled, and they were significantly more formidable than Sima Wen and Sima Yan.

The fifth to appear, Sima Hao, clearly held a higher status than Situ Zuo and Situ You; it was unexpected that the Great Sun Sword Immortal's second grandson had shown up.

However, the moment the sixth person emerged, all the brilliance of the first five vanished. The sixth was an elegantly handsome youth. This individual was not only Sima Changbai's eldest grandson but also the fifth among the Ten True Disciples—Fifth True Disciple Sima Bo, whose strength was now nearly comparable to Ling Yuzhu and Fang Dan.

These six were Sima Bo, Sima Hao, Situ Zuo, Situ You, Sima Wen, and Sima Yan.

With these six standing together, Sima Changfeng became smug. With these six, no one could resist. Especially Sima Bo, the Fifth True Disciple, so outstanding in ability. Sima Changfeng glanced triumphantly at Lu Yuan, thinking, You realize the gravity of the situation now, don't you, kid? The onlookers recognized these figures as well and began to buzz, saying the languid youth was surely finished this time.

Yet, very few noticed that the moment these six first saw the languid youth, they all froze instantly.

Sima Bo, Sima Hao, Situ Zuo, Situ You, Sima Wen, and Sima Yan had initially stepped out casually, expecting to deal with some unknown troublemaker whom their combined strength could easily suppress. They never anticipated that pulling open the door would reveal standing there waiting for them...

It was... Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan's terrifying nature was something all six had experienced firsthand. Sima Hao and the other four had witnessed it during the Northern Peak Assembly, while Sima Bo had experienced it in the Misty Valley. Every one of them knew that even if the six of them joined forces, they stood no chance against Lu Yuan. In the Battle of the Misty Valley, Lu Yuan had fought six True Disciples single-handedly—all far stronger than this current group.

Lu Yuan smiled, a clear and tranquil expression: "Oh, the six of you? What, are you planning to fight me? Then come on." What a reunion in a foreign land; he hadn't expected to run into these six here. If these six chose to attack, he certainly wouldn't mind beating them up thoroughly.

Sima Hao and the other four fixed their gazes on Sima Bo. Lu Yuan was too powerful. Lacking any decision, they could only look to Sima Bo, after all, Sima Bo was a True Disciple, the Fifth True Disciple at that. Sima Bo felt like weeping at this moment. Although he was a True Disciple, facing Lu Yuan, who was also a True Disciple, only brought tears of helplessness.

Sima Hao, at a loss, whispered, "Big Brother, should we fight?"

"Fight your head!" Sima Bo, already frustrated, smacked Sima Hao's head: "How can we fight? Are you seeking death?"

The surrounding crowd, hearing Sima Bo's reply, finally realized with a start that Sima Bo and the other five weren't fighting because they were terrified of this languid youth. For Sima Bo's group of six, with their imposing presence, to fear one languid youth—what sort of background did this youth possess?

The crowd erupted in an uproar, clearly finding it hard to believe. Sima Bo's group of six, united, lacked the courage to even make a move against this single languid youth. Sima Bo was the Fifth True Disciple, and the other five also held relatively high statuses as disciples of Mount Hua's Northern Peak. If these six lacked the nerve to fight, just how strong must this languid youth be?

At this moment, Sima Changbai also felt a surge of disbelief, but one possibility immediately surfaced in his mind: a languid youth, a longsword like flowing autumn water—this image did match a certain True Disciple of the Northern Peak. Could it be him...?

(The second update is delivered. A Monday explosion of activity, updates won't stop, everyone please cast more recommendation votes to fuel my drive for greater output.)