On the arena stage before the Sima Sword Pavilion, Lu Yuan stood alone, a single longsword in hand, yet he had already entangled Jin Qin-yi, Wei Qi-er, Zhao Shu-san, and Han Hua-si within his web of steel. Indeed, when the four first joined forces, they held a slight advantage, but it was not long before Lu Yuan had discerned the flaws in their combined attack.

Jin Qin-yi wielded a qin; his plucked strings unleashed attacks that projected energy outward. However, by carefully observing the minute movements of his fingers, one could pinpoint where his assault was aimed. If one constantly hammered his strings with a technique like Fierce Wind Crossing, disrupting his rhythm, the precise control over his energy projection required for his qin-based assaults would reveal a critical opening.

Wei Qi-er attacked with black and white Go pieces. His greatest vulnerability, however, was his inability to engage in close combat; once an opponent closed the distance, his fighting strength significantly waned.

Zhao Shu-san employed a calligraphy brush. His strokes were broad and powerful, yet his weapon was severely limited: his brush was barely a foot long, whereas Lu Yuan’s Yangwu Sword stretched three feet and three inches. Lu Yuan intended to exploit this disparity in reach to its fullest.

As for Han Hua-si and his painting scroll, utilizing the Grand Landscape Under Heaven sword style—which was fundamentally a sword technique—his flaw was even more apparent. To execute Grand Landscape Under Heaven, one requires a monumental presence and bearing; it is not something just anyone can manifest. Han Hua-si’s temperament simply did not align with the grand scope demanded by the sword style.

Once these four vulnerabilities were exposed, Lu Yuan was free to unleash the full breadth of his swordsmanship, gradually weaving all four into the confines of his steel net.

At this moment, the surrounding crowd was utterly dumbfounded.

Lu Yuan, with nothing more than the longsword in his hand, was relentlessly pressing the renowned Four Gentlemen of Qin, Qi, Shu, and Hua into submission within his sword-net.

Sima Changfeng, meanwhile, was completely bewildered by what was transpiring. When this lazy youth first decided to challenge his domain, Sima Changfeng hadn't been overly concerned. He employed ten Gate Guards, expert masters specially invited to subdue Lu Yuan. Yet, first came Sima Bo and his five companions—Sima Bo was expected to handle this boy easily—only to find that after meeting Lu Yuan, those six lacked even the courage to attack. Then followed the Four Gentlemen of Qin, Qi, Shu, and Hua, the guards of the final four gates. These four were established reclusive cultivators, whose reputations eclipsed those of the Three Great Swordsmen of Xizhou by several times over. Yet, these four united were now being suppressed by this lazy youth wielding a single longsword.

Inconceivable. Absolutely inconceivable.

Sima Bo and the other six could only taste bitterness at the corners of their mouths. Sima Bo, a core disciple himself, knew the chasm separating his strength from Lu Yuan’s. Sima Hao was beyond words, tears stinging his eyes; he had once schemed to usurp Lu Yuan’s position as a core disciple, believing Lu Yuan to be the easiest target among them. Now, it was clear Lu Yuan was the most dangerous one to provoke.

As for the four—Jin Qin-yi, Wei Qi-er, Zhao Shu-san, and Han Hua-si—they were secretly suffering. When the fight began, they had assumed they were dealing with merely a younger generation disciple. As reclusive cultivators, they hadn't given much credence to tales of exceptional swordsmanship. A core disciple of a prestigious sect, they reasoned, must possess some refinement; those from noble origins naturally differed from the unloved and forgotten recluses.

Jin Qin-yi and the other three had encountered numerous core disciples, but never one whose swordsmanship was so utterly profound as Lu Yuan’s. To trap four men with a single longsword seemed beyond imagination. They desperately sought any means to break free from the net, but the sword-net moved like surging clouds, allowing them no escape.

Worse still, they gradually realized they had lost control of their own bodies, seemingly subjugated by the sheer momentum of the sword techniques.

Damn it, how can a junior possess such transcendent swordsmanship?

Lu Yuan’s longsword danced through the air.

The forms of the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud flowed forth ceaselessly. Now that his opponents were trapped in the sword-net, the rest was simple. He glanced towards Sima Bo: “Oh, are you six planning to join in now? If you wish to step forward, feel free. Don’t hold back.”

Sima Bo and the six simultaneously burst into tears.

All six sensed that even if the six of them joined the fray, they still stood no chance against Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan’s swordsmanship was simply too masterful.

Such swordsmanship…

“Retract the swords!” Lu Yuan moved his blade; the Yangwu Sword flashed in a long, clean arc. Following that streak of light, sprays of crimson blood erupted. In that single moment, the wrists of the four—Qin, Qi, Shu, and Hua—had their tendons severed. Upon closer inspection, the wounds severing their tendons were located at precisely the same point on all four wrists.

Jin Qin-yi, Wei Qi-er, Zhao Shu-san, and Han Hua-si collectively gasped. The youth possessed startlingly precise swordsmanship; a single strike managed to cut the tendons of four different men in the exact same location—not a hair’s breadth off, not a fraction imprecisely controlled. His mastery over the longsword had reached this terrifying degree.

The battle, at this point, was concluded.

Tendons are critically important to cultivators. During the Body Tempering stage, a body can repair severed limbs and regrow tendons automatically. However, in the Qi Refining stage, once tendons are severed, combat effectiveness plummets. While the cultivation world possessed various spiritual herbs to mend tendons, recovery required significant time—at least for several months, the four Gentlemen of Qin, Qi, Shu, and Hua were effectively neutralized.

Thus, they had lost this fight.

The reason Lu Yuan did not deliver a killing blow was the Huashan Sect's rules. Specifically, the third precept of the Northern Code stipulated against harming fellow sect members during internal disputes. Sima Changbai had tried to murder him, executing his plan with meticulous neatness, leaving no incriminating trace for Lu Yuan to exploit. But if Lu Yuan were to kill the four Gentlemen of Qin, Qi, Shu, and Hua now—even though they were merely retainers of the Sima faction—they were still considered affiliated disciples. Even his master, Li Yuanbai, would find it incredibly difficult to shield him. At best, he would face confinement on the Reflection Cliff; at worst, expulsion from the sect.

The Five Great Precepts of the Huashan Sect were absolute and inviolable.

A renowned, righteous sect is a righteous sect.

Rules are rules.

Everyone must, overtly, operate within the established boundaries. If one chooses to step outside those boundaries, that is fine, but one must never allow others to catch the slip-up, or, well, the consequences would be dire. This was the game’s structure. Having some rules was preferable; most people played within them, and those who dared to stray had to be extremely cautious. This system was vastly superior to the demonic path, where there are no rules—only the strong survive and the weak perish.

Lu Yuan then realized something that slightly puzzled him: he had finished stomping the grounds and completed his challenges. What next? Should he just start swinging his sword around? Ah, right—he could set fire to the entire Sima Sword Pavilion. That was a rather excellent idea.

With a single blaze, the Sima Sword Pavilion would be ruined. Rebuilding would not be simple, and coupled with the severe loss of reputation following his victory over everyone, the Sima Sword Pavilion would suffer a critical blow that would make reconstruction incredibly difficult, at least in the short term.

Excellent. Arson it is.

Starting a fire was undoubtedly a technical job, and this was his first time attempting such a skilled endeavor. At this moment, an unexpected sense of delight washed over Lu Yuan.

——————

Amidst the crowd, a man wearing a bamboo hat stood watching. The man’s face was obscured by the hat’s deep shadow, revealing only the faint stubble along his jawline. Clearly, he was not young, likely at least in his thirties. The man in the hat murmured to himself, “Sword Intent? It is actually Sword Intent. I am the foremost core disciple of Mount Chaoyang on Mount Jian’s East Peak. Only recently did I brush against the edge of Sword Intent, and I am already thirty-three years old. I never imagined that the North Peak, Mount Yuntai, would produce someone so young who has already mastered Sword Intent. Are I the one from the Jian Sect, or is he?”

The man in the hat muttered, sounding visibly downcast.

Based on his self-talk, this individual was likely Shi Chaoyang, the foremost core disciple of Mount Chaoyang on the East Peak, and one of the few from that peak to have mastered the East Peak’s foundational technique, the Chaoyang One Qi Sword Style.

The East Peak, Mount Chaoyang, had the foundational sword style: Chaoyang One Qi.

The South Peak, Mount Yandang, had the foundational sword style: One Thousand Three Hundred Forms of Ever-Changing Illusory Cloud Mist.

The North Peak, Mount Yuntai, had the foundational sword style: One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud.

Each foundational sword style possessed its own profound mystery.

(The fourth update is delivered. I realize my greatest misfortune is having spent this entire afternoon stuck at number sixteen on the Weekly Rankings, just one spot away from fifteenth—truly tragic. Everyone, put in some effort and push us up to the fifteenth spot. By the way, this ranking depends on member clicks.)