The matter was finally laid bare, this was the situation: Lu Yuan, this junior, had actually dared to brazenly provoke Sima Changbai. Dugu Ye applauded and laughed, openly mocking Sima Changbai; she certainly wouldn't grant him any face.

Sima Changbai’s face was as grim as stagnant water: “It is indeed as you say, however, this junior Lu Yuan has also violated the sect rules. The first rule of the Huashan Sect is to betray one’s master and disrespect one’s elders. The Sima Sword Hall is an enterprise under my name, and Lu Yuan knew this, yet he still dared to challenge it—this is disrespect toward his elders. The third rule prohibits internal conflict and harming fellow disciples. My Sima Sword Hall is an asset belonging to Huashan’s Northern Peak, and he dared to set it ablaze; this also counts as breaking the rules. This child has disrespected his elders and engaged in internal conflict; sending him to the Cliff of Contemplation would not be an overreaction.”

“This…” Venerable Yuanyuan looked toward Lu Yuan, “How do you explain yourself?”

Rules are rules.

Sect rules are sect rules.

This time, Sima Changbai intended to use the rules to crush Lu Yuan. Even if he couldn’t kill Lu Yuan, he would certainly flay a layer of skin off him. Sima Changbai was a cunning strategist; he knew how to play the game of assassination outside the rules, and he knew how to use the rules to execute someone.

Although Venerable Yuanyuan was secretly pleased to see Lu Yuan challenge Sima Changbai’s sword hall, truthfully, Venerable Yuanyuan also had to adhere to these regulations. As the Lord of the Northern Peak, even if he couldn’t maintain absolute impartiality, he had to appear impartial on the surface. If Lu Yuan couldn't offer an explanation, he would have to impose a penalty on Lu Yuan—though Venerable Yuanyuan would certainly ensure the punishment was light.

His gaze shifted to Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan smiled faintly: “Regarding the two points Senior Uncle Sima mentioned—disrespecting elders and internal strife—I absolutely do not admit to them, nor would I dare to.”

“Oh,” Venerable Yuanyuan uttered, waiting for Lu Yuan to continue his explanation.

Lu Yuan straightened his posture: “Before I went to challenge the hall, I overheard Senior Uncle Sima’s younger brother, Sima Changfeng, say these exact words: ‘Right, today we are opening our hall. I hear a few other sword halls want to challenge us, but haha, let them come. We at the Sima Sword Hall will take them all on.’ With the urge to fight stirring, and after hearing those words, I naturally wanted to spar with Senior Uncle Sima’s subordinates, which is why I challenged the hall. It was entirely Sima Changfeng who spoke first, allowing the challenge, so how could this be disrespecting Senior Uncle Sima? How could this be internal strife? I hold Senior Uncle Sima in the highest regard.”

Ye Fang and Ye Yuan felt like they were about to split their sides laughing inwardly.

As for the others present who knew Lu Yuan even slightly, they were on the verge of an internal breakdown.

Stirring urge to fight? What a joke. Given Lu Yuan’s inherently lazy disposition, how could he possibly feel an urge to fight? It must have been the urge of laziness acting up.

That statement was so false, it couldn't be any faker.

Yet, Lu Yuan delivered it with absolute solemnity.

Of course, Lu Yuan’s words did reveal one crucial piece of information: he had seized upon Sima Changfeng’s poor phrasing, his weakness, and struck at it directly. Everyone’s eyes turned toward Sima Changfeng. Sima Changfeng was also present, but his own power was mediocre. He usually relied on Sima Changbai’s prestige to act arrogantly outside, but in a solemn place like the Cloud Dragon Hall, he didn't dare even breathe heavily, naturally remaining completely inconspicuous.

At this moment, all attention fell upon Sima Changfeng. Under the sudden tension, he vaguely recalled that he might have indeed uttered such words. He wanted to deny it, but the witnesses present weren't just his side and Lu Yuan; True Disciples Ye Fang and Ye Yuan were also there.

The weight carried by a True Disciple was significant.

“I… I might have said it,” Sima Changfeng managed to articulate after a long, tense pause.

Once those words were spoken, everyone understood the definitive framing of the situation. Even if there were subsequent shifts, they wouldn't change much. Most others looked toward Sima Changbai, thinking, What a pity for Sima Changbai; not only did this junior Lu Yuan slap his face, but now he has to swallow this insult silently. Poor man.

Sima Changbai currently wished he could slice his cousin in two right there.

Lu Yuan shrugged his shoulders at this point: “What happened next is simple. I went to challenge the hall, and Sima Bo and five others came out. I even preemptively asked those six if they wanted to fight. Since those six wouldn't make a move, I didn't strike first. I was acting entirely out of the spirit of camaraderie within the sect; it was virtually a spar among fellow disciples.”

“Then, the four known as Qin, Qi, Shu, Hua appeared. As soon as they appeared, Jin Qinyi immediately challenged me. I thought to myself, since Jin Qinyi and the others challenged me, this was purely a sparring session, completely internal to the sect, a harmonious exchange among fellow disciples. Although I couldn’t quite hold back in the end and used a bit too much force—for which I apologize—overall, this challenge was completed while upholding the spirit of harmony and friendship within the sect.”

Lu Yuan’s expression at this moment was as utterly serious as could be.

At this juncture, Ye Fang and Ye Yuan were struggling desperately not to laugh out loud; of course, this struggle was only internal. On the surface, both maintained impeccably serious expressions. This was thanks to Ye Fang’s master being the 'Gentleman Sword' Fang Ru; anyone trained under Fang Ru found it incredibly easy to maintain a stern, straight face.

The reality of the situation had been: Lu Yuan initiated the challenge, Sima Bo and the six others emerged, were intimidated by him, and dared not even move to fight. Lu Yuan had even taunted them for their hesitation. Had Sima Bo’s group actually fought, the result would likely have been disastrous; thankfully, Sima Bo restrained himself.

As for the four known as Qin, Qi, Shu, Hua, they were established rogue cultivators, yet they ended up having their meridians severed—a truly miserable outcome.

At that time, Lu Yuan had been overwhelmingly magnificent, reducing the Sima Sword Hall to near ruin.

Sima Bo’s six men, and the four known as Qin, Qi, Shu, Hua, all knew the reality was far from what Lu Yuan described. Nevertheless, Lu Yuan’s account, while distorted, vaguely aligned with the facts. But somehow, spoken from his mouth, the narrative twisted entirely.

Lu Yuan sighed deeply: “As for the fire I set in the end—oh, that’s how it went: I had always heard that after concluding a successful challenge, one must cause a bit of destruction. I was merely following the established custom of challenging halls, so setting a fire was just part of the ritual. It absolutely wasn't meant to target Senior Uncle Sima; it was just keeping up with the trend of challenging halls. In my heart, I truly hold Senior Uncle Sima in great reverence.”

If Ye Fang and Ye Yuan had found it hard to hold back before, now all the Ninth Generation Sword Immortals, save for the stony-faced Sima Changbai, were struggling intensely.

This kid is truly slippery.

Venerable Yuanyuan listened to Lu Yuan finish, then turned to Sima Changbai: “Junior Brother Sima, none of your subordinates have raised an objection, so it seems this is indeed the situation. Under these circumstances, we cannot entirely blame Junior Nephew Lu. However, there is still some offense, especially regarding the final act of setting the fire. Still, it can be viewed as youthful mischief. How about this: I shall fine Lu Yuan the spiritual stones a True Disciple can claim in one year?” Such a penalty was practically no penalty at all.

Sima Changbai’s heart was boiling with rage, but unfortunately, the logic had initially been on his side. Yet, his subordinates proved utterly useless, and Lu Yuan was too cunning, twisting the logical advantage into his own hands.

In an immortal sect, everything must adhere to a principle of logic—Li.

Reason and rules.

This was the game rule of the immortal sects.

This time, Lu Yuan had clearly mastered the game rules of the immortal realm.

Precisely because of this, seeking to find trouble with Lu Yuan through this incident would be exceedingly difficult.

——————

Ultimately, this impromptu meeting of the Cloud Dragon Hall finally concluded.

However, the evaluations of Lu Yuan held by the others had shifted somewhat. These Ninth Generation Sword Immortals were beginning to understand Lu Yuan’s true nature more deeply.

Normally, he was lazy and dissipated, possessing immense talent that he failed to utilize. But once something truly provoked him, he became frighteningly focused, completely consumed by the pursuit. This state of obsession led to incredibly rapid progress.

Furthermore, it wasn't just that; he was also brazenly daring. It hadn't been apparent before, but one wouldn't provoke Sima Changbai—the Sword Immortal holding the sun’s brilliance—unless one possessed extreme audacity.

In addition, he was incredibly sly. He actively provoked Sima Changbai but had clearly prepared a net to ensure he slipped out completely unscathed.

Lazy, possessing incredible talent that becomes formidable when serious, brazenly daring, and incomparably sly.

This was Lu Yuan.

The Sixth True Disciple of Huashan’s Northern Peak.

(I greatly enjoyed writing this chapter; I wonder how my readers feel about it?)