It was a token no larger than the palm of a hand, forged entirely of a strange, dark Profound Iron. On its face, a sword of extreme dimness was carved in the center; on the reverse, the character for "Young Master" ($\text{}$). Lu Yuan had possessed this token for a long time, but it had served no purpose until now.

And without question, this token proved remarkably useful.

Upon seeing it, Li Fang, the master of Li Family Manor, immediately dropped to his knees: "Greetings, Young Master." Li Fang was a man with a great, grizzled beard, yet the sight of this token compelled him to kneel obediently. Such was the vast gulf between their statuses. A man like Li Fang, placed within North Peak, could perhaps scrape by as an ordinary elder thanks to his connection with Li Yuanbai—but only one of those powerless, ignored elders, worlds away from the status of a true disciple like Lu Yuan.

Naturally, such a powerless elder held little appeal; it was far more enjoyable to be assigned outside to govern a region.

Li Fang had indeed been assigned outside, and his life there was incomparably pleasant. He controlled a mining territory, one whose primary output was gold ore, occasionally yielding Spirit Stones. Li Fang lived a life of comfort. True, he had to remit the majority of the Spirit Stones annually, not to mention allocating funds for his subordinates, but a considerable amount still flowed into his own coffers.

However, that blissfully happy existence had ended several years ago.

After word spread that Ninth-Generation Sword Immortal Li Yuanbai of North Peak was nearing the end of his natural lifespan, and that Asura Sword Immortal Sima Changbai was pressing hard upon him, Li Fang's good fortune began to wane.

Li Fang had depended entirely on the great tree that was Li Yuanbai.

It truly was cool beneath the shade of a great tree.

But now, with the tree about to topple, those who relied on it faced disaster.

These past few years had been miserable for Li Fang.

This entire area was rich in mines of various sorts.

In the beginning, relying on the great tree of Li Yuanbai, Li Fang had secured one of the largest mines in the region. But over the past few years, certain deeply established factions, those whose backing was no weaker than his own—such as the Sun Family Manor, supported by the Nine-Generation Sword Immortals of Green City—had begun to openly seize his assets.

And those with less formidable backing began to snatch things away covertly.

Open plunder and secret theft.

That was the summary of his situation.

Li Fang was tormented. It had once been pleasant beneath the great tree's shade; now, it was a case of everyone giving the collapsing wall a hard push. The powerful factions resorted to open aggression, while the weaker ones employed stealth. This troubled Li Fang immensely, yet he was powerless. No matter how strong he was individually, he couldn't possibly fend off attacks from every direction, both overt and covert.

Essentially, more than half of his original mining territory had been devoured through this open and covert seizing.

As a result, the Spirit Stones he remitted to the higher-ups were reduced by more than half, and as for his own portion, there was virtually nothing left. The loss in Spirit Stones was catastrophic. What made matters even more tragic was that in the area around Dongdao Prefecture, no one feared Li Fang anymore; they mostly just smirked at him.

He had support behind him, yes, but what use was a Ninth-Generation Sword Immortal who was on his deathbed?

Li Fang had not stood idle. Not long ago, he had clashed directly with the Sun Family Manor. Li Fang was no novice; anyone appointed to oversee a region externally must possess skill. Li Fang himself was at the peak of the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining. Yet, he was severely beaten by the opposition and left gravely injured.

He was now in the process of welcoming the Young Master Lu Yuan, and his injuries were only about half-healed. His face was ashen, and many parts of his body were wrapped in bandages.

Li Fang was suffering; it was utterly miserable.

These days were truly unlivable.

As he was lamenting how impossible life had become, the Young Master arrived.

Finally, the higher-ups had dispatched someone, but why not one of the renowned Four Sword Guardians under the Old Master? Why send the Young Master?

The most famous figures under the Twilight Sword Immortal were the Four Sword Guardians; each one was a top-tier expert. In contrast, although the Young Master had inherited the Old Master’s legacy, he was far too young—only eighteen years old. While he was a true disciple of North Peak, what true capability could an eighteen-year-old possess?

Furthermore, rumors always painted the Young Master as terribly lazy. Even though reports claimed he had grown significantly stronger over the past two years, two years was hardly enough time.

Li Fang did not believe the Young Master's arrival could salvage the current situation in Dongdao Prefecture.

Li Fang felt tears welling up—he assumed the higher-ups only sent the Young Master here for tempering and experience. But usually, tempering occurred in less troublesome places. Why send him to the nightmare that was Dongdao Prefecture? This territory was far too complicated. Li Fang could only watch helplessly as tragedy unfolded.

Naturally, deep down, Li Fang believed Lu Yuan was utterly useless, but a Young Master was a Young Master. The Young Master’s status far exceeded his own, so outwardly, Li Fang remained profoundly respectful.

...

Tea was placed upon the table.

It was premium Biluochun, brewed with the water from the famous Dongyou Clear Spring near Dongdao Prefecture. The tea had a delicate fragrance and a smooth mouthfeel.

However, Lu Yuan didn't spare the premium Biluochun on the table so much as a glance. He twisted open his wine gourd and took a long swallow. Li Fang, watching from the side, inwardly grumbled that this was sheer waste.

Taking a swig of wine visibly improved his spirits. That couldn't be helped; he was a drunkard by nature. "You said the situation is this: there is open plunder and covert seizure, mainly involving several key factions. First, the Sun Family Manor, which is also a powerful dragon, backed by a Ninth-Generation Sword Immortal."

"Second, the Wang Family, which has been entrenched in Dongdao Prefecture for over a thousand years."

"Third, the Imperial Family, which allegedly has connections deep within the Great Jin Dynasty."

"Fourth, the Qian Family, reportedly supported by a mid-tier Cultivation Sect."

"Besides these four factions who are essentially engaging in open plunder, there are other, smaller powers. These smaller groups mostly rely on covert means of seizure," Lu Yuan frowned, analyzing the current state of Dongdao Prefecture. The situation was genuinely headache-inducing, no wonder his Master had sent him here.

There was the Sun Family, a powerful dragon like himself; the Wang Family, the local viper; the Imperial Family with direct access to the Great Jin Dynasty; and the Qian Family, backed by a mid-tier Cultivation Sect. Four distinct forces.

It was somewhat troublesome.

But only somewhat troublesome. Since he was here, Lu Yuan was confident he could resolve it. Lu Yuan pondered, taking occasional sips of wine. Usually, he avoided overly complex scenarios, but since he was faced with one, he intended to solve it perfectly.

Simply put, many cultivators strive hard but lack natural talent.

He possessed talent, but lacked interest.

However, if matters forced him to deploy his abilities, then he would use them.

In truth, the most crucial issue now was assessing the opponents' strength. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles. Lu Yuan asked directly: "Regarding these families and factions—not counting their external backing—what is their strength here? Are there any figures above the Body Tempering stage?" The Body Tempering stage was significantly stronger than the Qi Refining stage.

Li Fang shook his head: "How could there be? A Body Tempering expert is a master even in an entire province; they don't appear so easily." Actually, the Five Great Immortal Sects harbored many Body Tempering experts, but outside their borders, such masters were exceptionally rare, almost unheard of.

Although Dongdao Prefecture had many mines, they were mostly gold mixed with minor spirit ore, not true Spirit Mines. Naturally, no Body Tempering experts would be found here. If it were a genuine pure Spirit Mine, given the scarcity of cultivation resources in the Great Jin Dynasty, cultivators stronger than the Body Tempering stage would likely be stationed there to guard it.

Lu Yuan nodded. Not having any Body Tempering experts set his mind at ease. He was currently at the pinnacle of the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining; generally speaking, he could handle anyone still within the Qi Refining stage.

Since the opposition lacked Body Tempering cultivators, only one thing remained.

To kill the chicken to scare the monkeys.

(I saw another comment in the review section stating this book feels more like Wuxia than Xianxia, and I wept. When was it decreed how Xianxia must be written? This book is intended to be a unique Classical Xianxia world centered on the sword, not a world overflowing with magical artifacts being thrown around or techniques everywhere. In this world, people are central, the sword is central, and swordsmanship is central. Although there are magical artifacts, the sword is the primary element. You can call this the obsession of a Sword Enthusiast.)

(Xianxia has never had a fixed writing style. When people say this book lacks imagination, I say my imagination is not focused on various magical artifacts, but on the myriad types of swords and the countless forms of swordsmanship: Primordial Spirit Sword, Twilight Spirit Sword, Great Sun Spirit Sword, Vast Spirit Sword, One Leaf Spirit Sword, Flying Heaven Spirit Sword, Moderate Sword, Dragon Head Sword, Jade Crimson Sword, Faint Sword, Solar Sword, Nurturing Sword—are these not imagination? Does imagination require only various magical artifacts? Are the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Fengyun, the Thousand Transformations Cloud Mist Three Thousand Styles, the Cloud Dragon Heart Method, and the Ten Cloud Dragon Transformations not imagination?)

(Furthermore, some claim Sword Immortals fight without sword moves. Against ordinary people, of course, they don't need moves. But against another Sword Immortal, must they not duel with swords? If they duel with swords, must there be no forms? If there are no forms, fighting becomes too simple: declare your respective spiritual power and flying sword before the battle, and whoever is stronger wins instantly—how pleasant.)

(I recall that the progenitor of Xianxia, The Legend of the Swordsmen of the Shu Mountains, contained all sorts of sword arts. How tragic.)

(The synopsis section has already stated: This is a Classical Xianxia world of the sword. I reiterate that here. Thank you.)

(Also, I recommend another Oriental Fantasy novel with a strong Wuxia flavor: Rebirth of the Sword Pride. The author is an established writer; book ID 1804937. Feng Ziyue, a Sword God in his previous life, achieved the Dao through the sword, breaking through to the Xiantian realm. One sword from the west brought the world to submission, but his life was filled with misery and separation from loved ones. Despite being invincible, he carried boundless regret. By chance, he obtained the Profound Esoteric Resonance Scroll, a secret text that offered a glimpse into higher martial realms, and was besieged, resulting in mutual annihilation. When he awoke, he found himself reborn thirty years in the past, back in his youth. All regrets could be mended; and the supreme realm of the Way of the Sword could be pursued once more. This also speaks of the sword, but that author is far more skilled than I; his subscription numbers have earned him a premium channel, and his writing is truly excellent.)