To slaughter the chicken to frighten the monkeys, one must first possess the strength to do so. The chicken is not easily slain, and the monkeys are not easily intimidated. If one fails to properly dispatch the chicken, and is instead turned upon by it, the situation becomes truly awkward. Li Fang held little confidence in Lu Yuan's strength. After all, the Young Master was far too young; what great responsibility could an eighteen-year-old possibly shoulder? Moreover, Li Fang held no real hope for the future. In two or three years, once the Old Master passed, if the Young Master could not take charge, this entire faction would surely fracture and collapse. The present sorrow was bitter, but the next two or three years would be even worse. And after the Old Master’s passing three years hence, life would simply become unlivable. The more Li Fang pondered, the deeper his agony grew. Lu Yuan, meanwhile, sipped his wine contentedly, bite by leisurely bite. While Li Fang writhed in pain, Lu Yuan was utterly at ease—it was merely a question of which chicken to choose for the slaughter. The Sun Family Estate, backed by the Nine Generations Sword Immortal of Qingcheng? The Wang Family, the local tyrant? The Royal line, connected to the Great Jin Imperial Clan? Or the Qian Family, associated with mid-tier cultivation sects? Choose one. Did he truly have to go through the motions of assigning targets one by one?

Just as he was contemplating whom to select, a swift-moving cultivator rushed in: "Young Master, Estate Master, bad news! They are fighting again at the northern mine shaft in Xiangshan." Xiangshan was the name of the area’s mines controlled by Li Yuanbai’s faction. This entire peak belonged to the Li lineage. However, over the past two years, everyone felt the Li Yuanbai faction was weak and ripe for the taking, through open robbery or subtle encroachment. Li Fang had recently been gravely injured, and now another fight had broken out at the northern mine shaft of Xiangshan—it was clearly an attempt to seize the mine. Li Fang said grimly, "Which family made the move?" The cultivator replied, "It was the people from the Sun Family Estate." The Sun Family Estate? Was that the same one backed by the Nine Generations Sword Immortal of Qingcheng?

As Li Fang’s headache intensified, agonizing over how to deal with the Sun Family Estate, Lu Yuan smiled. Excellent. He was still debating which chicken to kill, and now, it seemed, one had presented itself. This chicken was plump enough; it would serve perfectly as a warning to the monkeys.

———————— Deep within a northern mine shaft of Xiangshan, the cavern ceiling hung low. The rock walls of this tunnel were a pale yellow, revealing layer upon layer of golden sand as they dug deeper. This golden sand, once refined, could be made into gold. In the cultivation world, the common currency was Spirit Stones. But gold, if accumulated in sufficient quantity, could indeed be exchanged for Spirit Stones. Gold was not worthless in the world of cultivation, merely far less valuable than Spirit Stones. Moreover, occasionally, Spirit Stones were unearthed from the gold mines in this area, making these mining territories highly coveted and the site of frequent power struggles among various factions. Inside the mine shaft, two parties were locked in combat: cultivators from the Sun Family Estate against those from the Li Family Estate. Innumerable swords flashed and clashed, various sword techniques unfolding in their hands. From time to time, someone cried out in pain, or a body thumped heavily to the ground, clearly grievously wounded. This territory was naturally that of the Li Family Estate. However, with the Li Family’s powerful backer, Li Yuanbai, nearing the end of his lifespan, everyone felt emboldened to press their advantage. The Sun Family Estate, supported by the Nine Generations Sword Immortal of Qingcheng, possessed greater confidence. Just recently, Sun Tian, the Estate Master of the Sun Family, had severely injured Li Fang. Now, his subordinates were attempting to seize the mine shaft—they had been steadily, inch by inch, devouring the various mines across Xiangshan. The Li Family also had cultivators, but over the years, many had defected, joining other powers. Their numbers were already scarce, and even those who remained loyal suffered from severely low morale. This was compounded by the fact that the Sun Family Estate had deployed the Sun Thirteen Eagles this time. The Sun Thirteen Eagles consisted of thirteen cultivators ranging from the third to the fourth layer of Qi Condensation, possessing formidable strength. With them present, the collapse of the Li Family contingent was inevitable. Those falling to the ground were almost all Li Family members, most heavily injured, and few remained standing, capable of fighting back. "Hahahaha, the people of the Li Family Estate still resist. They truly won't cry until they see blood," one of the Sun Thirteen Eagles sneered. "Indeed. If they had just handed over these mines peacefully, it would have been so much better for everyone." "If we take all the mines on Xiangshan, the annual dividends in Spirit Stones we reap will likely increase to three or four times what we get now," remarked another of the Thirteen Eagles. "Hahahaha!" The battle was entirely in the hands of the Sun Family Estate cultivators. They laughed loudly, conversing at ease, already treating everyone present as corpses.

At that moment, a youth in green robes, carrying a wine gourd and appearing quite tipsy, strolled out: "Oh, are you the people from the Sun Family Estate? Looks like it. Let me count—one, two... thirteen. Thirteen of you." The green-robed youth casually tossed the wine gourd, which vanished instantly. He then wiped a trace of wine from the corner of his lips. "Right, my name is Lu Yuan. You should remember it." As he spoke the word "excellent," the youth's hand darted instantaneously toward his sword hilt. In what seemed like an instant, a fierce gale roared past. When the green-robed youth reappeared, he was standing behind the Sun Thirteen Eagles. He gave a slight turn of his wrist, and the bright, autumn-water-clear longsword slid slowly back into its ancient scabbard. At that moment, behind the green-robed youth, all thirteen Eagles simultaneously reached up to clutch their throats, as twenty-six jets of bright blood sprayed out from their wrists.

... Yes, the one who acted was Lu Yuan. The old rule: sever the tendons in the hands. Once the hand tendons were cut, unless one was a powerful Body Refinement stage expert, combat effectiveness was immediately lost. Of course, against these so-called Thirteen Eagles, a single sword stroke was sufficient; there was no need for elaborate swordplay, which would only be a waste.

In that single strike, Li Fang, the Estate Master of the Li Family, was genuinely stunned. Li Fang himself was a master, possessing the cultivation of the eighth layer of Qi Condensation and decent swordsmanship. If he hadn't been gravely injured, dealing with the Sun Thirteen Eagles wouldn't have been difficult. But Li Fang admitted that even at his peak, it would have taken him considerable effort to defeat the Sun Thirteen Eagles. How could the Young Master accomplish it in just one move? To cripple the Sun Thirteen Eagles with a single sword strike—this was simply too preposterous. Li Fang was truly shaken.

With that single strike, the cultivators of the Li Family, whether fallen or still standing, were utterly dumbfounded. They had exchanged blows with the Sun Thirteen Eagles and knew they were completely outmatched. They also knew that even an uninjured Estate Master would need some time to dispatch them. Yet, this green-robed youth had ended it in one move. Who exactly was this young master?

Li Fang finally managed to regain some composure. Seeing the expressions on his subordinates' faces, he nodded slightly: "This person was sent from the North Peak of Mount Hua. He is the Young Master." Among the lineage of the Twilight Sword Immortals, there was only one Young Master. Lu Yuan, the Sixth True Disciple of Mount Hua’s North Peak.

At this revelation, the cultivators of the Li Family Estate nearly wept with relief. They had endured the harsh realities of the last two years—some factions bullied them openly, others in secret. Life had been unbearable, and had it not been for the immense favors they owed the higher ups, they would have defected long ago. Thankfully, at last, at last, the higher echelon had sent someone to aid them, and they had dispatched the Young Master. They had heard rumors of the Young Master, but rumors were rumors. What they had witnessed just now—Lu Yuan crippling the Sun Thirteen Eagles with one sword stroke—was unmistakable. The Young Master had arrived. With such a formidable Young Master, perhaps the coming years would not be as difficult as the last two.

(This noon, I noticed changes in the review section; suddenly, many 'MMs' appeared. My heart secretly rejoiced. Could my book finally be attracting women? Would I, too, become the friend of women, aligning myself with authors like Yue Guan, Zhang Xiaohua, and Fu Dielan? It turned out, to my despair, that our moderator had posted an advertisement to draw them in. Alas, the dream of becoming a friend to women...)