Although the two Elder Council investigators suspected Lu Yuan was responsible for the entire affair, there was no proof, leaving them helpless. If the perpetrator had been from any smaller or mid-sized sect, they could have used force, but Lu Yuan belonged to the Huashan Immortal Sect, the strongest among the Five Great Immortal Sects. Furthermore, Yan Cangsheng, the foremost Grandmaster of the Great Jin Dynasty, was the Sect Master of Huashan.

Without evidence, the matter had to be dropped, becoming an unsolved case.

This incident drew varied reactions from many parties.

As for the Four Great Immortal Sects, they had intended to use this opportunity to put pressure on Huashan, whose dominance had grown too formidable. However, due to Lu Yuan's counterattack, their plans fell flat. Instead, the four sects—Qingcheng Immortal Sect, Kunlun Immortal Sect, Nanhai Immortal Sect, and Wudang Immortal Sect—felt the immense power of Huashan even more acutely.

The Four Great Immortal Sects were now like men who had swallowed a bitter pill, unable to voice their suffering.

...

Li Yuanbai sighed in frustration, "What nonsense." He had already planned to severely punish Lu Yuan upon his return for provoking the Elder Council; such audacity was truly reckless. Fortunately, Lu Yuan had covered his tracks cleanly, but punishment was still due to curb his arrogance.

...

Sima Changbai was utterly dumbfounded. When Lu Yuan challenged his Sima Sword Pavilion, he already thought Lu Yuan was bold to the point of recklessness. Now, he realized that the prior challenge was merely child's play. Lu Yuan was usually tolerable, but when truly provoked, he was a veritable little madman. Sima Changbai now regretted provoking Li Yuanbai, but since the conflict was already set, he resolved to thoroughly eliminate Lu Yuan before he could mature further. As long as his own actions remained untraceable, his Senior Brother YuanYuan would have no grounds for complaint. Simply put, if one operates outside the rules, one must never be caught with evidence.

...

Upon receiving the news, Venerable YuanYuan burst into laughter. "Excellent, well done. You didn't kill Huang Fengbo and the other three; I shall attend to them later." Leaving Huang Fengbo and the others alive was an insult to the Huashan Immortal Sect. Venerable YuanYuan had initially considered taking action himself, so Lu Yuan had saved him the trouble. "Well done, splendidly done." Venerable YuanYuan laughed heartily, as if all the accumulated grievances from the Elder Council had been vented in one stroke.

...

Each party had its own reaction. Regardless of these responses, the matter was now concluded. This affair should have ended long ago, as soon as Lu Yuan brought the matter before the Elder Council. However, the Four Great Immortal Sects had played their hand, dragging the conclusion out until now, thereby expanding the scope and impact of the incident. Only those involved knew exactly how they felt about this delay.

As for Lu Yuan himself, he eventually returned to Huashan. Upon reaching the North Peak, he was immediately berated by his master, Li Yuanbai, whose scolding focused primarily on Lu Yuan’s outrageous temerity and recklessness. Lu Yuan felt no anger whatsoever. As a disciple, he naturally accepted his master’s harsh words, especially since beneath the scolding, he could sense his master's deep care and concern for his safety. Finally, Li Yuanbai sentenced Lu Yuan to a year of confinement on Huashan, forbidding him from leaving the mountain premises during that time. Lu Yuan cared little for the punishment. His master was merely worried, and after stirring up such immense storms in the mortal world, a period of quiet cultivation back on the mountain was timely—the turmoil of the secular world could easily tarnish one’s Dao heart, necessitating frequent recalibration amidst the mountain's tranquility. Plus, he would get to enjoy the leisurely life on the peak.

Venerable YuanYuan did not voice any objection to this punishment. He appreciated his nephew's audacious spirit: 'If you don't provoke me, fine; if you poke around a little, I can let it slide. But cross the bottom line, and I will strike back, regardless of who you are.' However, having Junior Brother Li temper his nephew’s nature was beneficial. This nephew had great use for him in the future. Venerable YuanYuan assessed his nephew: lazy, highly perceptive, exceptionally talented, slightly foxy in his dealings, yet prone to frenzied chaos when truly angered. Junior Brother Li had truly gained an excellent disciple, prompting a touch of envy even in YuanYuan.

—————— Summer waned into autumn, and autumn yielded to winter. In the blink of an eye, half a year flew by. A sudden, heavy snowfall blanketed the mountain for a full day and night. When the snow ceased, stepping out of the room revealed tiles glistening like white gauze and tree branches adorned with frost resembling white coral. Looking toward the distant peaks, the mountain ranges, like jade dragons, formed a dazzling, sculpted world of light. Lu Yuan stepped out of his wing room.

Although he had been confined to Huashan for a year, the first six months had passed quite pleasantly. He couldn't step off the mountain, but Ye Yuan had long stockpiled enough fine wine for Lu Yuan to enjoy thoroughly. Idling on the peak, the various birds and beasts inevitably suffered. Over these six months, he practiced his swordplay, meditated, drank wine, roasted various delicacies—his days were utterly carefree. And within this unrestrained ease, his cultivation surprisingly broke through to the pinnacle of the Ninth Great Cycle of Qi Condensation. Life! Never mind philosophical musings for now; his master had also emerged.

Lu Yuan approached Li Yuanbai, intending to offer support, but Li Yuanbai laughed and chided him, "Your master hasn't reached the point where he needs assistance." With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and strode forward. Lu Yuan naturally followed behind. The white-robed elder led the way, the green-robed youth followed, and two parallel sets of footprints soon marked the snow, leading toward the Cloud Mist Palace.

The Cloud Feast Hall of the Cloud Mist Palace was buzzing with activity. Huashan’s renowned Sword Immortals were present: Gentleman Sword Immortal Fang Ru, Great Sun Sword Immortal Sima Changbai, Twilight Sword Immortal Li Yuanbai, Solitary Heart Sword Immortal Dugu Ye, Seamless Sword Immortal Ye Yangrong, and Soaring Sword Immortal Chu Fei—six of them had arrived. Only Venerable YuanYuan was yet to appear. And all ten Direct Disciples were accounted for. The First Disciple Yun Yi, Second Disciple Yun Ping, Third Disciple Ling Yuzhu, Fourth Disciple Fang Dan, Fifth Disciple Sima Bo, Sixth Disciple Lu Yuan, Seventh Disciple An Zhi, Eighth Disciple Ye Fei, Ninth Disciple Ye Fang, and Tenth Disciple Ye Yuan had all arrived, filling the hall. Additionally, there were some lesser-known Ninth Generation Elders and several promising Tenth Generation disciples. Food and wine were already laid out on various tables. Today was different from the ordinary; it was the New Year. Yes, it was the New Year celebration. Cultivators do not live on wind and dew as mortals imagine; they too celebrate the New Year. The North Peak celebrated the New Year annually as a means to summarize the past year and look forward to the next. Gathering together in festivity helped solidify the sect's cohesion. The Five Great Immortal Sects placed great importance on internal unity. If a sect lacks cohesion, allowing internal scheming and backstabbing, its demise is not far off.

...

Upon entering, Lu Yuan greeted all the other Direct Disciples, with the exception of Sima Bo. Lu Yuan was generally easygoing and maintained good relations with most of the Ten Great Direct Disciples; naturally, an enemy like Sima Bo was excluded. His closest allies, however, remained his two sworn brothers, Ye Fang and Ye Yuan. Ling Yuzhu approached him. "Sixth Junior Brother, I just returned from down the mountain and brought you a bottle of Immortal Brew." This was the second time Ling Yuzhu had gifted him the Immortal Brew, but the price was the same: accompanying her for sword practice. Currently, Ling Yuzhu most favored sparring with him—a tragic reality. Ye Fang and Ye Yuan stood nearby, exchanging nudges and winks. Once Ling Yuzhu moved away, Ye Fang teased him first. "Sixth Senior Brother, you don't think Third Senior Sister has taken a liking to you, do you?" "Nonsense," Lu Yuan scoffed. "Speaking of which, Uncle-Master Fang is looking over here." Upon hearing that Uncle-Master Fang was watching, Ye Fang’s expression instantly became rigidly proper—as proper as it could possibly be. His ability to change his demeanor was remarkable; he had no choice, as letting Uncle-Master Fang catch him looking undisciplined would surely result in a lecture and a penalty, perhaps copying the Song of Righteousness a thousand times. Ye Yuan let out a chuckle. Ye Fang immediately felt tricked. Realizing that his master wasn't actually looking at him, he grumbled, "Sixth Senior Brother, that was unkind of you." "Tch. Why should I be kind to you?" Lu Yuan retorted dismissively.

...

While everyone was chatting, Venerable YuanYuan finally entered. The Cloud Feast Hall quieted considerably when Venerable YuanYuan walked in. He smiled and waved his hand. "Everyone, relax." Venerable YuanYuan was genuinely pleased; sweeping his gaze across the room, he noted the significant progress made by the Tenth Generation Direct Disciples. Yun Yi had become more composed; Yun Ping had shed some of his former impetuousness, likely accepting the concept that the tumultuous times belonged to him, while the era of peace would see Yun Yi become the North Peak Master. The Third Disciple Ling Yuzhu, Fourth Disciple Fang Dan, Fifth Disciple Sima Bo, Seventh Disciple An Zhi, Eighth Disciple Ye Fei, Ninth Disciple Ye Fang, and Tenth Disciple Ye Yuan—all these three had grown much stronger than before. As for Lu Yuan, did his strength truly warrant worry? The Ten Great Direct Disciples were steadily maturing, and the conflicts among them were far less intense than those within the Ninth Generation back then, who had fought tooth and nail against each other. Among the Tenth Generation, only Yun Yi and Yun Ping contended, and Sima Bo held deep antagonism toward Lu Yuan. In comparison, this generation was much better than the Ninth. As the North Peak Master from the Ninth Generation, he felt immense gratification watching the Tenth Generation surpass their predecessors. For a sect to develop, harmony must come first. Venerable YuanYuan walked with his hands clasped behind his back. He would watch the Tenth Generation continue to grow, striving to prevent the internal strife that plagued the Ninth Generation.

(Normal updates resuming today. I found that writing too quickly compromised quality. Future updates will follow this schedule: aiming for two posts, striving for three, with occasional bursts of content.) [.16U