The peaks towered nearly ten thousand zhang high, and even under the height of summer, the mountaintops held little heat.

The sunlight behind the peaks warmed the body pleasantly.

Though the Zhongzheng Pinghe Zhai normally possessed a certain solemnity, today, with several old friends gathered, such formality was unnecessary.

Several chairs were moved into the courtyard of the Zhongzheng Pinghe Zhai. Seated there were Master Yuanyuan himself, Ye Yangrong, Li Yuanbai, and Fang Ru. The conversation began with Fang Ru preparing to report on certain matters. Just then, Li Yuanbai arrived. The matter Fang Ru was about to report related to an incident from years past.

Ah, those bygone days!

Inevitably, the four renowned Sword Immortals found themselves recalling the past.

“Those years ago…” Master Yuanyuan sighed, basking in the warm afternoon sun in the courtyard. Back when the Ninth Generation were still direct disciples, their relationships were much better. He was the Eldest Senior Brother; Yuanling, the Second; the Third Senior Brother, Li Yuanbai, was always steady and composed; and the Fourth Senior Brother, Fang Ru, possessed a calm temperament.

That period in their lives had been genuinely joyful.

Recalling those times, the merchant-like smile faded from Ye Yangrong’s face, the false warmth largely gone.

Li Yuanbai, too, slipped into the memories of yesteryear.

And Fang Ru’s usually rigid expression softened considerably.

“Now I recall the joys of Jiangnan, when youth was swift and spring robes thin…” A poem seemed to echo in Master Yuanyuan’s ears, and the others felt much the same.

Under the languid, scattered sunlight, the famous Sword Immortals of the Ninth Generation were lost in recollection, chatting about events of the past. They all understood that opportunities like this would be rare henceforth; they could see clearly that Li Yuanbai had barely more than a year left to live. As they talked, the reminiscence eventually trailed off.

The subsequent period involved internal strife within the sect. Ultimately, Yuanling turned traitor. Of the ten original direct disciples, three died, and one defected, leaving only the six remaining today.

Back then, the Ninth Generation was hailed as the Golden Generation.

In the end, the Golden Generation was decimated by internal conflict, with betrayals and deaths. The Golden Generation was no more.

It was truly… lamentable.

As they spoke of the old days, deep feelings of regret surfaced. Just then, a young Daoist page hurried in: “Urgent report…”

An urgent report meant something critical had occurred.

This immediately interrupted their shared remembrance.

Master Yuanyuan accepted the dispatch. However, upon reading it, his expression became wonderfully complex. After a long pause of stunned silence, he turned to Li Yuanbai with a half-smile, “Junior Brother Li, your disciple…”

This remark left Li Yuanbai utterly confused. “What about my disciple?” Master Yuanyuan was in no hurry. “The urgent report states that a prisoner on the third level of the Celestial Prison, merely at the first stage of Body Tempering, escaped. He then collided with the Ten Direct Disciples, who were having lunch on the first level.” Hearing this, Ye Yangrong and Fang Ru both tensed slightly; their own disciples were among the Ten, making their anxiety immediate.

Master Yuanyuan lifted a cup of tea, took a slow sip, and gently tapped the cup. “And then, the prisoner attempted to use the Ten Direct Disciples to negotiate terms with us. But Lu Yuan fought back. Junior Brother Li, your disciple… actually defeated a prisoner at the first stage of Body Tempering. Your disciple… is also at the Body Tempering stage?”

“What?” Ye Yangrong was mildly astonished. He had never heard this news and was now deeply curious. Fang Ru’s eyebrows also flickered upwards.

Body Tempering stage!

The difficulty of advancing from Qi Refining to Body Tempering was well known to all. Everyone knew Lu Yuan was exceptionally gifted and perhaps quite lucky, but they all assumed it would take him at least another two or three years to reach Body Tempering. No one expected such a rapid breakthrough. Now, all eyes turned toward Li Yuanbai.

Li Yuanbai gave a wry smile. “Not long ago, I conducted a purge among my subordinates; you all should be aware of it.”

Everyone knew about the purge, but it was Li Yuanbai’s private affair, so no one had pried or investigated further.

Li Yuanbai continued, “During that purge, one of my Four Vow Sword Masters, Murong An the Dark Sword, hired Li Feng to assassinate my disciple. In the ensuing battle, my disciple broke through on the spot, reaching the Qi Refining stage. When I asked him the reason, he claimed he was somewhat bewildered by the breakthrough himself…”

Bewildered.

What a truly bewildering statement.

The four Sword Immortals present—Master Yuanyuan, Li Yuanbai, Fang Ru, and Ye Yangrong—were all famous figures who had once been direct disciples. Yet, their own breakthroughs to the Body Tempering stage had required immense hardship and countless efforts. Now, Lu Yuan had achieved it with a simple, ‘bewildered’ breakthrough, leaving the four Sword Immortals speechless, teetering on the brink of tears.

The times, indeed!

Well, after some time, they finally accepted the fact that Lu Yuan had inexplicably reached the Body Tempering stage. Even so, accepting the information felt difficult for everyone. Even Li Yuanbai, who knew beforehand, found the pace hard to swallow—this breakthrough was too fast.

“Then, with Lu Yuan participating in the upcoming Five Peaks Grand Competition, our side should achieve a good result…” Master Yuanyuan was the first to pivot to this practical matter. The others naturally nodded in agreement.

Ye Yangrong considered the implications more deeply. “If that is the case, isn’t it too much of an advantage? A direct disciple who has reached Body Tempering, has mastered Sword Intent, and possesses such profound spiritual power and swordsmanship—having such an individual participate in the Five Peaks Grand Competition might be too…” Ye Yangrong felt this level of power was verging on invincible.

Master Yuanyuan laughed heartily.

Finally, the reason why the prisoner managed to escape was uncovered.

Simply put, the prisoner had spent ten years preparing internally, but this was the least significant factor. The relatively minor secondary reason was that when Li Yuanbai handed over his duties to Chu Fei, some details were not made perfectly clear, and Chu Fei, being new, had some unfamiliarity, leading to errors.

However, these were secondary. There was only one primary reason: it involved—the presence of Yuanling.

Yes, Yuanling—the greatest genius and the greatest traitor of the Ninth Generation.

According to what Martial Uncle Chu Fei revealed, the other Sword Immortals of the Ninth Generation deduced that Yuanling’s involvement was motivated by a desire to observe the current batch of Ten Direct Disciples to see if there were any interesting figures. Thus, this carefully orchestrated event—a prisoner’s escape targeting the direct disciples—came to pass.

Lu Yuan now understood that he was merely a chess piece.

A piece used in a complex game between master strategists.

Master Yuanyuan and Yuanling were constantly maneuvering against each other; they were the players, and everyone else was a piece.

Upon realizing he was a piece, Lu Yuan felt no anger.

People live their lives by gradually improving and strengthening their capabilities. Just as Master Yuanyuan and Yuanling were now playing as strategists, in their youth, they too were pieces in the hands of the Eighth Generation. When one’s strength is insufficient, it is inevitable to be a piece for a time.

The notion of being unbeatable upon arrival is mere fantasy.

The idea of never being a piece and always standing above everyone else is just a myth.

And shouting about defying the heavens upon entry is pure comedy; heaven is not so easily defied.

Of course, he was no compliant piece. He had always been an extremely unruly one. Take, for instance, the final moments of the Dongdao Prefecture battle, where he discarded the established script of the Sect Elders’ Council and eliminated several key figures in one swift move. This time, Yuanling orchestrated this prisoner escape drama to gauge the strength of the current direct disciples. Lu Yuan hadn't even had a chance to cause chaos yet—if he had, hehe.

Perhaps, if Yuanling dared to stage such a spectacle next time, he might just throw a wrench into the entire operation—a reckless piece that completely upends the grand strategy, even while confined to the board.

Naturally, he needed to strive harder to escape the status of a piece and ascend to that of a player. Though, if he were to play, he probably wouldn't want to; he'd likely just doze on the sidelines.

In any case, he would either be a disruptive piece or rise above the game soon enough.

Lu Yuan shrugged.

Never mind. He would begin his own training. During the recent period, while his fellow disciples were cultivating, he had merely watched. Of course, his cultivation would no longer take place in the First or Second Levels of the Celestial Prison. Instead, he would venture to the Third Level, where prisoners ranged from the first stage of Body Tempering (Qi Manipulation and Leaving the Body) up to the third stage (Sun and Moon Essence).

It might be difficult to thrive on the Third Level, but he would go and mingle, fighting against as many Body Tempering cultivators as possible.

Stepping onto the Third Level of the Celestial Prison, strange, booming laughter immediately reached him.

“Oho, a direct disciple has arrived…”

“A truly bold direct disciple, daring to come to the Third Level for tempering…”

“He is courting death…”

“Let’s beat him to a pulp!” The mocking faces of the prisoners were grotesque. However, once a certain prisoner recognized Lu Yuan as Li Yuanbai’s disciple, the tone of the prisoners shifted immediately.

“So, it’s Li Yuanbai’s disciple…”

“Excellent. If we don’t torture him to death, we’d be letting ourselves down…”

“Don’t just let one person deal with him; we all want a taste!” Cold, killing intent laced words echoed throughout the Third Level, mirroring the sentiments from the Second Level, vividly displaying the depth of their anger and hatred toward Li Yuanbai. Lu Yuan’s lips curled upward. “You people truly lack fresh material. The Second Level heard the exact same things. I beat them into submission there. Now, it’s time to submit the Third Level, immediately…” Lu Yuan responded to the prisoners with absolute arrogance. He certainly wouldn’t be polite to these inmates. And so, cultivation began anew… Meanwhile, the time for the Five Peaks Grand Competition was drawing ever nearer…