The half-formed bright moon gradually ascended to the high heavens, a sheet of translucent grey cloud lightly obscuring the moonlight.

Some faint streaks of moonlight scattered freely among the mountain forests.

It was not long after nightfall, and few were yet asleep.

“The individual competition first prize is a large Spirit Beast, second prize is a medium Spirit Beast, and third prize is a small Spirit Beast. For the team competition first prize, each person receives a small Spirit Beast. This time, Martial Uncle Yan is truly generous…” Ye Yangrong was still somewhat astonished by the rewards for this Five Peaks Tournament. The Martial Uncle Yan he referred to was naturally Yan Cangtian, famed for his unparalleled status.

The unparalleled Yan Cangtian!

These rewards were also bestowed by Yan Cangtian.

Such prizes made even the Ninth Generation Sword Immortals slightly covetous.

At this time, the renowned Ninth Generation Sword Immortals of the North Peak were all gathered in one residence. Upon arriving at East Peak, East Peak had arranged a rather spacious courtyard for the North Peak contingent to temporarily stay. And now, these renowned Ninth Generation Sword Immortals were meeting to discuss the Five Peaks Grand Competition scheduled to begin the next day.

Dugu Ye let out a cold laugh: “Xifeng’s Venerable Zixia acts as if the first place in the individual competition is already settled in his hands—he is set on securing the large Spirit Beast. And Dongfeng’s Venerable Yuanyang acts as if their team competition victory is assured. It’s infuriating…” She was indeed quite vexed.

The daylight hours of this day had certainly not been pleasant.

The Five Peaks Grand Competition was a contest among the true disciples.

And the overall strength of the true disciples naturally represented the pinnacle of the Sword Sect. The Qi Sect had produced Song Nanshan, and the individual strength of their true disciples was indeed quite formidable. The recognized Sword Immortals from the strong Dongfeng, Nanfeng, and Xifeng felt more confident, wearing more satisfied expressions when conversing.

In contrast, the renowned Sword Immortals of the North Peak naturally had to endure some slights.

Venerable Yuanyuan smiled: “Why let it anger you? The first place in the individual competition is destined to fall to our peak. Let the renowned Sword Immortals of the other peaks enjoy themselves for a while; we will be the ones laughing last…” Venerable Yuanyuan’s statement caused both Dugu Ye and Sima Changbai to be surprised, wondering where Venerable Yuanyuan suddenly derived such immense confidence.

Lu Yuan was indeed powerful, his swordsmanship at the Sword Intent level.

However, in a real fight, he probably couldn't defeat Song Nanshan, who had cultivated the Ziqi Donglai mental method and possessed a unique destiny.

Ye Yangrong let out a slight chuckle from the side: “You two still don't know? Lu Yuan recently reached the Body Tempering stage. His cultivation base is at the Body Tempering stage, and his swordsmanship has reached the Sword Intent level. With such strength, is participating in the Five Peaks Grand Competition difficult for him?” Dugu Ye was stunned by this. She absolutely had not expected Lu Yuan to have reached the Body Tempering stage. The bottleneck between the Qi Refining stage and the Body Tempering stage was notoriously hard to break through; she hadn't imagined Lu Yuan managed it. Dugu Ye's first reaction was disbelief, but looking at the expressions of her fellow disciples, it seemed to be true.

Shaking her head, Dugu Ye smiled faintly: “Unexpected. Unexpected! It seems the first place in the Five Peaks Grand Competition is ours to take. Venerable Zixia and Venerable Yuanyang are feeling pleased now, but I doubt they will be pleased by the end…” Dugu Ye had a somewhat prickly nature; she lacked Venerable Yuanyuan's expansive broadmindedness. Thus, the thought of making Venerable Zixia and Venerable Yuanyang look foolish brought her increasing delight.

Indeed, Dugu Ye always considered herself a young woman who repaid kindness, settled scores, and cried when she wanted to cry and laughed when she wanted to laugh—a truly open young woman.

“That kid Lu Yuan has some skill…” Dugu Ye praised.

The several renowned Sword Immortals of the North Peak exchanged cold, knowing smiles.

Involuntarily, their moods turned cheerful.

This Five Peaks Grand Competition would undoubtedly feature some truly spectacular events.

Sima Changbai’s expression remained unchanged, but he did not smile; there was truly nothing to smile about. He had not expected Lu Yuan to reach the Body Tempering stage so quickly. Such a troublesome figure! He couldn't believe that a mere junior disciple made him feel so pressured. Thinking this, his heart sank slightly, and hundreds of malicious schemes began churning in his mind, considering how to deal with Lu Yuan.

In reality, if Lu Yuan were willing to descend the mountain often, Sima Changbai would have means to deal with him.

But Lu Yuan’s disposition was indolent; he rarely left the mountain, which left Sima Changbai helpless.

“What about Yuan Ling’s matter?” Ye Yangrong inquired. To the Ninth Generation Sword Immortals of the North Peak, Yuan Ling was a splinter, a poisonous thorn.

Venerable Yuanyuan stated: “Let’s get through this Five Peaks Grand Competition first. After that, it will be almost time to prepare the action against Yuan Ling…” Venerable Yuanyuan was generous and magnanimous, but being struck without retaliation was not Venerable Yuanyuan’s style. Acting meticulously, striking only after the opponent has committed, and connecting every move in sequence—that was the true way of Venerable Yuanyuan.

Lu Yuan pushed open the window and saw the vast expanse of white mist, soft as gauze. Hues of rosy clouds, wisps of smoke, hovered faintly in the clear sky. Amidst the vibrant colors and the morning mist, indistinct figures could be seen flying overhead. The crimson sun rose from the direction of the Dawn Terrace, bathing the entire East Peak in the morning glow.

Majestic Dawn Peak, where clouds are born and perish.

It was the second day of the Five Peaks Grand Competition.

Today was when the formal sparring matches were scheduled to commence. The early morning was spent having light snacks and thin porridge with the other true disciples; breakfast was predominantly vegetarian and simple. On this day, several of the other true disciples held a mix of anticipation and apprehension, as today marked the beginning of actual combat. Moreover, the opponents were no weaklings, but true disciples from other peaks. Therefore, the North Peak true disciples feared being eliminated quickly.

Being eliminated early meant not only losing face but also losing the chance to discover more of their own shortcomings. Most importantly, the rewards this time were incredibly rich; being eliminated early meant receiving nothing.

At this moment, only Yun Yi, Yun Ping, and Lu Yuan remained truly calm.

Lu Yuan was absolutely certain not to be eliminated in the first round. As for Yun Yi and Yun Ping, their strength placed them among the elite of the true disciples. Unless they encountered the top contenders—Shi Chaoyang of Dongfeng, Mo Qianbian of Nanfeng, or Song Nanshan of Xifeng—they were unlikely to be eliminated. And the probability of encountering these individuals in the first round was exceedingly small, so Yun Yi and Yun Ping were significantly more confident, harboring few worries.

Everyone else besides Yun Yi, Yun Ping, and Lu Yuan was at risk of elimination—now it would depend on luck and their personal skill.

But regardless of worry or lack thereof, the Five Peaks Grand Competition would proceed unchanged.

The Chen hour (7–9 AM) was the starting time for the Five Peaks Grand Competition. The event featured one grand arena, which could be subdivided into five smaller arenas. The elimination rounds in the first stage were held simultaneously across the five stages, resulting in twenty-five matches happening concurrently, five at a time.

Matches one through five proceeded together, and among these five, the most captivating, without question, was the bout between Nanfeng’s top true disciple, Mo Qianbian, and Beifeng’s fifth true disciple, Sima Bo. Of course, most spectators were drawn to Mo Qianbian. He was reputed to be the strongest among Nanfeng’s true disciples, rumored to have mastered the One Thousand Three Hundred Forms of Myriad Changes and Illusory Mists. How could this not attract a crowd? As for Sima Bo, he was merely a foil. Sima Bo felt like crying internally; he was utterly unlucky to face someone like Mo Qianbian in the first round.

Lu Yuan naturally felt unconcerned, perhaps even a touch gloating, about Sima Bo’s pitiable fate. He held a grudge against Sima Bo. If his enemy encountered misfortune, Lu Yuan was naturally pleased. He wouldn't be noble enough to sympathize with an enemy; he certainly wasn't someone of lofty morals.

Lu Yuan was also studying Mo Qianbian. Mo Qianbian appeared to be in his thirties, quite slender. Most strikingly, his sword was not sheathed in a scabbard but carried within a erhu (a two-stringed fiddle). He ascended the stage carrying an erhu, looking rather down-and-out—reportedly, he modeled this appearance after his master, who was also a famous Sword Immortal, ranking just below Venerable Huifeng in fame on Nanfeng.

Lu Yuan observed from the side. Mo Qianbian and Sima Bo soon began their exchange. Lu Yuan immediately noticed that Mo Qianbian’s sword strikes were swift and exceedingly strange, often attacking Sima Bo from angles that seemed almost impossible. Sima Bo’s Great Sun Sword Technique was indeed quite formidable, but facing such bizarre swordplay quickly eroded his imposing demeanor. From the very start, Sima Bo was at a distinct disadvantage.

Is this the One Thousand Three Hundred Forms of Myriad Changes and Illusory Mists? Lu Yuan assessed from the side, finding Mo Qianbian’s swordsmanship far superior to that of Nanfeng’s fourth true disciple, Wei Bei, or fifth true disciple, Shen Luo. It was clearly at the pinnacle of the second level of Swordsmanship Mastery, perhaps capable of reaching the Intentional level with the right opportunity.

The sixth through tenth matches of the first round featured two battles that drew attention: one involving Dongfeng’s top true disciple, Shi Chaoyang, and the other featuring Song Nanshan, the top true disciple of Xifeng from the Qi Sect.

Shi Chaoyang was a middle-aged man sporting stubble. His swordsmanship truly exceeded Lu Yuan’s expectations. Observing his technique from the side, Lu Yuan realized Shi Chaoyang was brushing against the edges of the Sword Intent level, making him even more skilled than Nanfeng’s Mo Qianbian. Within ten years, he was bound to reach the Intentional level.

The Sword Sect is truly the Sword Sect; the top true disciples of both major branches possessed such extraordinary swordsmanship.

As for Song Nanshan, the top true disciple of Xifeng of the Qi Sect, he looked immensely imposing. Although only in his forties, the aura of authority he exuded rivaled that of the Ninth Generation Renowned Sword Immortals. His fighting style perfectly matched the characteristics of the Qi Sect: never mind the swordsmanship, just use overwhelming magical power to blast the opponent away. His cultivation base at the Body Tempering stage was certainly enough for him to dominate.

The fifteenth through twentieth matches of the first round finally commenced, and at this point, Lu Yuan noticed with a start that his own name was on the list. It was finally his turn to step forward. Truthfully, after watching so many true disciples fight, it was finally his turn. Hmm, the opponent's name looks so familiar—Zhao Nan, the third true disciple of Xifeng, Qi Sect.

The person who had already suffered defeat at his hands once before.