Hands clasped behind his back, he paced the courtyard, bareheaded, without even his straw hat.

His spirit was currently lost in obsession; even if roasted chicken and fine wine were placed before him, it was doubtful Lu Yuan would even blink.

He had just successfully forged the 'Torrential Rain Sword Intent.' Perfect timing—while the feeling of comprehension still lingered from his previous breakthroughs: practicing swordplay beneath the waterfall, grasping the 'Rain Sword Intent' atop the North Peak, and comprehending the 'Water Sword Intent' in the East Dao Mansion. The peculiar sensation from yesterday’s battle against Song Nanshan had not yet faded, and now, he had just grasped the 'Torrential Rain Sword Intent.'

This timing was crucial. As they say, the first charge is fierce, the second wanes, and the third exhausts.

How to comprehend the 'Fine Rain Sword Intent'?

He paced the courtyard in contemplation. Ye Fang and Ye Yuan had long since departed, and all the other core disciples had gone out to enjoy themselves. The scenery on the East Peak was splendid, complemented by beauties as lovely as jade—a perfect setting for an outing. More importantly, the core disciples of the North Peak currently enjoyed considerable prestige, thanks to Lu Yuan’s victory in the individual competition, which brought them all honor.

In fact, it wasn't just the core disciples; several Ninth Generation Sword Immortals of the North Peak had also taken to strolling around frequently lately. As for the purpose of visiting the Ninth Generation Sword Immortals on other peaks, it hardly needed stating.

In the courtyard now, only Lu Yuan was walking back and forth.

Lu Yuan was lost in thought. Nearly half an hour passed this way before a flash of inspiration struck him.

Fine Rain Sword Intent. Fine rain against the rising sun... the 'Rising Sun One-Breath Sword.'

Perhaps he could borrow the 'Rising Sun One-Breath Sword' to comprehend the 'Fine Rain Sword Intent,' eventually integrating it into the complete 'Rain Sword Intent.' However, the 'Rising Sun One-Breath Sword' was a technique belonging to the core disciples of the Rising Sun Peak. Among the many core disciples there, the only one he was even slightly familiar with was his Ninth Junior Sister, Liu Ye’er. Perhaps he could ask her if she knew the 'Rising Sun One-Breath Sword.'

When consumed by obsession, Lu Yuan was an absolute man of action; he did what he resolved to do immediately.

Inquiring about Liu Ye’er’s residence on the East Peak was hardly difficult. He heard she lived in the Spirit Domain Immortal Residence along with her master, the Void-Purity Sword Immortal. Lu Yuan confirmed the location and set off directly toward the Spirit Domain Immortal Residence, overhearing various conversations along the way.

Most of these conversations now revolved around yesterday's battle.

Yesterday’s fight between Lu Yuan and Song Nanshan, though concluded, was still being lauded as a classic. After all, it was a clash between the two publicly recognized strongest core disciples of the Tenth Generation of Mount Hua. It was natural that people were still discussing it even a day later.

The path was filled with similar topics, which Lu Yuan completely ignored. As he neared the entrance to the Spirit Domain Immortal Residence, the greatest hurdle presented itself: how to enter. Every residence belonging to a Ninth Generation Sword Immortal was protected by layers of formidable restrictions, not something one could just waltz into. While he could easily enter and exit the Longevity Abode, that was because it was his master’s domain, protected by his master’s seals. He certainly couldn't enter the Spirit Domain Immortal Residence so easily.

Just as he was contemplating a way in, he spotted a cloud-drawn carriage ahead. This carriage was not made of mortal materials; rather, it was formed by cloud-affinity cultivators who gathered the ethereal essence of clouds and vapor into a conveyance resembling an earthly sedan chair. These cloud carriages were exceptionally comfortable, often favored by female cultivators.

Several bright and youthful maidens descended from the carriage. One was clearly Liu Ye’er, with her innocent features. The others looked somewhat familiar; they seemed to be core disciples from the East and South Peaks. Since the East and South Peaks were both branches of the Sword Sect, the relationship between their core disciples was much closer.

"That battle yesterday was truly spectacular."

"Song Nanshan of the Qi Sect—he always relied on his power in the Body Tempering stage to surpass us. It’s about time he took a loss. No one expected Senior Brother Lu to also be in the Body Tempering stage," remarked a maiden in yellow robes. This girl, with bright eyes and pearly teeth, was Gu Xiruo, the Seventh Core Disciple of the South Peak, renowned as a beauty among female cultivators of the Sword Sect.

"Body Tempering versus Body Tempering. What we truly didn't expect was that Senior Brother Lu possesses such masterful swordsmanship—at the Sword Intent level! Watching him draw his sword yesterday was breathtakingly handsome," said a white-robed maiden beside her. This girl was tall and slender. If Ye Fang were present, he would immediately recognize her as Shi Lu, the junior sister he constantly yearned for, ranking tenth among the East Peak Sword Sect disciples.

As it is said, the benevolent see benevolence, and the wise see wisdom.

The renowned Ninth Generation Sword Immortals, having witnessed Lu Yuan’s sword intent, knew that he had fully mastered the concept, his intent flowing boundless and unrestrained.

Meanwhile, the male core disciples were scrutinizing Lu Yuan’s sword intent, techniques, and forms, hoping to find exploitable weaknesses, as the team competition was yet to begin after the individual matches.

The female core disciples’ focus, however, was clearly different from the men's. They cared about how aesthetically pleasing Lu Yuan’s sword moves were and how dashing he appeared while fighting. At least, that was true for Shi Lu.

Yesterday, Lu Yuan’s sword had moved in a connected flurry, a dazzling display of ink splashing across a vast canvas, swallowing rivers and mountains with its spirit, unrestrained and flowing, full of grand ascents and sharp descents, of coming together and scattering apart—truly stirring the soul. Even if not perfect, it was close enough.

"Ah, I didn't realize that not only is his wine good, but his swordsmanship is also this superb," commented the typically muddled Liu Ye’er, whose impression of Lu Yuan was primarily tied to his sweet, delicious wine.

Gu Xiruo in yellow, Shi Lu in white, and Liu Ye’er in green stood together, the three maidens’ faces beautiful as flowers. Gu Xiruo and Shi Lu were exquisitely stunning: Gu Xiruo with her sprite-like eyes and teeth, Shi Lu tall and clean in her bearing, and Liu Ye’er possessing an innocent and naive charm.

Lu Yuan paid no mind to the content of their discussion; or rather, consumed by his obsession, he was interested in nothing beyond the sword.

The obsessed Lu Yuan possessed an entirely different temperament from the normally languid Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan suddenly stepped in front of the three bright-eyed maidens. They instantly recognized him. Every one of the fifty core disciples across the five peaks knew Lu Yuan now. Seeing Senior Brother Lu, whom they had just been discussing, suddenly appear before them, both Shi Lu and Gu Xiruo felt their delicate cheeks flush.

"Junior Sister Liu... could you come with me for a moment..."

The East Peak also held many secluded spots, such as this Flying Silk Rain Waterfall. It was a waterfall, but the flow was not fierce; the water descended like fine threads of silk, thus earning its name. The scenery here was quite lovely, but because Mount Hua's East Peak boasted so many famous sights, this spot was relatively obscure.

Before the Flying Silk Rain Waterfall stood two figures, a youth and a maiden.

The youth in green held a long sword, and the maiden in green also had her hand resting on her hilt. Liu Ye’er was always a bit fuzzy-headed. Before leaving, a message transmitted by Gu Xiruo had made her blush slightly, but upon hearing Lu Yuan’s objective—to borrow her 'Rising Sun One-Breath Sword' for practice—she nodded, thinking, Yes, Senior Sister Gu must have misunderstood.

Enough distractions. Time to practice. Liu Ye’er had the advantage of being muddled: muddled people have few distracting thoughts, and even when they arise, they are easily dismissed.

Liu Ye’er said, "I know the 'Rising Sun One-Breath Sword,' but I don't practice it very well..."

"That doesn't matter..." Lu Yuan nodded. He wasn't interested in observing perfect technique, only in accessing the Sword Intent itself. Inferior execution might have some effect, but it wouldn't be too significant. Hearing this, Liu Ye’er nodded as well. With a delicate movement, her Quiet Leaf Sword slid from its sheath, emitting a jade-green shimmer.

The green light unleashed a series of sword forms. These forms were executed poorly. Lu Yuan shook his head; it was obvious Liu Ye’er’s practice of the 'Rising Sun One-Breath Sword' was lacking. However, this didn't greatly concern him. He merely sought to touch upon the Sun’s intent through her execution of the 'Rising Sun One-Breath Sword,' and thereby access the concept of the rain that stood in opposition to the sun—the Fine Rain.

Beneath the waterfall, the long swords of the young man in blue and the maiden in green met repeatedly in mid-air. Naturally, Lu Yuan kept his sword power controlled, careful not to break Liu Ye’er’s blade. While sparring, he constantly worked to perceive the sun and comprehend the fine rain.

The 'Rising Sun One-Breath Sword' flickered before his eyes, but where was the Fine Rain?

While parrying Liu Ye’er’s strikes, Lu Yuan gazed at the nearby Flying Silk Rain Waterfall, reflecting on his past experiences—both successful and failed—related to waterfalls, the 'Torrential Rain Sword Intent,' the 'Rain Sword Intent,' and the 'Water Sword Intent.' He searched for that elusive, non-extinguished feeling, and soon, the sensation rapidly returned.

The rising sun was ahead; the Flying Silk Rain Waterfall was beside him.

Lu Yuan remained deep in thought.

Not long after, Lu Yuan suddenly raised his head. He had just grasped the essence of Fine Rain.

Fine rain: hazy, subtle, precious as oil in spring, sorrowful in autumn wind—that was fine rain. Too ethereal, making it impossible to locate, difficult to decipher. The sharp, stinging rain that whips down was also fine rain. As he thought this, Lu Yuan found himself unconsciously moving toward a clear spot to begin his own practice.

He altered his sword forms one by one, shifting his stances. Now, the blade of his Yang Wu Sword, usually dazzlingly bright, seemed somewhat indistinct and blurred as the forms shifted, making it hard to see clearly.

He had finally comprehended the 'Fine Rain Sword Intent.'

This was it—the 'Fine Rain Sword Intent.' He didn't know how long he practiced, but finally, Lu Yuan moved, and the Yang Wu Sword slid back into its sheath. He had just realized the 'Fine Rain Sword Intent.' Combined with the previous 'Torrential Rain Sword Intent,' he had grasped both extremes of the 'Rain Sword Intent.' This time, he had finally perfected the entire 'Rain Sword Intent.'

The third of the Three Thousand Sword Intents: the 'Rain Sword Intent.'

He was only nineteen years old.

And Venerable Yuan Yuan, as the Lord of the North Peak, commanded a total of eight sword intents, short of ten.

One who comprehends one sword intent is called a Sword Master. One who comprehends ten is a Sword Grandmaster. One who comprehends a hundred is a Sword Archmaster. All six Sword Immortals of the North Peak were Sword Masters, none having reached the level of Grandmaster. Venerable Yuan Yuan grasped eight intents, and the other five renowned Sword Immortals grasped even fewer.