The clamor and the hustle, the endless noise, must eventually yield to silence. Such is life.

There may be occasional peaks, but one cannot live perpetually atop them. Blandness, then more blandness, and then even more.

Life is the line of 'blandness,' and excitement is but a single point upon it. The Grand Competition of the Five Peaks had finally concluded, and with its end, Lu Yuan returned to North Peak to resume his ordinary existence.

Back at North Peak, gazing upon its clouds, its mountains, its forests, the winding paths through those woods, the babbling streams—a peculiar, subtle feeling washed over him. During this time, Lu Yuan often found himself ascending to the White Cloud Wonderland, practicing his swordplay, sleeping, and drinking amidst the clouds, living with unparalleled ease.

In truth, the clouds everywhere in the world were the same—pure white and soft, comfortable to recline upon—but the clouds atop North Peak, officially Cloud Platform Peak, were exceptionally pure, especially dense, and fostered a special sense of freedom. Lu Yuan enjoyed flying up to the clouds, to this silent, solitary place.

Perhaps it was because he practiced the Cloud Dragon Heart Method and the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud, or perhaps he envied the cloud’s carefree drifting nature—watching the clouds gather and disperse across the sea of white, idly observing the blooming and falling of courtyard flowers. Indeed, immediately following the Five Peaks Grand Competition, Lu Yuan had felt a small surge of self-satisfaction, even pride.

He had secured first place for North Peak in both the individual and team competitions. Do not mistake this for an inherent flaw; Lu Yuan was, after all, merely a nineteen-year-old youth.

While his temperament leaned toward the carefree and untethered, he was still green. After achieving such results, a touch of pride was inevitable.

However, after several months of secluded, leisurely life on North Peak, amidst the white clouds, all that pride had largely evaporated. During this period, he had also diligently forged a set of sword techniques upon the white clouds.

He had comprehended the Sword Intent of Rain, and based upon that comprehension, he had created a new sword form. This new sword style was named the Seventy-Two Forms of Rainfall.

It comprised exactly seventy-two movements. Although this technique was born from his understanding of the Rain Sword Intent, his experience remained shallow, meaning the sword form could not compare to the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud.

If the latter was a supreme technique, the Seventy-Two Forms of Rainfall was, at best, a first-rate style. Nevertheless, creating a first-rate sword technique at the age of nineteen was quite remarkable.

Lu Yuan still held a small measure of pride regarding the Rainfall style he had devised. Very well, he decided, let him test these movements once more.

"Misty Rain Veil," he struck, and the light of his Yang Wu Sword became hazy and indistinct, shrouding everything nearby, making the surrounding clouds appear as indistinct as those over distant mountains after a storm. The purpose of this move was to conceal his position from the opponent.

"Roaring Downpour," this form unleashed sword light like lightning, assaulting the enemy in a torrent akin to a violent storm. The sheer ferocity of this attack surpassed even that of the Overwhelming Gale.

"Dusk Rain Soughing," this form was actually a synthesis derived from the Twilight Sword Technique he had learned. Once executed, the appearance of the dusk rain imposed a degree of delay upon the opponent.

Naturally, it was not as potent as the Twilight Sword Technique in physically slowing an enemy's movement, but it was still a move capable of slowing the opponent's pace. "Autumn Rain Haze..." "Spring Rain Drizzle..." "First After the Rain..." "Rain Beating the Plantain Leaves," "Before the Rain Gathers..." "River of Rain," and so on, the forms flowed from Lu Yuan's hands.

The youth in green robes soared above the white clouds, wielding his three-foot, three-inch long Qing Feng blade. Sword light stirred, and rainwater manifested.

Some forms were hazy and enveloping, offering coolness or striking like a roaring torrent. Energized by the practice, he ran through the entire Seventy-Two Forms of Rainfall.

Only upon executing the final move, "After the Rain," did he feel he had truly completed the sequence. Lu Yuan acknowledged internally that his Seventy-Two Forms of Rainfall still lagged far behind the One Hundred and Eight Forms of Wind and Cloud.

But, one day, he would perfect this style until it could challenge the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud. This, perhaps, was his ambition.

Lu Yuan had recently encountered a troublesome matter. The crux of it was this: Martial Uncle Yuan Yuan had summoned him to the Five Immortals Alliance for a period of tempering.

As a member of the Five Great Immortal Sects, Lu Yuan naturally knew what the Five Immortals Alliance was. Unlike clandestine organizations such as the Heaven Aiding Pact, the Five Immortals Alliance was a massive entity, indeed the largest organization within the Great Jin Dynasty.

The Five Great Immortal Sects were: Mount Hua Immortal Sect, Wudang Immortal Sect, Kunlun Immortal Sect, Qingcheng Immortal Sect, and South Sea Immortal Sect. These five sects had not all risen concurrently; their founding dates varied greatly.

Kunlun Immortal Sect was the oldest, its origins traceable back over ten millennia. Wudang Immortal Sect was established over seven thousand years ago.

Mount Hua Immortal Sect arose five thousand years ago. Qingcheng and South Sea Immortal Sects were slightly later, within the last five millennia, emerging just after Mount Hua.

Regardless of the precise timeline, they eventually formed the structure where the Five Great Immortal Sects jointly governed the Great Jin Dynasty. Nearly five thousand years prior, these Five Great Immortal Sects organized a power shift, supplanting all previous dominant sects and ushering in the era ruled by the Five.

Those from five millennia ago were the faction that called for 'changing the sun and moon for a new sky,' a group hardened by iron and blood, possessing formidable capabilities. After their establishment, they installed the Great Jin Emperor as the mortal representative of their rule.

Moreover, they observed that frequent conflicts and disputes arose among the Five Great Immortal Sects. These disputes, where each side claimed justification, often spiraled from minor disagreements into larger conflicts, threatening localized warfare.

Consequently, the leaders of the Five Great Immortal Sects established the Council of Elders. This Council instituted a series of measures specifically designed to manage such conflicts.

The Council founded then remains active today, wielding considerable influence within the cultivation world of the Great Jin. The primary adversaries of the Five Great Immortal Sects were universally understood to be the demons and fiends dwelling in the myriad caves beneath the earth.

There is an old saying: one monk carries water alone, two monks fetch water together, but three monks have no water to drink. When confronting the subterranean fiends, the Five Great Immortal Sects constantly sought to preserve their own strength while expending the strength of others.

Everyone thought this way, leading to significant losses when they initially clashed with the earthbound demons. Eventually, the leaders of the Five Great Immortal Sects realized this approach was unsustainable; everyone was too keen on self-preservation.

Thus, the Five Immortals Alliance was formed. The Alliance was a mechanism where the Five Great Immortal Sects pooled their forces under unified command.

Within the Alliance, specific rules of dispatch were enacted, and previous affiliations were largely ignored to prevent status differences from impeding operational efficiency. Naturally, the Five Immortals Alliance never concerned itself with surface affairs.

Its sole purpose was combating the subterranean demons, meaning the Alliance operated almost entirely underground. The Five Immortals Alliance constituted the strongest fighting force each of the Five Great Immortal Sects could deploy outside their main institutions.

That was the true elite contingent. The battlegrounds of the Five Immortals Alliance represented the foremost frontline directly engaging the subterranean demons.

Other regions experienced only sporadic incursions; they knew peace and prosperity. The garrisons of the Five Immortals Alliance, however, existed worlds away from such tranquility.

True core disciples from the Five Great Immortal Sects were customarily sent to the Alliance for a period of tempering. Lu Yuan had long known that his turn would come, but he had hoped to wait until after his Master’s passing to temper there, wishing to spend his Master’s final year or so with him—a matter of filial piety for a disciple.

Instead, Martial Uncle Yuan Yuan was now ordering him to the Alliance immediately. Lu Yuan felt reluctance.

Li Yuanbai frowned: "I understand your reluctance now; your disposition has always been excellent, I am well aware of that. However, despite your current strength being commendable among the core disciples, do not forget who your rivals will be after I pass..." "Sima Changbai, that one is beyond your current capability to handle." "And the rebel under me previously, the Black Swordsman Murong An, his strength also far exceeds yours..." "If I pass, you will have to take charge of my considerable holdings.

While some of my subordinates will remain loyal, others will harbor ill intentions, and there will be others like Sima Changbai coveting what is mine. If you remain confined within the sect, failing to grow stronger, how can you cope?" Li Yuanbai sighed deeply.

"The Five Peaks Competition ended about three months ago. If I take medicine, I can extend my lifespan a little longer, perhaps giving me just over another year.

If you go to the Five Immortals Alliance for tempering now, you can apply to return after one year..." "By then, you will still arrive before my passing." Li Yuanbai looked at Lu Yuan: "If you refuse to go, I will cease taking the medicine. I will only have half a year left." Since Master had put it this way, what choice did Lu Yuan have?

Lu Yuan shrugged, accepting the journey with a touch of melancholy. He knew Li Yuanbai’s resolute nature—what he said was absolute.

"Fine, I will go..." Seeing Lu Yuan agree, Li Yuanbai smiled. Lu Yuan could only shrug helplessly.

The Five Immortals Alliance—it seemed he must go. Oh well, if I must go, I must go.

Staying on Mount Hua's North Peak, accompanying Master, was certainly pleasant. However, if tempering at the Five Immortals Alliance allows me to grow stronger, Master will surely be happier.

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