Behind him lay the pitch-black Tenth Sector; before him, the equally dark Ninth Sector. Having stepped through the gate shimmering with faint light, he had officially entered the Ninth Sector.

It was still an environment shrouded in near darkness. Fortunately, his eyes had long since adapted. Lu Yuan could clearly sense that upon entering the Ninth Sector, many people were watching him furtively from behind obstacles, yet they detected no fluctuation from the Five Immortals Token. The Sector Gate at the heart of every zone was always a focal point.

Such a place offered no concealment. Those who lingered here were either cultivators of immense power or those who possessed no Five Immortals Tokens at all—neither type feared having their tokens seized.

Now, seeing a youth in green emerge from the Sector Gate, the hidden cultivators nearby were instantly eager to make a move. Lu Yuan was too young, so young that it tempted people to test his strength; perhaps there was a chance to snatch a Five Immortals Token. Of course, everyone understood that anyone emerging from the Sector Gate must possess thirty tokens, and anyone with thirty tokens was undoubtedly a master.

For a moment, those waiting hesitated.

Finally, one cultivator made his move.

He was a Seventh Layer Qi Condensation practitioner. Having already lost his own Five Immortals Tokens, he decided to risk it all. This cultivator immediately unleashed a Fire Talisman spell, bathing the surroundings in brilliant light, and the Bursting Flame Fire rushed toward Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan dodged the attack with a slight shift, spreading his Ten Thousand Miles Solitary Stride movement technique, and instantly appeared beside the cultivator.

With an elbow strike, the cultivator hadn't even reacted before he was slammed flying backward.

That previous strike had incorporated a measure of Wind Sword Intent during the elbow impact.

As for this matter, how should one put it? It wasn't to say that Sword Intent could only be manifested when wielding a sword.

Once Sword Intent was comprehended, any weapon in heaven and earth could channel it; even one's own limbs could manifest it without a weapon. However, it was always less satisfying than using a sword. Naturally, against opponents of similar strength, Lu Yuan would draw his sword, but dealing with such minor characters required no such formality.

Casually brushing his hands, he had dealt with his opponent.

Witnessing how easily Lu Yuan had dispatched his foe, the remaining cultivators dared not move, intimidated by the strength Lu Yuan had just displayed.

Lu Yuan was just about to dust off his hands and leave when he heard staggering footsteps approaching directly toward him. Someone was coming to attack him? Lu Yuan turned to look, seeing a tall, fair-skinned, bright-eyed maiden in crimson robes running swiftly in his direction.

Huh? Third Senior Sister?

She was in the Ninth Sector.

But at this moment, the crimson-robed maiden, Ling Yuzhu, was gasping for breath, her breathing uneven; she seemed injured, her forehead beaded with sweat. She staggered as she ran, clearly being pursued.

"Ling Yuzhu, you can't escape." "Hand over the seven Five Immortals Tokens you carry. We are all disciples of the Five Great Immortal Sects, bound by the same spirit; we naturally won't make things difficult for you." "If you refuse, we'll just have to take them by force." "Why must a woman be so stubborn?" Behind her appeared a group of people—perhaps more than a dozen in total. Leading this group was naturally a middle-aged man in a green robe. This man was truly handsome—fair-skinned with a light beard, possessing an indescribable scholarly elegance, wearing a Purple-Gold Crown and a purple Yin-Yang Fish Daoist robe.

But the most striking feature was undoubtedly the long sword held by the scholarly man in the green robe. A section of the blade was revealed, studded with several beads as red as blood, like crimson agate. Each bead was crystal clear, lending the blade a faint reddish sheen.

The Seven Star Sword.

The hallmark of the Young Sect Master of the Wudang Immortal Sect!

In this era, only one person wielded this sword: Zhang Qingshu, acclaimed as the foremost true disciple of the Wudang Immortal Sect among the Five Great Sects. Zhang Qingshu was undoubtedly a figure in the Body Tempering stage, and more than that; his entourage appeared to include several elders also in the Body Tempering stage.

"Ling Yuzhu, how could you possibly escape..." Zhang Qingshu smiled, "Never mind you; even Song Nanshan conceded defeat before our Wudang formations in the past. Even if Lu Yuan, the champion of this Five Peaks Grand Competition, were here, he would have to honestly admit defeat against our sword array..."

What Zhang Qingshu said was essentially the unvarnished truth.

The Wudang Immortal Sect was one of the Five Great Sects, each possessing unique characteristics.

When it came to various sword techniques, the Huashan Immortal Sect naturally led the way.

When it came to magical artifacts, the Kunlun Immortal Sect naturally held the premier position.

The Qingcheng Immortal Sect specialized in ethereal and elusive swordplay.

The South Sea Immortal Sect, sequestered in its domain, remained mysterious and unfathomable.

As for the Wudang Immortal Sect, they possessed the most sword formations. While their individual prowess might not always be the highest, the integration of their sword arrays made their collective strength formidable. They commanded all manner of formations. Wudang’s most powerful sword technique was the Tai Chi Swordplay, but their strongest formation was the True Martial Seven Intercepts Sword Array.

The Wudang Immortal Sect boasted many other sword techniques, such as the Soft Cloud Swordplay, the Finger-Circling Soft Swordplay, and the Sect's Thirteen Swordsmanship.

And their sword formations were even more numerous and famous: the Two Energies Sword Array, the Three Talents Sword Array, the Four Symbols Sword Array, the Five Elements Sword Array, the Six Harmony Sword Array, the Seven Stars Array, the Eight Trigrams Array, the Nine Palaces Array, culminating in the ultimate True Martial Seven Intercepts Sword Array, and the Great Expansion Sword Array, which few had reportedly ever witnessed.

There was a saying in the cultivation world of the Great Jin Kingdom: the strongest individual swordsman might hail from the Huashan Immortal Sect, but the one who excels most in group combat is undeniably from the Wudang Immortal Sect. Huashan fosters singular dragons; Wudang cultivates dragons among the masses. The power of their combined sword arrays was truly astonishing.

Take the peerless Yan Cangtian, for instance, hailed as invincible.

Yet, when facing the Wudang Sect's seven disciples utilizing the True Martial Seven Intercepts Sword Array, he took a full thousand moves to secure victory. Yan Cangtian, regarded as the foremost in the Great Jin Kingdom, might fight to a draw against the top masters of the distant Great Qin or Great Yuan Kingdoms, but within Great Jin, he was nearly unmatched.

Even Ren Du, the leader of the subterranean demons, when he received the palm-sized wooden plaque inscribed by Yan Cangtian, dared not engage, his demonic flames momentarily subdued.

And Dongfang Yao, who surpassed Ren Du and was considered a cut above, dared to challenge Yan Cangtian, only to fall under his blade. However, the fact that Dongfang Yao survived a thousand exchanges before being defeated earned him a measure of praise.

Besides Dongfang Yao, who else could withstand a thousand moves from Yan Cangtian?

In that battle three hundred years ago, the seven strongest members of the Wudang Immortal Sect combined to deploy the True Martial Seven Intercepts Array and only yielded after a thousand moves against Yan Cangtian. Since then, the Wudang Immortal Sect’s position as the second greatest Immortal Sect was firmly cemented; no one contested that rank.

Indeed, in the Great Jin Kingdom, the number of moves one could last against Yan Cangtian served as the benchmark for measuring strength.

The peerless Yan Cangtian was revered, an insurmountable peak.

Returning to the present tangent, since the Wudang Immortal Sect specialized in various sword arrays, which were extremely complex, the tenth-generation true disciples typically knew and could use the Two Energies, Three Talents, and Four Symbols Sword Arrays—three formations beneath which no true disciple had ever broken through.

Because Wudang’s sword arrays were so formidable, Zhang Qingshu, the sect's foremost true disciple, could confidently declare, "Even Lu Yuan, if he came here, would have to honestly admit defeat against our sword array." This was the prestige accumulated by the Wudang Immortal Sect over five millennia, instilling such self-assurance in all its disciples.

Zhang Qingshu did not consider his statement an exaggeration, but an undeniable truth; those nearby, regardless of their sect affiliation, agreed. Even Ling Yuzhu, in her heart, largely believed him—after all, prestige built over five thousand years was not easily dismissed.

"Hand over the Five Immortals Tokens, and no one can help you..." Zhang Qingshu stated slowly, carrying an innate nobility. He differed from Zhao Qiankun: Zhao Qiankun’s arrogance was displayed externally, whereas Zhang Qingshu was courteous and refined outwardly, yet his pride was rooted deep within his bones.

"Is that so?" a voice suddenly interjected from the side. "What you just said—that even if I were here, I would have to honestly admit defeat against your sword array." The voice sounded just as the speaker walked over with a slight smile.

Everyone turned to see a youth in green approaching.

"Sixth Junior Brother..." Ling Yuzhu exclaimed.

Once Ling Yuzhu uttered "Sixth Junior Brother," those gathered immediately discerned Lu Yuan’s identity. Only one person would be addressed as such by Ling Yuzhu: Lu Yuan, the Sixth True Disciple of Huashan North Peak. This disciple had not been particularly outstanding, but he had reportedly secured first place in the recent Five Peaks Grand Competition.

To run into the strongest true disciple of the Huashan Immortal Sect here was quite...

Of course, even with Lu Yuan’s appearance and his status as Huashan’s top true disciple, everyone believed that facing the Wudang sword array meant certain defeat. The reputation established by the Wudang Immortal Sect over five millennia could not be underestimated; Lu Yuan could not triumph over their formation.

Zhang Qingshu smiled. "So it is Junior Brother Lu." It was common for the Five Great Sects to address each other as fellow disciples. Since Lu Yuan was considerably younger than Zhang Qingshu, the latter referred to him as Junior Brother.

"Junior Brother Lu, I have heard your swordsmanship is exceptional, and your cultivation has reached the Body Tempering stage. However, breaking our array is truly impossible. The Wudang Sword Array is the foremost in Great Jin." Zhang Qingshu spoke with sincere gravity. "Since I encounter Junior Brother Lu here, I must regrettably ask Junior Brother Lu to hand over the Five Immortals Tokens. You seem to carry quite a few." His tone was unhurried, imbued with a natural authority.

"I am also interested in Senior Brother Zhang's Five Immortals Tokens. How about this," Lu Yuan smiled, "Allow me to break the Wudang Immortal Sect's sword array, which has been passed down for nearly six thousand years."