Lu Yuan, standing in the Sixth Sector of the Azure Mountain, gasped for air, the hand gripping his Yangwu Sword trembling uncontrollably.

He had heard of Yuan Ling’s reputation before, but never imagined that after unleashing the Transcendent Sword Intent of both the Wind and Cloud Swordsmanship’s major styles, he would be defeated by Yuan Ling in merely three moves. Furthermore, Yuan Ling hadn't even drawn his own sword; a mere flick of his finger was enough to effortlessly secure the victory. The gulf between them was immense.

Master Yuan Ling even clicked his tongue in appraisal. “Indeed impressive. I didn’t expect you to have mastered the Transcendent Sword Intent from both major styles of the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud. It seems I underestimated your potential.” The gap truly was vast!

Lu Yuan felt utterly powerless.

His recent journey had been too smooth. First, he secured first place in the Five Peaks Grand Competition. Then, in the Tenth Sub-Sector Competition, though he hadn't yet claimed the top spot, he believed no one could defeat him in a one-on-one duel. Just days before, he had managed to break through the combined formation of nine experts utilizing the three great sword arrays of the Wudang Immortal Sect.

During this period, his confidence had swelled to bursting.

Now, facing a truly first-rate contemporary cultivator, he realized how far he still had to go.

Master Yuan Ling hadn't bothered to draw his sword, defeating him in three moves with only his fingers.

How humiliating!

He had clearly become too complacent; masters in this world were countless.

Lu Yuan desperately wanted to launch another attack, but his meridians were choked with agonizingly potent magical energy. He could barely hold his sword steady, let alone strike. This was reality: facing someone overwhelmingly stronger meant no sudden burst of power could secure victory. If Lu Yuan could somehow erupt and surpass Master Yuan Ling now, there was only one possibility—the world itself would have to collapse and be destroyed. As long as the world functioned normally, such an outcome was impossible.

Lu Yuan leaned there, panting, while Master Yuan Ling displayed a look of surprise. Simultaneously, the index finger of Yuan Ling's right hand had been cleanly severed, droplets of blood running from the stump.

Make no mistake—Lu Yuan certainly hadn't done it.

Lu Yuan’s strength was respectable among the younger generation, but against Master Yuan Ling, the disparity was too great, too profound. It was impossible for him to sever even a single finger. This might be hard to accept, but facts were facts; gaps were gaps, and Lu Yuan had to acknowledge it. Beside Lu Yuan stood a translucent humanoid figure, its white hair flowing, possessing an air of immortal wisdom—it was the apparition of Master Yuan Yuan.

Naturally, this was not Master Yuan Yuan’s true body, hence its semi-transparency.

The preceding event involved a sudden flash of white light emanating from Lu Yuan, which, at incredible speed, sheared off one of Yuan Ling’s unsuspecting fingers, after which the translucent form of Master Yuan Yuan appeared.

“Cloud Clone…” Yuan Ling murmured, slightly startled. “I didn’t realize Elder Brother had perfected the Cloud Clone. Congratulations. And to place it upon the body of this junior…”

“Because I knew you would target Lu Yuan. That’s simply your mode of operation,” Master Yuan Yuan’s voice echoed. “So, placing a clone here is quite standard procedure…”

“Elder Brother, do you truly believe that one of your Cloud Clones can contend with your junior brother?” Master Yuan Ling sneered.

“Are enough of us together?” A voice chimed in, and Cao Qiu, the middle-aged man wearing a bamboo hat, materialized.

Master Yuan Ling glanced over. “Lone Lamp Night Rain Cao Qiu. I hear your Lone Lamp Night Rain Ten Directions Night Sword is quite something. However, even with my Elder Brother’s Cloud Clone, you cannot defeat me.”

“Then what if you add me to the tally?” A hearty laugh accompanied the appearance of a large man with a bald spot in the center of his head.

“Gongyang Sanguang of Heaven’s Light, Earth’s Light, and Wealth’s Light…” Master Yuan Ling frowned. Although Gongyang Sanguang was a Sector Chief, his actual strength was definitely at the level of a Vice Hall Master, perhaps even higher. Gongyang Sanguang, a man who loved taking enormous risks, was always an unpredictable element. Gongyang Sanguang, Cao Qiu, and Master Yuan Yuan’s Cloud Clone—these three combined could roughly hold him off. Admittedly, they would still be slightly at a disadvantage. Even though a Cloud Clone was merely a highly refined collection of cloud matter that would dissipate automatically after a time, by then he could fight Gongyang Sanguang and Cao Qiu two-on-one and surely win. However, this delay would allow the Hall Master of the Tenth Sub-Sector to arrive.

The Tenth Sub-Sector Hall Master, Li Ha’er of the Hidden Smile, was another difficult character to deal with.

The Five Immortals Alliance was, after all, the strongest fighting force the five great immortal sects deployed against the subterranean forces. Every single Hall Master of the ten major sub-sectors was incredibly formidable.

Master Yuan Ling was already calculating an exit.

As Master Yuan Ling made a subtle move, a massive beast condensed from cloud energy manifested behind him. This creature resembled a dragon, yet somehow smaller than a true dragon. Could it be the tenth transformation of the Cloud Dragon Ten Changes, the Cloud Dragon Transformation? If it were, there would be no point in fighting. Lu Yuan immediately dismissed this notion.

If one achieved the tenth transformation, the Cloud Dragon Transformation, it could be said that they would be virtually invincible within the Great Jin Kingdom.

While Yuan Ling was one of the demonic path giants, he was still a significant distance from achieving national invincibility; he could not possibly have mastered the tenth transformation.

Therefore, it must be the Pulao Transformation from the Cloud Dragon Ten Changes.

Pulao was one of the Nine Offspring of the Dragon, physically smaller than a dragon and known for its loud cries. If the Pulao Transformation was mastered, the entire body’s magical power would convert into wind-attribute magic, instantly generating immense sound waves. The Pulao Transformation within the Cloud Dragon Ten Changes attacked enemies using sound. Lu Yuan instantly sealed his ears with magical power: “This is the Pulao Transformation of the Cloud Dragon Ten Changes.” Hearing this, Cao Qiu and Gongyang Sanguang instantly sealed their ears with magic; how could they not have heard of the legendary Cloud Dragon Ten Changes?

Once the ears were sealed with magical power, no external sound could penetrate, but they could clearly feel countless scattered stones around them being pulverized by this single, deafening roar. Such sonic wave attack could reduce large boulders to dust, and the sheer force made their eyes ache painfully.

Master Yuan Ling had vanished, and as he left, he managed to take three young elders from the Body Tempering Stage with him, including Elder Ye Pingxi, who had used the Scattered Seven-Color Sword first. Yuan Ling was decisive; if the Tenth Sub-Sector Hall Master, Li Ha’er of the Hidden Smile, were to arrive shortly, escaping would be even harder.

He decided to leave immediately, taking three highly promising Body Tempering Stage elders with him.

He actually wanted to take more, but the Cloud Clone of Master Yuan Yuan, Lone Lamp Night Rain Cao Qiu, and Gongyang Sanguang of Heaven’s Light, Earth’s Light, and Wealth’s Light were genuinely difficult to provoke. Moreover, the Tenth Sub-Sector Hall Master, Li Ha’er of the Hidden Smile, might be lurking in the shadows. Li Ha’er was notorious for his veiled malice and his preference for ambushing people from hiding.

The Tenth Sub-Sector Competition had concluded.

Half a day prior.

The incident involving Master Yuan Ling's attack had caused the Tenth Sub-Sector Competition to end prematurely. Of course, results still needed to be announced, but the test scores for every Tenth Sub-Sector Competition were always released after the Lantern Festival, so everyone was currently waiting for the outcomes.

Lu Yuan lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

Annoyed, profoundly annoyed.

Although his ranking in this competition was sure to be quite high—with six hundred Five Immortal Tokens in hand, his score couldn't possibly be poor—the process had been utterly disheartening. Master Yuan Ling had suddenly appeared, and his cherished strength had been swept away in three moves.

Being unable to defeat Yuan Ling was one thing, but it was the tone Yuan Ling used—that Lu Yuan was someone he could control at will, someone he could simply abduct—that caused extreme displeasure. This wasn't just slight dissatisfaction; it was the deepest kind of vexation.

He wanted to float freely like a cloud in the distant sky, yet he could not have his wish.

Lu Yuan was, after all, only a twenty-year-old young man. How could he feel cheerful after being so thoroughly subdued? But revenge was currently impossible. Master Yuan Ling’s strength was overwhelming; there wasn't a sliver of a chance to win. Not to mention Master Yuan Ling, even Sima Changbai, who was significantly weaker than Yuan Ling, currently loomed like a mountain to him.

He really needed to keep striving. One day, he would defeat Sima Changbai and surpass Master Yuan Ling.

Lu Yuan rarely made a solemn declaration, though he had always intended to surpass Sima Changbai. This was the first time he resolved to surpass Master Yuan Ling. He couldn't help it; Lu Yuan discovered he still possessed a strong competitive streak deep down.

Lu Yuan picked up his wine gourd and took a long draught.

In his life, there was only the sword, and there was wine.

When depressed, taking a swig of wine instantly improved his mood. Lu Yuan let out a long breath. Perhaps he should take his Golden Pupil Eagle out for a flight. Being on the eagle's back always lifted his spirits—gazing at the blue sky and white clouds, feeling free and unrestrained, his heart would naturally open up.

He walked about ten li outside the perimeter of the Tenth Sub-Sector, then let out a sharp cry toward the sky: “Little Eagle…”

A massive black eagle descended directly from the sky. Not having seen Lu Yuan for some time, the Golden Pupil Eagle nestled affectionately against him. Lu Yuan vaulted onto its back. “Little Eagle, take me for a spin around, will you?” The Golden Pupil Eagle was a spiritual creature and immediately shot into the sky like an arrow with Lu Yuan aboard.

It spiraled upward, quickly piercing the clouds. Lu Yuan leaned against its back, watching the white clouds drift lazily by, his mood gradually clearing. He understood things now that he couldn't when indoors. Forget them for a while; savoring the present life was the ultimate path.

The Golden Pupil Eagle soared, carrying Lu Yuan for a while. They spotted some demons on the ground below, so they flew over, and the eagle began gleefully engaging in its familiar routine: snatching demons high into the air only to drop them. The Golden Pupil Eagle acted like a child, utterly engrossed in this simple game, repeating it over and over again.

In the desert sky, man and eagle journeyed freely and contentedly.

The man was drinking wine and watching the clouds.

The eagle was playing its game.