Mount Hua, truly the most perilous peak in the Great Jin Kingdom. Steep, sheer—these words were seemingly born just to describe Mount Hua. Having lingered long in the desert, looking back now at Mount Hua shrouded in cloud and mist, one couldn't help but be overcome with a surge of feeling. Mountains truly possess their own inherent merit. Standing upon the heights, a particular sentiment for mountains naturally arises. If the sentiment of the desert is one of vast heroism, then the sentiment of Mount Hua is sheer, aloof pride. Such a treacherous peak, standing in solitary arrogance upon the earth.

After returning to North Peak, before Lu Yuan could even reach Changchun Residence, he was immediately summoned by Elder Yuanyuan to the Hall of Central Harmony and Peace. Elder Yuanyuan had already received intelligence that Yuan Ling had appeared and made contact with Lu Yuan; this summons to the Hall of Central Harmony and Peace was entirely due to the matter of Yuan Ling.

After Lu Yuan explained the whole affair of Yuan Ling clearly, Elder Yuanyuan paced with his hands clasped behind his back, seemingly deep in contemplation. His long-running battle with Yuan Ling had spanned centuries, with victories and defeats shared equally between them. Elder Yuanyuan naturally knew that Yuan Ling was not easy to deal with, so he needed to treat the situation with the utmost seriousness. After a pause, he smiled: "Right, you’ve only just arrived; you must be eager to see your Master. Go and see your Master, then..." "Yes..." Lu Yuan nodded.

Exiting the Hall of Central Harmony and Peace, he headed straight for Changchun Residence. Upon reaching it, he saw his Master again. Lu Yuan was never one to succumb easily to sorrow, but seeing his Master visibly aged beyond measure now, a wave of melancholy washed over him. Li Yuanbai let out a soft laugh: "Silly child, oh silly child. Humans are subject to birth, aging, sickness, and death; even cultivators cannot escape this. They only prolong life beyond ordinary men, yet you still cannot see through birth, aging, sickness, and death. By the way, it has been a long time since I visited the Hundred Mines Province; tell me about your experiences there..." Lu Yuan immediately began recounting his time in the Hundred Mines Province. Li Yuanbai listened with great interest. He spoke for nearly half an hour before finishing the account of the Hundred Mines Province.

When Lu Yuan concluded, Li Yuanbai realized that Lu Yuan's current cultivation had reached the third level of the Body Tempering stage. Li Yuanbai chuckled softly: "Speaking of which, there is a rather interesting matter. I was constantly worried about what would become of you after my passing. Before the North Peak Grand Competition, there was no immediate solution. However, during that competition, you certainly made your mark, showing your potential. At that time, I even considered arranging a marriage alliance with Junior Sister Dugu, to have you wed your Third Senior Sister, Ling Yuzhu. Junior Sister Dugu has always been rather firm-willed; if I had passed away, and you were married to your Third Senior Sister, I believed Junior Sister Dugu could surely protect you, and Sima Changbai would not dare act rashly. Now, it seems that is unnecessary..." "With your strength, with your potential, Senior Brother Yuanyuan will certainly safeguard you. Moreover, you have always been quick-witted; it would be difficult for Sima Changbai to set any traps for you." Lu Yuan stood there, utterly dumbfounded. So, he had nearly married his Third Senior Sister. This... It truly left one speechless.

Seeing Lu Yuan's reaction, Li Yuanbai teased him: "What, are you somewhat disappointed? Perhaps I should go speak with Junior Sister Dugu again and arrange for you and your Third Senior Sister to be betrothed? After all, the last time I mentioned it to Junior Sister Dugu, she seemed quite moved by the idea." Lu Yuan’s mind, at that moment, was filled with images of his Third Senior Sister. Third Senior Sister Ling Yuzhu was, in fact, quite beautiful—skin like snow and eyes bright and captivating. She always favored wearing a single suit of crimson, much like her competitive nature; she radiated vitality and was exceptionally diligent. Among the tenth generation of true disciples, she was surpassed only by Yun Yi and Yun Ping, clearly dominating Fourth Senior Brother Fang Dan and Fifth Senior Brother Sima Bo. The Crimson Robe or Scarlet Garb Third Senior Sister used the flying sword known as the Jade Crimson Sword. Strong-willed, diligent, beautiful—these adjectives basically summed up Third Senior Sister. However, hearing his Master's teasing, Lu Yuan shook his head: "Forget it, Master. I have no thoughts on that matter for the time being..." Li Yuanbai smiled. If Lu Yuan had agreed, he truly would have gone to arrange it. There was no choice; Ling Yuzhu was, in many aspects, an excellent match for Lu Yuan. Generally speaking, marriage among cultivators in the Great Jin Kingdom also adhered to seniority. If a tenth-generation cultivator married a ninth-generation one, it would violate seniority and invite ridicule from many quarters. Of course, there were individuals who defied worldly expectations to unite, but the common rule was for peers to pair up. Among peers, when considering strength, no one currently rivaled Lu Yuan. Perhaps there were those among the Demon Faction, or in the neighboring states of Great Qin or Great Yuan, but the Demon Faction were adversaries, and Great Qin or Great Yuan were hostile nations. Of course, the word 'perhaps' must be included here; it is highly unlikely that someone of Lu Yuan's caliber exists among his peers, but since he has not visited those realms, the possibility remains uncertain, hence the 'perhaps'. Having discussed all this, the conclusion can be drawn: it was highly improbable for Lu Yuan to find a true match in terms of strength among his peers.

Li Yuanbai's consideration was this: although Elder Yuanyuan would protect his disciple, adding Junior Sister Dugu, who was known for fiercely defending her own, would ensure his disciple's future safety even more robustly. Secondly, his disciple was inherently somewhat indolent, and Li Yuanbai possessed considerable assets to pass on. Given his disciple's relaxed nature, managing such vast properties would prove difficult. In contrast, the diligent and hardworking young lady Ling Yuzhu could offer immense help in this area. Marriage, at times, is not solely about passionate love; it requires consideration of all facets. From every angle, Ling Yuzhu was indeed a fitting match. Li Yuanbai also knew that the young lady Ling Yuzhu possessed a fundamentally good temperament. It was rumored that the young lady from the Sword Sect, Liu Ye'er, was also quite commendable, and Liu Ye'er possessed a profound background. However, the friction between the Sword Sect and the Sword Qi Sect was incredibly deep; uniting the two sects through marriage would be too arduous, too difficult. Nevertheless, since Lu Yuan had dismissed the idea, Li Yuanbai naturally said no more.

At this point, Li Yuanbai smiled faintly. In his younger days, he was known as the 'Sword of Inevitable Death at the Moment of Descent,' meaning that the moment he intended to kill, the target would perish. If his enemies from those years knew how overly sentimental he had become now, he wondered how much they would laugh. He truly found it hard to let go entirely.

The days that followed were leisurely and comfortable. Each day consisted of little more than drinking a bit of wine, practicing his swordsmanship, spending time with his Master—nothing more eventful. Of course, training in the desert hadn't been overly strenuous either. Lu Yuan was naturally the type of person who could find ways to slack off regardless of the environment. During this period, he did encounter Ling Yuzhu, but Lu Yuan felt no awkwardness; the matter of marriage was far from being a current topic.

Lu Yuan was currently stretched out on the grass, gazing at the beautiful blue sky and white clouds, taking a long, satisfying sip. Now was the time to rest properly. He genuinely didn't need to exert himself in cultivation right now; the flow of elemental energy channeled by the Spirit Sealing Token was so immense that at this rate, he would reach the peak of the third level of Body Tempering—Sun and Moon Essence—in just a few days.

Ah, speaking of which, reaching the fourth level, the Blood Refining Realm, would bring a considerable surge in his combat strength. Generally, the fourth level of Body Tempering, the Blood Refining Realm, offered no direct boost to fighting power; it merely served as a foundation for the fifth level, Natal Blood Essence. However, while he was in the desert, he acquired a set of Blood Sword techniques. That Blood Sword technique held some profound subtleties, though it wasn't of much use to Lu Yuan generally. There was one particular method within it called 'Sacrificing Blood to the Sword,' a technique to expel one's own vital blood onto the sword for a temporary boost in combat power. Naturally, one's vital blood was finite, so this temporary power boost had to be used sparingly. But sometimes, when cornered, it was the only option. Although the Blood Sacrifice to the Sword technique caused some minor harm and shouldn't be overused, he needed to practice it first—just in case he needed that extra sliver of power in a critical moment to defeat an opponent. If he could reach the fourth level of Body Tempering, the Blood Refining Realm, he could then employ this Blood Sacrifice to the Sword technique. He looked forward to it. However, reaching the fourth level of Body Tempering, the Blood Refining Realm, was no easy feat. This stage required the use of magical power to refine the entirety of the body's blood, thus achieving 'blood refining.' Currently, his magical power could permeate his entire body, but what it truly refined was only a small area around the internal organs. If he could achieve this step—the successful refining of the blood by magic power—he could then extend that refinement throughout every part of his body, which would greatly benefit the subsequent sixth level, Refining Skin and Bone, and the seventh level, Tempering the Brain. Simply put, the fourth level, Blood Refining Realm, was preparation for the fifth level, Natal Blood Essence, the sixth level, Refining Skin and Bone, and the seventh level, Tempering the Brain. In other immortal sects, this would not show immediate effects, with the exception of the Blood Sword Sect. Not far away, Ye Yuan approached, holding a fragrant grilled fish. Since they had only recently returned to the mountain, Martial Uncles Fang Ru and Ye Yangrong had not immediately sent Ye Fang and Ye Yuan out on assignments. This period had been quite comfortable for them. By the way, Meng Bai, who had traveled with Lu Yuan, was also staying in the guest quarters of the Mount Hua Immortal Sect for the time being. He was certainly gaining experience, and indeed, after arriving at the Mount Hua Immortal Sect, his eyes had been opened. The mid-sized Wuling Immortal Sect, in terms of grandeur and imposing presence, felt significantly inferior to Mount Hua, causing Meng Bai no small amount of reflection. During this time, Ye Fang, Ye Yuan, Lu Yuan, and Meng Bai often gathered to amuse themselves, occasionally sparring in swordsmanship. Naturally, Lu Yuan was unconditionally excluded from these sparring sessions; according to Ye Fang and the other two, exchanging sword techniques with Lu Yuan was simply too detrimental to one's self-esteem. While Lu Yuan enjoyed his carefree days on Mount Hua's North Peak, the Kunlun Immortal Sect, located far to the west, also welcomed guests. These "guests" hailed from the Great Qiang Kingdom. Half a day later, Zhao Qiankun, the first true disciple of the Kunlun Immortal Sect, was defeated by the "guests" from the Great Yuan Kingdom. These guests, who had arrived with tremendous pomp, then began making their way toward another immortal sect. It is often said: 'The virtuous do not come unless summoned; those who come are never friendly.' And the Great Yuan was a nation hostile to Great Jin.