Riding the gentle breeze of a late spring evening, Lu Yuan returned to Changchun Residence. Along the way, the trees thrummed with burgeoning life—spring had truly arrived—and scattered lights flickered like stars within the woods.

Back at Changchun Residence, he shared a quiet dinner with his Master. The meal was exceedingly light. Afterward, Uncle Song, who served his Master, brought in two cups of fine tea. Li Yuanbai turned the teacup slowly in his hands. “News just arrived. Emissaries from the Great Yuan have reached our borders.”

“Emissaries from the Great Yuan?” Lu Yuan paused.

“Indeed, from the Great Yuan,” Li Yuanbai said, gazing into his cup. “They are being led by Venerable Fanfa, a disciple of Grandmaster Tianyuan—one of the Great Yuan’s Three Great Grandmasters—accompanied by his grand-disciple, Temujin. This visit is essentially a diplomatic exchange between the Great Yuan and the Great Jin.”

How vast the world was, Lu Yuan mused.

How many nations existed in this world? Rumor held there were dozens. Naturally, with Lu Yuan’s habit of dozing off during lessons, he couldn't possibly recall the names of all of them. However, there were three nations he knew intimately: the Great Jin itself, the Great Qin, and the Great Yuan.

The Great Jin occupied a mere corner of the world; beyond it lay the vast sea. There were no human nations across that ocean; that region was known as the Southern Sea, home to the Southern Sea Immortal Sect. Since there were no human polities beyond the sea worth mentioning, the Great Jin bordered only two other nations: the Great Qin and the Great Yuan.

These three kingdoms were locked in a perpetual triangular contest for supremacy.

Relatively speaking, the Great Qin was significantly stronger than both the Great Jin and the Great Yuan. Yet, the Great Qin focused most of its energy on nations further afield, paying less heed to this immediate vicinity. This corner of the world was dominated by the rivalry between the Great Jin and the Great Yuan.

The circumstances within the Great Yuan differed considerably from those in the Great Jin.

If the Great Jin was the realm of the Cultivators (Xiu Xian), then the Great Yuan was overwhelmingly dominated by the Practitioners of Buddhism (Xiu Fo).

The true rulers of the Great Jin were the Five Great Immortal Sects, while the Great Yuan was governed by the Three Great Holy Lands: the Ten Thousand Serpent Manor, the Great Snow Mountain Rinzai Temple, and the Esoteric Sect.

Among these, Yang Fei of the Ten Thousand Serpent Manor was a Cultivator, not a Practitioner of Buddhism. The Manor's ultimate secret art was the Myriad Serpent Transformation into Dragon Heart Method, whose renown even surpassed the Cloud Dragon Heart Method. Both methods culminated in dragon transformation.

However, the Myriad Serpent Transformation into Dragon Heart Method was reportedly easier to master than the Cloud Dragon Heart Method, and its final form was a venomous dragon, which seemed more potent than the cloud dragon. The strength of the Ten Thousand Serpent Manor nearly rivaled that of the entire Mount Hua Immortal Sect, boasting far more famous figures than the North Peak alone. Furthermore, the Manor possessed the unique skill of controlling all manner of beasts across the land.

The Great Snow Mountain Rinzai Temple was another Holy Land, established atop the formidable Great Snow Mountain, cloaked in mystery. Occasionally, the Abbot of the Great Snow Mountain Rinzai Temple would emerge—always a Contemporary Grandmaster.

As for the Esoteric Sect, their specialty lay in their unique doctrines. The most publicly known was perhaps the Joyful Union of Yin and Yang Zen. Yet, their most profound achievement was supposedly the legendary Dragon-Tiger Ascension Scripture. This scripture consisted of eighteen layers, aligning subtly with the eighteen levels of Hell. It was claimed that mastering each layer added the strength of one dragon and one tiger; reaching the eighteenth layer bestowed the power of eighteen dragons and eighteen tigers, enabling ascension beyond the mortal coil. While this sounded somewhat fantastical, history recorded one genius from the Esoteric Sect who did indeed reach the eighteenth layer, his every punch accompanied by the spectral forms of a dragon and a tiger.

In this world, anyone who could manifest a true dragon form was considered among the apex experts.

Whether through the Cloud Dragon Heart Method, the Myriad Serpent Transformation into Dragon Heart Method, or the Dragon-Tiger Ascension Scripture, the ultimate goal was dragon manifestation. To achieve this meant joining the ranks of the world’s elite.

But achieving dragon manifestation was far from easy. In the history of the Cloud Dragon Heart Method, only the Second Patriarch had managed to condense a tangible cloud dragon.

Returning to the present: Li Yuanbai mentioned Grandmaster Tianyuan, one of the Great Yuan’s Three Great Grandmasters, who currently served as the leader of the Esoteric Sect. Grandmaster Tianyuan had once been defeated by Yan Cangtian in a one-on-one contest, but only after more than a thousand exchanges—a testament to his standing.

His disciple, Venerable Fanfa, was also a formidable figure known as a ‘Venerable.’ Rumor held that he excelled at preaching; every time he taught, countless devotees flocked from across the Great Yuan. One sermon once drew a million pilgrims, nearly causing the Great Yuan capital to collapse under the crush.

Li Yuanbai continued, “The latest intelligence states that Venerable Fanfa, bringing his disciple Temujin, has arrived in the Great Jin. A short while ago, they visited the Kunlun Immortal Sect for a sparring session, where Temujin narrowly defeated Zhao Qiankun.”

Let them come as emissaries. But challenging others on top of that? It suggested ill intent.

This brought to mind the Blood Sword Gate, which was rumored to be a splinter faction of the Great Snow Mountain contingent that somehow ended up in the Great Jin. Yan Cangtian had intended to crush them, but the Blood Sword Ancestor acted meekly when confined to his lair, so Yan Cangtian had not yet paid a visit. Alternatively, some whispered the Blood Sword Gate had betrayed the Great Snow Mountain and fled to the Great Jin to escape relentless pursuit.

Lu Yuan had hoped for a period of undisturbed tranquility, but fate clearly disagreed. Recently, news had spread that the Green City Immortal Sect had been bested. Li Xuxuan, the foremost true disciple of the sect—which ranked mid-tier among the Five Great Immortal Sects and boasted numerous masters—had lost to Temujin, one of the Great Yuan’s emissaries.

The Great Yuan emissaries used a pretext: "A contest among the younger generation." Since the Great Yuan was established more recently than the Great Jin, their current Seventh Generation roughly corresponded to the Great Jin’s Tenth Generation. The two nations were roughly comparable in strength, though the Great Jin had held a slight edge in recent years. Regardless, both were regional powers.

Under the guise of a "younger generation contest," they sent only their Seventh Generation. It would be unseemly for the Great Jin’s elders to step in. Yet, this Temujin from the Great Yuan was inexplicably brilliant, having defeated Zhao Qiankun and, it was reported, narrowly bested Li Xuxuan, the foremost true disciple of the Green City Immortal Sect.

Soon after, word arrived that Zhang Qingshu of the Wudang Immortal Sect had also been defeated.

Indeed! Lu Yuan realized he was about to be troubled again. The Great Yuan and Great Jin were locked in struggle, and in recent years, the Jin held the advantage. Now that the Great Yuan envoys were winning round after round, the Great Jin simply had to secure a victory. With Zhao Qiankun, Li Xuxuan, and Zhang Qingshu all having lost, it was his turn.

There was no alternative. After the Five Immortal Alliance's Tenth Hall event, it was generally established that he was the foremost master of the Great Jin’s younger generation. Now that the Great Yuan had arrived, he had no choice but to step forward.

If he had to fight, so be it. It would give him a chance to gauge the strength of the Great Yuan’s Buddhist Practitioners.

Immediately, throngs of people ascended Mount Hua, primarily gathering at the North Peak. Dozens of visitors arrived daily, eager to see Lu Yuan, encourage him, and urge him to defeat Temujin decisively. National sentiment still ran deep in those days.

The Great Jin and Great Yuan had been enemies for years, causing endless strife and countless deaths on both sides. In fact, the Great Yuan had suffered more casualties overall, as the Great Jin had maintained the upper hand.

How could the Cultivators of our Great Jin lose to the Cultivators of your Great Yuan?

Our Great Jin’s foremost master, Yan Cangtian, can defeat the Great Yuan’s Three Great Grandmasters in single combat.

Our Great Jin’s younger generation must surpass the Great Yuan’s younger generation.

Had Zhao Qiankun, Li Xuxuan, and Zhang Qingshu not fallen to Temujin, perhaps it wouldn't matter. But now, having lost to him, the public would not rest. However, these individuals essentially represented the peak strength of the Great Jin’s younger generation—everyone except the veritable prodigy of the Mount Hua Immortal Sect.

Simply put, Lu Yuan had become the last bastion of honor for the Great Jin’s rising stars. No one wanted him to lose. Before the true showdown, they all wanted a glimpse of the legendary prodigy, to see just how powerful the famed Lu Yuan was—did he truly have three heads and six arms? They were all cultivators themselves, and the fact that a man barely twenty had mastered Sword Intent, reached several stages of Body Refining, and taken first place in the Five Immortal Alliance made them intensely curious.

Naturally, this had driven Lu Yuan to the brink of madness. Wave after wave of visitors.

If it were only his own annoyance, that would be one thing, but his Master’s health was fragile. To allow the disturbance to affect her would be unforgivable. Thus, Lu Yuan posted a notice at the entrance of Changchun Residence. The notice essentially read: “I am entering secluded practice to prepare for the engagement with the Great Yuan’s emissary, Temujin. Should further visitors arrive, I must receive them, but if my preparation is compromised and I consequently lose the duel, do not blame me.”

With that sign posted, the clamor immediately ceased. No one wished to bear the stigma of interfering with the decisive contest between the younger generations of the Great Jin and Great Yuan.

Lu Yuan, meanwhile, had already ascended high above, settling amidst the white clouds of the Celestial Realm to rest. It was far too noisy below.

(Second update. Checking if the next chapter flows well; if so, it will be posted today. If not, please excuse the delay.)

(Also, I forgot to ask in the previous chapter: what was everyone’s reaction to Ling Yuzhu potentially becoming the main heroine? This chapter established the relationship between the Great Jin, Great Yuan, and Great Qin. The narrative will remain within the Great Jin territory for a while yet, but this serves as an initial hook, officially setting the stage. These few chapters are just a minor interlude, essentially transitional material, not intended to be drawn out.)