Autumn had arrived, and some of the bamboo leaves in the Misty Cloud Palace had already begun to fall.

The Misty Cloud Palace itself was a structure conjured from condensed clouds.

Yet, habitation demanded greenery, so some bamboo had been planted throughout the palace in deliberate patterns.

A gentle breeze would occasionally sweep through, carrying away a few brittle, yellowed leaves.

This was the only hint of liveliness in the otherwise stern and solemn Misty Cloud Palace; the coiling dragon pillars stood rigid and lifeless, the guards held their positions motionless, and the entire edifice felt cold and austere, lacking any buoyant atmosphere.

Inside the Cloud Dragon Hall.

Gentleman Sword Fang Ru, Solitary Heart Sword Dugu Ye, and Flying Heaven Sword Chu Fei entered the Misty Cloud Palace completely bewildered. They had just received word that Senior Brother Yuanyuan requested their presence in the Cloud Dragon Hall, but recently, nothing significant seemed to have transpired. Nothing was happening with the Five Great Immortal Sects, and the subterranean demons were relatively quiet as the Grand Heavenly Sovereign Fang Xie's birthday was approaching, and the birthday gifts were all prepared. They couldn't fathom why Senior Brother Yuanyuan had summoned them.

Seeing Ye Yangrong pass by, Dugu Ye couldn't help but ask, "Fatty, what's the occasion this time...?" Dugu Ye frequently called Ye Yangrong "Fatty," and Ye Yangrong was always good-natured and cheerful, never taking offense.

Ye Yangrong shook his head, "I don't know either..."

Dugu Ye snorted, "Forget it, Fatty. You're Senior Brother Yuanyuan's chief confidant. If you don't know, probably no one else does. Be honest with me, we’ve been fellow disciples for so many years—you wouldn't deceive me, your senior sister, would you?" Her voice was soft and yielding.

Ye Yangrong chuckled, completely helpless against this junior sister. This sister was fiercely capable and exceptionally proud, though she occasionally feigned a touch of delicate vulnerability that left him, as her senior brother, completely disarmed. "It’s something quite interesting, concerning that brat Lu Yuan..."

"Oh."

As they spoke, Sima Changbai also walked in.

Sima Changbai entered with a somewhat pale complexion, though not from anger, but from having been beaten. Not long ago, he had been severely injured by Xuan Yuan, the Yellow Dragon Demon King, leader of the Four-Colored Demon Kings from the Underworld. Worse, there was no justifiable way to address this incident; people claimed he had been involved with the Yellow Dragon Demon King's concubine, turning the affair into a near-laughingstock within the cultivation world. Everyone found it funny just mentioning it.

He had lost face beyond measure. Sima Changbai was still seriously injured; had he not been incapacitated, the pressure Lu Yuan was currently facing would have been several times greater.

The Five Great Sword Immortals took their seats.

A moment later, Venerable Yuanyuan arrived. "This assembly is called to discuss one matter..." Venerable Yuanyuan got straight to the point. "Ah, have Junior Sister Situ, Junior Brother Song, and Martial Nephew Lu enter."

Situ Hong, Song Chi, and Lu Yuan entered one after another.

It concerned Lu Yuan again, and with Song Chi involved, it seemed related to Sima Changbai. The assembled Sword Immortals felt a flicker of anticipation. After all, every confrontation between Sima Changbai and Lu Yuan had been interesting. They were all Ninth Generation Sword Immortals and knew each other’s strengths well. Great Sun Sword Sima Changbai was undeniably one of the most formidable figures among the Ninth Generation.

And Lu Yuan’s audacity in challenging Sima Changbai was breathtaking.

Everyone was eager to see what new tricks Lu Yuan would employ against Sima Changbai this time.

Of course, they knew Lu Yuan couldn't genuinely contend with Sima Changbai; he had likely used some clever minor stratagems. It was known among the Ninth Generation Sword Immortals that Lu Yuan was quite slick—laziness and cunning were not mutually exclusive for him.

Venerable Yuanyuan glanced at Ye Yangrong, who nodded. "The matter is this: not long ago, Song Chi challenged the authority of Situ Hong’s dojo, threatening to take away Situ Hong's main inscribed plaque if no one could defeat him." Taking the main plaque of a dojo was a profound insult, completely disregarding face. Since Song Chi was Sima Changbai's subordinate, this action by Sima Changbai was clearly an attempt to destroy all of Lu Yuan's established foundations. Every seasoned Ninth Generation Sword Immortal present immediately analyzed the situation and turned their gaze toward Sima Changbai.

What an effort by Sima Changbai, to still have the leisure to deal with Lu Yuan even while severely wounded.

And he played this move so high-stakes.

With a single step, he drove Lu Yuan to the edge of a precipice.

How could Lu Yuan possibly deal with this? They had heard of Fan Sword Guest Song Chi's reputation; while no match for the main Sword Immortals, he was exceedingly difficult to handle. Lu Yuan was still too young for such matters. What would the outcome be this time? The assembled Ninth Generation Sword Immortals fell into contemplation.

After raising everyone's suspense, Ye Yangrong announced, "Next, Lu Yuan defeated Song Chi..."

What!

The last time Lu Yuan displayed his power, he was only at the fourth level of Body Tempering. Song Chi, however, was at the eighth level of Body Tempering, capable of Aerial Sword Travel. Once one reached the eighth level, they could attack enemies from a great distance, a capability incomparable to before. How could Lu Yuan possibly defeat Song Chi? Was this some mistake?

Even these Sword Immortals, who had weathered countless storms, were momentarily stunned, their faces showing shock.

What a joke!

From any perspective, Lu Yuan should not have been able to defeat Song Chi. What was happening now? Lu Yuan actually won? The leading Sword Immortals were filled with uncertainty. Dugu Ye, despite being a woman, was very direct: "What is going on?"

Ye Yangrong, responsible for intelligence gathering, was indeed skilled in that area. "We analyzed that battle just now. Lu Yuan was able to defeat Song Chi for two reasons: first, Lu Yuan’s cultivation reached the fifth level of Body Tempering, advancing another layer; and second, Lu Yuan comprehended a new Sword Intent—the Intent of the Curtain. This dual stacking of power is what allowed him to surpass Song Chi."

Reaching the Body Tempering realm made cultivation advancement difficult. Who would have expected that in these brief months, Lu Yuan’s power would increase another level, reaching the fifth level of Body Tempering? That alone was shocking enough. What truly stunned them was that Lu Yuan had grasped another Sword Intent, the Intent of the Curtain. How could Lu Yuan grasp sword intents so easily? Lu Yuan had now comprehended four Sword Intents, a level comparable to the major Sword Immortals—though Venerable Yuanyuan was excluded from this comparison. Dugu Ye suddenly felt a bit awkward; she had always considered her own talent exceptional, but now she found herself surpassed in swordsmanship by a junior barely twenty years old. Chu Fei was even more embarrassed; being the youngest and weakest of the Six Sword Immortals of the North Peak, he had only comprehended three Sword Intents. Meaning, Lu Yuan’s swordsmanship had already surpassed his own—a truly difficult pill to swallow.

Indeed, it was hard to swallow.

Simultaneously, the Sword Immortals suddenly realized that Lu Yuan defeating Song Chi held a profound significance.

It was well-known that the second-ranked figure under Sima Changbai was Song Chi. There was also a top-ranked figure at the tenth level of Body Tempering, but that person had long since entered seclusion. Sima Changbai himself was severely injured from the incident with the Yellow Dragon Demon King. For Sima Changbai, even while heavily wounded, to be unable to deal with a junior...

This was astonishing. Sima Changbai, a Ninth Generation Sword Immortal, commanded countless subordinates. Yet, even in his injured state, he could not deal with a mere junior.

Originally, everyone assumed that after Immortal Li Yuanbai passed away, Sima Changbai could crush Lu Yuan as easily as flattening dough, especially without Venerable Yuanyuan’s guaranteed intervention. Generally, they believed that without Venerable Yuanyuan, a Ninth Generation Sword Immortal like Sima Changbai could handle Lu Yuan however he wished.

The result? Lu Yuan actually stood toe-to-toe with Sima Changbai, leaving him utterly incapable of acting.

This... only signified one thing: Lu Yuan had truly grown up.

Fang Ru mused to himself, if Senior Brother Li knew about this, he would surely rest peacefully in the netherworld.

Next came the judgment. Venerable Yuanyuan intended to hold Sima Changbai accountable. Although challenging a dojo was permissible, his subordinate Song Chi was also a member of the Mount Hua Immortal Sect. Such internal challenging violated the third sect rule, warranting punishment by precedent. Venerable Yuanyuan intended to heavily penalize Sima Changbai, but Sima Changbai countered by claiming Lu Yuan had used evil cultivation methods—the Blood Sacrifice Sword Art. One of the Five Great Sect Rules strictly prohibited colluding with the Demonic Path. It was commonly accepted that using demonic cultivation techniques was forbidden. Lu Yuan learning such a technique was a grave transgression.

Simply put, the situation was this: Song Chi violated the third sect rule regarding internal strife. Lu Yuan, although clarifying he did not violate the fourth rule regarding colluding with the Demonic Path, had used a demonic cultivation method. This specific act wasn't listed in the Five Great Rules but was agreed upon by all Five Great Immortal Sects. Since both had violated sect regulations, the verdict became difficult to pass. Everyone awaited Venerable Yuanyuan's final judgment.

Difficult to judge.

Though arduous, Venerable Yuanyuan finally rendered his decision: "Song Chi, you have violated sect rules by initiating the challenge; you are fined three hundred spirit stones to be paid to Lu Yuan..." This was a heavy penalty, effectively taking about thirty percent of Song Chi's total wealth. An ordinary eighth-level Body Tempering cultivator possessed only about a thousand spirit stones. Lu Yuan's wealth was exceptionally high partly due to his already substantial personal fortune and significantly due to the massive gains from the Battle of the Seven Branchings; otherwise, his wealth would have been comparable to Song Chi's. Losing so much wealth at once was a severe punishment; by contrast, Lu Yuan had only been fined ten spirit stones for a similar offense previously.

"As for Lu Yuan, regarding your Blood Sacrifice Sword Art, I must use the Divine Trance Technique to erase this memory, and additionally, you will forfeit one year's worth of potential spirit stone allowances." This was Lu Yuan’s punishment. Demonic cultivation techniques could not be retained; the penalty of one year's worth of spirit stones was relatively light. Both had broken the rules, but Lu Yuan's sentence was clearly lighter.

Once the others had exited the Cloud Dragon Hall, Ye Yangrong inquired, "Senior Brother, this punishment..."

Venerable Yuanyuan nodded. "The Blood Sword Ancestor's Blood Sacrifice Sword Art can temporarily unleash immense combat power, but it fundamentally damages one's vital essence, so it must be abolished. The Blood Sword Sect members can use it because they constantly absorb blood essence through the Blood Cloud Great Art to replenish their own depletion. This brat Lu Yuan, reckless in his ignorance, learned this method. Moreover, for a righteous sect member to employ demonic techniques certainly invites criticism." Ye Yangrong understood this point and nodded. Venerable Yuanyuan smiled faintly. "I am discovering that Martial Brother Sima still has great utility. He can feed Yuan Ling false intelligence that he believes is true, and he can stimulate the growth of this lazy brat Lu Yuan. This lazy fellow absolutely defaults to laziness unless strongly provoked. I had originally planned to handle Song Chi's issue, but I didn't expect this brat to resolve it himself."

"The struggle with Yuan Ling, the Alliance of Heaven's Will, the Three Sects of Sword Qi, the Great Yuan Kingdom, and, the Great..." Venerable Yuanyuan walked to the window, hands clasped behind his back.