News of the events at Cloud Dragon Hall in Cloud Mist Palace was never strictly contained, and once it leaked, it left nearly everyone on North Peak utterly dumbfounded. The Ninth Generation Sword Immortal, Sima Changbai, sent his subordinate, Song Chi, to deal with Lu Yuan, only for Song Chi to be soundly defeated by Lu Yuan. Most inhabitants of North Peak were not fools; they quickly pieced together the implications: Sima Changbai was currently gravely injured, and his strongest subordinate currently available, Song Chi—since the Body Tempering Tenth Level expert had gone into seclusion—had just been beaten by Lu Yuan.

This meant that while Sima Changbai was severely weakened, Lu Yuan could currently stand toe-to-toe against anyone aligned with Sima Changbai.

Initially, everyone had assumed that after Li Yuanbai’s ascension, if Elder Yuan Yuan did not intervene, Sima Changbai could crush Lu Yuan at will. Yet, nobody anticipated that Lu Yuan, barely twenty years old, would have grown to a stage where he could no longer be manipulated or crushed by Sima Changbai.

Shock!

There was nothing but shock among the crowd.

As of yet, Yun Yi and Yun Ping had not even broken through to the Body Tempering stage, and most other Core Disciples were hovering around the sixth, seventh, or eighth level of Body Tempering.

And Lu Yuan could already defeat Song Chi, who was at Body Tempering Eighth Level.

This placed him significantly ahead of the other Core Disciples.

Yun Yi and Yun Ping were speechless. If Lu Yuan’s strength had only been slightly greater than theirs, they would still possess the drive to catch up; now, even the will to pursue seemed utterly extinguished.

Lu Yuan’s growth rate was truly astonishing.

Meanwhile, on North Peak, within Blazing Radiance Manor—the residence of Sima Changbai—the living quarters for the Ninth Generation Sword Immortal and the Gentleman Sword, Fang Ru, were the most modest. Li Yuanbai, nearing the end of his life, was disheartened and had no desire for elaborate surroundings. Fang Ru, adhering to the principles of a true gentleman, held himself to ancient standards, resulting in an extremely simple dwelling.

But Sima Changbai was at the zenith of his power.

How could such a figure reside in simple quarters?

The Blazing Radiance Manor boasted brightly colored walls and glistening tiles that reflected the sunlight with dazzling brilliance.

Inside the study of the Manor, Sima Changbai, his face pale, toyed with a golden orb. A faint golden dragon seemed to writhe within the sphere. Anyone with knowledge would instantly recognize it as a Golden Dragon Pearl. In ancient times, when flood dragons subsided, they would exhale energies. If such exhalations occurred daily under the sun and moon for over a century, a Dragon Pearl could form. These pearls were intensely Yang in nature and could unleash boundless flames. In the hands of an immortal cultivator specializing in Fire elemental magic, a Dragon Pearl could amplify destructive power to an almost inconceivable degree.

Beside him stood Sima Bo.

Sima Bo spoke in a low voice, “Grandfather, Lu Yuan grows stronger. If we wait a few more decades, he might catch up to you. That would create significant trouble…”

Sima Changbai smiled faintly. “Why the hurry? Several decades is still a long way off…”

Sima Bo could not help but interject, “Grandfather, haven’t you realized that Martial Uncle Yuan Yuan heavily favors Lu Yuan? We can oppose Lu Yuan, but killing him—I fear Martial Uncle Yuan Yuan would never permit it. And attempting to kill Lu Yuan while Martial Uncle Yuan Yuan guards against us is nearly impossible…” Though he had once shared a mission with Lu Yuan, enemies were enemies; once the line was drawn, the conflict was irreconcilable.

Sima Changbai shook his head. “You are too anxious. Didn’t I tell you, never rush anything? I have my own arrangements…”

Seeing Sima Bo still perplexed, Sima Changbai chuckled. “For Lu Yuan to reach my level will take many years. Even with his talent, it will require decades. And during this time, Martial Uncle Yan should be nearing his destination…” He gestured toward the heavens.

“And as for Martial Senior Brother Yuan Yuan feeding me false intelligence disguised as truth—do you think I wouldn’t notice? He vastly underestimates my Sima lineage…” Sima Changbai smiled. “Everything has been laid out in a grand strategy. When the critical moment arrives, we will strike the Great Dragon. If the Great Dragon can be slain, why worry over the fate of a single corner?”

“The Great Dragon on the Go board determines the victory of the entire game…”

Sima Changbai’s implication was quite clear. Sima Bo startled, and after a long pause, his face registered astonishment. “Grandfather, you mean…?”

“Yes. What you know, I know. Why state it explicitly? Do not mention this to your younger brother, Sima Hao; he is still too immature and lacks composure…” Sima Changbai smiled. “You understand my meaning and should realize that Lu Yuan’s affair is not the most crucial matter at hand…”

In this world, no one was truly dull, especially the lineage of the Ninth Generation Sword Immortals, who were all elites of the highest caliber.

Even the dying Li Yuanbai managed to scheme against Elder Fox.

Those currently in their prime were even more capable.

Elder Yuan Yuan sought to use Sima Changbai as a tool, while Sima Changbai aimed for supreme authority. In the end, it would simply be a contest of whose strategies proved superior.

Autumn yields to winter, snow blankets the peaks.

This winter, as usual, the Lunar New Year’s Eve banquet was held in the Cloud Cuisine Hall of Cloud Mist Palace. The attendees had not significantly changed, save for the absence of one Sword Immortal from the Ninth Generation. The overall number remained similar, and the atmosphere was generally joyful and harmonious. North Peak always maintained a decent temperament; while friction existed, it was never the prevailing mood.

Winter passed thus.

After the night of revelry, returning to Everlasting Spring Abode revealed a certain desolation in the quiet halls.

When one is young, desolation is imperceptible.

But as age advances, the feeling of solitude creeps in.

Lu Yuan inwardly cursed himself. What was he thinking? He was only twenty, turning twenty-one soon—still remarkably young. This sense of desolation was, truthfully, just a reaction to unfamiliarity, perhaps even a touch of the romantic angst of youth trying to fabricate sorrow for the sake of poetry.

Joy and merriment were the true baseline of his life, much like harmony was Elder Yuan Yuan’s guiding principle.

Spring turned to summer, summer to autumn.

Inevitably, autumn returned.

A year had passed.

It had been a year since his last confrontation with Sima Changbai, and slightly over a year since his Master’s ascension.

It was deep autumn again, the frosty wind beginning to stir. The maple forest was gradually turning from green to gold. Occasionally, a wild crane cried out piercingly in the clouds, its mournful sound deeply affecting. Beside the maple forest, on a patch of grass, a young man lay stretched out, a dry straw between his teeth, exuding utter languor. Lu Yuan reclined there, lifting a nearby wine gourd to take a long drink.

The longer this gourd was used, the better its texture felt in the hand.

For the past year, he had deliberately indulged in laziness—a full year of leisurely comfort. But his bones felt rusty. Over this year, he had managed to push his cultivation to the very peak of Body Tempering Fifth Level: Essence Blood Manifestation. He could now expel his Essence Blood to forge a flying sword, but he lacked the motivation—it required learning the forging arts and then the forging itself, all too troublesome. The Nourishing Myriad Sword left by his Master was already excellent enough that the bother wasn't necessary. In truth, Lu Yuan’s rapid cultivation speed stemmed primarily from the sheer abundance of Cloud elemental spirit beasts under his command. With so many spirit beasts, his cultivation rate was naturally swift, rivaling that of cultivators in the early Longevity stage.

However, even with a cultivation speed several times that of a normal person, it had taken a full year just to advance from the early stage of Body Tempering Fifth Level to its peak.

Once reaching the Body Tempering realm, progressing through each level became difficult.

It was rumored that reaching the Longevity stage made the difficulty increase by an unknown, exponentially larger factor for every subsequent level.

In terms of sword mastery and techniques, he had made progress. His Cloud Intent and Rain Intent sword intentions had both been refined to a state surpassing mere intent, elevating his swordsmanship further. Naturally, he had not grasped a fifth distinct sword intent—the comprehension of new intents was inherently exceedingly difficult.

As for the ultimate mystery—unleashing several sword intents within a single strike—he had yet to master this. This hurdle seemed exceedingly high; if it weren’t so difficult, the other five Sword Immortals of North Peak would not all be stalled at this very barrier.

Lu Yuan lay on the grass, idly watching the clouds drift across the sky and listening to the cries of the wild cranes.

His hand rested on the wine gourd, and suddenly, he called out, “Which Martial Uncle has arrived?”

A man emerged—fat, round, resembling a prosperous merchant—who laughed heartily. “Junior Nephew Lu is becoming increasingly formidable. I traveled this distance, and yet you detected my presence so easily. Impressive, truly impressive.”

Lu Yuan rose to his feet. “Martial Uncle Ye, please don’t jest with your nephew. Everyone knows Martial Uncle Ye’s true capabilities. If Martial Uncle hadn’t intentionally made a sound, I wouldn’t have noticed him even if he stood beside me…” This was the honest truth; while Lu Yuan was formidable now, the gap between him and the established North Peak Six Sword Immortals remained vast.

One was in his prime, the other a prodigious talent just emerging; the difference between them could not be measured by simple parity.

Ye Yangrong laughed again. “Martial Uncle Lu is indeed becoming too polite. Very well, let me be brief. Senior Brother Yuan Yuan requires you to attend him.”

“Martial Elder Yuan Yuan?” Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow. If Elder Yuan Yuan summoned him, it must be for something important. His current period of leisurely indolence was likely about to end.

Ye Yangrong chuckled cheerfully. “No need to worry; this is not taxing work. The Wuling Immortal Sect, one of the Ten Mid-tier Immortal Gates, is about to change its Sect Master. North Peak has always maintained a connection with Wuling, so the transition of leadership is a major event. They have requested that we send a renowned Sword Immortal, along with several Elders and some Core Disciples.”

“This sort of task is not tiring at all…”

The Wuling Immortal Sect? Wasn’t that the sect where his childhood friend, Meng Bai, resided? And they were changing Sect Masters.