’s crimson flying sword suddenly veered, transforming into a soft blade and lunging straight for Lu Yuan’s throat, just as Lu Yuan’s Yangwu Sword was occupied fending off Murong An.

The situation was perilous!

Yet, at that precise moment, Lu Yuan’s left hand moved. The hand that had been holding chopsticks now sprang into action, gathering Fa Li around the utensil to wield it as a sword, parrying Le Yu’s sudden, curving attack and defusing the crisis. Having neutralized the immediate threat, Lu Yuan continued with his right hand, the single Yangwu Sword now encircling and containing his two opponents, both cultivators at the eighth level of the Body Tempering stage.

Of course, these opponents were not easily dismissed. After all, these were two cultivators at the eighth level of Body Tempering; Le Yu employed some esoteric techniques that Lu Yuan had never encountered before, skills that were exceedingly strange.

Essentially, Lu Yuan relied primarily on his right hand wielding the Yangwu Sword, though he frequently needed his left hand to use the chopsticks as a sword.

Gradually, Lu Yuan grew more accustomed to Le Yu’s Crimson Serpent Sword Style. This style, when boiled down, was hardly groundbreaking—it leaned toward nimble, crafty, unorthodox, and cold techniques. Against many other cultivators, it might have offered significant opportunities, but facing Lu Yuan, a true master of swordsmanship who had already witnessed many of its moves, he had become largely familiar with its patterns.

Naturally, the necessity of using the left hand with chopsticks as a sword diminished significantly.

Why not try this: fight while eating dishes and drinking wine simultaneously?

He had indeed attempted this once before when at North Peak of Mount Hua, but the opponent was merely a true disciple of the Mount Hua Qi Sect. That previous encounter was a mismatch; he was far too powerful for his adversary, not even on the same plane. This time, however, he faced two Body Tempering cultivators—definitely a serious challenge.

Still, "try it, then. Why not try it?"

At the very least, practicing the sword should be more engaging.

Sometimes, the way of the sword only becomes interesting when one plays with its conventions.

If one solely pursues victory while losing the inherent love for swordsmanship itself, one’s innate talent for the Way of the Sword will likely vanish swiftly.

The Way of the Sword is a profound discipline. This study encompasses far more than just the art of defeating an enemy; it contains myriad other lessons.

Lu Yuan began attempting to attack with his right hand holding the sword while his left hand consumed his meal. Several sword strikes were exchanged, followed by several mouthfuls of food. Initially, he felt awkward, but he gradually adapted. Eating and drinking with the left hand while fighting with the right proved quite natural; his swordplay became freer and more varied, and his left hand manipulated the chopsticks like a gust of wind.

The onlookers were utterly speechless. Lu Yuan, facing two eighth-level Body Tempering cultivators single-handedly, dared to engage the enemy with his right hand while eating with his left. This was no ordinary skill.

His power was simply terrifying!

His swordsmanship left people speechless!

Zhang Qingshu, lying on the ground, managed a bitter laugh. Lu Yuan’s swordsmanship now seemed even more refined than when he had fought him.

Le Yu was also utterly astonished. What was going on? This was clearly just a young man. Even in the Great Qin Kingdom, where the level of cultivation was considerably higher than in the Great Jin, no youth could possess such sword techniques or this level of mastery. How could such a figure suddenly emerge from the Great Jin?

Le Yu felt that if the fight continued, he would only fall further behind. He couldn't keep fighting. He exchanged a glance with Murong An.

Murong An had initially been blinded by anger, questioning why he was inferior to Lu Yuan, and why Elder Li had chosen Lu Yuan as a disciple instead of him. But as the fight progressed, he realized he was no match for Lu Yuan and could not delay any longer. He was a wanted criminal; if he stayed until a Longevity stage cultivator arrived, he was surely doomed.

So, we retreat.

Le Yu and Murong An exchanged a look, both resolving to withdraw.

Once cultivators reached the eighth level of Body Tempering, none were to be trifled with. Le Yu and Murong An launched a flurry of rapid attacks, all of which Lu Yuan broke using the Yangwu Sword. However, at this moment, Lu Yuan identified a critical flaw: cultivators who reached the eighth level of Body Tempering could control their flying swords to engage enemies remotely.

This meant that Le Yu and Murong An could leave their flying swords here to block him while they themselves departed.

His Sword Circle was useless against them.

How could this be?

Controlling the enemy using a Sword Circle—one sword in hand, complete control over the opponent—did this principle not apply to those above the eighth level of Body Tempering? Lu Yuan was intensely interested in swordsmanship, and encountering such a problem made him pause to ponder: how could he maintain ‘one sword in hand, complete control over the opponent’ against those at the eighth level of Body Tempering and above?

Lu Yuan fell deep into thought.

"How amazing."

"Did you see that? One person against two eighth-level Body Tempering cultivators."

"Yes, and he’s still fighting with his right hand while eating and drinking with his left. What incredible swordsmanship." Among the surrounding crowd, there were many cultivators. Although their own strength might not be great, as long as they had eyes, they could see the marvelous nature of Lu Yuan’s sword skills. Fighting while grabbing food—what level of mastery was this?

The surging tide of discussion barely registered with Lu Yuan.

He closed the door and continued to meditate on the problem that had just surfaced in his mind.

If an opponent can control their sword remotely, leaving it to fight him while they retreat to a distance, then his 'one sword in hand, complete control' method becomes useless? How could he make it work? He couldn't conjure a solution for this predicament no matter how hard he thought. Then, a different thought occurred: this remote control enhanced both sides' mobility and safety. This was the advantage of remote sword control. Once he reached the stage of remote sword control, he couldn't completely control his opponent with one sword, and likewise, his opponent couldn't completely control him. In that scenario, his own safety would similarly increase greatly.

Before reaching the remote sword stage, close combat fighting increased the danger immensely.

But once remote control was achieved, both sides kept their distance, significantly reducing the peril.

However, a reduction in danger was normal. Consider that everyone here was a cultivator. Sparring and fighting normally was fine, but given their long lifespans, constantly engaging in life-or-death peril would be too wasteful of such long lives. Generally, when fighting, people seldom went all out; usually, once a victor was decided or some injuries sustained, the fight concluded.

"Hey..." Lu Yuan thought he heard someone call him.

A hallucination. It must be a hallucination.

"Hey..." Lu Yuan couldn't help but snap back to attention and found a beautiful, expressive face terrifyingly close to his own. Seeing Lu Yuan regain focus, the young woman with bright eyes offered a slight smile, but realizing how close her face was to his, she quickly pulled back a little. "Thank you. If it hadn't been for you this time, I might have fallen into the hands of that reckless fool Le Yu."

Lu Yuan nodded. "Uh, no need to be so polite. I belong to the Immortal Hero Dao; upholding righteousness is part of my duty..." This line was mandatory learning after entering Mount Hua. The Mount Hua Immortal Sect was a righteous sect, so learning such platitudes was entirely reasonable. Although Lu Yuan had learned it, he rarely used this phrase; now, he found that some canned responses could indeed be useful.

"Alright, I’ve been saved by you, you can go now..." Lu Yuan was already issuing a dismissal. This was because when he became engrossed in contemplating sword techniques, he would become completely absorbed, disregarding everything else.

The maiden in the crimson floral qunju and black embroidered juru dress stiffened slightly. She had always been confident in her beauty and noble status. Young men in her presence usually tried their best to flatter her or win a smile, or they adopted a pretense of aloof detachment. But this young man in blue seemed genuinely indifferent.

It was as if he hadn't noticed her beauty at all. This stunned the maiden in the crimson floral qunju and black embroidered juru.

The young woman had immense confidence in her looks and was surprised to suffer such a blow to her ego here.

This young man in blue was somewhat interesting.

Seeing Lu Yuan dismiss her, the maiden didn't linger. She tossed a token over. "This is my token. If you encounter any difficulties in the Great Qin Kingdom in the future, you can seek my help. Consider it repayment for saving my life. Goodbye." The maiden exerted a slight burst of energy and ascended into the air, clearly having reached the Body Tempering stage as well.

Eighteen years old, Eastern-Jing Body Tempering stage!

"Greetings, Eldest Miss..." A group of cultivators stood nearby, bowing with clasped hands.

The attire of these cultivators held a somewhat exotic style, different from that of the Great Jin Kingdom.

The costume styles of the Great Jin, Great Yuan, and Great Qin nations were inherently distinct. Clothes in the Great Jin often featured many cross-collared beizi, voluminous da’ao over mingru, and a frequent use of protective collars. The Qin Dynasty lacked this habit. As for the Great Yuan, their costume differences were the most pronounced; the people there were collectively referred to by the Great Qin and Great Jin as 'Hu people.' The attire of the Great Jin and Great Yuan were, however, broadly similar, showing no major divergence.

These cultivators’ clothes held a Qin style, and their individual Fa Li levels varied greatly. Several possessed unfathomably deep auras, seemingly already connected to the Gate of Longevity, with Heaven and Earth primal energy constantly surging into their bodies. Once they reached the Longevity stage, they could open that gate and perpetually absorb the energies of Heaven and Earth themselves.

The maiden whom everyone was bowing to was precisely the bright-eyed young woman in the crimson floral qunju and black embroidered juru dress who had been hunted earlier that day.

These Longevity stage cultivators were bowing to this maiden.

This maiden’s identity must be extraordinarily significant.

All the cultivators present understood that Miss Zhong was one of the three most favored members of the younger generation in the Swordless Immortal Sect currently. Such favor meant this young woman wielded immense authority; she was truly a figure holding the power of life and death, and also exceptionally shrewd, known widely among the younger generation in the Great Qin Kingdom.

However, despite wielding great power, she was still very young, sometimes desiring a respite. Her trip to the Great Jin was intended as a relaxing excursion, but it resulted in an assassination attempt. It was likely Miss Zhong would be furious, potentially stirring up a storm of turmoil.

The bright-eyed maiden's face was extremely cold. "How did my whereabouts leak? This is interesting." Her words carried a distinct chill.

It seemed to imply that countless heads might roll.

"Right, and send me Lu Yuan’s personal file as well," the maiden commanded, her expression icy as she issued the order.

(Hmm, this is the heroine. Of course, to maintain Lu Yuan’s naturally languid mindset, the heroine, despite holding great power, possesses no great ambition herself.)