This time, having passed through the teleportation array, they were not scattered to various locations as in the previous four levels, but instead materialized in the exact same spot.

Over a hundred cultivators found themselves standing within a defensive formation.

At that moment, numerous characters materialized in the void.

“The Fifth Level of the Wusheng Relic Palace contains the majority of the spirit beasts I collected in my lifetime. However, to test you all, I have infused them with Outer Realm Heavenly Demons, transforming them into Battle Spirit Beasts. These Battle Spirit Beasts will attack you. If you can subdue them, you may take them as your own.”

“Only those ranked in the top forty will be permitted to enter the Sixth Level of the Wusheng Relic Palace.”

The ranking here must surely weigh both the quantity and the quality of the beasts subdued. Only the top forty can advance to the Sixth Level? This hurdle is immense. There are easily forty or fifty cultivators at the peak of the ninth level of the Qi Refining stage alone. This means a significant portion of those ninth-level cultivators will be barred from entering the Sixth Level.

Oh, and I should mention, ordinary spirit beasts do not attack people.

However, the Old Man Wusheng, using his immense power, forcibly infused the Outer Realm Heavenly Demons into these spirit beasts, granting them considerable offensive capability. At that point, they are no longer called spirit beasts, but Battle Spirit Beasts.

Using the Pure Heavenly Water, it is possible to revert the Battle Spirit Beasts back into regular spirit beasts.

This means the true challenge is about to begin.

The crucial elements in cultivation are spirit beasts, magic treasures, and cultivation techniques.

The first four levels of the Wusheng Relic Palace, yielding only spirit stones and some materials, felt somewhat unworthy of the name "Wusheng Relic Palace." But now, the tremendous benefit has finally appeared. These ruins from three millennia ago are indeed extraordinary; the fifth level offers all manner of spirit beasts. Instantly, the excitement among everyone surged.

They never imagined that Battle Spirit Beasts would be present in the Fifth Level of the Wusheng Relic Palace.

Naturally, the immense rewards on the Fifth Level hardened everyone's resolve: if there was any hope, they absolutely had to strive for the Sixth Level, as its rewards were certain to surpass those of the Fifth.

The top forty!

Though the cultivators maintained outwardly calm expressions, their hearts were anything but serene.

The more than one hundred cultivators present contained no weaklings. The weakest among them was Lu Yuan; the rest were all at the seventh, eighth, or ninth level of the Body Tempering stage. After briefly congregating, these cultivators established the primary strategy for the Fifth Level of the Wusheng Relic Palace: teamwork.

Strength lies in unity; weakness in division—this was obvious. However, teaming up couldn't involve too many people; two or three was optimal.

If you didn't team up, you were too weak alone. If you did team up but had too many members, the efficiency wouldn't be worth it.

Immediately, the cultivators began seeking out fellow disciples or acquaintances to form groups. Lu Yuan was still contemplating something when a voice called out: "Junior Martial Nephew Lu, how about we team up?"

Lu Yuan looked over. The speaker was a middle-aged scholar dressed in white, exuding an aura of maturity and stability. This man seemed vaguely familiar, perhaps seen at North Peak. Seeing Lu Yuan hesitate for a moment, unable to recognize him immediately, the scholar smiled lightly: "My name is Song Shijun, an ordinary elder of North Peak. My reputation is not as high as that of the True Disciples, much less your renown across the entire Great Jin Kingdom, Junior Martial Nephew Lu."

Lu Yuan recalled that there was indeed such an elder from North Peak, one who had even visited his Master. Still, he needed to concentrate to bring the memory into focus. There are countless cultivators in the world, and only the famous ones are easily remembered; most remain unknown.

"Greetings, Martial Uncle," Lu Yuan replied, bowing slightly.

Song Shijun smiled. "Well, what about my suggestion?"

Lu Yuan countered, "Why does Martial Uncle wish to team up with me?"

Song Shijun explained, "Because fellow sect members are more trustworthy. I observed just now that only four people from North Peak have reached the Fifth Level of the Wusheng Relic Palace. The other two Senior Martial Brothers are both at the ninth level of the Body Tempering stage; together, they are sufficient. I am only at the eighth level, so they naturally wouldn't seek me out."

"Thus, after searching around, I thought of seeking an alliance with you, Junior Martial Nephew Lu."

A perfectly reasonable justification. Lu Yuan considered it. Song Shijun was indeed from North Peak, and he did have some vague recollection. Furthermore, being from North Peak implied trustworthiness; if North Peak members were going to harm each other, they wouldn't have passed the scrutiny of Elder Yuanyuan. Having a teammate for the situation on the Fifth Level was also beneficial.

"Then, Martial Uncle Song, let us join forces this once."

Lu Yuan and Song Shijun had already left the defensive formation. When competing for a spot in the top forty, time was of the essence.

Both were in flight when Song Shijun spoke, "Junior Martial Nephew Lu, now that we are teammates, we must properly understand each other's strengths. Our North Peak is a Sword Qi Sect, meaning we are either Sword Cultivators or Dharma Cultivators. My swordsmanship is mediocre, but my magical arts are decent; I lean towards being a Dharma Cultivator, specializing in Water element spells." His cultivation method could not possibly be a high-tier one like the Cloud Dragon Heart Sutra, which was typically only taught to True Disciples or those who had made exceptionally great contributions to the sect. He practiced the Gentle Water Heart Method, a Water element manual. While not considered supreme, it was certainly a first-rate technique, allowing him to wield Water element spells with ease.

Lu Yuan stated in turn, "Martial Uncle Song, I am a Sword Cultivator. Aside from the ten basic common spells, I know no other magical arts." In truth, Song Shijun already knew this even if Lu Yuan hadn't mentioned it, given Lu Yuan's immense fame, especially in Mount Hua.

Song Shijun said, "We are a pairing of a Dharma Cultivator and a Sword Cultivator. Therefore, in a melee, I will utilize tracking spells." Magical arts are divided into two types: destructive and tracking. Destructive spells are for wide-area annihilation, such as 'Heavenly Fire Sea' or 'Torrential Arrow,' which strike indiscriminately, causing massive damage but easily harming allies.

Tracking spells, once locked onto a target, pursue it relentlessly. The advantage is that allies are not accidentally struck, but the disadvantage is lower power and significant mental drain, as the caster must continuously control the spell's trajectory after launching it, which is far more difficult than using a purely destructive spell.

As for Sword Cultivators, there is little more to say. With a sword in hand, precise control is paramount. Of course, those who reach the level of Sword Control can attack from a distance, requiring mental control similar to Dharma Cultivators.

Ahead, the aura of Battle Spirit Beasts appeared—two Fire Monkeys. However, these Fire Monkeys were not in their usual docile spirit beast state. They were about five times larger than normal Fire Monkeys, raging violently, flames billowing from their entire bodies, their massive palms radiating a sense of brute force and fiery savagery.

They should be called Battle Spirit Fire Monkeys now.

Medium-sized Battle Spirit Beasts! Their combat strength was quite high-end.

"Shall we each take on one Battle Spirit Fire Monkey?" Lu Yuan asked. Song Shijun nodded. "No problem."

Lu Yuan lunged toward one Battle Spirit Fire Monkey. The beast instantly swung a flame-engulfed paw toward him. The move was immensely powerful, and Lu Yuan called out, "Well met!" He drew his Yangwu Sword and executed a flat, sweeping cut, aiming directly at the Fire Monkey.

The momentum of this strike was level and controlled, but the timing and angle of the sword release were exquisite and incredibly fast.

On the other side, Song Shijun attacked the second Battle Spirit Fire Monkey. His cultivation was in Water element magic, which counters the Fire Monkey's flame. However, conversely, the Fire Monkey's flames could suppress his Water magic, making the outcome dependent on whose skill was superior. This Battle Spirit Fire Monkey proved tenacious. Song Shijun cast several Water spells, like 'Water Arrow Technique' and 'Rainstorm Spell,' while inwardly calculating. The Battle Spirit Fire Monkey was too fast, making it difficult to establish distance for spellcasting. Yet, gradually, relying on his experience and magical advantage, he began to gain the upper hand. At this point, he wondered about Junior Martial Nephew Lu's progress.

He had long heard tales of Lu Yuan's fame, particularly his exceptional swordsmanship, but he had never witnessed it firsthand. He hoped the Junior Martial Nephew's strength matched the legends. Song Shijun, having gained the advantage, spared a glance sideways, and what he saw made him truly stunned. Lu Yuan was currently subduing his Battle Spirit Fire Monkey, using a Spirit Sealing Plaque to capture it.

This...

So fast!

He himself was only halfway through the fight, and Junior Martial Nephew Lu had already dispatched his opponent. It was a pity that since he had encountered a Battle Spirit Fire Monkey, he hadn't seen the specifics of Lu Yuan’s combat style. Could Lu Yuan’s strength truly surpass his own by such a margin, allowing him to finish so quickly?

After resolving the two Battle Spirit Fire Monkeys, they encountered a Battle Spirit Wind Wolf.

Wolves were inherently known for speed, and the Battle Spirit Wind Wolf, imbued with the Heavenly Demon consciousness, was about five times larger than a normal Wind Wolf, with astonishing speed. Before engaging, Song Shijun hadn't been overly worried; dealing with one Battle Spirit Wind Wolf between the two of them shouldn't be difficult. However, getting close enough to fight meant inevitably sustaining some injuries, as the Wind Wolf’s speed was simply too high—even an elder at the ninth level of the Body Tempering stage would likely get nicked.

A moment later, Song Shijun was dumbfounded. What kind of joke was this? Throughout the entire engagement, Lu Yuan had dominated the Battle Spirit Wind Wolf. The wolf’s incredible speed couldn't even graze Lu Yuan, and Lu Yuan's sword was even faster than the wolf.

Song Shijun, being an elder at the eighth level of the Body Tempering stage, was experienced and well-traveled, yet he had never seen anyone possess such exquisite swordsmanship! Such incredible speed!

In all his experience, he had never encountered anything like it.

This Martial Nephew was truly exceptional.

He had worried whether this Junior Martial Nephew’s strength matched the legends. Now, it seemed Lu Yuan’s power could only be higher than what was rumored, not lower. Joining forces with him this time had proven to be absolutely the right decision.