The liveliest gossip circulating on Mount Wuling these days revolves around the matter of the Wusheng Legacy Palace.

Today marks the second day since the partial conclusion of the Wusheng Legacy Palace event.

Everywhere on Mount Wuling, the Wusheng Legacy Palace is the subject of relentless chatter.

Naturally, everyone is curious about the inner workings of the Wusheng Legacy Palace, especially those who never entered. Those who did enter are now excitedly recounting the scenarios of the initial few layers. Of course, the usual braggarts only managed the first one or two levels and hadn't penetrated the deeper sections.

But even hearing fragmented accounts of the later layers was enough for them to embellish and turn into grand narratives.

“The first layer was filled with all sorts of monstrous birds—vicious, truly fierce creatures, and so numerous they were packed shoulder to shoulder, utterly overwhelming. This layer, you see, was designed by the Old Man Wusheng to test everyone’s speed and accuracy in drawing their swords or unleashing spells. Out of the more than ten thousand people who entered, only the top two thousand qualified for the second layer. And I, impressively enough, managed to clear the first layer of the Wusheng Legacy Palace!” A cultivator who had been inside boasted to a crowd that had gathered around him, as the Legacy Palace was undeniably the hottest topic right now.

“As for the second layer, that was the Earth Oxen and the Mammoth Demons. Those two types of monsters were there to test the destructive power of our spells or the sheer force of our sword strikes. That stage was incredibly hard to pass; only those ranking in the top five hundred could proceed to the third layer. With my skill level, I couldn't even break into the top five hundred, tsk tsk,” the cultivator admitted with a slight air of regret.

“Regarding the third layer…” A good friend of mine made it inside. I heard there was a monstrous sheep there whose wool was made entirely of razor blades. You surely haven't seen a creature like this—it was terrifyingly formidable! For these 'Blade Sheep,' if you could just endure the third layer for nine days, you’d earn passage to the fourth. But word is, that stage is nearly impossible to clear; even cultivators at the first or second stage of the Body Tempering realm couldn't withstand it.” This layer, I'm told, tests one’s ability to evade danger. It's a pity I didn't reach the third layer of the Wusheng Legacy Palace; with my evasion skills, I might have survived nine days to reach the fourth. This last bit was clearly an exaggeration; he couldn't even enter the third layer, yet he spoke of reaching the fourth! However, the onlookers were so eager to hear about the inside of the Palace that no one bothered to contradict him, letting him spin his yarn.

The speaker paused, milking the suspense until everyone was hooked, before slowly continuing: “And the fourth layer of the Wusheng Legacy Palace? That featured the Exploding Foxes. The Exploding Fox possesses the Five-Chambered Exquisite Heart, extremely precious, yet trying to excavate the heart risks a massive explosion. According to my friend, this layer tests one's heart—whether it harbors deep greed. If you are greedy, you are easily injured by the blast and fail to enter the fifth layer.”

The first four layers, each boasting its own unique marvels, kept the listening cultivators utterly enthralled.

The speaker then resumed, his voice dropping conspiratorially: “As for the fifth layer, it was even more spectacular than the preceding four. Have you all heard of Battle Spirit Beasts?” He paused again to provide a brief explanation of what Battle Spirit Beasts were before continuing: “This stage... only the top forty finishers were permitted to enter the sixth layer. And Battle Spirit Beasts are notoriously difficult foes…”

“And the sixth layer? Apparently, that contained only cultivation manuals, no monsters whatsoever.”

“The seventh layer. You all are most eager to hear about the seventh layer, aren't you? Well, the truth is, the seventh layer doesn't exist at all.”

Upon reaching this point, seeing the audience hanging on his every word, the cultivator became visibly more animated, his excitement soaring: “Actually, according to my senior brother, a void inscription appeared in the sixth layer explicitly stating the seventh layer was non-existent. Immediately, everyone shifted their focus to the cultivation techniques and ultimate skills left behind on the remaining five paths.”

“Why were there five paths left untouched? Because thirty-five people entered the sixth layer, naturally leaving five paths unclaimed. My senior brother claimed that those five paths contained the Ultimate Art of the Zhongnan Immortal Sect, the Icy True Qi, and the supreme movement technique, the Featherless Phoenix Wings Body Evasion.” Hearing the names of these supreme arts made the listeners’ pupils dilate involuntarily.

“Originally, the cultivators intended to contend for the remaining five sets of techniques, but at that moment, a prompt appeared within the sixth layer demanding everyone evacuate immediately, warning that the entire Wusheng Legacy Palace would collapse in half an hour. Thus, the cultivators had no choice but to abandon the final five ultimate techniques and race back to the surface.”

By the time he finished, the surrounding audience understood everything.

They all knew about the Wusheng Legacy Palace collapsing and self-destructing two days prior, immediately after all the cultivators evacuated. This destruction caused many cultivators to sigh in regret; they had planned to visit the Palace themselves once the dust settled, but now that prospect was gone forever.

Currently, the cultivators on Mount Wuling were discussing countless matters, but three topics stood out as the main focus of attention.

The first hot topic was naturally the spectacular details of each layer within the Wusheng Legacy Palace—a subject being debated by countless people; the Palace was unquestionably the most viral topic recently.

The second major focus was the Minor Formless Art and the Major Formless Art. No one could have predicted that even a rudimentary combination of the two could possess the ability to simulate the techniques of major Immortal Sects while simultaneously offering simplified, accelerated paths to mastery. This revelation instantly ignited the emotions of the cultivators; countless individuals debated this point, many indulging in daydreams of somehow obtaining the Major Formless Art themselves.

The third hot topic was Lu Yuan.

“Lu Yuan? Of course I’ve heard of him. How could anyone not have?”

“Indeed, the number one direct disciple among the younger generation.”

“I heard he’s only in his early twenties.”

“You must be joking! How can someone only in their twenties be that powerful? Rumor has it he was the only one who directly fought his way into the sixth layer of the Wusheng Legacy Palace.”

“Exactly. The strongest of the other direct disciples barely reached the third layer. He alone reached the sixth. And I heard that in the sixth layer, apart from him, everyone else was a cultivator at the ninth stage of Body Tempering. Even those at the eighth stage couldn't make it to the sixth layer.”

“Tsk tsk, incredibly formidable.”

“Yes, astonishingly powerful!”

“Mount Hua certainly breeds talent; this saying holds true.” The Huashan Immortal Sect isn't actually the one with the most secret codices; Wudang Immortal Sect and Kunlun Immortal Sect are generally recognized as having more. Kunlun boasts an extremely ancient lineage, and Wudang was once on par with the Four Great Immortal Sects of the Great Qin Kingdom before its decline. While Huashan’s techniques might be considered slightly inferior to Wudang’s or Kunlun’s, the abundance of talent at Huashan is universally acknowledged.

“Speaking of which, Lu Yuan is only about twenty and already so formidable. Does he look like he has three heads and six arms?”

“I saw him once. He looked perfectly ordinary, and he’s always carrying a wine gourd—looks like a total drunkard.”

“Right, Lu Yuan doesn’t have an official title yet, does he? I think 'Drunken Swordsman' would suit him well. When he reaches the Longevity stage, he can be called the 'Drunken Sword Immortal.'”

“I think 'Lazy Swordsman' is more fitting, leading to 'Lazy Sword Immortal' later. I heard Lu Yuan is ridiculously lethargic.” Various discussions buzzed around, even debating what honorary title Lu Yuan should adopt.

All personnel belonging to the North Peak were assembled within the Tingyu Studio.

Seated at the head table were Fang Ru and Chu Fei, both Ninth-Generation Sword Immortals. Elders, the Ten Great Direct Disciples, and a host of ordinary disciples sat nearby. Lu Yuan, meanwhile, was yawning repeatedly. He had spent nearly two months inside the Wusheng Legacy Palace, engaged almost ceaselessly in either cultivation or combat with virtually no true rest. This had thoroughly exhausted him, so upon exiting, he immediately slept for a full day and night, only waking up now.

Lu Yuan took a slow sip of wine. It tasted exquisite.

It truly was flavorful. In fact, the wine supply inside the Wusheng Legacy Palace had run out during his final days there; this was freshly acquired wine.

Fang Ru inquired, “Only you from our North Peak managed to reach the sixth layer of the Wusheng Legacy Palace. Tell us the general situation.” Hearing about it was vastly different from Lu Yuan recounting it firsthand. Lu Yuan proceeded to detail the conditions within the Palace, concurrently mentioning the general scope of the spoils he had acquired.

Chu Fei burst into laughter upon hearing the report: “Well done! If you hadn't secured so many trophies this time, our North Peak would have been completely overshadowed by the other Peaks.” It turned out that while Lu Yuan was asleep, representatives from the South Peak of the Sword Sect and the West Peak of the Qi Sect had visited. Their objective was straightforward: the three Sword-Qi sects were rivals, and all of them had achieved commendable results this time, so their visit clearly had a self-serving purpose.

Now that Lu Yuan was awake and informed, he realized the immense benefits he had garnered. Coupled with his considerable haul, the North Peak’s total spoils would not fall behind the other Peaks.

Lu Yuan had achieved enormous merit.

Within the Tingyu Studio, the assembled elders were deeply shocked. They hadn't expected Lu Yuan’s performance to be this outstanding. Two Elders, both at the ninth stage of Body Tempering, had failed to reach the sixth layer, yet Lu Yuan succeeded. Naturally, Song Shijun sent Lu Yuan a meaningful glance; the two had developed a connection. Song Shijun felt his previous efforts to build rapport with Lu Yuan had paid off handsomely. While Lu Yuan might not become the North Peak Master, his future standing within the North Peak, and indeed all of Mount Hua, was set to be highly significant. Building a good relationship with such an individual would undoubtedly bring future advantages.

Yun Yi, Yun Ping, and the other direct disciples were also inwardly stunned by the sheer quantity of spoils Lu Yuan had acquired. With such resources, Lu Yuan could easily surpass them all. However, since he earned it through his own capability, no one felt envious.

Lu Yuan asked, “Inside the Wusheng Legacy Palace, the Old Man Wusheng mentioned that the Major Formless Art could simulate all techniques under heaven…”

Fang Ru replied gravely, “We have already reported this matter. When it reached the ears of Martial Uncle Yan, he merely smiled and said: ‘The Old Man Wusheng managed to simulate many techniques, but where is his own technique? Therefore, a person like Old Man Wusheng can only be considered top-tier within a single nation, but not invincible across all nations.’”

Patriarch Yan’s statement held considerable wisdom, prompting deep reflection.

Lu Yuan slowly savored the words, feeling the profound truth embedded within them.