After Lu Yuan obtained the sixth token and emerged from that alternate dimension back into the Fire Sword Tower, he noticed almost every gaze fixed upon him. These looks contained shock, but they were steeped in a thick current of hostility.

Six!

Six tokens!

Marking the number six!

Six might not signify much elsewhere, but here, it meant he had passed the trial of the Six Gates. There were only ten gates in total; passing all ten would grant one the Fire Sword Intent directly. Of course, that was a side note; the main point lay elsewhere.

In the past four thousand years, the cultivators from the Great Qin Nation had entered the Water and Fire Sword Tower eighty times in total.

And across those eighty prior attempts, only one person had ever reached the record of passing seven gates.

Now, Lu Yuan had already cleared six.

This meant that if Lu Yuan passed just one more gate, he would equal the four-thousand-year record of the Great Qin Nation. How could the record of a powerhouse like Great Qin be matched by someone from a weaker nation like his own? For Great Qin, this was a humiliating prospect.

On the other hand, what if Lu Yuan’s luck held and he passed two more gates? At that point, he would shatter the four-thousand-year record of Great Qin. How could the majestic Great Qin allow a man from Jin to break their standing?

If one can tolerate this, what cannot be tolerated?

Consequently, those gazes from the Great Qin cultivators were heavy with ill-will.

“Amitabha.” A middle-aged monk let out a soft invocation of the Buddha’s name. This monk, who had large ears, cleared his throat. “This poor monk is a disciple of the Da Fa Hua Temple, my Dharma name is Riqin. Honored Sir, you are from the Jin Nation; perhaps this is far enough for you?” His tone was relatively gentle, as it was seldom that a man of the cloth was utterly repulsive.

“To put it simply, man from Jin, you should stop pushing your luck here.” The woman who spoke smiled lightly; she possessed a certain delicate beauty mixed with allure. Those nearby immediately recognized her as Ye Xiangzhi of the Carefree Immortal Sect.

“Precisely right. You cannot advance further. If you do, you’ll have to sample my Imperial Fist.” The voice was incredibly robust, carrying the supreme confidence of an emperor addressing his subjects. When everyone looked, the speaker was clad in golden robes—it was Ao Lusheng of the Crimson Dragon Immortal Sect.

Rizhao, Xianglu, Ziyan—this accounted for four people.

One representative from each of the Four Great Immortal Sects.

Monk Riqin from the Da Fa Hua Temple, Ye Xiangzhi from the Carefree Immortal Sect, Ao Lusheng from the Crimson Dragon Immortal Sect... and Zhong Ziyan from the Peerless Sword Immortal Sect. Zhong Ziyan was about to speak but was checked by the young maiden beside her, wrapped in snow-white fox fur. Though Zhong Ziyan held considerable fame, she dared not disobey the orders of Young Miss Zhong.

These three renowned figures had stepped forward.

Currently, they were the strongest among everyone present.

Their stepping forward was naturally to defend the honor of the Great Qin Nation. However, it was impossible to say they had no selfish motives. The highest reward of the Fire Sword Tower was the Fire Sword Intent, but there were other prizes too. By defeating this man from Jin, they stood to gain better rewards themselves.

This Jin nation man was destined to lose. Fortunately, the relationship between Great Qin and Jin had always been decent, so while defeat was certain, his life would likely be safe. Generally, unless facing cultivators of the unorthodox paths, sects of the orthodox ways rarely sought mortal combat; sparring to establish superiority was enough; no need to fight to the death.

If you show mercy today, I will return the favor tomorrow.

Although the fight wouldn't be to the death, if Lu Yuan was defeated now, he would certainly lose any hope of obtaining the Fire Sword Intent and would suffer a massive loss of face. From the looks of it, they intended a three-on-one confrontation. Yes, this was blatant bullying—three older figures ganging up on one youth of about twenty years old.

But demanding fairness on Great Qin’s turf as a man from Jin was hardly realistic.

“What if I intend to continue challenging forward?” Lu Yuan smiled.

“If you continue challenging, you will be severely injured right here,” Ye Xiangzhi chuckled softly, her demeanor exquisitely charming.

“Very well, then make your move. I want to see how many strikes the three of you can withstand combined against me.” Lu Yuan saw no point in wasting more breath. If he allowed the opponents to speak further, they would likely just deliver more grand pronouncements. To have three of them gang up on him... well, he had never been one for verbal sparring. He cut straight to the point.

Hearing Lu Yuan’s challenge, Monk Riqin, Ye Xiangzhi, and Ao Lusheng felt a surge of joy. They had been searching for a suitable pretext, and now they didn't even need one.

The Da Fa Hua Temple possessed seventy-three supreme techniques, though most practitioners only mastered a few. Only those deeply versed in Buddhist philosophy might master ten or so. Monk Riqin specialized in the Vajra Bodhisattva Body and the Prajna Palm technique out of those seventy-three. It was said that once the Vajra Bodhisattva Body was activated, his entire body was nearly impenetrable, as if blessed with the defense of a Bodhisattva.

As for the Prajna Palm, it embodied the word Prajna—wisdom. The Palm of Wisdom. This set of palm strikes appeared ordinary, yet it revealed the extraordinary within the mundane. Opponents often failed to react before being struck by these Prajna Buddha Palms. The Prajna Buddha Palm, once unleashed, locks onto a target, leaving no escape.

Monk Riqin had relied on the Prajna Buddha Palm before...

Ye Xiangzhi smiled slightly. Her offensive style was nowhere near as solemn as Monk Riqin's. It was ethereal and graceful—precisely the Heavenly Mountain Sword technique of the Carefree Immortal Sect. The Carefree Immortal Sect was situated in the Great Qin Nation’s most frigid location: Mount Tianshan. Covered in ice and snow, the Heavenly Mountain Sword technique was intensely cold and exceptionally treacherous. Once enveloped by its sword aura, one felt an overwhelming chill engulf the body. The greatest characteristic of the Heavenly Mountain Sword technique was that if one could not quickly break the move, they would become trapped within it, slowly succumbing to the invading cold that gradually slowed the circulation of blood throughout the body. Ye Xiangzhi had once used the Heavenly Mountain Sword technique to freeze the notorious Seven Evils of Zhongtiao Mountain in Great Qin.

When Ao Lusheng of the Crimson Dragon Immortal Sect made his move, he immediately employed the Imperial Fist.

Fist that Overturns the World!

Fist equals Authority!

The Sovereign commands obedience!

The King demands the subject’s death!

Every stance and movement was an exquisite technique from the Imperial Fist. His execution of the Imperial Fist was even more refined than that of the golden-red iron figure guarding the gate behind the Crimson Dragon Immortal Sect. While he hadn't quite condensed the profound Dao Intent within the Imperial Fist, he wasn't far off. Ao Lusheng’s moves had always been overwhelmingly domineering.

Lu Yuan stood amidst the surging, violent assault of the three masters. Whether it was Monk Riqin’s Prajna Buddha Palm, Ye Xiangzhi’s Heavenly Mountain Sword technique, or Ao Lusheng’s Imperial Fist, all charged towards Lu Yuan ferociously. Yet, Lu Yuan was utterly unconcerned, even leisurely sparing a glance to the side.

He could see the expressions of the surrounding Great Qin cultivators. Clearly, all of them expected him to lose. What bad luck for them; he truly had no intention of granting them that satisfaction. Now, let the counterattack commence.

Among the three masters, Monk Riqin possessed the weakest defense. Riqin was confident in the protection of his Vajra Bodhisattva Body, fearing no ordinary attack. Even a strike from a cultivator at the tenth level of the Body Tempering Stage would likely only result in minor injuries. Very well, if that was the case, he would start by taking care of Riqin.

Lu Yuan raised his Yangwu Sword to block, first neutralizing Ye Xiangzhi’s Heavenly Mountain Sword technique and Ao Lusheng’s Imperial Fist. After the block, Lu Yuan swiftly thrust toward Monk Riqin. Riqin felt no urgency; he met the move with his Prajna Buddha Palm, aiming to trade one palm strike for one sword strike—a worthwhile exchange in his estimation.

The sword pierced Monk Riqin’s body. Just as Monk Riqin expected his Prajna Buddha Palm to strike Lu Yuan, a wave of agonizing pain shot through his entire body. His palm strike was now impossible to complete.

The sword! It had passed through Monk Riqin’s body. Though not dead, he was severely injured. Monk Riqin’s expression shifted drastically. How could this be! His Vajra Bodhisattva Body had been activated; with its defensive power, how could he be pierced by a single sword stroke? Even a cultivator at the tenth level of Body Tempering power could not achieve this.

The reason was quite simple: in that split second, Lu Yuan had not thrust with one strike, but with thirty!

Because the sword speed was so high, Monk Riqin had only perceived a single movement. One strike could not penetrate his defense, but thirty strikes aimed precisely at the same spot in such a short timeframe would naturally make penetration far from difficult.

The first opponent, Monk Riqin, was dealt with. Lu Yuan pivoted and attacked Ao Lusheng. The deterrence of the Imperial Fist held no sway over him. If it were an opponent using the Emperor Sword, perhaps there would be some parity, but the Imperial Fist was still considerably inferior to the Emperor Sword—one was the fist of an earthly monarch, the other the sword of a celestial emperor.

Ao Lusheng sensed something was wrong the moment he engaged Lu Yuan. The usual imposing might of the Imperial Fist had absolutely no effect on Lu Yuan. How could this be! Ao Lusheng unleashed a series of exquisite moves from the Imperial Fist, striking so fiercely that even nearby onlookers were significantly affected, yet Lu Yuan remained completely unmoved.

Imperial Fist Shakes the Heavens! During this move, Lu Yuan used his Yangwu Sword to sever the tendons in Ao Lusheng’s wrists, temporarily incapacitating him. Of course, in any ongoing battle, Ao Lusheng could utilize the regeneration ability of the ninth level of Body Tempering to reconnect his meridians, but not during the heat of combat.

Ao Lusheng’s face showed shock. To be defeated precisely during the strongest move of the Imperial Fist, Imperial Fist Shakes the Heavens—how was this possible!

Another one down. Only Ye Xiangzhi remained. The Heavenly Mountain Sword technique was famous for its speed and danger. Lu Yuan turned his Yangwu Sword back towards her. If Ye Xiangzhi was fast, he would show her what true speed was.

The Yangwu Sword suddenly accelerated to an extreme velocity, striking with a speed that surpassed even Ye Xiangzhi’s. Ye Xiangzhi was utterly bewildered. How could he be so fast! Faster than the Heavenly Mountain Sword technique!