"Ten moves, Senior Brother, settle him in ten moves." "Indeed, Senior Brother's divine might—how could these mere jesters compare?" "Senior Brother is mighty!" The talk of ten moves to begin with was Zhao Tianyan's doing. Zhao Tianyan considered his own strength unmatched; encountering a mere core disciple from the Jin State, it would be strange if anyone could withstand him for ten rounds.

Furthermore, those who have mastered the Emperor Divine Art and the Imperial Fist, Imperial Sword of the Scarlet Dragon Immortal Sect are always supremely confident. If not confident, how could one aspire to be an emperor?

And having fought his way through like this, no matter the opponent, victory was secured within ten moves. This gave the cultivators of the Great Qin Kingdom a great sense of pride, while the Jin people suffered a massive loss of face.

Now, another Jin person had arrived. The cultivators of Great Qin were unaware of the true situation; they were simply chanting for a ten-move victory over the opponent.

Sweat beaded increasingly on Zhao Tianyan's forehead. These fawning cultivators didn't recognize Lu Yuan, but Zhao Tianyan did.

This young man in green robes was the one who broke through the Water Sword Tower and the Fire Sword Tower in the Water-Fire Pavilion, obtaining the two great Sword Intents. That person had contended against Master Rizhao, Ye Xiangzhi, and Ao Lusheng—three cultivators at the ninth level of the Body Tempering stage—and emerged victorious.

Zhao Tianyan knew his own capabilities: the magical power of the third level of the Body Tempering stage. He had always been proud of this level of strength.

However, comparing himself to Lu Yuan was no comparison at all. Lu Yuan could now defeat cultivators at the ninth level of Body Tempering.

Although his Imperial Fist, Imperial Sword was well-practiced, and his Emperor's Heart Art was excellent, if he truly faced Lu Yuan, he feared Lu Yuan could easily crush him. Impossible!

This Jin person is actually a core disciple? Are you kidding me?

The people beside him continued to clamor for Zhao Tianyan to defeat the arrogant Lu Yuan in ten moves, while Zhao Tianyan kept sweating, his expression shifting. What kind of joke was this?

How could he possibly defeat this Jin man in ten moves? From any angle, it was impossible.

Lu Yuan also heard the shouting from the Great Qin cultivators and smiled: "How about this? If you can withstand ten of my moves, consider it your victory?" This statement immediately drew loud cries from the Great Qin cultivators—what an oblivious Jin person, daring to be so boastful.

They all urged Senior Brother Zhao to immediately smash the presumptuous Lu Yuan, yet they didn't understand why their Senior Brother remained standing there, refusing to attack. There are water droplets on Senior Brother's body.

Did some water-attribute spell attack him sneakily? Why is Senior Brother just standing there blankly, not making a move?

Could it be that he is gathering power? It is said that the Emperor's Heart Art places great emphasis on accumulating potential.

Once the Emperor's momentum is amassed, a thunderous strike can be unleashed. Waiting like this, they waited a long time but never saw the thunderous blow.

Isn't this wait too long? The numerous Great Qin cultivators couldn't help but look at Zhao Tianyan.

They saw Senior Brother Zhao Tianyan continuously sweating, his complexion seeming to change. What divine art was this that required such a long, shifting expression?

The atmosphere was finally broken. Senior Brother Zhao Tianyan spoke.

This must be a grand declaration of war, something like "I will defeat you in ten moves." The Great Qin cultivators waited for the words they expected. "I concede." Zhao Tianyan stated.

Are you serious? The number one core disciple of the Scarlet Dragon Immortal Sect—he concedes without even fighting?

This seems too fake. The Great Qin cultivators couldn't comprehend why Zhao Tianyan would surrender, and even the Jin cultivators were baffled—why would Zhao Tianyan suddenly yield?

Zhao Tianyan gave a bitter smile. Seeing that Lu Yuan still looked confused, he said, "Junior Brother Lu, I have been to the Water-Fire Sword Tower." This one sentence explained everything.

Indeed, having witnessed Lu Yuan single-handedly defeat three cultivators at the ninth level of Body Tempering, how could the mere third-level Body Tempering Zhao Tianyan dare to engage him? Even knowing he would lose face, Zhao Tianyan knew he couldn't withstand ten of Lu Yuan's moves, so surrender was the only option.

As for the others, they didn't grasp the inner workings. Zhao Tianyan’s explanation meant nothing to them, leading to endless murmurs.

This sword contest concluded right there. It arrived suddenly, and departed even more abruptly.

If there was any fallout, it was that to this day, Zhao Tianyan felt like he was dreaming. The Jin person who appeared at the Water-Fire Sword Tower turned out to be a core disciple—and a core disciple of Mount Hua!

Zhao Tianyan immediately penned an urgent dispatch, sending it ten thousand li back to the Scarlet Dragon Immortal Sect's outpost in the Great Qin Kingdom. Oh, and by the way, a rumor began circulating on Mount Hua: Isn't Zhao Tianyan, the top core disciple of the Scarlet Dragon Immortal Sect, quite something?

He met our Mount Hua’s Lu Yuan and meekly conceded without daring to fight! This was a massive issue of face.

Firstly, Mount Hua Immortal Sect is a superior immortal sect, while the Scarlet Dragon Immortal Sect is merely a large immortal sect. A disciple from a superior sect winning against a disciple from a large sect without even fighting was naturally a huge boost to prestige.

Secondly, the Scarlet Dragon Immortal Sect represents the Great Qin Kingdom, and the Mount Hua Immortal Sect represents the Great Jin Kingdom. If the Jin disciple didn't even need to draw a blade, and the outstanding core disciple of Great Qin surrendered, how could this not be a glorious affair?

In any case, the matter passed just like that. In the days that followed, there was much excitement on Mount Hua.

But it had nothing to do with Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan was now somewhat idle.

However, his current strength was too far removed from the tenth generation; there was no one among them who could spar with him—this was being detached from the masses. And as for the ninth generation?

Yes, Lu Yuan’s current strength placed him among the mid-tier of the ninth generation, but why would the established ninth-generation members bother with a junior like him? But let's set Lu Yuan aside for now.

Let’s discuss Mount Hua itself. During the ceremony for the handover of the Sect Master position at Mount Hua, everyone had imagined some interesting scenarios, such as what would happen if the Heaven-Aiding Alliance suddenly appeared.

But alas, from beginning to end, though there were minor excitements, no major spectacle occurred. And the new Sect Master, Chu Duannian, who chose the name "One Sword Severing Heaven," issued not a single decree, leaving everyone completely uninformed about his future style of governance.

In essence, everything everyone had anticipated for the Mount Hua Sect Master Transfer Ceremony failed to materialize; it proceeded smoothly and uneventfully. Then came a simple, solemn New Sect Master Enstoolment Ceremony, attended by representatives from numerous immortal sects.

During this rite, Lu Yuan followed behind the ninth-generation Sword Immortals of the North Peak, keeping his eyes downcast, nose observing the heart—thinking nothing—only occasionally glancing up to see Martial Ancestor Chu. New Sect Master Martial Ancestor Chu was utterly different from Ancestor Yan.

Ancestor Yan’s features were exquisitely handsome, as if carved by a master hand—a transcendent, world-weary beauty, a figure towering above everything else. But Martial Ancestor Chu, standing on the high platform now, had rather ordinary features.

Yet, when blended together, they gave off an overwhelming aura of dominance. If Ancestor Yan was the Sage of the Sword, then Martial Ancestor Chu was the Tyrant of the Sword.

When he stood there, he exuded a confidence that felt capable of swallowing mountains and seas whole. The wind howled fiercely across the Rising Sun Terrace on Mount Hua’s East Peak, whipping Chu Duan’s grey robes.

The golden sunlight served as his backdrop. He stood there; within his stillness lay the pinnacle.

"One Sword Severing Heaven!" "Salutations to the Sect Master." The five Peak Lords, renowned Sword Immortals from the five peaks, ordinary elders of the five peaks, core disciples of the five peaks, and general disciples of the five peaks all bowed toward Chu Duan. The power displayed by Mount Hua here was astonishingly immense, teeming with talent and brilliance.

Even more startling to the representatives of other immortal sects was the hidden strength. The Elder Council of the Mount Hua Immortal Sect had not fully appeared, yet those who did were all figures of immense fame and long establishment, like dragons briefly showing a claw or a horn among the clouds, causing immediate heart palpitations.

The Mount Hua Immortal Sect was entering a new era. The enthronement ceremony had concluded a day prior.

Under the vast blue sky, upon the grass of the North Peak, a young man lay sleeping. A blade of grass was tucked between his lips; though asleep, he exuded an indescribable air of ease.

At this moment, a bright-eyed maiden in a red quju ruqun (a style of ancient Chinese dress) walked up to the young man. "Asleep?" the maiden murmured quietly, "Sleeping in broad daylight?" The maiden looked slightly curious and bent down to peer closer.

At this moment, the young man seemed to sense something in his dream and suddenly opened his eyes. Lu Yuan looked at Miss Zhong.

Miss Zhong looked at Lu Yuan. They were so close, their gazes meeting across the mere space of an arm's length.

Lu Yuan could even detect the fragrance wafting from her soft lips. Miss Zhong’s face instantly flushed crimson.

She had come to attend the Sect Master's enthronement ceremony representing the Wujian Immortal Sect, and upon the ceremony's conclusion, before returning home, she decided to pay a visit to the North Peak. The relationship between the Wujian Immortal Sect and the Mount Hua Immortal Sect was decent, so she felt relatively free on the North Peak.

She asked for Lu Yuan's whereabouts to pay a visit, only to find him sleeping. She leaned in to check if he was truly asleep or pretending.

Who sleeps on the grass in broad daylight? In her life, she had never encountered such a lazy person.

And just then, Lu Yuan opened his eyes. Although Miss Zhong held great authority, she was still a young woman, and this was the first time she had been so close to a young man, causing her fair cheeks to flush.

Lu Yuan was also momentarily stunned. Still groggy from just waking up, he shifted upwards.

And so! Lip met lip.

The young man and woman’s lips bumped together. With that single bump, Lu Yuan’s mind went blank.

So fragrant, so soft. When he cleared his head, he realized the beauty was already gone.

The maiden in the red quju ruqun ran off, a mix of shyness and urgency coloring her demeanor. She rarely displayed such girlish timidity despite holding significant power.

Damn it, what is happening today? This is...

too embarrassing! Moreover, this was the very man she had hoped to find for her younger sister!

The maiden found her heart racing uncontrollably.