The fourth month of the human realm sees the last of the rapeseed flowers fade, giving way to the full bloom of the peach blossoms in April.

April on Mount Hua was breathtakingly beautiful.

Some peach blossoms were just beginning to unfurl their petals, while others remained tightly clenched buds, releasing only the faintest hint of spring's perfume.

The enthronement ceremony had long since passed, and most visitors to Mount Hua had departed.

The mountain had settled into a profound quiet, finally allowing Lu Yuan the luxury of finding a patch of grass for an undisturbed nap. Recently, with too many people around, he’d been forced to sleep high above in the White Cloud Realm. Yet, the grass of the human mountain held its own subtle magic, just as the clouds above had their own distinct allure.

Lu Yuan had only just awakened when he hurried toward the restaurant—it was time for lunch. Inside, he ran straight into Ye Yangrong, who occasionally dined there as well. Lu Yuan offered a casual greeting, intending to order his own meal, when Ye Yangrong simply raised a hand.

There was no choice; this man was his Martial Uncle. Lu Yuan had no alternative but to approach.

“Greetings, Martial Uncle Ye.” Lu Yuan bowed respectfully. Maintaining proper etiquette toward an elder was essential.

“I was just needing to speak with you about something. Since you’re here now, I’ll tell you,” Ye Yangrong said, taking a slow sip of tea. “By the way, have you ever heard of the Cave of Immortality?”

“The Cave of Immortality?” Lu Yuan froze internally.

How could he not have heard of the Cave of Immortality? It was a famous location within the Great Jin Kingdom. Legend held that many years ago, the Cave of Immortality was just an ordinary cavern. Then, one day, an eccentric Daoist emerged, chanting as he walked: “I come to sleep drunk for three thousand years; joyfully unknown by the human world.”

He continued his song: “A thousand years of slumber, unrecognized by man; peach blossoms flood the cave entrance in spring’s ascent.”

As the crazed Daoist sang, he vanished.

Some who overheard the man’s singing and found the poetry profound suspected he was a high-level cultivator who had attained enlightenment. In an age obsessed with the Daoist path, ambitious souls ventured into the cave. What they found inside were strange fruits. They took some out, ate them without immediate effect, and paid them no mind.

However, later, one cultivator, just reaching the Tenth Level of Body Tempering, happened to eat one of those fruits. He immediately broke through his current stage and advanced to the Longevity Stage.

This incident instantly drew massive attention.

As time went on, everyone discovered that consuming the fruit from that cave greatly increased the odds of breaking through from Body Tempering to the Longevity Stage. This caused a sensation. Reaching the Longevity Stage from the Tenth Level of Body Tempering was notoriously difficult, the complexity bordering on the unimaginable—and now, there was a way to significantly boost those chances.

All the people of the age flocked to the cave, only to find its entrance sealed shut, impervious to any known technique.

Later discoveries revealed that the cave door opened once every thirty years. Each time it opened, a few of those fruits would appear inside. Initially, the cave sparked brutal battles between immortal cultivators and the subterranean demons, as the demons had a secondary entrance to the cave below. After countless years of conflict, an agreement was finally reached.

The stipulation was simple: those above the Longevity Stage were forbidden from entering. Every thirty years, cultivators at the Body Tempering stage would enter on their own accord; whether they obtained the fruit depended entirely on their own fortune.

This was the Cave of Immortality. And those fruits were known as the Dao Fruits of Longevity.

Ye Yangrong stated, “The Cave of Immortality is about to open.”

“Originally, Martial Brother Yuanyuan and the rest of us thought you would be part of the group thirty years from now. But it seems you now possess the strength to enter this time. We might as well have you go this time,” Ye Yangrong advised.

Lu Yuan’s heart could not remain calm. He had finally reached the critical juncture.

Currently, he stood at the Ninth Level of Body Tempering. Any barrier within the Body Tempering realm posed no real difficulty; it was largely a matter of accumulated time. The true bottleneck was the transition from Body Tempering to the Longevity Stage. Now, the Dao Fruits of Longevity were finally ready for contention, and he could vie for them.

“You must be extremely careful inside the Cave of Immortality this time,” Ye Yangrong warned. “Over a year ago, at the Palace of Formless Legacy, your strength was less than that of a cultivator at the Ninth Level of Body Tempering. Your power must have advanced in the past year, but you must still be wary of those at the Tenth Level of Body Tempering. They are significantly stronger than those at the Ninth Level.”

This time, several cultivators who had been in secluded training—those at the Tenth Level of Body Tempering—were participating, necessitating Ye Yangrong’s detailed instructions.

Tenth Level of Body Tempering cultivators? Lu Yuan had never fought them. They rarely appeared publicly, always engrossed in their seclusion. It would be interesting to finally meet them.

“Furthermore, this entry into the Cave of Immortality is not like previous times. There is an underground passage allowing access, meaning the battle for the Dao Fruits of Longevity inside the Cave will involve demons. In every past contest for the Cave, some cultivators have lost their lives. While the number is never massive, the danger is far higher than in any other standard exploration,” Ye Yang Ye added a few more warnings.

In the time that followed, Lu Yuan made few external preparations. He diligently honed his Yangwu Sword and visited the inn to stock up on more wine, but little else.

Since leaving the Palace of Formless Legacy, he had dedicated himself solely to cultivation, mirroring the path set by Ancestor Yan. Everything had been preparation for this moment. Having prepared for so long, there was no need for last-minute cramming, and seeking out various magic treasures was simply not his style.

The azure sky stretched infinitely, the white clouds drifting languidly.

These clouds were scattered across the heavens, moving slowly and distantly.

Amidst the clouds sailed a small vessel, predominantly white, emitting a soft, faint luminescence as it skimmed swiftly through the vapor. Within this ship sat several middle-aged cultivators. The only exception was the young man dressed in green robes seated at the stern.

Standing at the bow was a woman as refined and profound as a deep-valley orchid: Lone Heart Sword, Dugu Ye.

On the North Peak of Mount Hua, more than twenty individuals were participating in this contest for the Dao Fruits of Longevity. Among them were a few distinct anomalies. One was naturally Lu Yuan, the only Tenth Generation disciple present. Besides him, four others radiated an aura so powerful that it surpassed that of ordinary cultivators at the Ninth Level of Body Tempering.

Indeed, these were the cultivators at the Tenth Level of Body Tempering, rarely seen in the cultivation world.

To conserve their spiritual power, they utilized Dugu Ye’s White Cloud Ship, a powerful artifact capable of extremely fast flight while remaining perfectly stable and highly defensive inside. Lu Yuan, resting within the cabin, conceded that some artifacts were quite pleasant; for instance, sword flight made sleeping difficult, whereas a ship-like artifact allowed for a good nap. Nice, very nice.

After several days of travel, the ship jolted and began descending toward the ground. It appeared they had reached the vicinity of the Cave of Immortality. Such a place was never located within a city but out in the wilderness. Landing there, they all disembarked. Lu Yuan surveyed the surroundings.

They were in the center of a valley. Not far off loomed a massive cave entrance, currently shrouded in a hazy, grayish mist, indicating it was not yet accessible.

Already, people from several Immortal Sects had arrived. In truth, it was the same familiar faces, though the notable difference was the presence of many Tenth Level Body Tempering cultivators from the major sects. Of course, numerous demons would also be present within the Cave of Immortality, but they would enter through a separate passage.

Most of the assembled groups were familiar to Lu Yuan. He spotted figures like those known by the couplets, “The time for breaking waves will surely come, hoist the high sail to the vast ocean.” He suddenly paused, wondering: What is happening to me? The faces I recognized from the Ninth Generation are beginning to equal those I know from the Tenth Generation. I truly am drifting further away from my own generation.

Lu Yuan also noted several unfamiliar but powerfully potent figures—these must be the reclusive cultivators at the Tenth Level of Body Tempering.

As Lu Yuan observed them, they were equally scrutinizing him.

Especially the Tenth Level cultivators, who had been in seclusion for so long and seldom appeared in the cultivation world. They were astonished. When had such a young man emerged, capable of entering the Cave of Immortality at such a tender age?

“Who is that?”

“Yes, that young fellow.”

“Oh, Senior Brother, you mean the young man. He’s quite famous recently, but you haven't emerged from seclusion, have you? He is the Sixth True Disciple of Mount Hua’s North Peak. His strength is quite extraordinary. Over a year ago, at the Palace of Formless Legacy, his power slightly surpassed that of a cultivator at the Eighth Level of Body Tempering.”

“Ah, slightly surpassing the Eighth Level of Body Tempering? That is rather good, but only rather good,” hearing this, the Tenth Level cultivator grew somewhat arrogant.

“Indeed. He may be promising in the future, but he won’t gain much this time. Back at the Palace of Formless Legacy, he fought a Ninth Level Body Tempering cultivator and lost. This time, even Senior Brothers like yourself, who are at the Tenth Level, have appeared. If he hopes to claim a Dao Fruit of Longevity, he’ll likely have to wait another thirty years.”

“That is true.” Various murmurs and judgments filled the air.

Lu Yuan, hearing these discussions, simply shrugged. He had spent the last year cultivating under Ancestor Yan, never revealing any advancements. It was unfortunate that these people still mistook him for the cultivator from the previous year at the Palace of Formless Legacy. However, it wasn’t intentional. If they underestimated him, so be it. The more they underestimated him, the greater his chances of success this time would be.

Lu Yuan continued to listen as they discussed the most skilled cultivators present this time, and which troublesome figures might emerge from the demon ranks.

The names that flashed by were nearly all those of the Tenth Level Body Tempering cultivators.

Finally, everyone had arrived, and the gray, hazy mist obscuring the valley cave entrance began to dissipate.

(There have been quite a few instances lately, but the Cave of Immortality storyline was set half a month ago, and I couldn't change it after much thought. I will reduce the instances after this arc. Also, I must post three updates tomorrow!)