And the Immortal Longevity Fruit itself was divided into seven colors: the Red Immortal Longevity Fruit, the Orange Immortal Longevity Fruit, the Yellow Immortal Longevity Fruit, the Green Immortal Longevity Fruit, the Blue Immortal Longevity Fruit, the Indigo Immortal Longevity Fruit, and the Violet Immortal Longevity Fruit. While the efficacy of these seven fruits differed slightly, they each offered some minor benefit for ascending from the Body Tempering Stage to the Longevity Stage—note, minor benefit; their overall effect wasn't substantial.

However, should one manage to integrate all seven fruits, the effect on ascending to the Body Tempering Stage would be unimaginably immense. But gathering all seven was an endeavor fraught with incredible difficulty.

In truth, within the Longevity Cave, Immortal Longevity Fruits were exceedingly scarce; obtaining even a single color was hard, let alone the full set of seven. Throughout recorded history, few had ever acquired the complete seven-colored set. For instance, during the Eighth Generation, reputed to be the most golden era, only Patriarch Yan Cangtian managed to secure all seven; not a single other person succeeded. The sheer difficulty of obtaining the seven-colored fruit can be inferred from this.

If one color was elusive, how much more so were all seven.

Furthermore, the Immortal Longevity Fruit possessed some peculiar characteristics related to the Five Elements' mutual aversion. How did this manifest? The fruit would drop upon contact with Metal, wither upon contact with Wood, scorch upon contact with Fire, and burrow into Earth. To harvest it, only a metal implement could knock it down, yet once fallen, it required a porcelain dish lined with silk cloth to receive it. Strangest of all, it could not be consumed inside the Longevity Cave; it only took effect after being brought out into the outside world.

Passing through the gray, hazy cavern entrance, one was randomly teleported into the Longevity Cave.

Lu Yuan now found himself beside a flowing river, utterly alone.

Was this the interior of the Longevity Cave? Lu Yuan looked up. The sky was vast above, and the earth stretched out beneath his feet. In the distance, small hills dotted the landscape, with rivers faintly visible. This cave space was truly expansive—it possessed both mountains and water, rivers flowing through. The Mad Daoist’s line, "The peach blossoms swell as the cave gate closes," was quite apt.

Time slipped by unnoticed; a full day had already elapsed.

What was going on?

An entire day had passed, and he hadn't even touched the edge of an Immortal Longevity Fruit. He had encountered several cultivators, but not a single fruit. It seemed the saying about their scarcity was no exaggeration. After such a long time inside, he still hadn't located even one.

Lu Yuan shrugged, feeling helpless about the lack of success. The rarity of the Immortal Longevity Fruit was undeniable.

As he contemplated this, a faint crimson glow appeared ahead. Lu Yuan immediately cast a long-distance viewing spell and saw, atop the nearest small hill, a massive tree resembling a pine, bearing a single fruit emitting a faint red light.

It was a Red Immortal Longevity Fruit.

Lu Yuan became instantly agitated and sprinted towards the small hill. As he began his ascent, he noticed two other figures racing up from opposing flanks, having also spotted the fruit. Since the hill wasn't particularly large, they could clearly see one another. Lu Yuan instantly recognized the other two: Elder He Changfeng of the Mount Hua Sword Sect, and Elder Song Polang of the Qingcheng Immortal Gate.

Both were Elders at the ninth level of the Body Tempering Stage, and both possessed considerable reputations.

The saying, "The time for the Wind and the Wave to break through will come," referred directly to these two.

Upon spotting Lu Yuan, He Changfeng and Song Polang visibly relaxed. They remembered Lu Yuan’s strength from the Wusheng Relic Palace a year prior; while he surpassed the eighth level of Body Tempering, he was no match for them. But in just one year, how much could Lu Yuan have improved?

Consequently, both He Changfeng and Song Polang eased their guard, viewing Lu Yuan not as a primary threat, but as a secondary concern compared to each other. These two had long been rivals, occasionally crossing swords with balanced outcomes. Past victories or defeats were irrelevant now; this contest centered on the Red Immortal Longevity Fruit.

Of course, the immediate challenge lay in dealing with the various monstrous beasts infesting the small hill.

Any naturally occurring spiritual object would invariably have beasts lurking nearby.

Simply put, monsters could sense highly prized spiritual objects like the Immortal Longevity Fruit, which is why they guarded them. The higher the grade of the spirit object, the greater the number of surrounding beasts. Due to the relatively enclosed environment of the Longevity Cave, the beasts here were somewhat weakened; outside, the ferocity and number of monsters would be far greater.

The hill was guarded by numerous creatures: the Wind-Chasing Centipedes, known for their extreme speed—earning them the moniker "Chasing Wind"—and their potent venom.

There were also Fire Birds, capable of spewing flames to attack enemies.

And the Steel-Bristled Iron Pigs, whose bodies were covered in long quills they could launch as projectiles.

Finally, there were the Ice-Diving Birds—tiny and subtle, nearly invisible when motionless, yet delivering a single, fatal strike that sent an icy chill throughout the victim's body.

These beasts guarding the hill immediately split into three groups upon seeing the three cultivators charging up, directing one wave toward each incoming person.

Lu Yuan casually drew his Yangwu Sword. Even though the Wind-Chasing Centipedes were incredibly fast—being wind-aligned—Lu Yuan, who had mastered wind-element sword intent, instantly perceived the trajectory of their movement. Their supposed speed was merely a jest to one proficient in the Sword Intent of Quickness.

A Fire Bird launched a gout of flame, which Lu Yuan easily sidestepped. Simultaneously, the Yangwu Sword sliced out at a precise diagonal. With a movement both divine and subtle, that single strike cleaved the Fire Bird in two, killing it instantly. When the Steel-Bristled Iron Pig charged, launching countless iron quills, it made no difference. As long as one's sword was fast enough, all the projectiles could be deflected. Lu Yuan smoothly executed his strikes, rapidly thrusting his blade over twenty times at the same spot on the Iron Pig. With Lu Yuan's current magical reserves, twenty thrusts were enough to penetrate even the highly defensive Iron Pig; magic seeped in, leaving it grievously wounded, though the attack, being based on the Cloud Heart Sutra, lacked overwhelming offensive power for an immediate kill.

Lu Yuan had no time to attend to the Iron Pig, as the strange Ice-Diving Birds had already launched their attack. Lu Yuan shifted his hand, slightly rotating the Yangwu Sword to manifest the Sword Intent of the Raging Storm, instantly shattering the Ice-Diving Birds’ stealth. He then lunged with a swift stab, piercing one; lacking the defense of the Iron Pig, the Ice-Diving Bird died instantly.

With a few consecutive strikes, he dispatched several beasts, but they kept coming, wave after wave. Lu Yuan paid them no mind and continued his attack.

Fluidity and ease—this was Lu Yuan's first true sensation.

He realized he could finally achieve this state, at least as well as he had in the Wusheng Relic Palace. Back then, countering techniques had been admirable, but that mastery lacked this feeling of effortless flow. Now, following his cultivation under Patriarch Yan, the Five Elements Reincarnation Sword Intent allowed his techniques to cycle seamlessly, elevating his swordsmanship far beyond before, bringing about this sense of unconstrained ease.

Every motion, every stance, flowed together perfectly.

If anyone were observing Lu Yuan’s swordplay at that moment, they would likely be astonished by its sheer smoothness—a beauty quite unlike the ordinary. Few other sects’ techniques could match this level of seamless flow, perhaps only the Grand Supreme Tai Chi Sword of the Wudang Immortal Gate.

Of course, the fluidity of Lu Yuan’s current swordsmanship differed in nature from that of the Tai Chi art.

Evidently, however, no one currently had the leisure to observe Lu Yuan. He Changfeng unleashed the Sword Sect’s Xiyi Swordplay—the second-ranked technique from the Eastern Peak’s Sunrise Peak, second only to the Sunrise One Breath Sword. The Xiyi style, both subtle and yielding, relied entirely on extreme speed to deal with the monsters.

Meanwhile, Song Polang of the Qingcheng Immortal Gate employed the Seventeen Styles of Fast and Slow. His swordplay shifted between blazing speed and profound slowness, forcing his opponents into hesitation before he delivered the final blow. Both men dealt with their opponents rapidly, finally finishing them at almost the exact same moment.

Simultaneously.

He Changfeng, Song Polang, and Lu Yuan all paused, surprised that they had dispatched their monstrous foes at the identical moment.

The three were now very close to the summit of the hill. He Changfeng and Song Polang exchanged a glance. He Changfeng spoke, "Brother Song, how about we deal with this junior, Lu Yuan, together first?" 'Dealing with' here clearly meant defeating, not killing, to prevent him from entering the immediate scramble for the fruit.

Song Polang laughed heartily, "Agreed. Although this junior’s strength is less than ours, if we clash now, he might reap the benefits as the fisherman. Better to eliminate him first." The two men shared an understanding: they would neutralize the seemingly weakest opponent, Lu Yuan, before turning on each other.

"Oh, the Longevity Fruit is finally emerging." In an undisclosed location within the Longevity Cave, Song Shijun of the North Peak blinked in surprise. He spotted an Orange Immortal Longevity Fruit, but noted he already had several rivals, including Zhong Youshi from the Kunlun Immortal Gate, and even a cultivator at the tenth level of Body Tempering standing solemnly nearby. The fruit had appeared, yet securing it would prove extremely difficult.

"Haha, pretty good luck," remarked Jiang Yunfan, a Body Tempering ninth-level disciple from the Wudang Immortal Gate. He had found a fruit and, more importantly, did not see any tenth-level cultivators around—only a few others at the eighth and ninth levels. This counted as excellent fortune.

"Oh, the Longevity Fruit is out?" A Body Tempering tenth-level cultivator from the South Sea Immortal Gate, clutching a porcelain dish, swooped in like a great owl toward the fruit. He paid the other few disciples nearby no mind; if they dared to interfere, they would surely sample the South Sea’s famed quick sword.