Moreover, the Longevity Dao Fruits that appear once every thirty years are governed by a fixed quantity.

Within the Longevity Cave, generally speaking, twenty-one Longevity Dao Fruits manifest on the first day, their precise appearance time being random within that day; these twenty-one fruits are overwhelmingly red, with the occasional appearance of an orange one.

On the second day, with random timing, eighteen Longevity Dao Fruits will emerge, predominantly orange, with occasional variations.

The third day yields fifteen yellow Longevity Dao Fruits.

On the fourth day, twelve green Longevity Dao Fruits randomly appear.

The fifth day sees nine blue Longevity Dao Fruits manifesting at random locations and times within the Longevity Cave.

The sixth day features six indigo Longevity Dao Fruits appearing randomly inside the Longevity Cave.

And the seventh, final day, within the Longevity Cave, three purple Longevity Dao Fruits will materialize.

This totals eighty-four Longevity Fruits in all.

As for the participants, Mount Hua's North Peak sends about twenty individuals, while the entire Mount Hua sect contributes around one hundred people. The other Four Great Immortal Sects, like Wudang Immortal Sect, have similar numbers, about a hundred each. The remaining three major sects only account for around eighty each. Coupled with the scattered numbers from mid-tier immortal sects, the total number of cultivators participating from the entire Great Jin Kingdom is roughly six hundred.

And each time, the Demon Faction cannot field a full contingent of six hundred demons at Body Tempering Eighth to Tenth Layers, but they still manage to muster around four or five hundred demons.

Consequently, every contest for the Longevity Cave involves over a thousand combatants.

Over a thousand individuals vying for eighty-four Longevity Fruits.

On the surface, it seems one fruit might be distributed among every eleven or twelve people, but this distribution is far from equitable; the powerful can secure several fruits for themselves, inevitably leaving fewer for everyone else.

Incidentally, the later the Longevity Fruits appear, the greater the opportunity they grant for realization and breakthrough; collecting the seven-colored Longevity Dao Fruits offers an astonishingly high chance of breaking through to the Longevity Stage!

The first day has already passed.

By the end of the first day, a faint scent of blood already lingered, signaling that some desperate actions had begun.

Early on the second day, Lu Yuan walked across the flat ground of the Longevity Cave and discovered a corpse ahead. The body had been cleanly sliced in half at the waist—this was… Jiang Yunfan of the Wudang Immortal Sect, killed outright, bisected. Lu Yuan let out a long breath; life was truly perilous these days. Even Jiang Yunfan had met such an end.

Lu Yuan continued walking forward, sensing a faint presence behind him. He instantly darted sideways, simultaneously slowing the circulation of his magical power. A moment later, several extremely faint sounds of tearing air zipped past where he had just stood.

“There was clearly someone here just now.”

“Yes, I didn’t expect the person to vanish.”

Two voices sounded.

“…Forget it, we didn't find that person.” one said.

“Right, there are still plenty of chances, with so many people in the entire Longevity Cave,” a voice identified as Su Yi remarked.

“Those people are truly fools, fighting over Longevity Fruits in the Longevity Cave is too risky. If you can snatch one, fine, but if not, it’s better to use the spare time to rob others. Even killing them is easily blamed on the demons.”

“The two of us working together can guarantee our survival even against a Body Tempering Tenth Layer expert. Body Tempering Eighth or Ninth Layer cultivators will inevitably meet their demise at our hands.” After saying this, both chuckled with self-satisfaction. Hearing this, Lu Yuan understood—they were a pair of bandits. Since he had encountered bandits, letting them go was out of the question. Lu Yuan slowly stepped out, clearly discerning the appearance of the two robbers: one tall and thin, the other short and stout, though both had their faces covered with black kerchiefs, clearly unwilling to reveal their true identities.

The two saw Lu Yuan and immediately burst into laughter.

The tall, thin one declared, “Hah, a fat sheep has delivered itself to our doorstep.”

“Hey,” the short, stout one observed, “Isn't this the only True Disciple from Mount Hua who entered the Longevity Cave? Are they perhaps here to offer themselves for us to rob?”

“No, wait,” the tall, thin one interrupted, pulling him back. “Look at the spot where he was just standing. He must have overheard our conversation. Knowing what we said and still daring to jump out—don't you find that strange?”

The short, stout one startled, “You mean… there’s an ambush here?” They didn't believe Lu Yuan could be their match, after all, he was just a junior. They recalled the records from the Wusheng Relic Palace a year prior, where he couldn't withstand thirty moves from a Body Tempering Ninth Layer cultivator. Only a year had passed; how much could he have truly changed?

However, they feared an ambush.

When things deviate from the norm, it signals danger. Neither the tall, thin man nor the short, stout man were particularly courageous. Within the Longevity Cave were Body Tempering Tenth Layer cultivators and even a few near-Longevity experts; their Body Tempering Ninth Layer standing was hardly the pinnacle here. Startled and suspicious, and being naturally timid, the two suddenly shot into the air and fled immediately.

What swift sword light for their retreat! Lu Yuan realized both of their escape sword lights were faster than his own. He truly couldn't match them in sword control. Indeed, those who dared to continuously rob others must possess some unique skill, like the blinding speed of these two's sword lights. Since he couldn't catch them, Lu Yuan said nothing, resigning himself to letting them go.

A blanket of crimson stained the ground. Lu Yuan stood there, recognizing that a fierce battle must have taken place here.

Lu Yuan knelt, dipped a finger into the blood, and brought it to his nose to smell it. This battle must have ended not long ago, and the combatants had departed shortly before. A large amount of blood had been spilled here; he wondered if anyone had died.

Lu Yuan suddenly sensed something was amiss, instantly flashing to the side while glancing toward his left. Emerging from the left was a slender, middle-aged man. Lu Yuan relaxed; he recognized this person. This man was also an Elder from the North Peak, named Fang Qingzheng, who had previously visited the Wusheng Relic Palace. His cultivation seemed to be at the Body Tempering Ninth Layer.

Essentially, his magical power was comparable to Lu Yuan's, which Lu Yuan could discern at a glance.

It was difficult for others to gauge Lu Yuan’s power, primarily because Lu Yuan practiced the Cloud Dragon Ten Transformations from the Cloud System mental cultivation method. Cloud System methods excel at concealment, their weakness being low offensive power. As a top-tier technique, the Cloud Dragon Ten Transformations had maximized this inherent trait.

“Greetings, Martial Uncle Fang,” Lu Yuan greeted, maintaining proper etiquette toward a senior.

Naturally, Fang Qingzheng did not dare to be careless. Although he was the senior, everyone understood that Lu Yuan’s future standing would surpass his own. “Junior Martial Nephew Lu is too polite.”

Fang Qingzheng stepped closer and, upon seeing the large pool of blood, frowned. He then stated, “The situation inside the Longevity Cave this time is quite complex. I have also witnessed several fatal incidents, which is completely different from before.” The cultivation world was generally peaceful, with few deaths; the current carnage in the Longevity Cave demanded serious attention.

Fang Qingzheng continued, “There are only about twenty of us from the North Peak. The Longevity Cave is vast; it’s rare to encounter someone we know. Since we have met, how about we join forces?” Fang Qingzheng’s suggestion had an underlying motive.

A year ago, in the Wusheng Relic Palace, despite possessing the power of a Body Tempering Ninth Layer, he had failed to enter the Sixth Layer. Yet Lu Yuan, merely a junior disciple then, had managed to enter that same Sixth Layer. Compared side-by-side, Fang Qingzheng felt deeply humiliated. Over the past year, many people had mocked him for being inferior to Lu Yuan.

Faced with such ridicule, what could Fang Qingzheng do? There was no recourse; the record from the Wusheng Relic Palace stood firm and unchangeable.

Now, seeing Lu Yuan again.

He harbored no thought of revenge against Lu Yuan; why would one seek vengeance against a fellow sect member?

If not revenge, then collaboration.

While collaborating, he could ascertain whether Lu Yuan was truly stronger than him.

Collaborate? Lu Yuan considered it. Why should he team up with Fang Qingzheng? Ah, right, Fang Qingzheng supposedly possessed a rather potent spell—the ‘Surveying the Four Directions’ technique, capable of scouting the surrounding environment. That could be useful. However, there were still points to clarify: “If we cooperate, how will the Longevity Fruits be divided?”

Fang Qingzheng proposed, “How about this: during our alliance, if we encounter a Longevity Fruit, we will settle it through a contest of swordsmanship and magical power. The first contest will be swordsmanship; if you win, you take it. If I win in magical power, I take it.” He proposed this division because Fang Qingzheng genuinely sought to prove his superiority over Lu Yuan.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan was tempted. Longevity Fruits were crucial in the Longevity Cave, yet Fang Qingzheng was proposing to use contests of swordsmanship and magical power to decide ownership—a proposition Lu Yuan gladly accepted.

Lu Yuan was no fool and understood the underlying challenge in Fang Qingzheng’s words. However, within the same peak, such constructive competition was something Lu Yuan didn't object to. Let the contest begin; it wasn't a major issue. Each would rely on their own methods and skills to see who was stronger.

“Agreed, we shall cooperate.”

This was the next group they encountered on the second day—a pair of demons: one Sand Demon and one Great Asura at Body Tempering Eighth Layer. Fang Qingzheng and Lu Yuan engaged them one-on-one; Fang Qingzheng took on the Sand Demon, while Lu Yuan faced the Great Asura. They had run into demons this quickly.

Fang Qingzheng didn't fear his opponent. He quickly dispatched his foe, intending to check on Lu Yuan’s fight afterward. Although confident in his own strength exceeding Lu Yuan’s, he had never witnessed Lu Yuan in action.

He swiftly concluded his battle and looked over, only to find that the Great Asura on the other side was already lying on the ground, cut in half.

Oh, he had finished his opponent even faster than Fang Qingzheng.

He certainly possesses some skill, Fang Qingzheng mused internally. It seemed Lu Yuan, who was merely adequate a year ago, had truly grown stronger now. But Fang Qingzheng had also improved over the past year; defeating Lu Yuan should still be manageable.