Three of the cultivators were considerably aged, while the one in the center was notably young. Yet, it was this youngest cultivator who proved the most formidable; the rapid movement of his long sword forced his opponent, a middle-aged cultivator with a scarred face, into a continuous retreat.

Lu Yuan suddenly shifted, unleashing a move called "Swallow's Circling Flight!"

This technique was one movement from the Ancestor Yan’s Sword Style. Naturally, Lu Yuan’s execution of "Swallow's Circling Flight" now possessed only the form, lacking the true spirit. Back in the Heavenly Mountains of the Great Qin Kingdom, Lu Yuan had watched the ultimate masters, Ancestor Yan and Xiaoyaozi, clash from beginning to end, etching countless exquisite moves into his memory.

Of course, Lu Yuan could barely comprehend those intricate moves. Though he had pondered them bitterly for a long time, he had retained only the outlines of the techniques, not their essence.

By now, Lu Yuan had completely suppressed his opponent and felt no fear of a comeback, so he dared to use this move. Once "Swallow's Circling Flight" was deployed, the sword momentum tightened sharply, resembling an eagle circling in the sky, seeming to draw all the spiritual energy from the heavens. On closer inspection, it was not an eagle circling, but perhaps a coiling dragon's tail. Looking even closer, one could see countless motions interwoven into that single strike.

Though this move only carried the mere form of the technique, even that form was enough to terrify his opponent. Indeed, the man fighting Lu Yuan was already at a disadvantage, and this technique was utterly terrifying. This cultivator, hailing from the Qingcheng Immortal Sect, was petrified, his soul scattered. Finally, he could bear it no longer, turning and fleeing backward, yet his long sword still managed to carve a wound across his body. What a potent sword stroke!

In truth, among Ancestor Yan’s sword maneuvers, "Swallow's Circling Flight" was not considered one of the most powerful; the truly fearsome ones were moves like "Double Swallow Kill."

Truly impressive! Lu Yuan couldn't help but praise inwardly.

As Lu Yuan wounded and scared off his opponent, the other cultivator engaged with Fang Qingzheng saw the unfavorable turn of events and also sought to flee—this cultivator had not been gaining the upper hand, so his escape now was timely.

Of course, if Lu Yuan had been absolutely determined to keep him there, he probably wouldn't have made it out. However, as they all belonged to one of the Five Great Immortal Sects, there was no need for lethal cruelty.

With those two opponents gone, only the orange Longevity Fruit at the center of the lake remained.

Fang Qingzheng started slightly, uncertain how he felt. When they first joined forces with Lu Yuan, he had been utterly confident of his superiority over Lu Yuan; this belief had held until just now, but now it wavered slightly. Earlier, he had struggled against a ninth-level Body Refining cultivator, managing only an even match with his opponent, while Lu Yuan, facing someone else, had routed his opponent in just a few moves.

The difference was vast! Could it be that Lu Yuan was truly that formidable?

"Alright, now we must decide who gets this orange Longevity Fruit," Lu Yuan stated.

"Indeed." Fang Qingzheng composed himself. "We shall test our swordsmanship. Whoever’s skill is superior shall claim the Longevity Fruit."

Fang Qingzheng’s sword had not been sheathed; he made no move to resheathe it now, launching an attack toward Lu Yuan—a move of supreme finesse called "Boundless Falling Timber." "Boundless Falling Timber" sought to capture the essence of "the boundless timber falling rustlingly," and as the strike was delivered, it carried an infinite sense of desolation. Fang Qingzheng executed this move with remarkable mastery. Lu Yuan met it with a casual counter-stroke, just a simple sweep of his blade, which dissolved the boundless desolation and struck precisely at the flaw within "Boundless Falling Timber."

Seeing this, Fang Qingzheng immediately shifted to "Phoenix Arrives in Splendor." Once this move was unleashed, the sword light flared open like a peacock displaying its tail, dazzlingly bright, yet concealing how many killing intents lurked within that brilliance. Lu Yuan countered with another seemingly ordinary sword strike, yet it landed exactly at the core of "Phoenix Arrives in Splendor." Indeed, "Phoenix Arrives in Splendor," despite its infinite halo of light, had its weakness at the very center. Most people would not, or dare not, thrust their sword into that core. The center was where the light was strongest; most assumed it was the apex of the technique's power, never daring to strike there.

Fang Qingzheng followed with "Green Pine Welcomes the Guest." This move appeared as a refined, gentle welcome, yet within that greeting lay the potential for many killing techniques. Numerous follow-up moves could be launched starting with "Green Pine Welcomes the Guest." Facing such an attack, Lu Yuan responded with a single, steady sword thrust—a move that seemed both to seal and to close, clearly defensive, yet Fang Qingzheng instantly recognized that this single stroke dismantled his entire maneuver.

"Green Pine Welcomes the Guest" required the arrival of the guest before subsequent moves could be deployed. But Lu Yuan’s thrust, like a seal or a lock, meant no guest could enter; how then could the welcome proceed? All the varied follow-up moves were naturally rendered impossible.

Thus, Fang Qingzheng’s deployed sword move, "Green Pine Welcomes the Guest," was nullified by this non-aggressive counter.

Fang Qingzheng lay panting on the surface of the lake. He had unleashed every sword move he had mastered, only to have Lu Yuan completely shatter them. If merely breaking them were the issue, it would be one thing, but Lu Yuan broke every subtle sword technique with just a single stroke—this was utterly preposterous.

Fang Qingzheng knew then that he had lost; in swordsmanship, he was truly no match for Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan was not one to hesitate. His sword, Yangwu, moved instantly, slicing off the Longevity Fruit. The sword light flashed, and the fruit was secured in a porcelain vial—this was the second Longevity Fruit. Subsequently, Lu Yuan and Fang Qingzheng naturally continued their journey in search of more Longevity Fruits.

On the second day, within the Longevity Grotto, everyone was vying for the fruits. Battles erupted intermittently. Most cultivators maintained restraint, but some had already resorted to lethal force. Naturally, once one decided to kill, they had to eliminate all witnesses and then stage the scene as an attack by demons, otherwise, the consequence would be a grave crime.

The Five Great Immortal Sects shared a common bond.

Throughout various parts of the Longevity Grotto, scenes identical to the first day unfolded: fighting and snatching for the Longevity Fruits. Sometimes ten or twenty cultivators would clash over a single fruit. Occasionally, lives were lost. Moreover, demons were appearing more frequently; some had already begun encroaching upon the cultivators’ territories.

The third day in the Longevity Grotto. Thick layers of fallen leaves blanketed the ground.

Two figures were flying at a low altitude.

One of these figures was a lean middle-aged man wearing a tall crown; the other was a young man carrying a wine gourd.

Both men’s feet hovered just inches above the ground, but neither touched it completely.

Indeed, everyone possessed the ability to fly, but who would be foolish enough to soar high now? Flying would instantly make one a perfect target to be shot down; everyone could see that, and no one would hesitate to treat a high-flyer as a living target. However, walking directly on the ground was also unwise, as it easily left footprints, scent trails, and audible sounds.

Hovering just slightly above the ground was the current optimal strategy.

This wisdom was imparted to Lu Yuan by Fang Qingzheng, who had been to the Longevity Grotto before and possessed some experience. Lu Yuan was always one to readily accept good advice, so he followed Fang Qingzheng’s lead. While this approach consumed slightly more spiritual power, it was considerably safer.

At least the consumption of spiritual power was not an issue for Lu Yuan. His Cloud system's mana was intrinsically vast, and he possessed numerous Cloud-attributed spirit beasts, allowing his mana replenishment rate to far outpace his expenditure.

The two flew low, speaking little along the way.

Ahead lay a volcano, though it was not erupting—it was a dormant, red volcano. After spending over two days in the Grotto, they had discerned a pattern: the probability of finding Longevity Fruits seemed slightly higher on mountains or near water. Since this was a volcano, they decided to ascend and check for fruit.

Lu Yuan and Fang Qingzheng flew low to the mountainside, employing a Scrying technique. They discovered, as expected, a small tree atop the dead volcano, bearing yellow Longevity Fruits that looked quite tempting. Since they had found one, Fang Qingzheng was not rash; he used a Detection spell to check for any ambushes nearby. Caution was paramount in the Longevity Grotto. As soon as the Detection spell was cast, they spotted a figure ascending the dead volcano like a shooting star nearby.

One person!

Lu Yuan and Fang Qingzheng exchanged a look and accelerated their ascent.

Then, the three converged at the peak of the dead volcano.

When they were face-to-face, seeing the opponent clearly, Lu Yuan started in surprise.

The person opposite was someone Lu Yuan wasn't intimately familiar with, having met only once. His features were otherwise unremarkable, except for a striking absence of eyebrows. Lu Yuan had heard this man’s name mentioned many times. This arrival was also from Mount Hua, specifically from the North Peak of Mount Hua; he was the Molten Rock Swordsman, Nan Qiu, a tenth-level Body Refining cultivator, and concurrently, the number one expert under Sima Changbai.

They had met once before aboard Martial Uncle Dugu Ye’s flying ship, exchanging cold glances a few times; it was clear there was no friendship between them. Lu Yuan never expected to run into him here.

As the saying goes, an old grudge brings a thousand-mile reunion.

The Molten Rock Swordsman Nan Qiu glanced at Lu Yuan and let out a cackling laugh. "Oh, I truly never expected to run into you, Martial Nephew Lu. Sima Senior Brother had instructed me to settle things with you here. I was wondering what I'd do if I didn't find you. Now, it seems luck is on my side. I'll finish you off first, and then go claim the Longevity Fruit."

As expected, the meeting began with undisguised hostility—a desire to kill Lu Yuan.

Sima Changbai never missed an opportunity. If there was a chance to kill Lu Yuan, he would take it. In Sima Changbai's view, it should be simple for Nan Qiu to execute Lu Yuan. After all, Nan Qiu was his foremost expert, far surpassing Song Chi and others; he was no mere tenth-level Body Refining cultivator.