Two men were fiercely engaged in combat. Both were renowned figures at the ninth level of Body Tempering, and on this fifth day inside the Cave of Longevity, they were extraordinarily fortunate to discover a ginger-colored Longevity Fruit right there in the valley. As for the blue Longevity Fruit, its rarity was absolute; there were only nine in total, and even cultivators at the tenth level of Body Tempering found them nearly impossible to acquire, these fruits largely being claimed by those at the half-step Longevity stage.

But this time, their luck held; this Longevity Fruit was hidden underground, almost invisible from the surface.

This is what true luck means.

The Cave of Longevity is often so capricious; it’s not always about superior strength to claim a Longevity Fruit; luck plays a significant role. Sometimes, luck arrives and cannot be stopped. If the allocation of Longevity Fruits were decided purely by strength, perhaps no cultivator at the eighth level of Body Tempering would dare enter the Cave of Longevity at all.

The Cave of Longevity is inherently a place where luck and strength walk hand in hand.

Unfortunately for them, both men had spotted the fruit, which guaranteed a fierce contest.

They fought cautiously, terrified that too much noise might attract others.

The result? They did indeed attract others.

Fortunately, when the newcomers revealed themselves, both combatants let out a sigh of relief.

They recognized the figure as Lu Yuan, a true disciple from Mount Hua’s Northern Peak. They had encountered him before a year ago in the Unborn Remains Palace, where he hadn't lasted thirty moves against either of them. A year and some change later, no matter what prowess he might have gained, he shouldn't be a match for two of them.

Hmm, why are Lu Yuan’s eyes still closed?

Could it be… he’s cultivating some kind of specialized closed-eye technique? In the world of immortal cultivation, there are all manner of miraculous methods—there is the Zen practice of keeping the mouth shut, and there is the practice of keeping the eyes closed.

“...The Sea Scroll Heart Slaying Sword Technique from the South Sea Immortal Sect, and a disc-shaped Dharma Treasure,” Lu Yuan deduced with his eyes shut. “You two must be Mao Canghai from the South Sea Immortal Sect and Zhong You-shi from the Kunlun Immortal Sect. I deduced this based on your techniques, your treasures, and the slightly higher mana levels you possess compared to other ninth-level Body Tempering cultivators.”

Hearing all of that.

Mao Canghai and Zhong You-shi felt utter disbelief. How could he possess such hearing ability?

Mao Canghai and Zhong You-shi looked at Lu Yuan and confirmed he was indeed keeping his eyes closed. It would be impossible for him to pretend to be closed-eyed right in front of them. Mao Canghai laughed heartily, “I don’t care how you discerned all that, but… now… honestly surrender.” He immediately unleashed the Sea Scroll Heart Slaying Sword Technique the moment he moved.

Zhong You-shi didn't hesitate either, sending his Seven Treasures Yin-Yang Dharma Plate slicing toward Lu Yuan. This treasure shimmered with seven colors; once activated, it could cut through anything, slicing through even the thickest iron plate effortlessly. Both attacks converged on Lu Yuan—never mind if his eyes were open or closed, they’d deal with him first.

He evaded!

Lu Yuan shifted, still keeping his eyes closed, and neatly sidestepped both attacks, causing Mao Canghai and Zhong You-shi to hesitate, wondering how he managed that. It seemed peculiar, but it hardly mattered; he might evade one strike, but could he really continue evading them?

Mao Canghai retaliated with an even fiercer attack: the "Tears of the Sea Sword Technique." This set of swordplay sounded somewhat poetic, with each move named after a line of verse—for instance, the final move was named "Pearls of Sorrow Under the Moonlit Sea"—yet, in reality, it was perhaps the most vicious sword style imaginable.

Meanwhile, Zhong You-shi employed Kunlun’s unique Grand Unity Heart Method, accelerating the speed of his Dharma Treasure. Kunlun is famous for its Dharma Treasures and the accompanying cultivation methods designed to work with them. Although the supreme secret scroll of the Grand Unity Heart Method had been seized by the Crippled Elder, some remnants remained, enough to grant the Dharma Treasure greater speed and power.

He still dodged! He evaded with ease, grace, and utter fluidity.

Mao Canghai and Zhong You-shi were both dumbfounded. Lu Yuan, with his eyes shut, had actually evaded all their killing moves. Furthermore, he began to counterattack with his own swordplay. His Yang-Nourishing Sword danced with unparalleled flexibility, pressing Mao Canghai and Zhong You-shi to the brink of coughing up blood. If not for the occasional, blatant openings in his sword moves—openings Lu Yuan would never normally display—they might have doubted he was truly keeping his eyes shut.

However, these flaws grew increasingly rare.

In the first few exchanges, a flaw appeared every few moves; now, often dozens of moves passed without a single discernible weakness.

Mao Canghai and Zhong You-shi groaned in misery. Neither could have imagined that the junior they defeated over a year ago could now defeat both of them simultaneously while blindfolded. This was simply unbelievable, yet it stood before them as hard, undeniable fact.

At that moment, Lu Yuan let out a long cry: “Success.” Yes, in that instant, a mysterious power seemed to have been awakened in his kidneys, transmitted directly to his ears. Lu Yuan felt he had succeeded; his ears could now perfectly perceive every sound—the sound of swords moving, the sound of blades cutting the wind, the sound of the wind falling upon the earth, and countless other noises.

Having succeeded, Lu Yuan lingered no longer. Still without opening his eyes, he effortlessly flicked his sword, dislodging the Longevity Fruit. Simultaneously, his ceramic vial moved, securing the blue Longevity Fruit within it. Throughout this entire process, he relied solely on sound, never once looking.

“Two Martial Uncles, I almost forgot the main business. You should also hand over the Longevity Fruits you’ve collected,” Lu Yuan stated. “Of course, if you two refuse, I suppose I could imitate those other cultivators in this cave—killing men and claiming they were demonic beasts—it wouldn't be difficult.” Having spent several days in the Cave of Longevity, Lu Yuan had learned a thing or two; if others could do it, so could he.

Of course, Lu Yuan was merely bluffing here. If they truly refused, he wouldn't resort to killing. After all, deep in his core, shaped by years of Immortal Sect education, he could never truly kill two martial uncles over mere material wealth.

Zhong You-shi and Mao Canghai’s faces turned ashen white. After a long silence, they could only manage helpless, bitter smiles and obediently handed over their Longevity Fruits.

But Lu Yuan didn't believe they handed over everything they had. Each only surrendered a single red Longevity Fruit. However, since they insisted they hadn't gathered any more, Lu Yuan had no recourse. After all, the fruits were stored in personal spatial artifacts; without killing them, he could never know the true count. And Lu Yuan’s nature was not one that enjoyed murder. He took the two red fruits and flew away.

Now, he had collected quite a few Longevity Fruits in total.

He likely had four red fruits, two orange, one yellow, one green, and one blue Longevity Fruit. This meant he possessed nine fruits in total. There were eighty-four Longevity Fruits available in the Cave of Longevity, and nine had fallen into his hands. Not bad, not bad; his record so far was excellent.

His eyes opened, and his hearing returned to normal.

Lu Yuan sat cross-legged on the ground, diligently meditating. Relatively speaking, training the sense of smell was the simplest. Cultivators use their noses extensively; the most frequent activity for an immortal cultivator is meditation, which involves in-and-out breathing, utilizing the nose in every breath, so this stage was relatively straightforward.

Sitting cross-legged, he concentrated entirely on his breathing, putting all other thoughts aside. It didn't take long before he felt an energy transfer from his lungs to his nose. A natural epiphany bloomed in his heart: the nasal trial was successfully passed.

At this point, Lu Yuan realized that every part of his body—be it blood, skin, bones, meridians, five organs, six viscera, eyes, nose, or ears, and the brain—was now accessible to his mana. His mana truly permeated his entire body, reaching everywhere, which was vastly different from the mana circulation limited to the meridians during the Qi Refining stage.

The Great Perfection of the Body Tempering stage meant truly reaching everywhere—mana flowed smoothly and continuously throughout the entire body.

At the same time, Lu Yuan noticed his physical body undergoing profound transformations.

First, the meridians began to change, instantly becoming thicker and more elastic. Following this, the blood, skin, bones, five organs, six viscera, eyes, nose, and ears underwent changes simultaneously; these bodily organs began to grow denser.

The blood became richer. The skin gained more elasticity. The bones became harder than before, surpassing the hardness of ordinary mortal iron. The five organs and six viscera were further refined. The eyes, nose, and ears also began to harden simultaneously.

Moreover, at this moment, all organs became slightly translucent.

Then, the brain began its transformation. The brain’s capacity seemed to expand, and it also began this subtle process of partial transparency.

His entire being emitted a faint white light, subtly distributed across his body. Lu Yuan, bathed in this light, appeared as sacred and divine as an immortal being. After an unknown period, the white light gradually retreated back into Lu Yuan’s body, and the semi-transparency vanished, restoring his normal appearance.

However, Lu Yuan’s complexion was now much fairer, and when he looked at his hands, they resembled crystal.

This was the true Great Perfection of the tenth level of Body Tempering—the final stage of Body Tempering.

From this point forward, having tempered both Qi and body completely, only the final breakthrough remained: summoning the Gate of Longevity to enter the Longevity stage. Of course, this final breakthrough to summon the Gate of Longevity was extraordinarily difficult. Fortunately, his presence in the Cave of Longevity, specifically for the Longevity Fruits, made things significantly easier.

This period of cultivation had yielded massive rewards.

His mana had advanced another step; navigating the Cave of Longevity from now on would not be difficult.