The young man in green lightly turned the hilt of his sword, and around him lay ranks of cultivators, mostly having their wrists severed, thus crippling their meridians. Those who had reached the ninth layer of Body Refinement and possessed the capability of regenerating severed limbs were far more grievously injured, entirely stripped of their combat power. These cultivators sprawled on the ground stared with wide, unblinking eyes.

Nine moves!

In merely nine moves!

Lu Yuan had defeated Elder Shi Mo, who had condensed his soul in the Longevity Third Layer and even possessed Sword Intent, in just nine exchanges. This left the other fallen cultivators beside them utterly speechless with shock. This was too preposterous; Elder Shi Mo was a figure possessing Sword Intent, not some mere fodder, and his was the notoriously ferocious Sword Intent of Thunder, always proving difficult to handle.

How could anyone accept this?

Normally, without having cultivated under Ancestor Yan, once Lu Yuan reached the Longevity stage, facing elders who had partially mastered Sword Intent, he wouldn't be able to win by skipping two layers of cultivation. At best, relying on knowing more Sword Intents, he might win by skipping one layer. However, having followed Ancestor Yan’s teachings for that period, his Sword Intent had reached eleven varieties—not to mention mastering the Five Elements Reincarnation Sword Dao, which significantly advanced his swordsmanship realm. Now, even when encountering opponents who understood one or two Sword Intents, he could win by skipping two levels.

If he encountered an elder ignorant of Sword Intent altogether, he could skip three layers. But since most cultivators at the Longevity stage began grasping Sword Intent, he typically only won by overpowering those two levels higher.

With a gentle flick of his wrist, the Yangwu, clear as autumn water, slid back into its sheath.

Now was the time to collect the spoils.

Lu Yuan smiled faintly. He didn't need them to point out the location of the loot. Though the abundant spiritual energy emanating from the massive cache of spirit stones was suppressed by various restrictive formations, he could still sense it from within the estate. He moved like a flash of lightning toward the southeast corner, where a tightly shut wooden door faintly shimmered with seven-colored light. Lu Yuan’s longsword struck straight out. This strike cleaved through the shimmering colors, shattering the formation. Simultaneously, the waning momentum of the sword’s force broke open the door, revealing the spirit stones inside.

They were still low-grade spirit stones, but the quantity was staggering, almost entirely filling the room. By experience, Lu Yuan estimated the pile to be no less than ten thousand stones. Each stone emitted a faint glow, but collectively, this multitude of stones illuminated the entire chamber brilliantly.

He had struck it rich!

Lu Yuan made no ceremony, having recently acquired a small Qiankun Ring. He proceeded to pack all ten thousand-odd spirit stones into it. He had to admit, fitting so many spirit stones into the ring was quite an undertaking, but Lu Yuan was immensely pleased. How could one not be happy when spirit stones were flowing in?

Huh! What is this! Just as he finished securing the roughly ten thousand spirit stones, he noticed a Spirit Sealing Tablet affixed to the wall. Lu Yuan grew curious and immediately sank his spiritual sense into it. Only then did he start in surprise. Within this Spirit Sealing Tablet were five large, cloud-element spiritual beasts: Cloud Tigers.

Where did these come from?

Forget it. Regardless of their origin, they were now his spoils of war. He had recently been lamenting that his supply of cloud-element spiritual beasts was somewhat lacking, and now five Cloud Tigers were delivered right to him. This was a true windfall—a lucky start, a truly auspicious beginning.

As the saying went: two years without a catch on North Peak, but the first catch is a fortune. Excellent, excellent.

Satisfied, Lu Yuan turned and broke the void with his sword, heading straight for North Peak.

"What!" Venerable Yuanyuan was handling some administrative matters in the Hall of Peace and Neutrality when he heard that Lu Yuan had personally come to call. He found it strange. His grand-disciple had been notoriously lazy, staying put on North Peak for the past two years without ever visiting once. Why the sudden visit?

Intrigued, he bade Lu Yuan enter, expecting perhaps a difficult question regarding cultivation. But after Lu Yuan finished speaking, even Venerable Yuanyuan, who had navigated countless storms in his long life, was visibly shaken.

"Well done." Ye Yangrong slapped his thigh from the side. The Sword Sect had been arrogantly unchecked these past two years, and now Lu Yuan had pulled off such a magnificent feat, truly venting a deep-seated frustration. At the same time, he marveled at how reckless Lu Yuan could be, daring to provoke the Sword Sect right when the new Sect Master Chu was trying to establish his authority.

Venerable Yuanyuan smiled. "How did you dare to do this?"

Lu Yuan shrugged. "Because I wanted to visit the Cliff of Contemplation. I’ve been everywhere else in Huashan, but never the Cliff of Contemplation."

"Then, what is your bottom line?" Venerable Yuanyuan inquired.

"Let me go to the Cliff of Contemplation—that should count as the punishment—and additionally, I must be allowed to keep the spoils I obtained there," Lu Yuan stated.

"You are so certain I can help you?" Venerable Yuanyuan was puzzled.

"Because that area is Yunyang Valley. More than two years ago, half of that territory belonged to us. With that connection, haggling to prevent confiscation of my spoils shouldn't be too difficult," Lu Yuan chuckled. "I trust that with your capabilities, Venerable Martial Uncle, ensuring that outcome will not be too challenging."

"You flattering brat." Venerable Yuanyuan scolded him with a smile. However, he had to admit that this grand-disciple, besides being daringly impulsive, was also remarkably shrewd and cunning. He understood the bottom line of the Three Sects and, despite his usual indolence, could accurately estimate the extent of the negotiation Venerable Yuanyuan could manage on his behalf.

This was true intelligence—to instantly estimate the limits of negotiation between the Three Sects.

Among the Hundred Peaks of Huashan, the Central Peak was indeed central.

Adjacent to the Jade Maiden Peak of the Central Peak was another peak, called Hua Peak.

Geographically speaking, Hua Peak was even more centrally located than Jade Maiden Peak. Upon Hua Peak stood a palace known as the Hua Palace. The origins of the Hua Palace were long recorded in the history of the Huashan Immortal Sect—it was built by the Second Ancestor of North Peak. Its original purpose was to serve as a place where members from the Five Peaks could convene for discussions.

During the time of the Second Generation of Huashan, the prevailing situation was strikingly similar to the present, with the Five Peaks and Three Sects of Huashan constantly on the verge of collapse. In the end, it was the Second Ancestor of North Peak who single-handedly unified the Five Peaks, preventing their separation. This structure had lasted for over four thousand years, and throughout this time, any significant matter concerning the Five Peaks was habitually debated within the Hua Palace on Hua Peak.

Today, for some unknown reason, Sect Master Chu summoned the peak masters of every peak to Hua Peak for a meeting. Some major event must have occurred, as all the peak masters gathered at Hua Peak and proceeded toward the Hua Palace.

Entering the palace, they saw Sect Master Chu Duan already seated. The respective peak masters took their places: Venerable Yuanyang of East Peak, Venerable Huifeng of South Peak, Venerable Yuanyuan of North Peak, Venerable Zixia of West Peak, and Venerable Yuzhen of Central Peak. Behind each peak master were several ninth-generation Sword Immortals. Except for the masters of East Peak, Venerable Yuanyang, and North Peak, Venerable Yuanyuan, the others were unaware of what had transpired.

It wasn't a failure of intelligence gathering; rather, Sect Master Chu had called the meeting too swiftly. Lu Yuan of North Peak had only just finished his consultation with Venerable Yuanyuan before being summoned here. Intelligence reports from other peaks had not yet arrived, and for some, the peak masters hadn't had time to read the submitted reports, given the heavy administrative duties they faced daily.

"The reason for summoning everyone here is a message received just now: a disciple from North Peak attacked Yunyang Valley under East Peak’s jurisdiction, severely injuring the personnel at the Yunyang Estate, including Martial Uncle Shi Mo. This matter is to be debated," Chu Duan declared coolly, sweeping his gaze across the room as he initiated the discussion. In truth, Chu Duan's authority was considerably weaker than that of sect masters in other lineages; other masters possessed absolute control, whereas Huashan Immortal Sect, having been fractured for so long, meant Chu Duan lacked complete command. The Sword Sect would obey him, but the other three peaks would heed his words only to a moderate and appropriate degree. In the last two years, Chu Duan had been continuously striving to bolster his authority.

The announcement elicited gasps of surprise.

"Lu Yuan, merely a disciple."

"Shi Mo, I recall he is Longevity Third Layer... and apparently mastered the Thunder Sword Intent."

"Such a person lost to Lu Yuan." Everyone present, though superior in cultivation to Lu Yuan, was horrified by the speed of his advancement.

"He has guts."

"Well done."

"Satisfying." Unquestionably, these were the voices of the Qi Sect and the Sword Qi Sect, who felt Lu Yuan had done something immensely gratifying. However, their expressions of satisfaction were perhaps too loud, representing an overt confrontation with the Sword Sect. This revealed the depth of the current conflict between the three sects: Sword Sect, Sword Qi Sect, and Qi Sect.

The era had changed; this was no longer the age of Yan Cangtian.

The members of the Qi Sect, who had previously found Lu Yuan irritating after his victory over Song Nanshan, now viewed him with increasing approval.

Chu Duan’s expression turned cold. As expected, this probe had yielded results. In truth, the incident itself was secondary; the crucial part was testing the attitudes of the Sword Qi Sect and the Qi Sect.

What followed was the wrangling over the incident. The Sword Sect demanded Lu Yuan return everything he had seized. However, Venerable Yuanyuan of the Sword Qi Sect seized upon the fact that two years prior, half of Yunyang Valley belonged to North Peak, initiating the dispute. Unsurprisingly, the Qi Sect continuously supported the Sword Qi Sect; Venerables Zixia and Yuzhen ceaselessly spoke up for Venerable Yuanyuan.

The Sword Sect was the strongest, while the Qi Sect and Sword Qi Sect were currently allied in opposition to the Sword Sect.

One Sect Master and five Venerables engaged in ceaseless haggling and verbal sparring.

No matter how long the argument lasted, a resolution had to be reached eventually. In the end, Lu Yuan was not required to return his "spoils." However, he was ultimately sentenced to three years on the Cliff of Contemplation. The Cliff of Contemplation was hardly a pleasant place, but three years was not an excessively long term—it was a punishment that was neither light nor lenient.

The outcome of this argument did little to change the situation; the confrontation between the Sword Sect, the Qi Sect, and the Sword Qi Sect had once again reached a deadlock, settling into a tense equilibrium.