And upon Simile Peak were nearly a hundred Repentance Cliffs. Naturally, across the entire peak, there were only a few dozen convicts; it was impossible for every single cliff to house an inmate, nor did every one possess the full complement of three people like the ledge Lu Yuan occupied. Of course, at present, save for the three largest Repentance Cliffs, the others stood vacant.

The three largest Repentance Cliffs each held around twenty or thirty individuals.

These three largest ledges were arranged in a triangle, enclosing the peak’s summit. Between these three cliffs was the very summit itself. At this moment, the Pill Seizing Battle had commenced, taking place at the very apex of Simile Peak. Lu Yuan’s strength placed him at the weakest tier among those on the Repentance Cliffs, so he naturally could not participate, merely observing from the sidelines.

This was truly a miniature version of the Three Sects War!

Lu Yuan was genuinely shaken to the core. Experts from the Sword Sect, the Qi Sect, and the Sword-Qi Sect, all at the Profound Life (Changsheng) realm, were clashing above. Among them, a very small number possessed magical power that was no less than that of the Six Sword Immortals of the North Peak, reaching the Eighth Layer of Profound Life. When they fought, it was a terrifying spectacle that churned heaven and earth, obscuring the sun and moon.

Naturally, reaching that level of cultivation didn't automatically make them equals to the Six Sword Immortals of the North Peak; the Sword Sect Immortals commanded a greater quantity of Sword Intent—far exceeding that of most elders—along with various other secret techniques.

The Sword Sect’s swordsmanship mirrored the techniques Lu Yuan had previously witnessed, including the Peak-Guarding Swordsman techniques from the East and South Peaks. Yet, when these elders of the Profound Life realm employed them, Lu Yuan truly grasped the profound subtlety of their swordsmanship. The power exhibited by these elders was drastically different from that of those Lu Yuan had seen using the same forms before.

The exact same sword technique, but wielded by these masters versus the others Lu Yuan had encountered, was the difference between heaven and earth, between mud and clouds.

For instance, take the "Xi Yi Sword Technique"—which advocated for being both subtle and evident, neither too much nor too little. Lu Yuan remembered seeing this technique before, yes, used by Elder He Changfeng during his Ninth Layer of Body Refining. However, the technique in He Changfeng’s hands and in the hands of this Sword Sect elder were worlds apart.

In He Changfeng’s application, the swordplay was formidable, but one could still trace its movements. But now, under this Sword Sect elder, the Xi Yi Sword Technique was genuinely subtle and evident—the sword itself was utterly invisible, unfelt. It was terrifyingly potent.

The Xi Yi Sword Technique, ranked second among the East Peak’s sword arts, indeed lived up to its renowned name. The Sword Sect elders—each one displayed swordsmanship of the most exquisite caliber.

Oh, while we are speaking of it, those at the Fifth Layer of Profound Life who master the command of dual swords—the transformation at this stage is significant. Their combat prowess when wielding two swords is vastly superior to those using only one; one sword can defend around the body while the other strikes the enemy from afar. If a single-sword user encounters a dual-sword master, they are bound to suffer a major disadvantage—it’s unavoidable. One opponent has two blades, one for offense at range and one for self-preservation, while you only have one. What choice do you have but to defend? It’s quite helpless. Fortunately, Lu Yuan let out a long sigh of relief. He had mastered the Five-Colored Sword Dao, manifesting the Five-Colored Canopy above his head for automatic defense. He wouldn't be breached, meaning he didn't need to fear the dual-sword style.

Having discussed the Sword Sect elders, it is time to talk about the Qi Sect.

Lu Yuan observed from the side; the spells cast by the Qi Sect elders were viciously potent. He had seen disciples or elders of the Qi Sect use magic before, but he always felt their spells weren't particularly strong. The most memorable was the "Molten Doomsday" spell used in the Profound Life Cave. He had always assumed their magic lacked significant destructive power.

But seeing these Qi Sect elders clash at the summit of Simile Peak revealed the true savagery of their sorcery.

Their top-tier spells were unleashed one after another. Many of these supreme techniques were homing, tracking their targets, but the truly brutal aspect was the sheer area of effect they covered, making evasion nearly impossible. To give an example, one Qi Sect elder unleashed the ultimate spell, the "Single Qi Sun-Moon Meteor Throw."

Once this spell was deployed, it was genuinely terrifying. In the elder's hand, it manifested as a brilliant, blazing sun, hurled suddenly toward the opponent. Furthermore, its speed was incredibly fast, possessing the tracking velocity of an unstoppable projectile. In the blink of an eye, it struck down one opponent after another.

Let's talk about the elders of the Sword-Qi Sect, as Lu Yuan continued to watch the Pill Seizing Battle unfold from the side.

Lu Yuan observed that among the Sword-Qi Sect elders, some excelled more at swordsmanship, others at sorcery. Generally speaking, their sword techniques were inferior to the Sword Sect's, and their magic was less potent than the Qi Sect's, yet they possessed their own unique strengths. Oh, Lu Yuan did notice one Sword-Qi Sect elder using the "One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud"—impressive, very impressive. It was rare to see an elder employing the same sword technique as himself.

The One Hundred and Eight Swords of Wind and Cloud was a Peak-Guarding technique; only true disciples were taught it outright; others required meritorious service of great import. However, frankly speaking, Lu Yuan assessed the Sword-Qi Sect elder's execution of this technique as inferior to his own. The elder appeared to have grasped only the Wind Sword Intent, having missed the Cloud Sword Intent entirely.

Among the elders of the Profound Life realm, some had comprehended one Sword Intent, some none at all. Those who grasped multiple intents were exceedingly rare.

Lu Yuan observed the battle from the periphery, watching the Qi Sect elders’ magic mostly out of curiosity, and to cross-reference the strange and varied esoteric secrets and counters he had heard discussed over the previous two hundred-plus days. However, observing the movements of the Sword Sect and Sword-Qi Sect elders proved immensely beneficial.

It had been mentioned before that mastering the Five Elements Reincarnation Sword Dao had opened a vast window for Lu Yuan, allowing him to view matters from a higher perspective, granting his Sword Dao a grander structure. He was already in a period of rapid power growth, and watching so many masters employ their sword forms, he felt his own strength in the Dao subtly advancing once more.

The Pill Seizing Battle was nearing its conclusion.

This contest had finally determined the top five rankings.

Of the top five, the Sword Sect claimed three spots, the Qi Sect secured one, and the Sword-Qi Sect took the final slot. Rumor had it that the Eighth and Ninth Generations were eras where the Sword Sect’s strength vastly surpassed the others; the Tenth Generation showed less obvious dominance. Now it seemed true: three of the five Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud Pills would fall into the hands of Sword Sect disciples.

However, it had to be admitted that the prowess of these three Sword Sect elders was truly exceptional.

And one of them—Elder Lian Nian, from the very Repentance Cliff where Lu Yuan resided. Yes, the one who used the Xi Yi Sword Technique so exquisitely that the sword shadows became invisible was Lian Nian.

The other two: one was nicknamed 'Book Sword Yu Danqing.'

But Snake Sword Lian Nian and Book Sword Yu Danqing combined were not as formidable as the last victor. The final person’s title was 'Miscellaneous Sword Immortal Ximen Luan.' Did they hear that? This person’s title was Sword Immortal!

Generally, those nicknamed 'Sword Immortal' had achieved a level of renown comparable to the established Sword Immortals, such as the Six Sword Immortals of the North Peak; otherwise, they wouldn't warrant the title. As for this Miscellaneous Sword Immortal Ximen Luan, rumor had it he was once one of the Eight Sword Immortals of the East Peak, but having committed some transgression, he was confined to Simile Peak for several hundred years, his position subsequently filled by another.

"Our Sword Sect is truly mighty."

"Of course, we took three of the top five spots."

"Indeed."

"By the way, did you all hear? According to Senior Brother Lian Nian, a junior from the Sword-Qi Sect visited his Repentance Cliff not long ago. That junior mentioned that the current Sect Master of Mount Hua is no longer Elder Yan Shibo; Elder Yan has ascended.

And the current Sect Master is our Sword Sect's Elder Chu Duan."

"It’s Elder Chu? Then he will surely lead our Sword Sect to greater glory."

"The Sword Sect’s sword techniques are the supreme way!"

"Naturally. What use is the Qi Sect learning sorcery? It can't compare to our sword skills."

"The Sword-Qi Sect following the path of half-sword, half-magic—how laughable." The discussions erupted. The Sword Sect members had received two pieces of excellent news: first, their comprehensive victory in the Pill Seizing Battle, and second, Chu Duan taking the mantle of Sect Master.

"I heard the Sword-Qi Sect claims to have sword techniques. Their sword arts are truly ridiculous."

"Exactly! If you want to learn swordsmanship, learn it properly and specialize. Why dabble in magic?"

Snake Sword Lian Nian smiled faintly: "Actually, if anyone from the Sword-Qi Sect can surpass the sword techniques of our Sword Sect members, I wouldn't mind handing over my Black Tribulation Cloud Pill to that person." The Black Tribulation Cloud Pill corresponds to Water, inherently a Water-element pill, immensely useful for the Mist Cultivation methods of the South Peak and the Cloud Cultivation methods of the North Peak.

Book Sword Yu Danqing sneered coldly: "How could anyone from the Sword-Qi Sect possibly surpass our Sword Sect’s techniques? After all, we are professionals; they are dilettantes." Yu Danqing was usually easygoing, but now he showed no sign of amiability.

This was a blatant humiliation, leveraging the momentum of victory to deliver a sharp rebuke. And the problem was, among the Sword-Qi Sect members currently on the cliffs, there truly was no one whose swordsmanship could surpass Snake Sword Lian Nian or Book Sword Yu Danqing. Thus, they were being openly shamed, leaving them with no retort, despite the boiling resentment within.

"Oh? If I surpass the sword techniques of your Sword Sect members, I can obtain the Black Tribulation Cloud Pill? Thank you. Actually, your Sword Sect's sword techniques are nothing remarkable; breaking them is not difficult." A clear, resonant voice sounded. Who dared to speak with such audacity? The Sword Sect was renowned globally for its sword techniques, peerless across the entire Jin State.

This person dared to belittle the Sword Sect’s fundamental art—truly arrogant.

The voice originated from within the ranks of the Sword-Qi Sect.

Everyone turned to look. They saw a young man clad in cyan robes, appearing quite unfamiliar; they had never seen him before.