In the blink of an eye, more than two years had slipped by.

Nothing much had happened during those two-plus years. The two periods—a total of two months spread across two separate occasions—when the restrictive barriers dissolved for a month each, passed peacefully as there was no competition for the Five-Colored Tribulation Cloud Pills. Once the release period ended, life returned to normal: the Five-Colored Tribulation Clouds assailed them daily, and Lu Yuan continued refining his Five-Colored Sword Dao and the Five-Colored Canopy above his head.

The Five-Colored Canopy hovering above Lu Yuan’s head had become extraordinarily condensed. A cultivator at the third level of Longevity Realm could barely make it stir. If dozens of cultivators at the second level of Longevity Realm struck the Canopy, it wouldn't budge in the slightest. If dozens of cultivators at the third level of Longevity Realm attacked it, they could manage to shift the Canopy, but it would still require a sustained assault.

Aside from solidifying the Five-Colored Canopy, the majority of his time had been spent drinking, followed closely by refining his spiritual power (Mana).

Over these two-plus years, he had indeed made some progress.

For a cultivator at the second level of Longevity Realm, who possesses a lifespan of two thousand years, advancing to the third level of Longevity Realm—condensing the Divine Soul—essentially required achieving one thing, or perhaps three things.

The human body contains Three Souls and Seven Spirits. The Three Souls are the Celestial Soul, the Terrestrial Soul, and the Destiny Soul. The Celestial and Terrestrial Souls typically roam outside the body, while the Destiny Soul resides within. Simply put, the Destiny Soul stays inside the body, whereas the Celestial and Terrestrial Souls do not. To reach the third level of Longevity Realm and condense the Divine Soul, one must draw the Celestial and Terrestrial Souls back into the body. When the Three Souls are simultaneously within the body, that is referred to as condensing the Divine Soul.

What Lu Yuan had been focusing on for the past two-plus years was singular: strengthening the Destiny Soul to make it exceptionally robust.

The Qi Refining Stage focused on refining the Mana within the body’s meridians.

The Body Tempering Stage focused on refining every part of the physical body, including meridians, vessels, bones, flesh and blood, skin, the five major organs, and the brain.

The Longevity Stage, however, focused on refining the human Divine Soul, the Primordial Spirit.

For instance, to reach the third level of Longevity, one must draw the Celestial and Terrestrial Souls—which reside outside the body—back within. Before one can pull back the Celestial and Terrestrial Souls, one must first condense the Destiny Soul. Over the last two years, Lu Yuan had managed to strengthen his Destiny Soul to an astonishing degree.

The Longevity Realm, spanning ten levels, contained several formidable bottlenecks. The transition from the second level to the third was exceptionally difficult.

Besides this hurdle, there were several other immensely challenging stages, such as achieving the Ethereal Core at the sixth level, the Grand Completion of the Golden Core at the seventh level, and the Unification of the Three Extremes at the ninth level—all remarkably arduous breakthroughs.

Returning to the present, impacting the third level of Longevity Realm meant Lu Yuan had only completed the first step of a three-part process.

Lu Yuan slowly inhaled. A message had just arrived: his three years of confinement in the Meditation Peak were over. It seemed time to leave. He bowed slightly to Lian Nian and Nangong Zhe: “Martial Uncle Lian, Martial Uncle Nangong,” I am departing now. Do you two have any requests for me? If I can be of assistance, I will certainly help.”

Lian Nian gave a cold laugh: “I have only one goal: to kill Yuan Ling. If you can accomplish that, I will be eternally grateful.” This request undoubtedly startled Lu Yuan. Ever since Yuan Ling had committed that atrocious act using Lian Nian’s body, Lian Nian had become increasingly withdrawn, her hatred deepening.

Nangong Zhe shook his head, offering no request.

Moments later, a path materialized before them on the Meditation Cliff. Lu Yuan stepped onto it, waving a hand in farewell: Goodbye, Meditation Peak, the place where I have resided for three years.

Upon emerging from Meditation Peak, the azure sky above was strikingly clear and deep blue.

This time, those who came to greet Lu Yuan were Ye Yangrong, Senior Sister Ling Yuzhu, and his two good friends, Ye Fang and Ye Yuan.

“You’re out,” Ye Yangrong said with a smile.

“Yes, I’m out,” Lu Yuan nodded.

Ye Fang chuckled nearby: “Sixth Brother, we’ve already arranged a feast for you today! Several fine wines have been prepared; we must have a proper, satisfying drink!”

Ye Yuan looked at Lu Yuan with curiosity: “Huh? That’s strange. I heard that staying on Meditation Peak is incredibly tough. Martial Uncle Ye even told me the Five-Colored Tribulation Clouds strike there constantly, making even one day miserable. How is it that after three years, you haven't lost any weight?”

Lu Yuan smiled. He noticed that Ling Yuzhu’s cultivation had advanced again; she had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining. Ye Fang and Ye Yuan seemed to be at the eighth level of Qi Refining. During their subsequent casual conversation, he learned that Second Brother Yun Ping had also broken through to the Body Tempering Stage, becoming the third among the tenth generation disciples of the North Peak to achieve this milestone.

Back at the North Peak, a feast was inevitable. All the close acquaintances among the tenth generation core disciples attended. In fact, every core disciple remaining on the North Peak was present, save for Sima Bo—a full assembly. The group drank heartily to welcome Lu Yuan back from his three years on Meditation Peak, to wash away the dust of his seclusion.

“Cheers!”

“To Sixth Brother!”

“Sixth Brother, you’ve been on Meditation Peak so long, you don’t know that Jiangyin Prefecture now has a famous new wine shop. The liquor there… tsk tsk, it’s indescribably wonderful.”

“Truly? Then I must certainly pay a visit to savor it.”

“Oh right, Sixth Brother, during your three years in seclusion, my capacity for wine has grown immensely! How about we have a contest? Let’s see who is truly the North Peak’s Wine King!” Ye Yuan issued the challenge.

When it came to matters other than sword fighting, Lu Yuan might have been hesitant, but when facing a challenge in either swordplay or drinking, Lu Yuan would yield to no one. “Even after three years on Meditation Peak, I won't let you claim the title of North Peak’s Wine King.” Immediately, the group procured two massive drinking vessels—giant ox-horn cups, each capable of holding a full jin of wine.

The drinking contest began instantly.

On one side stood Lu Yuan, the former North Peak Wine King, and on the other, Ye Yuan, the former second-ranked Wine King.

The two were about to clash!

The others—Yun Yi, Yun Ping, Shi Zhi, and the rest—cheered them on constantly. Ling Yuzhu smiled faintly by the side, and even the usually reserved Fang Dan felt a surge of excitement coursing through her veins.

This night was destined to be sleepless.

In truth, the many disciples of the North Peak rarely indulged in such revelry these days. Each had their own duties, their own cultivation pursuits, leaving little time for such frivolity. However, due to some recent developments, the North Peak had issued a summons for all core disciples to return, and coupled with Lu Yuan’s emergence after three years of seclusion, and his generally good standing, a lively gathering like this finally took place.

Amidst this vibrant atmosphere, the lamp in the Peaceful and Moderate Study at the peak of the North Peak burned steadily all night long.

The entanglement with Yuan Ling had dragged on long enough; it was time to settle the score. Under the lamplight on her desk, Yuan Ling gazed thoughtfully at a large map of the Great Jin Kingdom spread out before her.

For the next half a month, Lu Yuan resumed the life he had previously led on the North Peak. Besides drinking and practicing his sword forms, there was only one other activity: visiting the newly opened famous wine shop in Jiangyin Prefecture. He found that the shop’s celebrated liquors were indeed plentiful; though pricey, the sheer variety of famous wines gathered in one place made the expense worthwhile.

One day, the sky was an immaculate blue.

Lu Yuan yawned. Currently, he focused his training on three areas: first, his spiritual power (Mana); second, the Five-Colored Sword Dao, primarily for defense; and third, the Five Elements Sword Dao, primarily for attack. Undeniably, the most pressing area needing improvement was his Mana. Compared to his swordsmanship, his spiritual power lagged behind, even though it was likely far superior to that of other core disciples.

Second was the Five Elements Sword Dao. Comparatively, he found offensive sword techniques more interesting, whereas the defensive Five-Colored Sword Dao held less appeal.

Moreover, the Five Elements Sword Dao required accumulation. He needed to master the Sword Intents of Metal (Jin), Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Once all five were mastered, he could achieve the Sword Dao of the Five Emperors’ Reincarnation. The Five-Colored Sword Dao, conversely, was merely the accumulation of Five Elements energy. Relatively speaking, Lu Yuan was more interested in cultivating Sword Intents.

Although fifty Sword Intents sounded formidable, he currently commanded only eleven, leaving a deficit of thirty-nine.

Never mind that; it was too distant a goal. He should focus on figuring out how to strike with numerous Sword Intents consolidated into a single blow. If he could achieve that, surpassing Martial Uncle Yuan Yuan’s swordsmanship would not be difficult.

Lu Yuan drew a deep breath. He had just trained for three solid hours but still hadn't grasped how to merge multiple Sword Intents into one strike. He failed again. As he paused, his ears twitched: “Since Martial Uncle has arrived, why not reveal yourself for a meeting?”

Ye Yangrong walked out with a smile: “Your hearing is quite keen.”

Lu Yuan remained impassive, though he knew inwardly that Ye Yangrong had deliberately made sound, otherwise, Lu Yuan wouldn't have heard him. Ye Yangrong possessed Mana at least at the eighth level of Longevity Realm; how could Lu Yuan possibly compare?

“May I ask why Martial Uncle seeks out this junior disciple?” Lu Yuan inquired.

“I seek you out because recently, our North Peak plans to send the Ten Core Disciples to tour the other four great immortal sects. This is intended to broaden your general knowledge and let you better understand the swordsmanship of other sects. After all, apart from you, the other nine core disciples rarely engage in combat with the swordsmanship of other major schools. We plan to let you gain some experience. While your skill set means you hardly need this, I still came to ask your opinion.”

Hearing Ye Yangrong’s words, Lu Yuan felt a stir in his heart.

After all, Patriarch Yan had previously instructed him to travel the various nations to achieve the Great Accomplishment of his swordsmanship, but Lu Yuan had always been rather indolent. Although he harbored the intention, he had never set out. Now, having the chance to accompany a senior from his own sect—even if it wasn't traveling the nations, but touring the main immortal sects within the Great Jin Kingdom first—appealed to him.

The world was vast; the world was expansive.

It was time to venture out and explore. Remaining confined to the North Peak would never forge truly peerless swordsmanship!

When speaking of peerless here, it meant swordsmanship that could genuinely match the level of Elder Yuan Yuan! Furthermore, perhaps his Mana would also increase significantly during the journey.

(The journey is finally about to begin. Although it won't cover all the nations, it will cover the Great Jin. Also, since I need to devise the itinerary for tomorrow’s travels, there will only be two updates today; tomorrow will have three.)