In the eating house that day, Lu Yuan ordered a few dishes and began to eat with the wine he had brought himself. It was slightly earlier than the usual mealtime, so the establishment was not crowded. Just then, Chu Fei arrived, and Lu Yuan immediately called out, "Martial Uncle Chu."

Chu Fei glanced at Lu Yuan, then looked closely for a moment. "Good heavens, you've already reached the second level of Body Tempering."

The Cloud Style mental cultivation method could indeed conceal the depth of one's magical power. If someone were only a few levels higher in power than Lu Yuan, they couldn't discern his true strength. However, Chu Fei's power was a full six levels higher than Lu Yuan's, allowing him to gauge Lu Yuan’s depth. He expressed slight surprise: "Your progress is truly fast."

"It's adequate," Lu Yuan replied modestly.

"Right, since you've reached the second level of Longevity, you'll likely be attempting the third. Have you been tested for what kind of soul you possess?" Chu Fei asked casually.

Lu Yuan paused, startled. "Martial Uncle Chu, testing the soul? What do you mean?"

Chu Fei looked toward Lu Yuan. "You don't know? To advance from the second level of Longevity to the third, one must condense the Three Souls: the Heaven Soul, the Earth Soul, and the Life Soul. But everyone differs slightly in these aspects. A proper test makes the ascent to the third level of Longevity much smoother."

"There's such a saying," Lu Yuan murmured, surprised.

"Nonsense," Chu Fei retorted, rolling his eyes. Chu Fei never maintained airs.

In truth, if Lu Yuan had a master, he would have naturally been instructed on these matters upon reaching this stage. But Lu Yuan's master, Li Yuanbai, had already passed away, leaving him without guidance. Furthermore, the other Sword Immortals on the North Peak hadn't paid close enough attention to Lu Yuan to notice this; had they observed his attainment of the second level of Longevity, they would surely have warned him by now.

Chu Fei said, "Never mind, I'll test you." Since there were few people in the eating house, it was quiet enough. Chu Fei's head was suddenly topped by a transparent projection of himself, roughly life-sized. Lu Yuan knew this was the Nascent Soul! Cultivators who reached the fourth level of Longevity could possess a Nascent Soul.

Previously, they were called souls, but upon reaching the fourth level of Longevity, the souls coalesced into the Nascent Soul, a higher echelon than the mere soul.

The Nascent Soul, the Nascent Soul, possesses several profound abilities.

Chu Fei's Nascent Soul floated near his head in the void. That projection made a few gestures, and at that moment, Lu Yuan saw three swords appear above his own head. One was connected to his body; the other two—one vast as the endless sky, the other heavy as the earth.

Chu Fei’s expression changed momentarily. His Nascent Soul suddenly manifested and then rapidly retreated back into his body. "Congratulations. Now you know precisely what your Three Souls are."

"The Three Souls, naturally, are the Heaven Soul, Earth Soul, and Life Soul. But unfortunately for you, your Three Souls are the Heaven Sword Soul, Earth Sword Soul, and Life Sword Soul," Chu Fei said, his face wearing a peculiar expression.

Lu Yuan was also taken aback. "Martial Uncle Chu, what's wrong with these Three Souls? Are they not good?"

"They aren't not good; they are exceptionally good," Chu Fei stated. "A person's Three Souls are generally the Heaven, Earth, and Life Souls, but there are subtle variations. Yours are clearly the Heaven Sword Soul, Earth Sword Soul, and Life Sword Soul. This indicates your talent in the Way of the Sword is unfathomably deep. I understand now why we struggle so much to grasp Sword Intent, while you grasp it easily—it's because of these Three Sword Souls."

"However, while such Three Souls make grasping the Way of the Sword easier, they introduce other formidable barriers. For instance, the hurdle of advancing from the second to the third level of Longevity—difficult for others, it will be even harder for you." Chu Fei paused briefly, picked up a nearby cup, took a sip of tea, and then continued, "You must now seek the Heaven Sword and the Earth Sword. Only by finding these two Celestial Blades can the Heaven Sword Soul and the Earth Soul be settled into place. Your cultivation at this level will be exceptionally arduous. Of course, once mastered, your divine soul will be far more potent than those of other cultivators."

"Heaven Sword? Earth Sword?" Lu Yuan was bewildered. "Where are they?"

Chu Fei replied, "The Heaven Sword is naturally at the Heavenly Pass on Mount Kunlun. The Earth Sword is at the Sword Unbinding Pool of Mount Wudang."

"Actually, the Heaven Sword and Earth Sword mentioned here are figurative terms, not literal blades," Chu Fei clarified. "Take the Heaven Sword, for example: Mount Kunlun possesses a Heavenly Pass, said to be the pass to ascend to heaven. There is an ancient stone sword there, imbued with the boundless aura of the Heaven Sword—we don't know its origin or history."

"As for why the Earth Sword is at the Sword Unbinding Pool of Wudang, have you heard the saying about the Sword Unbinding Pool?" Chu Fei inquired.

Lu Yuan shook his head in ignorance; he truly had never heard of the Sword Unbinding Pool.

Chu Fei explained, "The Wudang Immortal Sect was one of the great immortal sects of the Great Qin Kingdom, but it was later superseded by the Scarlet Dragon Immortal Sect. The Wudang Sect then relocated to our Great Jin Kingdom. For a time, the Wudang Sect flourished extraordinarily, even rivaling the Great Fahua Temple."

"At that time, the Sect Master of Wudang was generally recognized as the foremost Grandmaster of the Great Qin Kingdom. People admired and revered that Sect Master so much that they would unbind their swords at the foot of Mount Wudang, as a gesture of respect to the Wudang Patriarch. These swords were placed together, and that location became known as the Sword Unbinding Pool," Chu Fei narrated. "Innumerable famous swords were unbound there. If not ten thousand, then at least eight thousand, famous blades from every nation and corner of the land. Various sword auras mingled with the soil of the Sword Unbinding Pool, nurturing the Earth Sword. Naturally, you must seek the Earth Sword there."

Lu Yuan nodded. So, he needed to journey to the Heavenly Pass of the Kunlun Immortal Sect and the Sword Unbinding Pool of the Wudang Immortal Sect to achieve the third level of Longevity.

Coincidentally, he was about to travel across the Great Jin Kingdom with the contingent from the North Peak, and they were bound to pass near both Mount Wudang and Mount Kunlun.

"You are about to tour the Great Jin Kingdom, so look for opportunities to enter the Heavenly Pass and the Sword Unbinding Pool," Chu Fei advised.

"Martial Uncle Chu knows?" Lu Yuan asked.

"Of course I know. Sister Disciple Dugu and I will be escorting you to ensure your safety," Chu Fei replied. "Oh, I forgot to mention, the first stop is Wudang."

Mount Wudang was a colossal mountain in the Great Jin Kingdom.

If Mount Hua was famed for its peril, Mount Wudang was renowned for its elegance.

The scenery here was exceptionally beautiful.

Mount Wudang boasted seventy-two peaks, standing erect like a forest, each one piercing the azure sky. Within these peaks were thirty-six rock formations, each with its unique charm. Deep within the mountains ran twenty-four swift, cascading mountain streams, and there were eleven misty, cloud-wreathed caves, each distinct. Moreover, there were ten platforms and nine terraces, ten pools and nine wells.

Mount Wudang has always been acclaimed as an Immortal Mountain, the Grand Peak, with a poem proclaiming: "An Unparalleled Scenic Wonder of the Ages, the Foremost Immortal Mountain under Heaven." While this single line exaggerated its status to the heavens and earth, Wudang certainly couldn't claim to be the foremost Immortal Mountain. However, ranking in the top three immortal mountains in the Great Jin was no issue at all. The only peak whose name held more ancient renown was the Kunlun Immortal Mountain. Even the peril of Mount Hua was only considered equal to Wudang's grace.

Kunlun ancient, Hua Shan perilous, Wudang elegant, Qingcheng secluded, Nanhai distant.

These were the five most renowned immortal mountains in the Great Jin Kingdom.

At the foot of Mount Wudang, a group of people was walking slowly along the official road, showing no hurry whatsoever.

"Martial Uncle Dugu, Mount Wudang looks so tall."

"Yes, it doesn't seem much shorter than our Mount Hua."

"But Mount Hua still looks more treacherous."

"Naturally, our Mount Hua is the best." The leader of this group was a woman resembling an orchid blooming in an empty valley. Beside this ethereal woman stood a somewhat thin, middle-aged man. These two were clearly from the preceding generation, while the ten people behind them were considerably younger, essentially two middle-aged men, the rest being around twenty. Among them was a woman, bright-eyed and charmingly beautiful.

"Right, which do you think is superior: our Mount Hua sword techniques or Wudang's?"

"Naturally, our Mount Hua sword techniques."

"Indeed. Wudang's Rotating Finger Softness Swordplay and similar styles are decent, but always a step below our Hua Sword techniques."

"That's true. Wudang relies only on their sword array prowess. Senior Brother, don't you agree?"

"No. The Wudang Immortal Sect possesses a technique called the Tai Chi Divine Sword, which is the chief among all sword arts. In terms of profoundness, this technique surpasses even our Mount Hua sword techniques. However, the Tai Chi Divine Sword is extremely difficult to master; rumor has it no one in this generation has succeeded yet," the middle-aged Senior Brother, who was questioned, stated calmly.

"Senior Brother speaks truly," nodded the other middle-aged man, referred to as Second Senior Brother. There had been some friction between Yun Yi and Yun Ping years ago, but their conflict had lessened significantly over the years, and their relationship had improved.

"Right, Sixth Senior Brother, what do you think?" someone suddenly asked.

"Sword techniques are a matter of perspective," said the young man in green robes called Sixth Senior Brother. "Sword techniques have their inherent superiority and weakness, but it depends on the user. Even a technique like the Xi Yi Swordplay, in the hands of Ancestor Yan, could defeat Wudang's Tai Chi Divine Art. Truly, the emphasis in swordplay is always on the person wielding the sword."

"Sixth Senior Brother speaks sense," the others agreed.

"Oh, Sixth Senior Brother, you've sparred with many masters from the Wudang Immortal Sect. Could you introduce some of Wudang's sword techniques and forms to us?" asked a stout young man.

"Very well. Though the number of Wudang masters I've encountered isn't huge, let's start with Wudang's Soft Cloud Swordplay," the green-robed youth began his introduction.

Ahead, Dugu Ye and Chu Fei exchanged faint smiles. This journey had no true agenda other than allowing the disciples to gain experience, so their progress was deliberately slow. Along the way, the disciples often debated the merits of different school’s techniques, and Dugu Ye and Chu Fei were most intrigued that Lu Yuan’s perspectives on swordplay were sometimes ones they themselves had never considered, prompting deep thought in both of them.