"Halt, all who approach." The contingent from North Peak, on the verge of ascending Wudang, was abruptly stopped. Dugu Ye stood poised beside them, a cold, striking figure, allowing Chu Fei to handle the parley. The Wudang cultivators barring the path, upon hearing Chu Fei declare their identities, requested the Huashan contingent wait a moment while they relayed the message upwards.

A short while later, a Ninth Generation Sword Immortal from the Wudang Immortal Sect arrived.

She was a Taoist nun, soft of feature and clad in yellow robes—Luo Xia Sword Immortal Shen Xia, herself a renowned Sword Immortal.

The Wudang Seven Masters were all at the Great Dao Realm, the Venerable level.

Since Dugu Ye, Chu Fei, and their entourage had come from Huashan North Peak, the Wudang Immortal Sect naturally could not dispatch any of the Seven Masters themselves; it was a matter of propriety. At most, they would send a Ninth Generation Sword Immortal like Shen Xia to greet them.

Upon meeting, there was, of course, an exchange of pleasantries and courtesies. After Dugu Ye and Shen Xia, the two female Ninth Generation Sword Immortals conferred briefly, confirming the purpose of the Huashan North Peak delegation. Shen Xia was naturally extremely welcoming. Sparring among the younger generations of the various sects was always a good thing for their growth.

Thus, Luo Xia Sword Immortal Shen Xia led the Huashan North Peak group toward Wudang Mountain.

Entering Wudang, Lu Yuan finally understood what was meant by "Seventy-two peaks touching the sky in green, twenty-four streams perpetually singing." They were heading for the main peak, Tianzhu Peak. Upon entering the area around Tianzhu Peak, he felt the mountains were towering and the valleys deep, crisscrossed by streams and ravines. Even before reaching the summit, looking up, he saw an abundance of halls and pavilions crowning the main peak.

Scanning the landscape, one could glimpse palaces, Daoist sanctuaries, pavilions, and towers hidden among the mountain peaks, only their edges occasionally revealed.

Shen Xia led the way, remarking, "Our Wudang has Nine Palaces, Nine Sanctuaries, thirty-six Daoist hermitages, seventy-two rock temples, thirty-nine bridges, and thirteen pavilions," introducing the grandeur of Wudang. Gradually, they reached the main peak, where Shen Xia had already arranged lodging for the Huashan North Peak members. After everyone had cleaned up slightly, a vegetarian banquet was prepared.

It was rumored that the vegetarian feasts of the Wudang Immortal Sect were exceptionally delicious. However, Lu Yuan felt that the mock chicken, mock duck, and mock fish simply couldn't compare to the real thing. Well, perhaps it was just his gluttonous nature that couldn't appreciate vegetarian cuisine.

At this vegetarian banquet, an extraordinary figure made an appearance.

Yin Zheng, the Sixth Master of the Wudang Seven, was present. Yin Zheng sported a long, meticulously groomed beard, which he frequently stroked.

The Wudang Seven were all in the Great Dao Realm; the personal presence of the Sixth Master of Wudang was an honor for Dugu Ye and Chu Fei.

Over food and drink, the discussion turned to the exchange between the disciples. Yin Zheng stroked his long beard: "Sparring is fine, but do not let Lu Yuan participate. We don't want to crush the confidence of our own Tenth Generation." This remark drew laughter from everyone; indeed, no one would match Lu Yuan against the Tenth Generation now—the disparity was too vast.

Chu Fei spoke up: "This time, we actually have a favor to ask of Senior Brother Yin." It was natural for the five major Immortal Sects, being closely allied, to address each other as martial brothers.

"Oh?" Yin Zheng smiled. "If I can help, I will certainly do so."

Chu Fei pointed toward Lu Yuan: "Nephew Lu desires to visit the Sword Unsheathing Pool."

The Wudang Immortal Sect was currently not the foremost Immortal Sect in the Great Jin Kingdom, let alone as mighty as they were during their peak in the Great Qin Kingdom. Therefore, there were naturally no current regulations regarding the 'Sword Unsheathing' process. The Sword Unsheathing Pool at Wudang had fallen into disuse, but outsiders could certainly not gain access to it.

Hearing Chu Fei’s request, the Sixth Master of Wudang, Yin Zheng, pondered: "Gaining entry to the Sword Unsheathing Pool is not impossible... but Nephew Lu will likely need to do me a favor in return."

How could the prestigious Sixth Master of Wudang possibly need a favor from Lu Yuan? However, once the topic was broached, the reason became clear.

Across this vast land, there existed ten Great Grotto-Heavens, thirty-six Minor Grotto-Heavens, and seventy-two Blessed Lands.

What constituted a Blessed Land? The great famous mountains, such as Wudang, Huashan, Kunlun, and Qingcheng, were all Blessed Lands. The spiritual energy in these locales was richer than elsewhere, and according to various Feng Shui theories, establishing a sect on a Blessed Land conferred numerous advantages. The foremost Immortal Sects of various nations usually occupied these Blessed Lands.

As for the ten Great Grotto-Heavens and thirty-six Minor Grotto-Heavens, they were, quite simply, forty-six celestial domains.

Each of these forty-six domains possessed its own profound mysteries.

Undoubtedly, the ten Great Grotto-Heavens were far larger and more expansive than the thirty-six Minor ones, their intrinsic wonders beyond comparison with the smaller domains.

However, Great Grotto-Heavens were not easily located.

Now, concerning the Minor Grotto-Heavens: there were only thirty-six in total across the land. The Cave of Longevity that Lu Yuan had previously explored was actually one of these thirty-six Minor Grotto-Heavens, incredibly miraculous, specializing in producing the Fruit of Longevity.

It was mentioned earlier that the Wudang Immortal Sect originally established itself in the Great Qin Kingdom. At that time, Wudang was immensely powerful, comparable to the leading sect of the Great Qin Kingdom, the Great Fahua Temple, and even controlled a Grotto-Heaven: the True Martial Grotto-Heaven. Later, as the Wudang Immortal Sect waned and relocated to the Great Jin Kingdom, this True Martial Grotto-Heaven remained behind, impossible to move.

And the principle that ‘an innocent man is not guiltless for possessing treasure’ always held true.

Fortunately, the people of the Great Qin Kingdom generally prided themselves on being orthodox and did not launch an offensive to eradicate the Wudang Immortal Sect. Thus, negotiations concluded with the True Martial Grotto-Heaven being shared, jointly managed by five Immortal Sects: the Great Fahua Temple, the Peerless Sword Immortal Sect, the Carefree Immortal Sect, the Crimson Dragon Immortal Sect, and the Wudang Immortal Sect.

This True Martial Grotto-Heaven opened on a forty-year cycle.

Furthermore, the agreement established when Wudang retreated to the Great Jin Kingdom imposed a restriction: "If any of the five Immortal Sects ranks last for ten consecutive entries into the True Martial Grotto-Heaven, they automatically forfeit the right to enter thereafter." This covenant was primarily aimed at the Wudang Immortal Sect, as the other four major sects were quite strong, and Wudang was the weakest.

Over the past four thousand years, the Wudang Immortal Sect had several times come in last for six, seven, or even eight consecutive times, but each time they managed, by the sheer power of the Wudang Sword Formation, to narrowly avoid the final spot and escape elimination. However, in the preceding four centuries, Wudang had consecutively lost nine times.

Simply put, if they lost one more time, the Wudang Immortal Sect would lose its qualification to enter the True Martial Grotto-Heaven forever.

The current Wudang Seven Masters were striving to restore the former glory of the Wudang Immortal Sect, yet they were on the verge of losing their ancestral True Martial Grotto-Heaven—something utterly unacceptable. If they lost it, however, they would have no recourse. Seeing Lu Yuan arrive, his strength upon entering the Cave of Longevity was no secret, and his record had already stirred the minds of the Wudang Seven.

Therefore, they wished to invite Lu Yuan to participate in this upcoming entry into the True Martial Grotto-Heaven. Although they lacked absolute confidence in Lu Yuan, having one more expert was always better.

The purpose of the Sixth Master Yin Zheng’s visit was actually this, but while he was contemplating how to bring it up, the Huashan side first raised the matter of the Sword Unsheathing Pool. He was inwardly delighted and immediately laid the entire situation bare. Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan paused for a moment of deep thought. Every Grotto-Heaven held vast benefits. This year, Wudang’s situation was particularly perilous, which was why they sought his help. If he could enter the True Martial Grotto-Heaven and reap immense rewards, while also gaining access to the Sword Unsheathing Pool to comprehend the Earth Sword Soul—what an excellent prospect this was.

"Agreed, I accept this arrangement," Lu Yuan nodded.

Yin Zheng stroked his beard and smiled: "Excellent. You shall participate as an Honorary Disciple of our Wudang Immortal Sect." In truth, the major Immortal Sects had positions for Honorary Elders, but never Honorary Disciples. However, to secure a stake in the True Martial Grotto-Heaven, this rather awkward position had to be temporarily created.

In order to achieve greater strength before entering the True Martial Grotto-Heaven, Lu Yuan needed to enter the Sword Unsheathing Pool now.

After all, attaining greater strength would allow him to secure greater benefits within the Grotto-Heaven.

The Wudang Immortal Sect naturally agreed. After all, Lu Yuan’s use of the Sword Unsheathing Pool did not harm them in the least. The Pool was useful to Lu Yuan, but not of much use to Wudang—it was merely a relic commemorating the time Wudang once reigned supreme in the Great Qin Kingdom.

Lu Yuan followed Luo Xia Sword Immortal Shen Xia, soaring on their swords. Their flight speed was.

The scenery they passed over in Wudang was breathtakingly beautiful.

Shen Xia smiled and asked, "By the way, Lu Yuan, are you married? Or do you have any female cultivators you favor?"

Lu Yuan felt a momentary awkwardness and rubbed his nose: "Not yet."

Shen Xia chuckled—the eyebrows of this yellow-robed Taoist nun curved like flowing autumn water when she smiled: "Our female cultivators in the Wudang Immortal Sect include those who are gentle in nature, those who are fiery, those who are demure, and those who are sweet. Why don't I, your Martial Aunt, introduce you to a few to see?"

Lu Yuan smiled awkwardly: "Martial Aunt Shen, no need."

Shen Xia had initially hoped to win Lu Yuan over, perhaps even arranging a marriage, but Lu Yuan’s simple, direct refusal ended the topic. After a brief pause, they arrived at a location guarded by dozens of cultivators. Shen Xia raised her hand and displayed a token, causing the guards to immediately disperse, allowing her and Lu Yuan passage.

Before them stood a towering, majestic gate, upon which the markings of the Yin-Yang fish were visible. Standing there, Lu Yuan's breathing quickened slightly.

Beyond this gate lay the Wudang Sword Unsheathing Pool.

In the past, when esteemed Immortals visited this place, they would voluntarily unsheathe their swords as a mark of respect for the reigning head of Wudang at that time.

Countless famous swords of the world had rested here; countless Spirit Swords, and a great many Immortal Swords as well.