I will now translate and polish the provided Chinese text into natural, idiomatic English prose, strictly adhering to the original paragraph structure.
It was said that Wudang, in its prime, rivaled the foremost immortal sect of the Great Qin Kingdom, the Dahuafa Temple.
In those days, the "Myriad Immortals Came to Worship" gathering culminated in the "Sword Unsheathing Ceremony." This place was known as the "Sword Unsheathing Pool." And now, Lu Yuan stood just outside Wudang’s Sword Unsheathing Pool.
The gate opened slowly.
As it did, boundless restrictive spells and countless magical arts unfolded, radiating seven-colored light before dissolving into nothingness.
Lu Yuan stepped across the threshold into the Sword Unsheathing Pool.
What a magnificent hall this was; its height and breadth were immeasurable, seeming to pierce the heavens and earth.
Of course, Lu Yuan quickly realized this was an illusion cast by the structure itself.
The true dimensions of the hall were likely only about four zhang high, but the age of the edifice had imbued it with this extraordinary, timeless grandeur.
Before the hall, three ancient seal characters were inscribed: “Sword Unsheathing Pool.” The calligraphy was vigorous and powerful, the brushstrokes serpentine and dynamic.
Within the hall, row upon row of sword racks stood, utterly bare.
But was it truly empty? What the naked eye perceived was emptiness, yet his senses told him that a sword of every description rested upon each rack.
Lu Yuan walked forward to a specific rack.
This spot must have once held a fiercely blazing fire sword; even after all these years, a residual, flame-like aura remained, giving one the sensation of being scorched.
At the opposite end of that rack, it seemed a sword of absolute freezing cold had rested, perpetually opposing the fiery one.
Lu Yuan reached out and touched the empty space; his hand instantly felt a sharp, stinging chill.
He moved to another location, a place that held the aura of righteous, vast spirit, reminiscent of his own Yangwu Sword—where the qi of the sword lingered long after the blade itself had passed.
Here, the remnant scent of lightning swords pulsed violently, untamed, like a continuous thunderclap.
The spirit sword that once rested here was chilling! Yet, this was not the cold of ice, but the profound chill of having slain thousands.
The souls of those slain by this sword likely numbered in the hundreds, perhaps more; such immense carnage had forged the sword's spirit into a true instrument of slaughter.
The aura lingering here suggested this had been a flying sword, likely of the wind element, exceptionally nimble and swift.
This was...
Lu Yuan paused, gathering his focus.
The residual aura here felt unlike that of ordinary flying swords or spirit swords.
Its flow was vast, immense, unbounded—this was an Immortal Sword! The very fact that even Immortal Swords were once sheathed here spoke volumes of the prestige held by the Wudang Sect Master in those ancient times.
Each one of these long swords was the history of Wudang, the past of Wudang, the glory of Wudang.
Wudang! The two characters held the very essence of Huashan.
The two characters of Wudang carried the weight of Wudang itself.
Lu Yuan stood there, absorbing the residual auras left by the swords of the past, savoring the texture of history.
Time flowed like a song, the ages vast and tumultuous—a thousand years passing in the blink of an eye.
Lu Yuan looked up.
At the very center of the grand hall's floor, the auras of ten thousand swords converged, returning to their origin, unified into one entity.
Regardless of their elemental nature, all swords merged here.
The Sword of Myriad Fusions at the core possessed a spirit that was magnificent, ancient, and profound, like the very earth existing since before time began.
The Earth Sword! This was the Earth Sword! Though no physical entity remained, this was unequivocally the Earth Sword.
Lu Yuan settled into a cross-legged position, his own presence unifying.
He circulated his innate soul power to its maximum extent.
He felt a Soul of the Earth Sword manifest above his head; influenced by the nearby spectral Earth Sword, this soul instantly settled into place.
In moments, two of his Three Souls were restored, leaving only the Heavenly Sword Soul remaining.
Once the Heavenly Sword Soul was stabilized, he would reach the third stage of Longevity: the Condensation of the Divine Soul.
Upon the successful anchoring of the Earth Sword Soul, Lu Yuan felt his comprehension of the Way of the Sword sharpen further.
Memories that had been vague and obscured became perfectly clear.
The Longevity Stage was, after all, primarily dedicated to refining the spirit.
After successfully forging the Earth Sword Soul, Lu Yuan remained in the Sword Unsheathing Pool for a time.
While this location might hold little value for many cultivators, for someone like Lu Yuan, a devoted lover of swords and swordsmanship, it was a living artwork.
He absorbed the lingering essence of bygone blades and felt the presence of countless sword spirits...
He was slated to travel to the True Martial Grotto-Heaven next, and preparation was necessary before undertaking such a journey.
Under the guidance of the Sunset Cloud Sword Immortal Shen Xia, Lu Yuan was led to the Hidden Immortal Crag.
The Hidden Immortal Crag was a famed scenic spot on Wudang Mountain.
The path leading there was lined with soaring ancient trees, a picturesque journey.
Upon reaching the crag, Lu Yuan observed that it was situated atop a towering peak, and the cliff faces here were surprisingly transparent, resembling polished jade.
About twenty people were already gathered on the crag.
“These are the individuals participating in the True Martial Grotto-Heaven expedition,” explained the Sunset Cloud Sword Immortal Shen Xia.
“Allow me to introduce the most powerful among them: Junior Brother Hongri, Junior Sister Huayue, and Junior Brother Qiu Xing.
All three possess cultivation at the fourth level of Longevity.” She pointed toward three individuals.
Hongri was a middle-aged Daoist who cultivated Wudang’s renowned Pure Yang Qi—the philosophy being that 'With pure Yang in the heart, all techniques rest in the palm.' This mastery, coupled with the Wudang Pure Yang Sword, yielded immense destructive power.
Huaxing was a female Daoist, about thirty years old, possessing a delicate beauty.
She practiced Wudang’s Pristine Void Heart Method, a discipline famed for its profound mysteries, best suited for overcoming the rigid with the supple.
Qiu Xing appeared to be a young boy, though in reality, his actual age was quite significant.
Early in his cultivation of the Wudang Nine Yang Art, a mishap had occurred, stunting his physical growth permanently.
Lu Yuan felt a surge of curiosity.
Why were there only about twenty people here? The Northern Peak alone housed nearly a hundred cultivators at the Longevity Stage.
The entire Huashan sect had around five hundred Longevity cultivators, with perhaps over two hundred situated between the second and fifth levels.
Since Wudang’s strength was only slightly inferior to Huashan’s, having around two hundred cultivators in that range would be expected.
Why only twenty here? It seemed far too few.
Furthermore, Wudang Immortal Sect certainly possessed figures at the fifth level of Longevity.
Rumor had it that the True Martial Grotto-Heaven even permitted entry to those at the fifth level, yet they had sent none.
Seemingly sensing Lu Yuan’s perplexity, Shen Xia offered clarification: “The True Martial Grotto-Heaven has an age restriction of two hundred years.
Anyone exceeding that limit is ineligible.
Otherwise, we wouldn't have needed to specifically recruit outside help.” Shen Xia was not leaving; she was one of the designated team leaders.
After introducing Lu Yuan to the assembled group, she continued, “Very well, everyone begin coordinating now.
Lu Yuan, since you claim your current power is at the second level of Longevity, you will practice the Seven Star Sword Formation with the other cultivators at that level.” The purpose of gathering those entering the True Martial Grotto-Heaven was to undertake preparatory practice.
In the short term, improving inherent strength was incredibly difficult.
And without question, Wudang’s crowning achievement lay in its sword formations.
Various sword formations existed! The mightiest of Wudang’s formations was undoubtedly the True Martial Seven Intercepts Sword Array.
It was rumored to have been derived from the topography of the Tortoise and Serpent Mountains.
Each participant was said to need a distinct cultivation method, totaling seven individuals.
When two fought in concert, both offense and defense were maximized, greatly increasing their power.
Three working together surpassed the strength of two, four were equivalent to eight masters, five to sixteen, six to thirty-two, and seven to sixty-four masters combined—a truly boundless mystery, nearly impossible to breach through direct assault.
However, the True Martial Seven Intercepts Array was notoriously difficult to master; currently, only the Seven Sons of Wudang, all at the Great Dao Realm, could wield it.
None of the other Wudang disciples had grasped it.
In the past, the Seven Sons once challenged Yan Cangtian using this formation, ultimately fighting a thousand moves before being defeated—a legendary feat of the era.
In this age, merely surviving a hundred exchanges with Yan Cangtian was a mark of honor, let alone lasting past a thousand.
Shen Xia had summoned Lu Yuan specifically for participation in a sword array.
Wudang’s sword arrays were the sect’s core inheritance, generally never taught externally.
Of course, this situation wasn't considered 'external transmission' in the strictest sense; Lu Yuan was only filling one position in the Seven Star Array, acquiring just a fraction of its secrets.
With only this segment, it would be impossible to reconstruct the complete formation elsewhere, so there was no worry of the technique being leaked.
Lu Yuan was also intrigued.
Sword formations were something he had never explored before; now, he was finally getting his first taste.
“...The seven stars are Dubhe, Merak, Phecda, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar, and Alkaid.
The seven of us shall each occupy one position,” stated a middle-aged Daoist.
Lu Yuan was assigned the Alkaid position, ranked last among the seven stars, though the significance of the positions was minor.
Lu Yuan silently recited the core mantra of the Seven Star Sword Array: “Dubhe is Heaven; Merak is Earth; Phecda is Man; Megrez is Time; Alioth is Sound; Mizar is Rhythm; Alkaid is Star.” He then executed the 108 Swords of Wind and Cloud according to these instructions.
The original requirement for the Alkaid position was the Soft Cloud Sword Style, but Lu Yuan’s swordsmanship was supremely adept, his mastery of the Way of the Sword exceptionally high; mimicking the Soft Cloud Style with the Wind and Cloud 108 Swords was not a difficult feat.
However, as he coordinated with the others, Lu Yuan constantly felt a subtle dissonance, as if he could not fully integrate into the formation.
Why was that? While maintaining his position and coordinating with the others, Lu Yuan pondered this until he finally pinpointed the reason for his inability to fully mesh with the array, the source of that slight awkwardness: his own temperament.
His spirit was like the untamed wind, perpetually resisting perfect synchronization with the others, thus causing this minor friction.
Lu Yuan felt these minor inconsistencies, and the other six participants surely felt them too.
The other six murmured amongst themselves via sound transmission: “Lu Yuan—this man with such a grand reputation isn't all that great.” “Indeed, he simply cannot flow perfectly with us.” “His fame is immense, and his strength is certainly decent; this youth’s future achievements will be limitless, but among those in the Longevity Stage now, he must rank among the very lowest.” “Precisely.
It seems inviting him here specifically won’t be of much use during the True Martial Grotto-Heaven assembly.” “The True Martial Grotto-Heaven will face the powerful immortal sects of the Great Qin Kingdom.
What significant role can a mere junior like him possibly play?” (First chapter delivered.
It seems many believe the True Martial Grotto-Heaven is just a new instance/dungeon.
I assure you, this will surprise everyone; the True Martial Grotto-Heaven is absolutely not a dungeon like the Wusheng Relic Palace or the Longevity Cave.)