The Falling Cloud Sword Immortal, Shen Xia, watched her junior disciples practicing their sword formations from afar. Beside Hidden Immortal Rock, seated at a stone table, were two figures. One, already middle-aged, sported a fine, dark beard; this was Yin Zheng, the sixth son of the Wudang lineage. Beside him sat Lu Yuan.

Yin Zheng tossed something over. Lu Yuan caught it—a token inscribed with the characters: ", Guest Disciple." Yin Zheng smiled. "Congratulations, you are the first Guest Disciple of our sect." There had truly been no such designation before; Lu Yuan was the inaugural member.

"Of course, because 'Guest Disciple' doesn't carry the weight of 'Guest Elder,'" Yin Zheng continued, a smile playing on his lips, "your stipend will only be ten spirit stones a year. But I suspect you won't care if it's ten or a hundred." He spoke casually. While true disciples might fret over such stipends, Lu Yuan’s own cultivation was rapidly advancing, rendering ten spirit stones negligible, especially considering the vast fortune he inherited from Li Yuanbai. One hundred spirit stones a year held little appeal.

Lu Yuan chuckled in response.

"Originally, the plan was to integrate you into the Seven Star Sword Array," Yin Zheng went on. "But seeing as you never quite harmonize within it, never mind. We'll let you have your freedom to roam. Right, let me give you a brief introduction to the True Martial Grotto-Heaven."

"The True Martial Grotto-Heaven is quite different from the Unborn Relic Palace or the Longevity Cave you’ve experienced."

"Once inside, you’ll find all manner of spiritual treasures of heaven and earth."

"And there are no monsters or beasts within," Yin Zheng stated, a flicker of nostalgia crossing his face as he recalled the era when the Wudang Immortal Sect held sole dominion over the True Martial Grotto-Heaven.

"The so-called contention for the True Martial Grotto-Heaven," Yin Zheng explained, "is when we five great immortal sects enter to spar. There are both individual contests and team competitions." He continued, "Then, based on the rankings from the individual matches, the team rankings, and the comprehensive scores, we tally precisely how many of the spiritual treasures generated over forty years within the Grotto-Heaven each sect claims."

"It’s somewhat akin to what? Perhaps your Huashan Five Peaks Grand Competition," Yin Zheng mused. "However, the Dharma Splendor Temple’s Seventy-Three Ultimate Skills, the Carefree Immortal Sect’s Unmatched Transcendence, the No-Sword Immortal Sect’s Formless Essence, and the Red Dragon Immortal Sect’s Imperial Supremacy—the strengths of these four sects far surpass your Huashan. The competition will be fiercely intense, far more so than the Five Peaks Grand Competition."

Hearing this, Lu Yuan paused.

So, the True Martial Grotto-Heaven competition resembled the Five Peaks Grand Competition.

During the previous Five Peaks Grand Competition, his power far eclipsed that of his peers, making the matches rather dull. Now, hearing he would face the Dharma Splendor Temple’s profound skills, the Carefree Sect’s peerless abilities, the No-Sword Sect’s intangible energy, and the Red Dragon Sect’s imperial might—this was a rare opportunity. He eagerly anticipated some intriguing challenges of the sword!

He held no interest in the rest; only swordsmanship truly intrigued him, especially the legendary formless sword energy of the No-Sword Immortal Sect.

"Well, it should be time to depart," Yin Zheng announced.

The True Martial Grotto-Heaven lay within the borders of the Great Qin Kingdom. If they were to depart from the Wudang Immortal Sect in the Great Jin Kingdom and travel to Qin territory, even by sword flight, it would take several months. Fortunately, Wudang had prepared a transportation array that directly conveyed them to the very edge of the Qin border. From there, flying would be much faster.

A teleportation array in the Jin Kingdom naturally could not connect directly into Qin territory; Qin forbade it.

If teleportation arrays were carelessly constructed wherever one pleased, enemy cultivators could suddenly pierce through into one's own domain, causing immense destruction. How could that be allowed?

This contingent consisted of twenty-three people: Yin Zheng leading, Shen Xia as deputy, about twenty cultivators from Wudang ranging from the Second to Fourth Layer of the Longevity Realm, and Lu Yuan, the Guest Disciple. They set off toward the True Martial Grotto-Heaven via sword flight. As Lu Yuan had previously traveled to the Great Qin Kingdom with Yan Cangtian, he showed little surprise.

Soon, they arrived before the True Martial Grotto-Heaven.

In the Great Qin Kingdom, there was a massive mountain range. This towering peak, once known as Mount Wudang, had been renamed Mount Taihe since the Wudang Immortal Sect relocated to the Great Jin Kingdom. Lu Yuan surveyed the present Mount Taihe and felt that its spiritual essence was utterly depleted.

In fact, when the Wudang Immortal Sect moved, they had used a secret technique to sever the mountain's spiritual energy and transfer it to the Jin Kingdom. Thus, Mount Taihe, having its source severed, was now spirit-drained.

Though the mountain was high, its slopes consisted mostly of barren rock and soil, sparse in life, with few scattered plants.

Midway up the mountain, there was a plateau. Before this plateau lay a cave entrance—this led into the True Martial Grotto-Heaven. However, the Grotto-Heaven was normally inaccessible; it only opened once every forty years.

Yin Zheng led the twenty-three people, landing on the plateau outside the Grotto-Heaven. He gazed at the land with a look of deep remembrance, seemingly recalling the former glory of the Wudang Immortal Sect. Lu Yuan, unconcerned, merely observed the surroundings. From this height, the world below appeared like a chessboard, with cities scattered like stars. Yin Zheng and the Wudang contingent were the first arrivals, so they claimed a patch of ground, sitting cross-legged to rest. Yin Zheng recounted old Wudang tales to bolster the group’s sense of unity. Lu Yuan merely shrugged dismissively; he felt no allegiance to Wudang; he was Huashan’s, merely helping out this one time, and perhaps scouting what benefits he could extract from the Grotto-Heaven.

Moments later, dozens of sword lights, some golden and some purple, approached from the distance. Even before landing, these lights exerted immense pressure, as if emperors were descending.

Yin Zheng called out, "That is the Red Dragon Immortal Sect."

The arrivals landed. There were several dozen men and women among them. Regardless of age or gender, all wore robes of gold or purple. These two colors signified supreme nobility, and the Red Dragon Sect members naturally considered themselves supremely noble. Their cultivation methods often involved 'Lord Vassal Mind Techniques' or 'Son of Heaven Mind Techniques,' honing Imperial Fists and Emperor Swords, leading them to view themselves as monarchs—hence their attire. The men looked like celestial emperors; the women, like empresses or supreme rulers—all exuded intimidating auras.

After waiting another hour, dozens more streaks of sword light arrived. These lights varied in color, each distinct. Upon landing, these individuals appeared rather ordinary. However, anyone underestimating them would die without ever knowing why; these were the people from the No-Sword Immortal Sect—their formless sword energy being intangible and exceptionally difficult to defend against.

Immediately following the Formless Sect came the Carefree Immortal Sect. The Carefree Sect was also quite distinctive. Consider their appearances: every male, regardless of age, was exceptionally handsome. Beyond mere good looks, they embodied various styles—some radiating dominance, others wickedness, some possessing beauty beyond measure, others refined scholarly grace, and still others mature stability. In short, every conceivable type of handsome man was present.

As for the Carefree Sect women, to say they were capable of making fish sink and geese blush, or shy the moon and shame the flowers, would be an understatement. Furthermore, each possessed unique qualities: some were conspicuously endowed, others possessed impossibly slender waists, some had extraordinarily long legs, some radiated a purity that deterred any impure thought, some were breathtakingly beautiful, and others carried an alluring charm that could effortlessly ensnare the observer.

There was a reason for this. The Carefree Immortal Sect’s recruitment differed from others. Like Huashan, they prioritized temperament, though Kunlun was an exception due to its vast history and ancient roots, recruiting half its members through connections. For the Carefree Sect, appearance was paramount; good looks halved the difficulty of entry. Moreover, their major cultivation arts, such as the Southern Darkness Grand Method and the Longevity Immortal Creation Merit, all trended toward preserving and enhancing physical beauty, making the men handsomer and the women more radiant.

This was a sect obsessed with looks, yet their cultivation techniques were superb, meaning their members generally possessed formidable strength, inspiring terror.

The last to arrive were the monks of the Dharma Splendor Temple. They did not arrive via sword flight. While the Seventy-Three Ultimate Skills of the Dharma Splendor Temple did include some sword techniques, few practiced them. The monks arrived astride auspicious clouds. All Dharma Splendor Temple members were shaven-headed monks, arriving here with expressions of serene solemnity.

The Dharma Splendor Temple was the foremost immortal sect in the Great Qin Kingdom. As these monks arrived, the other surrounding sects, though outwardly showing disdain, visibly paid closer attention. The prestige of being the primary sect of Great Qin was not a joke.

"Eh, isn't that the Wudang Immortal Sect?" someone remarked.

"Yes, the one that has fallen to become a High-Ranked Immortal Sect, no longer among the major lineages."

"Pitiable. Such a once-grand major sect has sunk to this level."

"They have lost the True Martial Grotto-Heaven debates nine times now. According to an agreement made over four thousand years ago, if they lose one more time, they won't be allowed to enter the Grotto-Heaven again."

"Ha! Is that true? Lost nine times in a row?"

"Indeed. Their strength has waned. If it weren't for their unique sword formations, they would have lost ten times over long ago. Managing to hold out this long is a feat in itself."

"A former major sect, reduced to this state."

"What choice did they have? Look where they are now—in the Jin Kingdom."

"True. There isn't a single powerful cultivator in the entire Jin cultivation world."

"How can Jin compare to our Great Qin cultivation world? It’s a world of difference."

"Exactly. The Jin Kingdom once had the Huashan Immortal Sect, rumored to be the High-Ranked Sect closest to a major lineage. But that was only because of Yan Cangtian holding things up. Now that Yan Cangtian has ascended, Huashan is just an ordinary Mid-Ranked Sect—nothing surprising."

"The Jin cultivation world is a joke, whether it’s Wudang or Huashan. They are both laughable."