"The cultivation world of Jin State is so weak, far behind our Great Qin State." "Wudang, Huashan, both are a joke." All sorts of discussions arose. Amidst this chatter, a man emerged from the Scarlet Dragon Immortal Sect, clad in a purple robe, sporting a short beard, radiating infinite majesty.

This man was the renowned Sword Immortal of the Scarlet Dragon Immortal Sect, Venerable Ao Long, Yue Hanzi. A name, even if one's given name could be trivialized, a title was hard to mistake.

In the Scarlet Dragon Immortal Sect, the dragon was revered; any title containing the character 'Dragon' signified an extraordinary individual. The thirteenth generation of the Great Qin State was essentially equivalent to the tenth generation of the Great Jin State, which in turn was comparable to the seventh generation of the Great Yuan State.

After all, the founding times of various states and sects differed. Consequently, the twelfth generation of the Scarlet Dragon Immortal Sect naturally equated to the ninth generation of the Wudang Immortal Sect.

Among the twelfth generation of the Scarlet Dragon Immortal Sect, there were those known as the Eighteen Dragons, meaning eighteen individuals whose titles contained the character 'Dragon.' All of these eighteen figures bearing the character 'Dragon' in their titles were beings at the Great Dao Realm, figures of the Venerable level. And Venerable Ao Long, Yue Hanzi, was one of the Eighteen Dragons.

The relationship between the Scarlet Dragon Immortal Sect and the Wudang Immortal Sect was rather—subtle. The Scarlet Dragon Immortal Sect had essentially supplanted the Wudang Immortal Sect's position, becoming one of the Four Great Immortal Sects of the Great Qin State.

This situation was certainly worth pondering. After all, while the word 'replace' sounded simple now, the process of that replacement centuries ago was steeped in blood and strife.

Even though over four thousand years had passed, the animosity had not significantly faded. Yue Hanzi arrived before Yin Zheng, the Sixth Son of Wudang: "Junior Brother Yin, what, have you brought any formidable individuals this time?" His gaze swept over them casually, yet in that single glance, everyone behind Yin Zheng, including Shen Xia and Lu Yuan, was seen completely through, without omission.

It was as if they were laid bare from the inside out, every bit of their magical power revealed, leaving nothing concealed—even Lu Yuan's Cloud-elemental magic was not hidden from his sweeping look. Impressive, Lu Yuan mused internally.

Venerable Ao Long, Yue Hanzi’s mere glance had given him the sensation of being utterly seen through. Venerable Ao Long, Yue Hanzi, chuckled heartily after his inspection: "Junior Brother Yin, the people you've brought this time truly lack substance.

The strongest is merely at the fourth layer of the Longevity Realm. Could it be that your Wudang Immortal Sect lacks a fifth-layer Longevity cultivator under two hundred years old?

Ah, yes, given Wudang's current strength, producing a fifth-layer Longevity cultivator under two centuries would indeed be exceedingly difficult." Yue Hanzi laughed again: "It seems Junior Brother Yin is set to lose again this time. What a shame.

Lose one more time, and your Wudang Immortal Sect will forfeit the qualification to enter the True Martial Grotto-Heaven, severing the last thread of connection with the cultivation world of Great Qin." Yin Zheng smoothed his sleek black beard and replied coldly: "The final outcome is unknown until the very end; it is not certain yet." "Junior Brother Yin, it seems you won't yield until you've reached the Yellow River," Yue Hanzi smiled. "How about a wager?

If you don't finish last this time, I lose. If you finish last, you lose.

It's not a big bet, just ten mid-grade spirit stones, how about it?" How could this possibly be called a small bet? Lu Yuan's current total wealth amounted to only slightly over ten thousand low-grade spirit stones.

Ten thousand low-grade spirit stones were needed to exchange for one mid-grade spirit stone. Yet, Yue Hanzi casually proposed ten mid-grade spirit stones right off the bat.

While each mid-grade spirit stone couldn't exactly be called an act of forging destiny, they certainly embodied profound power. The spiritual energy contained within each one was terrifyingly immense.

Yin Zheng was momentarily stunned, not expecting Yue Hanzi to wager so heavily. However, this matter concerned the prestige of the Wudang Immortal Sect, so he felt compelled to accept.

"Fine, let's wager on this round." Yin Zheng gritted his teeth and accepted the bet. Yue Hanzi roared with laughter, clearly anticipating victory, feeling an undeniable thrill.

For a Venerable figure like him, winning ten mid-grade spirit stones was a small but welcome profit. As for the members of the other three sects, they naturally settled in to watch the spectacle.

Moments later, various white lights began emanating from the mountaintop cave. The lights morphed, sometimes resembling a tortoise, sometimes a snake, intertwining.

First, the tortoise was above, then the snake, until finally, the tortoise and snake settled into position. With a distinct click, the Tortoise-Snake Gate manifested, slowly opening to reveal not the previous cave, but a new vista.

At this point, members from all five Immortal Sects began sending their chosen contingents inside. The Wudang Immortal Sect was permitted to enter only twenty people, whereas the other three sects were limited to thirty each—a stipulation set over four thousand years ago when the Wudang Immortal Sect was at its nadir and forced into certain disadvantageous treaties, which was entirely understandable.

Additionally, each sect had to dispatch a tally-keeper to record the resources within, ensuring fairness in the accounting process. The cultivators from the five Immortal Sects slowly filed in one by one.

—————— What is this... Lu Yuan looked ahead and saw a colossal platform upon which a line of characters was inscribed: "Only the Truly Martial May Be Worthy of This." These eight characters were written with vigorous, weighty strokes, possessing an imposing momentum—Only the Truly Martial May Be Worthy of This.

High atop this platform within the True Martial Grotto-Heaven sat several enormous trays. How large were these trays?

Collectively, they spanned an area equivalent to more than ten rooms. On the first tray rested an immense quantity of spirit stones, far exceeding anything Lu Yuan had ever witnessed—it was a seemingly boundless hoard.

Lu Yuan estimated the amount to be at least over one hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones, a volume of riches far surpassing his prior imagination. Yang Kaixin, standing nearby, remarked, "Relatively speaking, this should be the least valuable offering in the True Martial Grotto-Heaven; the others are worth more." Yang Kaixin was a member of the Wudang Immortal Sect who practiced the Seven Star Sword Formation alongside Lu Yuan.

He possessed the power of the second layer of the Longevity Realm and always seemed cheerful, living up to his name (Kaixin means 'happy'). Hearing this, Lu Yuan was secretly shocked.

He glanced towards the third tray, which immediately captured his attention. On this tray were numerous spirit beasts of various kinds, all large-bodied.

They represented all elemental types, and the quantity was astonishingly high—definitely exceeding one hundred, perhaps nearing two hundred large spirit beasts. This was almost unimaginable.

The fierce flames emanating from the fourth tray were of an unknown substance, but judging by its placement, its value must exceed that of the one hundred-plus large spirit beasts. The fifth tray held numerous porcelain vials, their contents unknown.

The sixth tray contained strange stones, their purpose also unclear, though there were six of them. Their value was presumed to be quite high.

There were also the seventh and eighth trays. Oh, and these trays were not artificially crafted; they were solidified directly from the dense spiritual energy permeating the area, making them translucent and brilliantly lustrous—quite beautiful.

Such trays alone could fetch thousands of spirit stones if taken outside, but naturally, no one here would mistake the vessel for the treasure. Finally, the last tray—what was that!

The colossal forms resting there were far larger than tigers or lions, resembling creatures from the sea. These beings seemed to be whales.

There were three in total: a golden Golden Whale, a cyan Wood Whale, and a white Cloud Whale. The size of these three whales vastly surpassed that of ordinary lions and tigers.

The three whales moved languidly, emitting massive waves of vital energy, far exceeding the energy output of large spirit beasts. This is...

Lu Yuan’s breath hitched abruptly. If his memory served him right, these creatures surpassed even large spirit beasts; one of these could equal ten large spirit beasts—they were Giant Beast-level spirits.

It was said that Giant Beast-level spirits held immense value, and here they were. "This," Yang Kaixin said beside him, "should be the reward for the first-place winner in the individual competition.

Among all the spiritual treasures, the best ones are reserved for the top individual performer." Hearing this, Lu Yuan felt his breathing quicken uncontrollably—he couldn't help it; he was genuinely excited. Although he wasn't usually one to be easily stirred, encountering three Giant Beast-level spirits was enough to evoke a reaction.

In truth, it wasn't just Lu Yuan; everyone else was equally thrilled by the sheer abundance of spiritual treasures available in the True Martial Grotto-Heaven this time. Yin Zheng stated, "Among the thirty-six minor grotto-heavens, the Longevity Grotto is at the very bottom, but the True Martial Grotto-Heaven is already considered mid-tier, holding numerous immense benefits.

This is just for the individual competition; the team competition offers many more advantages. The True Martial Grotto-Heaven is rich in resources; we absolutely cannot lose this chance.

Fight hard!" "Fight hard!" Already stimulated by the wealth of treasures, Yin Zheng's words ignited a burning fighting spirit in everyone. Lu Yuan now felt certain that coming to the True Martial Grotto-Heaven had been the right decision.

Recently, he felt his spirit beasts were too few; while large spirit beasts were useful, they couldn't provide him with a cultivation speed significantly surpassing others. Now, Giant Beast-type spirits had finally appeared, and he desperately wished to claim them.

However, obtaining them would not be easy. He was only at the second layer of the Longevity Realm.

Even if he could defeat opponents who surpassed him by two minor cultivation stages, his rivals included cultivators at the fifth layer of the Longevity Realm, wielding the unique techniques of the Great Dharma Temple, the Swordless Immortal Sect, the Carefree Immortal Sect, and the Scarlet Dragon Immortal Sect. Although he had broken through once at the Water-Fire Sword Tower, those techniques were mere imitations that hadn't grasped the true essence of Sword Intent.

His current opponents generally possessed Sword Intent, meaning their moves were truly infused with the marrow of the Dao—breaking those would be far from simple. But no matter what, he had to try his best!

Lu Yuan took a swig of wine. As the saying went: gaining it is my fortune, losing it is my fate.

Even if victory wasn't guaranteed, he wouldn't regret fighting with all his might.