Upon the Qinjiang Weir, Shi Yingyue, the Ninth Generation Elder of the Huashan Sword Sect, clasped her hands, the tip of her sword hanging low. “May I ask which senior or martial brother rendered aid, saving our lives? Kindly reveal your name so we may repay the debt.” Shi Yingyue was genuinely grateful; this person had saved her life from the Water Ape King.

Furthermore, recruiting an individual capable of slaying the Water Ape King outright would offer immense benefits to the Huashan Sword Sect.

And as the Water Ape King fell, the figure in green finally manifested.

Attire of plain green silk, a languid countenance, and an utterly casual smile—this was, impossibly, none other than… Since it was…

Disbelief hung heavy; every eye widened to an extraordinary degree.

They truly could not comprehend that the person who could so effortlessly kill the Water Ape King was Lu Yuan, a junior of the Tenth Generation.

This…

For a time, none dared utter a word.

Lu Yuan—they had always assumed his strength was considerable, but surely not surpassing their own level as cultivators of the Sixth Stage of Longevity, having formed the Virtual Core. They had been confident in that assessment. Moreover, during the recent ordeal in the Three-Ring Waters, they had presumed Lu Yuan perished either in the heavy water zone of the first ring or the toxic water zone of the second.

Who could have foreseen that just as they were locked in a desperate struggle with the Water Ape King, realizing they couldn't win, and watching the beast prepare to execute them one by one, Lu Yuan would appear? And upon arrival, he first unleashed the "Ice Condensing Weak Water Zone," then moved with lightning speed toward the Water Ape King, unleashing one killing technique after another without pause, an assault like great waves and a raging tide, directly slaying the once arrogant Water Ape King before their very eyes.

When these cultivators reached the Qinjiang Weir, the most they had left was sixty percent of their magical power; hence, the seven of them combined were no match for the Water Ape King.

However, they also knew that even if they had arrived with their magic power fully intact, operating at ten-tenths strength, a one-on-one challenge against the Water Ape King would guarantee their demise. It would take at least two or three of them against one, perhaps even four or five against one, to potentially secure victory.

Who would have guessed that Lu Yuan would resolve the Water Ape King alone?

And he did it with such clean, sharp efficiency; the entire duration of the fight needed no flowery description—it was simply that swift and decisive!

Sun Dingyin, captain of the First Squad, mused internally, This junior is truly formidable. His rate of growth nearly rivals that of Yan Cangtian in his prime. Huashan has produced another astonishing figure. The saying that Huashan is overflowing with geniuses is indeed true. Thankfully, the geniuses of Huashan are often too busy competing amongst themselves, otherwise, where would the rest of us find a way to live?

Yu Jizi, captain of the Fourth Squad from the South Sea Immortal Sect, thought to himself, This Lu Yuan is certainly not simple. No wonder the Sect Master, Yan Er, holds him in such high regard, planning to challenge Lu Yuan in four hundred and twenty years. Clearly, he believes Lu Yuan is qualified to succeed Yan Cangtian. Yan Cangtian was invincible at four hundred and fifty years old; Lu Yuan should also be incredibly strong by that age.

Li Dao, captain of the Second Squad, stared with profound depth. His Tianji Immortal Sect differed greatly from these other immortal sects. Their greatest strength lay not in combat methods, sword control, or spells, but in divination. The current Sect Master of Tianji, Feng Buhuo, had once used the sect’s supreme treasure, the Dao De Sutra, to divine that a Child of the Sword would appear in the Southern Territory.

In the future, the cosmos would face a Great Tribulation, and within this tribulation, the legend of the Seven Sons would emerge.

Each of these Seven Sons possessed immense cosmic destiny. Each possessed an infinite, boundless future.

Yet, the Seven Sons typically manifested in the central regions of the continent, rarely appearing in such a remote corner as the Southern Territory. When the Dao De Sutra predicted the appearance of a Child of the Sword here, it seemed impossible. Now, however, it seemed Lu Yuan carried a probability exceeding sixty percent of being the legendary Child of the Sword.

A Child of the Sword… a Great Cosmic Tribulation.

Li Dao felt a sharp, piercing pain. He knew this was beyond the scope of his own divinatory abilities; forcing the calculation would disturb the heavenly mechanisms. Taking a deep breath, he abandoned the line of inquiry.

Among all those present, Shi Yingyue’s mood was perhaps the strangest.

What had she just said? “May I ask which senior or martial brother rendered aid…” She had spoken those words, yet Lu Yuan was a junior, by no means a senior. This alone was awkward enough. If he had belonged to another immortal sect, Shi Yingyue would not have felt this embarrassment. But the problem was that Lu Yuan belonged to the Huashan Immortal Sect—specifically, the Sword Qi lineage.

Being from the same main sect but different sub-lineages, with differing philosophies, made Shi Yingyue feel intensely awkward right now.

Lu Yuan, naturally, was oblivious to the layers of awkwardness and strange thoughts brewing among them. Having slain the Water Ape King—which was undoubtedly stronger than the Demonic Fire Qilin—he noted that the Water Ape King was not as laden with treasures as the Qilin. However, the Ape King possessed the ancient bloodline of the Water Ape. Legend claimed that in antiquity, the Ancient Water Ape wreaked havoc, compelling King Yu the Great to personally subdue it. The ancient King Yu dueled the Ancient Water Ape King multiple times before finally slaying Wu Zhiqi. King Yu, with his divine powers that spanned the continent and could command the stars to fall, fought the Ancient Water Ape King for so long; this testified to the might of that bloodline.

But alas, the Water Ape King was not inherently a treasure trove.

Lu Yuan moved first, taking the Water Ape King’s Black Iron Rod into his hand. This rod was forged from Taibai Molybdenum Iron, which he would require for tempering his spiritual sword once he reached the Eighth Stage of Longevity.

Ah, and there was the Water Command Token. This magical artifact allowed command over all water spirits and monsters, making it extremely useful. As Lu Yuan took the token, he noticed a striking similarity between it and the Earth Command Token he had acquired during his time at the Douyue Asura Gate. Could these two tokens be related?

The Earth Token, the Water Token.

A host of suspicious thoughts surfaced in his mind.

These two tokens indeed concealed a great secret, but Lu Yuan, unaware, simply tossed the Water Command Token into his Lesser Sumeru Pouch.

Next: the Soul Crystal.

Lu Yuan immediately spotted a highly transparent Soul Crystal, about half the size of his palm. A Soul Crystal, indeed—extraordinary, radiating such a blinding light. Minor Soul Stones were very small, emitting a faint glow; a Major Soul Stone was half a palm in size, with a moderate glow. Lu Yuan knew well that the brighter the light, the more soul essence it could provide. This Soul Crystal, however, continuously dispersed a dazzling brilliance, revealing the sheer potency of the soul essence contained within. The other seven cultivators, seeing the Major Soul Stone in Lu Yuan's hand, couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. They had indeed obtained Major Soul Stones in the Soul River, but none had acquired a Soul Crystal.

Oh, wait, one of them had killed one of the three Minjiang demons and acquired a Soul Crystal. Apart from that individual, truly no one else held a Soul Crystal.

With the Soul Crystal secured, Lu Yuan wasted no time. He placed it between his brows and activated the method for absorbing its essence. Immediately, streams of light flooded into Lu Yuan's mind, continuously strengthening his divine soul, making it increasingly robust.

Lu Yuan couldn't describe the exhilaration. His divine soul grew stronger and stronger. Previously, the area his soul could envelop was minuscule, at most the size of a small room. Now, as his soul ascended, the range expanded to cover two small rooms. This sensation of comfort was summarized in one word: exhilarating. Wait, perhaps two words, as he had momentarily slipped due to sheer pleasure.

Of course, the soul power continued to surge, becoming more satisfying with every increase.

If his supply of Major Soul Stones had run out, and yet his soul was still improving, Lu Yuan would have been ecstatic.

He didn't know how long passed until the Soul Crystal gradually dimmed.

After all, the soul power provided by a Soul Crystal had its limits; it could not be infinite.

However, Lu Yuan had no time to dwell on that. He felt himself reaching a bottleneck, as if something had locked his divine soul’s capacity for advancement. This constraining force was centered between his brows, preventing his soul from expanding further.

In reality, between the brows lay the pineal gland. Once this gland was damaged, a person’s spirit would fall into disarray, prone to wandering thoughts. There was a strange plant known as the poppy, rumored to temporarily disrupt the pineal gland. Once disrupted, one would be overcome with vivid, uncontrollable daydreams.

And in the cultivation world, there was a legend.

The legend stated that in antiquity, humans required no cultivation; they were born with immense capabilities. At that time, people could fly effortlessly and cleave mountains or drain seas at will. But at some unknown point, this pineal gland was sealed, reducing humans at birth to mere mortals, devoid of innate power. It was rumored that the ancient gods, fearing that such innate power in humans would cause too much destruction, making humanity ungovernable even for the immortals and gods, were responsible for locking the pineal gland.

The so-called Fourth Stage of Longevity, achieving the Nascent Soul, and the subsequent push toward the Fifth Stage of Longevity, controlling twin swords, required breaking this very lock on the pineal gland.

Lu Yuan had now reached this critical juncture. He could sense the lock on the pineal gland. Lu Yuan was certain that breaking this lock would allow him to reach the Fifth Stage of Longevity.

Soul power intensified, relentlessly striking at the barrier.

Crack!

In an instant, a sound of rupture echoed in his mind.

Ecstasy flooded Lu Yuan’s heart.

For more novels, visit storyread.net.