The incident at the Divine Soul River was over. All nine breaches had been completely sealed. Of the cultivators who had entered the Divine Soul River at that time, only seventy-some returned, having suffered heavy losses.

That night on Mount Qingcheng, scattered starlight dotted the sky, punctuated by the occasional soft sound; overall, it presented a scene of deep tranquility. At the Moon Lake Lodge, the residence of the Mount Hua Sword Qi Sect disciples on the shore of Moon City Lake behind Mount Qingcheng, voices could be heard inquiring about the situation at the Divine Soul River. The tenth generation disciples of the North Peak, of course, couldn't venture to the river themselves, but since Lu Yuan had gone, they naturally wanted to hear about what transpired.

Lu Yuan was patient, casually recounting scenes from within the Divine Soul River. Lu Yuan, however, failed to notice that Venerable Yuanyuan was about to step into the room. Hearing the conversation among the tenth generation disciples, he couldn't help but smile.

Good, this atmosphere of harmony among the tenth generation was excellent. Most importantly, although Lu Yuan's strength far surpassed the others in the tenth generation, his demeanor remained quite humble. Venerable Yuanyuan had intended to enter the room to say something, but ultimately decided against it.

As long as they remained harmonious, that was what mattered. Yuanyuan turned and walked away. The time for Sima Changbai to make his move must be fast approaching.

After all, Lu Yuan and Sima Changbai’s strengths were drawing ever closer; Sima Changbai couldn't afford to wait until Lu Yuan surpassed him entirely before acting. However, for Sima Changbai to launch his plan, his preparations couldn't be extensive. Lu Yuan’s speed of advancement had defied everyone’s expectations; Sima Changbai likely hadn't anticipated such a situation, meaning his preparations couldn't be fully sufficient.

Junior Brother Sima Changbai and Junior Brother Yuan Ling must have layered schemes. Venerable Yuanyuan narrowed his eyes. The duel between Junior Brother Sima Changbai and Lu Yuan should be soon, likely within the next year or two, possibly even this year.

Furthermore, Venerable Yuanyuan vaguely sensed something was amiss. He had previously heard of Zhang Xuxuan from the Qingcheng Immortal Sect. Rumor had it this man was deeply cunning, somewhat akin to Junior Brother Yuan Ling, with plans that unfolded one after another.

How, then, did the Divine Soul River incident conclude so easily? It struck him as odd. The moonlight deepened, casting its glow upon the brooding Master of the North Peak.

The next day, at the crack of dawn, Lu Yuan and the others were abruptly awoken by a sudden clamor. Lu Yuan yawned, having slept quite well. The exertion at the Divine Soul River had certainly tired him out.

Having finally emerged from the river the previous day, he naturally needed a deep rest. He had slept for five hours straight—a luxury he hadn’t indulged in for a long time, and it felt wonderful. After waking, washing up, and eating some plain porridge and salted vegetables, he took a sip of wine to refresh his spirits, then inquired about the cause of the morning disturbance.

Only then did Lu Yuan learn that the Qingcheng Immortal Sect was hosting an event that day to award those who had performed outstandingly during the Divine Soul River crisis. In truth, the Qingcheng Immortal Sect had to conduct such a ceremony. For this Divine Soul River affair, many elders from other Immortal Sects had offered aid.

While the Five Great Immortal Sects were allied, if one helped today, they needed to show appreciation, and if they received help, they must reciprocate. Thus, providing rewards for those who contributed significantly to defending the Divine Soul River was the first reason. The second reason was that with the Divine Soul River successfully defended, it was vital to publicize the victory.

Zhang Xuxuan was a traitor to Qingcheng, reputed to be the most brilliant talent among the ninth generation. The Qingcheng Immortal Sect had undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to Zhang Xuxuan and thwarted his schemes during this incident, so why wouldn't they loudly celebrate it? Due to these various reasons, the Qingcheng Immortal Sect was putting on this display today.

All of this was taking place within the Laojun Pavilion. The Laojun Pavilion stood atop Laoxiao Peak, the highest point of Mount Qingcheng. It comprised six stories, with a rounded top and a square base, symbolizing the ancient concept of Heaven being round and Earth being square.

Each level featured eight corners, signifying Laojun’s derivation of the Eight Trigrams. The structure resembled a pagoda, topped with three celestial orbs to honor the convergence of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. This pavilion, built upon Laoxiao Peak, exuded both spiritual energy and artistic grandeur.

As the first rays of the sun touched the Laojun Pavilion, people had already begun to bustle about. Now, with the sun high in the sky and shining brightly, the Laojun Pavilion was packed with people. Since it was summer and crowded, the heat was noticeable.

Fortunately, all those present were cultivators who had achieved some level of attainment, unfazed by the extremes of temperature, casting the heat aside. The attendance was indeed large, comprising members from various sects. Naturally, everyone was keenly interested in the events concerning the Divine Soul River, and even more so in the rumored rewards.

Lu Yuan stood among the crowd, wearing a conical hat to ward off the intense sunlight. Beside Lu Yuan were his two good friends, Ye Fang and Ye Yuan, his senior sister Ling Yuzhu, and his childhood friend Meng Bai. The five of them were inconspicuous in the throng, assumed by many to be mere junior disciples of the tenth generation who had come to watch the fun.

There were indeed many such juniors observing the spectacle. Consider this: the Five Sects Alliance Meeting was due, yet it was persistently delayed. With nothing better to do on Mount Qingcheng, the recent Divine Soul River incident naturally piqued their curiosity, drawing them out to watch.

While the group remained outside the Laojun Pavilion, a figure appeared on the pavilion’s third level: Sun Xiuli, the Sword Immortal of Grace from the Qingwei Immortal Sect. Sun Xiuli stood high above the crowd and addressed them: "Esteemed guests, this time, we wish to express our gratitude to all the Immortal Sects for their assistance to the Qingcheng Immortal Sect. We will provide compensation for every cultivator who perished in the Divine Soul River.

Furthermore, the Qingcheng Immortal Sect is prepared to bestow substantial rewards upon the top ten cultivators who played the most significant roles in the Divine Soul River defense." Her voice was crisp and pleasant, and her countenance was equally delicate and refined. "These ten rewards are presented on trays." Everyone looked over. The reward for tenth place consisted of a specific quantity of Taibai Meteoric Iron and twenty Small Soul Stones.

Taibai Meteoric Iron was highly valuable, and the twenty Small Soul Stones were somewhat useful, though not significantly so. Ninth place received a reward slightly better than tenth, and so it continued down the line. By the time they reached fifth place, the rewards had become truly excellent: five Large Spirit Beasts, three Great Soul Stones, and a quantity of Taibai Meteoric Iron—a truly worthwhile haul.

The rewards only improved further down to third place: one Giant Spirit Beast, five Great Soul Stones, and Taibai Meteoric Iron. Second place was awarded three Giant Spirit Beasts, ten Great Soul Stones, and Taibai Meteoric Iron. First place received five Giant Spirit Beasts, one Divine Soul Crystal, and Taibai Meteoric Iron.

One might wonder why every Qingcheng reward included Taibai Meteoric Iron. While this material was valuable elsewhere, the Qingcheng Immortal Sect possessed the finest deposit of Taibai Meteoric Iron in the entire Jin Kingdom, allowing them the luxury of being generous. Of course, Taibai Meteoric Iron itself was indeed precious, being an essential material for forging spiritual swords, and Qingcheng’s control over its output kept its market price consistently high.

Seeing these rewards, everyone was stunned! The Qingcheng Immortal Sect had shown rare generosity this time. What was the rarity of a Giant Spirit Beast?

Even for an Immortal-grade cultivator, rarely would one possess more than ten. Yet, Qingcheng was giving away five Giant Spirit Beasts for first place, coupled with a Divine Soul Crystal—it was terrifyingly generous. However, upon reflection, it made sense.

Securing the entire Divine Soul River brought immeasurable prestige and tangible benefits to the Qingcheng Immortal Sect. If the river had fallen into demonic territory, Qingcheng’s reputation would be ruined, and the demons would have gained far too much advantage. Ye Fang asked, "Senior Brother Lu, who do you think will take first place?

Five Giant Spirit Beasts! If I received five Giant Spirit Beasts, perhaps I wouldn’t need long to break through to the Body Tempering stage." As soon as he finished, Ye Yuan laughed, "If you actually received five Giant Spirit Beasts, your cultivation level would likely be insufficient, leading to a mana surge and self-destruction." Lu Yuan pondered for a moment. "First place should go to one of those five cultivators at the seventh level of Longevity Realm.

After all, those five joined forces to slay the Half-Dragon of the Black Water River." Lu Yuan estimated that with his own achievements, breaking into the top five shouldn't be too difficult. "Tenth place: Li Xunmeng of the Wuling Immortal Sect. Achievements: repaired one of the nine breaches, slew the opposing demon creature, and completed one of the three low-difficulty tasks." As the Sword Immortal of Grace announced the name, a disheveled, middle-aged scholar ambled onto the stage and casually accepted the tenth-place reward, appearing utterly unconcerned.

"Eighth place: Jing Hesheng of the Iron Sword Immortal Sect. Attacked the demon creature at one of the three low-difficulty locations and repaired a breach." Jing Hesheng stood with a sullen expression, as if he held a grudge against everyone. "Seventh place: Qi Siming of the Qingcheng Immortal Sect.

Defeated the Water Snake King, one of the three demons of Mang River, which was one of the four mid-difficulty areas, and repaired the breach." Qi Siming was tall and imposing, clearly a heroic figure. The Water Snake King was a seductive water serpent skilled in mind-bewitching arts, but Qi Siming, being orthodox Qingcheng, had forcefully broken through its defenses. It was originally recorded as four low-difficulty areas, but later, upon realizing the factual discrepancy, the Demon Fire Qilin of Leshan Giant Buddha was reclassified as mid-difficulty.

Lu Yuan felt a knot of tension in his stomach. He estimated he should be around sixth or fifth place. In truth, the rewards for fifth and sixth were just average to him, as his personal wealth was already considerable.

He felt a pang of envy for the first-place prize, regretting that he wouldn't be claiming it this time. "Sixth place: Yue Qingshan of the Wudang Immortal Sect, for his contribution during the battle where the Half-Dragon, the Black Water King Snake, was slain in the Black Water River." The Half-Dragon, also known as the Black Water King Snake—a snake that grows a cockscomb is called a King Snake; once the cockscomb transforms into a horn, it becomes a Dragon. The Black Water King Snake in the Black Water River was truly endlessly powerful and terrifying.

Yue Qingshan looked dissatisfied. Five seventh-level Longevity Realm cultivators had contributed to killing the Black Water King Snake, and he had received the smallest share of the spoils, yet now he was ranked lowest in merit. He was naturally unhappy, but it was true that the wound he inflicted on the Black Water King Snake was the least severe.

It couldn't be helped; the Wudang Immortal Sect’s offensive capabilities had never been their strong suit. Lu Yuan let out a small sound of surprise. Wasn't he supposed to be sixth place?