Lu Yuan indeed had matters of considerable weight upon him now. More important than anything else.

Upon exiting the Hall of Central Harmony and Peace, Lu Yuan proceeded directly to Changchun Residence. Arriving at Changchun Residence, Lu Yuan settled into a cross-legged posture within the courtyard, his gaze fixed between his eyes and nose, and his nose and heart.

The Yangwu Sword rested upon his left knee, and the Zhenyue Sword upon his right. Lu Yuan was deep in contemplation.

After reaching the second level of Longevity, emerging from Sisheng Peak, he had set out to wander. Along this journey, he had witnessed a vast multitude of things.

Ancestor Yan had once said that for his swordsmanship to reach true mastery, one must travel ten thousand li, observing the sword styles of all schools. Remaining perpetually confined to North Peak, without broadening his horizons, it was impossible to cultivate peerless sword techniques and become a true Grandmaster of the Way of the Sword.

Now, having traversed the entire Jin State—from Wudang to Kunlun, from Qingcheng to the South Sea—it was time for a major advancement in his swordsmanship. That was right; what Lu Yuan needed to do now was enter seclusion.

In this period of retreat, he would integrate everything gained from his travels. First, his mind summoned the experiences from Wudang Mountain, the first stop on his journey.

He recalled witnessing the swordsmanship of the Wudang Immortal Sect upon his initial ascent. Their style emphasized broadness, softness, though this softness was not weakness, but rather victory achieved through pliancy.

The Wudang sword styles were not overtly aggressive; many techniques even preserved a chance for the opponent's life. Styles like Ronyun Swordplay, the Thirteen Swords of Shenmen, and Coiling Finger Soft Sword flashed through his mind.

While at the Wudang Immortal Sect, he had also ventured into the Great Qin Kingdom, engaging in combat within the True Martial Grotto-Heaven against numerous opponents. The adversaries from the Great Fahua Temple were profound in Buddhist dharma, their moves esoteric, with every strike subtly imbued with Buddhist principles.

The opponents from the Seamless Sword Sect excelled in unpredictability—utterly inscrutable. Their movements were like a heavenly steed soaring through the air; it was impossible to discern their next move, or even the current one.

The disciples of the Carefree Immortal Sect embodied great freedom and boundless ease. He learned a great deal from observing their techniques.

After all, back on Tianshan, he had witnessed Ancestor Yan battling the premier Grandmaster of the Carefree Gate, Xiaoyaozi. At that time, his understanding of Xiaoyaozi’s moves was superficial, but engaging with the Carefree Immortal Sect disciples provided much deeper insight.

The combatants from the Scarlet Dragon Immortal Sect were overwhelmingly domineering, their stances powerful, opening an entirely new door for him. During his time with the Wudang Immortal Sect, facing various figures of the Orthodox Path and their associated techniques—some profound in Buddhist dharma, others ethereal and free-ranging, some embodying carefree detachment, others embodying pure non-action, or overwhelming dominance.

Later, at the Kunlun Immortal Sect, he witnessed the might of their magical artifacts, though that was not the primary focus. During that visit, he encountered figures from the Blood Sword Gate, even clashing with a Sword Immortal from that sect.

Naturally, the Blood Sword Gate was not as formidable as the Wudang Immortal Sect’s experts. However, on that occasion, he confronted the secret arts of the Evil Path and the Demonic Way, grasping the terrifying ruthlessness of these corrupt currents.

Furthermore, this encounter was a fight for life and death. Between life and death lies both immense terror and profound wisdom.

His life-or-death struggle with the Blood Transformation Sword Immortal yielded great wisdom and added substantial experience in dealing with masters of the Demonic Way. The Qingcheng Immortal Sect visit offered two main takeaways.

Firstly, during the event at the Divine Soul River, his opponents were not masters of the Orthodox or Buddhist paths, nor were they experts of the Demonic or Evil Poisons. They were monstrous beasts, a variety of them.

Lu Yuan observed firsthand how the instincts of these creatures translated into combat: the Fire Qilin’s speed, maniacal and demonic; the Water Ape King’s boundless physical strength, capable of shattering the heavens with a single strike; the Water Buffalo King’s infinite brute force, and so on. This proved highly beneficial for Lu Yuan’s development.

Secondly, there was the Five Sects Alliance meeting at Qingcheng Mountain. Although Lu Yuan seemed to merely play a supporting role behind Venerable Yuanyuan during the alliance, he actually gained immense benefit.

With the leaders of the Five Sects and numerous Grandmasters gathered, each emanating their distinct aura and imposing strength, those of a lower level, like Yun Yi or Yun Ping, would have gained little. But Lu Yuan was different; he was in a phase of rapid growth, and his cultivation level was already quite high.

Witnessing so many Grandmasters assembled broadened his perspective and significantly expanded his overall scope. Finally, in the South Sea, despite the brief duration, he directly observed the very fabric of the world.

Simply observing the world is common; many people stare at the sea. But Lu Yuan possessed extraordinary talent.

Moreover, he received a fragment of memory from the South Sea Sword Chief. The benefits gained in the South Sea were immeasurable, but most crucial was the concept of Hainabaiquan (The Sea Accepts All Rivers).

Without this journey to the South Sea, he could not have interwoven everything from his past experiences. Finally, he returned to Mount Hua.

In his mind, various sword styles and moves surfaced. Opponents he had faced flickered one by one through his memory.

Heaven and Earth, the True Martial Grotto-Heaven, the Blood Sword Gate, the Divine Soul River, the South Sea—all of creation passed through his consciousness. The Yangwu Sword and Zhenyue Sword resting on Lu Yuan’s knees began to stir, dancing in the air, executing countless forms.

Raging winds leaving no trace, torrential downpours, the vastness of the ocean, snowflakes falling like snow, miles encased in ice—such moves manifested through his swordplay. Thirteen distinct sword intents—Wind, Cloud, Veil, Rain, Swiftness, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Ice, Snow, Sea—emerged sequentially within the sword strokes.

Just then, Lu Yuan’s eyes snapped open. With a movement, he shot into the air, grasping the Yangwu Sword.

He slashed downward. This strike appeared utterly ordinary, yet it contained the sword intents of Wind, Cloud, and Rain.

Lu Yuan shifted again, flipping his body, grasping the Zhenyue Sword in his right hand, and slashed out another strike. This single blow unleashed the sword intents of Metal, Wood, Water, and Fire.

Lu Yuan threw his head back and laughed: "It’s done! It’s finally done!

Sword Mastery is complete!" Lu Yuan roared with laughter; he felt an unparalleled elation that his way of the sword had reached its grand culmination. It had been said long ago that the sword mastery level attained by figures like Venerable Yuanyuan or Venerable Yuanling was the ability to unleash numerous sword intents within a single strike.

Lu Yuan had understood this realm when he was at the Hundred Minerals Province Branch Hall, but he had perpetually failed to achieve it, pursuing this state for countless years. Now, through traversing various parts of Jin State and witnessing diverse sword styles, all these accumulated experiences finally fragmented in his mind, merged, and transformed into an elevation of his own Way of the Sword.

He could finally manifest multiple sword intents within one strike. Lu Yuan shifted his hand again, unleashing a sword strike imbued with thirteen intents—ten of them visibly manifesting in that single cut.

As this sword cut forth, wind arose, clouds gathered, darkness descended, heavy rain suddenly poured, the blade moved as fast as lightning, growing harder; water mist shrouded the sword, ice appeared where it sliced, a vast expanse of snow erupted from the ground, seeming boundless like the sea. Such sword intents contained within a single slash.

If anyone else had been present, regardless of who they were, they would have been inexplicably stunned. It was too terrifying.

Lu Yuan’s swordsmanship could now only be described as dreadful! Previously, Lu Yuan’s sword skill had merely surpassed the level of Sword Skill Mastery, but now, combined with the Five Elements Reincarnation Sword Dao, he surpassed figures like Venerable Yuanyuan and Venerable Yuanling.

Though unbelievable, this was the reality. Lu Yuan was certain his strength had increased substantially.

With his current Longevity Fifth Level cultivation, he could easily defeat a cultivator at the Seventh Level of Longevity. Indeed, the higher the level of magic power, the harder it becomes to advance a single level, and the more difficult it is to defeat opponents above one's cultivation; Lu Yuan previously could surpass two tiers without much difficulty, but this would become increasingly arduous.

However, Lu Yuan’s swordsmanship had now reached a heaven-shaking level. He could easily prevail against cultivators at the Seventh Level of Longevity, and likely stand a chance against those at the Eighth Level of Longevity.

Terrifying. Truly terrifying.

At the entrance to Changchun Residence, Venerable Yuanyuan and Ye Yangrong had matters they intended to relay to Lu Yuan. Coincidentally, Venerable Yuanyuan had to pass by Changchun Residence on his way to East Peak, so he planned to speak to Lu Yuan personally.

When they arrived at the entrance, they saw Lu Yuan in mid-air, sweeping out that final sword strike with movements like a divine dragon dancing its claws, and they were immediately shocked rigid. One sword, stirring the wind and water, freezing the snow and ice, swift as lightning, moving clouds and roaring seas, bringing down darkness, vastness akin to the ocean.

This was the power of a single sword! The sensation brought by that single strike!

Venerable Yuanyuan felt his mouth go dry: "Did I see incorrectly? Is this an illusion?" Ye Yangrong, usually fond of jesting, could not manage a joke now; he too felt his mouth go dry: "Senior Brother, I suspect I misjudged as well." They remained silent for a long time, unwilling to disturb Lu Yuan, who was fully immersed in the realm of swordsmanship.

After a long pause, Ye Yangrong finally spoke, "Senior Brother, my pressure has significantly lessened." Venerable Yuanyuan, having weathered many storms, finally composed himself: "How so?" Ye Yangrong replied, "Previously, feeling that Lu Yuan’s sword mastery had surpassed us ninth-generation Sword Immortals placed immense pressure on me. But now, it feels like Lu Yuan’s skill has surpassed Venerable figures like you.

Now, it is not my turn to feel the great pressure, but yours, Senior Brother." Venerable Yuanyuan nodded helplessly; he certainly felt the immense pressure now. Lu Yuan began his meditation to circulate his qi.

The grand realization in swordsmanship had spurred his magic power forward; he was now in the mid-stage of Longevity Fifth Level. It appeared that reaching the late stage of Longevity Fifth Level and then attempting to break through to the Longevity Sixth Level Void Core Realm was not a distant prospect.

While Lu Yuan practiced his seated cultivation, the entire Mount Hua was preparing. The Central Dynasty was due to send examiners soon.

This was crucial for determining whether the Mount Hua Immortal Sect could be promoted from a superior immortal sect to a large-scale immortal sect. (The travel arc concludes with this chapter.

The numerous threads I planted are finally tied off here. This chapter must not be mistaken for filler; it contains no such intention.

Lu Yuan's sword mastery required this buildup to reach its zenith. From this point forward, Lu Yuan’s swordsmanship will find few rivals in Jin State, having surpassed the Venerable level.

After years of cultivation, his sword mastery has finally reached its grand completion.) (Furthermore, the next arc begins soon, the setup for which starts in the next chapter, culminating in a confrontation with Sima Changbai.)