On Chaoyang Peak, atop the Chaoyang Terrace. Lu Yuan rested the tip of his sword on the ground, gripping the hilt, and performed a sword salute.

Lu Yuan felt a flicker of anger. In truth, he already knew that the Central Heavenly Dynasty was far mightier than the Jin Kingdom, and according to these people, the concentration of spiritual energy in the Central Heavenly Dynasty was several, perhaps even ten, times that of the Jin Kingdom. These people from the Central Heavenly Dynasty carried an air of superiority everywhere they went.

Their arrogance alone would have been tolerable, but these individuals from the Central Heavenly Dynasty weren't necessarily blessed with superior aptitude; they merely benefited from their birthright, existing in a place saturated with spiritual energy. Consequently, their magical power was vast. Take Shijian, for instance: a cultivator at the seventh level of Body Tempering, he had only grasped a single sword intent, and that level of strength was only notable in the Central Heavenly Dynasty. In terms of raw talent, he likely wasn't as gifted as Senior Brother Shi Chaoyang. Yet, leveraging these advantages, they relentlessly mocked the cultivators of Mount Hua. Lu Yuan found this utterly insufferable. Thus, he stepped forward.

Hearing Lu Yuan step out, Shijian chuckled lightly, "Oh? Coming out alone? Don't you need ten of you to face me? If not ten at once, you probably won't survive three of my strikes—or perhaps not even three, just one will suffice." The younger disciples of the Central Heavenly Dynasty behind him burst into laughter at these words.

Lu Yuan raised three fingers toward Shijian, who paused, puzzled by the gesture. Lu Yuan stated, "If you can withstand three moves from my hand, I concede defeat."

How audacious! Shijian was enraged, and the youths behind him flared with fury too. True Disciples of the Central Heavenly Dynasty possessed immense pride. To be told by a cultivator from some remote backwater that he could win in just three moves was unforgivable arrogance. Even the esteemed Purple-Robed Daoist, the true envoy who had been observing Chaoyang with his hands clasped behind his back, uninterested until now, couldn't help but turn his gaze toward the exchange.

Shijian declared, "Very well. Let a True Disciple of the Central Heavenly Dynasty 'teach' a True Disciple from this backwater who doesn't know his own limitations." With a movement, Shijian's long sword shot forth like the wind, aiming directly at Lu Yuan. This strike was swift, ruthless, and brimming with potent magical force. Facing such an attack, Lu Yuan’s hand settled on his hilt, his sword emerging halfway!

At that precise moment, the rising sun glared off the Yangwu Sword, the light striking directly into Shijian’s eyes. Shijian instinctively squinted.

And in that instant, Lu Yuan moved with sudden force. The Yangwu Sword darted out, bypassing Shijian's blade with exquisite subtlety. A quick turn, a parry, another rapid block—the sword moved like lightning. In a manner Shijian could not possibly comprehend, Lu Yuan's blade rested horizontally against his neck: "It seems I overestimated the strength of a True Disciple from the Central Heavenly Dynasty. You could only manage two moves after all."

Astonishment! Dumbfounded silence! Speechless! Incredulity!

Shijian was only considered average among the True Disciples of the Central Heavenly Dynasty. For such a figure to be defeated in two moves by another True Disciple was normal within the Central Heavenly Dynasty, but to be defeated in the remote Southern Border was entirely abnormal. Almost everyone present found it impossible to believe.

Even the expression of the noble Purple-Robed Envoy shifted slightly. Everything had happened too quickly; he hadn't clearly seen the transition. The Purple-Robed Envoy inwardly mused that he must have momentarily drifted off.

Meanwhile, the others were shouting, "Defeating Shijian proves nothing!" "Indeed, we are stronger!" "A mere True Disciple from some backward region dares to compare himself to us!" "The True Disciples of the Central Heavenly Dynasty are far beyond your wildest imagination."

Lu Yuan nodded. "It seems you are unconvinced. Excellent. All of you, come forward together." This statement was even more arrogant. More than ten True Disciples from the Central Heavenly Dynasty remained present, and Lu Yuan intended to face them all alone—it was preposterous. This immediately drew loud, derisive laughter from the Central Heavenly Dynasty disciples.

"Hah! You court death!" "Truly ignorant of our might." "If you want to fight, then fight. Why the idle chatter?" Lu Yuan said coldly.

"Fine, allow me to test you," declared one of the young True Disciples. His magical power flowed, subtly aligning with the Heart of Heaven realm; he appeared to have attained the Heart in Hand stage, indicating a mastery over spells comparable to the elite elders of Mount Hua's ninth generation. Furthermore, his magical reserves were exceptionally deep, second only to Shijian.

"Courting death! Daring to challenge the True Disciples of the Central Heavenly Dynasty—let Lei Wuji teach you!" This person was enveloped in violent, surging lightning. It seemed this Lei Wuji was one of the rare cultivators specializing in electricity; electric-based spells and sword techniques approached the level of forbidden arts.

"Indeed. Let me show you my power." This True Disciple stepped forward. While otherwise unremarkable, his eyes subtly revealed three rotating streaks of crimson light—the True Blood Eyes, a rare innate ocular anomaly. It was rumored that those possessing these eyes could see through all techniques, rendering them nearly invincible among peers of the same rank.

"The dignity of the True Disciples of the Central Heavenly Dynasty must not be breached!" the next speaker boomed. While standing inconspicuously among the crowd moments before, now that he stood out, people felt a bizarre illusion—as if his head were pointed toward the ground and his feet toward the sky. This unique effect stemmed from his cultivation of the Central Heavenly God's Reverse and Obverse Divine Art. While not a world-shaking ultimate technique, it surpassed standard Mountain-Guarding arts. This Divine Art allowed him to twist perception so that what appeared to be a frontal attack felt like it came from behind, and a strike from the right felt like it came from the left, throwing opponents into complete disarray.

"The Central Heavenly Dynasty is incomparably strong," stated another immensely powerful True Disciple of the Central Heavenly Dynasty, also possessing a unique ability.

Of the more than ten True Disciples from the Central Heavenly Dynasty, every single one was a dazzling prodigy, a figure whose mere presence would shake the earth in the Jin Kingdom. Even the cultivators of the Mount Hua Immortal Sect couldn't help but think in silent awe: The Central Heavenly Dynasty truly lives up to its name. Every True Disciple they produced was so formidable, far surpassing the True Disciples of the Jin Kingdom.

These True Disciples unleashed their imposing auras. In an instant, the entire Chaoyang Terrace vibrated with surging, aggressive pressure, all directed at Lu Yuan. Every other True Disciple present inwardly speculated that if they were in Lu Yuan’s position, they would already be crushed by this sheer pressure.

These True Disciples were utterly incensed. How dare a disciple from some petty border nation challenge them? The earlier incident with Shijian was an accident; they would not allow another one.

The True Disciple whose spell mastery reached the Heart in Hand realm unleashed his premier technique: the Nine-Fold Water Cascade. Endless torrents of water plummeted from the heavens, nine roaring waterfalls attacking Lu Yuan with extreme force. This move alone was terrifying to the utmost degree.

Lei Wuji, crackling with lightning, unleashed his signature spell, the Nine Thunders Strike the Summit, timing it to descend with the Nine-Fold Water Cascade. Electric currents flashed within the waterfalls, augmenting their power.

The True Disciple with the True Blood Eyes struck with a heaven-shattering blow, his presence intensely majestic, sending an overwhelming surge of energy crashing toward Lu Yuan—a strike potent enough to shake heaven and earth.

"Let me show you the nature of Reverse and Obverse," the cultivator who mastered the Reverse and Obverse Divine Art struck violently to his right. But where was his true attack aimed?

The other True Disciples each possessed profoundly powerful abilities. In total, there were nine assaults, each one surpassing Shijian’s previous attack, each terrifying enough to potentially shatter the Chaoyang Terrace with the sheer force of their unimaginable Central Heavenly Dynasty secret arts.

Then, a tenth True Disciple moved. This final one positioned himself at the very center of the combined onslaught. With a motion of his hand, he employed their supreme technique, Star Rotation and Celestial Shift. He drew all the various ultimate arts toward himself, merging them into a single point. These ten attacks coalesced into one horrifyingly potent torrent, blasting toward Lu Yuan.

This integrated attack, stronger than the sum of its parts, resembled the Yangtze River, with Lu Yuan appearing as a small boat tossed upon its mighty waves. This assault was like Mount Tai pressing down, Lu Yuan looking like a doomed soldier beneath the peak. This attack was like the very earth overturning, Lu Yuan like a man caught in the cataclysm.

Terrifying! Appalling!

Facing this onslaught, Lu Yuan’s expression remained unchanged. He drew his sword sharply. At its initial emergence, the sword appeared utterly ordinary, but then the scene transformed: winds rose and clouds churned, darkness descended, rain poured down like a curtain, snowflakes began to fall, ice and snow covered the ground, the sword stood like a mountain, dense tree roots erupted from the earth to entangle foes, flames ignited amidst the rain, snow, and ice, immense mountains seemed poised to collapse nearby, and alongside it all, the boundless, desolate ocean stretched out.

This was one sword strike! One single sword!

When this strike manifested, Yuan Yuan Shangren, who had witnessed it before, remained impassive, and the True Disciples of Mount Hua simply couldn't comprehend it. However, the Peak Masters of the other four peaks—Yuan Yang Shangren, Huifeng Shangren, Zixia Shangren, and Yuzhen Shangren—were all gaping in disbelief, and even Chu Duan was startled.

They all turned toward Yuan Yuan Shangren, their gazes holding a strange complexity. Even the previously composed Purple-Robed Envoy’s face shifted drastically. This... What kind of joke was this?

This was the fusion of myriad sword intents into a single execution—a level of swordsmanship attainable only after reaching a profound plateau. Few in the Central Heavenly Dynasty had reached this height in the Way of the Sword. Some cultivators at the Grand Dao Realm hadn't achieved such mastery; moreover, once swordsmanship reached this stage, the practitioner began to strive toward the true zenith of the Sword Dao: the Ten Great Laws.

Between Heaven and Earth resided three thousand sword intents. And between Heaven and Earth existed the Ten Great Laws. By thoroughly refining and merging many of the three thousand sword intents, one could cultivate one or two of the Ten Great Laws. Reincarnation was one of those Ten Great Laws. To perfect even a single Law to its absolute limit was enough to render one invincible across the world.