Within this lake island, there resided exactly one hundred lamps, fifty positioned to the East and fifty to the North, flanking the paths. All one hundred lamps shared an identical design, incredibly ancient in appearance, with every wick the same.

As the fierce wind swept through, the wicks atop these hundred lamps, their flames, did not waver in the slightest. The "wind" simply could not move them.

At this moment upon the island, thirty-five lamps on the East side had extinguished, leaving fifteen still lit. On the North side, forty-nine lamps had already gone out, leaving just one remaining light.

The situation was now abundantly clear: the Eastern Peak was left with fifteen people, while the Northern Peak held only one. The North was doomed to lose.

The Unharmed Sword Immortal, Nangong Wushang, remained silent, as did the Gentleman Sword, Fang Ru; both were men of few words. However, among the elders from the Eastern Peak whose life-token lamps had been extinguished due to injuries sustained here, discussion had begun.

"Hahahaha, the Northern Peak is finished." "The last one, Lu Yuan, is probably just running for his life." "Facing fifteen opponents alone, he can only lose. The fact his lamp hasn't gone out yet likely means he's scrambling for shelter, but running won't help him now." "It seems this Taihu Lake will belong to us." "It will be much easier for our Eastern Peak disciples to cultivate their Divine Souls from now on." "Indeed." The Sword Sect elders murmured among themselves.

What could the Sword Qi Sect say? Though they held their tongues, the suppressed resentment deep within their hearts grew only more intense.

How could they accept this? Ever since Chu Duan took over as Sect Master, the Sword Sect had constantly suppressed the Sword Qi Sect and the Qi Sect, enduring countless indignities; now, grievance was heaped upon grievance.

But what good was anger? What use was it if skill was lacking?

Resentment! Resentment!

Resentment! Resentment!

Just then, with a sharp snap, one of the remaining fifteen lamps on the Eastern Peak suddenly went out. Seeing this, the elders of the Eastern Peak paid it little heed.

Lu Yuan, despite his reputation as a genius, defeating one Sword Sect elder before being knocked out of the Taihu contest was considered within the realm of possibility. Then came two more snaps.

Of the remaining fourteen lamps, two more extinguished. At this point, the Sword Sect elders couldn't help but knit their brows.

Shortly after, two more lights vanished. Now, only ten lamps remained.

The tenth-generation genius of the Northern Peak, Lu Yuan, was too ferocious! To think he could...

to think he could achieve this much—defeating five people in this final counterattack! Still, the lamp corresponding to him should be close to extinguishing soon.

The Sword Sect elders felt something was off, but they firmly believed Lu Yuan was about to be defeated. Then came another series of sounds—snap, snap, snap, snap—but the lights continuously going out were all from the Eastern Peak's side, not the Northern Peak's last light.

In an instant, only six lamps remained on the Eastern side! How could this be!

How could Lu Yuan possibly have defeated so many, having already overcome nine Sword Sect elders? Everyone was utterly astonished.

Yet, despite this, the Sword Sect elders remained highly confident. After all, the elders could be certain of one thing: the Sword Sect would still win, because the five figures—Sword Greed Lingyun, Subterranean Battle Sword Zhao Wuji, Annihilation Sword Zhu Bayi, Mystic Fire Twin Eyes Zhou Wu, and Ultimate Sword Child Fang Qiankun—were still standing.

Any one of these five was practically the foremost master below the Sword Immortal level; defeating a mere Lu Yuan shouldn't be difficult. While they were so certain of this...

The wind swept by, extinguishing one lamp, then another, and then a third—three violent heartbeats of light vanishing. Three remained.

Another lamp went out, and then another, and then the final one. It seemed as if the wind had blown them out, but everyone present knew that the wind could not have extinguished them.

Those lamps were utterly impervious to wind. Looking back, only one lamp remained lit, and it belonged solely to the Northern Peak.

This! How could this be!

How was anyone supposed to believe this! These five—Sword Greed Lingyun and the others—each a genius and a senior master.

For these five combined to lose to the sword of Lu Yuan—how could anyone believe it? There must be some error, some trickery, surely.

At this moment, even the Gentleman Sword Immortal, Fang Ru, felt his expression shift. Having weathered countless storms, even he couldn't help but show a flicker of emotion.

And Nangong Wushang, who had always been profoundly silent and expressionless, also showed a subtle change in countenance: "If this is true, then it becomes interesting." The result was in. Because in the end, all fifteen lamps of the Eastern Peak were extinguished, while the Northern Peak’s final lamp remained lit.

Such a thing—the token lamp tied to one's life force failing erroneously—had never been heard of. Yet, reality suggested it.

Almost no one dared to believe what had happened. The people of the Northern Peak, though experiencing an unexpected, ecstatic victory, also found it completely impossible to accept; it was too hard to process.

The Eastern Peak contingent also felt it was impossible; there must have been a mistake. Everything awaited the arrival of the fifteen elders from the Eastern Peak and Lu Yuan from the Northern Peak to settle the facts and determine what unexpected event had occurred.

The consensus was that an anomaly had taken place. A moment later, sixteen streaks of sword light descended—the sixteen people they were waiting for: the fifteen Eastern Peak elders plus Lu Yuan of the Northern Peak.

Upon arrival, these sixteen were immediately surrounded, their questions naturally focused on the final battle. The fifteen elders of the Eastern Peak wore expressions of profound embarrassment.

Even now, they struggled to accept that they had been defeated in such a manner. They dared not believe the battle that had just transpired—it had been world-shaking, and the result was undeniable, forcing them to accept it.

Seeing their awkward faces, the others present immediately understood. No one was foolish.

They had been suspicious, but looking at the demeanor of Lu Yuan and the other fifteen elders, they naturally accepted the established fact, even if it was immensely difficult to swallow. The previously bustling Eastern Peak contingent fell silent, too ashamed to continue their chatter.

Now it was the turn of the Northern Peak to hold their heads high. "What a Lu Yuan, so incredibly capable." "Little Lu, from now on, I'm making you my friend, no matter what.

By the way, my name is Wang Meng." This Northern Peak elder burst into loud laughter, feeling an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. It wasn't just the victory in the Taihu contest that felt so exhilarating, but primarily the victory over the Sword Sect.

Wang Gang had suffered under the Sword Sect's arrogance for years, and now, they had finally tasted vindication. Moreover, it was vindication achieved through a decisive, desperate counterattack.

Their heads were held so high they seemed ready to pierce the heavens. The breath they exhaled was so satisfying it could stir the vastness of space.

What magnificent vindication! Wang Meng felt this was the rare moment of true pleasure he had experienced in ages, so he dropped the respectful address of 'Martial Uncle' and spoke as an equal friend.

"Hahahaha, Lu Xiaozi (Little Lu), magnificent! I heard you enjoy wine.

I have ten bottles of excellent vintage at home that someone gifted me. I’ll bring them to you when we return to the Northern Peak.

Oh, and my name is Zhang Kuan." This man, Zhang Kuan, was the one whose mineral vein had been forcibly seized by the Sword Sect two years prior, leading him to defect to the Huashan Sect, only to be forcibly returned and humiliated. He now felt an incomparable rush of triumph—finally winning back a round.

Exhilarating! This feeling was as wonderfully cooling as eating ice cream in the height of summer!

It was a pleasure so complete that every pore in his body tingled, like consuming a Ginseng Fruit! Especially watching the Sword Sect members' momentum completely deflate, the feeling was even more gratifying.

"Interesting," stated the Unharmed Sword Immortal Nangong Wushang, leader of the Sword Sect elders, looking toward Lu Yuan. "I look forward to watching you grow stronger and reach the Sword Immortal level so we may clash.

Also, let me offer my congratulations; from this day forward, no one else will dare claim the title of 'First Below Sword Immortal,' as it is destined to be yours." Nangong Wushang then turned to the Gentleman Sword, Fang Ru: "This contest, your Northern Peak has won. Taihu Lake belongs to you henceforth." This battle indeed confirmed Lu Yuan as the foremost master beneath the Sword Immortal realm, though truthfully, Lu Yuan himself paid no heed to such a title.

Led by Nangong Wushang, the Sword Sect elders withdrew. This event was fated to make Lu Yuan famous throughout the world, completely overshadowing the previous highest record held by the Blood Transformation Sword Immortal, Si Nan.

Simultaneously, in a remote corner of Taihu Lake, two figures stood. One was a silver-haired young man, and the other, an extremely ugly old man.

The silver-haired young man allowed the gentle breeze to play with his hair, seemingly savoring the sensation. The extremely ugly old man spoke in a voice that was raspy to the extreme: "Yuanling, you are prepared." "Yes, prepared," replied the silver-haired, handsome man.

"It is time to act. Lu Yuan's growth speed is too fast.

If we delay, Sima Changbai will become restless. Sima Changbai certainly doesn't want Lu Yuan to surpass him, and striking now is a good opportunity." "Oh, is that so?

Are you prepared for the means to deal with Venerable Yuanyuan?" the ugly old man inquired. "I will personally handle Venerable Yuanyuan.

My senior brother and I have fought for so many years; it is time to settle this feud. Finally, it will come to an end," Yuanling murmured, his eyes seeming to pierce through everything.

"Looking at you, this plan seems set in stone," the ugly old man remarked. "Then what about Lu Yuan?

This person carries great destiny; having him around is troublesome and might derail the plan." "I have also prepared someone to deal with him. Dealing with him at the Eighth Level of Longevity might be too risky, so I have invited someone from the Ninth Level of Longevity." Venerable Yuanling stated.

"A figure at the Ninth Level of Longevity is not easy to invite," the ugly old man commented, as the Ninth Level of Longevity was equivalent to the Sword Immortal level, naturally making them hard to secure. "Don't forget the one known as the weakest Ninth Level of Longevity," Venerable Yuanling smiled.

"As for the Xuanming Gate and the people of the Seven Killings Star Constellation Sea, I have already contacted them. The moment for the fatal strike is drawing near." "The plan will commence immediately." The wind swept through the wildly dancing silver hair.