Venerable Yuanyuan had already perished. His life could be summed up by the word diligent.

In his youth, he shouldered the heavy burden of guarding the North Peak. Then, for hundreds of years, he guarded the North Peak day in and day out.

The relative internal harmony of the North Peak now, where everyone was like one family—all of this was due to Venerable Yuanyuan’s merit. Moreover, during the years Yuanyuan presided, the prestige of the North Peak had steadily risen.

Under the pressure of the Sword Sect, he maintained order, ceded no territory, and even managed to expand their own influence slightly. In the current climate, achieving even this much was truly remarkable.

And just before his death, his last thought was to strike down Venerable Yuanling, the greatest traitor and most formidable threat to the North Peak. Everything had been meticulously planned, yet in the end, he failed to outmaneuver his nemesis, Venerable Yuanling.

He hadn't anticipated that Yuanling held the ultimate trump card: the Ten Thousand Evil Blood Body, which ultimately led to Yuanyuan's demise. However, even in the brief moments before death, all his inquiries concerned the North Peak.

How fares the struggle for the North Peak Master’s position? Who is the new Master of the North Peak?

And what will become of the North Peak’s future? He felt a pang of guilt toward Lu Yuan, for placing such a crushing burden upon such a young man, but in his final moments, he had no choice.

Only upon seeing Lu Yuan nod in agreement did he finally find peace. His eyes closed, and thus he departed.

Born to guard the North Peak, he died guarding it. Venerable Yuanyuan’s entire life contained not a single shred of personal gain; it was entirely dedicated to the North Peak.

Qu Qingchen was overcome with inconsolable grief at that moment. He was already aged, and his most promising disciple had just been slain by Venerable Yuanling.

Qu Qingchen's Dao Heart shattered, and he went on a mad rampage, slaughtering those from North Ling Mountain. Wan Qing Wang’s eyes blazed with fury.

This time, North Ling Mountain was thoroughly purged. The spiritual beasts seized in the sweep largely went to Lu Yuan; Qu Qingchen and Wan Qing Wang had cultivated for millennia and did not covet such paltry resources.

Oh, and one near-miss: Old Man Tianchou and Lu Qingtao unexpectedly encountered each other. After a brief clash, they parted ways in a draw.

Life and death, parting and reunion. When Venerable Yuanyuan’s coffin was brought to the North Peak, the entire peak was engulfed in sorrow.

Yes, the previous Peak Master, Venerable Yuanyuan, had passed away in this manner, and his prestige among the North Peak disciples was exceptionally high. The funeral rites were held immediately, with people from numerous sects arriving to pay their respects.

Before the rites, Lu Yuan paid a visit to his Master’s grave, updating him on recent events—the death of Sima Changbai, the death of Senior Martial Uncle Yuanyuan. Even in the Nine Springs, his Master surely shared his own worry for Mount Hua.

Speaking of which, Venerable Yuanyuan’s funeral rites were grandly conducted, attended by many dignitaries. Lu Yuan, however, did not dwell in sorrow for long during the ceremony.

Humans must always strive to be optimistic and upward-looking. Excessive grief serves no purpose.

The era of Venerable Yuanyuan on the North Peak was over. As for the new era, Martial Uncle Fang Ru might possess the temperament suitable for maintenance, which would suffice in times of quietude, but now the Jin Kingdom was rife with undercurrents, chaos beginning to show.

Although Martial Uncle Fang Ru’s strength surpassed his own, it was still somewhat lacking. The future of the North Peak, and indeed the future of Mount Hua, still rested heavily upon his shoulders.

A true man, born between heaven and earth, carries inherent responsibilities. When the sky used to collapse, the elders would bear the weight; now, it was largely up to him to hold up that sky.

Thinking this, Lu Yuan ascended to the highest point of the North Peak. Looking up, the boundless firmament pressed down with oppressive dark clouds; looking down, an endless panorama of mountains and rivers stretched out.

Lu Yuan rested a hand on the wine gourd. Enough, enough; he would drink some wine first.

As the saying went: Drink today for today’s joy; tomorrow’s sorrow can wait for tomorrow. Under the bright, clear sun, the sky was a brilliant blue—where were all those troubles hiding?

Under the expanse of myriad stars, Lu Yuan sat cross-legged in Changchun Residence. Tallying his assets, Lu Yuan realized his collection of Giant Spiritual Beasts had reached a staggering fifty-four.

A typical Sword Immortal possessed perhaps ten or, at most, twenty Giant Spiritual Beasts. Yet, he commanded fifty-four, far surpassing those Sword Immortals.

Rolling tides of Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi descended upon him, accumulating within his body. Such a large stable of Giant Spiritual Beasts naturally required immense amounts of Spirit Stones to maintain.

Fortunately, he now possessed forty-one Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, a substantial asset in itself. Lu Yuan was now immensely wealthy in material terms.

As for Soul Stones, he didn't have many left, having consumed nearly all of them. Soul Stones were typically used immediately upon acquisition; few were hoarded.

Thus, Lu Yuan never obtained many at once, but this time, from North Ling Mountain, he had acquired a Soul Crystal—the remnant of a cultivator at the ninth stage of Longevity who had been slain by Qu Qingchen before he could use it. A Soul Crystal’s effect was significantly greater than that of ten Divine Soul Stones.

Lu Yuan placed the intensely glowing Soul Crystal between his brows and began absorbing the essence. The crystal grew progressively fainter, while Lu Yuan's own soul power increased steadily, higher and higher, until—snap—it halted.

Lu Yuan knew his soul power had reached a certain threshold; the next essential step was passing the Sword’s Certification. Once certified by the Sword, he could proceed to the eighth stage of Longevity to temper his Spirit Sword.

It was Senior Martial Uncles Qu Qingchen, Wan Qing Wang, and Lu Qingtao who had explained the method for reaching Longevity Stage Eight: recognition by the Sword. For the Sword’s Recognition, Lu Yuan slowly drew out his two flying swords.

His hand caressed the Town Peak Sword, and a gentle hum resonated from it, a light sweeping across the blade. Lu Yuan knew he had passed the certification of the Town Peak Sword.

In truth, gaining a sword’s recognition was exceptionally difficult. Firstly, one required considerable Sword Dao aptitude; otherwise, the sword would not acknowledge the person at all.

This requirement alone filtered out many cultivators. Secondly, one had to be sincere toward the sword, for only then would the sword be sincere toward the person—this was the prerequisite.

Yet, among cultivators in the Immortal world, at most one in ten met this standard. Some treated their swords merely as weapons.

How could such individuals ever pass the Sword’s recognition? But Lu Yuan had never merely treated his swords as weaponry.

He had always regarded them as friends, as brothers. In his idle moments, he would polish and nurture them, his emotional attachment to his swords running deep.

Now, the two who had gifted him his swords—his Master and Senior Martial Uncle Yuanyuan—had both passed away, making his attachment to these two blades even more profound. Furthermore, Lu Yuan’s innate aptitude for the Sword Dao was exceptional, and his sincerity was absolute.

Therefore, this hurdle was cleared quite easily. Of course, this was merely the first step in the sword’s acknowledgment of the person.

The next was the specific recognition by the Town Peak Sword itself. The Town Peak Sword, its very name implying its fame shaking mountains and peaks, demanded significant renown.

Lu Yuan’s reputation had never been small; perhaps as the foremost among the tenth generation, he couldn’t sway everyone before, but recently, his fame had skyrocketed after surpassing the established Sword Immortal Sima Changbai and wreaking havoc on the evil organization North Ling Mountain—he was unstoppable. These accomplishments swiftly earned him the acknowledgment of the Town Peak Sword.

If this sword had fallen into other hands, earning its recognition would be immensely difficult. But fate placed it with Lu Yuan, making its acceptance relatively straightforward.

Next came the second sword: the Nurture Me Sword. Gaining the Nurture Me Sword’s recognition would allow him to temper his Spirit Sword.

Lu Yuan drew the Nurture Me Sword and lightly placed a finger on its blade. A fleeting glint passed over the surface, and Lu Yuan instantly understood: the Nurture Me Sword had not yet accepted him.

Simply put, he had not performed enough slaying of demons and exterminating of evil. Nurture Me, Nurture Me—to gather the vast, upright righteousness of heaven and earth within oneself.

This sword demanded chivalry. While Lu Yuan had been quite lazy at times, he had certainly engaged in many righteous acts, such as slaying demons and eradicating evil.

Destroying the forces of North Ling Mountain was also an act of valor. In North Ling Mountain, the righteous aura he exuded had caused even the utterly evil Venerable Yuanling to tremble inwardly.

However, evidently, these acts of chivalry were still insufficient for the Nurture Me Sword’s acceptance. He needed to perform more deeds of valor, to accumulate greater righteousness.

But there was no need to rush this. Everything should be approached step by step.

The dishes were accompanied by wines from Jiangyin County, near Mount Hua: Letian Yellow Wine, Qu Liang Fine Spirit Wine, and Jiangyin Shaodaozi. Lu Yuan had sampled many fine spirits, but these three were, at best, first-rate, perhaps even second-rate.

Yet, sometimes, the experience of drinking was not about the taste but the feeling, the subtle artistic conception. These three wines were local to Mount Hua, and drinking them brought forth the feeling of home.

The dishes leaned toward spiciness: Sliced Meat in Boiling Sauce, Chopped Chili Fish Head, and Spicy Rabbit Cubes, accompanied by a whole roasted lamb and several small dishes ranging from sharp and piquant to light and refreshing. The atmosphere was excellent.

Lu Yuan, Ye Fang, and Ye Yuan sat together, sharing drinks. The relationship among the three had always been strong.

At this moment, the three raised their cups again. “Damn Yuanling,” Lu Yuan swore loudly.

“Damn Sima Changbai,” Ye Fang cursed in return. “To hell with everyone who wants to harm the North Peak,” Ye Yuan followed up.

The three were getting quite drunk. The North Peak had endured too many major events recently, one right after the other, causing significant upheaval.

Half-drunk, they let go of their usual composure and began cursing. “We must create a bright tomorrow for Mount Hua’s North Peak!” The three clinked their cups together.

Three young faces. Perhaps not all three possessed the strongest individual power.

But all three young men shared one goal: to jointly forge a glorious future for the North Peak. This was a blessing after numerous storms.

It wasn't just the three of them; the other core disciples, though not present, likely held the very same aspiration. It wouldn't only be Lu Yuan defending the North Peak; the other core disciples would also strive to grow stronger, and then—defend the North Peak!