This valuation is determined by what? For example, if you produce an abundance of Fire-element Spirit Beasts, yet few practitioners cultivate Fire-element techniques, the price naturally drops.

Conversely, if Fire-element Spirit Beasts are scarce while Fire-element cultivators are numerous, the price of Fire-element Spirit Beasts naturally rises.

Ultimately, it operates fundamentally on a supply and demand issue.

Lu Yuan obtained a substantial number of Giant Spirit Beasts, encompassing all elements.

However, this does not mean the number of Cloud-element Giant Spirit Beasts he acquired for trade equals the quantity he put out, as prices differ based on the supply and demand for each element.

The number of cultivators practicing Cloud-element techniques is not extremely high, but it so happens that the output of Cloud-element Spirit Beasts has always been low, making them comparatively expensive.

In this world, the Earth element likely has the highest number of Spirit Beasts, and cultivators practicing Earth-element techniques are also plentiful; thus, the price for Earth-element Spirit Beasts is on the lower-middle side.

Lu Yuan traded and rotated these Spirit Beasts, only to discover he possessed as many as seventy-three Giant Spirit Beasts.

Even Elder Fu, the head of the Ten Great Elders, only had thirty-one.

To possess seventy-three Giant Cloud Beasts was truly exaggerated.

The quantity of Mid-grade Spirit Stones also reached fifty-seven.

Four Soul Crystals.

What rich resources! Lu Yuan thought to himself, his immediate goal now was to break through to the Tenth Level of Longevity, the Great Perfection.

Achieving the Great Perfection of the Tenth Level of Longevity is no simple feat; it requires the harmonious growth of Mana, Divine Soul, and the physical body, culminating in a state of completion.

This stage itself has no inherent bottleneck, but the growth of Mana and Divine Soul are both astronomical figures.

There is no alternative; this is necessary accumulation for the subsequent breakthrough to the Great Dao Realm.

The leap from Longevity to the Great Dao is exceptionally difficult, demanding profound accumulation and the comprehension of the Great Dao Laws before an attempt can be made.

Without deep accumulation now, success would be impossible.

He decided to focus on cultivating Mana for a while first.

Mana now surged around Lu Yuan, falling to a staggering degree.

This white Mana was almost condensing into substance; if Lu Yuan hadn't concealed it, it would resemble countless thin, white streams flowing into his body.

This was Primordial Energy.

Do not be fooled by the fact that it only coalesced into small streams.

Right now, the Primordial Energy first materialized into substance before impacting Lu Yuan’s body like torrents—this was entirely different from before.

Even cultivators at the Tenth Level of Longevity, or perhaps those in the Great Dao Realm, would be greatly shocked by such a sight; just how dense was this Mana? If this Mana were injected into the body of someone in the Body Tempering stage, the result would not be a massive increase in power, but immediate bursting and death.

Lu Yuan activated the Cloud Dragon Ten Transformations Heart Sutra, slowly absorbing such a vast amount of Mana.

The Mana within him grew, filling every meridian, every piece of flesh, every drop of blood, every inch of skin, even every hair and pore, saturating them with boundless power.

Now, even a flying sword could not sever a single strand of Lu Yuan’s hair.

So much Mana; the sensation of rising power made Lu Yuan feel so elated he nearly gasped aloud.

However, simultaneously, Lu Yuan realized he felt no sense of actual advancement.

In other words, he was still leagues away from the Great Perfection of the Tenth Level of Longevity.

With this much Mana, and with seventy-three Cloud Whales inputting power simultaneously, yet his progress remaining distant, just how profound must the accumulation be to reach the cultivation of the Tenth Level of Longevity? He needed to find a way to absorb even more Mana; otherwise, at this rate, it was unknown how long it would take to reach the Great Perfection of the Tenth Level of Longevity.

It might take a decade or more.

Lu Yuan now thoroughly understood why so many people got stuck at the Ninth Level of Longevity without advancing.

Ascending to the Great Perfection of the Tenth Level was truly too difficult.

Forget it; no need to rush for now.

He had only reached the Ninth Level of Longevity; there was no need to be impatient.

Some things cannot be hurried.

Lu Yuan habitually reached for his wine, only to find the gourd empty.

Searching further, the specialized spatial artifact designed to hold liquor was also completely empty—a tragedy.

In truth, the demonic siege of Mount Hua had lasted over a month, but Lu Yuan’s specialized training with Zhou Qingxuan had stretched time, giving him nearly half a year to consume every drop of his stored wine.

Damn it! No wine left.

The worst part was that he couldn't descend the mountain to buy more now.

Though he loved his wine, the mountain was swarming with demons; descending now would be courting death, wouldn't it? Lu Yuan shrugged, accepting the situation with resignation.

It was miserable to have a craving for wine without any to drink.

He hoped this battle on Mount Hua would end soon.

Lu Yuan walked idly, and while doing so, he was summoned by Ye Yangrong to the Hall of Central Harmony and Peace.

Upon entering, Fang Ru immediately announced something world-shaking: "This battle of one hundred thousand demons attacking Mount Hua is nearly over." "What!" Lu Yuan started.

This battle involved exchanges between Great Dao Realm experts, and even some Grandmasters, and it was almost finished? He hadn't even grasped the true flavor of it, having only fought against numerous Demon Elders.

Lu Yuan naturally felt confused; although finishing the conflict sooner was good, he shouldn't be kept in the dark about everything.

Fang Ru explained, "The visible battle involves us Sword Immortals fighting the opposing Ten Great Demon Elders.

That surface engagement is finished, largely due to your outstanding personal performance.

The hidden battle, naturally, is between our Great Dao Realm figures and the demons' Great Dao Realm figures—though the demons also had some allies from the Heaven-Aiding Alliance assisting them." "In that hidden conflict, Mount Hua ultimately lost four figures at the Great Dao Realm.

Unluckily, Elder Huang Qinghua of our North Peak, who is my Martial Uncle and your Grand Martial Uncle, also perished in this engagement.

The North Peak will henceforth have only six figures at the Great Dao Realm." "As for the demons' side in the hidden battle, they lost three Great Dao Realm figures.

By numbers, the demons appear to have the advantage with fewer losses, but by quality, the demons suffered a greater blow; the individuals they lost were of higher caliber.

In the hidden conflict, we hold a slight advantage." Fang Ru continued, "However, relatively speaking, the power gap between the two sides is not vast.

If we continue to fight like this, more lives will likely be lost." Clearly, the figures who reached the Great Dao Realm in this world were not fools.

The enmity between Mount Hua and the demons stemmed from a fight over earthly resources, accumulated over five thousand years.

But they could not afford to expend all their top experts over this hatred, and the demons felt the same way, because this world contained more than just the mountain and the demons; there were other factions present.

Fang Ru concluded, "Now that the fighting has reached a stalemate, the Demon Saint Emperor Dongfang Yao has challenged our Sect Master Chu to a decisive battle three days from now to determine the victor.

If Sect Master Chu wins, there will be no further argument; the demons will be forced back beneath the earth, and we will pursue and strike them heavily, ensuring they lack the power to return to the surface for fifty years.

If the demons win, they will likely secure some standing and territory on the surface.

Should the demons manage to establish a foothold on the surface, it would be a calamity for all living beings." Lu Yuan finally understood: the overt battle was won, and the hidden battle yielded a slight advantage.

Now, it all depended on the final, crucial clash: the Demon Saint Emperor Dongfang Yao versus the Mount Hua Sect Master, Chu Duan, The Heaven-Severing Sword.

In any case, there was nothing for him to do right now.

His current strength was insufficient to guard Mount Hua.

Lu Yuan inwardly resolved that he, too, needed to become stronger, otherwise, he could not protect what was his.

In the days to come, he must work harder and not just drift along.

——————— Three days later, a light drizzle fell.

It was the day set for the duel between Chu Duan and Dongfang Yao.

In this misty, rainy weather, Master Yuan Ling concealed himself in a discreet location.

He was intimately familiar with Mount Hua, and finding a hidden spot was not difficult.

Beside him was his long-time associate, Elder Tian Chou.

The battle about to occur between Dongfang Yao and Chu Duan was destined to be earth-shattering and would determine the future geopolitical landscape of the Jin State.

Yuan Ling had come to watch the spectacle.

As Yuan Ling watched the proceedings, he happened to notice on a Water Mirror Technique he had cast—in another, extremely hidden spot—a figure appeared: immensely built, wearing a Yaksha mask, whose every movement possessed the bearing of a dragon and a tiger.

This startled Yuan Ling.

The pattern on this Yaksha mask—it was the Alliance Leader of the Heaven-Aiding Alliance.

The most mysterious figure in the entire Jin State.

Yuan Ling’s mind raced.

Why would the Alliance Leader be here? Master Yuan Ling had joined the Heaven-Aiding Alliance several hundred years ago.

Over these centuries, the Alliance Leader had remained utterly enigmatic, possessing immense power and operating with flawless precision.

Could he be here to target Mount Hua? If Dongfang Yao and Chu Duan were engaged in their intense fight, and the Alliance Leader suddenly struck out to decapitate Chu Duan, Mount Hua would be in grave danger.

Or perhaps he had even more terrifying methods in store.

…… The Heaven-Aiding Alliance Leader stood there, rain pattering on the bamboo leaves.

Not far away, a white-haired old man had appeared at some unknown moment.

This white-haired elder stood as if he were the gentle breeze between heaven and earth. "You are the Alliance Leader of the Heaven-Aiding Alliance?" the white-haired elder asked with easy composure. "If anyone else had come, I would have no interest.

The fate of Mount Hua holds no bearing on me.

However, the most mysterious person in the Jin State over the last millennium, let my Clear Wind Immortal Sword strip away your disguise and reveal which of those few people you truly are." The Heaven-Aiding Alliance Leader looked toward the white-haired elder. "Zhou Qingxuan.

I expected you to appear.

You, the man whose face is cold but whose heart is soft, yet you claim not to care about Mount Hua’s survival—how ridiculous! But your arrival here was also within my calculations.

Today, I shall dispose of you and crush Mount Hua completely." His aura swelled with fighting spirit.