The memories in Lu Yuan’s mind immediately recalled the figure of the Southern Sea Sword Master, Duan Jingtao.

This man was unlike Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan hailed from the Mount Hua Immortal Sect, following a path so orthodox it couldn't be more so.

The Southern Sea Sword Master, however, came from the Southern Sea. He had no master and no sect. Initially, he focused on the way of the sword, but for a period, he strayed onto an unorthodox path: the study of Puppet Arts. Puppet Arts were a fringe discipline in the cultivation world, a magic allowing one to control puppets in combat. Duan Jingtao had studied this for some time and achieved profound mastery. Yet, later, he had a sudden awakening, completely abandoned the Puppet Arts, dedicated himself solely to the sword, and ultimately became the Southern Sea Sword Master, famous across the Southern Sea.

And this very cave dwelling was precisely where the Southern Sea Sword Master had sealed away his knowledge of Puppet Arts.

Lu Yuan surveyed his surroundings and discovered a secret passage leading to the outside. This passage was exceptionally concealed; even Xuan Huazi, having been here for a long time, had not detected it. Simultaneously, Lu Yuan reached up the stone wall and tapped it with a rhythm of three long and two short beats. Instantly, with a snap, a concealed opening appeared.

Lu Yuan immediately peered in and saw that this cavern sealed two Puppet Tokens.

These Puppet Tokens were forged from jet-black Profound Iron. One side was etched with various sea monsters, while the other side remained blank.

With a wave of his hand, the Puppet Token bearing the etched sea monsters immediately manifested over a dozen puppets. These puppets, having endured endless years, were long past their original appearance, leaving behind only skeletal remains: the bones of a six-clawed deep-sea soldier, the bones of a swift fish... Lu Yuan also instantly noticed that these dozen-plus puppets all possessed cultivation at the Tenth Layer of Longevity.

More than ten cultivators at the Tenth Layer of Longevity.

Lu Yuan then turned his attention to the other location. Probing the second Puppet Token with his divine sense, he discovered it was a vastly superior token, one capable of sealing the form of a cultivator at the First or Second Layer of the Grand Dao Realm who was near death—to serve as a puppet within. This alone offered a glimpse into the Southern Sea Sword Master's immense skill in the Puppet Arts back then.

Beyond these, the cave also held a book detailing the principles of Puppet Arts. The Southern Sea Sword Master had regretted his path and repented, but still felt the discipline was too profound to destroy, so he left it here.

Naturally, Lu Yuan would not abandon the sword to learn the Puppet Arts; the Southern Sea Sword Master himself had proven that path wrong in his time.

A spark ignited in Lu Yuan’s mind.

In a month and a half, Xuan Huazi would arrive to absorb him, using Lu Yuan to perfect his so-called 'Divine Art of the Profound Extreme.'

He could temporarily leave now and use the Puppet Arts to create a decoy body to remain confined here. Then, in a month and a half, he could return and, precisely at the critical moment when Xuan Huazi was perfecting his cultivation, strike decisively to injure him. During that crucial juncture, Lu Yuan calculated he had over a fifty percent chance of success.

Furthermore, he could utilize the attack of over a dozen puppets simultaneously.

With this combined effort, his probability of overwhelming Xuan Huazi would exceed seventy percent.

Perhaps, with a desperate gamble, he might actually manage to shatter this Grand Dao Realm expert.

The concept was undeniably alluring.

The power of a Grand Dao Realm cultivator far surpassed that of a Longevity Realm immortal.

The wealth and resources belonging to a Grand Dao Realm cultivator far surpassed those of a Longevity Realm immortal.

To completely crush a Grand Dao Realm expert just once—what an immense thrill that would be.

Lu Yuan found himself greatly tempted; the possibility indeed seemed substantial. Fine, even if he failed and faced mortal danger, he still possessed the Substitute Artifact gifted by Martial Uncle-Ancestor Lu Qingtao. His personal safety was not a major concern. Therefore, he could afford to take the risk.

Of course, with a month and a half remaining, he could temporarily depart to bolster his strength. If he could elevate his magical power to the Tenth Layer of Longevity, the chance of crushing Xuan Huazi would be even greater.

Forget it; he would leave immediately.

In preparation for this departure, Lu Yuan made several arrangements. For instance, he studied some of the Profound Nether True Sutra and techniques from the Water Sovereign Sword Dao, replicating the Profound Nether Extreme Ice internally. The exterior layer of Profound Nether Extreme Ice remained unchanged—still the original—while he used the Puppet Paper left by the Southern Sea Sword Master to replicate his own appearance, creating a puppet to leave in his stead, restoring the image of how he looked before his supposed imprisonment.

With these arrangements in place, as long as he returned within a month and a half, Xuan Huazi should not notice anything amiss.

Immediately, Lu Yuan utilized the secret passage left by the Southern Sea Sword Master and exited the cave dwelling.

Stepping out, he instantly felt himself immersed in water—a blue water, the blue of the ocean, meaning he couldn't be far from the surface. Just as Lu Yuan prepared to ascend, a colossal whale rushed towards him, ramming him. This whale possessed incredible force, clearly not an ordinary cetacean.

In fact, this whale was called a Dragon Whale, rumored to carry the bloodline of ancient dragons.

This Dragon Whale was extraordinarily powerful, possessing the strength equivalent to a Fourth Layer Longevity Realm human cultivator, making it the overlord of this stretch of sea. It had certainly consumed cultivators before, and upon spotting the immortal ahead, it charged with delight, intending to bite Lu Yuan in half.

Lu Yuan had barely surfaced when he saw the Dragon Whale charging. However, his reaction speed was blindingly fast. With a single movement, he transformed water into a sword, instantly using a sword intent as fluid as water to bind the Dragon Whale firmly.

"Never mind, since I'm in the sea, I'm lacking a mount. You’ve delivered yourself right on time. Not bad, not bad."

The dazzling sunlight beat directly onto the sea surface, making the azure waters glitter with reflected scales. The sea at this moment was deep and profound. A massive Dragon Whale lunged up from beneath the surface, splashing countless plumes of water high into the air. Perched atop the Dragon Whale’s head was a young man in green robes, holding a wine jar.

Good wine!

Lu Yuan tilted his neck back and took a swig, finding the liquor incredibly potent and intensely satisfying.

This was wine he had bartered for on an island recently. It was rumored to be Sea Monkey Wine, brewed by a certain sea creature, the Sea Monkey. This wine was unadulterated by human hands, intensely strong, and Lu Yuan felt immense pleasure from it. Time was indeed short—no more than a month and a half at most—but Lu Yuan had always possessed an unhurried temperament. Now, he was actually seated atop the head of a Dragon Whale, sipping his acquired Sea Monkey Wine.

As for the Dragon Whale beneath him, Lu Yuan had already subdued it thoroughly; it dared not cause any disturbance.

After a while, a tremendous wind began to blow across the sea. The waves surged, resembling a giant dragon churning amidst the clouds. The Dragon Whale cleaved through the waves, and Lu Yuan sat astride it, enjoying himself immensely.

The vexations troubling him were temporarily cast aside.

It was a rare opportunity to sit atop a Dragon Whale, floating on the ocean, drinking.

To gaze upon the sky, the sea, the waves, and the wind—not to take a good drink would be an offense to Heaven and Earth.

In the ensuing days, Lu Yuan traversed the ocean freely, in no hurry. If fate offered him the opportunity to reach the Tenth Layer of Longevity, he would return to shatter the Grand Dao Realm expert Xuan Huazi; if not, then so be it.

One day, the sun was already setting, its fiery evening glow staining vast swathes of the sea red. As the sun gradually dipped below the horizon, darkness began to creep over the water. At this moment, Lu Yuan noticed a faint luminescence in the northern sky. What was that?

Lu Yuan soared upward and employed a Scrying Spell to look closer. He saw a great number of sea beasts gathered in the distance, and amidst their encirclement lay a small, unremarkable hillock upon the sea, emitting a soft light, somewhat resembling the glow of Soul Stones.

Looking again with intense focus, Lu Yuan gasped in shock!

Was that not a small hillock formed by Great Soul Stones and Minor Soul Stones? Although other rocks were present, the surface was paved with numerous Soul Stones.

What a joke! While the sea was vast and full of wonders, Lu Yuan had never imagined such a small hillock rising from the waves. He was utterly astonished. A thought stirred in his heart: although the efficacy of the Great and Minor Soul Stones was less than that of Soul Crystals, if all these Soul Stones—or at least the majority of them—fell into his possession, he was absolutely certain he could successfully break through to the Tenth Layer of Longevity.

Indeed, sometimes a person's fortune hinged entirely on opportunity.

When opportunity strikes, it is the moment for prosperity.

Lu Yuan was overjoyed.

Just as he was about to head toward the site, a sea vessel sailed in from the distance. Onboard, a cultivator shouted, "Are there other immortals ahead? Why don't we pool our efforts to acquire the Soul Stones from this Divine Soul Mountain on the sea?" Lu Yuan observed over a dozen cultivators on the ship, apparently traveling together.

It was prudent for him to join them. After all, he truly hadn't encountered these types of sea beasts, and one should never underestimate oceanic monsters. Recall that when the Southern Sea Beast Tide first erupted, even a prestigious upper-tier sect like the Southern Sea Immortal Sect had to temporarily retreat from its onslaught. He was far too green compared to the Southern Sea Immortal Sect; thus, caution was paramount.

Lu Yuan nodded, clapped the Dragon Whale, releasing it to swim away, while he himself flew onto the sea vessel.

Once aboard, Lu Yuan did not reveal his true name. He donned a bamboo hat, pulling the brim low to obscure his features. Lu Yuan still intended to seize the chance to strike Xuan Huazi, so he could not afford to have his identity leaked. If Xuan Huazi discovered he wasn't in the cave dwelling, the chance to ambush him would be lost.

Reaching the Tenth Layer of Longevity, crushing the Grand Dao Realm figure Xuan Huazi, reaping immeasurable rewards, and creating the miracle of a Longevity Realm cultivator defeating a Grand Dao Realm expert—this was his ambition.

It was only after boarding the ship that he learned this suddenly appeared Divine Soul Mountain hillock was indeed connected to the Beast Tide.

Beast Tides erupted in the Southern Sea from time to time, and after every eruption, strange incidents would occur, such as a Soul Stone Mountain suddenly surfacing. In the Southern Sea region, such occurrences were considered entirely within the realm of possibility.