He hailed from the Central Celestial Dynasty; though a Vice-Angel, he was ultimately one of them.

And the swordsmanship he displayed, the Jian Dao Wu Liang Shu (Limitless Sword Dao Art), was, in fact, a terrifying martial art.

This technique allowed him to deploy tens of millions of moves in a single strike.

Fighting against such an opponent made it utterly impossible to envision how one could even begin.

When such a move was unleashed, no matter how formidable your other techniques—say, the Sword Sect’s "Leaving at Dawn from Bai Di City Amidst the Colorful Clouds," or "Returning to Jiangling in a Day"—especially when paired with corresponding spirit swords like the Yiti Lingjian, Bai Di Lingjian, and Caiyun Lingjian—your prowess would ultimately be ground down within the Great River of the Sword, the vast currents of the sword dao.

That was the might of the Jian Dao Wu Liang Shu!

It was no longer a single sword move, but the convergence of the essence of countless sword doctrines!

On his journey southward, this technique had only been broken once, in the Great Yong Kingdom. Breaking it there was understandable, as the Great Yong Kingdom was the premier power in the South. But it had never been defeated in any of the dozens of other nations he had passed through.

And now, here in the remote land of Jin, it had been broken.

How could this not cause a profound shock?

Indeed, the very first strike could be dismissed. At that point, the young man from Jin had unleashed the Jian Shu Yi Tiao Long (Dragon Lineage of Swordsmanship). Since beginning his southern tour, the Purple-Robed Vice-Angel had been somewhat careless and was caught off guard—an accidental slip, perhaps, warranting only a slight startle.

But the two subsequent White Jade Spheres required the Vice-Angel to expend everything short of his full divine power. The Jian Dao Wu Liang Shu was driven to its absolute peak, yet they were still shattered.

The Purple-Robed Vice-Angel even had the vague sense that the swordsmanship of this young man from Jin was somehow... strange.

Finally, with two consecutive strikes, the youth from Jin had broken both White Jade Spheres.

Was this young man’s swordsmanship superior to his own?

This... the Purple-Robed Vice-Angel was genuinely stunned.

This wasn't the Central Celestial Dynasty; nor was it the Great Yong Kingdom—it was merely a remote territory.

Venerable Yuanyang, Venerable Huifeng, Venerable Yuzhen, and Venerable Zixia all inwardly grimaced. These four were the peak masters of the four great peaks of the Huashan Immortal Sect, excluding the North Peak. These masters usually held immense power and authority. Back in the day, they had all witnessed Lu Yuan leap to the Body Tempering Stage and shock everyone during the Five Peaks Grand Competition.

But look at the situation now.

Lu Yuan's execution of the Jian Shu Yi Tiao Long was acceptable; they had seen it once before.

But what about now?

What were these subsequent sword moves he was unleashing?

The Purple-Robed Vice-Angel's technique, the Great River of the Sword and the Great River of the Sword, was so profound that the two Sword Sect Peak Masters, Venerable Yuanyang and Venerable Huifeng, privately marveled at how such incredible sword mastery could even exist. They thought perhaps the Sword Sect’s future path lay in this direction—their realization was deeply impactful.

Then, they witnessed Lu Yuan’s sword moves.

They seemed utterly ordinary, lacking much that was exceptional, yet these supremely plain moves had shattered the zenith of the Sword Sect’s power—the amalgamation of infinite sword doctrines!

This... how could they bear this?

Venerable Yuzhen and Venerable Zixia, masters of the Qi Sect, felt slightly better. But Venerable Yuanyang and Venerable Huifeng, the two Peak Masters, felt an intense strangeness. As the heads of the Huashan Sword Sect, they were expected to possess profound attainments in the Dao of the Sword.

Yet, here they were, watching a disciple of the Sword Qi Sect execute moves that even they, the leaders of the Sword Sect, couldn't comprehend.

If this got out, it would become a massive laughingstock.

Venerable Yuanyang and Venerable Huifeng simultaneously felt that upon returning, they might need to change the name of the Sword Sect. With Lu Yuan existing, calling themselves the Sword Sect put immense pressure on them.

Finally, the five members of the Huashan Immortal Sect exited the Five Wheels Palace.

As they stepped out, beside the true Angel Ye Zixu, the Vice-Angel announced the results of this round: Venerable Yuanyang, seven points; Venerable Huifeng, seven points; Venerable Yuzhen, five points; Venerable Zixia, seven points. The first four scores were entirely normal, forcing people to praise the Huashan Immortal Sect—three out of four scoring seven points was significant, as seven points carried a meaning vastly different from six.

Then came the last one... Lu Ren... ten points.

Instantaneous silence, followed by an explosive uproar!

The moment the ten points were announced, the scene within the square erupted.

The legitimate Angel, Ye Zixu, raised his gaze to look at this young man from Jin. He hadn't bothered to memorize Lu Yuan's name; Lu Yuan was just some youth from Jin. He hadn't bothered to remember names. Of course, he now noticed that this youth from Jin might soon warrant having his name recorded.

And in the square, pandemonium reigned. Those from Wudang, Qingcheng, Kunlun, the South Sea, and other mid-tier Immortal Sects, as well as independent cultivators, all turned to stare. They had all experienced this test. The Purple-Robed Vice-Angel had begun using his full strength starting with the eighth White Jade Sphere, and nobody could sustain it. Everyone had tried various methods—Wudang’s use of softness to overcome hardness, the South Sea’s desperate tactics, Qingcheng’s swift and agile swordsmanship—but none worked. Yet, Lu Yuan had shattered ten White Jade Spheres to earn the final ten points. How had Lu Yuan achieved this?

The contingent from the Qin Kingdom couldn't help but scrutinize him. They had been observing Lu Yuan earlier, but now they began to treat him with serious attention.

And the people from the Great Yuan Kingdom started noting Lu Yuan down, immediately placing him among the top twenty on the Yuan Kingdom's Must-Kill List. The Yuan and Jin Kingdoms were sworn enemies, and the Yuan Kingdom maintained a Must-Kill List featuring prominent figures from Jin. While "top twenty" might sound like a large number, it wasn't, considering the vastness of the Jin Kingdom—five Grandmasters alone, plus numerous other rulers and influential figures. To rank in the top twenty was already an immense achievement.

The third test measured Sword Dao cultivation. For Lu Yuan, this test was relatively simple, given his exceptionally high Sword Dao attainment. In terms of pure cultivation, Lu Yuan was currently at the Sword King realm, having mastered the Jian Shu Yi Tiao Long and begun comprehending traces of the Cycle of Reincarnation. To achieve a perfect score with this level of mastery was not difficult.

In truth, the third test on Sword Dao cultivation wasn't excessively hard; it generally reflected one's inherent mastery of the Sword Dao or the Dao of Magic.

This time, as Lu Yuan effortlessly secured ten points, the Sword Sect figure, Venerable Yuanyang, also achieved his expected high score: besides Lu Yuan, the highest score—eight points!

Indeed, a full eight points!

If this had been two hundred or four hundred years ago, an eight-point result would have been an exceptional feat, worthy of endless praise. But tragically, this year, overshadowed by the singular brilliance of Lu Yuan, this so-called eight points paled significantly.

Moreover, in the Dao of Magic cultivation, Venerable Zixia also attained eight points. Truly worthy of being the Master of the Qi Sect, Venerable Zixia’s spellcasting had reached the level of Ru Wei (Subtle Precision). Ru Wei is a benchmark in the cultivation world for spell control: the ability to manipulate magic with the utmost fineness. For example, splitting a single grain of sand into eight portions using magic could be termed Ru Wei.

Magic, much like the Dao of the Sword, possesses immense power on the macro scale, but requires exceptional detail and subtlety on the micro scale.

Thus, three of the six assessment rounds were complete.

Lu Yuan alone had accumulated thirty points, without losing a single one, placing him in absolute first place.

Following closely were several formidable figures in the Great Dao Realm, such as Venerable Yuanyang and Venerable Zixia, both scoring twenty-two points. Generally, scores around twenty points constituted the top echelon. Those slightly behind hovered around fifteen or sixteen points. Anyone still scoring around ten points was congratulations—they were likely among those who would be eliminated earliest.

The individual who was clearly considered almost certain to be eliminated, Lu Yuan, was now nearly guaranteed a spot. Naturally, the goal was to advance to the Hundred Kingdoms Assessment, a larger and wider world, though one shouldn't speak too definitively; unexpected events could always occur.

Those closest to elimination were the members of the Kunlun Immortal Sect. They weren't weak, but this specific assessment format proved disastrous for them collectively. For instance, the second round required extreme refinement, which put them at a disadvantage against the Purple-Robed Vice-Angel. In the third round—Sword Dao and Magic Dao cultivation—they faced an even greater tragedy, as they were accustomed to suppressing opponents with powerful artifacts. Sword Dao and Magic Dao cultivation, however, had little to do with external treasures. They were the closest to elimination.

The assessment proceeding at this point was breathtakingly intense.

Everyone feared failing a single round, losing crucial points, and forfeiting their qualification for the Hundred Kingdoms Assessment.

The current first group was centered around twenty points, the second group around sixteen. Everyone was fiercely competing; a single point difference was the key to everything.

Advancing to the Hundred Kingdoms Assessment was a massive opportunity and a massive challenge.

If one could pass the Hundred Kingdoms Assessment and enter the Central Celestial Dynasty, achieving the Grandmaster Realm upon return would be as easy as rolling over.

Even if they failed the Hundred Kingdoms Assessment, engaging in competitive sparring with geniuses, titans, warlords, and experts from other nations would significantly broaden their experience. Furthermore, the Hundred Kingdoms Assessment offered numerous unforeseen encounters and fortunate opportunities; gaining even one would be a huge windfall.

Lu Yuan was somewhat distracted now. Looking at the Great Dao Realm cultivators under one thousand years old beside him, he suddenly realized that one absolute Dao Realm figure under a thousand years old was missing: Venerable Yuanling. Right, and there were likely others in the Heaven-Assisting Alliance who were also absent.

Why hadn't they come?

Could there be some conspiracy brewing?

Then he quickly dismissed the thought. If the Heaven-Assisting Alliance dared to attempt any conspiracy now, only annihilation awaited them. Forget conspiracies; it was rumored that the Central Celestial Dynasty possessed the Divine Scrutiny Technique of Ten Thousand Realms, capable of perceiving all things in existence. Under such a technique, no conspiracy could find sanctuary.