The time for the third stick of incense had arrived.

Only seventeen people remained.

Two sticks of incense had already passed, with two more to go; it seemed reaching the very end would be exceedingly difficult.

The beginning of the third stick of incense immediately revealed its extraordinary nature. The Great Technique of Shifting the Five Elements by Reversing Heaven and Earth—this Five Elements Shifting technique was profoundly troublesome. Simply put, this great technique could relentlessly bombard a certain radius with various elemental spells. If it were merely the ceaseless launching of these varied Five Element spells, it would be one thing, but what made it worse was that this technique could constantly shift the location of the spells. This meant that anywhere, at any moment within the main hall, a variety of Five Element spells could erupt.

Lu Yuan discovered a massive tree manifesting at his lower-left foot. The tree transformed into vines that snaked toward his legs—this was the Vine Entanglement. Once caught, it was terribly problematic. Here, being marked with a red dot was the equivalent consequence, and at the same time, at least five other spells were hurtling toward him.

Coming straight at him was a star-shower barrage, fast, fierce, and dense as scattered pinpricks. It was far more potent than the rain of arrows he faced during the Qi Condensation stage. Each projectile in this downpour weighed around a hundred catties, and they were both swift and rapid.

Above his head, immense bolts of lightning were already gathering. These bolts instantly pierced the firmament and descended. The lightning shimmered ethereally in the air, transforming into thunderous tigers, leopard spirits, war chariots, and even assembling into divine generals of lightning. The air crackled wildly, as if the Mother of Lightning herself was giving birth.

This was the Nine Heavens Azure Firmament Lightning Art!

Lu Yuan then realized he couldn't even move a muscle; this was the Star Wind Binding Art, designed to immobilize him so he would be struck by the other magical attacks. In the distance, a gigantic vortex roared as it advanced, and simultaneously, countless blades arrayed themselves in a vast, magnificent chariot formation far off.

In truth, it wasn't just Lu Yuan; everyone else was trapped under the assault of various spells.

Was that! The Seven Absolute Sword Formation of the Marvelous Gates! The Sun and Moon Five Star Sword Formation!

Innumerable sword formations unleashed sword lights akin to those from the Myriad Swords Reincarnation Grand Array, appearing in every conceivable manner. Spell after spell, technique after technique, was shot out. Clearly, this round was no longer just about magical attacks; it was a convergence of both sorcery and swordsmanship.

Lu Yuan watched as several beams of sword light, launched later, arrived sooner, striking simultaneously with the spells.

The swordsmanship embedded within these sword lights featured techniques Lu Yuan had rarely encountered. Some sword moves were even softer than those of the Wudang Sect—so soft they felt terrifyingly pliable. Some strikes were easier than those of the Qingcheng Immortal Sect, while others possessed a ferocity exceeding the South Sea Immortal Sect’s style. Some moves carried a more profound essence of the Way of the Sword than Wudang's, imbued with an unparalleled mastery.

Every single move, every stance, was a superior technique.

Lu Yuan was simultaneously assaulted by countless spells and sword lights, yet having shattered numerous sword techniques and spells before, he remained completely unhurried. He brandished his Yangwu Spirit Sword, countering every move, breaking every spell—one after another. Dealing purely with the magic caused no notable insight, he merely broke them as they came.

But the sword techniques were an eye-opener for Lu Yuan. To advance his own mastery of the Way of the Sword, he had once traveled ten thousand miles, his footsteps covering numerous locales across the Jin and Qin Kingdoms. He had witnessed a great deal of swordsmanship, and generally, he felt he had seen nearly every style available in both kingdoms, expecting little that was new.

Now, however, many of these sword moves were utterly distinct from the swordsmanship of Qin and Jin.

These techniques possessed supreme novelty in their execution and were themselves formidable skills.

Lu Yuan, being a genuine aficionado of the sword, felt immediate interest upon seeing these styles. He mused that to achieve greater heights in the Way of the Sword, he would likely need to visit even more nations. The Ancestor Yan’s saying—that complete mastery of the Sword Path requires extensive travel—seemed an absolute truth now.

How could one see through all things without experiencing the vast, mortal world?

Because he had seen, he could discern.

And if he were to travel elsewhere, it would be better to go directly to the Central Celestial Dynasty.

He resolved that he must visit the Central Celestial Dynasty in the future.

Lu Yuan contemplated this internally while simultaneously parrying the relentless stream of spells and sword strikes. People were being struck down increasingly often, red dots appearing one after another.

By this stage, the trial was entirely a test of individual strength and adaptability.

The people from the South Sea Immortal Sect had been completely eliminated; they were inherently poor at defense. As for the others, whether recluses or from other factions, huge numbers had been eliminated. Those still standing were dwindling rapidly, the situation worsening as time went on. Ultimately, only a few remained from the two strongest sects: the Wudang Immortal Sect and the Huashan Immortal Sect. The rest could no longer hold on.

The two strongest sects were, indeed, the two strongest.

The remaining contestants were three from Wudang, and from Huashan, only the Venerable Yuanyang, the Venerable Zixia, and Lu Yuan himself. Six people were still holding on.

The situation was growing increasingly perilous. The power of the spells was increasing, the speed of the sword strikes accelerating, and the lethality of the techniques intensifying. The three from Wudang were continuously tracing circles, but even as they did so, beads of sweat formed thickly on their brows. Venerable Zixia was entirely enveloped in a purple mist, clearly having pushed the quintessential technique of the Qi Sect, Purple Cloud Thousand Miles, to its absolute limit. As for Venerable Yuanyang, his sword was moving so fast it was nearly invisible, appearing as if the rising sun itself was in his hand. At this level of swordsmanship, the title of the Sword Sect was truly justified.

The third stick of incense burned out, and the final stick was lit.

Crack. The three from Wudang were the first to yield. Their circular defense shattered, and the moment it did, countless red dots struck them, marking their elimination from the contest.

Venerable Zixia and Venerable Yuanyang continued to hold on for two reasons. First, they wondered why Lu Yuan was still standing. As a junior from the Huashan Immortal Sect, if Lu Yuan fell before them, they would lose face. Second, Venerable Zixia was the Master of the West Peak of the Qi Sect, and Venerable Yuanyang was the Master of the East Peak of the Sword Sect. The two peaks had been rivals for ages, and neither was willing to be the first to collapse before the other.

Venerable Zixia suddenly saw Venerable Yuanyang’s sword light waver and let out a faint laugh. However, the moment his expression relaxed, Zixia's mist dispersed, and dozens of red dots struck him instantly. Almost simultaneously, Venerable Yuanyang was also hit by several dozen red dots. Both were eliminated in tandem, though their holding times for this final phase were virtually identical—who might have ultimately bested whom would surely become a topic for later contention.

As for why Lu Yuan managed to persist, the reason was quite simple.

Firstly, Lu Yuan’s mastery of the Way of the Sword inherently surpassed Venerable Yuanyang’s. With superior swordsmanship cultivation, countering these sword techniques and spells was comparatively easier. Secondly, having endured the trial of the Myriad Swords Reincarnation, his eyesight and stamina had increased immeasurably. That ordeal with the Myriad Swords Reincarnation had been far less strenuous than this, by comparison.

"Revered God of Dragon Flame, Keeper of the Hexagram Array, roar now."

"Flames of the Four Realms of All Things, let heaven and earth return to chaos..."

"Silent Monarch of the Earth..."

"Children of radiance and divinity, transform light into sacred chains that tear the darkness..."

"Return the dark night to nothingness, return the earth to desolation," ... Spells! The spells below the third tier, the third tier, the second tier, and the first tier required no incantation or chant; only when reaching the pinnacle did incantations come into existence, using the chant to draw upon the power of nascent unmanifested spaces, or deities, or immortal elders to assault the enemy.

Lu Yuan was now surrounded by top-tier spells!

Alongside them were sword strikes exaggerated to the extreme!

Lu Yuan drew a long, slow breath. He felt utterly exhausted, truly worn out. Fortunately, having undergone the tempering of the Myriad Swords Reincarnation, without that experience, he likely would have collapsed already. Lu Yuan responded to the sword techniques and spells one by one, breaking them as they came.

The Five Emperors Sword Dao above his head was fully deployed, dissolving some of the residual energy from less terrifying attacks.

Lu Yuan struck left and guarded right, blocked forward while attacking from behind. In this ceaseless defense, he also admitted internally that he probably couldn't last much longer.

Suddenly, Lu Yuan noticed everything around him fall silent.

No sword strikes, no spells!

What was happening? Lu Yuan couldn't process it immediately, but then, he heard snap, snap sounds reaching his ears.

The clapping came from the Purple-Robed Vice Angel, who applauded heartily: "Excellent, excellent, an absolute perfect ten." The Purple-Robed Vice Angel had truly witnessed Lu Yuan this time. He realized Lu Yuan must not have been familiar with these sword moves earlier, yet he managed to break them all through sheer continuous counter-action. This youth's spiritual understanding of the Way of the Sword was something the Vice Angel had witnessed in very few others, prompting him to clap enthusiastically: "Splendid, truly splendid."

The other forty-four Venerables of the Great Dao Realm also offered silent praise in their hearts. Lu Yuan’s subsequent sword techniques were textbook examples of brilliance.

Simultaneously, they noted that Lu Yuan now possessed four perfect tens.

This meant he was approaching a miracle.

Could it be that Lu Yuan would genuinely create a miracle this time?

If he truly succeeded, it would surely shake the entire southern expanse of the continent.

Outside the Five Wheels Palace, whispers filled the air.

"Why are the scores for the fourth round so low?"

"Indeed, so many zero scores."

"Zeros are common, two points are rare, and four is seldom seen."

"Yes, too low."

"Only a few managed to score six points."

"Are these scores really that low?" The crowd outside the Five Wheels Palace couldn't help but marvel. In the first three rounds of the assessment, the top tier generally scored around six or seven points, with the lowest being three or four. But in this fourth round, zero and two points were the norm, the top tier managed only four points, and six points were terrifyingly scarce.

What was going on this time? Why were the scores universally so low?