"The score is too low." "Is this fourth round of assessment really this difficult?" "The highest score is only six points, and very few people achieved it. The top three among the Seven Sages of Wudang, the Master of the Huashan Sword Sect, and the Master of the Huashan Qi Sect all only scored six points." "It's too hard.

What exactly are they testing here?" The incredibly low scores in the fourth round were completely unexpected by everyone. As the crowd murmured in confusion, the final score was finally announced.

Lu Yuan, ten points. "Ten points?" "How can it be ten points?" "Everyone else scored so low, yet his score is towering above them all, reaching a full ten." "This is truly unbelievable." "It’s ridiculously exaggerated.

How did he manage that?" "Incredible." In front of the Five-Circle Palace, many people from the Jin Kingdom, as well as those from the Qin and Yuan Kingdoms, had gathered. Naturally, countless people were stunned by the results of this round.

With everyone else scoring extremely low, Lu Yuan’s exceptionally high score made it impossible to believe. Nevertheless, regardless of disbelief, the fourth round of assessment concluded just like that.

After a rest period of two hours, the fifth round of assessment was finally about to commence. Ye Zixu announced, "The fifth round tests endurance.

Soon, a great tree will manifest right here. Simply remaining on this tree for a full hour counts as ten points, and the score awarded will depend on how long you can stay upon it." Staying on a tree for an hour sounded deceptively simple.

However, the assessments conducted by the Central Celestial Dynasty were never that simple. Ye Zixu acted personally.

With a gentle push from the void, a massive tree instantly sprung up before the Five-Circle Hall. This tree was incomparably tall, its branches lush and dense.

Yet, Lu Yuan immediately perceived that this tree was extraordinary—it was a Jianmu! Indeed, it was the Jianmu.

The very Jianmu capable of emitting the Five-Colored Tribulation Clouds. There was one such Jianmu on Sigou Peak, and another on Kunlun Mountain.

He had not expected to encounter yet another one now. It was a pity that his Five Emperor Sword Dao was already complete; otherwise, he could have used this Jianmu for his cultivation.

Lu Yuan instantly grasped the crux of this assessment. Soon, Five-Colored Tribulation Clouds would likely appear on this tree, and the clouds would probably grow denser and the pressure more intense as time progressed.

Enduring that would be exceptionally difficult, but for him, it would be... However, not many people recognized the Jianmu.

Ye Zixu offered an explanation, which earned silent nods of understanding from the observers regarding the nature of the test. This time, it should be a test of one's capacity to sustain magical power; those with the weakest power would be eliminated first.

Therefore, Lu Yuan should be eliminated quickly. The contingent from Huashan, who had hoped Lu Yuan would perform another miracle, now privately worried that he wouldn't pass this particular stage.

The happiest group at this moment were those from the Kunlun Immortal Gate. Their time to truly pull ahead in points had arrived.

They had experience with the Jianmu on Kunlun Mountain, where they had even developed specific techniques and timing for withstanding the Five-Colored Tribulation Clouds. Now, that knowledge could finally be put to use.

All forty-five participants affixed themselves to the great tree, each sitting on a separate branch, positioning themselves about ten feet away from the tree’s center. Then, the Five-Colored Tribulation Clouds began to emanate.

As the clouds dispersed, the others immediately felt their potency and hurriedly activated their magical powers to resist them. Against these Five-Colored Tribulation Clouds, magical artifacts, sword techniques, and spells were useless; only raw spiritual power could hold them back.

Lu Yuan, upon first contact with the clouds, instantly recognized their formidable nature. What a fierce set of Five-Colored Tribulation Clouds, perhaps dozens of times denser than the ones on Sigou Peak.

Lu Yuan sat down cross-legged, manifesting the Five Emperor Sword Dao above his head. This time, Lu Yuan felt utterly relaxed while simultaneously absorbing the Five-Colored Tribulation Clouds to advance his cultivation.

The Five Emperor Sword Dao churned and rolled, drawing in countless streams of the clouds. This didn't mean the Sword Dao stopped improving upon completion; by absorbing more Five-Colored Tribulation Clouds, the Five Emperor Sword Dao could still advance, becoming stronger—for example, the White Emperor Sword Dao might become faster.

Since he had such an opportunity, Lu Yuan certainly would not let it pass. So good!

So refreshing! The Five Emperor Sword Dao grew continuously, and the five-colored sword light above his head became increasingly solidified.

... Time flowed onward.

The cultivators at the first layer of the Great Dao Realm ultimately could not hold on. This round tested both spiritual power and endurance; if one's power was weak, holding on was impossible, leading to early elimination—except for Lu Yuan, who was also at the first layer of the Great Dao Realm.

After a while, those at the second and third layers of the Great Dao Realm also began to falter and were eliminated sequentially. The cultivators from the Kunlun Immortal Gate, being more experienced, managed to last longer.

By this time, Lu Yuan, who everyone had expected to be eliminated early, was still enduring. Some time later, most cultivators at the fourth layer of the Great Dao Realm could no longer hold out.

Only those from the Kunlun Immortal Gate at the fourth layer still persisted. The others from different immortal sects had already succumbed.

Lu Yuan, the anomaly, had already shocked countless onlookers by continuing to endure, leaving people speechless as to what to say. The hour mark was fast approaching.

The people from the Kunlun Immortal Gate were already giving way. The Five-Colored Tribulation Clouds grew ever denser, yet Lu Yuan persisted.

At this point, Lu Yuan was the only one remaining. All forty-four others had failed to endure, leaving Lu Yuan alone still holding firm.

Previously, everyone else had been utterly exhausted, but now, watching Lu Yuan, he appeared extremely ecstatic, showing no signs of breaking down. Lu Yuan was not just feeling good; he was thriving, as the Five Emperor Sword Dao advanced relentlessly.

The hour was finally complete! In the end, only Lu Yuan remained on the tree.

Another perfect score! The entire audience erupted in discussion.

To this point, Lu Yuan had amassed five perfect scores. How could this not astonish people?

Ye Zixu finally opened his eyes and carefully examined Lu Yuan. He asked the deputy envoy beside him, "This young man from Jin—his name is Lu Yuan, correct?

What is his background? Who is his master?

Look up his file immediately." For someone like this to appear in the Central Celestial Dynasty was not entirely out of the ordinary; he would be considered an average genius, as the Central Celestial Dynasty harbored countless such talents. While he would be rare in the State of Yong, he would still exist.

However, in the remote backwater of the State of Jin, such a figure was seldom seen. Lu Yuan's current performance was enough for the official Celestial Envoy Ye Zixu to take note of him.

"I already looked up his file last night," the purple-robed Deputy Envoy replied. "This child's master was merely an ordinary Sword Immortal from the Huashan Immortal Gate who passed away several years ago.

Furthermore, he has cultivated for a remarkably short time, only about ten years or so." "Oh. In that case, someone of his caliber would be qualified to contend for the status of a Super Genius even in the Central Celestial Dynasty," Ye Zixu nodded.

"Indeed," the purple-robed Deputy Envoy confirmed. While the official and deputy envoys conversed, the crowd below was already in an uproar.

Five perfect tens appearing was an achievement unseen for hundreds of years. If he were to secure six perfect scores, it would set a miracle unmatched in five thousand years.

Now, that miracle was tantalizingly close. ———————— Lu Yuan held a roasted chicken in one hand and a wine gourd in the other.

A bite of chicken, a swig of wine. Life was truly carefree.

The fifth assessment had been leisurely; the Five-Colored Tribulation Clouds had provided him with immense pleasure, so his spirits were exceptionally high, showing no need for rest. What was 'good fortune'?

This was it. Lu Yuan was now certain he could qualify for the Hundred Kingdoms Assessment.

The only remaining question was whether he could create yet another miracle. Chu Duan and the others watched Lu Yuan with wry smiles.

This time, six people were participating in the assessment: Venerable Yuanyang, Venerable Lieyang, Venerable Huifeng, Venerable Zixia, Venerable Yuzhen, and Lu Yuan. Before they arrived, they had assumed the youngest, Lu Yuan, would face the greatest difficulty.

Who could have predicted that Lu Yuan would now be leading the pack? Venerable Yuanyang of the Sword Sect had accumulated thirty-four points so far.

Venerable Lieyang had thirty points, Venerable Huifeng had thirty-two, Venerable Zixia had thirty-four, and Venerable Yuzhen had twenty-five. Generally speaking, Venerable Yuanyang, Lu Yuan, Venerable Lieyang, Venerable Huifeng, and Venerable Zixia—these five were virtually guaranteed entry into the Hundred Kingdoms Assessment.

Venerable Yuzhen was in a precarious position. Lu Yuan asked, "By the way, during this assessment back then, Patriarch Yan and Martial Uncle-Ancestor Zhou must have participated as well.

What were their scores?" "Senior Brother Yan scored fifty-seven points at the time," Chu Duan said, seemingly lost in reminiscence. "Senior Brother Zhou scored fifty-three points back then." Such high scores!

Fifty-seven and fifty-three! Look how far those scores dwarfed that of Venerable Yuanyang.

Venerable Yuanyang might manage around forty points at best, but those two scored in the fifties—the gap was unimaginably vast. Moreover, Lu Yuan understood that even if he were to score ten points tomorrow, it wouldn't mean his innate talent surpassed that of Patriarch Yan and Martial Uncle-Ancestor Zhou.

It was clear upon reflection: the seventh generation of Huashan was not particularly strong. If the seventh generation had been formidable, they wouldn't have been suppressed so thoroughly by Ren Du.

If the seventh generation had been strong, despite their numbers, they wouldn't have been routed so badly by Martial Uncle-Ancestor Zhou's single sword strike. The seventh generation lacked a true guiding master.

Achieving scores of fifty-seven and fifty-three without a clear master spoke volumes about the strength of Patriarch Yan and Martial Uncle-Ancestor Zhou. How powerful were they?

And himself? He had reached this level largely under the guidance of Patriarch Yan and Martial Uncle-Ancestor Zhou, the first and second strongest experts in Great Jin.

With such exaggerated mentorship, what was there to be arrogant about? In terms of raw talent, he was slightly inferior to the peerless Patriarch Yan, the 'Unrivaled Heavenly Sword.' Perhaps his talent was comparable to, or slightly weaker than, Martial Uncle-Ancestor Zhou, the 'First Sword of Huashan.' (Yesterday, when writing Chapter 437, I accidentally wrote 437 points—I was possessed by the writing!)RO