As I step onto the Path of Thorns, all manner of monstrous beasts lie in wait. It wasn't long before I encountered the Poison Locust. These locusts, initially the size of beans, swelled rapidly in the wind to the size of wine cups, their eyes glowing red, spewing venomous flames that stretched dozens of feet, their toxicity pressing in. A while later, I met the Raging Vulture, a beast the size of ten men, its claws sharp as spirit swords, its inherent magical power terrifyingly immense, coupled with astonishing speed—truly dreadful. This particular vulture dearly loves cultivators with spiritual energy and is frequently slain by them in return, making it a significant threat. Then there is the Seven-Pace Rattlesnake, a creature resembling both a gecko and a serpent; within seven steps, its close-combat ability is terrifyingly potent, hence its name. The Troll Mountain Crag is a creature possessing bizarre, colossal strength, capable of shattering mountain peaks with a charge, and its muscle defense is so high that even a strike from a spirit sword barely registers. The Ink Spider can spit ice. There are also other demonic beasts such as the Snow Hedgehog, the White Ape, and the Cold Glare. These creatures are bizarre; some are seen in the Jin State, but the majority are never witnessed there. Their strange and peculiar abilities cause newcomers to suffer heavy losses. Some possess potent toxins, some have incredible speed, and others can even employ illusions. Speaking of illusions, I must mention that on the Path of Thorns, some of the trees are incredibly strange. There is a type of Illusion Heart Grass hidden among the foliage; a single glance will plunge you into an illusion. And then there is the Man-Eating Grass, far more terrifying than the Man-Eating Flower. This grass conceals itself like ordinary blades of grass, but if you accidentally touch it, it generates a formidable, terrifying suction that drags you in and drains you dry. The Path of Thorns, teeming with every kind of monster. In terms of complexity, it likely rivals the sealed underground world of the Jin State after the Great Relocation Spell.

If these demonic beasts utilized poison, like the Poison Locust or the Six-Winged Golden Silkworm, Lu Yuan wouldn't much care, as he is immune to all poisons. However, against other powerful demonic beasts whose magic keeps him tied down, it becomes quite troublesome. Just as he thought this, a gigantic monster appeared before him.

What a beast it was: a human face atop a sheep's body, covered in frost-white fur, with a wide mouth and tiger's fangs; its forepaws resembled human hands, and its hind claws ended in five barbed points; from its fore-elbows to its armpits, nine round, luminous golden eyes, the size of dragon eyes, studded its flanks. Its cry sounded like an infant's wail, and it walked upright. Lu Yuan had never seen such a creature. This, in fact, is a demonic beast native to one of the southern kingdoms, called the Golden-Eyed Roe. This Golden-Eyed Roe locked its gaze on Lu Yuan and suddenly lunged. So fast! Lu Yuan instinctively blocked, and the instinctual block connected, but the immense magical force pressed him back. At that moment, Lu Yuan realized another monster had appeared behind him—a golden spider. It immediately spat out threads of gold and silver, wrapping toward Lu Yuan. This was the Demon Beast Golden Spider, capable of spitting gold and silver threads that even spirit swords could not sever. Moreover, the Golden Spider itself possessed tremendous strength; once ensnared, it was terrifyingly dangerous. Lu Yuan was already occupied dealing with the Golden-Eyed Roe in front of him, never expecting the Golden Spider to attack from behind. These two demonic beasts were not easy foes; both were Rank Four demonic beasts, whereas the Black Water King Serpent he faced in the South Sea was only Rank Three.

Lu Yuan’s inherent magical power was average, roughly equivalent to someone mastering the laws of the second heaven and earth of the Great Dao Realm. These beasts, however, were immensely strong and fast, clinging to Lu Yuan relentlessly. In truth, at this moment, it wasn't just Lu Yuan who was ensnared; many other masters of the Great Dao Realm were similarly tangled up by various demonic beasts. This Path of Thorns was truly a paradise for demonic beasts. Countless monsters rampaged within it. These beasts were usually kept within the Path of Thorns diagram, having no natural predators. While inside the diagram, they remained dormant. Now that they could finally move, they were all in high spirits.

At this point, some individuals with formidable combat power began to display their skills. For example, Upper Master Yuanyang unleashed a sword light like the scorching sun, embodying the technique "A Thousand Miles of Riverland in a Single Day." If any beast dared approach from the sides, he employed "The Monkeys' Cries on Both Banks Never Ceasing." He was undoubtedly among the very first to advance. Beside him, Upper Master Zixia, his body suffused with purple mist, rose like smoke, simultaneously activating the Qi Sect's Divine Movement of a Thousand Changes Heart Technique, speeding forward. Yu Qingzhou, the second of the Wudang Seven Disciples from the Wudang Immortal Sect, also showed extraordinary methods. He advanced using the Sky-Treading Ladder movement technique, and when encountering a beast, he engaged using the Gentle Finger Soft Sword Style, avoiding direct confrontation as pushing forward was the absolute priority. The third Wudang Disciple, Yu Qingdai, utilized vastly different techniques. As he moved his hand in a circle, one rotation could propel him an incredible distance. He had once been crippled for a period, and during that time, he unexpectedly grasped certain critical insights of the Taiji Sword Style. His mastery of the Taiji Sword Style surpassed Yu Qingzhou's; the Taiji Sword Style is a World-Suppressing level sword art, and grasping even a fraction of it was remarkable. The top figures from the Kunlun, South Sea, Qingcheng Immortal Sects, as well as the mid-tier sects and rogue cultivators—the very elite from years past—were also swiftly moving forward. Now was the time to test inherent combat strength.

As they advanced, seeing Lu Yuan entangled and finding it extremely difficult to surge ahead, they couldn't help but chuckle internally. Lu Yuan, we must admit, your potential is vast, and your swordsmanship is supreme. However, this trial, fighting against these demonic beasts, relies on raw combat power, and you still fall short. These top figures from various sects advanced rapidly, quickly leaving the others behind. It seemed that Lu Yuan’s legend of "Six Perfect Miracles" would not materialize after all.

In truth, the failure to realize Lu Yuan's Six Perfect Miracles pleased many. The Wudang, Kunlun, Qingcheng, and South Sea Immortal Sects were all delighted. These four upper-tier sects were in competition with the Mount Hua Immortal Sect. The eighth generation of Mount Hua’s Golden Generation had completely suppressed the other four upper sects. Yan Cangtian, Zhou Qingxuan, Chu Duan—each was legendary. Only Chu Duan was considered the weakest, and only now was the influence of the eighth generation slightly lessened. Yan Cangtian ascended, Zhou Qingxuan vanished, leaving Chu Duan and Zhuo Budang. They thought they could finally catch a breath, only for Mount Hua to produce Lu Yuan. If Lu Yuan managed to create a few more legends, he would be another Yan Cangtian, perhaps even more terrifying in the future. How could anyone else possibly live? And now, with the vision of Lu Yuan's Six Perfect Miracles seemingly unattainable, those who welcomed it were many.

The current situation is not good. Lu Yuan took a deep, ragged breath. He had managed to slay both the Golden Spider and the Golden-Eyed Roe that had pinned him down, but it had cost him significant time. Under the current circumstances, following the standard pace, he definitely wouldn't take first place, perhaps not even cracking the top ten. Originally, he held the mindset of "fortunate to gain, resigned to loss"—if he didn't achieve the Six Perfects, so be it. However, because he had previously revealed that the sect's founding ancestor understood the founder's dying wish, the righteous immortal sects valued this point highly. Moreover, Lu Yuan was, frankly, still a young man approaching thirty. While youths his age often appear detached, sometimes their blood boils over. Like now: having achieved Five Perfects, he couldn't calmly let go of the Sixth Perfect—he always aspired to reach the Six Perfects. But looking at the situation now, with his current combat strength, reaching the Six Perfects was incredibly, incredibly difficult. He needed to find another way.

Finding a new way was not straightforward. Hah! Right! The Cloud Dragon Ten Transformations—he had mastered seven transformations and still had three remaining. He had long ago investigated the other three. The tenth transformation, the Cloud Dragon Transformation, was the ultimate change, offering boundless benefits once mastered, needless to say. The eighth and ninth transformations each had their own utility. For instance, the Devouring Transformation was a technique for consuming the magical power of others, ranked second in power among the Cloud Dragon Ten Transformations. The eighth transformation, the Jiao Tu Transformation, also had its purpose. Jiao Tu, one of the nine sons of the Dragon, had a dragon's head and resembled a conch or clam; it loved to shut tight, instantly closing up when encountering external objects—it was a beast of security! Of course, as a son of the Dragon, this beast of security could not be ordinary. Simply put, the Jiao Tu Transformation possessed a strange effect: once activated, any other demonic beast whose magical power did not vastly exceed the user’s would feel an innate dread toward the practitioner of the Jiao Tu Transformation, automatically making way, as if the one using the Jiao Tu form were the true master of this place. This was Dragon Might! Simply put, the Jiao Tu Transformation carried the essence of Dragon Might! Of course, it lacked the actual strength of a true dragon, possessing only its aura. When the Dragon Might descends, all beasts retreat. Only the tenth transformation, the Cloud Dragon Transformation, granted the actual power of a dragon. If he could master the Jiao Tu Transformation, relying on Dragon Might, he could travel unimpeded on the Path of Thorns. Naturally, mastering the Jiao Tu Transformation would take time, but fortunately, the Path of Thorns spanned a hundred thousand li, twenty thousand in total distance, meaning the required time was extremely long. He could use this time to diligently practice the Jiao Tu Transformation.

Lu Yuan found a relatively secluded spot and sat down. After scanning the surroundings for any strange anomalies, he began to meditate. Mother Jiao, Jiao Tu—what is Jiao Tu? Dragon Might, Dragon Might—what is the Might of the Dragon? The complete mental cultivation method for the Cloud Dragon Ten Transformations surfaced in his mind, lines of text flickering past. This alone might not suffice. Lu Yuan recalled the appearance of the Black Water King Serpent he had witnessed in the South Sea; it was already close to the form of a Jiao (flood dragon). By observing the Jiao form, he could grasp the Dragon form, and thus manifest the Dragon's Might.