A pale-gold robe—Venerable Yuanyang!

Could it truly be Venerable Yuanyang who arrived first?

All this time, Chu Duan had regarded Venerable Yuanyang as his most trusted confidant. Yuanyang was, after all, his direct disciple, and Chu Duan had always been exceptionally pleased with him. But now, Chu Duan felt an urge to simply swat Venerable Yuanyang dead. What harm was there in letting things slide a bit in this situation? Lu Yuan securing first place, creating the miracle of six perfect scores, was a magnificent boon for the Jin Nation, for Mount Hua.

The possibility of Mount Hua Immortal Sect ascending to the ranks of a Major Immortal Sect grew ever stronger.

Yet, thinking the other way, Venerable Yuanyang was deep within the fray, utterly unaware that Lu Yuan was right behind him—how could one speak of "letting things slide"? How could the one ranked first possibly know who was thousands of li behind?

Venerable Yuanyang took a deep breath, about to surge toward the starting line, when suddenly, a buzzing swarm of Six-Winged Golden Silkworms came flying toward him. Yuanyang paid them little mind; these silkworms couldn't hold him for long. He took a straight line, transforming his sword into the technique, Departing the White Emperor Amidst Colorful Clouds.

The Six-Winged Golden Silkworms clung to Venerable Yuanyang relentlessly, but Departing the White Emperor Amidst Colorful Clouds was too sharp, too fierce. It swept past the Golden Silkworm Hive, clearly about to pierce the starting point.

In that instant, Venerable Yuanyang felt a sharp, agonizing pain in his foot. He wore the Sun-Rising Boots, which were not so easily penetrated. What was this? Yuanyang glanced down and saw his foot covered in a pale gold sheen, like that of a golden automaton. Damnation, could it be the King of Six-Winged Golden Silkworms Hive?

The King of Six-Winged Golden Silkworms Hive was the king among all poison hives.

Its size was much smaller than the ordinary Six-Winged Golden Silkworm Hive, but its virulence was more than ten times that of its counterpart.

Venerable Yuanyang dared not delay. He immediately circulated the Sun-Rising Heart Method, and instantly, his entire body seemed enveloped in a miniature sun. He dared not hesitate; if the King Silkworm Hive managed to burrow into his heart meridian, death was certain. He had no intention of being so unlucky as to perish here. He pushed the Sun-Rising Heart Method to its absolute peak, the golden light continuously neutralizing the poison on his foot.

And at this very moment, a streak of white light shot past.

Venerable Yuanyang wasn't overly anxious. There was still the swarm of Six-Winged Golden Silkworms ahead; he refused to believe they couldn't entangle this person.

But as soon as he thought that, the entire group of Six-Winged Golden Silkworms retreated in unison, like loyal subjects making way.

And that white sword light had already rushed to the starting ground.

First place had been determined.

As the sword light dissipated, a figure dressed in green robes was revealed.

Lu Yuan.

At this moment, Lu Yuan led Venerable Yuanyang by less than fifty li.

He had won against Venerable Yuanyang by the narrowest of margins.

In that instant, the people of the Great Jin Nation, the Great Yuan Nation, the Great Qin Nation, the Great Yue Nation, the Great Wu Nation, the Great Ye Nation, the Murong Nation, and the Bai Pin Nation—all eight nations—stood up, watching intently. When they confirmed the figure was indeed Lu Yuan, a tremendous cheer erupted.

The miracle had finally materialized.

In the five-thousand-year history of the Great Jin Nation, such a thing had never occurred. Even Yan Cangtian back then had only scored fifty-seven points!

A miracle!

In Qu Qingchen’s heart, there was only an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. Mount Hua North Peak—it had been suppressed for years. It was one thing that the sixth and seventh generations had produced no talents, as the general composition of those generations was weak. The eighth generation, the Golden Generation, had talents in the Sword Sect and Qi Sect, but the North Peak had none. The foremost expert of the Sword-Qi Sect was Qu Qingchen himself, who only ranked eighth in his time. The ninth generation had initially shown two promising figures: Venerable Yuanyuan and Venerable Yuanling. Yuanyuan was immensely steady and capable of great things, while Yuanling was dazzlingly brilliant. But then, Yuanling rebelled, and Yuanyuan faded into obscurity.

The North Peak had lived under the sorrow of lacking talent for so many years.

Whether it was internal competition within the peak or all external matters, the situation had always been quite bleak.

It turned out that even though a figure like Lu Yuan had emerged, it hadn't been enough to change the overall situation.

But now it was confirmed: because of Lu Yuan, the entire situation would change.

Chu Duan raised his hand, his grip firm and strong. Chu Duan was immensely elated now. Although Lu Yuan was not of the Sword Sect, this achievement alone would bring immense fame to the Mount Hua Immortal Sect. It would be far easier for Mount Hua to be promoted to a Major Immortal Sect. At this point, Chu Duan couldn't help but sigh with emotion again.

Song Qingqiao, the Sect Master of the Wudang Immortal Sect, stroked his white beard. Seeing Lu Yuan achieve such success gave him considerable gratification. He harbored no ill will toward Lu Yuan; in fact, he owed Lu Yuan a debt of gratitude stemming from the True Martial Grotto matter. With a talent like Lu Yuan here, it seemed the Wudang Immortal Sect could only continue as the Second Immortal Sect, having missed an opportunity to climb to the top spot.

The Sect Masters of the Qingcheng and Kunlun Immortal Sects were consumed by envy and jealousy. Mount Hua Immortal Sect had produced another peerless genius? Why did Mount Hua always produce such geniuses? Why couldn't they spare one for Qingcheng or Kunlun? How were others supposed to live?

Yan Er, the Sect Master of the South Sea Immortal Sect, burst into laughter. "Lu Yuan, grow quickly! You will be my opponent in the future." He had been defeated by Yan Cangtian in the past and sought another peerless genius from Mount Hua to serve as his rival. Lu Jiu had been his designated replacement for Yan Cangtian, but now...

The cultivators from the Qin Nation were equally stunned.

As for the people of the Yuan Nation, they only cried out about their bad luck. How could the Jin Nation produce such an astonishing figure? His rate of growth was simply too rapid! The Yuan Nation had initially counted on the Reincarnated Spirit Child, Tiemuer, but now it seemed even Tiemuer would struggle to suppress Lu Yuan in the future. What a pity, what a pity.

Tiemuer, the Reincarnated Spirit Child who had clashed with Lu Yuan years ago, was taken back by Venerable Yuanling after their fight. But Tiemuer, worthy of being the reincarnation of a Grandmaster-level figure, managed to escape on his own later, even stealing some secret arts from Venerable Yuanling. His future achievements were limitless.

The Bai Pin and Murong Nations both recognized that the Jin Nation now possessed this peerless genius, meaning they would face a formidable opponent in the Hundred Nations Assessment. They absolutely needed to collect more detailed intelligence on Lu Yuan, including what his first sword technique training involved.

The people of the Great Yue Nation immediately approached Chu Duan. "Sect Master Chu, I wonder if Lu Yuan is betrothed? The Great Yue Nation has several outstanding young women who could become his wife, especially Princess Little Xishi." It was common knowledge that the Great Yue Nation was home to stunning beauties, famously the place with the most beautiful women in the Southern Territory.

And Princess Little Xishi of the Great Yue Nation was rumored to be devastatingly beautiful. It was said that anyone who glimpsed her would forget the appearance of other women for three years.

Ordinarily, the Great Yue Nation treated this princess as a treasured artifact, never showing her to outsiders, reportedly intending to marry her off to the Central Celestial Dynasty. Now, they were approaching Lu Yuan. This made others intensely envious of Lu Yuan’s romantic fortune.

Chu Duan shook his head. "Lu Yuan is not yet betrothed, but this matter requires consulting his mentors or himself." Although Chu Duan was the leader of the Mount Hua Immortal Sect, the sect was divided into three branches, and he didn't have the final say.

Meanwhile, the Great Wu Nation, perpetually at odds with the Great Yue Nation, felt nauseated by this "beauty siege."

The delegates from the Great Yue Nation retorted, "Aren't you just jealous because the Great Yue has world-shaking beauties? It’s a shame your Great Wu Nation lacks beauties, not our fault."

The reactions of the masses, the reactions of the sects, the reactions of the nations—

No matter who it was, everyone was deeply shaken by Lu Yuan's final performance.

The Deputy Angel in the purple robe announced, "The sixth round of assessment is complete. First place, Lu Yuan, ten points; second place, Venerable Yuanyang, 9.75 points; third place, Yu Qingdai, 9.5 points; fourth place, Venerable Zixia, 9.25 points; fifth place, Yu Qingzhou, 9... twentieth place, the Blood Sword Ancestor, five points... twenty-eighth place, the Star Constellation Old Immortal, three points..."

The sixth comprehensive assessment was finally over.

The Deputy Angel in the purple robe stepped back, and the principal Angel, Ye Zixu, straightened his posture. Standing upon the high platform, he adjusted his robes, appearing exceedingly formal. "By mandate of Heaven, on behalf of Heaven's decree, issued by the Central Celestial Dynasty's Great Ceremony of the Highest Celestial Sage, Greatly Compassionate and Benevolent Jade Emperor, the Supreme Sovereign of the Profound Vault of Heaven: the six assessments are complete. Those who qualify for the Hundred Nations Assessment are the twenty individuals, starting with..."

The first name he read, naturally, was Lu Yuan, following the general descending order. This time, Mount Hua secured five spots in the Hundred Nations Assessment: Venerable Huifeng, Venerable Lieyang, Venerable Yuanyang, Venerable Zixia, and Lu Yuan.

The Wudang Immortal Sect secured four spots this time: Yu Qingzhou, Yu Qingdai, Zhang Qingshan, and Mo Qi.

The Qingcheng Immortal Sect had two entrants in the final round, as did the Kunlun Immortal Sect, and the South Sea Immortal Sect also had two.

This meant the five Upper-Tier Immortal Sects claimed fifteen spots collectively. The remaining five were divided among Middle-Tier Immortal Sects and rogue cultivators. Notably, the Blood Sword Ancestor actually secured one of the slots, qualifying to enter the Hundred Nations Assessment set up by the Central Celestial Dynasty, which left the Blood Sword Ancestor utterly ecstatic.

After Ye Zixu finished his proclamation, he stated, "This assessment is now formally concluded." Concluded!

Although it had only taken three days, those three days had been intensely demanding.

Ye Zixu continued, "The Hundred Nations Assessment will commence three years from now. You have three years to prepare; return then for the Hundred Nations Assessment."

Undoubtedly, the qualification assessment did not lead immediately into the main event; there was an intervening period. By the time the Jin Nation's assessment concluded, exactly three years would have passed—three years allowed for preparation. How much one could prepare depended entirely on oneself. This three-year window benefited those with greater youthful potential, as they tended to advance more quickly.

It was a disadvantage for the older cultivators with less inherent potential.

Naturally, what the Central Celestial Dynasty sought were figures brimming with potential.

Ye Zixu descended from the high platform. Their next destination was the Yuan Nation.

It was rumored that the Yuan Nation had also produced an extraordinary figure this time—the Reincarnated Spirit Child, Tiemuer.