Mount Hua. A soft sigh drifted from the Meditation Peak. "Master, he is still too hasty. He hasn't finished mastering reincarnation yet and already wishes to learn Yin and Yang. His foundation is unstable." "Do you think he truly doesn't know that? It's just that he fears time will run out." A slightly aged voice responded, "The turmoil of the Three Sects, the Alliance to Uphold Heaven, and entering the Central Celestial Dynasty—this seemingly carefree person unknowingly bears quite a burden on his shoulders, hence the impatience."

Within an unknown, deep darkness. "Those sent for training in the Great Yue Kingdom have already departed." "Yes, they are gone. Currently, Hua Shan's Three Peaks are without their primary masters. The remaining two peak lords, Venerable Yuzhen and Fang Ru, are both easily manipulated. Should we take this opportunity to strike?" "It is not the right time. Now that the three peak masters have just left, Hua Shan's defenses will be at their tightest. Hua Shan has Chu Duan, Zhuo Budang, and dozens of Great Dao Realm cultivators. The most troublesome one is that fellow hiding on Meditation Peak. However, it will be soon. Once the Eastern Demon's mystic power is fully assimilated, it will be time to end Hua Shan. The timing should be about two years from now." The State of Jin also has its share of swirling currents.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan, along with the four Venerables, had already set off for the training grounds in the Great Yue Kingdom. The Great Yue Kingdom is one of the nations on the Great Earth. This place highly values swordsmanship. Legend has it that once there was a woman named Wei Qing here who studied under the Ancient White Ape Sword Venerable, mastering unparalleled sword techniques. She was known for once defeating a thousand immortal cultivators with a single strike—a tale that became a celebrated anecdote, ensuring the name 'Yue Maiden Sword' spread far and wide. Oh, and the Yue Kingdom also once had a Xi Shi, said to possess extraordinary beauty. Among the Four Great Beauties in the legends of the Great Earth, Xi Shi was one. Of course, the current Yue Kingdom is long past the era of the Yue Maiden Sword Wei Qing and Xi Shi. Times change. However, the current Little Princess Xi Shi is also famous for her beauty.

Using extremely high fees, they navigated through various teleportation arrays. Except for Lu Yuan, the other four Venerables were all great magnates from the State of Jin; none of them lacked abundant wealth. Although the teleportation arrays were incredibly expensive, they could afford them. Lu Yuan's fortune was also respectable. After passing through these layered transfers, they finally arrived in the Yue Kingdom.

Inter-state teleportation arrays are usually built near national borders to prevent trouble from enemy nations. After presenting some credentials, they entered the borders of the Yue Kingdom. The base for this training session was Mount Yuelu—In Yue there are deer, which the world pursues. This is the origin of Mount Yuelu’s name.

While flying en route, passing through some cities, Lu Yuan did indeed notice that the women here—whether cultivators or commoners—were exceptionally beautiful, with fair skin, gentle and flowing like water. The saying about the beauty of Yue Maidens held some truth. "Martial Nephew Lu is young and fortunate," Venerable Yuanyang chuckled. "If we were as young as Martial Nephew Lu, we would certainly seek out some female cultivators as well." He was deliberately building a good rapport with Lu Yuan. Everyone knew Lu Yuan's future was immeasurable; even if he didn't enter the Central Celestial Dynasty this time, he was destined to enter in two hundred years, so cultivating a good relationship was necessary. Venerable Zixia nodded in agreement. "Quite right, quite right. Martial Nephew Lu is enjoying success while young, riding the high winds of fortune—why not gallop through the flowers of Chang'an in a single day?" Venerable Zixia was also trying to align himself with Lu Yuan. Normally, Venerable Zixia and Venerable Yuanyang were staunch rivals, rarely agreeing on anything, but now they found common ground. Despite their shared opinion, Venerable Zixia and Venerable Yuanyang were clearly competing. Lu Yuan, being straightforward, simply went to the very back, drinking, choosing not to involve himself in their banter. Why wade into a dispute between two peak lords?

Mount Yuelu had been reached. Mount Yuelu is not particularly tall, but its shape resembles deer antlers, hence its name. Upon approaching the mountain, before even landing, they saw a vast, grand procession approaching from ahead. This convoy moved with extraordinary pomp: cloud chariots lined up one after another, perhaps a hundred in total. This scale was unmatched by the delegation from the State of Jin—such splendor, such display, tsk tsk... However, these people were halted before they could enter Mount Yuelu. Do you ask why? Mount Yuelu was designated for the training of two hundred qualified participants. How could such a massive entourage gain entry? After some apparent discussions among their leaders, the group seemed to reach an understanding. Finally, from that overwhelmingly large procession, a noble young master, whose features were flawlessly sculpted, descended. What a noble young master he was, exceptionally handsome, with a single crimson mole between his brows, clad in cherry-red robes, with tight cuffs and pink boots. Aristocratic bearing! Lu Yuan had encountered countless individuals in the State of Jin—young prodigies, established mid-level experts, powerful middle-aged figures, and generational titans—yet none possessed this air of inherent nobility. Furthermore, the mystic power surging around this person far surpassed his own, and even that of Martial Uncle Yuanyang and Martial Uncle Zixia. Although Venerable Yuanyang had never seen this man, he had reviewed intelligence reports and immediately recognized him. "This is Murong Country’s peerless genius, Murong Huangfu. Unlike you, Murong Huangfu is over three hundred years old—younger than us, yet older than you. His mystic power is said to be unfathomable, having reached the Fifth Level of the Great Dao Realm." Fifth Level of the Great Dao Realm! What a peerless genius from Murong Country! Lu Yuan was also a peerless genius, but Lu Yuan's greatest flaw was his extreme youth, leading to insufficient accumulation. For equally peerless geniuses, Murong Huangfu possessed the power of the Fifth Level of the Great Dao Realm, whereas Lu Yuan was merely at the First Level.

After Murong Huangfu entered Mount Yuelu, the twenty participants from the Yue Kingdom arrived. Lu Yuan glanced over and was immediately captivated. Among the Yue Kingdom's twenty-plus individuals was a female cultivator of pure, ethereal beauty, seemingly embodying the essence of heaven and earth's finest spirits. This woman wore a plain, white Taoist robe, was quite tall, and her face could be summarized in just one word: purity. Who was this...? Venerable Yuanyang consulted his records: "These are the twenty from the Yue Kingdom. That woman is a formidable figure in Yue. We don't know her surname; she is known as Little Qing. She reigns supreme in Yue Kingdom sword techniques. It is rumored she has mastered the Yue Maiden Sword Divine Art left by the Yue Maiden Wei Qing, hence she is also called Yue Maiden Little Qing. She ranks first among the twenty from Yue, possessing the power of the Fourth Level of the Great Dao Realm—indeed a considerable genius."

Lu Yuan nodded. Just as he did, a voice sounded from behind: "It's Lu Yuan from the State of Jin." Not far behind them, another contingent of twenty Great Dao Realm cultivators arrived. The leader among these twenty was a broad-faced, large-eared monk in hempen robes. This monk clasped his hands together: "Lu Yuan, I was defeated by you in the past. This time, during the training, I will make sure you are defeated by me." It was the Reincarnated Spiritual Child, Tie Mu'er. A Reincarnated Spiritual Child is just that—his breakthroughs lacked the obstacles Lu Yuan faced. After all, he was the reincarnation of a venerable figure who had regained his past life's memories. His current mystic power had reached the Third Level of the Great Dao Realm, surpassing Lu Yuan in raw power. Now, they finally met again. And one could easily imagine this being the nature of a Reincarnated Spiritual Child. When Tie Mu'er called out, the people from the Yue Kingdom and the Murong Country nearby all turned to look. Lu Yuan was recognized as one of the prodigious talents capable of fighting above his rank. Six out of ten points! Truly shocking! They all sized up Lu Yuan. However, they also knew his biggest flaw: his young age and insufficient accumulation, resulting in comparatively low mystic power. Seeing Lu Yuan now, they confirmed he was as young as the legends claimed, with low power, only at the First Level of the Great Dao Realm. Relief spread through them. In this Hundred Nations Assessment, Lu Yuan would hardly be a competitive opponent.

Yue Maiden Little Qing, Murong Huangfu, Tie Mu'er, Lu Yuan—the figures exchanged wary glances. Mount Yuelu was about to commence training soon. The forces from the Great Yue, Great Wu, Murong, Great Qin, Great Yuan, Great Jin, and Great Ye—a total of two hundred participants for the training—had all arrived. In addition, there were many others, but the most outstanding and eye-catching among them was Murong Huangfu, the peerless genius currently at the Fifth Level of the Great Dao Realm.

Lu Yuan also settled into his residence on Mount Yuelu. The mountain was vast, and with only two hundred people training, space was ample; each person received a separate courtyard. The spiritual energy on Mount Yuelu was truly abundant—perhaps ten times richer than elsewhere. Of course, this richness was artificially created, with the seven nations pooling resources to thicken the spiritual concentration here. It was common knowledge that any nation whose person entered the Central Celestial Dynasty would bring back immense rewards.

Lu Yuan sat cross-legged, feeling the spiritual energy pouring ceaselessly into his body, transforming into mystic power. In truth, he had long reached the peak of the First Level of the Great Dao Realm. However, to ascend to the Second Level, he needed to comprehend the Laws of Heaven and Earth. Those Laws of Heaven and Earth, which his eyes could already perceive, how could he grasp them in his hands? Lu Yuan reached out toward the void, attempting to seize the Laws of Heaven and Earth. He tried to seize the Law of Wind first. Lu Yuan tried to grasp it, but found he could not hold it no matter how hard he tried; the Law of Wind slipped lightly through his grasp. After repeated efforts, he failed again and again. Alas, another failure. But there was no need to rush. Although three years was a tight schedule, he shouldn't be overly anxious.

Lu Yuan took a sip of wine—a local brew he purchased in the Great Yue Kingdom. While Yue beauties were renowned across the south, the wine itself was mediocre, a definite step down from Jin's vintages. He had heard the Great Ye Kingdom possessed fine spirits and resolved to visit if the opportunity arose, Lu Yuan thought with some regret.

After drinking some wine, a message arrived for Lu Yuan. This message notified him that he was required to undergo a test. A ranking test among the two hundred participants on Mount Yuelu. Reportedly, the subsequent training would be assigned based on this ranking.