Upon entering the second level of the Sword Dao Chamber, he saw that it was still a virtual space, much like the first level, yet this semi-illusory space was clearly much larger. Simultaneously, text appeared in the void: "For this stage, twenty demonic beasts at the first level of the Great Dao Realm will appear."

Twenty demonic beasts with equal magical power!

The second level of the Sword Dao Chamber—this was the difficulty here.

Lu Yuan couldn't help but recall the ranking board he had seen outside the Sword Dao Chamber. This current ranking had shifted somewhat from the last one; moving up a level on the board was natural, considering three or four months had passed and everyone had been improving.

"Murong Huangfu, has challenged up to the fifth level of the Sword Dao Chamber."

"Zhong Heming, has challenged up to the fourth level of the Sword Dao Chamber."

"Murong Shi, has challenged up to the fourth level of the Sword Dao Chamber."

If the second level was this difficult, it was no wonder that the number of people who had reached the third level was pitifully small, and those who reached the fourth level were even rarer. Only Murong Huangfu had managed to challenge the fifth level.

However, for him, this presented no real challenge.

Just twenty demonic beasts at the first level of the Great Dao Realm. Immediately, numerous grotesque beasts materialized in the void: Golden Spiders, Vicious Eagles, White Bats, Demonic Fire Qilin, Black Water King Snakes, and more—twenty in total—encircling Lu Yuan, trapping him completely.

Almost instantaneously, these demonic beasts launched a coordinated attack.

Lu Yuan merely smiled at that moment. Twenty demonic beasts dared to challenge him? How laughable. Summoning his Spiritual Sword, Yangwu, he casually manifested the move, "Cloud Mist Rain." Lu Yuan was basically at the peak of the Sword King realm, capable of creating decent sword techniques effortlessly. This move was improvised, his sword light spreading out like clouds, mist, and rain.

While attacking, Lu Yuan was deeply pondering three questions.

These three questions were, in essence, just one overarching problem.

The Golden Emperor Sword Dao, the Wood Emperor Sword Dao, and the Earth Emperor Sword Dao—how could these Three Emperor Sword Daos be achieved?

The accumulation of Sword Intent was sufficient; the next step was how to break through.

Yet, comprehending the Sword Dao of one Emperor would never be simple.

Lu Yuan practiced his sword while deliberating, but his inherent sword skill was so profound that even while distracted, he had already passed the second level of the Sword Dao Chamber. If the countless cultivators stuck on the second level throughout Yue Lu Mountain were to know this, they would likely spit blood. Having dealt with them, Lu Yuan proceeded to the third level.

Simultaneously, a crowd had gathered in front of the Enlightenment Treasure Pavilion.

The rankings changed every moment.

But the final rankings for the month, which determined the usage time for the Enlightenment Treasure Pavilion in the following month, would be confirmed on the evening of the last day of every month, precisely at the Shen hour.

It was currently the Wei hour, with only one hour left until the deadline.

In this final hour, virtually no one was fighting for points anymore; those who could gain points had mostly done so over the past month. Now, most people stood quietly before the Enlightenment Treasure Pavilion, awaiting the final judgment. Most were calm, but those hovering around the fifth, tenth, thirtieth, and hundredth spots were exceptionally tense.

For these ranked individuals, breaking into the top five, top ten, top thirty, or top hundred meant vastly different levels of privilege.

Being squeezed out resulted in a comparatively worse allocation.

The difference between the 100th and 101st position, a mere single place, meant entirely different access times to the Enlightenment Treasure Pavilion.

Therefore, this group of people was the most anxious.

They constantly monitored the flickering rankings, waiting for the final confirmation moment at the Shen hour.

The atmosphere, inevitably, grew taut.

At that moment, someone exclaimed, "Ah, Lu Yuan! He’s climbing so fast. He was 171st just now, now he’s 147th."

However, few people were paying attention to Lu Yuan now; after all, he was only ranked 147th, and with only an hour remaining, it was impossible for him to break into the top hundred within that timeframe.

Lu Yuan entered the third level of the Sword Dao Chamber. The environment was similar to the first and second levels.

And text appeared in the void: "For this stage, an opponent at the second level of the Great Dao Realm will appear. This opponent will also possess respectable sword techniques."

So that was it!

This time, the opponent required him to fight one minor realm higher.

In the cultivation world, most people could not defeat an enemy a full stage above them. Even in Yue Lu Mountain, there were few who could manage such a feat, and the ranking Lu Yuan saw before entering showed fewer than ten people had reached the fourth level.

The opponent materialized in the void: a figure clad in a Daoist robe, with an utterly unremarkable face, clearly conjured by some strange illusionary technique.

Lu Yuan flicked his hand, and the Yangwu Spiritual Sword appeared. He moved toward the opponent. As he engaged, Lu Yuan continued to ponder: how exactly should one cultivate the Golden Emperor Sword Dao, the Wood Emperor Sword Dao, and the Earth Emperor Sword Dao? No—he was too distracted. Contemplating three Emperor Daos simultaneously was impossible. He needed to focus solely on the Golden Emperor Sword Dao.

Golden Element Sword Intents: The Sword Intent of Gold, the Sword Intent of Speed, the Sword Intent of Slowness, the Sword Intent of Autumn, the Sword Intent of Sorrow, the Sword Intent of Solemnity—these six flashed through his mind repeatedly.

It seemed he was vaguely grasping a feeling. Gold is the sharpest thing in the world; what then is the Golden Emperor?

Just as he was finding a hint of insight, he realized, without noticing the passage of time, that he had already defeated the opponent at the second level of the Great Dao Realm. What a weak opponent, defeated so easily. Lu Yuan shrugged. Ahead of him, another virtual door appeared, through which he could enter the fourth level of the Sword Dao Chamber.

At that same moment, over at the Enlightenment Treasure Pavilion.

Many Upper Cultivators of the Great Dao Realm had gathered there. As the Shen hour approached, they frequently glanced at the rankings.

"Odd, that Lu Yuan has risen again, from 147th to 113th," someone suddenly observed.

This startled the cultivators hovering around the hundredth spot. 113th place—not far from the top hundred. They already felt enough pressure from their current rivals, but now another person had appeared, climbing relentlessly from 171st to 147th in such a short time, and now jumping again to 113th.

This...

"Someone must be grinding points," one speculated.

"Yes, it must be those people from the Jin State, intentionally losing to Lu Yuan to inflate his score."

Such mutual challenging could indeed be used to grind points, but it required others to lose points, and severe penalties were imposed if discovered, according to Yue Lu Mountain's regulations.

Lu Yuan’s sudden surge in rank naturally seemed suspicious. Lu Yuan had ranked extremely low for the previous four months, and even in the fifth month, his position remained low until now—a sudden, rapid increase in points defied logic and led to suspicion.

With a considerable amount of time still before the Shen hour, people immediately lodged complaints. The Grandmasters of Yue Lu Mountain needed to take this matter seriously. Grandmaster Yuan Bufan of the White Ape Sect took the lead in investigating. Everyone waited for Lu Yuan to be punished for point manipulation, and people like Tie Mu’er were eager to see the drama unfold.

A short while later, Yuan Bufan returned: "We have investigated just now. Lu Yuan from the Jin State is not manipulating points. He is currently challenging the Sword Dao Chamber and has already passed the third level, advancing toward the fourth."

Hearing this, everyone present was deeply shaken.

The third level of the Sword Dao Chamber! The opponent there was a stage higher than oneself and possessed formidable sword skills. Such a fight was exceedingly difficult. Among the two hundred Upper Cultivators of Yue Lu Mountain, at most ten people could surpass the third level and enter the fourth.

These ten individuals were without exception the cream of the crop among the current two hundred Yue Lu Mountain cultivators.

And now, Lu Yuan had managed to defeat the opponent on the third level and was pushing for the fourth.

So strong!

It seemed the legends of Lu Yuan being a peerless genius were not entirely baseless; they were true. Lu Yuan’s magical power might be slightly lacking, but his swordsmanship was truly exceptional. These cultivators thought to themselves. If they knew Lu Yuan had passed the third level and entered the fifth while simultaneously contemplating three Sword Daos, they would be even more speechless with shock.

At the same time, those ranked around the hundredth position were completely relieved.

Since Lu Yuan was not grinding points, his current score was legitimate.

The upcoming fourth level of the Sword Dao Chamber was extremely difficult. To date, only Murong Huangfu had passed it.

Lu Yuan would likely stop at the fourth level, unable to reach the fifth. His climb in points would end there.

Having eliminated a terrifying competitor, their rankings seemed secure. Cultivators at 100th, 99th, and 98th place collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

Everyone immediately settled down to concentrate, awaiting the arrival of the Shen hour.

And the Shen hour was drawing nearer and nearer.

...

Ironically, just as these people believed they could relax, Lu Yuan held a distinct advantage against his opponent on the fourth level of the Sword Dao Chamber.

The opponent on the fourth level was eight figures, all at the second level of the Great Dao Realm.

In other words, he was simultaneously challenging eight opponents whose magical power surpassed his own by a full stage. This challenge was indeed brutal.

The fact that Murong Huangfu managed this proved he was a formidable figure, not to be underestimated.

The rankings, it seemed, were about to be rewritten once more.

(Third update. Will see how smoothly the next chapter is written; if smooth, there will be three updates.) RA