I had finally made it into the fifth level of the Kendo Chamber. After defeating his opponent on the fourth level, Lu Yuan slowly pushed open the massive door that had just materialized. Upon entering the fifth level of the Kendo Chamber, a line of ethereal text shimmered into existence in the void: "An opponent at the third layer of the Great Dao Realm will appear shortly. You may select an opponent from the nations of Jiaye, Dayue, Dawu, Murong, Daqin, or Dayuan, and Dajin—seven nations in total. Upon selection, you will assume that nation's style of swordsmanship."

What a selection process this was. The fifth level of the Kendo Chamber was notoriously difficult; it required challenging an opponent two full realms above one's own. Currently, even Yue Lushan, including the supposed strongest, Murong Huangfu, had been defeated at this juncture and could not advance. Murong Huangfu’s peak performance had only allowed him to challenge an opponent just one minor realm above him.

Within the Great Dao Realm, Lu Yuan had never attempted to challenge an opponent two full realms higher. This was a first; he might as well give it a try. At this moment, the most convenient choice would naturally be the Jin nation, as Lu Yuan was familiar with its style.

However, Lu Yuan was primarily interested in the essence of swordsmanship itself. Having this rare opportunity to encounter the swordsmanship of other nations, how could he pass it up to choose Jin? After some thought, he selected an opponent from the Dawu nation.

Once the choice was settled, a seemingly unremarkable old man in plain grey robes materialized nearby. As the grey-robed elder made his move, he did not deploy the Corpse-Whipping Sword Style, but an entirely different technique. This strike was blindingly fast; Lu Yuan barely had time to react. His mind couldn't keep up at all, but his body instinctively moved, narrowly dodging the blow. Nevertheless, his right shoulder was struck, and a massive surge of spiritual power exploded into his body.

God, how unbearable! That was the formidable spiritual power of a third-layer Great Dao Realm master! He couldn't withstand it at all! This opponent was terrifying. The grey-robed elder followed up with another sword technique. This one was not particularly fast, but it felt as though a colossal Fire God resided within his blade. As he attacked, it was like the descent of a Fire God, and Lu Yuan felt as if his entire being was enveloped in immense flames. Lu Yuan immediately drew his Water Sovereign Sword and unleashed the Water Sovereign Sword Dao.

Water conquers Fire! The Water Sovereign and the Fire God clashed violently in mid-air! After this fierce exchange lasted for three breaths, Lu Yuan was forcefully thrown backward. Yet, his heart settled. He had not dueled with a third-layer Great Dao Realm master before, unsure if he could achieve a two-realm ascent victory as he had in the Longevity Realm. Now, facing this grey-robed elder, he realized that although he was temporarily at a disadvantage, he possessed the ability to fight back. If he ground this battle out, he might win.

I wonder what this sword style is! The previous move was swift as the wind; this one holds the might of fire. Before Lu Yuan could fully process that, immense lightning suddenly struck. The lightning arrived so fast that he had no time to react. Lu Yuan activated his Suppressing Mountain Spirit Sword, meeting the massive lightning with his Thunder Sword Intent. In an instant, countless bolts of thunder rampaged through the void, filling the entire space. Lu Yuan grew increasingly curious about the nature of this sword style.

This set of sword techniques was actually called the 'Slicing Art Sword Style'! In the Dawu Nation, there were once two Grandmasters. One was Wu Zixu, who founded the Wu Sect and created the Corpse-Whipping Sword Style. The other was Bie Wu, who founded the Doctrine of the Subsidiary Army, and this sword style was the Doctrine of the Subsidiary Army Sword Style. This style, superior to the Corpse-Whipping Sword Style, was a genuine world-suppressing technique. The moves just executed were its essential arts: Swift as Wind, Aggressive as Fire, and Moving Like Thunder.

The grey-robed elder then unleashed the move "Attacking the Unprepared Mind," an attack that seemed part psychological assault, part leveraging the great momentum of heaven and earth. Lu Yuan, channeling all his focus in this moment, began his counter-attack. The Water Sovereign Sword Dao, the Fire Sovereign Sword Dao—the complete sequence of his swordsmanship—and even the Sword Dao Samsara were brought forth. One ultimate technique after another manifested in Lu Yuan’s hands.

Lu Yuan and the grey-robed elder exchanged over a hundred blows. During this time, both unleashed their ultimate arts. The elder continuously employed the world-suppressing Sun Tzu Sword Style, and though he hadn't mastered its deepest subtleties, it was terrifyingly potent. Facing a sword style of this caliber, Lu Yuan felt an exhilaration akin to savoring the finest wine in the world—a pleasurable agony.

Boom! With a massive sound, the grey-robed elder finally collapsed!

Lu Yuan let out a breath. Indeed, he could now defeat an opponent at the third layer of the Great Dao Realm. This meant that during his Great Dao Realm cultivation, he could challenge opponents two full realms above him. However, winning against a two-realm ascent now was extremely difficult; this fight had required hundreds of moves. If two third-layer Great Dao Realm opponents attacked simultaneously, he would be finished. The simplest way to effortlessly defeat Great Dao Realm opponents, and several at once, was to reach the Sword Emperor realm. Once at the Sword Emperor realm, achieving this would not be difficult. After all, standard cultivators typically only reach the Sword Emperor realm upon attaining the Primal Chaos Realm or higher.

Inevitably, his desire for the Sword Emperor realm grew stronger. Sword Emperor, the Emperor of Swords. How enviable that status was!

Another illusory door appeared ahead, clearly leading to the sixth level of the Kendo Chamber. By custom, the sixth level likely featured eight opponents at the third layer of the Great Dao Realm—a foe he absolutely could not defeat. Still, he might as well go; losing in the Kendo Chamber wasn't a major setback, and experiencing the might of eight such opponents would be valuable.

At this moment, Lu Yuan had forgotten he had already created a miracle. Murong Huangfu had only managed to reach the fifth level and was perpetually stuck there, unable to advance. But now, Lu Yuan had broken through the fifth level and reached the sixth! A miracle had occurred!

It was approaching Shenshi (3 PM–5 PM), and time was terrifyingly short.

Time rewound to just as Lu Yuan broke through the third level of the Kendo Chamber and advanced to the fourth.

Everyone was waiting before the Enlightenment Treasure Pavilion, watching the rankings. The standings had mostly stabilized. Looking at the time, only three incense sticks remained until Shenshi. Those ranked around fifth, tenth, thirtieth, and hundredth breathed sighs of relief. It seemed their rankings for this month were secure. They would have more time in the Enlightenment Treasure Pavilion next month.

Just as they were catching their breath, the rankings suddenly shifted dramatically. Lu Yuan, who had been at rank 113 moments ago, had now shot up to 92nd!

How could this be! Jumping from 113th to 92nd required a massive amount of points. How did Lu Yuan achieve this? Many present were stunned, suspecting an error in the scoreboard before the Enlightenment Treasure Pavilion. But on reflection, the board there was never wrong. So, what was the reason? They had previously suspected Lu Yuan of point-farming, which was quickly disproven. It was known he was inside the Kendo Chamber, and to advance in rank there, one had to push to higher levels. This implied Lu Yuan had broken through the fourth level and entered the fifth?

Even Zhong Heming and Murong Shi had never breached the fourth level; only Murong Huangfu had succeeded. Could Lu Yuan have done the same? It was almost unbelievable.

The most miserable person at that moment was the cultivator ranked 100th. He thought the rankings were stable with only three incense sticks left until Shenshi, guaranteeing him more time in the Pavilion next month. But now, Lu Yuan's sudden rise had violently bumped him down one spot. To have someone bump you at the very last moment—this was unfair to an extreme. The cultivator ranked 100th felt the urge to weep.

Shenshi was approaching rapidly. Now only one incense stick remained until the time marking the end of Shenshi—the very time Lu Yuan had apparently passed the fifth level of the Kendo Chamber.

The rankings had probably stabilized now! The mood of the Mu family members gradually calmed down. Overturns in the final incense stick were extremely rare. As their anxiety eased, the cultivator originally ranked 100th was boiling with suppressed frustration, convinced the rankings wouldn't change further.

"Wait, Lu Yuan's rank is 72nd." "What? 72nd?" "What's going on? His rank is still rising?" "This isn't point farming." "It shouldn't be. If it's not point farming, it means Lu Yuan has passed the fifth level of the Kendo Chamber and reached the sixth!" "Impossible." "Yes, the difficulty of the fifth level is such that even Murong Huangfu, ranked number one, couldn't pass it; he was stuck there." "For Lu Yuan to pass the fifth level and enter the sixth is, by all accounts, impossible." This development even shocked the White Ape Grandmaster, Yuan Bufan. He immediately ordered an investigation. When the results arrived, Yuan Bufan was left speechless; he truly couldn't believe the outcome. But considering the situation, there were two undisputed peerless geniuses among them: Murong Huangfu and Lu Yuan, with Yue Nü Xiaoqing being a semi-genius. Murong Huangfu's spiritual power had matured, placing him first. Lu Yuan's spiritual power hadn't fully matured, placing him lower, but he hadn't exerted himself until now. For him to unleash his full power and break into the sixth level of the Kendo Chamber based on swordsmanship carried a certain plausibility! Yuan Bufan felt as if he were witnessing a peerless genius blooming, like the rising sun.

Thinking this way, Yuan Bufan reluctantly accepted the result and announced to the buzzing crowd: "We have just received confirmation that Lu Yuan has passed the fifth level of the Kendo Chamber and entered the sixth." "What!" "What!" "What!" "How is this possible!" One after another, incredulous shouts echoed, as Lu Yuan had forced his way through the fifth level and broken into the sixth! This achievement was utterly beyond belief.