The sixth floor of the Chamber of the Sword Dao had suddenly raised the difficulty immensely; his opponents were eight cultivators at the third layer of the Great Dao Realm. At his current level, defeating an ordinary third-layer Great Dao Realm cultivator required battling several hundred moves for a victory, while a true elite expert presented an entirely different challenge. To face eight simultaneously, however, was utterly impossible. Thus, this round was deemed a loss. Only after exiting the Chamber of the Sword Dao was Lu Yuan promptly ushered away for tea by Venerable Yuanyang, Venerable Huifeng, and Venerable Zixia, among others. The tea served was Qingcheng Tea. Qingcheng Tea was famed throughout the land. At the very summit of Mount Qingcheng grew a specific Qingcheng tea tree, which yielded only ten kilograms of tea annually. This was the finest tea in the State of Jin, possessing a flavor that was light, ethereal, and profound. However, its price was astronomical; only the powerful figures in the Jin State's cultivation world could ever hope to obtain even a fraction of it. The water used was from the White Crane Spring, and wisps of steam above the cup materialized into the faint shape of a white crane. Yet, even with such fine tea and pristine water, most present had little appetite for pleasantries.

Venerable Yuanyang clapped his hands once. "Lu Yuan, breaking from the rank of one hundred seventy-one straight to seventy-two—a jump of ninety-nine places! That truly shocked everyone for a time."

Venerable Lieyang laughed heartily. "Indeed. Yu Huawu of the Red Dragon Immortal Sect from the State of Qin always boasts that Qin is a rank above Jin. But this time, he was utterly dumbfounded."

Venerable Huifeng smiled faintly, lacking the boisterousness of Venerable Lieyang. "Tie Mu'er of the State of Yuan also had quite a shift in expression."

Venerable Zixia stroked his somewhat long black beard. "The people of Murong State were also shaken. Murong State is the strongest among our seven nations, with as many as sixty individuals qualifying for the Hundred Nations Assessment. Yet, even they were stunned into silence this time, shedding their usual arrogance."

The contingent from Mount Hua couldn't help but feel immense delight as they recalled the scene before the Enlightenment Treasure Pavilion earlier. Initially, not everyone from Mount Hua had been gathered at the Pavilion. For instance, Venerable Zixia had been studying a certain spell technique. However, the widespread suspicion that Lu Yuan was manipulating his points and the subsequent investigation drew them all to the Pavilion. When they first arrived, everyone suspected Lu Yuan of point manipulation. Then, when Grandmaster Yuan Bufan of the White Ape Sect announced the results, silence fell upon the crowd. That was satisfying, but not the most gratifying part. The real thrill lay in the subsequent milestones. For example, when Lu Yuan surged from rank one hundred thirteen to ninety-two, the person who had held the hundredth spot was in agony, accompanied by gasps of astonishment from others. And again, when he leaped from ninety-two to seventy-two—that moment of absolute disbelief on everyone’s faces. Watching those expressions, the four from Mount Hua were ecstatic. They had been accused of point manipulation, but now? This wasn't manipulation; this was sheer power! A swordsmanship skill even surpassing that of Murong Huangfu! Lu Yuan, this peerless genius, had been mocked before, putting great pressure on the rest of the Jin State. After this display, surely, the ridicule would cease. Five months of pent-up pressure released in a single breath. Exhilarating!

Normally, Venerable Huifeng would compose a few lines of poetry to showcase his dual mastery of literature and the martial way. But now? Only the word 'exhilarating' captured the feeling; any other verse would feel insufficient. And Venerable Yuanyang, who usually found Venerable Zixia an eyesore, now saw even his eternal rival looking much more agreeable in this moment of supreme satisfaction. A strange thing, indeed. Venerable Yuanyang stroked his chin. When had he ever found Venerable Zixia tolerable? If this were mentioned back at the Sword Sect, fewer than three people would believe it.

Venerable Lieyang burst into laughter. "You all are looking at it from the wrong angle. From my perspective, I saw Murong Huangfu’s expression shift when Junior Martial Nephew Lu ranked seventy-second."

"No way, even the great genius Murong changes expression?"

"This peerless genius usually wouldn't spare us a glance."

"Now even the great genius Murong is stunned by Junior Martial Nephew Lu."

Venerable Yuanyang, Venerable Huifeng, Venerable Lieyang, and Venerable Zixia shared a feeling of uncanny delight.

Lu Yuan smiled. Seventy-second now. His monthly allotment for the Enlightenment Treasure Pavilion was two shichen (four hours), a significant improvement from the previous half-shichen. However, he desired even more time for cultivation; this amount was definitely not enough.

Venerable Yuanyang copied and shared the rankings from the end of May. Lu Yuan glanced over the list quickly. Murong Huangfu remained firmly in first place. Zhong Heming was second, Murong Shi third—no change. ... Thirteenth place: Yue Nvyaqing. What a Yue Nvyaqing, still climbing the ranks. ... Thirty-sixth place: Venerable Yuanyang. His ranking had slipped slightly. Despite being the strongest from Jin State, this was a place teeming with geniuses and populated by venerable masters. ... Forty-fifth place: Tie Mu'er. Impossible. Tie Mu'er had advanced this quickly, reaching forty-fifth? Lu Yuan was momentarily stunned. Venerable Yuanyang explained, "Tie Mu'er is actually the reincarnation of a Grandmaster Realm Spirit Child. Furthermore, he underwent the Great Initiation Rite, fully awakening his past life memories, so his progress has always been rapid. He recently broke through to the fourth layer of the Great Dao Realm. If it came down to a one-on-one fight, even I might not defeat him." Tie Mu'er now possessed the power of the fourth Great Dao layer, not weaker than Venerable Yuanyang, and combined with Grandmaster-level memory and experience, Yuanyang had no certainty of victory over him.

Lu Yuan reacted calmly. Tie Mu'er’s improvement was expected; one couldn't stop others from progressing. One could only focus on one's own ascent.

In the days that followed, Lu Yuan visited the Speed Chamber as well. He discovered it was also tiered. Murong Huangfu had reached the innermost level, the fifth layer. Indeed, a peerless genius was versatile; Murong Huangfu truly possessed substance. It was rumored that Murong Huangfu was pursued by numerous young women, and he also had a beautiful, fairy-like cousin of mysterious origin who was devoted to him. A winner in life—that was Murong Huangfu. Sometimes, listening to these rumors about the life-winner, Lu Yuan felt a pang of envy, jealousy, and resentment. Look at that treatment: the future young master of the Murong State, noble birth, admired by many female cultivators, possessing a celestial cousin of unknown background. Moreover, Murong Huangfu wasn't just focused on the Dao of the Sword like Lu Yuan; rumor had it he was an all-system genius—sword arts, spellcraft, speed—all mastered. In contrast, his own life—from a minor peak in a major Jin State sect, having a Sword Immortal as a master, being a solitary figure with no female cultivators pursuing him, being a genius only in the Dao of the Sword—seemed truly miserable. After this moment of self-deprecation, he refocused his spirit.

As for the Speed Chamber, Venerable Yuanyang and Venerable Zixia expected a more astonishing record from Lu Yuan. However, in this area, his performance was mediocre. Despite the aid of the White Emperor Sword Dao, he only managed to reach the third layer, unable to compete with the all-system genius Murong Huangfu. Both Venerable Yuanyang and Venerable Zixia felt it was a pity.

Lu Yuan, however, simply felt he truly wasn't an all-system genius and that specializing was the only path forward. Furthermore, the Speed Chamber involved flight unrestricted by cultivation level—higher magical power generally meant faster flight. Having reached the third layer at the first layer of the Great Dao Realm was respectable enough. People shouldn't demand too much.

After completing the trials in the Speed Chamber, Lu Yuan's rank rose slightly, but not significantly.

Lu Yuan was now inside the Enlightenment Treasure Pavilion, seated cross-legged in mid-air, ten fingers pointed toward the heavens. Swirling clouds wrapped around his body. These vast banks of white mist were beginning to vaguely take the shape of coiling dragons, circling Lu Yuan as if transforming him into a true Flood Dragon. The Cloud Dragon Ten Transformations had reached the eighth stage, with only two more transformations remaining. This effect was natural; once completely mastered, a full Cloud Dragon would manifest.

Lu Yuan gazed into the void before him. Within the Enlightenment Treasure Pavilion chamber, various traces of the world flashed past continuously. He needed to master the Laws of Heaven and Earth. In essence, these so-called Laws of Heaven and Earth were merely Wind, Cloud, Mist, and so on. The difference was that his previous understanding of these laws could only be applied when wielding his sword; they could not be integrated into his very being. To put it plainly, previously he could utilize them while fighting with his sword, but now, he needed every part of his body to comprehend and master the Laws of Heaven and Earth to reach the second layer of the Great Dao Realm. The first Sword Intent he comprehended was Wind. So, the first Law of Heaven and Earth he would tackle would also be Wind.

Wind is inconstant; clouds have no fixed form. He cast aside the cloud first, focusing only on the wind. The wind that roamed freely through the wilderness, the wind that existed unbound within heaven and earth—Lu Yuan already possessed a deep understanding of the essence of wind. Now, it was a matter of mastery. Lu Yuan gently extended his hand into the void, seemingly reaching for the wind, yet he failed at the very last moment. However, he could sense it. With just a little more time, he could certainly grasp the Law of Wind. Lu Yuan even felt that at most ten shichen more would suffice. If he could spend just ten more shichen in the Enlightenment Treasure Pavilion... but the monthly allowance was only two shichen total. As he felt that familiar envy and jealousy toward those ranked higher, he was abruptly expelled from the Pavilion.

...

Exiting the Enlightenment Treasure Pavilion, Lu Yuan headed directly toward the White Crane Spring, where his current residence was located. Upon reaching the spring, he heard a piece of news. This momentous piece of news was—the Seven Nations War held at Yue Lu Mountain was about to commence. (Thank you! As I post this chapter, I have nearly one hundred monthly votes. My excitement is overwhelming. I can only repay you with my body... no, with my writing. This is the first update; there will be two more tonight, guaranteed high quality and maximum satisfaction.)RA