“Lu Yuan, I want you to die,” he hissed. “I want you utterly, completely dead…” “This time, since I couldn’t kill you,” “But, during the Hundred Kingdoms Assessment, people can die then. I must have your death then…” Tie Mu’er, having been defeated by Lu Yuan once and then utterly ignored, roared in his heart, truly enraged. And the battle between the Great Jin Kingdom and the Great Yuan Kingdom had already begun. Forty pairs of fighters clashed head-to-head.

This match-up should have been fundamentally balanced, yet the Great Yuan Kingdom had unexpectedly produced Tie Mu’er. This Tie Mu Zun proved incredibly capable; with a wave of his hand, he unleashed the supreme esoteric Buddhist secret technique, the Great Mighty Virtue Heavenly Dragon Secret Incantation. As it manifested, a colossal Buddha's hand materialized in the void, covered entirely in inscribed script. This giant hand pressed down upon Daoist Master Yuanyang. Yuanyang immediately countered with the Morning Sun One Qi Sword, but the Great Mighty Virtue Heavenly Dragon Secret Incantation was bizarrely potent; the endless morning sunrays were completely absorbed by the phantom Buddha’s hand, transforming into an even greater burst of Buddha-light.

Tie Mu’er was in no hurry to defeat Lu Yuan. He wanted to be the last one to defeat him, so Lu Yuan could clearly witness how the Jin Kingdom fell. The Jin Kingdom’s situation was precarious, and it wasn't solely due to Tie Mu’er.

There was also the Blood Sword Ancestor. It had been mentioned before that the Blood Sword Ancestor was actually a mole working for the Rantuo Monastery on the Great Snow Mountain in the Yuan Kingdom. However, this intelligence had only ever been speculation, never confirmed. When the Central Heavenly Dynasty arrived for the assessment, despite the lack of concrete proof, they still officially considered the Blood Sword Ancestor to be aligned with the Jin Kingdom. And the Blood Sword Ancestor had indeed entered the Hundred Kingdoms Assessment. The people of Jin knew about this deception, but due to the various rules enforced by the Central Heavenly Dynasty, they couldn't openly confront the Blood Sword Ancestor. They simply hadn't found the right opportunity in the shadows. And now, the Blood Sword Ancestor was here. He didn't openly side with the Great Yuan Kingdom—rules forbade cooperation—but he could subtly interfere. For instance, "accidentally" blocking the retreat path of a Jin cultivator wasn't too difficult, was it? Or perhaps accidentally obscuring the line of sight for another Jin cultivator. The Blood Sword Ancestor played these subtle, rule-abiding tricks with masterful finesse.

Under the combined influence of Tie Mu’er and the Blood Sword Ancestor, the Jin Kingdom's situation grew increasingly dangerous. Furthermore, Lu Yuan had yet to enter the fray, and the Jin Kingdom was already one fighter down.

Lu Yuan was indeed not engaged in the general fighting. Right now, he felt an imminent breakthrough approaching this specific level. At such a moment, how could he spare any attention for anything else? He ignored everything happening around him.

The wind—could he grasp it?

Lu Yuan reached out into the void, seemingly on the verge of clutching the trace of the wind. But this law slipped right through his grasp…

How could one seize the wind?

Lu Yuan shifted his hand signs several times, employing techniques meant to be utterly inescapable, yet he still couldn't hold the wind. Despair? Impotence? He had been stuck at the first layer of the Great Dao Realm for a long time. Since the battle underground, he had reached the first layer, yet remained stuck until this moment. Why could he not break through? Lu Yuan fell into deep contemplation. No, no. Why could he not trace the wind?

A flash of inspiration struck his mind, and Lu Yuan slapped his forehead—he was wrong. Terribly wrong. He shouldn't try to grasp the wind; the wind cannot be grasped. He needed to become the wind.

It seemed as if his very body transformed into a gust of wind, soaring upward, soaring to the highest, farthest reaches, melding with the space between heaven and earth. In an instant, countless secrets of heaven and earth, countless laws of the cosmos, poured into Lu Yuan’s mind. As these laws flooded his consciousness, Lu Yuan felt himself begin to change.

His physical body was evolving, developing towards greater strength and resilience, capable of holding vastly more Dharma power. But Lu Yuan realized this physical change was merely ancillary. The true transformation was the emergence of a defined space around him. Within this space, the wind flowed with joyous energy; he had begun to master the space immediately surrounding him.

This, truly, was only a starting point. Rumor had it that at higher stages, powerful beings could carve out vast expanses of space. The next major stage beyond the Great Dao Realm, the Primordial Chaos Realm, required the cultivator to use their own power to create a Hunluo Grotto-Heaven—an independent dimension.

And this step had finally begun. He had finally reached the second layer of the Great Dao Realm: Heavenly Law.

His Dharma power surged uncontrollably, growing stronger and stronger—nearly one and a half times its original magnitude. Above Lu Yuan’s head, a talisman had already condensed. This talisman floated weightlessly, having been formed by his comprehension of the Heavenly Law of Wind. Upon it was inscribed a gigantic ancient character representing wind. These ancient characters, created by Cang Ling, were recognized by Heaven and Earth itself; upon their creation, gods and ghosts wept, setting them completely apart from later forms of writing.

Ah, this felt magnificent! Finally, the second layer of the Great Dao Realm, Heavenly Law. To reach this stage, he had accumulated power for an unknowable time, and now he had finally taken this step. An indescribable exhilaration filled Lu Yuan, a feeling far more potent than the finest aged spirit wine. The increase in Dharma power and the advancement of his realm was inherently a moment of profound ecstasy.

However, Lu Yuan sensed a further change beginning in his body. He had only just comprehended the Heavenly Law of Wind, yet now, various types of heavenly laws kept flooding his mind. Innumerable thoughts assaulted him; he felt as if he could transform his body into clouds or rain.

What was happening?

He decided to test transforming into a cloud first. He rediscovered that strange sensation, and in a moment, his form became ethereal, drifting lightly with the wind. Above Lu Yuan’s head, another talisman began to coalesce, bearing the ancient character created by Cang Ling—a supremely graceful character meaning 'Cloud.'

What was this? Once the first Heavenly Law was comprehended, would subsequent laws continuously flood the mind? Could he keep comprehending them ceaselessly?

Many spectators watched the small-scale Seven Nations War, including several Grandmasters. Among them were Zu Qianqiu, the Jin Kingdom’s Grandmaster, and Grandmaster Tian Yuan from the Yuan Kingdom. These two masters sat in the south and north, respectively. From the start, the Jin Kingdom’s situation was highly dangerous. Zu Qianqiu coldly eyed Grandmaster Tian Yuan: “So this is how the Yuan Kingdom prefers to win. Truly shamelessly vulgar.”

Grandmaster Tian Yuan, a brazen fellow, merely laughed heartily and clasped his hands into a cross: “And why should such a method of victory be disallowed?” Their discussion clearly concerned the Blood Sword Ancestor’s petty maneuvers. But Tian Yuan cared nothing for shame, and Zu Qianqiu was left helpless, primarily because the Blood Sword Ancestor’s subtle actions were so characteristic they were almost identifiable, yet frustratingly hard to formally challenge.

However, harboring such resentment was difficult. This round appeared destined for defeat.

And then, an astonishing transformation began to occur in Lu Yuan’s body—it was the wind, undoubtedly. Countless streams of wind gathered around him.

Wind.

Lu Yuan was attempting to break through to the second layer of the Great Dao Realm, Heavenly Law. If he succeeded, he might just alter the course of the battle. Zu Qianqiu thought this inwardly, closely observing Lu Yuan. Grandmaster Tian Yuan, who had already heard tales of Lu Yuan’s inability to be contained, also focused on him. This was a figure easily capable of inciting unpredictable changes. He could not be underestimated.

After a while, the talisman inscribed with the ancient character for "Wind" formed above his head. Indeed, Lu Yuan had reached the Great Dao Realm, Second Layer: Heavenly Law.

Once one reached the Heavenly Law stage, the third layer of the Great Dao Realm involved Many Laws. To ascend to the third layer, one needed to master ten Heavenly Laws. Upon mastering ten, one could directly advance to the Great Dao Realm, Third Layer: Realm of Many Laws. As for these ten laws, any sword intents previously comprehended could be directly converted into Heavenly Laws, as they were fundamentally the same concept.

Ten Heavenly Laws—not an overwhelming number, yet not few either. A peak Sword Immortal might possess three or four. Those at the first or second layer of the Great Dao Realm usually managed five or six. To reach the third layer required diligently cultivating ten laws. Cultivating ten Heavenly Laws was far from easy; some spent vast amounts of time achieving it.

Of course, some geniuses, having already comprehended ten sword intents previously, could directly advance to the Great Dao Realm Third Layer, but such geniuses were exceedingly rare.

Now, immediately after reaching the Great Dao Realm Second Layer, Heavenly Law, a second talisman gathered above Lu Yuan’s head, inscribed with the ancient character for "Cloud."

How many sword intents did Lu Yuan possess that could be converted into Heavenly Law talismans? Did he have ten? Could he advance directly to the Great Dao Realm Third Layer, Realm of Many Laws?

Both Zu Qianqiu and Grandmaster Tian Yuan watched with rapt attention.

At this moment, examples concerning the Great Dao Realm Third Layer, Many Laws, flashed through Lu Yuan’s mind. It made perfect sense: once one Heavenly Law was mastered, sword intents could instantly convert, and possessing ten such laws permitted immediate advancement to the third layer. His moment for massive elevation had arrived.

Thoughts of rain manifested in his mind, and simultaneously, the moisture in the sky converged upon Lu Yuan ceaselessly. This endless water vapor almost instantly formed a talisman, upon which was inscribed the great ancient character for "Rain."

Lu Yuan accepted the gift without hesitation and began forming another talisman. Seemingly, the boundless, immeasurable ocean surged towards him, and he felt himself merging into a part of the sea. As Lu Yuan comprehended this, the character "Sea" began to appear on that talisman.

Four Heavenly Laws, four talismans—six more needed to reach the threshold of ten for advancement.