As the acting Sect Master, one's position naturally differed greatly from that of an ordinary disciple; the supreme authority of the Sect rested entirely in their hands.

All manner of affairs also required personal handling.

During the half-year Lu Yuan spent in seclusion, he had received several missives suggesting joint consultation on major matters concerning the fight against the Demon Sect. Lu Yuan had simply tossed them aside, ignoring them. It was a joke; Huashan’s strength had been severely depleted. Not a single Half-step Grandmaster remained. The strongest among them were only at the Fifth Level of the Great Dao Realm, and even those numbered a mere eight.

What was the point of talking about confronting the Demonic Path with such meager strength?

The current Demonic Path was flourishing. They possessed Ren Du, a Grandmaster, and at least two Half-step Grandmasters, Fang Xie and Jing Huanzhen.

Confronting the Demonic Path? It would be a miracle if they weren't annihilated by them first.

A person needed self-awareness. When you knew you couldn't win the fight, you shouldn't fight.

Regardless, Huashan was currently defended by Zhou Qingxuan, the foremost swordsman of Huashan. This was a time to hold ground and build strength. Going head-to-head with the Demonic Path now would mean he was foolish beyond measure.

Venerable Yuanyang remarked, “Recently, the cultivation world has been speaking quite loudly about us Huashan. They say we are turtles hiding in our shells, afraid to come out and confront the Demonic Path…”

Venerable Zixia nodded. Indeed, Huashan had been subject to ceaseless discussion. Back in the day, a single cry from Huashan could settle the fate of Jin State. They were once the First Immortal Sect, basking in such glory. To now be called timid turtles, cowardly as mice, and fearful of death by so many—it made both Venerable Yuanyang and Venerable Zixia feel deeply ashamed.

Lu Yuan let out a cold laugh. “Let them talk whatever they wish. You both understand Huashan’s current strength. We have firmly secured the last spot among the Five Upper Immortal Sects. Qingcheng, Nanhai, Wudang, and Kunlun are all stronger than us. One acts according to the weight they carry. You know how strong the Demonic Path is now. Seeking trouble with them in this situation—do you want Huashan wiped out even faster?”

Huashan must endure!

There was no alternative! It was all because Grandmaster Chu Duan had depleted too much vital essence upon taking the position, and the turmoil of the Three Sword Qi Sects had caused devastating losses.

“Right, the time to recruit new disciples for Huashan is almost here.” They were preparing to open the mountain gates to new recruits… There were two types of disciples at Huashan. True Inheritor Disciples were handpicked by the numerous Sword Immortals themselves, while ordinary disciples were recruited once every ten years. This time, the recruitment period had arrived again.

Thinking back to the last time he participated in the recruitment, he had only been at the peak of the Tenth Level of the Qi Condensation stage, just an ordinary True Inheritor Disciple of Huashan. Now, however, he was the acting Sect Master of Huashan.

The world had changed drastically! This realization brought a touch of melancholy to Lu Yuan.

The day of recruitment finally arrived.

The main gate of Huashan, which used to be divided among the five peaks for recruitment, now saw all the new disciples gathered there since Huashan no longer maintained the five-peak division.

Lu Yuan arrived at the main gate to inspect the proceedings. The gate remained unchanged from before: a towering archway, supported by pillars of white jade, with four grand, flowing characters inscribed upon it: "Huashan Immortal Sect." As Lu Yuan approached with his hands clasped behind his back, the elders stationed there for the recruitment rushed forward to pay their respects to the acting Sect Master.

Lu Yuan waved a hand, signaling them not to fuss, and noticed that the number of new hopefuls this time was extremely small.

Lu Yuan understood the reason well enough. When he was still at the Tenth Level of Qi Condensation, Huashan was at its zenith, the foremost Immortal Sect in Jin State, fortified by the peerless Heavenly Sword, Yan Cangtian. Naturally, countless people flocked there out of admiration for Huashan’s prestige. But now, Huashan ranked fifth among the Five Upper Immortal Sects, without even a single Half-step Grandmaster. Who would choose to come to Huashan now?

“You actually came to Huashan to register.”

“Yes, Huashan is so weak now, why still come here…” Amidst the murmurings of the crowd, such voices were heard. Those present had not yet decided which Immortal Sect to join; they were merely stopping by to look when they saw Huashan recruiting.

“Huashan is ranked last among the five Upper Immortal Sects in Jin State…”

“With this spare time, you might as well join Kunlun Immortal Sect, or Wudang Immortal Sect, or perhaps Qingcheng Immortal Sect…” Some people in the crowd stated this. These individuals were mostly agents planted by the Anxian Sect to poach talent; upon spotting a good prospect, they would try to sway them. Back when Huashan was prosperous, no one would dare behave this way. But now that Huashan was diminished, who paid them any mind?

Persuaded by these words, some potential recruits were swayed, abandoning their queue to head for other Immortal Sects.

The number of people remaining in line was pitifully small; very few were signing up for the Huashan Immortal Sect.

However, those who stayed behind were incredibly resolute.

“We are staying because Huashan has produced the most prodigious geniuses in history. What does a temporary decline matter?” “We have long admired the Huashan Sword Arts.” “Furthermore, Sect Master Lu is a peerless genius. Simply because Sect Master Lu is at Huashan, we must join Huashan.” Lu Yuan indeed noticed that an overwhelming majority of those determined to register for Huashan this time were his fans. They registered for Huashan solely because he was its leader. Lu Yuan now held immense fame throughout the cultivation world of Jin State—the originator of the perfect score of six in the qualification assessment, a peerless genius, and the youngest person to ever lead an Upper Immortal Sect.

The intake this time was very small. Lu Yuan immediately issued an order, commanding the sect’s top personnel in various regions to seek out outstanding seedlings and bring them back to Huashan for proper nurturing. They were recruiting the Tenth Generation; the Eleventh Generation was not yet due—a new generation every five hundred years? New disciples were always the future hope of Huashan.

“I lost the Underworld in the past, and so I shall reign supreme upon the surface world. Here, at the Demon Wood Cliff on the surface…” This was a message relayed recently from Ren Du. Ren Du established the Black Wood Cliff near Qingcheng Mountain on the surface, formally presenting the 'Heaven-Supporting Alliance' to the world.

The Heaven-Supporting Alliance had emerged!

Appearing in a grand and public fashion, they had killed several Vice Sect Masters and annihilated a Middle-Rank Immortal Sect, rising with formidable power.

When Lu Yuan received this news while in the Heart-Questioning Residence, he couldn't help but heave a long sigh. The world of Jin State was destined for chaos now.

Ren Du and his group differed from the Orthodox Immortal Sects. The Orthodox Sects adhered to a principle: no matter what transpired, they would not drag disasters into the mortal realm. But Ren Du held no such interest. Which demonic invasion had ever left the mortal world unscorched?

However, Lu Yuan could do nothing about this for the time being.

Yes, he was a member of the Orthodox Immortal Sects, both an immortal and a chivalrous hero. If anyone was in peril, he was obliged to lend aid—only then could one be called an immortal hero. Yet, currently, Huashan's strength, the power in his own hands, was worlds apart from the might of the Heaven-Supporting Alliance. For now, he could only endure, waiting to develop his strength before delivering the final blow to the Heaven-Supporting Alliance.

Ren Du’s power was immense. Lu Yuan feared he could only match Ren Du’s strength after ascending to the Central Celestial Dynasty.

This was helplessness: having the will to save the world, but lacking the corresponding ability.

Such is the nature of worldly affairs—helplessness exists.

However, Ren Du, you had better clean your neck and wait, for I will certainly take your life.

Lu Yuan ordered several people to bring his parents and immediate family to Huashan. Previously, he had enemies within Huashan, such as Sima Changbai, and therefore dared not bring his family here. After all, matters of cultivators were not meant to involve mortals, and his family could live well enough in the mortal world. But things were different now. Ren Du’s demonic flames raged high, and countless people would perish under his hand; mortals could hardly escape either. Concurrently, Lu Yuan designated a vast space within Huashan and sent people to retrieve other mortals.

As many as Huashan could save, they would save. Doing their utmost, with the vastness of Huashan, they could allocate half its space. The mortals they could shelter would likely number in the hundreds of thousands, perhaps more.

The demonic catastrophe was unavoidable for Jin State this time; thus, they must save as many as possible.

Immortal Hero!

Lu Yuan’s eyes brightened at this thought. The Heart-Questioning Residence was the office for the Huashan Sect Master. He had never paid attention to the plaque hanging above it. Reportedly, the original Huashan plaque read, "Sword Qi Soaring to the Heavens Hall," which had provoked the dispute over whether the 'Sword' or the 'Qi' should come first.

This time, a plaque for the Huashan Sect Master’s office came to his mind.

"Immortal Hero." Yes, just those two characters.

To be an Immortal, and to be a Hero!

This was to remind future Huashan Sect Masters to always keep the words 'Immortal Hero' rooted in their hearts, thus avoiding the dispute between Sword and Qi.

Lu Yuan took out the plaque. With his Nourishing Spirit Sword, his movements were fluid, like a winding snake. Wood shavings from the thousand-year-old yellow poplar wood flew off the plaque. In a moment, the characters "Immortal Hero" emerged. These two characters seemed ethereal, like a painting emerging from clouds and mist, yet they were rendered with bold, strong strokes, subtly hinting at an unyielding, iron-clad resolve.

“Lu Yuan, Master of the Five Peaks of Huashan, sets this plaque here. Future Sect Masters must engrave the words ‘Immortal Hero’ in their hearts—be both Immortal and Hero, and benefit the world…”

After inscribing this, Lu Yuan was quite satisfied. He still had one more thing to do: create a sword technique.

Among the successive Sect Masters, his swordplay truly couldn't compare to the Second Generation Patriarch Chuyun, nor could it match Patriarch Yan. However, ranking within the top five among all past Sect Masters should present no difficulty. It was perfectly normal for him to create a sword technique for Huashan. If he were to create one, it should be a Nourishing Cultivation Sword Technique.

Outside Jin State, storms were brewing everywhere. Since the establishment of Demon Wood Cliff, the Great Dao Realm figures under Ren Du had conquered in all directions, displaying formidable might, stirring up a period of bloody strife across Jin State. The land, once enjoying an era of prosperity, instantly plunged into chaos, with lives suffering grievously.

At this critical juncture, Huashan managed to avoid the tempest. With Zhou Qingxuan guarding them, Ren Du, before he could fully remedy the backlash from his Blood Transformation Great Art, dared not approach Huashan.

Lu Yuan, during this time, was primarily focused on breaking through to the Fourth Level of the Great Dao Realm. His current goal was achieving the Unification of Laws at the Fourth Level of the Great Dao Realm. Only with formidable strength could he save the populace; without power, he couldn't even save the mortals who had taken refuge in Huashan. Maintaining justice required strength, and in his spare moments, he worked on creating that Nourishing Cultivation Sword Technique.

Time passed in this manner.

And that day, the one he dreaded, was finally approaching.