Xiao Fengxiong, who was charging at the very front, had already reached the thirty-third stage. His progress far surpassed everyone else. Even the Sovereign of the Great Yong Kingdom kept his Water Mirror Technique firmly focused on him, deeply sensing that this individual would be considered a peerless genius even in the Central Heavenly Dynasty. Due to the existence of Water Mirror Prefectures and Water Mirror Counties across the lands, nearly everyone in the two hundred and forty-nine nations who resided in a Water Mirror location was watching Xiao Fengxiong. How magnificent! Once the Twenty-Eight Subduing Dragon Palms were unleashed, several true dragons would soar forth from his palms. The momentum generated was top-tier, truly earth-shattering and divine.

Strength, in a single word!

As for the others, such as Murong Huangfu, Yin Wuji, Xukongzi, and Guo Kan, they too commanded immense attention from countless observers.

"These individuals are so powerful."

"Indeed, they have reached the absolute limit."

"I never imagined there would be such formidable figures gathered here; this is truly a convergence of peerless geniuses."

"In any previous era, there has never been such an abundance of unparalleled geniuses. This must be a year blessed by destiny."

The crowd lauded these peerless talents. While such geniuses might stand out in their home nations, here they were unremarkable; there were simply too many talents to behold. Some swept their Water Mirror Techniques across the challengers and, upon discovering the very last person still struggling, couldn't help but let out a silent chuckle.

The leaders were already at the thirty-third stage, while the majority of those still attempting the challenge were hovering around the tenth or twentieth stages. The fact that someone remained stuck at the eighth stage was laughable.

No one bothered to learn the name of the young man stuck at the eighth stage, as such individuals were virtually destined for elimination, possessing not even the slightest chance of success.

Eighth Stage.

The young man in azure robes moved his long sword, pausing intermittently in deep contemplation. He swung the Nourishing Myriad Spirit Sword in his hand, then Lu Yuan took a sip of wine, pausing his movements for a moment. Now was the time to settle down. He had already mastered the Wood Emperor Sword Dao; the Five Emperors and Five Sovereigns Sword Daos were now completely controlled.

It was time to test Reincarnation.

Reincarnation!

What is Reincarnation?

From life to death is reincarnation; from spring to winter is reincarnation.

White Emperor! Azure Emperor! Black Emperor! Red Emperor! Yellow Emperor!

Golden Sovereign! Wood Sovereign! Water Sovereign! Fire Sovereign! Earth Sovereign!

The sword daos of the Five Emperors and Five Sovereigns manifested in succession, displaying sword intents of various elements and hues upon the blade. Lu Yuan continuously executed these myriad sword intents among the tide of demonic beasts. As he practiced, he began to discern the true power of Reincarnation. When the five colors flowed and interchanged, a certain power seemed to faintly emerge.

The power to ensnare an opponent, to drag them into a strange, cyclical vortex.

As the sword moves unfolded, Lu Yuan vaguely felt that beneath his blade, a phantom seemed about to materialize. This phantom was incredibly faint at its inception, ethereal and elusive, almost impossible to trace, as if it might dissipate with the slightest distraction. Lu Yuan focused his entire being on the practice, oblivious to how much time passed.

"One hour remains before the three-day deadline for passing this stage." The time notification sounded. Without hesitation, Lu Yuan unleashed his sword light, cleanly and decisively dispatching his opponent.

Ninth Stage. Lu Yuan continued his practice, and that phantom grew denser.

Tenth Stage. Lu Yuan still practiced, sensing the phantom solidifying further. He vaguely perceived a peculiar force emanating from his sword, one that seemed capable of manipulating his opponents' movements. The demonic beasts beneath his sword moved like puppets, easily tugged and pulled in any direction.

This is... the Power of Reincarnation!

In that very instant, Lu Yuan seemed to glimpse something appearing within the void—a gate.

This gate carried the aura of ancient grandeur, the breath of desolation, as if it had existed eternally, unchanging since the beginning of time. It remained tightly shut, etched with countless intricate patterns. These patterns were complex and profound, recording the endless mysteries between Heaven and Earth. This sight was unlike the transformation of the Heavenly Dao witnessed when breaking through a major realm of cultivation.

Of course, the greatness, magnificence, eternity, and desolation of this gate were in no way inferior to the Heavenly Dao itself.

Slowly, it began to open.

Endless laws of Heaven and Earth flowed out from within. These were the fundamental laws of this entire Epoch, pouring out from this gate. It was an entity of the same caliber as the Heavenly Dao, from which the primal energy of Heaven and Earth originated—the greatest existence between epochs.

Lu Yuan felt ten streams of sword light swirling above his head, corresponding and resonating with the Epoch Gate.

It burst open! No longer the small aperture it was initially, it expanded immensely.

Innumerable laws of Heaven and Earth began to coalesce in the void. Lu Yuan watched as the laws flowing from the Epoch Gate started to cycle, these laws faintly forming a cycle of Reincarnation! This was Reincarnation! Lu Yuan witnessed the cycle from spring to winter, the cycle from birth to death, the Five Elements cycling from Metal to Wood and finally to Earth, and the cycle of human lives from one generation to the next.

This was Reincarnation, one of the Ten Iron Laws.

Lu Yuan could even perceive, faintly in the void, a colossal Wheel of Reincarnation encompassing eons. Within that wheel, there seemed to be several Minor Thousand Worlds, where countless races were cycling through the Six Paths: Devas, Asuras, Beasts, Hungry Ghosts, and Hells.

Naturally, what he commanded now was merely the Power of Reincarnation. To reach the legendary Wheel of Reincarnation, capable of turning over entire Minor Thousand Worlds, was far beyond his current reach.

At this point, Lu Yuan even saw deeper and further beyond—behind the Epoch Gate, there seemed to be several other powers comparable to Reincarnation. However, he could not clearly discern exactly how many there were, how powerful they were, or the true nature of those forces. One day, he vowed, he would achieve godhood in the sword and cause this Epoch Gate to burst open fully for him.

The Epoch Gate slowly faded. This most supreme gateway between Heaven and Earth would only fully open upon the successful forging of an Iron Law, a feat few in the entire world could accomplish.

The two most ancient and supreme gates born alongside Heaven and Earth were the Heavenly Dao Gate and the Epoch Gate. The Heavenly Dao Gate managed the vital energy of the current Epoch, while the Epoch Gate managed the rules of Heaven and Earth for an entire Epoch. Legend held that there was a third, the Gate of Eternity, which had withstood the destruction of countless epochs without damage—that, perhaps, was true eternity, existing longer than even the Heavenly Dao Gate and the Epoch Gate.

"When Heaven and Earth shatter, I shall not break; when Heaven and Earth are damaged, I shall remain whole."

Lu Yuan awoke. He sent out a single sword strike. The dozens of demonic beasts surrounding him collided violently with one another. They truly could not resist the Power of Reincarnation channeled through Lu Yuan's sword; they were pulled and forced into one another by its influence. In truth, this was due to Lu Yuan's insufficient profound energy; this level of Reincarnation Power could only drag and pull them. At a higher level, the extremely potent Power of Reincarnation could directly usher a person into a state of death, or even pull them into the next life or the previous one.

Now, the tempering was finally complete. It was time for him to attempt the stages again.

He was currently at the tenth stage, and there were fifty-four stages in total. He was still very far from the end.

Lu Yuan passed the tenth stage and arrived at the staircase, finding two to three hundred people already halted there. It seemed this single stage had eliminated that many challengers; the elimination rate was indeed brutal. Lu Yuan spotted Venerable Huifeng here and called out, "Martial Uncle Huifeng!"

Venerable Huifeng had already been eliminated. He was startled when he saw Lu Yuan there: "You, you are still here?" He had assumed that as the foremost fighting power of the Jin State, Lu Yuan, even if he couldn't keep pace with the top echelon of peerless geniuses, should at least have reached the fifteenth or twentieth stage by now.

He hadn't expected Lu Yuan to be lingering here. Lu Yuan shrugged, "Yes, I am still here." Seeing Venerable Huifeng's worried expression, he smiled, "Don't worry, Martial Uncle Huifeng. I haven't been eliminated; my speed in passing the stages is just a bit slow. I'm just taking a rest here." It wasn't that his cultivation was affected; he was simply thirsty.

One must enjoy life to the fullest when circumstances allow. Having mastered Reincarnation and grasped its power, how could he neglect a good drink?

After finishing his wine, Lu Yuan re-entered the eleventh stage.

In truth, very few people were still attempting the challenge by now.

The mainstream was still around the tenth to twentieth stages, but the elimination rate at the lower end of that range was extremely high. At the stage beyond ten, challengers faced six or seven hundred demonic beasts of the third and fourth tiers of the Great Dao Realm—a truly immense difficulty. Usually, someone at the sixth tier of the Great Dao Realm could handle it, but those at the fifth tier would likely fall.

When Lu Yuan charged into the eleventh stage, over seven thousand people had already been eliminated, and the rate of elimination was only accelerating.

Of course, Lu Yuan was still ranked last. His current rank was 7,525th.

Over seven thousand ranks! A long way from the top two hundred and forty-nine spots.

Lu Yuan proceeded cautiously. He absolutely could not afford carelessness now, as this test was crucial for his entry into the Central Heavenly Dynasty. Lu Yuan took a slow, grinding approach, not rushing to pass the stages. In every stage, he honed his swordsmanship. While it might not have brought about direct transformation, his mastery over the Power of Reincarnation grew increasingly refined.

Lu Yuan realized that when using the Power of Reincarnation to deal with the hordes of demonic beasts, he simultaneously utilized the Yellow Emperor Sword Dao to absorb the primal energy from the earth. For some unknown reason, the Tower of Babel was linked to the earth, allowing his energy consumption to remain surprisingly low, almost maintaining a perfect balance between absorption and expenditure.

At the twelfth stage, Lu Yuan saw his rank rise for the first time, climbing to 7,333rd—a long-awaited ascent. The reality was that many challengers had already been eliminated, their scores fixed, while Lu Yuan's score continued to climb, naturally pushing his ranking upward.

By now, the number of eliminated contestants had risen past eight thousand, leaving just over a thousand still contending. Lu Yuan still attracted no particular attention.

(Third update calling for monthly passes, subscriptions, and rewards. Incidentally, I wonder if anyone can guess Lu Yuan's final ranking?) RA