Xiao Fengxiong, pressing forward at the thirty-eighth stage, and Lu Yuan, currently at the twenty-third stage.

Naturally, Xiao Fengxiong was the center of attention, watched by people from all two hundred and forty-nine nations as he demonstrated his might. The thirty-eighth stage! This was the thirty-eighth stage. Xiao Fengxiong was, in fact, performing beyond his usual peak; the man was roaring with bravado while drinking wine, yet his combat power continued to surge—it was simply incredible.

The Twenty-Eight Dragon-Subduing Palms were inherently draining on spiritual energy, yet for this man, it seemed he could unleash them endlessly.

He was a person born with immense spirit and innate heroism. However, by the thirty-eighth stage, he was gasping for breath; it was becoming too difficult to sustain.

There was a reason why the famed fifty-four stages were capped at fifty as the perfect score. Even a peerless genius like Xiao Fengxiong was reduced to such exhaustion by the thirty-eighth stage, illustrating the difficulty of the fifty-four stages. Yet, the legendary Yue Nü Ah Qing, the foremost figure in the Southern Domain in untold millennia, had actually broken through the fifty-fifth stage, leaving everyone in awe of the ancients’ prowess.

While the crowd was focused on Xiao Fengxiong, they would naturally glance over to see the other participant; watching only Xiao Fengxiong would become tedious. This diversion of attention inevitably fell upon Lu Yuan.

And the people of the Jin State were watching Lu Yuan with particular intensity. Jin State, Shuijing Prefecture, Shuijing County.

The people of Mount Hua held unwavering faith that Lu Yuan would prevail, continuously shouting their support for the Sect Master’s victory. As they watched Lu Yuan’s score climb, when he broke through the twenty-third stage, he was already ranked three thousand nine hundredth.

When he broke through the twenty-fourth stage, he advanced to three thousand five hundredth.

His ranking was consistently improving, and the people of Mount Hua roared their approval.

Those from other Immortal Sects, who had originally doubted Lu Yuan’s ability to conjure another miracle this time, were now simply dumbfounded. Could it be that Lu Yuan was truly about to forge another miracle?

On the Water Mirror Technique display, Lu Yuan had already entered the twenty-fifth stage.

The twenty-fifth stage: The Gate of Misfortune!

It had been previously tested, revealing that anyone who had not yet reached the Seventh Layer of the Grand Dao Realm, even Mo Zihe, who stood at the peak of the Sixth Layer, had been stopped here, unable to proceed. The number of people eliminated at this twenty-fifth stage was staggering, far exceeding any previous hurdle. Only eleven individuals at the Seventh Layer of the Grand Dao Realm and above had managed to pass this stage; no one else had succeeded.

And now, Lu Yuan stood facing this very stage.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath.

This was the twenty-fifth stage. His current ranking was three thousand nine hundredth, still a vast distance from the two hundred and forty-ninth spot. In truth, if only the ranking for the Tower of Penetration challenges was considered, he wouldn't be lagging so far behind; it was the initial spiritual power assessment that had dragged his ranking down.

He took a step forward and entered the twenty-fifth stage.

Upon entering, the view was of a vast lake. This level appeared to feature lake terrain. The fifty-four levels of the Tower of Penetration each possessed different terrains after the initial few stages, a fact Lu Yuan was long accustomed to. It was vital to first assess the opponents. This time, the opponents were expected to be one thousand and fifty demonic beasts.

Ah, and there should be Divine Beasts among these demonic beasts!

Five massive Flood Dragons circled in the water, each bearing a distinct color: an Ice Flood Dragon, a Fire Flood Dragon, a Poison Flood Dragon, and a Twin-Headed Flood Dragon. Above them, a colossal Fire Bird hovered in the sky. This immense Fire Bird possessed an extremely elegant form; upon closer inspection, one could recognize a chicken’s head, a swallow’s neck, a serpent’s coil, an eagle’s talons, a fish’s tail, and a tortoise’s shell—it was unmistakably a Phoenix!

The crimson Phoenix circled gracefully overhead, meticulously preening its feathers. Each long, flowing feather burned with flame. These Phoenix Feathers were priceless treasures outside the Central Celestial Dynasty’s sphere of influence. Rumor had it that within the Central Celestial Dynasty, where they were far more common, many supreme experts kept phoenixes as pets.

The Phoenix, like the Flood Dragon, possessed the power equivalent to one Flood Dragon, which was less than the power of a true Dragon.

The five phoenixes cried out in the sky, their calls sounding like flutes and pipes.

Lu Yuan realized he was truly broadening his horizons. He had never seen a Flood Dragon or a Phoenix before, yet here, during the Central Celestial Dynasty’s assessment, he saw both. He wondered what kind of powerful divine beasts, perhaps even primeval beasts stronger than Dragons, he might encounter after this if he entered the Central Celestial Dynasty.

And... there were ten of them!

Below the Seventh Layer of the Grand Dao Realm, perhaps no one could defeat such a force. If it were his former self, even overcoming the peak state of experts like Fang Xie would be difficult. But now, wielding the Power of Reincarnation, it was not hard. The Power of Reincarnation could naturally manipulate these demonic beasts into colliding with one another. Lu Yuan swept his Spirit Sword of Nourishment with a wave, not moving his feet, wielding his sword in wide arcs as if he were the center of a circle. The immense Power of Reincarnation flowed out from the sword, radiating outward with Lu Yuan as the epicenter. The phoenixes, moments before lazily grooming their plumage, and the Flood Dragons, previously bristling with aggressive intent toward Lu Yuan, were swept away by the colossal force and violently slammed into each other.

It seemed as if a great Wheel of Reincarnation was subtly turning around him, with Lu Yuan standing at its center. Lu Yuan understood that through utilizing the Power of Reincarnation across so many layers of the Tower of Penetration, his command over that power had advanced to a new level.

It took some time to hone his swordsmanship, but the twenty-fifth stage was cleared.

As he stepped out, Lu Yuan found he ran into an acquaintance on the stairway: Young Master Mo Zihe from Mount Jiuhua in the Great Hua Kingdom. This Young Master Mo had repeatedly flaunted his superiority in front of Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan, who never cared for showing off, did not mind returning the favor when someone else insisted on doing so.

Lu Yuan raised his wine gourd, walked up to Mo Zihe, and tilted his head back for a long drink.

Mo Zihe was currently networking. He observed that most people eliminated on this flight of stairs were those at the peak of the Sixth Layer of the Grand Dao Realm, or those possessing some exceptional knowledge even if they weren't at that peak. He was deep in conversation when he spotted Lu Yuan, which caused him to startle: "You, you descendant of the Xianhua Peak lineage, have actually managed to reach this level." Being eliminated on the stairs of the twenty-fifth stage was still considered quite an honor.

In Mo Zihe’s estimation, a descendant of the Xianhua Peak lineage like Lu Yuan should have been eliminated long ago. How could he possibly have reached the twenty-fifth stage? Mo Zihe belonged to the Ten Kings Peak lineage; among the seven peaks of Mount Jiuhua, the Ten Kings Peak ranked first, while Xianhua Peak was dead last, long since fallen into decline. To see Lu Yuan, who should be beneath him, reach the same level as a member of the noble Ten Kings Peak was intolerable.

"You, a mere remnant of Xianhua Peak, are just lucky enough to be eliminated here," Mo Zihe scoffed. The people conversing with Mo Zihe instinctively sided with him. It was partly true that people favored their own acquaintances, but the other reason was this: Mo Zihe hailed from Mount Jiuhua, a major sect in the Great Hua Kingdom, a peak-tier Immortal Sect with aspirations of becoming a giant one. Lu Yuan, however, came from Mount Hua in the remote Jin State, merely a high-tier sect in a peripheral nation. Who one associated with held clear advantages for the future; not everyone would enter the Central Celestial Dynasty, and those who didn't would still need skills for maneuvering national politics and alliances between kingdoms.

Lu Yuan took another sip of wine: "I have no interest in being eliminated at this stage. I’m just taking a short rest; I’m about to proceed to the next level." This statement nearly made Mo Zihe’s nose turn blue with rage. He, Mo Zihe, a divinely gifted super-genius from a major sect, had been eliminated at the twenty-fifth stage, yet Lu Yuan spoke as if he hadn't even been challenged, calling him the 'dreg' of Xianhua Peak.

"Impossible! Impossible!" Mo Zihe roared.

"Impossible?" Lu Yuan shrugged, then stepped into the twenty-sixth stage. The previously sealed grand door opened for him.

At this, Mo Zihe’s face turned ashen.

The people beside Mo Zihe instinctively drifted away from him. Someone who could enter the twenty-sixth stage, especially one so young, possessing superior innate talent, was clearly capable of leading a weak nation to become a vast power, and would be even more astonishing if they entered the Central Celestial Dynasty.

It seemed Mo Zihe had offended someone formidable.

Lu Yuan had already entered the twenty-sixth stage. The twenty-sixth stage presented a desert terrain, and the number of Divine Beasts had jumped to a full thirty!

Xiao Fengxiong roared and struck out with a palm. As his palm flew, five true Dragons soared alongside him, accompanied by twenty-three illusory Dragon shadows—this was the Twenty-Eight Dragon-Subduing Palms. Xiao Fengxiong had yet to push this technique to its limit; his second-rate cultivation method constrained his spiritual power. The Dragon-Subduing Palms assailed the nearly one hundred Dragons swirling in the sky! The demonic beasts in the thirty-ninth stage had reached around two thousand, and true Dragons now numbered a full eighty. Xiao Fengxiong possessed the power equivalent to five Dragons, but these true Dragons here had been significantly enhanced, and their sheer numbers were eighty. Even with his peerless talent, Xiao Fengxiong felt helpless against this wave.

However, he was worthy of his name. With every palm strike, immense destructive power erupted, preventing the eighty true Dragons from closing in. For a moment, the sky was filled with dancing dragons and piercing golden light!

Crack!

Xiao Fengxiong unleashed another palm strike, but even as he did, he realized his body felt utterly hollow.

What a pity!

"The thirty-ninth stage—Xiao Fengxiong has fallen?" Zhou Zhongyong stood with his hands behind his back, watching the scene on the Water Mirror Technique with amazement. To be defeated only at the thirty-ninth stage was already quite remarkable.

"Then, only one person remains: Lu Yuan of the Jin State. Hmm, he passed the twenty-fifth stage. His spiritual power only seems to be at the peak of the Fourth Layer of the Grand Dao Realm, yet he actually passed the twenty-fifth stage, a hurdle that stopped even peak Sixth Layer Grand Dao Realm experts. Truly worthy of receiving six perfect tens."