Five months! Just five months!

This time, he could only stay on Mount Hua for five months. There was a six-month period after the Southern Territory assessment, but he had spent a whole month in the Enlightenment Pavilion, leaving only five months remaining.

Lu Yuan returned to Mount Hua. Five months was not a long time.

Figures like Mo Zihe, guided by renowned masters of the Chaos Realm from the Great Yong Kingdom, benefiting from the vast spiritual energy of the Great Yong Kingdom and the aid of the Enlightenment Pavilion, would surely progress quite rapidly within five months. He absolutely could not afford to show weakness.

In five months, his strength must increase. Nalan De, I remember you, a ruler of the Chaos Realm.

Lu Yuan mused in his heart. Lu Yuan breathed in the white mist; exhaling, it revealed phantom images of all manner of monstrous beasts, while the air inhaled was like a white dragon.

Behind Lu Yuan, a cloud dragon grew increasingly distinct, already showing what looked like palpable claws. A true Dragon Power was typically only achieved at the seventh layer of the Great Dao Realm, yet Lu Yuan, currently at the fourth layer of the Great Dao Realm, was already approaching that strength.

Lu Yuan pondered, what exactly was his innate Law? His temperament was like the clouds, and he practiced the Cloud Dragon Ten Transformations.

Was the Law of Clouds his innate Law? But after trying again and again, the Law of Clouds simply refused to manifest successfully.

Perhaps, he should try the Law of Wind. The Law of Wind was the first Law he had mastered; his Sword Intent of Wind was refined when he was sixteen.

The thirty-six ancient talismans hovering above his head had long been activated. Lu Yuan forced up his Sword Intent of Wind.

Previously, when he attempted to summon the Sword Intent of Cloud, the other thirty-five ancient talismans had suppressed it. But this time, when he forcefully raised the Sword Intent of Wind, the other thirty-five talismans did not suppress it, but rather—they simply ignored it.

Yes, ignored! Wind is formless, so it was bypassed directly.

Lu Yuan felt that each of the thirty-six ancient talismans above his head represented a Great Dao, none subordinate to the others, all supreme principles between Heaven and Earth. Unifying them seemed overwhelmingly difficult.

Could it be that he must try Reincarnation? Reincarnation was the iron Law he had mastered.

If he treated Reincarnation as his innate Law and gave it a try, success might actually be possible. Lu Yuan thought this to himself, simultaneously drawing forth the Law of Metal, the Law of Wood, the Law of Water, the Law of Fire, and the Law of Earth.

As soon as these five talismans were brought forth, the other thirty-one ancient talismans immediately pulled them back down. In this era, no one bows to another; why should you be above them?

Lu Yuan tried again, only to find that no matter what, these five ancient talismans could not rise to the top. These ancient talismans were truly arrogant, each seemingly possessing its own temperament.

Lu Yuan began a new attempt, wishing to aggregate these five first before lifting them. Since the thirty-six ancient talismans had already been unified, aggregating these five posed no difficulty.

However, the moment they were raised aloft, the other thirty-one ancient talismans began to cause trouble, forcibly pulling them down. Simultaneously, images of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—the Five Elements—flashed through his mind, turning his thoughts into chaos.

There was no way to establish an innate Law this way. Damn it!

Another failure! Lu Yuan glanced at the hourglass beside him; a month had already passed, leaving four months remaining.

He absolutely had to improve further, otherwise, with his current strength, entering the Central Celestial Dynasty would be extremely dangerous. Still, he shouldn't be too anxious; he had been too rushed lately.

Fine, he would go for a walk. On Mount Hua's Reincarnation Peak, there were numerous forest paths.

It was a time when birds sang and the mountains seemed quieter, and the cicadas’ noise made the woods feel more still. Walking along the stone path of Reincarnation Peak, Lu Yuan’s heart quieted somewhat.

Ahead on the path was a cliff. The cliff was nameless; Reincarnation Peak had only been established for a few years, and most places lacked names.

Yet, this cliff, though silent, was surprisingly sheer; looking down, the chasm was a sheer line, difficult even for birds to cross, seeing only endless rock and impassable void. Just as Lu Yuan was about to approach, he spotted an old man in white robes with white hair, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, possessing an air of easily commanding the azure void.

“Martial Uncle-Grandmaster.” Lu Yuan was slightly surprised, as he rarely saw this Martial Uncle-Grandmaster, who usually remained on Repentance Peak and rarely came out. Why was he out this time?

“If I don’t teach you soon, you’ll remain stuck at this level, bringing disgrace to Mount Hua in the Hundred Kingdoms Assessment, and allowing that fellow Nalan De to gloat,” Zhou Qingxuan said lightly. “Martial Uncle-Grandmaster, you know Nalan De?” Lu Yuan was surprised.

“A defeated opponent of Senior Brother Yan. A person not worth mentioning,” Zhou Qingxuan dismissed casually.

Nalan De is not worth mentioning! Lu Yuan was utterly shaken.

After the Battle of Mount Hua, Lu Yuan had always suspected that Martial Uncle-Grandmaster Zhou’s power far exceeded Ren Du’s—that his three victories against Ren Du were mere casual play. Now it seemed confirmed; Martial Uncle-Grandmaster Zhou’s strength indeed surpassed Ren Du’s by far, or he wouldn't speak of Nalan De so dismissively.

Martial Uncle-Grandmaster Zhou’s power seemed close to Patriarch Yan’s, but Patriarch Yan’s brilliance overshadowed him, so Martial Uncle-Grandmaster Zhou was too lazy to display his own edge. “Enough, the special training can begin,” Zhou Qingxuan stated.

Special training was starting? He had undergone special training with Martial Uncle-Grandmaster Zhou once before, passing through the Myriad Sword Reincarnation.

What would this time be? Would it be something similar?

Lu Yuan was genuinely looking forward to it. This is special training!

This is truly special training! This doesn't look like special training in any way!

If this counts as special training, then nothing would not be special training! Lu Yuan was genuinely astonished!

He had expected that training with Martial Uncle-Grandmaster Zhou would involve something akin to the previous Myriad Sword Reincarnation, but he never imagined that this training would begin with the Martial Uncle-Grandmaster taking him daily to various peaks and summits of Mount Hua to watch the sky, observe the sunrise, gaze at the clouds, and ‘drink wine’ with the wind. Is this how special training is conducted?

Lu Yuan was utterly speechless. Fine, even if the scenery was exceptionally beautiful, he had never envisioned training like this.

He only had a little over three months until the final assessment, which was crucial for his entry into the Central Celestial Dynasty—a battle where he could not afford failure. The sunset illuminated the fiery clouds.

Zhou Qingxuan, without turning his head, took a sip from his wine gourd. “Your heart is restless.” “Yes,” Lu Yuan nodded.

“Disciple’s heart is restless, mainly because the final assessment begins in just over three months. This time, the Southern Territory alone will be teeming with experts.

I wonder how many experts and figures there will be in the other three territories. Naturally, my mind is restless.” “You are still too eager,” the wind ruffled Zhou Qingxuan’s white hair.

His appearance wasn't exactly old, but it was said his hair turned white overnight when his wife died. “Your talent is not bad, and your comprehension is high.

However, your nature is that of a free-roaming crane. If your temperament becomes hurried and your heart unsettled, you will never find your innate Law.” “Hence, for this past month, this old man had you watch the scenery, watch the sunrises and sunsets, and drink wine—it was all to calm your heart.” “When your heart is still, you will naturally comprehend your innate Law, because your innate Law must align with your own heart.

Everyone has their innate Law. Reincarnation is Senior Brother Yan’s innate Law; how could it be yours?

And Yin-Yang is mine; you cannot have that either. Ask your own heart: what truly is your innate Law?” Lu Yuan suddenly understood.

Yes, he had been too impatient. A free-roaming spirit trying too hard to grasp things only resulted in falling short, failing to grasp his own true nature.

Without his true nature, how could he find his innate Law? In the days that followed, while those in the Great Yong Kingdom continued to advance rapidly under the guidance of their Chaos Realm teachers and the abundant resources of the kingdom, Lu Yuan’s side spent every day admiring the picturesque scenery and sipping fine wine from various regions.

How delightful! The workload between the two sides was drastically different.

One day, Lu Yuan procured some excellent wine, intending to find a quiet spot to drink his fill and then sleep. His mind was completely at ease now.

So what if he couldn't enter the Central Celestial Dynasty? Could he not improve without it?

At worst, he could go to the Lost Lands. Lu Yuan tilted his head back and took a long drink.

At that very moment, he felt a strange pulsation from the thirty-six ancient talismans above his head. With a soft crack, one of the ancient talismans above him fractured.

What was happening? He had heard much about the ancient talismans; they only cracked under one condition: sustaining a severe, irreparable injury, one that could cause the talisman to split, its essence flowing away, resulting in its disappearance.

What was going on? Lu Yuan immediately checked and discovered that the fractured talisman was the ancient talisman of Cloud.

Moreover, it wasn't disappearing; instead, it transformed into a vast expanse of white cloud mist, enveloping the other thirty-five ancient talismans within it. What was this?

Lu Yuan asked again, but received no answer. After a while, Lu Yuan finally understood what had happened.

Indeed, this state of being free from desire and seeking nothing had paradoxically allowed him to comprehend his innate Law: his innate Law was Cloud. However, his innate Law was not meant to be elevated above the other thirty-five ancient talismans.

Instead, it was meant to dissipate and encompass the other thirty-five ancient talismans. Cloud has no form.

He had become attached to form; only by doing so could he fail to grasp his innate Law. Now, he had finally found his innate Law—the innate Law of Cloud—and could finally attempt to break through to the fifth layer of the Great Dao Realm!

A faint joy flickered in his heart. Lu Yuan began condensing his Nascent Soul, as countless wisps of cloud gathered above his head.