While Lu Shi was in seclusion cultivating, the cultivation world of the Jin Kingdom was practically in an uproar. Earth Sword, who was unmatched, descended Mount Hua along with Drunken Sword, who was without peer, Lu Yuan.

Once the two swords of Mount Hua descended, they certainly caused earth-shattering changes. What fine Earth Five and Drunken Five of Mount Hua they were; the pair actually managed to block the way at Demonic Wood Cliff and shake down Ren Du himself. And this Sole Emperor of Heaven had no choice but to yield, handing over one hundred and twenty spirit beasts of the exotic variety and twelve hundred mid-grade spirit stones.

The Sole Emperor of Heaven was the number one demonic overlord of the Jin Kingdom, his demonic flames surging so high that the Jin Kingdom was nearly overthrown. For such a figure to be robbed on his own doorstep—it was truly beyond anyone's comprehension.

Afterward, they proceeded to shake down the Grand Master Tian Yuan of the Esoteric Sect in the Great Yuan Kingdom, acquiring one hundred spirit beasts and one thousand mid-grade spirit stones. It was rumored that Grand Master Tian Yuan didn't even dare to haggle. In the following days, everyone waited to see the Great Snow Mountain Lantu Temple and the Myriad Snake Manor in the Great Yuan Kingdom suffer misfortune. Reportedly, the high-ranking members of both the Lantu Temple and the Manor had collectively taken a vacation to the South Sea. Ah, the scenery of the South Sea was exceptionally fine, making one reluctant to leave. What if Zhou Qingxuan and Lu Yuan showed up?

Our high-level management is on vacation; the nameless underlings have no authority to make decisions.

And so, the notion of a "South Sea Vacation" became quite popular.

The Two Swords of Mount Hua were indeed extraordinary. With their first move, they struck decisively. People throughout both the Jin and Yuan Kingdoms were clicking their tongues in discussion. Besides these two from Mount Hua, who else could make figures like Ren Du and Grand Master Tian Yuan immediately concede and hand over vast sums of protection money without even putting up a fight?

The brutal Duo of Mount Hua!

At this very moment, on the border of the Yuan Kingdom, within the Nameless Mountain Range.

This is my Nascent Soul!

Lu Yuan formed a mirror with his hand, using the simplest spell to examine the appearance of the Nascent Soul hovering above his head, and nearly jumped in fright.

This appearance is too ridiculous.

Peering through the water mirror above his head, Lu Yuan saw his Nascent Soul, which was fundamentally identical to him, just immensely smaller—a tiny version of himself. But why was his Nascent Soul holding a wine gourd in its hand? Ridiculous! He had heard that others' Nascent Souls possessed nothing besides their own form, yet this tiny version of him actually held a wine gourd.

Well, his Nascent Soul was truly unique. Lu Yuan then noticed that on his Nascent Soul’s back, there was also a sword strapped on.

Great. Most people’s Nascent Souls are just that—a Nascent Soul. Mine has an extra wine gourd and a sword.

What was going on?

Lu Yuan looked at his Nascent Soul from every angle, finding it incredibly strange. His Nascent Soul was truly amusing.

And through this Nascent Soul, Lu Yuan distinctly sensed every wisp of cloud within a ten-mile radius—this was the function of the Nascent Soul, a massive increase in perception toward the world. Progression to the Great Dao Realm involved an outward expansion: from absolute control over the self, to absolute control over the external world, and finally, control over the entire... world, becoming the sole, truly eternal existence.

And he had reached this stage now: the fifth level of the Great Dao Realm, Nascent Soul Manifestation!

He let out a breath. The next step was Nascent Soul Sovereignty. It meant that however many laws of heaven and earth he could command, they would all be subject to this Nascent Soul Sovereignty before the stage was considered successful. The more laws of heaven and earth he commanded, the more vital energy of heaven and earth he would require, and the more time it would take. Aside from the inherent laws of the Cloud Heaven and Earth, there were thirty-five other laws of heaven and earth that required an immensely long time to refine slowly.

Breaking through to the sixth level of the Great Dao Realm would not be easy.

Forget it, he would set it aside for now. After all, he had only just reached the fifth level of the Great Dao Realm; he couldn't afford to be impatient.

The path of cultivation, after all, could not be rushed.

And now, there were still three months left until the final assessment.

Lu Yuan had now reached the fifth level of the Great Dao Realm. He was confident that entering the Central Celestial Dynasty should not be difficult, and he couldn't help but relax. After a few comfortable days, with the sunlight just right, wouldn't it be wonderful to leisurely sip a few cups of wine on such a day? Of course, in his leisure time, Lu Yuan would occasionally teach some sword techniques.

Life is so enjoyable.

One day, as Lu Yuan lay on the grass of Mount Hua drinking wine, a figure in white robes and white hair stood quietly beside him. Zhou Qingxuan stood with his hands clasped behind his back and said, "Little Lu, the rest period after the first special training—the one that pushed your magic power to the fifth level of the Great Dao Realm—is over. Now, the second special training begins."

"The second special training?" Lu Yuan started.

The first special training involved drinking, sleeping, and watching the sky and clouds.

So, what would the second special training be? Lu Yuan now realized that his Grand Uncle-Master Zhou's training sessions were always quite interesting. He remembered that before training him for the Myriad Five Reincarnations, he had been told to learn painting. That had thoroughly taxed the clumsy Lu Yuan, but now he could paint quite decently, even if he wasn't a master.

Zhou Qingxuan sat down, a small knife appearing in his hand, along with a piece of wood. The knife moved gently. At this moment, his gaze was so focused, so serious, that a vague wooden carving of a woman began to take shape in his hands. Zhou Qingxuan’s attention was absolute.

Time passed, bit by bit.

The mountain wind blew, but Zhou Qingxuan didn't blink.

Raindrops fell, yet Zhou Qingxuan didn't blink. Time passed for an entire hour. A perfectly clear statue of a woman emerged. Zhou Qingxuan looked intently at the statue in his hands, seemingly silent for a long while. After a long pause, he said, "Alright, follow the example and carve one. A statue of a woman as you remember her."

The second special training is like this? Lu Yuan couldn't help but be stunned. But since Grand Uncle-Master Zhou commanded it, he had no choice but to obey. He moved his hand, turning iron into a small knife, and casually selected a piece of wood from the abundant trees on Mount Hua. He also began carving a statue of a woman, but whom should he choose?

The women he was slightly familiar with were Third Senior Sister Ling Yuzhu, Junior Sister Liu Ye'er, Miss Zhong from the Swordless Immortal Sect in Qin State, and Yue Girl Xiao Qing from Yue State. They were vaguely in his mind, but carving them felt impossible; their impressions in his heart were too faint.

So faint that he didn't know how to carve them to resemble themselves. If he dared to apply the knife, he felt he wouldn't be able to carve them well, perhaps only producing a vague shape.

There was no choice but to carve Yue Girl Xiao Qing from Yue State; her essence had left a deep impression on him. But as he carved, it felt wrong; the carving in his hands seemed utterly indistinct. The only clear feature was that sword—that long sword carrying a hint of world-shaking grandeur. After finishing, Lu Yuan looked at the blurred carving in his hand and couldn't help but offer a wry smile.

"It seems you truly are a Heartless Five Immortal, just like Senior Brother Yan," Zhou Qingxuan said lightly. "Sometimes, you should try seeking the feeling of love. That is the rare brilliance of life. Merely pursuing longevity is meaningless; enjoying the brilliance within life while pursuing it is a very interesting endeavor."

"Never mind, I won't make things difficult for you. Carve your wine gourd."

"That’s not difficult," Lu Yuan laughed heartily, feeling the shape as he touched the gourd.

"Very good. You carve that wine gourd slowly. When you feel you have carved it to absolute perfection, this old man will return to find you and tell you the purpose of the second special training." As soon as the words fell, he vanished, leaving only the echo of the empty cliff before him.

Carve a perfect wine gourd? Carving a woman's statue was not his forte, but carving a wine gourd was something he was skilled at. Lu Yuan immediately set about carving the gourd. The small knife moved gently in his hand, the image of the wine gourd in his mind surfacing clearly, and his hand moved ceaselessly...

Before long, a highly perfect wooden wine gourd was carved. Haha, not bad. Lu Yuan was quite satisfied with it.

However, Grand Uncle-Master Zhou had said perfect!

Perfect!

Was the gourd he carved perfect? Lu Yuan looked at his wine gourd from every angle. When he first finished carving it, he found it pleasing from every view, but now, he found fault everywhere. It seemed a bit too thick here. With a flick of the knife, he shaved off the excess. Looking again, surely it was perfect now? But this time, he noticed another spot seemed a bit too much, so he shaved that down too. Yet, after shaving that away, another area seemed imperfect.

Lu Yuan sat before this deserted cliff, carving like this.

Days and nights passed like a shuttle weaving.

Wind and rain swept over; lightning cracked.

Lu Yuan paid them no mind, not moving even a single step from his position, continuously shaving the wine gourds. One wooden wine gourd after another appeared in his hands, but he was always dissatisfied, never satisfied; they were too far from perfection.

One wooden wine gourd was tossed aside; Lu Yuan began carving the second. The second wooden wine gourd was tossed aside, then the third, the fourth.

Gradually, the pile of discarded wooden gourds beside Lu Yuan grew larger and larger.

Lu Yuan’s speed in handling the knife grew slower and slower.

The speed at which he tossed the wooden gourds away grew slower and slower.

Faintly, Lu Yuan felt a strange power emerging. It seemed that even in a mere wooden wine gourd, there existed the Great Dao... balance of the universe. He simply couldn't achieve balance, hence he couldn't achieve perfection, which was why he kept discarding the gourds. However, he was now increasingly sensing the beauty of balance.

That seemed to be a marvelous force inherent in heaven and earth, existing within all things.

Just like reincarnation.

"You have been carving wooden wine gourds here for a month and a half."

Zhou Qingxuan's voice sounded. "Now, we can begin the true second special training. I will impart to you my..."

A month and a half? Without realizing it, he had spent such a long time here.