Mo Zihe’s vital energy now surged, his body imbued with the strength of a dragon, arrogant and pleased, glancing around with self-satisfaction.

Amidst the crowd, he finally located that figure clad in blue.

Not much different from half a year ago, of average height, always sporting a slight smile, carrying an ineffable air of self-contentment and nonchalance, a lazy demeanor.

Seeing that lazy smile ignited a fire in Mo Zihe’s chest.

Rage!

Why? Why was this fellow, despised by the great powerhouse of the Mixed Realm, the Second Lord Nalan De, and excluded from the Thirty Geniuses Cultivation Program, yet remaining completely unchanged, showing no hint of dejection? But it didn't matter; in this final assessment, he would drive this man to despair.

Mo Zihe approached Lu Yuan: “Lu Yuan, remnant of Immortal Splendor Peak, we meet again. This young master has now reached the seventh level of the Great Dao Realm. In the final assessment, just wait to be crushed by me.”

Lu Yuan merely shrugged, unconcerned: “Alas, learning some dog-sh*t skills from that fellow Nalan De and thinking yourself so great. What a pity. In this final assessment, you will still be crushed by me. I hope you can withstand ten of my moves.” Lu Yuan’s opening words sent tremors through those nearby.

The current Mo Zihe had reached the initial stage of the Great Dao Realm Seventh Level, placing him among the top dozen or so experts in the Great Yong Kingdom.

Yet Lu Yuan dared to claim he could easily crush Mo Zihe, stating Mo Zihe could, at most, take ten of his moves—what immense arrogance.

Secondly, he dared to call Nalan De by his full name. No one else possessed such boldness; that was the Second Lord of the Great Yong Kingdom. What incredible temerity.

Boldness indeed!

Mo Zihe grew furious upon hearing this and prepared to strike, but several guards stepped in the way: “No fighting is permitted within the Genius Tower.” These guards were also sizing up Lu Yuan, sensing his audacity was unusual. They served the First Lord Zhou Zhongyong but held a degree of fear for the Second Lord Nalan De. They never expected this youth from the Jin Kingdom to be so daring.

A short distance away, Murong Huangfu sneered coolly. Ridiculous. Mo Zihe’s supposed initial stage of the Great Dao Seventh Level was built up entirely by the Supreme Elixir. The Hua Kingdom was a rare major power in the Southern Territory. This time, the Great Yong Kingdom and the Great Hua Kingdom had exerted immense effort just to push him up one layer, enabling him to reach the initial stage of the Great Dao Seventh Level. However, his foundation was unstable. How could such a person be Lu Yuan’s match? Murong Huangfu favored Lu Yuan more.

After this minor clash with Mo Zihe, all that remained was to wait.

Waiting for the people from the Northern, Eastern, and Western Territories to arrive in Great Yong City.

The final assessment was generally held in one of four cities: Great Yong City, Great Yi City, Great Ancient Dragon City, or Great Rui City. This time, it happened to be Great Yong City’s turn, so they simply needed to wait here.

One day, Lu Yuan woke up after an entire night of drinking. He shook off the alcohol fumes to find it was already midnight. Should he go find something to eat? As Lu Yuan pondered this, he stepped out of his room, intending to search for sustenance, but the scene unfolding in the sky caused him to freeze instantly.

High up in the void, beneath a torrential downpour, a young man wearing only shorts, his upper body bare, showcasing defined musculature, was wielding a long saber in the heavy rain. With one slash, there was a faint aura of cleaving through all existence; the airflow generated by the saber strike spanned ten miles wide.

Boom! A bolt of lightning crashed down from the heavens. The young man’s saber, imbued with the mysteries between heaven and earth, struck downward. This strike possessed a majesty far surpassing mere lightning, as if intending to annihilate heaven and earth with a single blow.

Who is this person?

Lu Yuan clearly sensed that this man’s strength likely surpassed his own considerably. Such an absolute intent and peerless saber technique gave the impression of a War God. Among the geniuses he knew, perhaps only Xiao Fengxiong could compare favorably with him. Who was this man?

The man in shorts seemed to possess the intuition of a fierce beast. Sensing no malice from Lu Yuan, he laughed heartily: “Care to share a drink?”

Lu Yuan, being a naturally straightforward person, made a quick movement and tossed a wine gourd over.

The man in shorts laughed again, draining the gourd: “Exhilarating! Drinking after practicing the saber is truly satisfying. By the way, I am Fu Ying from the East.”

Fu Ying!

Lu Yuan immediately recalled the data he had on this person. It was rumored he was a figure at the eighth level of the Great Dao Realm, holding the top rank for combat prowess in the Eastern Territory, much like Xiao Fengxiong in the South. He was said to be an unparalleled figure from the Great Yi Kingdom, one who cultivated through conflict, purportedly having mastered the Great Yi Kingdom’s unsurpassed learning, the Tome of the War God. Had the people from the Eastern Great Yi Kingdom arrived?

“A pity there is drink but no food,” Fu Ying laughed heartily.

“I was just about to look for some food and drink. By the way, Lu Yuan from the Southern Territory.” Lu Yuan announced his name.

“The eleventh-ranked one from the South, are you?” Fu Ying laughed: “If you’re looking for snacks, let’s go together.”

Fu Ying was naturally bold and immediately familiar, walking alongside Lu Yuan. Indeed, Fu Ying’s beast-like intuition told him Lu Yuan was a man of straightforward character, prompting him to drink together. As Fu Ying and Lu Yuan walked, they hadn't gone more than a few steps when they saw a confrontation in a courtyard: a woman in white, exquisitely beautiful and delicate, resembling an immortal cast down to the mortal world, facing off against a barefoot, shadowy young woman.

“Senior Sister, must you be so relentless?” the young woman, with an aura like an orchid in an empty valley mixed with a touch of ghostly charm, asked faintly.

“Junior Sister is a demonic path heretic. If Concubine Xian’s Étherial Sword can slay her, it would be a contribution to the world’s righteous path,” stated the clear and ethereal woman in white, looking like a Celestial Maiden descended from the Ninth Heaven. Lu Yuan was inwardly startled, realizing both of them likely possessed the strength of a dragon. He immediately guessed their identities: they must be the Shi Feixian and the demoness Wanwan from the Eastern Great Yi Kingdom—both figures ranked in the top ten there.

After the first round of battles between the territories, the top ten figures from the Southern, Northern, Eastern, and Western Territories had all been investigated. Their records were crystal clear. However, those ranked below the top ten were not scrutinized as thoroughly. Lu Yuan happened to be eleventh, so people knew his name, but they hadn’t investigated his details in depth; after all, an eleventh-ranked expert couldn't compare to the top ten.

The people from the Eastern Great Yi Kingdom were formidable. All three he had encountered—Fu Ying, Shi Feixian, and Wanwan—likely possessed strength no less than his own; Fu Ying, in particular, seemed to be above him.

Wine secured, food secured.

Fu Ying was unexpectedly forthright, and Lu Yuan was not one to dwell on formalities. They drank cup after cup, and after a while, a hearty laugh broke the atmosphere: “Old Fu, you’re drinking without inviting me!” A man of immense gallantry entered, laughing loudly, who turned out to be none other than Xiao Fengxiong.

How Xiao Fengxiong knew Fu Ying was explained: Xiao Fengxiong had been practicing outside Great Yong City when he encountered Fu Ying. They fought fiercely, resulting in a battle where neither could gain the upper hand, and they eventually parted ways. Seeing Fu Ying drinking now, Xiao Fengxiong approached without ceremony.

“Oh, it’s you.” After taking a swig, Xiao Fengxiong looked at Lu Yuan: “I hear you’re also a drinking fiend. Cheers.”

Lu Yuan, equally spirited, raised his wine: “Cheers.”

Both downed their drinks simultaneously.

“How about a drinking contest?” Fu Ying proposed.

“Good,” Xiao Fengxiong nodded.

“Good,” Lu Yuan agreed.

Among the three, two were established drinkers. Although Fu Ying wasn't a devoted alcoholic, his capacity was immense. Having grown up in the harsh, freezing deserts of the Northern Desert in the East, where he relied on alcohol for warmth, his tolerance could not be low. After only a few rounds, the small cups felt inadequate for their pace. Without a word, three bowls were brought out for them to drink from.

Lu Yuan was surprisingly invigorated, continuously downing the drinks—truly exhilarating! In the Jin Kingdom, he had never met anyone who could drink like this. Ye Fang and Ye Yuan, though close friends, had lesser capacities, not on his level. Now, he had finally found drinkers on his level.

Joyful!

This kind of high-stakes drinking with large bowls could only be described as exhilarating!

...

“The people from the Northern Great Ancient Kingdom have entered the city,” someone announced at some point. Immediately, countless people gathered along the roadside, eager to catch a glimpse of the prestige of the Northern Great Ancient Kingdom’s contingent. Xiao Fengxiong, Fu Ying, and Lu Yuan paused their drinking and went to observe them.

In truth, people from the North were externally referred to as people of the Northern Great Ancient Kingdom; they weren't necessarily all from the Great Ancient Kingdom itself. For example, outside, Lu Yuan was called a person of the Southern Great Yong Kingdom. This was merely a customary general designation.

The trio stopped drinking and looked over. Indeed, a fleet of cloud chariots flew in. The one seated at the head of the procession had a wine gourd attached to his waist and was whittling a wooden figurine with a wooden knife in his hand. His expression was so focused that the external world’s sounds seemed unable to reach him.

This was Li Qiuhuan, the Little Li Flying Dagger, ranked first in the Northern Great Ancient Kingdom. It was said his flying daggers never missed their mark. Seated beside him was a young man using only two pieces of wood as a sheath for his sword, having no actual scabbard. Slightly further back sat a wolf-like youth, an impish, clever youth, and a stunningly handsome young man.

There was also one handsome man exuding a relaxed air, nonchalantly fanning himself. His lightness skill was rumored to be second only to the Central Celestial Dynasty.

Lu Yuan even spotted a youth with four eyebrows.

Of course, it wasn’t just the carefree figures; there was also one man filled with sorrow, head bowed low, his face obscured, showing only snow-white hands and a pitch-black saber.

These were all relatively high-ranking figures from the Northern Great Ancient Kingdom. Several among them were heavy drinkers and squinted slightly upon smelling the wine aroma.

With this, three of the four territories outside the Central Celestial Dynasty had now arrived.

(This chapter might incite much grumbling.) RA