Shi Feixian!

Was this woman’s attainment in the Way of the Sword exceptionally high? The higher the mastery of the Sword, the more likely one was to fall?” This ethereal, fairy-like woman gave Lu Yuan a profound look before moving aside. Her demeanor was so delicate and otherworldly that even her casual seating posture held the extraordinary grace of an exiled immortal.

Since she was the second to descend, she landed right beside Lu Yuan, cross-legged, settling near him. A faint, delicate fragrance permeated the small space between them.

Among the twelve hundred geniuses, the two with the finest innate talent and the highest sword mastery were Lu Yuan and Shi Feixian.

Soon after, several more sword specialists tumbled down, such as Xiao Qing from the Yue Maiden lineage. However, their power was inferior to that of Lu Yuan and Shi Feixian. They were less strongly repelled by the Little Primordial Chaos environment, thus falling slightly later.

In fact, by this time, many who relied on the sword had realized the suppression exerted by this Little Primordial Chaos environment and began to switch tactics, unwilling to cling rigidly to their blades.

Take Gu Qiushui, the foremost master of the Western Territory. Although known for his "Heaven-Shaking Strike," his true trump card was the Oblivion Heavenly Tome. The Oblivion Heavenly Tome allowed one to forget all things. Then there was Liu Guo from the Ancient Tomb Kingdom. Once he set aside his heavy sword, his "Melancholy Soul Shattering Fist" technique was equally unparalleled.

The twelve hundred-plus geniuses acted in concert; myriad techniques flashed forth.

Xiao Fengxiong struck out with a palm—a true dragon soaring, his bearing magnificent and peerless.

Fu Ying, the foremost expert of the Eastern Territory, unleashed a single saber strike that seemed to pierce the secrets of heaven and earth, cleaving the void. With each slash, he actually split open the Primal Chaos itself, displaying an unmatched aura.

Gu Qiushui, the Western Territory’s top master, wielded the Oblivion Heavenly Tome; he was heaven, he was earth, he was all creation. He was the Primal Chaos—naturally, he would not be repelled. Such a profound technique was indeed exceptionally unique.

As for Li Qiuhuan, the Northern Territory’s leading master, he remained relatively reserved, seemingly evading at every turn. Yet, the crucial palm he occasionally delivered could stabilize the universe.

Huo Yibu, one of the two great masters from the Lost Lands, displayed astonishing power using palm arts. Each strike manipulated the surrounding celestial clouds, summoning torrents of ominous vapor—techniques like "Calamity Clouds Descend" were unleashed. So many peerless skills appeared that those observing through the Water Mirror Technique cried out in delight. What an astonishing array of ultimate skills! Nearly every supreme technique except those from the Central Heavenly Dynasty was showcased.

Even within the Lost Lands, a beautifully adorned woman proficient in the Nine Strikes art was strumming a qin, using the music to defend herself.

However, in the void, the energies of the Primal Chaos intensified. Gradually, others began to falter, unable to sustain themselves, and started dropping. This was the moment true powerhouses revealed their might; generally, those with lower spiritual power found it harder to hold on, while those with higher cultivation endured longer.

This was the contest of the elites.

But then, even cultivators at the seventh layer of the Great Dao Realm, possessing immense spiritual power, began to fall. The very first among the Dao Realm Seven experts to drop was Mo Zihe—though, of course, this count excluded Shi Feixian, a Great Dao Realm Seven powerhouse who had fallen earlier.

Soon after, other formidable figures like Shen Yu, Fu Chong, Void Child, and Murong Huangfu also started to descend, but they managed to hold on for a considerable time.

Now, only the final four remained.

Xiao Fengxiong! Gu Qiushui! Fu Ying! Li Qiuhuan!

This was the first true test among these four supreme talents. Though not a direct confrontation, the observers were filled with anticipation. Even if it was indirect, it counted as a measure of strength. Li Qiuhuan’s evasive movement was truly brilliant, but at this moment, his body seized up with violent coughing. Before he could react, Li Qiuhuan was the first to drop. However, no one should assume this meant he was weak; it was rumored his Lesser Li Flying Dagger was nearly impossible to evade once loosed.

Now, only Xiao Fengxiong, Gu Qiushui, and Fu Ying remained.

Xiao Fengxiong’s palms were domineering and bold; Gu Qiushui’s Oblivion Heavenly Tome merged his being with the cosmos; Fu Ying’s saber was unstoppable, striking everywhere. Which of these three would fall first? The crowd continued to watch as the Primal Chaos intensified further. In a single instant, a formidable surge of Primal Chaos energy enveloped Xiao Fengxiong. He stomped and unleashed the Twenty-Eight Dragon Subduing Palms, but his body involuntarily began to fall.

Was Xiao Fengxiong the first to drop? Before anyone could process it, they realized that in that exact same moment, Gu Qiushui and Fu Ying had also plummeted simultaneously.

This contest among the three ended in a draw.

Zero points! Lu Yuan’s final score for the first assessment—adapting to various environments—was a shocking zero, ranking him last, at the 1,200th position.

“Hahaha, a descendant of the Xianhua Peak lineage! What, did you lose heart because the Second Lord Nalan looked down on you, leading you to give up and finish dead last at position twelve hundred?” Mo Zihe swaggered over, utterly triumphant. He had scored a remarkable seven points, an incredibly high mark. Seeing Lu Yuan’s zero filled him with malicious glee.

“Don’t, please don’t give up so easily. That won’t do. This young master is waiting for you to become strong enough. If you aren't strong enough, crushing you will bring me no satisfaction at all…” Mo Zihe fanned himself, radiating unrestrained conceit.

After gloating for a while, Mo Zihe realized Lu Yuan was utterly preoccupied and hadn't acknowledged him at all, which instantly enraged him.

This damn mongrel dared to ignore me; he courts death.

But, whatever.

He had finally reached the seventh layer of the Great Dao Realm precisely to eliminate Lu Yuan. Second Lord Nalan had devised an intricate plan to crush him. Thinking of Lu Yuan’s impending gruesome end, Mo Zihe burst into a triumphant, echoing laugh. As he laughed, he noticed the gaze of the serenely immortal woman seated next to Lu Yuan was involuntarily drawn toward him. Such an exquisitely celestial beauty; it seemed her presence transformed the world into an ethereal realm. Mo Zihe, whose character was already flawed, had never seen such a beautiful woman in his life and was suddenly seized by an impulse to flirt.

Three swords!

Everyone nearby was stunned by the woman's ferocity. This white-robed fairy defeated Mo Zihe in just three strikes—Sword Master Shi Feixian of Empty Color! A top-ten figure in the Eastern Territory was indeed formidable.

Lu Yuan, meanwhile, paid no heed to the escalating dispute. He was deep in contemplation.

“In the Central Heavenly Dynasty, due to the suppression of this era, the Civilization of the Sword never even fully formed. They have the Sword Gate there, but they can only call it the Sword Gate, not a Civilization of the Sword. Although it is a major sect in the Central Heavenly Dynasty, it remains far from being a true civilization. Moreover, the Sword Gate critically lacks a Lord of Civilization; without a Lord of Civilization, they are inherently weak.” Within the Central Heavenly Dynasty, the true decisive power rests with the Lord of Civilization,” the words of Zhuo Lingyun echoed relentlessly in his mind. “'Cultivating the sword is hard; cultivating the sword is hard’—this is a common saying in the Central Heavenly Dynasty, which is why few people pursue the sword.”

“However, this generation of the Sword Gate offers some hope because one of the slightly stronger branches has produced a Child of the Sword. But it is only hope. Even the Child of the Sword is still impossibly far from becoming a Lord of Civilization,” Lu Yuan mused, grappling with the earth-shattering information Zhuo Lingyun had revealed, feeling momentarily lost and confused.

“Many who practice the sword enter the Central Heavenly Dynasty and end up abandoning the sword to study other arts. You might consider it…” Zhuo Lingyun’s advice lingered in his ears.

Lu Yuan, naturally, could never abandon the sword. His very being was devoted to the blade; how could he discard it for something else?

But was the Way of the Sword truly without future because it was suppressed by this epoch?

Lost in such deep thought, he failed to register even a single syllable of Mo Zihe’s provocations.

“Now, we enter the second of the five environments: the normal flames of the Central Heavenly Dynasty.”

After a brief rest, the twelve hundred geniuses leaped into the sky. Suddenly, immense fires erupted above. At first, they only appeared at the periphery, but even that small proximity generated extreme heat, causing sweat to pour from everyone involuntarily.

Such hot flames!

All twelve hundred geniuses silently acknowledged that despite their vast experience, they had never encountered flames this intense. And these flames were spreading rapidly, threatening to engulf them all. The heat was overwhelming, forcing many to the brink of collapse immediately.

Too hot! At least a hundred times hotter than it appeared from a distance!

Everyone had already pushed their spiritual power to its maximum capacity, yet beads of sweat continued to stream down their faces. They manifested their skills, mostly deploying water-elemental sword techniques and magic, circulating water-based cultivation methods to mitigate the extreme intensity.

This intensity likely reached tens of thousands of degrees! Some parts might even hit over a hundred thousand degrees!

What unimaginable temperature!

“Ah!” a genius cried out, bitten sharply on the backside by a fiery red serpent. The pain caused his spiritual power to scatter, and he immediately began to fall toward the void below, as the entire sky was now enveloped in flame.

“What is that!”

“Phoenixes.”

Within the boundless flames appeared the proud, beautiful, terrifying, and powerful king of all birds. And it was not just one phoenix—hundreds appeared simultaneously! Hundreds of fire phoenixes! Each one possessing the might of a Flood Dragon. How horrifying! Nearly everyone at the fifth layer of the Great Dao Realm could not sustain themselves any longer.

Xiao Fengxiong struck out with a palm, incinerating dozens of fire phoenixes, but immediately, more appeared amidst the flames.

The fire phoenixes were reborn through nirvana within the flames, perpetually emerging, never to be extinguished!

This was the fire of the Central Heavenly Dynasty: tens of thousands of degrees, perhaps over a hundred thousand, and within it, fire phoenixes could be quickly bred. These fire phoenixes were immortal and inextinguishable in this fire, forever surviving, impossible to slay completely.