The first round narrowed the thousand two hundred participants down to the top six hundred. Lu Yuan’s performance was quite ordinary, not at all spectacular, but on the other battlefields, things were quite exhilarating. Notable figures from the Southern Border, such as Liu Guo, Liu Gaizhi, with his Peerless Heavy Sword, one swing of which sent his opponent flying effortlessly, had actually grasped a true essence of the Way of the Sword. Meanwhile, Xu Kongzi’s hands moved like dancing flowers, possessing an unparalleled mystique.

The masters from the Eastern Border also displayed some of their skills this time. Take that Wanwan, for example; her weapon was extremely peculiar—a plain white, soft sash. No one in the Southern Border used such a weapon. Another Eastern Border master, Feng Helie, wielded the Red Cherry Spear. In the Southern Border, spears were generally used on the battlefield, but he managed to use his long spear with such might that even in a duel between two people, his spear seemed to command the entire space, its imposing aura thrilling the spectators from the four borders.

The Western Border offered even more captivating techniques. The young master who frequently coughed up blood fought with a style of bladesmanship, but unlike common sword or blade arts, his technique carried a strong personal signature, seemingly imbued with faint threads of yearning and a subtle sorrow. There was also a man as unmoving as a stone, whose weapon was even more amusing—a simple stone. Furthermore, the young master seated in the wheelchair primarily relied on hidden weapons. In the cultivation world, very few people used hidden weapons, and his deployment of them was superb, truly exceptional. Then there was the large, burly man with thick arms, who used his bare hands as weapons against his foes.

In the Northern Border, Li Qiuhuan’s flying knives rarely appeared. Although he was famous for them, his knives were nowhere to be seen, suggesting he could kill without needing to deploy them. Fighting against those from the Northern Border was the most perilous; victories and defeats, life and death, were often decided within a few short exchanges—it was either you die or I live. This seemed to be the prevailing style of the North.

Ah, and the Lost Land also held some interest. The woman playing the zither with nine fingers there was unique and strange, though she had been introduced before; her sonic wave attacks were certainly a spectacle. And then there was that Nie Choufeng, also quite exceptional; his legs moved with incredible speed, attacking the enemy with his lower limbs, truly grasping the ultimate meaning of the Law of Wind, even mastering a strange martial art—it should probably be categorized as a supreme skill similar to those of the Five Emperors and Five Sovereigns, perhaps belonging to the lineage of the Wind Emperor or Wind Sovereign.

From one thousand two hundred participants, the top six hundred were determined, each exhibiting their unique profound skills.

However, such battles were far from reaching true intensity yet.

Therefore, only initial profound skills were displayed; the truly terrifying techniques remained unused.

The first round of combat was finally concluded.

Six hundred people were eliminated. These six hundred had practically no hope of reaching the Central Heavenly Dynasty, unless their scores in the first environmental adaptation assessment were exceptionally high.

The second round of assessment, narrowing the six hundred down to the top three hundred, promised to be an even more ferocious battle.

In the second round, the abilities displayed by the participants were noticeably more intense than in the first. Those still shouting support for their favorites who hadn't been weeded out now stood a very high chance of entering the Central Heavenly Dynasty. All the people from the Southern Border’s Yuan Nation were completely eliminated; not a single one made it into the top six hundred. So what if Tie Mu’er was a reincarnated Grandmaster? In the Central Heavenly Dynasty's assessments, let alone reincarnated Grandmasters, there were already countless true Grandmasters. Even Qin Nation’s foremost representative, Zhong Heming, couldn't hold on and was eliminated.

This meant that among the three nations of the Southern Border, only Lu Yuan remained in the top six hundred.

The Jin Nation naturally hoped Lu Yuan would enter the Central Heavenly Dynasty, while the Yuan Nation naturally wished he wouldn't. But thinking it over, if Lu Yuan didn't enter, given his pace of advancement, he could probably dominate the Yuan Nation’s hierarchy within a few decades—truly tragic. With a figure like Lu Yuan emerging, how could the Yuan Nation possibly find any path to survival?

This Mount Hua sect was simply too much. First, there was Yan Cangtian, and as soon as Yan Cangtian ascended, another Lu Yuan appeared.

Now, Lu Yuan faced his second-round battle.

Southern Border’s Lu Yuan versus Northern Border’s Da Gu Yi Dian Hong (Great Ancient One Dot Red).

Lu Yuan was curious; what kind of person was called Da Gu Yi Dian Hong? He pondered this question as he stepped into the small arena, which was a field of snow-white snow, barely reaching the soles of his boots. Small environments usually had the least variation. Lu Yuan looked at his opponent for this round.

The opponent looked quite ordinary. If thrown into a crowd, one would instantly forget his appearance. In the environmental ranking section, this person was ranked six hundred and seventy-fifth.

Lu Yuan glanced at his opponent: “Then, shall we begin?”

The opponent offered no reply, simply darting forward with a swoosh, thrusting his sword toward Lu Yuan.

What swift swordsmanship!

Fortunately, his own sword skills were not slow either. He counter-attacked, and his Yang Wu Spirit Sword was unsheathed, solidly blocking that thrust. He even used the momentum of the block to slice back. The opponent's parry was equally quick; this Da Gu Yi Dian Hong was remarkably fast. Facing such an opponent, Lu Yuan naturally felt a surge of exhilaration.

Unleashing the White Emperor Sword Dao, he engaged the opponent in a furious exchange. So what if the opponent was fast? He was fast too.

Yet, as they fought, Lu Yuan vaguely sensed something was amiss. His speed, the speed of the White Emperor Sword Dao, seemed different from his opponent's unusual swiftness. Their speed didn't seem to be one of absolute velocity, but rather the speed born from the razor's edge between life and death. By being even a fraction faster than the opponent in that moment of extreme danger, one could seize victory.

This was a profound and subtle comprehension of life and death.

The Sword Intent of Life? The Sword Intent of Death?

Lu Yuan engaged the opponent continuously, slowly comprehending the opponent's sword intent. He realized more and more that his opponent indeed specialized in this—it should be the Sword Intent of Life and the Sword Intent of Death.

However, just as he was about to fully grasp it, Da Gu Yi Dian Hong stopped fighting. He retracted his sword and stated, “Your swordsmanship surpasses mine; there is no need to continue.”

Without forcing a result or stubbornly clinging to the fight, he calmly withdrew from the small arena, granting Lu Yuan this victory.

With this win, Lu Yuan mentally calculated that he should basically secure a spot in the top four hundred.

Since Lu Yuan had intentionally dragged out the time trying to discern the opponent’s sword intent, the duration was far too long—it was the longest match in the second round, perhaps even the longest overall. Thus, many people concluded that Lu Yuan had once again "luckily" survived by scraping through against his opponent, believing such a person would surely be eliminated in the next round.

At least, Mo Zihe was completely certain of this viewpoint.

The third round: three hundred participants competing for the top one hundred and fifty spots.

Southern Border’s Lu Yuan versus Northern Border’s White-Clad Man.

Another opponent from the Northern Border?

Lu Yuan felt a touch of surprise. Stepping into the small arena, he found it was a venue centered around a lake. By visual estimation, the lake was about fifty meters deep. Such a body of water could be utilized in numerous creative ways for a fight, but upon seeing his opponent, Lu Yuan was certain this person wouldn't play tricks with the environment, but would instead seek a true contest.

This time, his opponent was clad in plain white hemp cloth, with a white strip of cloth tied across his brow. His long hair flowed freely, and he carried a six-foot long sword on his back. He gazed quietly at Lu Yuan: “Wait a moment. I must hone my blade.” He sat there silently, meticulously grinding his sword, which seemed to bear traces of fresh blood.

“Before facing any opponent, I must properly sharpen my sword,” the White-Clad Man stated calmly. “The time constraint this time is tight, which is why I ask your patience.”

Lu Yuan was not impatient and began to wait while holding his wine gourd nearby.

After a long while, the White-Clad Man finally stood up: “Thank you for waiting. One sword strike—victory or defeat decided within that single strike. If I fail to defeat you in one sword, I concede defeat,” he said quietly.

Only one sword strike? The cultivators of the Northern Border were indeed utterly different from those of other borders.

Instantly, the White-Clad Man’s sword moved—this was merely an instant of motion! Lu Yuan felt his entire world plunge into utter darkness; before his eyes, there was only that single sword strike! What kind of strike was this? It carried an absolute aura of death! Lu Yuan could clearly sense that the surrounding darkness was not an illusion, but the ultimate manifestation of the Sword Intent of Death cultivated to its peak.

At this moment, Lu Yuan too felt the Sword Intent of Death! This was a terrifying intent bent on killing him. This opponent was formidable; although not ranked among the top ten experts of the Northern Border, he undoubtedly possessed the strength of one. This man had previously concealed his power. Lu Yuan instinctively unleashed his strongest swordsmanship: the Five Emperors Five Sovereigns Reincarnation Sword Dao.

At that instant, the power of Reincarnation surged wildly.

In a flash, it seemed as though a Void Roulette Wheel appeared.

That Sword Intent of Death was completely drawn into that void cycle—this was the beginning of the Life and Death Roulette, the cycle of Samsara.

In that moment, Lu Yuan knew that because of this White-Clad Man, he had opened a vastly significant gate, a gate concerning reincarnation and Yin-Yang. However, how much he could gain from it depended on his future comprehension.

“I have lost,” the White-Clad Man said. Having unleashed his strike and failed to overcome Lu Yuan, he walked away from the small arena without uttering a single superfluous word. This was his strongest move; if one strike could not prevail over Lu Yuan, a thousand more would be useless.

“Southern Border’s Lu Yuan wins.”

Although this round between Lu Yuan and the White-Clad Man involved only a single sword exchange, the time Lu Yuan spent waiting for the White-Clad Man to prepare his blade was considerable. Thus, this round also consumed the most time with Lu Yuan involved. To observers like Mo Zihe, Lu Yuan had once again entered the top one hundred and fifty on "luck" and "sheer chance."

Lu Yuan, however, had now sunk into a realm of sword dao understanding.

The people of the Northern Border cultivated methods that were all quite strange; they seemed to focus primarily on the Sword Intent of Life and Death.

Between Heaven and Earth, among the three thousand sword intents, ten were the most difficult to cultivate.

These ten most difficult Sword Intents included the Sword Intent of Heaven! The Sword Intent of Earth! The Sword Intent of Life! The Sword Intent of Death! The Sword Intent of Good! The Sword Intent of Evil! These six—any one of them was profoundly esoteric and immensely difficult to grasp, let alone master completely. Yet, many in the Northern Border seemed to be deeply studying the Sword Intent of Life and the Sword Intent of Death.

Both Da Gu Yi Dian Hong and the White-Clad Man whom Lu Yuan faced in the first two rounds were practitioners who studied the Sword Intent of Death.

What exactly was the Sword Intent of Death?