In a small, provincial town, a myriad of dragons converged. A lone figure stood at the center, encircled by a hundred spiraling dragons. Thick, immensely scaled dragon bodies coiled and turned.

Lu Yuan held his sword in his right hand, the power of Reincarnation coiling around the blade, dominating these beasts. Simultaneously, his right hand shot out into the void, forcibly snatching a black dragon and pinning it beneath him. He was a mere seven feet of flesh, yet the dragon spanned dozens of zhang, the disparity in scale vast.

The dragon’s body was perhaps a hundred times that of a man. Its form was perfectly muscled, brimming with power. Its massive claws could easily crush refined iron as if it were soft tofu, and its strength could shatter mountain ranges with a casual strike.

Dragons were powerful! Perfect! Gigantic!

Ferocious! Mighty! Yet now, this black dragon was held fast in Lu Yuan’s left hand, shaped into a claw.

Lu Yuan glanced down coolly. “You have already been refined into a puppet. Today, I shall extract one more Po from you.” A man possesses three Hun and seven Po; a dragon has only one Hun and one Po.

In being forged into a puppet, the dragon had already lost its Hun and was effectively dead. What he was doing now couldn't even be counted as slaying; he was merely drawing out the remaining Po. His left hand channeled potent magical energy, the Cloud Dragon Ten Transformations operating as he wrenched at the black dragon’s True Dragon Po.

Though already a puppet, the dragon felt terror and thrashed wildly. But against the immense magical grip of Lu Yuan’s palm, its struggles were futile. Before it could even begin to resist in earnest, Lu Yuan had ripped out its True Dragon Po.

This True Dragon Po was not large, only about the size of a longan fruit. It shone with a dark luster, resembling a black pearl. Lu Yuan tossed it away casually.

Having lost its final Po, the black dragon collapsed limply onto the ground, its ability to move extinguished. Lu Yuan seized the void again with his great hand, dragging a crimson dragon beneath his phantom magical palm. This scarlet beast attempted to resist, but it was slammed heavily onto the ground until the impact subdued it.

His cultivation technique flowed, and he forcibly absorbed the crimson dragon’s True Dragon Po. This True Dragon’s Po was a small, scarlet bead, appearing crystalline and translucent, much like amber. Tossing the corpse of another dragon aside, Lu Yuan swiftly snatched a purple dragon into his grasp, extracting its Purple Dragon Po.

After a long moment, a small purple bead emerged, suffused with a mysterious aura, as if containing the very secrets of heaven and earth. One by one, the True Dragons came into Lu Yuan’s hands, their last remaining Po forcibly extracted. One after another, the True Dragons perished.

The seemingly most formidable True Dragons were like mere playthings in Lu Yuan’s hands. Indeed, these lowest-tier True Dragons were practically toys in his grasp now. Lu Yuan shrugged.

To him, dragons were not exceptionally strong at this point; the initial True Dragons could be killed with a casual strike. As for the astonishment of the billions of viewers watching via the Water Mirror Technique—that concerned him not at all. The True Dragon Pos appeared, one by one.

Two white True Dragon Pos. These white pearls were utterly transparent, so pure white they were clear to the core—perfect for his Cloud Dragon Ten Transformations. Four red True Dragon Pos, each one vividly crimson, like pieces of amber—suited for fire-elemental cultivation methods.

Eight black True Dragon Pos, each shining with a dark, lustrous gleam, like black pearls. Sixteen green True Dragon Pos, glowing with verdant light—ideal for those focused on refining spells. Thirty-two purple True Dragon Pos, noble and elegant.

Sixty-four blue True Dragon Pos, an expanse of deep azure, overwhelmingly mysterious. In truth, obtaining just one or two white True Dragon Pos would have been enough for him to master the Cloud Dragon Ten Transformations. However, Lu Yuan knew he would need to cultivate other techniques later, such as the Profound Darkness Dragon Transformation Art, to attain the strength of multiple dragons.

The Cloud Dragon Ten Transformations was the supreme technique of the Jin Kingdom, yet it had its limits—it could, at most, grant the strength equivalent to one dragon. Future transformations would require methods of Dragon Transformation, which naturally demanded other True Dragon Pos. Around Lu Yuan lay one hundred and twenty-six dragon corpses, filling the small county town to capacity.

Lu Yuan’s lips curled back, revealing teeth startlingly white. “Fu Chong, thank you for the generous hospitality.” Fu Chong immediately spat out a mouthful of blood. He had deployed the Sky Dragon Carving, pouring his entire magical force into it, and had even consumed the Mad Longevity Pill, sacrificing five hundred years of his lifespan.

And for what? Lu Yuan had not only gained the upper hand but had profited immensely, now standing there thanking him for the hospitality. How could this not make him vomit blood?

“Oh, right. I also forgot to thank State Lord Nalan De for the hospitality,” Lu Yuan said, now addressing the direction of the Water Mirror Technique. Zhuo Lingyun glanced at Nalan De, noticing the Second State Lord’s completely blank expression.

He couldn't help but sigh internally. The Second State Lord truly possessed remarkable composure. Zhuo Lingyun knew that even with Nalan De’s standing in the Central Celestial Dynasty, acquiring this many initial True Dragons would have required immense favor and the expenditure of considerable goodwill.

Mo Zihe’s ambush had merely been one move by Nalan De. Fu Chong, Nalan De’s true disciple, was meant to be the kill shot. Who could have foreseen that not only would the ambush fail to stop Lu Yuan, but Lu Yuan would end up making such a staggering profit?

Zhuo Lingyun had just begun to admire Nalan De’s restraint when he noticed Nalan De’s sleeve trembling. Ah, so Nalan De was only maintaining appearances. For someone of his temperament and cultivation to have his sleeve shaking meant he was likely on the verge of exploding with rage.

Back in the small county town. Lu Yuan stood beside the pile of dragon corpses. “Fu Chong, it is time to conclude our final battle.” Lu Yuan moved instantly, appearing before Fu Chong, launching a punch straight toward his face.

Fu Chong’s magical energy had been largely depleted while controlling the true dragons, leaving him completely unable to evade. He took the punch squarely on the face with a loud bang and was sent flying. Lu Yuan followed with an elbow strike, then a knee charge.

A rapid-fire combination of punch, elbow, and knee—instantly, Fu Chong’s face was a mask of blood. “I yield! I yield!” Fu Chong had initially resisted yielding.

He was the peerless genius of the Great Yong Kingdom; a genius of the Great Yong had the dignity of the Great Yong—how could he surrender to a peripheral, lowly nation? But sensing the killing intent in Lu Yuan’s attacks, and remembering that Mo Zihe had died at Lu Yuan’s hands, he knew Lu Yuan was the kind of person who would kill without hesitation, even at the cost of a minor infraction. Only then did he repeatedly cry out his surrender.

“Stop,” Nalan De intervened, forcibly commanding the end of the fight. As the Second State Lord of the Great Yong, if one combatant clearly surrendered, the match could indeed conclude. He absolutely did not want his disciple to die.

Even though he hadn't defeated Lu Yuan, securing a spot in the top ten meant he could enter the civilization rankings, giving his disciple the chance to challenge Lu Yuan again in the future. Southern Territory: Lu Yuan wins. He advances to the top five!

As he exited the small arena, Lu Yuan noticed Nalan De sweeping him with a look of intense malice. Lu Yuan laughed heartily. “Second State Lord Nalan De, I truly must thank you this time.” “You insolent whelp, you have great gall,” Nalan De roared.

“Of course I have gall. I have always been audacious to the extreme. Also, Second State Lord Nalan, I wish you good fortune, health, and every success in the future,” Lu Yuan chuckled, gripping his wine gourd, and departed with roaring laughter.

In the subsequent bouts, the fight between the Flying Sword Guest and Li Qiuhuan was witnessed. Both hailed from the Northern Territory, and rumor had it they were quite friendly. Naturally, neither held back during this battle.

The Flying Sword Guest had long wished to spar with Li Qiuhuan to gauge his mastery over the Sword Intent of Life. Predictably, he lost this engagement smoothly. Then came Fu Ying versus Wang Shitou.

Wang Shitou finally brought out the blade and sword he had kept sheathed on his back throughout the competition. The blade was named Longing Across the Void; the sword, Soul-Shattering in the Air. Blade and sword merged, forming the Longing-Shattering Blade-Sword Technique.

Coupled with his Extraterrestrial Flying Stone, he displayed the strength worthy of the top ten. But alas, he faced Fu Ying. Fu Ying’s reputation regarding the Thick-Backed Blade was well-earned; the Thick-Backed Blade dismantled every superb technique Wang Shitou employed, winning the round cleanly and decisively.

Gu Qiushui faced Shi Feixian. Both fought with swords. Shi Feixian displayed considerable skill, revealing the exceptional prowess of this female swordswoman from the Eastern Territory.

However, Gu Qiushui’s strength proved superior. Thus, the final top five were: Fu Ying, Xiao Fengxiong, Gu Qiushui, Li Qiuhuan, and Lu Yuan. The battles to reduce the five to the top three involved another rotation where one person would receive a bye.

The people of the Southern Territory hoped Lu Yuan would receive the bye; if two Southerners made the top three, it would be a tremendous source of prestige. Lu Yuan, however, hoped to face the Northern Territory’s Li Qiuhuan. He genuinely wished to test Li Qiuhuan’s renowned Small Li Flying Dagger and gauge the true strength of the man said to have pushed the Sword Intent of Life and Death to their extremes in the Northern Territory.

More importantly, he hoped to use his Cycle of Life and Death Disk to siphon off a portion of Li Qiuhuan’s Sword Intent of Life and Death for his own study, perhaps gaining insight into the secrets of the Sword Intent of Life. But wishes are beautiful; reality is cruel. Lu Yuan did not receive the bye that the Southern Territory desired, nor did he encounter Li Qiuhuan, the master of Life and Death intents, as he had hoped.

Instead, he was matched against Gu Qiushui. Gu Qiushui from the Western Territory. Perhaps this was fate, Lu Yuan mused.

Since the tournament began, he had only faced opponents from the Eastern Territory, Northern Territory, Southern Territory, and even the Lost Land, but never once had he faced anyone from the Western Territory. Unexpectedly, in the five-to-three round, he was matched with someone from the West. Gu Qiushui of the Western Territory—his opponent for this round.

The other matchup was between Fu Ying and Li Qiuhuan. Xiao Fengxiong received the bye. Lu Yuan stepped into the small arena.

This arena was the Rhubarb Stream, noticeably larger than the previous small county town. It was a stunningly beautiful river setting. The water of the Rhubarb Stream was crystalline and flowing, bordered by thatched huts, a babbling brook, bamboo groves, pavilions, arched bridges, and river stones.

It was said that Gu Qiushui grew up by this very Rhubarb Stream in his youth. Lu Yuan saw the young man—with sword-like brows, starry eyes, and an air of heroic vitality—standing with his hands clasped behind his back. Seeing Lu Yuan approach, he smiled.

“Lu Yuan, please enter.” “Brother Gu, you too.” Among all his opponents thus far, this was the most courteous. The people of the Northern Territory radiated killing intent. Mo Zihe and Fu Chong from the Southern Territory had nothing kind to say to him; they all sought his death.

Among those from the Eastern Territory, Han Qingbai had the demeanor of a petty rogue. Only this Gu Qiushui was truly polite.