With a casual wave, he bid farewell, a gesture so effortless, so serene, as if nothing truly mattered. Yet, who could honestly claim not to care?

But ultimately, all such thoughts had to be suppressed.

Currently, his heart held both a reluctance to leave Mount Hua and an eager anticipation for entering the Central Celestial Dynasty.

The Central Celestial Dynasty, the very nexus of this epoch—how vast would it truly be? And the lives lived within, how splendid?

Anticipation blossomed unbidden.

At this moment, Lu Yuan stood within a mysterious zone of Great Yong City. This was a forbidden area; to trespass here meant certain death. Great Yong City held numerous such secluded, unnamed locales. Here Lu Yuan stood, amidst this strange, desolate ground.

Upon this barren expanse lay thousands of teleportation arrays, each emitting a faint, ethereal glow. Thousands of arrays converging formed a sight truly magnificent.

Standing with Lu Yuan were Shi Feixian, Huo Yibu, Leng Xue, Tan Yingshou, the Blood-Clad Man, the White-Clad Man, and Qiu Yun—seven individuals in total.

The eight selected for the Supreme Sword Gate were all present, trailing behind the elder from the Supreme Sword Gate who carried a sword on his back.

Oh yes—this sword-bearing elder was named Duan Shui Jian Xuan Yuan Shi’er, an elder of the Supreme Sword Gate.

“The Central Celestial Dynasty, boundless in its expanse, houses nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine teleportation arrays here, each connecting to one of the ten Great States among the one hundred thousand Great States. A Great State… is roughly ten times the size of a thousand of your nations combined, plus several oceans, perhaps even more,” Elder Xuan Yuan Shi’er stated plainly, leaving Lu Yuan and the others slack-jawed.

It was, it was impossibly vast.

Xuan Yuan Shi’er walked toward one of the nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine arrays. “This specific array. Do not mistake it, and do not step onto the wrong one. If you end up in another Great State, traversing ten of them with your current strength will be exceedingly difficult. Furthermore, in your previous tests, you should have witnessed the flames, the lightning, and the mountain ranges of the Central Celestial Dynasty—they are far beyond comparison with the outside world. The flames, lightning, and mountains there possess the power to slay beings at the Great Dao Realm.”

“Now, let us depart.”

Xuan Yuan Shi’er stepped into the teleportation array first. Following him, the eight people, including Lu Yuan, entered one by one. Previously, teleportation had been instantaneous. This time, however, it felt as if an eternity passed within the array. This journey would surely take a considerable time, Lu Yuan silently counted in his mind.

Only after he counted to the number nine hundred and ninety-nine did this transmission conclude.

Was this the Feng Yang Celestial Dynasty?

Lu Yuan saw colossal mountain ranges appear before him. Back in the Jin Kingdom, mountains ten thousand zhang high were considered the pinnacle. Here, these peaks were not merely ten thousand zhang high, but hundreds of thousands, even millions of zhang tall. Peak after peak of unbelievable height stood erect, stretching across the landscape. Mount Hua, placed here, would appear quite short, merely a small hill. Casting a detection spell, he saw that upon these mountains flowed misty springs and streams, bearing precious fruits and rare spirits and birds of every color, sights and sounds unseen and unheard before. Lu Yuan even noticed countless caverns and stone platforms nestled between the peaks. Some caverns were entwined with ancient, gnarled pines, lush and emerald green, dotted with slender bamboo and blooming orchids—truly immortal paradises. The so-called Blessed Grotto-Heavens of the Jin Kingdom were merely commonplace here. Lu Yuan could even observe a tree bearing seven-colored Longevity Fruits; in the Jin Kingdom, these fruits would fetch an astronomical price, yet here they were treated as roadside wild fruit, attracting not a single glance.

This was the Central Celestial Dynasty?

The heart of this epoch truly lived up to its name.

The Spiritual Qi here was so dense.

Lu Yuan immediately settled cross-legged. An overwhelming surge of Spiritual Qi flooded his body. The concentration of Qi here was so high that the surrounding energy manifested visibly as white dragons, surging directly into him. He didn't even need to actively cultivate; the Qi flowed into him ceaselessly.

Truly exaggerated!

Lu Yuan sat down, beginning to absorb the surrounding Spiritual Qi. The Cloud Dragon Ten Transformations within him began to circulate, and his inner Mana grew steadily denser. Before long, Lu Yuan let out a long breath. In that brief instant, his Mana had shot from the early stage of the fifth level of the Great Dao Realm directly to its peak.

The Spiritual Qi here was indeed too abundant, enabling him to achieve such a breakthrough.

Upon awakening, he glanced at the other seven. They too had clearly benefited greatly from the environment.

Boom! Massive lightning struck, materializing in the void as a Thunder Dragon. However, this dragon was far more formidable than those encountered during the environmental testing. Those earlier dragons were only a few dozen zhang long; this current one spanned hundreds of zhang, descending with terrifying might, intent on shattering everything.

Xuan Yuan Shi’er lightly flicked a finger, pulverizing the several-hundred-zhang Thunder Dragon into dust within the void. The movement was casual, utterly effortless, showcasing Xuan Yuan Shi’er’s profound power. “Dragons have many tiers. The ones you encountered in the environmental testing were merely the most rudimentary True Dragons. That one just now was Earth Dragon grade. Above that are Sky Dragon, and Divine Dragon grades, even Ancient Divine Dragon, and Primordial Ancestral Dragon grades, plus the legendary Ancestor of Origins.”

“Knowledge regarding these dragons can be accessed after you enter the Sword Gate,” Xuan Yuan Shi’er stated. “The reason I tell you this now is because upon your initial arrival in the Central Celestial Dynasty, you only noticed the advantage of rich Spiritual Qi, failing to perceive its inherent peril.”

“The mountains here will kill, the seas will kill, the lightning will kill, and the flames will kill. Without the strength of the Primordial Chaos Realm, do not leave the sect’s protected grounds without an escort, or you will be slain by the very fabric of heaven and earth. This is the Central Celestial Dynasty,” Xuan Yuan Shi’er said calmly.

“Alright, follow me closely. We head to the Sword Gate.”

“I will not detail the internal affairs of the Sword Gate for now, as you will learn them when the time comes,” Xuan Yuan Shi’er added. Under Xuan Yuan Shi’er’s swift guidance, the eight flew onward.

They flew like this for perhaps seven or eight days. According to Xuan Yuan Shi’er, this was only a short distance. A single Great State spanned a distance ten times greater from end to end, and the Central Celestial Dynasty contained one hundred thousand Great States, plus numerous barren zones—a true testament to its size. One day, Xuan Yuan Shi’er announced, “We have arrived.”

Numerous peaks appeared before them, each soaring hundreds of thousands of zhang high. Yet, the gazes of the group were involuntarily drawn to the… stars overhead.

Above them hung three immensely colossal celestial bodies. These three stars were so vast that only one side was visible from their vantage point; the full scope remained hidden. The three stars were positioned in a triangular formation.

These three stars hung at an altitude of two million zhang.

Using stars as a sect’s base—what an overwhelmingly grand undertaking!

Though they had heard tales, seeing it firsthand for the first time still deeply shook them.

Xuan Yuan Shi’er led the eight upward in a swift ascent. As they flew higher, they felt an agonizing stretch of distance in the mid-section, where bolts of lightning and fire descended, transforming into streams of thunderous and fiery dragons. Intense gale winds materialized as wind dragons, not the small, dozens of zhang True Dragons they encountered before, but something resembling the hundreds of zhang Earth Dragons. Xuan Yuan Shi’er effortlessly shattered these with a flick of his finger. After finally passing through the zone of lightning and fire, and the zone of gale winds, they landed somewhere on the first star. The distant surface of the star was unclear, but upon arrival, they discovered a gigantic mountain gate.

This gate must have been a thousand zhang high, bearing two magnificent, imposing characters inscribed upon it: “Sword Gate.” Every stroke and every line of the characters "Sword Gate" radiated a potent sword intent.

“These words were written by the previous Sword Master. Our leader in the Sword Gate is called the Sword Master,” Xuan Yuan Shi’er explained, his voice carrying a faint pride. Even for the Sword Master of a Supreme Great Sect, mastering the Six Iron Precepts was an extraordinary feat.

Just as Xuan Yuan Shi’er prepared to lead Lu Yuan and the other seven into the main entrance, he realized he was only followed by seven people.

Huh? Where was Lu Yuan?

Turning back, he saw Lu Yuan sitting cross-legged, staring intently at the two characters “Sword Gate” on the portal. His brow furrowed and smoothed in thought; he seemed engrossed in some deep contemplation.

This was! Enlightenment!

Xuan Yuan Shi’er, being an elder of the Sword Gate—and not just any elder, but one accustomed to grand scenes—immediately recognized that Lu Yuan was experiencing an epiphany. This youth was meditating merely upon seeing the characters written by the former Sword Master. Such swordsmanship talent was truly extraordinary. Among the eight individuals recruited from the nine hundred and ninety-nine outer nations this time, this one should be considered the leader.

In the history of the Sword Gate, many had indeed entered enlightenment upon seeing the words "Sword Gate," some taking longer, some shorter.

Of course, the most astonishing case was that of the Son of Sword. The Son of Sword sat there for merely one hour before grasping the Life Sword Intent of the previous Sword Master, achieving instant recognition as the foremost prodigy. Naturally, the Son of Sword was viewed as the most talented person in the entire Sword Gate, already cultivated to the Primordial Chaos Realm, serving as the leading figure among the younger generation. Moreover, the Son of Sword had earned the favor of the Son of the Ancient Civilization, leading to the engagement with his daughter, the Spirit Emperor Ji.

So, what level of insight could Lu Yuan attain?

He certainly couldn't keep pace with the Son of Sword, but what tier of swordsmanship talent did he possess within the Sword Gate? Xuan Yuan Shi’er was eager to know.

Xuan Yuan Shi’er did not hurry on but settled down to wait.