Although the Yellow Turban Guest possessed the art of hidden swordsmanship, Lu Yuan's Sword Emperor realm allowed him to sense even the slightest fluctuation in any blade. As this strike shot forward, the Yellow Turban Five Guests, who thought themselves absolutely concealed and safe while employing the Five Arts of Concealment, reacted too late. Lu Yuan’s five strikes arrived before they could even process the threat.

The Yellow Turban Five Guests were formidable; even when inadvertently exposed, they managed a momentary flash of evasion. As Lu Yuan pierced his right chest, one still managed a counter-strike of five aimed directly at Lu Yuan—what ferocious technique, what swift blade work.

Alas, Lu Yuan’s Nourish Self Spirit Five rose, and with a single sweep of his hand, he shattered the Yellow Turban Guest into pieces.

Instantly, the Yellow Turban Five Guests dissolved into nothingness.

The first stage was cleared. In this trial, he had only witnessed one hidden sword art. What exactly was this art of concealment? Lu Yuan had always been a sword fanatic, and now, he couldn't help but sit cross-legged, pondering the nature of this hidden swordsmanship. The entity must either be truly real, or it was a deception of his vision, perhaps even an extra-dimensional space.

Extra-dimensional spaces were known to exist within the Central Celestial Dynasty. Which form did this art take?

Unfortunately, he couldn't figure it out immediately.

In truth, Lu Yuan now understood why most people failed the first stage. The first stage featured the Yellow Turban Five Guests, masters of the Seventh Layer of the Grand Dao Realm. Without reaching the Seventh Layer, dealing with opponents like them would be exceedingly difficult, yet most newcomers currently possessed strength only at the Sixth Layer of the Grand Dao Realm, lacking the requisite foundational power.

Never mind, let's proceed to the second stage.

Lu Yuan always maintained this carefree disposition; if he couldn't figure something out right away, he postponed it. Entering the second stage, he found himself facing ten Yellow Turban Sword Guests.

The first stage had one; the second immediately escalated to ten? Lu Yuan raised his hand and unleashed a strike, "Gale Rages Across the Border," engaging the first Yellow Turban Guest. This move was both urgent and swift. The opponent instinctively parried, and the dual blades clashed in the air, stirring up extremely sharp sword energy. Upon this initial exchange, Lu Yuan felt certain.

This Yellow Turban Guest possessed the cultivation base of the Seventh Layer of the Grand Dao Realm.

This meant the challenge was only an increase in numbers—ten opponents—while the individual power level remained fixed at the Seventh Layer of the Grand Dao Realm.

Excellent, this is a fight I can take on; I am confident I can win.

Even as he thought this, he was instantly plunged into danger. The ten Yellow Turban Guests moved almost simultaneously, each unleashing their respective ultimate moves. One of the swordsmanship techniques seemed to conceal countless coiling dragons and snakes; a single move suggested the magnificent spectacle of dragons and snakes rising from the earth. What kind of sword art was this! In the assessment across the nine hundred and ninety-nine nations of the Hundred Kingdoms Trial, such a technique had never been seen—a single sword strike embodying the grand vision of rising dragons and snakes, a chaotic flurry meant to envelop Lu Yuan in lethal intent.

Another Yellow Turban Guest’s technique appeared to summon stars; what sort of swordsmanship was this? It carried the essence of veiled starlight, as if countless celestial bodies were hurtling toward him.

Yet another Yellow Turban Guest, halfway through unleashing a strike, pointed directly at Lu Yuan’s weakness without rushing to complete the motion, merely holding the position and tracking Lu Yuan’s flaws. Lu Yuan shifted, and the opponent shifted his aim immediately—this was another peculiar sword technique.

The last Yellow Turban Guest employed a technique of 'Five Arts Unified into One,' manifesting countless sword motions within a single output, flowing like the vast Yangtze River.

Strike after strike of masterful swordsmanship, each embodying formidable strength.

Such powerful sword arts! Such intriguing sword arts!

These techniques were fundamentally far more interesting than the basic methods encountered during the Hundred Kingdoms Trial.

This is the true delight!

This is genuinely immense pleasure.

Wasn't this very joy what he pursued? To witness all manner of swords, to see every conceivable strike—Lu Yuan’s spirit soared, and the sword in his hand moved in a dazzling flurry, clashing against these diverse arts. His blade danced subtly, parrying countless strikes, employing countless sword techniques.

Fascinating!

Truly fascinating!

Lu Yuan fought with extraordinary exhilaration. However, being too engrossed in the thrill, he defeated all ten Yellow Turban Guests in a very short time. While the sword moves used by these Yellow Turban Guests were indeed excellent, Lu Yuan was in the realm of the Sword Emperor, his Dao realm far superior. No matter how powerful the technique, it was useless against such a gap.

Alright, onward to the third stage.

Passing through a staircase, he entered the third stage and was immediately surrounded. Layer upon layer of Yellow Turban Guests encircled him. Lu Yuan calculated instantly: there were easily over a hundred opponents. Was the third stage one hundred Yellow Turban Guests of the Seventh Layer of the Grand Dao Realm?

Upon reaching the third stage, one hundred Yellow Turban Guests assailed him with exquisitely profound power. At this point, Lu Yuan had no choice but to deploy the Power of Reincarnation. As soon as this power spread, it swept all of them away.

The third stage was broken. He entered the fourth stage.

Upon entering the fourth, he saw a single Yellow Turban Guest standing there. However, this swordsman possessed significantly greater presence than the one in the first stage. Lu Yuan’s heart stirred, and he immediately launched his sword art in a fierce offensive. The Yellow Turban Guest countered instantly, stabbing back, and the light from their two blades clashed fiercely in the air.

Lu Yuan couldn't help but retreat slightly. This opponent possessed the power of the Eighth Layer of the Grand Dao Realm, and moreover, he was at the absolute peak of the Eighth Layer—a move designed to kill. This Yellow Turban Swordsman not only had the power of the Eighth Layer but also wielded a sword art truly formidable, employing the very technique of 'dragons and snakes rising from the earth.' His skill had likely reached the peak of the Sword Marquis realm, just a hair’s breadth away from the Sword King realm.

Interesting. Come again. Let me test the results of challenging someone with the peak power of the Eighth Layer of the Grand Dao Realm.

Lu Yuan stepped out of the Soaring Heavens Sword Tower. When others inquired about his results, Lu Yuan stated calmly, "I passed the third stage, but failed to pass the fourth." At these words, the entire assembly was stunned. Lu Yuan truly lived up to his reputation; passing the third stage, whose difficulty was ten times that of the second, was already incredible, even if he didn't clear the fourth. His strength was considered truly remarkable.

The only remaining participant was the Sword Star, Wu Wenhao. Wu Wenhao chuckled, "Now it is my turn." He was certain his strength surpassed Lu Yuan's, clearly sensing his own foundation of power was far more substantial. If Lu Yuan could pass the third stage, he was certain to advance further.

He stepped forward full of confidence. After a considerable time, he emerged, shaking his head: "I passed the third stage, but failed to pass the fourth." Unlike Lu Yuan, who failed because his cultivation base couldn't match the peak Eighth Layer Grand Dao master, Wu Wenhao also possessed the power of the Eighth Layer of the Grand Dao Realm. However, his sword techniques were insufficient, and he was utterly crushed by the Yellow Turban Guest’s dominance.

Thus, the competition between the eight newcomers from the outer domains and the forty-two newcomers from the Central Celestial Dynasty ended in a draw.

Lu Yuan and the Sword Star, Wu Wenhao, were tied.

The Sword Star, Wu Wenhao, felt the world shift beneath him. How could he possibly be tied with Lu Yuan? He was the direct younger brother of the Son of the Sword, a Sword Star himself, possessing the power of the Eighth Layer of the Grand Dao Realm. Yet, while ascending the tower, he too only managed to pass the third stage before failing at the fourth, just like Lu Yuan.

So strong! The other forty-one newcomers from the Central Celestial Dynasty were momentarily awestruck by Lu Yuan’s result.

“How is this possible? Aren’t people from the outer domains rumored to be weak…”

“Exactly. I heard that people from the outer domains consider the Seventh Layer of the Grand Dao Realm to be the Master realm. In our Central Celestial Dynasty, there are countless individuals at the Seventh Layer; how can that possibly qualify as a Master?”

“People from the outer domains are supposed to be extremely weak.”

“Right, so why is this outsider, Lu Yuan, so incredibly strong that he can match the Sword Star in a tie?”

“This outsider named Lu Yuan is truly a genius…”

“Indeed, although not as brilliant as the Son of the Sword, he is still a rare genius…”

The forty-one Central Celestial Dynasty newcomers, some of whom had planned to challenge Lu Yuan, were now so shocked by his performance—reaching the third stage—that they were almost speechless. Those who had intended to pick a fight realized how fortunate they were to have delayed, lest they die without understanding why.

Wu Wenhao looked toward Lu Yuan: "Very good. You are indeed strong enough to draw with my Sword Star in the stage challenge. You possess some talent. I concede your skill in the trial. Let us now compete to see who can clear the sixth stage faster and become a true disciple. How about a wager of ten high-grade spirit stones?"

High-grade spirit stones—one was equivalent to ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones.

The miraculous effects of high-grade spirit stones were beyond description.

Most practitioners at the Seventh or Eighth Layer of the Grand Dao Realm never possessed a single high-grade spirit stone. But Wu Wenhao, being the younger brother of the Son of the Sword, had inexhaustible wealth. Discovering he had only managed a draw with Lu Yuan left him unwilling to accept it, prompting him to propose this high-stakes wager, putting his entire fortune on the line.

"Agreed," Lu Yuan responded without hesitation, nodding enthusiastically.

It was true; he did not possess the fortune of ten high-grade spirit stones; his current wealth amounted only to a few thousand mid-grade stones. But this time, he possessed absolute confidence in victory.

The Sword Star was merely the brother of the Son of the Sword; their inherent talents were worlds apart.

If he couldn't win against a figure like this, how could he ever hope to challenge the Son of the Sword?

Therefore, Lu Yuan agreed to the wager without reservation, prepared to win a massive fortune that would multiply his assets several dozen times over.

Hearing Lu Yuan’s bold acceptance of the wager, the Sword Star Wu Wenhao chuckled inwardly, Kid, don't blame me later. You are courting death. What do you have? You are just some unbacked figure from the outer domains, unknown in the Sect. I, however, am the brother of the Son of the Sword; receiving a few pointers from my elder brother is far superior to anything you have.

I am certain to win this battle.

Wu Wenhao couldn't help but glance again at Shi Feixian. The reasons he agreed to the bet were twofold: first, his irrepressible need to defeat Lu Yuan after the draw, and second, his desire to win prestige in front of the pure and ethereal woman. A man naturally seeks face when standing before the woman he desires.