The core disciples under the Nine Supremes, the true disciples with considerable potential, and the true disciples with special contributions, all gathered in one place.

These formed the main body of disciples who were frequently active within the Sword Sect.

Countless ordinary disciples, countless other true disciples, were merely backdrop to these individuals.

The stooped old man, Supreme Gongyang, emerged from the darkness as if he were a ram: "It seems everyone has arrived. Then, we can bring out the Lesser Thousand World Ruined Great Desolation Sword Scroll." He clapped his hands, coughed lightly, and as he did so, a massive change occurred on the ceiling of the palace.

The previously empty ceiling of the hall began to display all sorts of scenes.

It was a picture.

And within this picture, one could see extremely majestic towering mountains, impossibly vast cities, rapidly flowing immense rivers, row upon row of trees, and scenes of every conceivable kind—like a miniature world unto itself, only lacking life.

Yes, lacking life.

Life was utterly extinct.

Even the trees seemed merely to preserve their ancient forms; their vitality had long since departed.

Desolation, solemnity, and everything else.

This, then, was the legendary Lesser Thousand World Ruined Great Desolation Sword Scroll. It turned out to be a painting, preserving a glimpse of the Lesser Thousand World from that era. What immense power was required to refine the Sword Dao’s Lesser Thousand World into an artifact and preserve it? However, Lu Yuan no longer had the leisure to ponder this.

In fact, it wasn't just Lu Yuan; every other person present was involuntarily lost in contemplation.

They all cultivated the Way of the Sword, and now, a vast scroll depicting a world of the Sword unfolded before their eyes. How could it not captivate them?

The stooped old man, Supreme Gongyang, let out a gentle sigh. He was advanced in years, and his cultivation had long reached the Supreme realm, so when viewing the Lesser Thousand World Ruined Great Desolation Sword Scroll, he could not truly integrate with it. He was merely contemplating which great expert from the previous Sword Era possessed the might to refine the Sword Dao’s Lesser Thousand World into an artifact.

Was the Sword Dao truly fated to be phased out in this era?

Gongyang was skilled in the art of observing Qi, and he understood that while the Sword Son was powerful, reaching the status of the Lord of Sword Civilization would be exceedingly difficult. For the Sword Dao to flourish through him was extremely, extremely difficult.

Forget it, he would not meddle in these matters.

The affairs of the Sword Son and the events of the past involving Yan Cangtian were entangled in power struggles among the Sword Sect’s major Supremes, complicated further by interference from external forces, such as certain figures within the Dharma Ancient Civilization.

It was a protracted endgame.

Lu Yuan stood within the palace and finally understood why the hall lacked any supporting pillars. This was a perfect rendition of the Lesser Thousand World Ruined Great Desolation Sword Scroll, suspended above them. The cities within were like swords, the rivers like swords, the trees like swords, the mountains like swords, the heavens like swords, the earth like swords—everything and anything within was a manifestation of the Sword.

He genuinely wished to stand within this world of the Sword and challenge the heavens with his blade.

With a single sword movement, all the myriad swords of heaven and earth would submit.

Suddenly, a surge of such soaring ambition welled up within him.

Never mind, first, he must attain enlightenment.

This was the best opportunity to practice Sword Intent.

It was difficult enough to cultivate even one strand of Sword Intent normally, yet this time, it was said that average individuals could grasp two or three. He absolutely could not miss this chance. Merely glancing broadly over the entire scroll would yield little insight; he needed to examine it closely. Lu Yuan immediately focused his spiritual energy on a river depicted in the scroll before him.

This river was no longer flowing.

Because this was inherently a shattered world that had long since become still.

Even the river remained motionless.

Lu Yuan observed the painting. This river originated from the high mountains and moved eastward, gradually descending all the way, rushing away never to return.

At that moment, a strong feeling suddenly arose deep within his heart: What is the Sword Intent of the River?

Normally, thinking about the River Sword Intent—even with intense concentration—was fruitless. But now, with just a single thought, myriad concepts flooded his mind. The river before him possessed the aura of a sword.

His comprehension of Water Attribute Sword Intent was vast, yet the river was different from a lake, and different from the ocean. It lacked the confinement of a lake, nor did it possess the boundlessness of the sea. A river was a river; a river possessed its own principle. So, what was the Dao of the River?

Was the function of a river simply to carry water eastward? Rushing eastward along the path—was that the Sword Intent?

Lu Yuan pondered this, but immediately dismissed the notion. No, it couldn't be just that. Then what truly was the Dao of the River? What was the meaning of a river’s existence? If all things exist, they must possess a reason for existing. But what was the existence of a river for?

Lu Yuan continued to contemplate, and suddenly his eyes brightened. This sword scroll depicted a Lesser Thousand World. This world certainly did not possess the grandeur of the Central Heavenly Dynasty, but it was likely somewhat larger than the Jin Kingdom. And within this world, rivers and waterways crisscrossed the land—what did this signify?

Why were there so many rivers and channels?

A flash of inspiration struck Lu Yuan; he finally understood the Dao of the River.

The grace a lake could bestow reached only a tiny area nearby, pitifully small. The ocean could only care for the beings along the coast. Only the rivers, weaving through the land, broadly offered their waters to the surrounding life.

The Dao of the River was the Great Dao of heaven and earth, bestowing grace upon myriad sentient beings.

The essence of the River Sword Intent lay precisely here.

In that instant, Lu Yuan discovered he had grasped the River Sword Intent—the first Sword Intent he comprehended while observing the Lesser Thousand World Ruined Great Desolation Sword Scroll, and his thirty-eighth Sword Intent overall.

This was the function of the Lesser Thousand World Ruined Great Desolation Sword Scroll. Without this pictorial scroll, how could he have so easily comprehended the River Sword Intent?

River water requires flow, yet the world depicted in the scroll had completely ceased movement. The water stood utterly still. Lu Yuan observed the posture of the halted water. When water flowed, the posture of its flow felt uniform—always moving forward in the same manner. But now, the water had completely stopped.

Only then did he realize that when water completely stills, it too exhibits several distinct postures.

To put it plainly, even when water stops flowing, it maintains a sequence of poses, much like a person executing a fist technique where every move has a different action. This was imperceptible when water was always in motion, but now that this world had suddenly lost its vitality and everything had paused, it became visible.

Flowing Intent? What was that?

Water, or perhaps even essence, why must it flow?

Lakes flow, rivers flow, oceans flow—why must they all flow? If they did not flow, it would be a stagnant, dead place, much like this destroyed and halted Sword Dao’s Lesser Thousand World, devoid of any spark of life.

The purpose of flowing was to allow the painting to contain the existence of vitality.

In an instant, Lu Yuan understood; he had grasped the Flowing Sword Intent—this was his thirty-ninth Sword Intent.

Simultaneously, a realization flashed through Lu Yuan’s mind: the River Sword Intent and the Flowing Sword Intent were, in essence, components serving the Life Sword Intent. These two intents actually laid an incomparably firm foundation for cultivating the Life Sword Intent. The most difficult of the Ten Great Sword Intents were none of them easy to master; each one was immensely challenging.

After comprehending the Flowing Sword Intent, Lu Yuan continued to examine the river, noticing numerous whirlpools upon its surface—whirlpools large and small, all held in a state of stillness, fixed in place, allowing him to observe every configuration of the vortex.

At this moment, Lu Yuan felt an instantaneous flash of inspiration and suddenly comprehended the Vortex Sword Intent.

This intent did not carry much grand Daoistic meaning, differing from the River Intent and the Flowing Intent.

However, once grasped, the utility of this intent was substantial. The Vortex Sword Intent, once unleashed, allowed one's sword technique to function like a whirlpool, grinding the opponent to dust. Such an intent was highly useful, possessing immense value in actual combat.

This was his fortieth Sword Intent grasped.

Lu Yuan was filled with boundless elation. It truly took only a few moments to grasp the three great Sword Intents of River, Flow, and Vortex. This was entirely due to the immense fortune brought by the Lesser Thousand World Ruined Great Desolation Sword Scroll. Without it, how could he possibly have grasped these three intents so quickly?

This sword scroll was truly a supreme weapon of destruction.

And this realization was only the beginning. He was certain he would grasp even more Sword Intents next.

Lu Yuan’s heart was filled with infinite joy.

Just then, a powerful suction force emanated from the scroll above their heads. What kind of attraction was this? Lu Yuan was suddenly alarmed and tried to break free from this pulling force, but this attraction was far too immense. It seemed as if an ancient, primeval aura of the Grand Beginning Sword Venerable was drawing him in, making it impossible to resist. With a whoosh, he was completely drawn into the sword scroll.

In the palace on Sword Extreme Mountain, many people awoke. Some lacked the necessary talent in the Sword Dao, while others had viewed the scroll many times before; the effect diminished with each viewing, eventually approaching zero. Thus, this group awakened to find that most of their companions were still deep in cultivation.

Occasionally, a flash of white light would appear, drawing a person into the scroll.

Some true disciples visiting this realm for the first time were terrified when they saw people being absorbed by the scroll: "What is this?"

"You truly have no knowledge. The Lesser Thousand World Ruined Great Desolation Sword Scroll itself performs a form of certification on those who use the sword. If one can comprehend more than three Sword Intents, they receive recognition from the scroll and are drawn into the artifact’s world, allowing them to gain further benefits and more Sword Intents within the world depicted in the scroll itself."

With a whoosh, Lu Yuan was drawn into the scroll. With another whoosh, Jian Wenhao was drawn in. Then came several more whooshes, as more people entered the scroll.

Supreme Taishi’s disciple awoke after a few moments. Seeing Lu Yuan drawn into the sword scroll, he felt a surge of anticipation.