Ten Yellow Turban Swordsmen instantly unleashed a torrent of ferocious killing moves, manifesting various sword arts that wove into a dense net of blades. This entire sword-net was so tightly woven it seemed to warp space and distort time, cycling through reincarnation, an infinite void intent manifesting within, brimming with unfathomable mysteries.

The swordsmanship of these ten Yellow Turban Swordsmen was already quite profound.

Lu Yuan was in no hurry, meeting each attack with a measured counter-strike.

This was a time to temper his swordsmanship.

Tempering one's sword skills was not something achieved in a single moment, but required constant, recurrent practice.

He passed the Eighth Gate smoothly.

Upon reaching the Ninth Gate, Lu Yuan took a deep breath.

By tradition, the Ninth Gate pitted him against a hundred Yellow Turban Swordsmen, each possessing formidable strength and exceptionally refined sword arts. If he invoked Reincarnation, victory was assured, but Lu Yuan was reluctant to use it just yet. He wished to gauge his ability to face one hundred opponents relying only on his current skill.

The hundred Yellow Turban Swordsmen charged him simultaneously. Lu Yuan instantly unleashed wave after wave of sword light, the beams surging like a massive tide.

One hundred opponents at the peak of the Great Dao Ninth Level—the pressure was immense.

Every angle was contested; every inch of space was filled with swordsmanship.

He felt as if he were submerged in a vast ocean, and that ocean itself was his opponent.

Lu Yuan felt nothing but boundless exhilaration, his longsword flickering as he continuously engaged his foes. Following this cycle of sword light, after felling eighteen opponents, Lu Yuan realized the sword tips of the Yellow Turban Swordsmen were now pointed directly at his vital points. The Ninth Gate was on the verge of defeating him.

It couldn't be helped; this was the limit of his swordsmanship when deliberately avoiding the Iron Rule. Lu Yuan moved almost by instinct. The power of Reincarnation surged, and the Wheel of Reincarnation manifested. The Iron Rule was the Iron Rule—once Reincarnation appeared, the surrounding Yellow Turban Swordsmen were instantly paralyzed. In mere moments, the remaining eighty-two opponents were struck down.

He cleared the Ninth Gate successfully.

The opponent in the Tenth Gate was at the Great Dao Tenth Level. Lu Yuan did not yield easily, but ultimately discovered he still could not overcome an opponent at the Great Dao Tenth Level, thus losing in the Tenth Gate.

It seemed his journey ended at the Tenth Gate this time, but he had still tempered his sword skills and earned the corresponding points. Lu Yuan strode out of the Soaring Sword Tower.

"The Ninth Gate, Lu Yuan actually broke through the Ninth Gate!"

"Indeed. Even among the core disciples, very few have passed the Ninth Gate."

"I recall that among the core disciples who could pass the Ninth Gate, there were only eight in total. Among these eight, three belong to the lineage of Supreme Xuan Yuan, led by Xuanyuan Ling. One belongs to Supreme Baili, Baili Bing. One belongs to Supreme Shangguan, Shangguan Sha. One belongs to Supreme Dongye, Dongye Liang. One belongs to Supreme Gongyang, Gongyang Hao. One belongs to Supreme Xiahou, Xiahou You."

"These eight individuals all possess the mana equivalent to the Great Dao Tenth Level."

"Each of these eight has passed the Ninth Gate."

"Below the Chaotic Void Realm, these eight have always been considered the foremost among the remaining core disciples of the Sword Sect."

"And now... finally, another person capable of passing the Ninth Gate of the Soaring Sword Tower has emerged: Lu Yuan, under Supreme Taishi. Lu Yuan now ranks ninth among the remaining core disciples of the Sword Sect."

Praise followed Lu Yuan relentlessly. While his current strength hadn't reached the Great Dao Tenth Level, judging by the performance in the Soaring Sword Tower and his previous feat of defeating thirteen disciples under Supreme Duanmu fighting together, Lu Yuan was now unquestionably regarded as the ninth strongest among the remaining core disciples of the Sword Sect.

Duanmu Congrong felt a surge of frustration. Why! Why was Lu Yuan so strong! He must become stronger, reach the Great Dao Tenth Level sooner, perhaps even the Chaotic Void Realm, at which point he could surely annihilate Lu Yuan.

Chaotic Void Realm!

The seven-day deadline finally arrived.

Lu Yuan returned to the Qiankun Palace.

Inside the Qiankun Palace, Taishi Kong sat with imposing authority. Taishi Kong looked at Lu Yuan: "Judging by your appearance, your realm should be stabilized. You have perfected your existing One Dragon Power; now, we can indeed begin learning a new cultivation method." "Let me explain the basic principles of the cultivation methods prevalent in the Central Celestial Dynasty."

"In the Central Celestial Dynasty, there aren't too many prevailing cultivation methods; they are fundamentally divided into three major schools: the Buddhist School, the Dragon School, and the Immortal Dao School. Other methods, like the Confucian School, are merely fringe practices. There are also Demonic Dao, Monster Dao, and Shaman Dao methods, but these are suppressed fringe arts."

"After detailing these three major schools, you can choose which system appeals to you. I possess methods from all three schools. However, I myself practice the Immortal Dao system. Mine is the Supreme True Understanding of the Vast Void and Azure Heavens. Of course, for ease of recollection, the power levels in any cultivation method are quantified using Dragon Power. For instance, your current mana should be around Three Dragon Powers."

"My Supreme True Understanding of the Vast Void and Azure Heavens is a method that draws upon the vital energy within the universe's space to enhance one's strength." Taishi Kong tossed a jade pendant to Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan probed it with his divine sense and immediately grasped the essence of this method.

This cultivation method was vast and limitless, borrowing power from the heavens and earth, subtly incorporating the power of the Profound Void, layered with the might of the Azure Heavens. The merging of these dual forces made it truly the most suitable method to complement the Iron Rule of Space.

Furthermore, Lu Yuan faintly sensed that once this method reached perfection, it could even allow him to create a Minor World, achieving the highest realm beneath the Lord of Civilization: the World Realm.

"I am also diligently studying this method. If you choose it, your progress in cultivation techniques will be quite rapid," Taishi Kong said.

Lu Yuan felt the method was excellent, yet he had an underlying sense that he should seek something even more fitting for himself. "Master, are there any other methods?"

Taishi Kong smiled faintly. "I have several others here. For the Buddhist School, there is the True Understanding of the Great Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha. Once mastered, this technique allows one to transform into Ksitigarbha and become a Great Bodhisattva. Great Bodhisattvas in the Central Celestial Dynasty are beings of the World Realm—these are all paths leading to the World Realm."

Lu Yuan shook his head. "I have never cared for Buddhist methods; they have too many rigid precepts. Are there any Dragon School methods?"

Taishi Kong nodded. "The Dragon School methods are also excellent; the one you practiced in the outer regions was a Dragon School method."

"I have two sets of Dragon School cultivation methods here."

"One is the Ancient Dragon God Art. You should be familiar with the taxonomy of dragons: True Dragon, Earth Dragon, Sky Dragon, Divine Dragon, Ancient Divine Dragon, Primordial Ancestral Dragon." Taishi Kong explained, "This Ancient Dragon God Art can be cultivated all the way to the World Realm. Upon completion, you can possess the mana and strength of an Ancient Divine Dragon. The physical power of the Dragon race is immense, and their bodies incredibly durable. The power and physique of an Ancient Divine Dragon could shake the myriad heavens." Seeing Lu Yuan’s evident interest, Taishi Kong tossed him a jade pendant. Lu Yuan accepted it and delved in with his divine sense, finding an approximate introduction within. It was indeed quite intriguing.

"What about the other set?" Lu Yuan inquired.

"The final set is named the Formless Devouring Art. I obtained this technique accidentally. This method can definitely lead beyond the typical World Level, perhaps even offering a chance to challenge the echelon of Deputy Lords of Civilization. However, regrettably, I only possess a fragmented half of this cultivation method," Taishi Kong stated.

"Oh." Lu Yuan became highly interested.

Taishi Kong threw out another jade pendant. Lu Yuan probed it, and the description inside made him even more intrigued.

This Formless Devouring Art was divided into two parts: Formless followed by Devouring.

The Formless aspect required the practitioner to possess the Cloud attribute; otherwise, it was impossible, because only the Cloud is formless, capable of arbitrarily transforming into other shapes. This initial Formless stage demanded that the Cloud attribute be able to convert freely into the other seven major attributes: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, and Thunder. Wind and Thunder are sometimes grouped with Wood, but they must be separable. After achieving mastery over conversion to these seven categories, one could condense the Formless Dragon.

The Formless Dragon was merely the starting point of the Formless Devouring Art. After condensing the Formless Dragon, the practitioner had to cultivate the Devouring Dragon. The Formless Dragon would successively consume the power of the seven major attributes—becoming the Gold-Devouring Dragon, Wood-Devouring Dragon, Water-Devouring Dragon, Fire-Devouring Dragon, Earth-Devouring Dragon, Wind-and-Thunder-Devouring Dragon, and Thunder-Devouring Dragon. Finally, these Seven Devouring Dragons would merge into one, forming the Devouring Dragon. Once this was achieved, the practitioner could devour anything under the heavens, absorbing portions of their opponent's mana—a terrifying prospect.

This was perfect!

This Formless Devouring Art was precisely the technique he sought.

Lu Yuan made his decision instantly: "I choose this cultivation method."

"Have you decided on this method? However, I must give a warning. This technique is exceptionally difficult. Even the initial Formless stage is not easy, and this method is incomplete; I only found the first portion, the latter half is completely missing," Taishi Kong cautioned. "Moreover, I have never practiced this method, nor have I heard of anyone practicing a similar technique. Once you choose this path, you will be walking a road of solitary enlightenment, with no prior experience from others to draw upon."

"I have decided." Lu Yuan nodded firmly, feeling as if this cultivation method was tailor-made for him. If not this one, then which?

"Regarding the initial Formless stage—my Cloud Dragon Ten Transformations method that I originally practiced was precisely about transforming the Cloud attribute into the other seven major attributes," Lu Yuan mused. Behind him, phantoms of the Chi You, Dragon-like creatures—Dianzhu, Chiwu, Puliao, Bi’an, Cannan, Pafu, Yazi, Suanni, and Jiaotu—flickered ceaselessly.

"All that remains is condensing the Formless Dragon."

Taishi Kong nodded. So that was the case.

His disciple had chosen a path that was incredibly difficult, yet promised limitless power upon mastery.

So be it, he would let him proceed.

A young man daring enough to strive so fiercely was not a bad thing.

If he truly failed to cultivate it, the Ancient Dragon God Art was still available as a backup, and Taishi Kong thought to himself, he could always switch to that technique later.