The Dragon Hunting Sea. Lu Yuan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, soaring through the sky on his sword. Above his head, the sun blazed like a colossal wheel of fire. Beneath him, an immense ocean stretched out.

To the eyes of a mortal, this sea would seem boundless, but at Lu Yuan’s current speed, the expanse was not insurmountable. Ahead, a disturbance brewed—a surge of wind and the churning of vital energy. He urged his sword forward, moving like lightning through the clouds, and arrived at the disturbance in a flash.

A massive, golden dragon was unfurling its body in the sea below. It roared defiantly at a young woman who seemed woven from ice and lightning. This young woman offered a slight smile, like the blooming of snow and ice, instantly freezing the world around them. With a gentle thrust of her sword, the golden dragon, possessing the full force of the Ninth Layer of the Dao Realm, was instantly encased in ice. Lu Yuan recognized the snow-white figure immediately: she was the foremost expert beneath the Chaos Realm within the Hundred Li Supreme Sect, Baili Bing.

A few other cultivators hovered nearby, but upon seeing Baili Bing make her move, they dared not contend; the disparity in their strength was too vast. Baili Bing noticed Lu Yuan. “Junior Brother Lu, do you wish to test my might?” “I was hoping to seek guidance from Senior Sister Baili,” Lu Yuan replied with a subtle smile. Though he knew victory was unlikely, a trial was necessary. Lu Yuan instantly drew his sword, the single strike fracturing into nine hundred and ninety-nine variations. Baili Bing merely chuckled. “Junior Brother’s swordsmanship is indeed remarkable, but alas, it is useless. False Ice Sealing Domain.”

Instantly, the surrounding space froze into nothingness. This was the Domain! At the Tenth Layer of the Dao Realm, one gained a power that simulated space—not a true Chaos Domain, perhaps, but certainly enough to overwhelm the Seventh Layer Dao Realm practitioner that Lu Yuan currently was. My domain, my command. Against a true Chaos Domain, Lu Yuan would only know defeat.

Lu Yuan reacted with lightning speed. He instantly sensed that this icy domain was a mere imitation, fundamentally flawed. However, under the crushing pressure of Baili Bing’s immense magic power, breaking free proved exceedingly difficult. He was forced back repeatedly by the pressure of this false sealing domain; his own spiritual power clearly fell short.

Lu Yuan maintained his sword flight, while Baili Bing continuously pointed out icy sword-finger strikes. They clashed ceaselessly in the air. After dozens of exchanges, Lu Yuan had retreated several tens of miles. By the time Baili Bing secured the Golden Dragon Soul, she was utterly astonished. This junior brother, who had only recently joined, had weathered so many of her sword techniques—far surpassing others at the Ninth Layer of the Dao Realm. He was truly exceptional, a genuine sword prodigy produced by the Grand Historian Supreme Sect.

Meanwhile, observing from a distance, Xuanyuan Ling stood with his hands behind his back. He had arrived too late. Since the Golden Dragon Soul had fallen into Baili Bing’s hands, he abandoned any thought of interfering; Baili Bing was not to be trifled with. He regretted not encountering Lu Yuan to contend for the Soul, as he could have seized the opportunity to severely injure Lu Yuan, easily using the pretense of fighting over the Soul as an unavoidable slip of the hand.

Lu Yuan, such a sword talent, must be suppressed now that he had joined the Grand Historian Supreme Sect. Suppression on every front. Xuanyuan Ling’s surface remained calm, but his heart was a churning vortex of malice.

One month later, Lu Yuan departed the Dragon Hunting Sea. In total, he had hunted two Golden Dragon Souls—a stroke of luck where he encountered the dragons before the eight experts of the Tenth Layer of the Dao Realm arrived. Lu Yuan now understood completely: his current strength remained insufficient, too raw. He could not stand against those eight masters.

Remaining in the Dragon Hunting Sea now would only be a waste of time. He would return when he reached the Eighth Layer of the Dao Realm. When he next came to this sea, he would seize every single Golden Dragon. If Xuanyuan Ling and the others dared to show themselves then, Lu Yuan would certainly greet them with enough force to leave them severely wounded. The expedition to the Dragon Hunting Sea had not reached a perfect conclusion. Yet, in life, one could not expect every endeavor to conclude flawlessly.

“Oh, you haven’t collected all the True Dragon Souls? The Golden Dragon Soul is missing,” Tai Shi Kong observed Lu Yuan, looking quite pleased. In truth, when he initially sent Lu Yuan to the Dragon Hunting Sea, he had envisioned this exact scenario, wanting to gauge how Lu Yuan would handle it. Lu Yuan’s resolution now was highly satisfactory. “Recognizing that your strength is temporarily inferior to those eight masters of the Tenth Layer of the Dao Realm, knowing when to retreat temporarily—that is excellent. The illusory dragon aspect of the new cultivation technique, the Formless Devouring Art, will require a little more time to practice.”

“For now, let us focus on elevating your personal magical power.”

Lu Yuan sat cross-legged in the Huashan Residence. Rolling spiritual energy poured forth from the Azure Cloud canopy above his head. Since obtaining a second-tier spiritual, his spirit stones had been inexhaustible, and pure energy constantly flooded his body. Furthermore, vast reserves of vital energy were drawn in by the Spirit Sealing Tablet. Yet, even with this influx, the progress of his personal magical power was agonizingly slow.

Lu Yuan understood the issue: he lacked spirit beasts. He possessed only two legendary-grade beasts, which was pitifully few. Other cultivators at the Seventh or Eighth Layer of the Dao Realm likely possessed more. Those at the Ninth or Tenth Layer had left him far behind in that regard. He needed to devise a way to acquire more spirit beasts.

Lu Yuan felt his magical power stagnating. Lacking spirit beasts, he used spirit stones to compensate, continuously shattering countless stones. After detonating nearly two hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones, he managed to forcefully elevate his magical power to the very peak of the Azure Cloud canopy of the Seventh Layer of the Dao Realm. The next step was breaking through to the Eighth Layer, forming the Heaven and Earth Dharma Body.

The Heaven and Earth Dharma Body involved various natural laws integrating themselves into the nascent soul, coalescing into the final form. This hurdle was also incredibly difficult to clear. In fact, no stage in the Dao Realm was easily achieved. He meditated for a while but found no clear path forward. Never mind. He would focus on other things first; his cultivation path was not one to be rushed. Completing his meditation, Lu Yuan decided to find a quiet spot to drink some wine and bask in the sun.

Life did not require such haste. When one has a moment of leisure, one should embrace the idleness. This was his philosophy.

He basked in the sunlight until it began to sink toward the western mountains, passing an entire afternoon in quiet contentment. As dusk arrived, Le Shuang ran over, saying, “Diao, Junior Brother, Master requests your presence.” “Master seeks me?” Lu Yuan instantly flew toward the Qiankun Palace.

In the Qiankun Palace, the floor was littered with empty wine bottles of every shape, the air thick with the smell of alcohol—truly a drunken master. Lu Yuan shrugged, though he admitted he wasn't far behind in that regard.

Tai Shi Kong looked up at Lu Yuan. “You’ve arrived. Right, congratulations, you’ve recently been selected as one of the Top Ten Newcomers.” “One of the Top Ten Newcomers?” Lu Yuan paused. “What is that?”

Tai Shi Kong explained, “Fifty of you entered this batch, and ten newcomers are to be selected. Naturally, you were chosen, as you are the strongest among this group. Also, Jian Wenhao of the Star of the Sword was selected, as were a few young acquaintances from the Outer Domain, Shi Fei Xian and Huo Yibu.”

Lu Yuan stared blankly. “What exactly is this? I don’t understand at all. Top Ten Newcomers? What is the significance?” Lu Yuan was genuinely confused.

Tai Shi Kong smiled. “This matter requires us to go back to the Fa Gu Civilization.”

“The Fa Gu Civilization is one of the Five Ancient Civilizations, revered across the myriad heavens; countless planes know the name of the Fa Gu Civilization. In the Central Celestial Dynasty, it is said there are one hundred thousand Great Prefectures, and the Fa Gu Civilization controls around two thousand of those prefectures—two thousand that are under their direct, practical rule.”

“Our Sword Sect lies right on the fringe of the territories controlled by the Fa Gu Civilization. Since the Fa Gu Civilization is an Ancient Civilization, it naturally seeks to promulgate its supreme majesty. Every century or so, the Fa Gu Civilization sends out a patrol to survey the two thousand controlled prefectures.”

“The prefecture where our Sword Sect resides is also included in this inspection.”

“And every hundred years, the Fa Gu Civilization comes to our Sword Sect for a brief survey. During this inspection, the scope is vast; anything can be examined. Among the many inspection items, the Fa Gu Civilization will graciously send ten newcomers to instruct ten of our own newcomers. Thus, every time, we must select the top ten newcomers to receive instruction from the ten individuals sent by the Fa Gu Civilization.”

“Instruction?” Lu Yuan couldn't help but be surprised.

“Yes, instruction,” Tai Shi Kong confirmed. “Don’t be shocked. The Fa Gu Civilization, being one of the Five Ancient Civilizations of the Central Celestial Dynasty, is vastly more powerful than our Sword Sect. Our newcomers usually peak around the Eighth Layer of the Dao Realm; many are at the Fifth, Sixth, or Seventh Layer. This year, you are an anomaly. However, newcomers from the Fa Gu Civilization are frequently at the Ninth or Tenth Layer of the Dao Realm, and occasionally, freakish figures at the First Layer of the Chaos Realm even appear. Therefore, we can only be instructed. This illustrates the immense gulf between the Fa Gu Civilization and the Sword Sect.”

“However, while they call it instruction, perhaps you can manage to win a bout or two. To display their magnanimity, the Fa Gu Civilization promises substantial rewards to anyone who can defeat one of their ten newcomers. The rewards vary greatly, but they are always significant. Still, winning such a reward is not easy; in all these years, only the Son of the Sword in our sect has ever received such a bounty,” Tai Shi Kong noted, looking pointedly at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan now understood Tai Shi Kong’s implication perfectly. If the Fa Gu Civilization intended to instruct, then he would show them how to lose, and incidentally, claim that substantial reward. Speaking of which, among the Fa Gu Civilization’s newcomers, he recognized Fu Chong and Guan Guan. He wondered if those two would appear this time.