In truth, the usual decennial Rite was never a grand affair.

But for some inexplicable reason, this year’s Rite was fraught with an almost unbearable tension, as if a momentous event was about to unfold. For instance, the Grand Elders, who usually only mustered half their numbers—and often couldn't even manage that—were now largely present, even the seldom-seen Son of the Sword had appeared.

That alone signaled something significant.

The calm before the storm.

And the Grand Elders and Supremes were perfectly aware of this charged atmosphere.

Even the True Disciples and ordinary disciples, less informed about the true currents, could vaguely sense the underlying gunpowder scent.

Tai Shi Kong inwardly groaned, lamenting the burdensome position of Sword Master. If he weren't cursed to occupy this seat, he wouldn't endure it for anything. Cursing his misfortune one last time, Tai Shi Kong spoke up: “The Sword Gate Decennial Rite begins. During this Rite, those who have rendered great service to the Sword Gate will be recognized.”

“The greatest contributor to the Sword Gate recently is the Son of the Sword, Jian Wenchang. His merits include slaying a World Realm expert from the Wind Civilization, slaying a Grand Elder of World Realm status from the enemy sect, Tianyi Gate, and slaying another Grand Elder from the rival sect, Wushuang Gate.” Upon hearing Tai Shi Kong’s tally, everyone was stunned. Capturing or killing even a single World Realm expert was no easy feat, yet the Son of the Sword had slain three. More terrifyingly, he had slain one from the Wind Civilization. Dealing with enemy sects was one thing—all of them were Supreme Great Sects, and none feared the other—but daring to kill a World Realm figure from the Civilization itself was bizarre. Why had the Civilization not arrived to demand justice?

A murmur rose through the crowd, and Lu Yuan, slightly surprised, leaned over to ask the Supreme Xiahou seated beside him. Supreme Xiahou replied, “It is rumored that the Son of the Sword has long been favored by the Martial Ancient Civilization; essentially, the Martial Ancient Civilization backs him. That is why he dares to strike against the Wind Civilization. This is also one of the reasons why the Bronze Civilization repeatedly tried to win over the Son of the Sword, and he completely ignored them.”

Hearing this, Lu Yuan finally understood.

So that was it.

He was protected by the Martial Ancient Civilization. Holding considerable status there, it was no wonder he was so arrogant. Lu Yuan finally grasped why he dared to kill someone from the Wind Civilization. Back when Lu Yuan himself killed the Emperor’s Son Wusheng, if Emperor’s Son Fa Yi hadn't intervened, Lu Yuan would likely be wandering the ends of the earth now, not still standing here.

It also explained why the Son of the Sword never involved himself when Xuanyuan Wang caused trouble; he simply disdained dealing with the Bronze Civilization.

“The second recipient is Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan slew numerous peak-stage Cave Heaven Realm experts and Half-Step World Realm cultivators, achieved several consecutive victories in the Law Ancient Civilization, and famously won eleven thousand consecutive battles at the World Volcano, greatly boosting the prestige of our Sword Gate. Furthermore, he rendered immense service during the internal strife of the Sword Gate.” This second mention was for Lu Yuan.

The Son of the Sword, Jian Wenchang, turned to look at Lu Yuan, who returned the gaze.

These two peerless prodigies of the Sword Gate seemed to be locking horns.

Then followed the merits accrued by others, but none possessed the heart-stopping impact of the first and second place achievements of the Son of the Sword and Lu Yuan.

The merit list was finally concluded, and the promised rewards were handed out one by one, though these were less dramatic.

Next came the combat segment.

During the combat portion, participants could challenge those of similar strength, though the maximum difference allowed was about two cultivation realms. Battles deviating too far offered no excitement, and there were rules: killing an opponent during a duel was strictly forbidden. Allowing mutual slaughter during internal contests would be terrifying; normal sects never permitted such acts—though, rumor had it, certain people from the Demon Civilization enjoyed that sort of thing.

The initial matches were quite dull, lacking any real highlights.

Oh, wait, there was one rare fight that stood out.

The Core Disciple Battle.

This match pitted the Sword Spirit Empress against Shi Fei Xian.

Sword Spirit Empress inherited the 'Spirit' mandate and possessed Sword Dao Fortune.

Shi Fei Xian also possessed considerable Sword Dao Fortune and was an extremely diligent sword practitioner.

The battle began instantly. The reason for their match’s brilliance was twofold: both were peerless beauties, leading the aesthetic ranks among Sword Gate disciples. Moreover, following the internal conflict, the Sword Gate’s powerful disciples had been drastically reduced to just three: Jian Qian, Sword Spirit Empress, and Shi Fei Xian. Now, two of these three were fighting, making the contest highly compelling.

Lu Yuan took a swig from his wine gourd while observing, knowing both women. Objectively speaking, Sword Spirit Empress was slightly stronger than Shi Fei Xian, but Shi Fei Xian was not to be underestimated.

At the thirty-third move, Sword Spirit Empress’s White Rainbow Immortal Sword rested against Shi Fei Xian’s throat.

“I concede,” Shi Fei Xian admitted calmly. “But Elder Sister, I will catch up to you.” A fierce resolve shone in her eyes.

“I won’t let you catch up.”

Sword Spirit Empress’s reply was equally sharp. The two peerless beauties turned and walked in opposite directions.

This bout concluded.

Who would issue the next challenge?

“Tai Shi Kong, how about I challenge you?” A clear, resonant voice cut through the air, silencing all other sound across the venue. Who was this? To dare challenge Tai Shi Kong, the Sword Master, the very head of the Sword Gate, who normally commanded everyone's deference?

Furthermore, Tai Shi Kong was a powerhouse at the second heaven of the World Realm.

Who dared to show him such disrespect?

The crowd looked towards the source of the voice, located within the ranks of the Grand Elders. It was a middle-aged man exuding the air of a profound scholar, with a faint scent of old texts about him and a sparse beard, giving him the appearance of a grand Confucian scholar.

“Who is this man?” Lu Yuan inquired.

“Kong Shangyi, one of the Grand Elders. He is also at the second heaven of the World Realm and is a key lieutenant of the Sword Void Ancestor lineage, having taught the Son of the Sword a great deal,” Supreme Xiahou explained. The faction led by Sword Void Ancestor naturally comprised the staunchest supporters of the Son of the Sword.

Supreme Xiahou continued, “This man has clashed with your master, Tai Shi Kong, before, and his strength was said to surpass your master’s. Now he comes to challenge him again.” There was an unspoken implication in his words, which Lu Yuan instantly understood.

Hadn't he mentioned it before? The faction loyal to the Son of the Sword intended to deal with Tai Shi Kong during the Rite. Initially, Lu Yuan wondered what scheme the Son of the Sword’s faction was planning. Now, he realized: this was the maneuver. With the Sword Ancestor gone, there were limits to what they could do overtly, and they were patient. First, they would humiliate Tai Shi Kong.

There were few ways to shame the Sword Master, but this was an excellent method. By having Grand Elder Kong Shangyi challenge Tai Shi Kong during the Rite, they could publicly defeat the Master, causing him to lose face before everyone.

In this world, strength reigns supreme. Even if the Sword Master is the head of the Gate, losing a challenge would undeniably shatter his prestige and authority.

Of course, the Son of the Sword's faction could not send someone overwhelmingly stronger. If they sent a third-heaven World Realm expert, the vast gulf between the second and third heavens would make Tai Shi Kong’s defeat too predictable, yielding little actual humiliation. But having Kong Shangyi, who was on the same level—the second heaven of the World Realm—fight provided the perfect opportunity to deeply wound Tai Shi Kong’s honor.

This was not a conspiracy; it was an open plot, a manifest strategy. Overtly deployed, it was often the hardest to counter.

This type of open strategy was incredibly difficult to manage.

The methods employed by the Son of the Sword’s group differed completely from those of Xuanyuan Wang’s faction. Xuanyuan Wang relied on gambling; this faction played a game of incremental advantage accumulation, expanding their lead until the final moment when the situation was settled, leaving Lu Yuan with no option but to lose without even needing a fight.

As Lu Yuan mentally mapped out these intricacies, the atmosphere in the usually joyous Sword Star Palace instantly turned frigid and tense.

The reality of the three-way division within the Sword Gate’s Ancestral Star was known to the Supremes and senior Elders.

But none had anticipated that, during the decennial Rite, Kong Shangyi—a Grand Elder from the faction aligned with the Son of the Sword and Sword Void Ancestor—would dare to publicly challenge the Sword Master, Tai Shi Kong.

Kong Shangyi smiled slightly and stood up, stepping into the center of the arena, a slight sense of triumph welling up within him. This was his moment to earn merit.

The previous tripartite power structure of the Sword Gate had now tilted, with the faction that followed the escaped Xuanyuan Wang aligning with the Son of the Sword’s group. This meant the era where the Son of the Sword and Sword Void Ancestor’s faction unified the Sword Gate was imminent. Now was the time to publicly disgrace Tai Shi Kong, watching his authority as Sword Master crumble with his loss of face.

As for his confidence in victory over Tai Shi Kong? That was moot. Kong Shangyi had previously bested Tai Shi Kong, and he had deliberately trained specifically against him during this interim period. He now held a ninety percent certainty of defeating Tai Shi Kong.

Kong Shangyi strode forward, full of high spirit.

Tai Shi Kong’s expression darkened; he hadn't expected Kong Shangyi to be the one stepping up to challenge him.

Simultaneously, most of Tai Shi Kong’s supporters knew that facing Kong Shangyi directly would likely put Tai Shi Kong at a disadvantage.

But now, under the gaze of the entire Sword Gate—ordinary disciples, True Disciples, Core Disciples, general Elders, Supremes, and Grand Elders—the arrow was already loosed from the bow; retreat was impossible.

“Martial Uncle Kong, perhaps I might accompany you for a spar?” A clear voice rang out, originating from the Supreme seats.

A new development unfolded.

(The third update is delivered. Today is the 27th of the month, and this month only has 29 days, so if you have any monthly tickets, please use them; otherwise, they will expire. Hah, the recent plot is very exciting. Are the recent monthly ticket battles exciting? The category monthly ticket rankings are fiercely contested; I have to ask for tickets!)