The foremost Supreme of the original Sword Sect, ostensibly a figurehead placed by the faction of the Sword Wind Ancestor.

Xuanyuan Wang’s own strength reached the Second Heaven of the World Realm; even on Sword Ancestor Star, he would have been a formidable presence, and that wasn't all. Xuanyuan Wang possessed exceptional finesse in handling affairs and winning hearts; being near him was like bathing in spring breezes. The faction under the Sword Wind Ancestor pinned all their hopes on Xuanyuan Wang, expecting him to eventually rise to the stature of the Sword Wind Ancestor himself, becoming a vital pillar for the faction that surrendered their allegiance.

During that coup attempt, Xuanyuan Wang had been on the verge of success, only to fail in the end.

But they trusted in Xuanyuan Wang’s capabilities, believing he could carve out a new domain even from exile, and then coordinate with the Sword Sect’s loyalists from within.

Now, however, they were hearing news of Xuanyuan Wang’s death.

Initially, they refused to believe it, but when Taishi Kong presented the Supreme Immortal Sword, disbelief was no longer an option.

Xuanyuan Wang was truly dead, slain by Lu Yuan.

Every corner of the Sword Sect was now fixed upon Lu Yuan.

This was no small matter!

Consider the prestige Xuanyuan Wang commanded within the Sword Sect; now he was simply gone.

Of course, since Xuanyuan Wang was a fugitive, Lu Yuan killing him was counted as a great merit. However, the faction that had surrendered their allegiance would certainly not hold a favorable view of Lu Yuan.

Especially one individual within that faction, whose appearance bore about sixty percent resemblance to Xuanyuan Wang, stared daggers at Lu Yuan, looking as if he beheld the greatest enemy imaginable. Lu Yuan remained composed and asked the Supreme Elder Xiahou beside him, "Who is that man?"

"That man is Xuanyuan Qiang, Xuanyuan Wang's brother. His stratagems and cunning plots fall short of Xuanyuan Wang’s, but his actual combat strength is no less than his brother's. He has long been at the Second Heaven of the World Realm. Whether his strength has advanced further, I don't know, but he is an extremely difficult person to provoke."

Hearing Supreme Elder Xiahou’s explanation, Lu Yuan gave a faint smile. Xuanyuan Qiang! Xuanyuan Wang's brother. Let him come if he dares; I fear nothing. Moreover, Xuanyuan Qiang wouldn't dare act now. Since Xuanyuan Wang was a Sword Sect fugitive and I killed him for merit, he absolutely cannot use that as a reason to confront me. I truly couldn't care less if he were Second Heaven or Third Heaven of the World Realm.

"Oh, and there is one more person you must pay special attention to: Zhang Daosheng," Supreme Elder Xiahou continued, introducing another figure. "This man is the master of the Son of the Sword, and his strength is also the Second Heaven of the World Realm. Furthermore, his cunning and deceit are no less than Xuanyuan Wang’s. He is a core figure in the faction of the Sword Void Ancestor." He pointed to the figure sitting next to the Sword Void Ancestor. The man had a pale, clean-shaven face, wearing a faint smile as he looked at Lu Yuan. He seemed in no way ferocious, but precisely such characters demanded the utmost vigilance.

Finally, the Sword Sect’s Decennial Rite concluded, marked by the explosive news of Lu Yuan slaying Xuanyuan Wang.

This iteration of the Sword Sect Decennial Rite was now over.

Throughout this rite, while surface-level sparring and contention occurred, the undercurrents of conflict were surging violently beneath.

On the surface: Lu Yuan versus the Son of the Sword.

Underneath: the struggle between the three major factions of the Sword Sect—the Sword Wind Ancestor, the Sword Void Ancestor, and the Sword Cloud Ancestor.

If the Ancient Ancestor Jianmie hadn't been there to keep things in check, the Sword Sect would have descended into utter chaos long ago.

Lu Yuan then returned to his usual rhythm: drinking, sleeping, and practicing his swordplay.

While practicing, he hit a snag. As previously mentioned, the Order Iron Rules required twelve sword intents: Universe! Matter! Return! Origin! War! Peace! Prosperity! Decline!—these twelve concepts. Yet, he hadn't managed to cultivate any single one of them. It seemed he lacked the recent inspiration for sword practice.

Forget it. If there’s no feeling, don’t practice.

Lu Yuan took the matter lightly and stopped practicing the sword, focusing instead on drinking and sleeping. It was quite the carefree existence.

Time flowed by in this manner, passing half a month.

One day, halfway through his usual drinking session, Lu Yuan suddenly set down his wine gourd. "Come out."

The visitor was the former Sect Master, Zhuge Zhishang. Lu Yuan bowed slightly.

Zhuge Zhishang remarked, "You seemed to know I was coming?"

"Naturally. I also know that sooner or later I must go to the Sword Ancestor Star. For now, I am merely stealing a few days of easy living," Lu Yuan shrugged.

"You certainly know how to enjoy yourself. When it's time to slack off, you truly slack off. This kind of unrestrained life suits you." Zhuge Zhishang glanced at the several hundred empty wine bottles piled next to Lu Yuan and couldn't help but express admiration. But he understood: Lu Yuan knew how to relax and enjoy himself. Others could do the same, but could they? Did they possess such a mindset? Lu Yuan simply had an excellent temperament.

At least, on Lu Yuan, there was not a trace of the arrogance that comes with youthful success.

"Come with me to the Sword Ancestor Star now. You are a Supreme Elder now, too," Zhuge Zhishang stated.

Lu Yuan shrugged; he had somehow, without realizing it, ascended to the rank of Supreme Elder.

Following the lead of the former Sect Master Zhuge Zhishang, they flew directly toward the Sword Ancestor Star. The Sword Sect possessed three celestial bodies, and now the most mysterious one, the Sword Ancestor Star, finally unveiled its veil before him. As they entered its atmosphere, massive birds, thousands of feet high, appeared in the sky, and enormous beasts, some reaching ten thousand feet, stomped across the land. The ferocious beasts here were not only present but far stronger than those on the Cultivation Star, generally measured in units of ten thousand feet.

This place felt akin to the Primordial Chaos Era.

Moreover, within this space, Lu Yuan faintly sensed a suppressing aura.

Zhuge Zhishang explained, "It is widely known that our Sword Sect is constrained by the Primordial Chaos. Thus, the Sword Ancestor Star carries a trace of that Chaos aura, designed to help everyone adapt. How do you find it? Does it feel excessively uncomfortable?" Zhuge Zhishang, of course, was unaware that Lu Yuan feared the Chaos aura not at all. With the Desolation-Restraining Sword, he could cleave as much Chaos energy as came his way. People from the Ancient Civilization who used Chaos power—unless their power far exceeded his own—were simply ripe for the slaughter.

Flying toward the Sword Ancestor Star, they observed a colossal city upon its surface. Surrounding this massive city were three smaller ones, positioned at its corners, forming a triangle that encircled the central metropolis. Zhuge Zhishang elaborated, "The city in the middle is called Sword Ancestor City; it is the largest on the Star, and the Ancient Ancestor Jianmie is in seclusion there. The three cities forming the triangle are relatively new, only built over the last ten thousand years or so. They are named Sword Wind City, Sword Void City, and Sword Cloud City, respectively—the domiciles of our three factions. Usually, we reside in these three cities. The outside world is the Desolate Wilderness, filled with Chaos energy; if you prefer to stay out there, you are entirely welcome to do so."

Zhuge Zhishang brought Lu Yuan directly into Sword Cloud City.

Sword Cloud City was quite large, yet surprisingly sparsely populated.

Only about a dozen individuals resided there, each occupying a considerable expanse of territory, staking their claim. Upon seeing Lu Yuan descend, although none personally came out to greet him, they all extended their divine senses in welcome. They were familiar with elders like Lu Yuan and greeted him warmly. Lu Yuan was an unparalleled genius, perhaps capable of challenging the Son of the Sword. Lu Yuan returned the greetings via divine sense to all parties, before settling in the southeast quadrant. No other Supreme Elders occupied that area, allowing him a convenient spot for residence and cultivation. All inhabitants of the Sword Ancestor Star were generally figures of the World Realm.

No, that wasn't quite right. Upon entering Sword Cloud City, Lu Yuan noticed there were quite a few individuals who had not reached the World Realm. Zhuge Zhishang clarified, "Supreme Elders naturally have their kin, disciples, and so on. Furthermore, a Supreme Elder holds immense authority and cannot handle every trivial matter personally, so maintaining some servants is normal. Therefore, there are far more than just a dozen-plus Supreme Elders here. By the way, do you need to make arrangements? With your current status, requesting female cultivators as consorts, disciples, or servants would be incredibly simple."

Lu Yuan immediately waved his hand. "Forget it. I have no interest in that."

How pleasant it was to be alone and at ease; why would he need consorts, disciples, or servants?

Zhuge Zhishang added, "Oh, one thing I must inform you about: there will be a Sword Confrontation Assembly held in Sword Ancestor City shortly. This assembly is actually a competition of one sort: the ability to decipher sword techniques. This has been a long-standing grand event on the Sword Ancestor Star, and even the Ancient Ancestor Jianmie will emerge from seclusion to observe it."

"Our Sword Sect honors the sword, and we compete through the sword; hence the Sword Confrontation Assembly."

"This assembly is not about direct sword fighting, but about breaking techniques. One side presents a sword move, and the other must unravel it, determining the victor."

"The winning side earns the right to approach the Sword Bas-Relief. The Sword Bas-Relief is a special artifact of the Sword Sect. The Ancient Ancestor Jianmie can share his sword intent through it, and whatever insight you glean from his sharing is attributed to your own ability. Of course, this Bas-Relief is also made of exceedingly precious material, its reserves are dwindling, and activating it each time consumes significant resources."

"Everyone can participate in this assembly, including the three Middle Ancestors. Originally, our three factions were evenly matched; none could definitively defeat the others. But since the rise of the Son of the Sword, the faction under the Sword Void Ancestor has gained an absolute advantage in the assembly. In every recent assembly, the side led by the Sword Void Ancestor and the Son of the Sword has achieved total victory."

"We have known nothing but repeated defeat."

"And this time, the Sword Void Ancestor and the Sword Wind Ancestor have allied, putting our faction in an even more precarious position."

"If you attend the assembly, you might face the Son of the Sword."

Face the Son of the Sword? Lu Yuan felt a slight shock in his heart. During the Decennial Rite, he and the Son of the Sword had never truly competed; they had merely observed each other. Was this the moment for a genuine contest? The Son of the Sword, one of the Seven Children of Fortune, was certainly no ordinary figure.

But even if the Son of the Sword was extraordinary, he would be defeated. The one destined to lose would be the Son of the Sword!

(Chapter One delivered.)