Hear ye, have you heard? On Sword Ancestor Star, there was a grand sword competition—purely about swordsmanship. The Son of the Sword defeated Sword Cloud Ancestor, and Lu Yuan defeated Sword Void Ancestor.”

“What? The three Middle Ancestors, they are the strongest figures beneath the Sword Annihilation Ancestor of the Sword Sect, and they actually lost to the Son of the Sword in a duel of skill?”

“Losing to the Son of the Sword is one thing, but that upstart Lu Yuan actually defeated Sword Void Ancestor!”

“Both the Son of the Sword and Lu Yuan are extraordinary figures.”

“Indeed. And following that, the Son of the Sword and Lu Yuan faced each other, their contest decided by swordsmanship alone.”

“Who do you think won that one? These two are the strongest among the younger generation.”

“Probably the Son of the Sword. After all, he is one of the Seven Children of Destiny. The majority favor this outcome; the Son of the Sword has long been famous, and his supporters far outnumber Lu Yuan’s.”

“Perhaps Lu Yuan will win. Senior Brother Lu Yuan was the one who achieved an unbroken winning streak of eleven thousand at the World Volcano.” This faction supports Lu Yuan, though they are the minority.

Having sufficiently whetted the curiosity of those around them, someone who knew the inside story finally revealed: “The final result of that battle was a draw between the Son of the Sword and Lu Yuan. Their swordsmanship is virtually on the same level.”

“What? Senior Brother Lu Yuan’s swordsmanship is actually equal to Senior Brother Son of the Sword’s?”

“I hadn’t realized Senior Brother Lu Yuan had progressed this far.”

“Senior Brother Lu Yuan is more than thirty years younger than Senior Brother Son of the Sword, isn't he?”

“Senior Brother Lu Yuan is indeed younger than the Son of the Sword, yet their swordsmanship is equal. Doesn't that imply Senior Brother Lu Yuan's potential surpasses even the Son of the Sword’s?”

“That’s not necessarily true. Senior Brother Son of the Sword’s magical power and other attributes are far superior to Senior Brother Lu Yuan’s.”

“So, who between them is truly stronger or weaker remains uncertain.”

Under normal circumstances, news from Sword Ancestor Star would never leak easily to the common folk on Sword Cultivator Star and Sword Sect Star. The fact that so much information has spilled out is due to underlying motives; many parties wished for this news to circulate.

The faction allied with Sword Cloud Ancestor deliberately released the intelligence.

The Son of the Sword had always stood like an insurmountable mountain.

Previously, everyone stated that the future of the Sword Sect belonged solely to the Son of the Sword, overshadowing any other Middle Ancestor or Old Ancestor. Consequently, numerous individuals pledged allegiance to the Son of the Sword for their future security, and even those who hadn't pledged were filled with trepidation.

Now, they suddenly realized that the pedestal of supremacy was not occupied by a single person—Lu Yuan stood there too.

There would be someone capable of contending with the Son of the Sword in the future of the Sword Sect.

Everything hinged on the battle between Lu Yuan and the Son of the Sword four years hence.

Whoever won that bout would secure the right to command the future Sword Sect.

Of course, once this news spread within the Sword Sect, it was impossible to contain it elsewhere.

For instance, the Jian Civilization quickly received word.

Tong Yunzhou, the strategist of the Steel Civilization, received the intelligence while playing chess. Upon reading it, Tong Yunzhou closed his narrow, fox-like eyes and pondered briefly: “This Lu Yuan is truly not simple. Although his overall strength is not yet greater than the Son of the Sword’s, his swordsmanship has shockingly caught up.”

Tong Yunzhou gently fanned himself: “It seems I need to initiate some measures; I cannot rely solely on waiting for the Son of the Sword.”

Tong Yunzhou stated this calmly while simultaneously issuing a multitude of commands. These included directing the faction loyal to Copper within the Sword Sect and initiating strategies involving the stimulation of the Desolate Ancient Civilization. Tong Yunzhou’s favorite tactic was fighting by proxy—using borrowed strength to kill enemies. Why soil one’s own blade if a borrowed one could do the job?

Naturally, if they could kill Lu Yuan, losing one's own blade would be worthwhile. Tong Yunzhou was among the first to recognize the immense threat Lu Yuan posed.

The Fa Gu Civilization also received the news rapidly.

When the Fa Saint Imperial Son read the report, he was momentarily stunned. He had long known of Lu Yuan’s formidable talent; he even had the Blue Goddess, Liu Rumei, establish a dedicated research team focused on Lu Yuan. However, he hadn't anticipated that, at some unknown point, Lu Yuan would be able to contest the Son of the Sword, one of the Seven Children of Destiny, in swordsmanship without falling behind. Furthermore, Lu Yuan was roughly thirty years younger than the Son of the Sword, suggesting his potential was nearly equal to that of the Child of Destiny.

At some unknown juncture, Lu Yuan had ascended to such a height, possessing potential nearly comparable to the Seven Children of Destiny.

The Fa Saint Imperial Son’s current strength allowed him to look down upon any of the Seven Children of Destiny.

Yet, the Fa Saint Imperial Son knew his current might stemmed from three factors: a good father, decent innate talent, and the time he had to hone his skills. If the Seven Children of Destiny truly developed to their peak, they would likely assault the Civilization Realm. He hadn't expected his casually courted 'brother-in-law' to be this powerful, which greatly astonished the Fa Saint Imperial Son.

Interesting! Extraordinarily interesting!

The Fa Saint Imperial Son found it immensely fascinating!

Meanwhile, the silver-haired maiden wandering while cradling a snow-white rabbit also heard the news: “…Oh, Lu Yuan? That’s odd. He doesn't seem like a reincarnation of some great figure at all. How could he be?” The silver-haired maiden paused slightly, then spoke to the rabbit in her arms: “Ling’er, did you hear that? The Lu Yuan you like is becoming more and more incredible.”

It wasn't just the Jian Civilization, the Fa Gu Civilization, or the young maiden Chang'e; numerous other civilizations, such as the Desolate Ancient Civilization and the Martial Ancient Civilization, all received this intelligence. Upon hearing the news, every faction paused in surprise. They had previously heard of Lu Yuan’s reputation, but never imagined he could stand against the Son of the Sword.

The reason for such a massive stir was simple: the reputation of the Son of the Sword was too immense. The Seven Children of Destiny were famed for their invincible might, and the Son of the Sword, as one of the Seven, possessed unimaginable prestige. Lu Yuan matching him in swordsmanship instantly made him known throughout the world.

The commotion continued to spread across the Central Celestial Dynasty.

Amidst this spreading fervor, a day had passed on Sword Ancestor Star.

A day later, Lu Yuan had once again entered Sword Ancestor City. The hawk, bound by a magic treasure, was confined within Sword Cloud City. The hawk was severely injured and guarded by several Supreme Elders, preventing any escape. The elders of Sword Cloud City were keenly interested in guarding it, as the hawk, once recovered, would be a crucial fighting asset, slightly superior even to the Middle Ancestors among the Sword Cultivators, representing a vital power for the Sword Cloud lineage.

Lu Yuan was heading to the Sword Relief Sculpture within Sword Ancestor City, starting with the Sword Ancestor Palace. The moment he passed through the palace gates, he felt the immense, imposing atmosphere.

Not far away, a young gentleman in white stood with his hands behind his back, none other than the Son of the Sword.

Lu Yuan positioned himself at a different spot.

At some point, the Sword Annihilation Ancestor descended: “You two have arrived.” The Sword Annihilation Ancestor looked between the Son of the Sword and Lu Yuan: “Follow me.”

The Sword Annihilation Ancestor led the way toward the depths of the Sword Ancestor Palace. The Son of the Sword paid no mind to his surroundings; this was not his first visit to the Sword Relief Sculpture, and he was intimately familiar with the environment. Lu Yuan, however, was visiting for the first time. Thus, he alternately took deep drafts from his wine gourd and observed the surroundings.

The deeper they moved into the Sword Ancestor Palace, the higher the path ascended.

Lu Yuan could even see a gigantic relief sculpture ahead, upon which were carved the visages of many significant figures. The Sword Annihilation Ancestor explained: “These are the statues of those who have rendered great service to the Sword Sect throughout history. I am likely the last one carved here. Before me are figures from various eras. Generally, the greater the contribution, the larger the carving. These individuals dedicated countless efforts to the continuation and strength of our Sword Sect; they are figures our descendants must revere.”

Lu Yuan examined them one by one. Beneath each relief was an inscription detailing the person's identity and the extent of their contribution to the Sword Sect and the Way of the Sword. Lu Yuan recognized almost none of them, yet even without recognition, their deeds inspired profound admiration in his heart.

“This is the first half of the Sword Relief Sculpture,” the Sword Annihilation Ancestor stated. “The first half is for honoring our ancestors.”

“Besides that, there is the second half of the Sword Relief Sculpture.” The Sword Annihilation Ancestor led the Son of the Sword and Lu Yuan further back. There, the reliefs finally ended, giving way to a snow-white, sword-shaped sculpture that was not excessively large. This sword statue seemed like an ancient monster, exuding a bestial aura.

The Sword Annihilation Ancestor explained: “This is the Sword Bone, taken from a monstrous creature called the Sword Relief Divine Beast from the previous epoch. The Sword Relief Divine Beast became extinct when the last epoch concluded. However, our Sword Sect ancestors occasionally discovered this Sword Bone. By sitting beneath it and urging its power, one can share my sword intent. How much you share depends entirely on yourselves.”

The first half of the reliefs and the latter half, the Sword Bone, together constituted the Sword Relief Sculpture.

The Sword Annihilation Ancestor sighed with a touch of melancholy. When he first came here, this section of the Sword Bone was considerably larger. Over time, the bone had shrunk. Judging by its current size, it could not be used many more times. How long could the Sword Sect last in this epoch? Would he live to see the hope of the sword path's revival? The Sword Annihilation Ancestor was deeply moved, now pinning his hopes on the Son of the Sword and Lu Yuan. Composing his feelings, the Sword Annihilation Ancestor sat at the hilt of the Sword Bone, cross-legged, and summoned forth his accumulated sword intents.

The Son of the Sword and Lu Yuan each sat at the tip of the Sword Bone, one on one side and the other on the opposite side, simultaneously preparing to absorb the Sword Annihilation Ancestor’s intent.

In that moment, Lu Yuan cast aside all extraneous thoughts and began to learn the sword intent.

Previously, he had mastered a total of one hundred and forty strands of sword intent!