There are one hundred and twenty elements in the cosmos, and all other things are constituted by these one hundred and twenty elements. Merely grasping sixty of them allows one to attempt the breakthrough to the Fourth Heaven of the World Realm, the Realm of Material Transformation," Jian Ruhai explained. "Of course, the more elements one can command, the more transformations one can comprehend."

"If you only grasp sixty elements before attempting the Fourth Heaven of the World Realm, the transformations you can achieve later will be limited, and the conversion between materials will only be partial, not complete. Furthermore, your foundation for reaching the Fourth Heaven of the World Realm will be significantly shallower," Jian Ruhai continued. "Therefore, those who truly aim for the Realm of Civilization must first strive to master all one hundred and twenty elements. Only when these one hundred and twenty elements are perfected is the process complete. Upon truly breaking through to the Fourth Heaven of the World Realm, if one can command all one hundred and twenty elements, then all material changes throughout heaven and earth can be manipulated at will."

"This is the method for achieving the Fourth Heaven of the World Realm," Jian Ruhai stated.

"Then, how does one master all one hundred and twenty elements?" Lu Yuan inquired.

"For the one hundred and twenty elements," Jian Ruhai said, "in the Central Heavenly Dynasty, there is a place known as the Elemental Tower. This Elemental Tower has exactly one hundred and twenty floors. Each floor can be used to comprehend a single element, with the difficulty increasing on the upper floors."

"This Elemental Tower is a wondrous place between heaven and earth, and moreover, each person can only enter it once in their lifetime. If someone has visited once, they cannot return a second time. No matter who attempts it, the Elemental Tower will instinctively repel them, making entry impossible."

"And each floor of the Elemental Tower only allows one to stay for one hundred hours. If the element is not mastered within those hundred hours, the element itself will reject the person, and they can never enter again."

"The Elemental Tower is not always open. Generally, it opens once every ten years. You have coincidentally arrived at the time of its decennial opening," Jian Ruhai explained. "Perhaps, Lie, you should go and try the Elemental Tower. However, most people undergo extensive preparation before entering the Elemental Tower. You currently have none."

"If I go, I go," Lu Yuan shrugged. "Going without preparation is better than waiting another ten years."

Ordinary people could naturally wait another decade, but he was different.

His appointed duel with the Son of the Sword was only four years away.

If he waited another ten years to advance to the Fourth Heaven of the World Realm, it would essentially mean he had already lost. Therefore, such an opportunity could not be missed.

"Where is the Elemental Tower?" Lu Yuan asked.

Jian Ruhai replied, "Where is your Identity Jade Token?"

Starting from the World Volcano, everyone possessed an Identity Jade Token representing their personal identity. Lu Yuan produced his. Jian Ruhai shot a beam of light into the token. Lu Yuan sent his divine sense into it and immediately discovered the location of the Elemental Tower. It was surprisingly not far from the World Volcano, relatively close.

In fact, it was simple: both the Elemental Tower and the World Volcano were situated at the junction of the Five Great Ancient Civilizations.

Within the Identity Jade Token was an immense map of the Central Heavenly Dynasty. Major official routes and so forth were mostly marked, showing which civilization was where and which sect was located where. Places like the World Volcano and the Elemental Tower were visible simply by illuminating them on the map.

The Identity Jade Token also highlighted all the locations one had previously visited, making navigation convenient.

This Identity Jade Token—what a marvelous thing. Lu Yuan wondered which ingenious mind had invented it.

After finishing all these explanations, Jian Ruhai shrugged. "Then there is nothing more I can teach you now." Indeed, Jian Ruhai had nothing left to impart to Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan was growing too rapidly. Every time Jian Ruhai witnessed the brilliance of Lu Yuan's progress, he couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of awe.

Lu Yuan decided to remain on Earth Dragon Star for a while longer. During this time, he spent some hours re-practicing Floating Life Like a Dream; otherwise, it was just drinking and sleeping—a rare period of leisure.

Over these fifteen days, his spirits were thoroughly restored.

Finally, on the fifteenth day, the gathering Qi above his head was completely absorbed by Ji Qianyu.

Immediately afterward, it was time for the Sword Gate, Thousand Water Sect, and Fire Control Sect to rotate their personnel.

The superiors of this current rotation from the Sword Gate, Thousand Water Sect, and Fire Control Sect were all aware of the events that transpired on Earth Dragon Star. The entire sequence of events there could only be described as full of twists and turns—truly dramatic. The rotation served two purposes: allowing these individuals to rest, and coinciding with the opening of the Elemental Tower.

Let us not forget that Qiu Qingshan, Zhu Yan, and Ji Qianyu were all at the Third Heaven of the World Realm.

In fact, all three had reached the Third Heaven of the World Realm hundreds of years ago but always felt they were insufficiently prepared. Now, they finally felt ready to venture into the Elemental Tower and take this chance.

"What? You are going to the Elemental Tower too?" Lu Yuan was startled.

"You are going to the Elemental Tower? Normally, one needs to prepare for a long time, as one can only enter the Elemental Tower once in a lifetime." Zhu Yan was also surprised. Preparation included reading countless books on material composition, understanding what matter was, plus all sorts of other convoluted things. "Uh... I’m just going directly, without preparation," Lu Yuan replied nonchalantly. He would have liked to prepare, but preparation meant another ten years—did he have that time to spare?

"Then let's go together," Ji Qianyu's voice was gentle and pleasant.

"That works too, let’s go together then."

Lu Yuan, Ji Qianyu, Zhu Yan, and Qiu Qingshan, despite their differing ages and originating sects, were comrades who had faced the Ancestor of the War Beasts together, and thus decided to travel as a group.

After the next rotation of people from the Sword Gate, Thousand Water Sect, and Fire Control Sect arrived, the four departed. For this journey, they used Ji Qianyu's White Ice Ship. This ship was formed from ice energy but emitted no coldness whatsoever. The entire vessel was exquisitely beautiful, and every object within it was masterfully crafted.

As they flew toward the Elemental Tower, the four exchanged insights. During this exchange, Ji Qianyu, Zhu Yan, and Qiu Qingshan realized that while Lu Yuan’s swordsmanship was superb, he was utterly incompetent in all other aspects—other spells, formations, talismans, and even Gu insects. He knew nothing of them. Most World Realm experts possessed at least some proficiency in these areas; Lu Yuan was completely devoid of them.

Yet, thinking inversely, it was precisely because Lu Yuan studied nothing else, dedicating himself entirely to the Way of the Sword, that his swordsmanship had reached such heights.

This, too, was talent!

The ice ship traversed various locations across the Central Heavenly Dynasty. Finally, as they neared the Elemental Tower, they saw a colossal spire soaring high, like a sharp sword piercing the firmament, standing tall in the distance. Surrounding the Elemental Tower were countless restrictive laws.

Lu Yuan stood on the ice ship and looked down. He saw that the Elemental Tower was actually adjacent to a city. Upon reaching the city, they noticed only a single gate allowed entry; all other areas were sealed by powerful restrictive laws—likely millions, perhaps hundreds of millions, of layers deep. Qiu Qingshan explained, "To enter the Elemental Tower, one must first enter Elemental City. Only those whose backgrounds are clear and who are not wanted by the Five Great Ancient Civilizations are permitted entry."

Lu Yuan was not worried about such rules. Although the Ancient Desolate Civilization desperately wished him dead, he was genuinely not wanted by the Five Great Ancient Civilizations. Even the Sword Civilization’s pursuit order was issued secretly, not placed on the public stage.

There were quite a few people coming to the Elemental Tower, all queuing up for inspection before entering the city gate.

Finally, it was the turn of Lu Yuan and the other three. Ji Qianyu was the first to be inspected.

"Thousand Water Sect, Ji Qianyu."

"Fire Control Sect, Zhu Yan."

"Sword Gate, Qiu Qingshan." Announcing the first three names elicited no particular reaction. Although these three were at the Third Heaven of the World Realm, their fame was not widespread. In the Central Heavenly Dynasty, there were countless figures at the Third Heaven of the World Realm; only those at the Heavenly Venerable level possessed considerable renown.

"Sword Gate, Lu Yuan." Upon announcing the last name, the inspector couldn't help but look up at Lu Yuan. "You are Lu Yuan?"

"Yes, I am Lu Yuan." Lu Yuan nodded.

"It really is Lu Yuan." The inspector immediately pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen. "My daughter is your fan. Could you perhaps sign an autograph for me?"

Something like this! This was the first time Lu Yuan had encountered someone asking for an autograph. He promptly took the pen and quickly scribbled his signature. While signing, Lu Yuan noticed everyone around him scrutinizing him—those in front of the line and those behind it.

"So that's Lu Yuan."

"Isn't he rumored to be less than a hundred years old?"

"So young."

"Has he reached the Third Heaven of the World Realm at such a young age?"

"Isn't he a rare, peerless genius?"

"Sigh, life is unfair. When I was a hundred, I was still struggling in the Great Dao Realm. This Lu Yuan, before he was even a hundred, is in the Third Heaven of the World Realm. Compared to him, it feels like I’ve lived like a dog," one person lamented.

"Hmph, you were in the Great Dao Realm at a hundred? I came from the Outer Regions. Do you know what level I was at when I was a hundred? I’ll tell you: Body Tempering Stage," another person retorted.

"What? Body Tempering Stage at one hundred? How is that possible? Most people break through the Body Tempering Stage to reach the Longevity Stage by age twenty," the first speaker said, bewildered.

"You naturally think that way because you grew up in the Central Heavenly Dynasty. The Outer Regions aren't as pleasant. The spiritual energy there is only about one-tenth of the Central Heavenly Dynasty’s, sometimes even less."

"That’s right. Lu Yuan also seems to be from the Outer Regions. Given those harsh conditions, for him to reach the Third Heaven of the World Realm before turning a hundred—that truly makes him a rare talent. A figure like him is no less impressive than the Seven Sons of Fortune."

"Of course. Haven't you heard? The last time Lu Yuan fought the Son of the Sword, their swordsmanship resulted in a draw."

Undoubtedly, upon arriving at Elemental City, Lu Yuan instantly became the most talked-about figure.