No sooner had Lu Yuan arrived at Elemental City than a massive shift occurred in the sky to the west of the city. Where moments before there had been ceaseless, whipping storms over the western expanse, the fierce winds abruptly vanished, and countless auspicious clouds began to gather overhead. Amidst these boundless clouds, streams of golden light started to manifest.

"Amitabha, boundless Buddha honor." A sonorous Buddhist chant descended, followed by the arrival of a young monk, exquisitely featured with ruby-red lips and teeth, and eyes bright as distant stars, floating down from the heavens.

As this monk descended, countless celestial tianhua flowers rained down across the entire void.

After landing, this handsome young monk inexplicably brought a warmth to everyone's heart.

Lu Yuan, standing atop Elemental City, watched the monk descend. Who was this young monk? Lu Yuan was about to inquire further, but realized he didn't need to; the entire Elemental City was erupting in sensation, with murmurs about the newcomer spreading rapidly.

"Who is this young monk?"

"Celestial flowers descending, unmatched beauty—if not the Son of Buddha, who else could it be?"

"The Buddha's Child, one of the Seven Children of Destiny."

"Er, the Son of Buddha is only at the third layer of the World Realm?"

"Logically, the Seven Children of Destiny shouldn't be at the third layer of the World Realm. But the Son of Buddha is different from the others. He is the youngest of the Seven, rumored to be barely seventy years old, perhaps twenty or thirty years younger than the other six."

"Isn't that about Lu Yuan's age?"

"Yes, his age seems comparable to Lu Yuan's."

"Furthermore, before the age of thirty, the Son of Buddha hadn't cultivated at all. Before then, he immersed himself in the countless Buddhist scriptures of the ancient Buddha civilization and the Taoist canons. It is said he read over 108 million scrolls of Buddhist texts and 9,888 volumes of Taoist canons. Only after finishing these twenty volumes of scriptures and canons at thirty did he begin cultivating."

"That truly is a legendary experience."

"Does this mean he ascended from an uncultivated state to the third layer of the World Realm in only forty years?"

"Tsk, that is truly astonishing."

"He is roughly Lu Yuan's age, yet he has spent thirty years less cultivating. Now their strength is equal. Doesn't that imply his talent surpasses Lu Yuan's? The Son of Buddha, among the Seven Children of Destiny, is indeed unique, incomparable to other geniuses."

"That might not be the case. The Son of Buddha has only cultivated for forty years, thirty years less than Lu Yuan. But don't forget, the Son of Buddha has always cultivated within the ancient Buddha civilization, surrounded by heavenly treasures and myriad masters offering guidance. And Lu Yuan? He hails from the outer regions, a desolate place, having navigated everything by himself. Even after joining the Central Heavenly Dynasty, he is only in the Sword Gate, which is far weaker than the ancient Buddha civilization. Lu Yuan naturally required longer cultivation time, almost double, but his conditions were significantly inferior to the Son of Buddha's. Therefore, determining who is stronger between the two is not simple." someone offered this perspective.

The person next to him nodded in agreement: "What you say has merit; it is indeed so."

"But this turn of events is fascinating! Consider this: Lu Yuan has arrived at Elemental City aiming for the Elemental Tower, and the Son of Buddha has also come to Elemental City, also seeking the Elemental Tower. Won't these two likely clash? Can they not compete?"

"Exactly! These two might engage in a great battle now, to see who is stronger: the youngest of the Seven Children of Destiny, the Son of Buddha, or the rising star Lu Yuan, who fought the Child of the Sword to a standstill." Discussions swelled into a torrent, clearly, everyone yearned to witness this magnificent confrontation between Lu Yuan and the Son of Buddha.

The Son of Buddha’s gaze swept over a significant portion of the crowd. While others present were also at the third layer of the World Realm, they did not register in his sight. The Son of Buddha had mastered a technique known as the 'Mirror of the Buddha Heart.'

This Mirror of the Buddha Heart allowed him to discern the strength or weakness of any individual's inner core.

The Son of Buddha turned his attention to Lu Yuan.

Amidst countless individuals, he found Lu Yuan immediately because, through his Mirror of the Buddha Heart, he clearly perceived that Lu Yuan possessed the purest of all spirits—a purity so absolute it resembled an unstoppable, razor-sharp sword, capable of piercing through ten thousand Buddhist scriptures and ten thousand Taoist canons. All the surrounding chatter entered his awareness, yet seemingly remained external to him.

He had heard the information he sought.

It was Lu Yuan—the one who battled the Child of the Sword and achieved a stalemate in swordsmanship.

As the Son of Buddha observed Lu Yuan, Lu Yuan was also sizing up the monk. This monk radiated an incredibly pure Buddhist energy. The gazes of the Son of Buddha and Lu Yuan collided in the air, an invisible clash where endless Buddhist light met the sharp, chilling aura of pure sword energy.

The Son of Buddha discovered that his innate desire to defeat Lu Yuan stemmed not from personal reasons, but from the legacy of the (Su Wang Fo).

The Su Wang Fo was a monumental figure in the ancient Buddha civilization, currently holding the position of Vice-Lord of the Civilization, and moreover, the master of the Son of Buddha. The Su Wang Fo, utilizing the Thousand Constellation Karma technique, had divined that the Buddha Sword Cultivator possessed a successor from a previous generation: Lu Yuan. The Su Wang Fo had already relayed this information to his disciple.

The old rivals: the Su Wang Fo and the Buddha Sword Cultivator.

And now, the Su Wang Fo’s disciple faced the Buddha Sword Cultivator’s distant successor, Lu Yuan.

Thus, the Son of Buddha must triumph over Lu Yuan.

And there was more. It was generally accepted that the Son of Buddha was the weakest among the Seven Children of Destiny. Countless prodigies had sought to challenge him and usurp his position at the bottom of the Destiny Seven ranks, but none had succeeded. However, Lu Yuan’s appearance introduced a significant possibility of this changing. Lu Yuan's inherent talent and fortune were nearly indistinguishable from those of the Son of Buddha. In the current sphere of the Central Heavenly Dynasty, many were already suggesting that perhaps the Seventh Child of Destiny was not the Son of Buddha, but Lu Yuan.

While this notion wasn't espoused by the majority, it certainly existed.

Therefore, the Son of Buddha intended today to prove to everyone that he was one of the Seven Children of Destiny, and Lu Yuan was not.

After his arrival, the Son of Buddha also entered Elemental City. Everyone discussed the impending, world-shaking battle between him and Lu Yuan. Yet, within the city, other topics related to the Seven Children of Destiny were also circulating.

Lu Yuan had only encountered the Child of the Sword and the Son of Buddha among the Seven Children of Destiny. But with so many people in Elemental City, some had seen the Child of Might or the Child of Law.

"If we are talking about the Seven Children of Destiny, the most formidable are the Child of Law, the Child of Might, the Child of Desolation, and the Child of Immortality—they form the first tier."

"The second tier would be the Child of the Sword. In truth, the Child of the Sword's mastery isn't inferior to the top four, but he suffers from his background in a minor sect like the Sword Gate, which places him slightly behind."

"The third tier is the youngest, the Son of Buddha. He has limitless potential, but his youth and the fact that he abstained from cultivation until thirty means his current strength is the lowest."

"Wait, that's only six people? There should be a Seventh Child of Destiny."

"That’s where your knowledge falls short. There are indeed seven Children of Destiny, but one is, in fact, the Child of Demonic Arts."

"What, the Child of Demonic Arts? We don't seem to have any Demonic Sects around here, do we?"

"You lack worldly experience. Do you truly believe that between Heaven and Earth, there are only the Five Great Ancient Civilizations and thirty ordinary civilizations?" the speaker remarked.

"Are there not?" the questioner asked, puzzled.

"Nonsense, of course there are more. These thirty-five civilizations are only those recognized by the Central Heavenly Dynasty. Hidden within the Lost Lands are civilizations of immense power, such as the Civilization of Sorcery, the Civilization of the Fiends, and the Civilization of Demonic Arts. This Demonic Arts Civilization is exceedingly strong, rumored to surpass the ordinary civilizations and approach the standing of the Great Ancient Civilizations."

"As for the cultivation level of the Child of Demonic Arts, we have no way of knowing, as he is deeply concealed within the Lost Lands. However, the Child of Demonic Arts is not young; it is rumored he is the same age as the Child of Law, and his power must be immense."

"The Seven Children of Destiny—seven figures of astonishing genius, the most powerful and promising young talents in the entire Central Heavenly Dynasty. Lu Yuan is perhaps the eighth?"

"I see now. Hearing your explanation today, I finally understand what the Seven Children of Destiny truly means."

"For now? Let's just wait for the show and see who proves stronger in the Elemental Tower: the Son of Buddha or Lu Yuan."

Undoubtedly, the two greatest focal points in Elemental City right now were the Son of Buddha and Lu Yuan; no matter how brilliant other figures were, they could not eclipse the radiance emanating from these two.

However, the others were not entirely without their own luster.

For instance, there was Zhan Bai from the Night Civilization. Zhan Bai was handsome, with skin ranging from pale to ashen white, and every movement exuded an almost unnerving elegance. He embodied the style of the Night Civilization: outwardly graceful, but once engaged, he would vanish into darkness to deliver a fatal strike.

Zhan Bai was also an unparalleled genius in this world. Though not quite reaching the echelon of the Seven Children of Destiny, he ranked in the top hundred of the Genius Rankings. Indeed, the top seven spots on that list were held by the Seven Children of Destiny. Lu Yuan was currently ranked nineteenth, but many believed he essentially occupied the eighth spot, merely awaiting time to prove it.

Then there was Lei Qi from the Thunder Civilization. Lei Qi's name didn't sound imposing, but he was massive and robust in stature, and his attacks struck with the force of lightning and thunder. He, too, was listed among the top one hundred talents on the Central Heavenly Dynasty’s Genius Rankings.

Another example was Ling Qingyun from the Confucian Civilization, a figure perpetually wrapped in the scent of old books, also ranked within the top hundred of the Central Heavenly Dynasty’s Genius Rankings.

The Central Heavenly Dynasty maintained a Genius Rankings—a genuine registry listing the most elite talents. The Seven Children of Destiny occupied the foremost positions. Lu Yuan sat at nineteenth, while someone like Yan Qianfa, whom Lu Yuan had previously fought, wouldn't even make the list. Every individual recorded on the Genius Rankings possessed limitless potential, capable of potentially challenging for the rank of Vice-Civilization Lord. Once listed, as long as they survived, reaching the Celestial Venerable realm was practically guaranteed.

This roster represented the absolute cream of the crop.