By this time, in the Element Tower, most of those within its chambers had been eliminated. Only Lu Yuan remained. Of nine hundred and ninety-nine people, only one was left. Lu Yuan was now on the sixty-sixth level, the Level of the Di Element. He had mastered it in only sixty-nine shichen (hours/periods), a speed that astonished the Son of Buddha further. The Son of Buddha suspected that if Lu Yuan continued at this pace, he might break his own record of eighty-two levels—a real threat.

Those outside the Element Tower naturally noticed as well. Although Lu Yuan was only on the sixty-sixth level, he was now showing signs of competing directly with the Son of Buddha. Initially, Lu Yuan’s performance had been abysmal, leading everyone to believe he stood no chance against the Son of Buddha, yet the real spectacle was unfolding at the end. Furthermore, since Lu Yuan was the only one left inside the tower, all attention was fixed on news concerning him alone.

Lu Yuan now entered the sixty-seventh level, the Level of the Iron Element. He used seventy shichen here. At this rate, Lu Yuan was hovering right between the possibility of breaking the record and the possibility of falling short. Of course, this referred to the Son of Buddha’s record, not the all-time highest record. The highest record appeared only two levels higher than the Son of Buddha’s, but the further one ascended, the exponentially greater the difference became; pushing through just one more level later on was immensely difficult.

The sixty-eighth layer was filled with the Bait Element, which took him seventy-two shichen to master. The sixty-ninth layer held the Diu Element, and it took him seventy-four shichen to grasp it.

Essentially, for Lu Yuan to advance one more level now required an addition of two shichen to his time. On every floor, Lu Yuan deployed Sword Seven, the Minor Sword Realm, once. As he used it repeatedly, Lu Yuan found that the technique—Sword Seven, Minor Sword Realm—was becoming increasingly familiar, and not just conventionally familiar. It seemed that with every subsequent use of Sword Seven, Minor Sword Realm, the Sword Realm was expanding its effective range. To put it precisely, the previous alignment between the Sword Realm and this world was already good, but now the overlap was becoming even more flawless.

In the void, the Spatial Reincarnation Bridge also grew increasingly perfect—a result of his deepening mastery over the iron laws of space and reincarnation. With increased usage, his grasp over it was gradually strengthening. The more perfectly it merged with this world, the closer Sword Seven, Minor Sword Realm became to being a genuine Sword Realm. In other words, this move, Sword Seven, had been enhanced once more. Sword Seven was a strike capable of continuous improvement, one that could be honed all the way to the Civilization level. He intended to test this enhanced strike upon reaching the seventieth layer.

He finally reached the seventieth layer, confronting the Mirror Element. This time, Lu Yuan unleashed Sword Seven, Minor Sword Realm. This iteration felt even more harmonious with the world, and Lu Yuan discovered he only needed seventy-five shichen to master the Mirror Element. Lou! So fast again!

Lu Yuan truly hadn't anticipated that once Sword Seven, Minor Sword Realm, leveled up, his speed in mastering the elements would accelerate. Previously, advancing a level generally added two shichen, but now, advancing a level only added one shichen. This meant he could seize the opportunity to master more elements. This technique, Sword Seven, Minor Sword Realm, was exhilarating! Exhilarating! Exhilarating!

The seventy-first level was the Chan Element; Lu Yuan used the upgraded Sword Seven, Minor Sword Realm, taking seventy-six shichen. On the seventy-second level, which was the She Element, Lu Yuan spent seventy-seven shichen.

The crowd outside the Element Tower hadn't immediately grasped the shift when Lu Yuan’s Sword Seven, Minor Sword Realm, first began to change. When he used only seventy-five shichen on the seventieth level, they hadn't paid much mind, but gradually, they sensed something was amiss. The seventy-first level took seventy-six shichen, and the seventy-second took seventy-seven shichen.

Lu Yuan was supposed to need two additional shichen per level. Now, he only needed one additional shichen per level. If this momentum continued, let alone the Son of Buddha's record, there was a massive possibility of even breaking the highest record of eighty-four levels. While others speculated on the method Lu Yuan was employing, Dongji Immortal Venerable and Xiji Immortal Venerable were observing him closely. As hosts, they could see inside, yet they failed to spot any special technique Lu Yuan was using—it was still that same move, Sword Seven, Minor Sword Realm. What was going on? The two Venerables were baffled!

It wasn't just Dongji and Xiji who were confused; even the Son of Buddha couldn't figure it out. Based on Lu Yuan's normal speed—adding two shichen per level—he might not have caught up to the Son of Buddha. But with Lu Yuan playing this way, breaking the Son of Buddha's record was now inevitable. Could Lu Yuan sustain this pace? Many doubted it; this style of advancement seemed impossibly challenging.

But this time, Lu Yuan was undeniably planning to go completely reckless. The seventy-third layer was the Chai Element! Lu Yuan used seventy-nine shichen. The crowd outside momentarily thought his previous performance was a fluke and let out a sigh of relief, but they quickly realized they were mistaken. The seventy-fourth layer held the Ya Element; Lu Yuan used eighty shichen. The seventy-fifth layer contained the Mo Element; Lu Yuan took eighty-one shichen. The seventy-sixth layer was the Qiang Element, taking eighty-two shichen. The onlookers assumed Lu Yuan couldn't maintain such intensity, but immediately, Lu Yuan continued his ferocious pace. This terrifying performance rendered the crowd outside nearly silent. The Son of Buddha was left speechless; he could clearly see his record of eighty-two levels about to be shattered by Lu Yuan.

As for Ling Qingyun, he had already left Element City, but through a special method, he learned Lu Yuan had reached the seventy-sixth level, causing a wave of frustration within him. The seventy-seventh layer was the Yi Element; Lu Yuan used eighty-three shichen. The eightieth layer was the Gong Element, an element represented by a column of quicksilver; this time, it took him eighty-six shichen. The eighty-first layer was the Dun Element, which had cost the Son of Buddha immense effort to master; Lu Yuan used eighty-seven shichen this time. The eighty-second layer was the Ji Element. This was a critical juncture. The Son of Buddha had used all his strength and failed to master the element of this layer. He watched with intense focus, desperately hoping Lu Yuan would also fail to conquer this element. Outside the tower, the atmosphere was electric, fully ignited. This layer would determine who was stronger between Lu Yuan and the Son of Buddha. This was the absolute moment of crisis! Countless people awaited the final outcome! Although Lu Yuan appeared to have the greater chance of winning, until he had truly mastered the Ji Element, no one dared declare Lu Yuan victorious, given how immensely difficult the eighty-second layer truly was.

The shichen ticked by, dozens passing in what felt like an instant. Everyone kept their gaze fixed on Lu Yuan. And then, in the eighty-second layer, at the eighty-ninth shichen, Lu Yuan raised his hand, having mastered the Bell Element of the eighty-second layer. The massive doors to the eighty-third layer boomed open before him.

The area outside the Element Tower erupted into pandemonium. "Lu Wu has won!" "In this contest between Lu Yuan and the Son of Buddha, the Son of Buddha held the advantage early on, but in the end, it was Lu Yuan who prevailed." "We heard long ago that among the Seven Children of Destiny, the Son of Buddha was the weakest, and Lu Yuan had the potential to take his place. It seems that might truly be the case now." "Wait, that makes no sense. The Seven Children of Destiny are the Son of Immortality, the Son of Dharma, the Son of the Wasteland, the Son of War, the Son of the Sword, the Son of the Demon, and the Son of Buddha. If you exclude the Son of Buddha, then among the remaining six, wouldn't there be two Sons of the Sword? That sounds bizarre." "Right, isn't it strange? There is already the Son of the Sword, Jian Wenchang, so why is there now someone like Lu Yuan who seems akin to the Son of the Sword? Could there be a theory of a true and false Son of the Sword?" "Indeed, this is quite peculiar." "Say, how far do you estimate Lu Yuan will go in the end?" "Who knows? I wonder if he can break the highest record." "We can only wait and see."

Listening to the clamor, the Son of Buddha felt immense frustration brewing in his heart. However, in this contest against Lu Yuan, he had definitively lost. Defeat was defeat, victory was victory; there was nothing to argue about. But, Lu Yuan, you may have only defeated me here in the Element Tower, but in other areas, this poor monk will not yield to you.

Undeniably, this event had drawn in many others, not just those at the World Realm Triple Heaven. With Lu Yuan on the verge of breaking the highest record, the crowd gathered around him was enormous. The question of who comprised the Seven Children of Destiny, which had been settled, now sparked considerable debate, as many argued that based on his current performance, Lu Yuan was fully qualified to be included among them.

"Lu Yuan's destiny—what is happening here?" In the Ancient Dharma Civilization, the Dharma Saint Imperial Heir also noticed the abnormality. Lu Yuan being strong was fine, but this surge of powerful destiny surrounding him was entirely unnatural. "Lu Yuan's destiny? What kind of accident is this?" Tong Yun Chou pondered deeply. He realized that eliminating Lu Yuan could no longer rely on conventional methods. They needed to strike at Lu Yuan’s very origin. Lu Yuan’s destiny was his origin, and where did it come from? How could it possibly rival that of the Seven Children of Destiny? Tong Yun Chou resolved to study this matter thoroughly. Once he understood it, he could deliver a fatal blow to Lu Yuan; Tong Yun Chou was like a viper lurking in the darkness, ready to strike at any moment.

"The Way of the Sword—Lu Yuan!" In a mysterious location within the Lost Lands, a strikingly handsome young man in a scarlet robe carved Lu Yuan’s name onto an extremely strange stone. Faintly visible before this carving were six other names. Behind this figure stood a character for 'Demon' glowing crimson with endless demonic power.

While these discussions unfolded, Lu Yuan was already charging toward the eighty-third layer.