Lu Yuan's sword strike was a sharp, chilling glint, like a long rainbow sweeping the horizon, appearing as if a soaring dragon were shrouded in mist and smoke. What an utterly arrogant sword thrust toward the depths below!

Yet, Ling Xiongtian had not cared at all; his 'Pseudo! Three Character Classic' was entirely unfazed by such an attack. Lu Yuan's strike couldn't even scratch his skin; he remained completely at ease. But in the next instant, he cried out with a sharp gasp as his chest was struck by Lu Yuan's sword light, spurting blood.

What happened! Had his 'Pseudo! Three Character Classic' been broken? Ling Xiongtian was deeply shocked. If his 'Pseudo! Three Character Classic' were truly broken, it would spell grave danger; it meant he might actually die at Lu Yuan's hands. He quickly inspected his 'Pseudo! Three Character Classic' and immediately discovered it was entirely undamaged, still perfectly intact.

The 'Pseudo! Three Character Classic' wasn't broken, so how did he get injured?

Before Ling Xiongtian could react, Lu Yuan struck again, the same move: 'Sword Zero, Heart-Piercing Thrust!' Immediately, Ling Xiongtian felt his thigh hit by the sword energy, and blood gushed out like a torrent.

What in the world is this?

Ling Xiongtian stared at Lu Yuan in horror: "You can attack me while bypassing my magic artifacts?" He was genuinely baffled. In the Central Heavenly Dynasty, secret techniques that allowed one to attack through magic artifacts did exist, but they usually appeared within established civilizations, and even there, very few people mastered them. Never had he heard of someone from a mere Supreme Great Sect achieving such a feat.

"Why shouldn't I be able to?" Lu Yuan sneered, "Sword Zero, Heart-Piercing Thrust."

Indeed, Lu Yuan had just realized the true advantage of 'Sword Zero, Heart-Piercing Thrust!' He had always refrained from using magic artifacts, which left him helpless against those whose artifact defenses were impregnable—they were like impenetrable turtle shells, and he had no counter.

This situation was only resolved once 'Sword Zero' was created.

Lu Yuan wielded 'Sword Zero, Heart-Piercing Thrust!' with sheer exhilaration. You use a turtle shell? Fine, I'll pierce right through your shell. What delight! Watching Ling Xiongtian trapped within the 'Pseudo! Three Character Classic'—if he didn't withdraw it, he couldn't dodge, but if he did withdraw it, he'd be struck by Lu Yuan's other sword techniques. Seeing Ling Xiongtian in such a dilemma, getting struck intermittently within the confines of his defense, made Lu Yuan supremely satisfied.

His sword had always favored slaying four types of people.

The first type: villains, those who inflicted misery; he had always enjoyed executing them. The second type: petty men, especially true scoundrels who brought wickedness upon the world—how could they not be slain? The third type: philanderers who forcibly stole the essential Yin essence of women; how could they not be executed? The fourth type: hypocrites, especially scumbags like Ling Xiongtian; slaying them was even more satisfying. A true gentleman deserves respect, but a hypocrite deserves hatred. A hypocrite like Ling Xiongtian, hiding behind the facade of respectability, must have committed countless evils and harmed countless people—how could such a person deserve to live?

Slaying Ling Xiongtian was executing a heavenly judgment upon this man, and also executing him for his own sake.

Lu Yuan continuously unleashed 'Sword Zero, Heart-Piercing Thrust!' striking Ling Xiongtian again and again. Ling Xiongtian began to wail, "Stop, don't kill me! I'll tell you a shocking secret, a great secret concerning the character 'Zheng' (Integrity) of the Confucian Civilization." He hoped to use this to beg for his life.

"My apologies, but I have absolutely no interest in sparing the life of a hypocrite like you."

"Sword Zero, Heart-Piercing Thrust, Quadruple Strike!" This was the most powerful iteration of 'Sword Zero, Heart-Piercing Thrust.' Four strikes hit Ling Xiongtian in quick succession, one blade following the other. Ling Xiongtian vomited a mouthful of blood and instantly collapsed, his body going limp. The 'Pseudo! Three Character Classic,' having lost the mana infusion from its master, ceased its rotation. Lu Yuan flicked his hand and retrieved the artifact, tucking it into his robes.

Simultaneously, Ling Xiongtian carried considerable resources, which allowed Lu Yuan to recoup some losses. After all, recently striving to break through to the Fourth Heaven of the World Realm, the Transformation Stage, had left him financially drained. Now, he had finally replenished some of what he spent.

Lu Yuan turned to Ling Qingyun on the other side: "I find it strange that you can remain so composed right now." Logically, Ling Qingyun, being only at the Third Heaven of the World Realm, should be even less capable of resisting now that his father, Ling Xiongtian (Fifth Heaven of the World Realm), had been killed by Lu Yuan.

Ling Qingyun merely shrugged, displaying a thoroughly indifferent demeanor: "You wonder why I can remain calm, perhaps questioning how I can view the murder of my father with such detachment? Actually, it means nothing. Losing Ling Xiongtian just means I lost one helper." He showed profound apathy toward filial bonds.

"As for why I don't fear death, that's even simpler: this is merely a clone of mine. My true body left long ago. I anticipated all possibilities, so I left a clone here. You killed only my clone; I will certainly use my true body to ambush you later." Ling Qingyun's current strength might not match Ling Xiongtian's, but he was far more insidious.

"Actually, this time, even though you failed to kill me, you accomplished something great," Ling Qingyun shrugged. "You broke through to the Fourth Heaven of the World Realm, the Transformation Stage, while channeling a hundred elements. Your foundation is unstable. As a result, the possibility of you ever reaching the Civilization Realm is now minuscule, practically impossible. Hahaha! The Son of the Sword should thank me; he will have one less major opponent vying for the Civilization Realm in the future."

"You are finished," Ling Qingyun roared with laughter, certain that he had succeeded this time.

What an incredibly conceited person. Lu Yuan shrugged. Ling Qingyun assumed he had broken through while channeling a hundred elements, but sadly for him, that was incorrect. Lu Yuan brought his sword down, and Ling Qingyun was instantly cleaved in two. However, Lu Yuan felt that Ling Qingyun wasn't quite dead—confirming it was indeed just a clone.

No need to bother with it now.

He didn't have time to hunt down Ling Qingyun's true body right now. When they meet next, he would kill him then. Since Ling Qingyun claimed he was foundationally unstable and couldn't reach the Civilization Realm, Lu Yuan would just break through to the Civilization Realm and shock him to death, crush him then. For now, he needed to return to the Sword Gate; he wondered what the situation inside the sect currently looked like.

Naturally, on his direct journey back to the Sword Gate, Lu Yuan stopped once to rest.

He paused when he reached a public star cluster bustling with inhabitants. A public star was one not belonging to any single faction, where various parties operated businesses. Any faction could visit, and there were few rules; if enemies met, they could fight as they pleased.

Lu Yuan, of course, wouldn't linger long on this public star; he was only there to buy wine.

From Dragon Earth Star, the wine supply had dried up. Then, there was no wine at the Elemental Tower, nor at the Ancient Desolate Forbidden Zone. He had nearly died of agonizing craving. For a drunkard, one of the greatest tortures is being without alcohol. Having endured for so long, finally encountering an environment where wine was available, he naturally had to acquire several thousand catties before proceeding.

Lu Yuan currently held a ten-jin bottle of 'Snow Fire Brew.' This Snow Fire Brew was ice-cold upon entry, yet scorching hot in the belly—the heat was perfect. Lu Yuan lifted the bottle and began to drink heartily. What a satisfying experience this was! He hadn't had good wine in ages, and now he could finally drink to his heart's content.

He downed the entire ten-jin bottle of Snow Fire Brew in one go, the last drop trailing down past his lips and staining his azure robe; Lu Yuan didn't care in the least.

"Splendid!" Lu Yuan exclaimed with profound satisfaction. What is satisfaction? This is satisfaction!

Having thoroughly quenched his thirst for the time being, he needed to return to the Sword Gate. He still didn't know the situation there.

Lu Yuan flew directly onward again, passing through numerous teleportation formations, finally returning to the Sword Gate several days later. Upon arrival, Lu Yuan noticed that this return to the sect was not marked by any tragic slaughter; the Sword Gate seemed remarkably calm. The news of his return instantly shook the sect. Lu Yuan was now counted among the Sword Gate's foremost experts, and everyone knew he had reached the Third Heaven of the World Realm. They were unaware that on the journey back, his strength had advanced another level.

Lu Yuan still hadn't figured out what was happening, so he first went to ask his master, Taishi Kong. Taishi Kong couldn't help but sigh upon seeing Lu Yuan, realizing his disciple had surpassed him. He was still unaware of Yan Cangtian's status; if he knew Yan Cangtian had reached the Heavenly Venerate Realm, he, as the master, would likely be even more speechless.

"The Sword Son's plan?" Taishi Kong shook his head with a bitter smile when Lu Yuan asked.

"The Sword Son is different from Xuan Yuanwang. Xuan Yuanwang launched a sudden coup, forcing everyone to accept that he had become the Master of the Sword Gate. His approach required less force to seize power; if successful, he would become the Master. But if he failed, it would be eternal damnation. The Sword Son, however, is not playing that game at all."

"He has put forth the Mad Sword True Person, claiming that the position of the Sword Ancestor Star Master held by Ancestor Jian Mie is illegitimate and that a new competition for the position must be held. This competition is scheduled for just over ten days from now. Without a doubt, he intends to seize the supreme authority of the Sword Gate openly. Furthermore, with this method, even if he fails, he will suffer no harm. No one can touch him, as he has put forward the Mad Sword True Person; if things go wrong, he can shift all the blame onto him, claiming he was misled by the Mad Sword True Person," Taishi Kong explained.

"What a brilliant scheme the Sword Son has devised," Lu Yuan nodded.

"Indeed. And what you must beware of, Lu Yuan, is that the Sword Son is absolutely not simple. This time, he has come forth with such open display of strength, and facing his overt challenge, we have no recourse. Ancestor Jian Mie admits that he is currently no match for the Sword Son. The Sword Son's current strength can be called the strongest in our Sword Gate," Taishi Kong stated with utmost solemnity.

Lu Yuan’s expression also grew grave. He knew the Sword Son was hard to deal with. Now that even Ancestor Jian Mie admitted he couldn't match the Sword Son, the challenge was immense. Even though Lu Yuan was now at the Fourth Heaven of the World Realm, dealing with the Sword Son would still be extremely difficult. But since the Sword Son had cornered them, retreat was impossible—they had to fight.

In a little over ten days, the contest for the position of the Sword Ancestor Star Master would begin.