Some people are simply born lucky. Some people trip over treasures just by taking a walk outside. Some people, even when falling off a cliff, encounter an elder who willingly imparts their entire legacy to them. These are the Sons of Destiny. The Son of the Sword was one such person.

For instance, just moments after being defeated by Lu Yuan, the Son of the Sword was about to receive direct transmission of the sword from the Vice-Leader of the Jian (Rivet/Mace) Civilization—the true first sword master under Heaven and Earth.

Lu Yuan, of course, was unaware of this stroke of immense fortune for the Son of the Sword. Even if he had known, he wouldn't have felt the slightest fear. He had firmly established the Son of the Sword as his personal bearer of treasure. Naturally, this was strategic contempt; tactically, Lu Yuan always respected his opponent. Deep down, Lu Yuan knew the Son of the Sword was his destined, mortal enemy, someone not to be underestimated.

The contest for the Lord of Stars was now entirely concluded.

Immediately afterward, news of the battle began to spread throughout the cosmos.

The fighting had been truly earth-shattering.

Putting aside everything else, the mere involvement of the Son of the Sword, a genuine Son of Destiny, gave the event inherent value for dissemination, as the Son of the Sword was already one of the preeminent figures under Heaven and Earth.

Although Lu Yuan’s renown was slightly less than the Son of the Sword's, he too was a figure of significant influence.

A single clash between Lu Yuan and the Son of the Sword, the two paramount experts of the Sword Dao, required no further embellishment to guarantee hype and rapid dissemination.

Moreover, in this battle, both the Son of the Sword and Lu Yuan delivered spectacular performances.

The moves Jue Yun Qi (Severing Cloud Vigor), Fu Qing Tian (Bearing the Azure Sky), and Jian Liu, Wei Jian (Sword Six, Only Sword) could each be hailed as masterpieces. Although most other civilizations did not primarily use the sword, these two specific sword strikes were repeatedly broadcast. They were exquisitely profound, offering insight and breakthroughs even to those who wielded different weapons; they were utterly magnificent.

Naturally, two other events commanded even greater attention. Both were major recent focal points within the Central Celestial Dynasty, sparking intense debate among countless people.

The first matter was the appearance of the Gate of the Sword Dao. The emergence of any gate representing a Dao is a monumental event. In this epoch, in the years preceding the present, no Gate of the Sword Dao existed. Its sudden appearance now was an astonishing development, especially since it was manifested and used by Lu Yuan to suppress the Son of the Sword.

The second great event was Lu Yuan’s ultimate victory over the Son of the Sword. This marked the first genuine, verifiable achievement among the peer generation for the Seven Sons of Destiny. It instantly shocked all directions. Before this, the other Six Sons of Destiny might have underestimated Lu Yuan, but now they were all studying him. Lu Yuan, the Eighth Son of Destiny, could not be overlooked.

Amidst this widespread discussion, it seemed the Desolate Ancient Civilization had finally issued a reaction.

And the reaction was quite intense.

The reaction was to sanction Lu Yuan.

It wasn't quite a full-blown decree of extermination, but rather a restriction: Lu Yuan was forbidden from entering the tenth part of the territory governed by the Desolate Ancient Civilization within the Central Celestial Dynasty. If he entered, he was authorized to be killed. Yes, that was the Desolate Ancient Civilization’s response, and such an extreme reaction was perfectly understandable.

After all, the symbolic significance of a Gate of the Sword Dao was immense.

For a Dao to manifest its gate signifies that the Dao itself might be on the verge of rising. Now, the emergence of the Gate of the Sword Dao suggested the Sword Dao could ascend, very likely through Lu Yuan's hand.

The Desolate Ancient Civilization, which had long oppressed the Sword Dao, could hardly tolerate such a development.

Therefore, their fierce reaction was entirely comprehensible.

Rumor had it that the higher echelons of the Desolate Ancient Civilization and the Ancient Civilization had engaged in heated exchanges recently, leading to the Desolate Ancient Civilization settling on this sanction. If not for the intervention of the Ancient Civilization, the decree might have been a warrant for his capture rather than a mere ban. In that scenario, Lu Yuan would truly be forced into perpetual wandering across the Central Celestial Dynasty, having no fixed home, or he might even have to flee the Central Celestial Dynasty entirely to join Yan Cangtian and Zhou Qingxuan in the Lost Lands.

Regardless of the nuances, the Desolate Ancient Civilization’s sanction was issued. Fortunately, the other civilizations did not follow suit. If a few more ancient powers had joined in, Lu Yuan would have been finished.

In truth, Lu Yuan had done nothing inherently wrong.

If any other prodigy had achieved what Lu Yuan had, they would likely have been heavily promoted by the ancient civilizations.

Lu Yuan’s only "mistake" was his choice: he chose the sword.

Having chosen the sword, he was destined to bear the consequences of the sword being suppressed. And Lu Yuan’s purpose was precisely to shatter this suppression and restore the Sword Dao to its supreme, unblemished glory under the vast heavens.

Lu Yuan paid little heed to the sanction. A ban? Fine. It didn't concern him in the least; he simply wouldn't go to the Desolate Ancient Civilization’s territory. Furthermore, Lu Yuan suspected the Desolate Ancient Civilization would soon have other concerns, as Yan Cangtian had long desired to challenge the Desolate Ancient Civilization. Once that conflict erupted, Yan Cangtian would draw all the hatred, easing the pressure on Lu Yuan.

Right, what next?

He had been singularly focused on surpassing the Son of the Sword, and now that he had, he felt an odd sense of aimlessness.

Never mind. He would take a proper rest.

Lu Yuan’s concept of rest was, predictably, limited to three things: wine, the sword, and sleep.

However, such a life soon grew tedious. Then, Lu Yuan discovered something that truly shocked him: he couldn't remain idle anymore. Back on Mount Hua, he could laze around for years during rest periods without any discomfort whatsoever. But now, resting for only thirty days felt wrong.

I must be insane, he thought. I must be.

If I weren't insane, why would I feel this urge to strive? Laziness is my style. Effort is truly not my style!

Lu Yuan wept internally. How could his very style—his laziness—be changing? This was cause for profound sadness.

Waking up lazily, drinking lazily, practicing the sword lazily, basking in the sun lazily—this was the ease of his life. Laziness was freedom, a form of detachment. If he stopped being lazy, how terrifying would that be?

Lu Yuan became utterly conflicted, distressed by the fact that he was not as lazy as he used to be.

Forget it, no more agonizing. Reluctantly accommodating his current state of slight exertion, Lu Yuan shrugged helplessly and began his current cultivation. He was currently at the fourth level of the World Realm: the Manifestation of Things stage (Yì Wù Jìng). His primary goal now was to break through to the fifth level of the World Realm: the Creation of Things stage (Zào Wù Jìng). He wondered how one approached this fifth level. Thankfully, the Sword Gate was a supreme grand sect; they certainly possessed methods for breaching the World Realm Fifth Level.

Lu Yuan couldn't be bothered to look through the texts, so he went directly to consult Ancestor Jian Mie.

Ancestor Jian Mie stated, "To break through to the World Realm Fifth Level, the Creation of Things stage, you must first grasp what 'thing' means here. The 'creation' in this context does not refer to mindless, inanimate objects. If it were just dead things, the fourth level, Manifestation of Things, would suffice. The 'thing' here refers to living beings possessing intelligence—that is, sentient life."

"Only by being able to create sentient life can one be termed a creature of the Creation Realm," Ancestor Jian Mie continued. "And what is the difference between a sentient being and a non-sentient being? This leads to the matter of the soul. The fundamental distinction between the two is the presence or absence of a soul. However, the souls of different sentient beings vary widely. For instance, humans possess three souls and seven spirits (sān hún qī pò). Cats might have no souls but nine spirits. Foxes might have nine souls but no spirits. Cattle might have nine souls and nine spirits. Tigers might have two souls and two spirits. Every living creature’s configuration of souls and spirits differs. Therefore, at this stage, you must dissect the very essence of the soul itself, examining its components."

"And what is the essence of the soul? Humans possess the Seven Emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, aversion, and desire."

"Once any living thing gains sentience, it too possesses joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, aversion, and desire."

"Thus, after dissecting the soul’s essence, you discover that regardless of how many souls or spirits compose it, the soul is fundamentally constructed from these seven emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, aversion, and desire. Therefore, to reach the fifth level of the World Realm, the Creation Realm, you must be able to bestow these seven emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, aversion, and desire—upon other living beings. To attain this level, you must master the extreme of Joy (Xī zhī Jí), the extreme of Anger (Nù zhī Jí), the extreme of Sorrow (Āi zhī Jí), the extreme of Fear (Jù zhī Jí), the extreme of Love (Ài zhī Jí), the extreme of Aversion (È zhī Jí), and the extreme of Desire (Yù zhī Jí)—these Seven Extremes."

"How does one master these Seven Extremes?" Lu Yuan couldn't help but ask.

"You can comprehend them through personal realization, but equally, you can draw upon rare materials, heavenly treasures, and miraculous items from Heaven and Earth," Ancestor Jian Mie replied.

"Let’s set aside the heavenly treasures for now. To comprehend them internally, one must possess intensely focused emotions in a certain area. For example, the Extreme of Joy: you must thoroughly understand what constitutes ultimate joy before you can grasp the Extreme of Joy," Ancestor Jian Mie explained the method for advancing to the World Realm Fifth Level in great detail. There was little more he could directly assist Lu Yuan with. Lu Yuan listened intently.

In the days that followed, Lu Yuan searched through the ancient texts left behind by the Sword Gate to see how to break through to the World Realm Fifth Level and how to master the Seven Extremes of the Seven Emotions. However, every attempt failed. Lu Yuan realized mastering these Seven Extremes was genuinely arduous.

One day, a streak of sword light suddenly shot toward the Sword Gate. Immediately following the light, a figure rapidly soared toward the celestial void above the Sword Gate Star: "Sword Master, good news! Tremendous news! A treasure trove has been unearthed on the Earth Dragon Star! A massive treasure!"

Taishi Kong was not rushed. "Take your time, rest a moment, and then tell me slowly."

The man immediately began to recount the treasure he had found, and upon hearing the description, Taishi Kong couldn't help but shudder. "I must immediately travel to the Ancestral Sword Star. You, accompany me." The two then flew rapidly to the Ancestral Sword Star and headed straight for Ancestor Jian Mie's residence: "Ancestor Jian Mie! A treasure has been found on the Earth Dragon Star! A massive treasure!"

At that moment, Lu Yuan was still with Ancestor Jian Mie, consulting him on how to break through to the World Realm Fifth Level. Hearing this frantic shout, Lu Yuan paused in surprise.

A treasure found on the Earth Dragon Star? That was the very planet he had visited not long ago?

What kind of treasure could cause Taishi Kong to be so agitated?

"And this treasure," Taishi Kong added, "is extremely useful for you right now, Lu Yuan."

Hearing this, Lu Yuan became even more curious. What kind of treasure could it be?