Within the Hidden Sword Sect were the Sword Reincarnation, the Ten Thousand Swords Manor, the Sword Master's Chamber, and the legacy of the Sword Masters.

The Hidden Sword Sect was a peculiar place in the Immortal Realm.

Lu Yuan and the other six temporarily halted their journey within the Hidden Sword Sect.

In truth, Jian Yunzhongzu and Qiu Qingshan had both visited the Hidden Sword Sect before. They were outstanding talents among swordsmen and had naturally received aid from the sect. Not everyone could be compared to Lu Yuan or the Son of the Sword to be deemed a genius; if that were the standard, few in the entire Central Celestial Dynasty could claim the title.

As for the others—Ji Qianyu, Su Yingxiu, Zhu Tianrong, and Zhu Liefeng—this was their first visit to the Hidden Sword Sect. They had heard of its reputation and were immensely curious about its inner workings. Sadly, their curiosity was useless; every facility within the Hidden Sword Sect was designed exclusively for the sword. Possessing no sword qi, they couldn't activate a single mechanism.

"Now, we must first test your Seven Emotions," Jian Ruhai stated. "In fact, for any of the Seven Emotions, there is a Nine-Grade grading system, or perhaps a Twenty-One Grade system. The weakest is First Grade Low, then First Grade Mid, First Grade High, and so on, up to Ninth Grade High. Under normal circumstances, the ideal level for the Seven Emotions is First Grade Low—that’s the best." "However, when striving to grasp the Zenith of the Seven Emotions, the higher the values, the better; this is completely contrary to the usual requirements."

"Normal people usually hover around the Fourth or Fifth Grade."

Simply put, this trial was the exact opposite of normal expectations.

Normally, the lower the measure of the Seven Emotions, the better; yet, during this trial, the higher the Seven Emotions, the better.

This, then, was quite peculiar.

Immediately, Jian Ruhai brought out a set of instruments. This apparatus for measuring the Seven Emotions was not unique to the Hidden Sword Sect; many sects possessed similar devices.

The instrument was somewhat strange, featuring two probes designed to be placed at opposite ends of the brain to measure the seven emotions: Joy, Anger, Sorrow, Fear, Love, Hate, and Desire.

The testing began swiftly.

"Begin testing the Emotion of Joy." An infinite sense of elation seemed to flood Lu Yuan’s mind through the apparatus, accompanied by vivid illusions. Yet, Lu Yuan felt there was nothing truly joyful to be experienced. As for the illusionary technique, he could clearly sense its falseness. If there were any joy, it would only be related to wine and the sword, which might stir him slightly.

After a moment, a voice sounded.

"Emotion of Joy: First Grade Mid, Top Tier."

"Begin testing the Emotion of Anger." A different sensation was transmitted into Lu Yuan's mind by the device, seemingly presenting endless scenes that provoked fury. But this time, Lu Yuan still felt he couldn't fully immerse himself. Moments of genuine rage in his life were few; if any, it was only when Mount Hua was invaded by demons, where his anger truly erupted in a furious battle.

"Emotion of Anger: First Grade Mid, Top Tier."

"Begin testing the Emotion of Sorrow." An emotion of utter grief washed over Lu Yuan, seemingly recalling the moment his Master Li Yuanbai and Martial Uncle Yuan Yuanshang perished, causing a faint melancholy to settle upon him as well.

"Emotion of Sorrow: First Grade Mid, Top Tier."

"Begin testing the Emotion of Fear." This was a feeling of dread, which Lu Yuan noticed bore some resemblance to the aura emitted by the Primal Stone of Fear. However, neither with the Primal Stone of Fear nor now could he become involved in it in the slightest.

"Emotion of Fear: First Grade Low, Supreme Talent."

"Begin testing the Emotion of Love." This was a feeling of affection, with a warm and sweet scent permeating the air. Logically, Lu Yuan now had a beloved in Sword Spirit Empress Ji, yet he found himself detached regarding the Emotion of Love. Watching the illusions of couples loving each other to death—'you love me, I love you,' 'you hurt me, I hurt you,' a love spanning generations—Lu Yuan found it utterly absurd.

Love is love, perhaps, but could it really be like that? Loving so much that they fed each other even for a simple meal?

Given Lu Yuan's nature, he simply couldn't imagine loving with such intensity.

In Lu Yuan’s view, love should be a subtle feeling, and it was the same with Sword Spirit Empress Ji.

"Emotion of Love: First Grade Low, Supreme Talent."

"Begin testing the Emotion of Hate." This was a sense of revulsion, the emotion of malice. As this feeling entered Lu Yuan's mind via the instrument, it was instantly scattered to a corner by the righteous energy of his Nourishing Heaven Sword, cleansed completely, ceasing to exist.

"Emotion of Hate: First Grade Low, Supreme Talent."

"Begin testing the Emotion of Desire." This was a sensation of craving, quite similar to the feeling from the Primal Stone of Desire. Lu Yuan largely allowed himself to be swept into these varied desires. Upon seeing beautiful women, he thought that even the most stunning beauty would eventually turn into a pile of white bones, a painted skeleton, nothing more. Upon seeing power, he felt no intrinsic pull towards authority.

"Emotion of Desire: First Grade Low, Supreme Talent."

Finally, the testing was complete.

Lu Yuan’s Seven Emotions: Joy, Anger, and Sorrow were all First Grade Mid, Top Tier. The remaining four—Love, Hate, and Desire—were First Grade Low, Supreme Talent. It could be said that Lu Yuan was quite perfect concerning the Seven Emotions, absolutely approaching the level of Supreme Talent. If he weren't trying to break through to the Creation Realm, these emotional readings would be excellent. Unfortunately, the barrier of the Creation Realm was set right here, leaving Lu Yuan in an awkward position.

The Thousand Water Gate and the Fire Control Gate both possessed such instruments, so further testing wasn't necessary for them.

But the Sword Gate did not have such equipment, so Qiu Qingshan and Jian Yunzhongzu were tested as well.

Jian Yunzhongzu generally registered around the Fourth Grade, while Qiu Qingshan was around the Fifth Grade.

The higher the grade (closer to the Ninth Grade), the easier it would be to grasp the substance of Creation. With Jian Yunzhongzu at the Fourth Grade and Qiu Qingshan at the Fifth, they would have a significantly easier time attempting the fifth heaven of the World Realm: the Creation Realm.

Lu Yuan’s Seven Emotions were truly, unusually low.

The immediate problem surfaced: how to temporarily elevate Lu Yuan's Seven Emotions so he could attempt the fifth heaven of the World Realm, the Creation Realm. This was a difficult puzzle.

Jian Ruhai let out a wry smile and said, "Your Seven Emotions are indeed unusually low. I can think of two potential solutions for you, though whether they will work, only heaven knows. The first is the Water of Sorrow, which counts as one of the Waters of the Seven Emotions. If the Water of Sorrow proves effective for you, then you can focus on collecting the Water of Sorrow going forward." Lu Yuan nodded.

Jian Ruhai produced the Water of Sorrow—a bottle containing a small amount of water, perhaps two liang in total, sealed in a transparent crystal vial. At first glance, the water was perfectly clear, but as one watched, it slowly seemed to shift into a grey hue. This was the color of the Water of Sorrow: transparent at first, but ultimately a despairing, mournful grey.

Lu Yuan took the bottle and drank it down in one gulp. Immediately after swallowing, he indeed felt sorrow welling up. It was wave after wave of grief. Lu Yuan vaguely perceived a forlorn man walking in the autumn wind and chilling rain, unable to shield himself with an umbrella. Jian Ruhai quickly brought out the testing apparatus to measure the Emotion of Sorrow.

"Emotion of Sorrow: Second Grade Low, First Class." After all that effort, the Water of Sorrow only managed to raise Lu Yuan's Emotion of Sorrow to Second Grade Mid. Second Grade Mid was still a very low rating. Although it was slightly better than before, it hadn't improved by much; it still essentially fell into the category of a deficiency in the Seven Emotions.

Simply put, although the Water of Sorrow had an effect, it was too minor. Even if he collected more Waters of the Seven Emotions, it would be hard to rely on them to break through to the fifth heaven of the World Realm, the Creation Realm.

Jian Ruhai clearly hadn't anticipated the Water of Sorrow having such a small effect and let out a sharp intake of breath. He had underestimated just how severe Lu Yuan's emotional deficiency was.

"Then, the final method I have prepared comes next." The last technique Jian Ruhai taught was a method for suppressing anger. This method involved pushing anger down, constraining it again and again, until the suppressed rage reached an extreme peak, ultimately transforming into the Emotion of Wrath. This technique was called the Art of Restraining Fury (Zhinü Jue). Lu Yuan didn't need much time to begin practicing this Art of Restraining Fury.

He immediately started circulating the Zhinü Jue, while Jian Ruhai assisted by conjuring scenarios and illusory projections designed to incite and intensify Lu Yuan's anger, making it easier to reach the final effect of boundless rage transforming into the Emotion of Wrath.

Infinite rage was suppressed deep in his heart.

Rage!

Rage! Rage!

Rage! Rage! Rage!

The Art of Restraining Fury had undoubtedly been activated successfully.

Jian Ruhai studied Lu Yuan's expression, unsure of the exact scenes Lu Yuan was encountering in the illusions. He cared only about the final result: would the Zhinü Jue be able to help Lu Yuan? He knew Lu Yuan had made numerous enemies, and if he couldn't rapidly increase his strength, his demise was likely imminent.

A figure as rare as a supreme swordsman appeared only once in ten thousand, a hundred thousand, even a million years. He must not perish here.

After a long, long while, Lu Yuan opened his eyes.

Jian Ruhai immediately grabbed the tester.

"Emotion of Anger: Second Grade Mid, First Class."

Even using the Art of Restraining Fury, the result was only an increase in Anger to Second Grade Mid.

Second Grade Mid was certainly better than the initial First Grade Mid, but it was still incredibly difficult to raise the Seven Emotions to the level required for the fifth heaven of the World Realm, the Creation Realm.

Another failure!

Jian Ruhai had only thought of two methods, and both had failed.

Now Jian Ruhai was truly out of options; he wanted to help Lu Yuan but found himself powerless to do so.

What should be done now? This deficiency in the Seven Emotions could not be resolved.

Could it be that Lu Yuan would truly be stuck here, blocked by the lack of Seven Emotions, unable to advance, unable to reach the fifth heaven of the World Realm for an extended period, ultimately destined to be slain by the Son of the Sword, or perhaps by Zhan Kuangtie? Would a genius rare in the way of the sword perish here?