On Sword Extreme Mountain, Lu Yuan was not alone. There was one other: the Son of the Sword.

How many times they had faced each other before, no one could say for sure. The Son of the Sword, clad in white, was handsome and elegant; Lu Yuan, in blue, was easygoing and free.

The Son of the Sword looked at Lu Yuan. “This time, you managed to get ahead and obtain the Sword Scroll.

I concede a slight loss.” Lu Yuan smiled ambiguously. “Do you call that conceding?” “Conceding?

How could that be? You and I are locked in a fight to the death.” The Son of the Sword spoke flatly.

“These minor setbacks now are just that—minor. You may have won a few small skirmishes, but on the true grand battlefield, if you meet me, you will only be defeated.” “The grand battlefield, oh?

And what counts as the grand battlefield?” Lu Yuan inquired. “For someone as supremely outstanding as I, the true grand battlefield is the ascent to the Civilization Realm.

To be precise, for someone at the level of the Seven Sons of Fortune, the real grand battlefield is the Civilization Realm. The gap between the World Realm and the Civilization Realm is unimaginably vast.

You will never truly know why such a gulf exists.” “Compared to the Civilization Realm, the World Realm is merely the level of ants.” “And on this grand battlefield of the Civilization Realm, you will never defeat me.” The Son of the Sword looked at Lu Yuan with an expression of profound, almost pitying condescension. “You do not even possess the qualifications to stand equal to me.” “Perhaps you wonder why you aren't qualified to meet me as an equal.

The reason is quite simple: you cannot reach the Sacred Land of Civilization.” The Son of the Sword smiled slightly, exuding infinite confidence and boundless brilliance. “Your foundation is shallow, after all.

You cannot possibly know the deeper secrets of heaven and earth.” The way he spoke of Lu Yuan’s shallow foundation was laced with lofty superiority. “The Sacred Land of Civilization—this place is a unique marvel of heaven and earth, a place where great practitioners like us can cultivate and attempt to break through to the Civilization Realm.

It is arguably the most viable place for such an attempt. Countless individuals yearn to go there, but most Supreme Great Sects do not even qualify to send anyone.

I, however, received a recommendation from the Jian Civilization to enter the Sacred Land of Civilization.” “You are fundamentally unqualified to stand as my equal.” “I will enter the Sacred Land of Civilization and achieve the Civilization Realm.” “And you will only be destined to lose to me on the grand battlefield.” The Son of the Sword let out a triumphant laugh, tinged with smug satisfaction. Indeed, Lu Yuan had only won a temporary, accidental victory in minor engagements.

In the true warzone of breaking through to the Civilization Realm, the conditions were entirely unequal. Lu Yuan had no chance of entering the Sacred Land of Civilization and thus, no way to attain the Civilization Realm.

The Son of the Sword was utterly certain of this. “The Sacred Land of Civilization.” Lu Yuan paused, having genuinely never heard of it before.

But from the Son of the Sword’s words, it seemed to be a crucial nexus for attaining the Civilization Realm, one the Son of the Sword qualified for, while he did not. “We’ll see once you manage to defeat me, you mere subordinate who has already lost twice,” Lu Yuan stated coolly.

This single sentence enraged the Son of the Sword, a flicker of dark blue flashing across his face. For the proud Son of the Sword, this was utter humiliation, losing face completely in this moment.

Disgraceful! After Lu Yuan and the Son of the Sword descended Sword Extreme Mountain, Jian Liulei watched Lu Yuan with a deep, lingering gaze.

He realized the military advisor had been right—Lu Yuan needed to be eliminated quickly, or he would indeed become a major threat. Furthermore, that Broken Great Desolation Sword Scroll from the Minor Thousand World needed to be seized if the opportunity arose; it was immensely important to the Jian Civilization, and obtaining the Scroll would bring them significant benefits.

Immediately afterward, the Son of the Sword and Jian Liulei departed together. The Son of the Sword would continue his cultivation within the Jian Civilization, foregoing any further idle talk.

He was determined to surpass Lu Yuan. With this, the matter was formally concluded, the excitement fading away.

Jian Ruhai also did not linger. He arrived quietly and departed just as stealthily.

In fact, from the moment the battle at the Profound Gate Sword Sect began, very few knew that Jian Ruhai, the Sect Master of the Hidden Sword Sect, had been involved at all—that was the nature of the Hidden Sword Sect: concealment. The Imperial Son Fa Xiaozhi also exchanged a greeting with Lu Yuan before leaving.

He had merely come to watch the spectacle. The Fa Gu Civilization had only helped Lu Yuan by shielding him from some overwhelming external pressures; directly aiding Lu Yuan was something the Fa Gu Civilization was not yet ready to consider.

Once the contest for the Sword Scroll ended, the Sword Gate returned to its usual tranquility. Lu Yuan, meanwhile, intended to search for data regarding the Sacred Land of Civilization.

Information about the Sacred Land of Civilization existed within the Sword Gate, but it was frustratingly vague. The records within the Sword Gate mentioned that the Sacred Land of Civilization was crucial for achieving the Civilization Realm, but offered no further specifics.

This was because, from the founding of the sect until now, not a single person from the Sword Gate had ever qualified to go there. That’s right, not one.

The Sacred Land of Civilization was simply not accessible to anyone from the Sword Gate lineage. “Even people from Supreme Great Sects cannot enter the Sacred Land of Civilization?” Lu Yuan felt a twinge of doubt.

“They can.” At some unspoken moment, Ancestor Jian Mie appeared beside Lu Yuan. “Oh?

They can?” Lu Yuan focused on Ancestor Jian Mie. “Of course, they can.

But our Sword Gate lacks the qualification. In the Central Heavenly Dynasty, there is a regulation: among the one thousand Supreme Great Sects, there is a distinction of the Ten Strongest Factions.

The current Ten Strongest Factions are the Hegemon Blade Gate, Blood Gate, Arrow Gate, Puppet Gate, Nanhua Gate, Shaoyang Gate, Long Spear Gate, Unique Gate, Nether Gate, and Flourishing Gate. Among the multitude of Supreme Great Sects in the Central Heavenly Dynasty, only these Ten Strongest Factions each have the right to send one individual to participate in the Sacred Land of Civilization.

Everyone else, regardless of standing, possesses absolutely no such qualification.” Listening to Ancestor Jian Mie, Lu Yuan finally understood why the Son of the Sword claimed he was unqualified. Indeed, he lacked the standing.

The Sword Gate ranked somewhere in the three hundreds among the one thousand Supreme Great Sects—a distance far too great from the top ten. “However,” Ancestor Jian Mie continued, “in one year, there will be the Ranking Battle of the Factions of the Central Heavenly Dynasty.” “The Faction Ranking Battle?” Lu Yuan was momentarily startled.

“Yes, the Faction Ranking Battle.” Ancestor Jian Mie confirmed. “This battle is one of the grandest assemblies in the Central Heavenly Dynasty.

This contest is not a fight between individuals, but a war between factions. Every sect will bring forth its ultimate strength, perhaps even its ultimate weapons.” “This great battle involves not only the one thousand Supreme Great Sects but also one thousand ordinary factions, totaling two thousand participants.” “And in this contest, the top ten factions will naturally each earn the qualification to send one person to the Sacred Land of Civilization.” Seeing the light ignite in Lu Yuan’s eyes, Ancestor Jian Mie sighed wryly.

“Don't ever assume achieving a spot among the Ten Strongest is easy. The Hegemon Blade Gate, Blood Gate, Arrow Gate, Puppet Gate, Nanhua Gate, Shaoyang Gate, Long Spear Gate, Unique Gate, Nether Gate, and Flourishing Gate—every single one of these sects has achieved their position through arduous struggle, securing one of the ten slots against one thousand competitors.

Each of the Ten Strongest Factions possesses a Heavenly Venerable expert. Someone like myself, upon encountering the leader of one of those ten sects, would likely be instantly annihilated by a single strike.” Ancestor Jian Mie spoke with palpable weariness, but Lu Yuan found the prospect utterly compelling.

The Ten Strongest Factions—he needed to strive for them. The Sacred Land of Civilization—he also desperately wanted to attend.

After all, as the Son of the Sword had asserted, the true grand battlefield was the assault on the Civilization Realm, not anything lesser. Undoubtedly, competing against a thousand factions would be extremely difficult, but what was difficulty against the current?

To swim against the current was the true measure of a man’s spirit. “Furthermore, in this battle, the top three hundred and sixty-five factions will secure a seat within the World Volcano.

You have been to the World Volcano, so this requires no further explanation.” Before attempting the World Realm, Lu Yuan had indeed visited the World Volcano, and he now understood that the three hundred and sixty-five positions at the base of the volcano were allocated precisely through this ranking. “And those ranked in the top one thousand will be officially designated as Supreme Great Sects.

Being confirmed as a Supreme Great Sect brings significant benefits. They are granted several star systems as their base, whereas ordinary factions only command a single star for their headquarters, among other advantages.

Those ranked below the top one thousand are classified as ordinary factions.” “That’s not all. The rankings established here actually influence the distribution of certain benefits and resource chains.

Take the Earth Dragon Star, for instance. There are numerous resource planets like it throughout the Central Heavenly Dynasty.

Most belong to various Civilizations, while the minority not belonging to a Civilization are divided among us. The method for dividing these resource planets is determined by ranking and other criteria,” Ancestor Jian Mie explained the entire structure of the Central Heavenly Dynasty Faction Ranking Battle.

“Moreover, this ranking battle serves as a method for certain Civilizations to observe the experts within the Supreme Great Sects. If any sect produces an exceptionally brilliant newcomer, that individual might be absorbed into a Civilization.

The core members of the sect are integrated into the Civilization. Most sects willingly agree to this, as a member of a Supreme Great Sect joining a Civilization becomes significantly more powerful, and they usually maintain ties and support their original sect, never forgetting their roots.

Thus, people generally welcome strong newcomers joining the Civilizations.” This particular detail was mostly irrelevant to Lu Yuan, as he relied on the sword, and among the existing Civilizations, none specialized in swordsmanship. Lu Yuan had gained a clearer understanding of the Central Heavenly Dynasty Supreme Great Faction Ranking Battle.

It was truly a monumental event. The timing: one year hence.

The conflict over the Sword Scroll had dissolved into history. Over the ensuing year, Lu Yuan balanced rest with occasional resource skirmishes and a few minor fights.

During this time, Lu Yuan managed to push his cultivation base to the Mid-stage of the Fifth Heaven of the World Realm. Once one reached the World Realm, the difference between the early, mid, and late stages of each subsequent Heaven was considerable.

Advancing from early to mid-stage within a year was already remarkably fast progress. A year passed, and the Central Heavenly Dynasty Supreme Great Faction Ranking Battle was finally set to commence.

Instantly, the world stirred, energy surging like tidal waves.