The Tyrant Blade Sect versus the Bamboo Joint Gate. The Tyrant Blade Sect was one of the traditional Ten Strongest Sects, whereas the Bamboo Joint Gate was the dark horse of this tournament. Seeing that they had avoided Lu Yuan, the Bamboo Joint Gate let out a sigh of relief. They had been desperate to face the Sword Gate, as they held a score to settle with them.

The Splendor Gate versus the Weak Water Gate. The Splendor Gate was also one of the traditional Ten Strongest Sects, primarily composed of female cultivators. The Weak Water Gate, originally ranked twelfth, was also a sect dominated by women.

The Arrow Gate versus the Lightning Gate. The Arrow Gate was one of the Ten Strongest Sects, renowned for its speed. The Lightning Gate, originally ranked eleventh, was an equally formidable sect, also emphasizing swiftness. This pairing promised a fierce clash of titans.

The Sole Gate versus the Heaven’s Reach Gate. The Sole Gate was a powerhouse among the Ten Strongest Sects, its ranking perpetually hovering near first place. Its Master, Sole Emperor, possessed cultivation at the eighth heaven of the World Realm. The Heaven’s Reach Gate, ranked nineteenth, stood virtually no chance against the Sole Gate; it was destined to be a one-sided massacre.

The Long Spear Gate versus the Myriad Arts Gate. The Long Spear Gate was one of the Ten Strongest Sects, known for its tradition of challenging the world with a single spear in hand. The Myriad Arts Gate, boasting a thousand different spells, was capable of putting up a fight.

The Puppet Gate versus the South Splendor Gate. Both these sects belonged to the ranks of the Ten Strongest. The puppets of the Puppet Gate were strangely elusive and unpredictable, while the South Splendor Gate employed mystical immortal arts with an unfathomable aura. They too were matched evenly.

The Young Sun Gate versus the Gloomy Edge Gate. These two were also among the Ten Strongest Sects and were evenly matched.

And finally, the Blood Gate versus the Sword Gate. The Blood Gate was one of the Ten Strongest Sects, its strength far surpassing that of the Sword Gate. Had the Sword Gate not possessed Lu Yuan, they would have been instantly crushed. Even with Lu Yuan, they could not hope to defeat the Blood Gate. The Blood Gate being one of the Ten Strongest was no idle boast. The Blood Gate Master, the Blood God King, was a master at the seventh heaven of the World Realm. No matter how powerful Lu Yuan was, he could not contend with the Blood God King.

The seventh heaven of the World Realm was equivalent to the Nascent Heavenly Venerable level.

The sixth heaven of the World Realm was decidedly not the Heavenly Venerable level.

The gulf between them was immense.

“Oh, so it’s my turn to face that kid from the Sword Gate, Lu Yuan?” The representative of the Blood God King was merely a crimson silhouette, possessing no eyes, ears, nose, or mouth; the voice that issued forth was one of utter misery and malice: “Then I shall teach this boy Lu Yuan what a bloody throne means. He will surely halt here; he cannot possibly leap over this obstacle.” He wasn't boasting idly, for this was the stark reality. All of Lu Yuan’s previous opponents were from relatively ordinary sects. This time, his opponent was the Blood Gate, which was stronger than the seven sects Lu Yuan had faced previously combined. Being one of the Ten Strongest Sects was a title earned through serious might, not mere words.

Throughout the ranks of the Blood Gate, though every member had witnessed Lu Yuan’s brilliance, not one doubted that the Blood Gate would secure an easy victory over the Sword Gate. This was a confidence ingrained over generations, the inherent self-assurance and foundation of the Ten Strongest Sects.

Seeing his opponent was the Blood Gate, Lu Yuan inwardly cursed his bad luck. The Blood Gate was an exceptionally bizarre sect; everyone practiced the Blood Scripture, and their Master, the Blood God King, exuded an aura so unsettling that merely sensing it was deeply uncomfortable. Lu Yuan understood clearly that he was no match for the Blood God King.

He needed a way to push his own strength to the sixth heaven of the World Realm—the Primal Qi Realm. This meant mastering nuclear fusion to ascend to that realm.

How to achieve nuclear fusion? That was the question.

In truth, throughout the past year, which was dedicated to the Sect Ranking Battles, Lu Yuan had been actively searching for a solution. He couldn't afford absolute laziness. And Lu Yuan had found a method. This method was distilled down to a single concept: high temperature.

Yes, the principle was simply 'high temperature.'

So-called nuclear fusion refers to a nuclear reaction where lighter atomic nuclei, primarily Deuterium or Tritium, under specific conditions such as extreme heat and pressure, combine to form a heavier atomic nucleus, accompanied by a massive release of energy.

The release of immense energy was straightforward: it stemmed from the loss of mass. Every infinitesimal bit of mass that vanished could convert into colossal amounts of energy.

The prerequisite for nuclear fusion was high temperature.

Regarding this temperature, Lu Yuan had researched various theories and discovered that the required heat was not merely 'high' in the conventional sense. While ten thousand degrees might be called hot, nuclear fusion demanded a temperature not of ten thousand, but of fifteen million degrees.

That’s right, you are not mistaken; it required a full fifteen million degrees.

Fifteen million degrees! Just contemplating it felt utterly absurd. This was a terrifying temperature capable of incinerating the void, burning everything to ash.

In the past year, Lu Yuan had indeed pondered how to elevate his controllable temperature to fifteen million degrees. But achieving such a feat was far from easy. Lu Yuan exhausted numerous methods, yet failed every time.

In the time leading up to this, the highest temperature Lu Yuan had managed to attain was one million degrees—his absolute limit. However, this limit fell woefully short of the fifteen million degree mark.

But, just before the Sect Ranking Battles commenced, Lu Yuan unintentionally ignited Sword Nine, the Sword of Wrath! By completely igniting his fury, the resulting raging fire allowed his controllable temperature to spike dramatically to three million degrees. Lu Yuan was ecstatic; reaching three million degrees meant that if he could successfully master Sword Nine, the Sword of Seven Emotions, by borrowing the flames of other emotions, he might just reach the target of fifteen million degrees.

This was why, from the very start, Lu Yuan had pinned his hopes for advancement on the Sect Ranking Battles: to master Sword Nine, the Sword of Seven Emotions, during these matches, and then use Sword Nine to raise his controllable temperature to fifteen million degrees. If successful, he would ascend to the sixth heaven of the World Realm, the Primal Qi Realm.

This explained why he was willing to risk injury to master Sword Nine, the Sword of Seven Emotions.

The entire sequence of events was a chain reaction, perfectly calculated. He wasn't naturally inclined towards meticulous planning, but necessity forced him to arrange his future. The unexpected part was that while absorbing the ultimate weapon of Wrath hadn't injured him, absorbing other types of ultimate weapons during the ranking battles did cause injury. But what did injury matter? He had to fight regardless.

Now, the eighth round—the battle to secure the top eight slots among the final sixteen—had begun. The intervals between matches were noticeably longer now, as every remaining sect was incredibly powerful, allowing spectators more time to savor the brilliance of each contest.

The first match was between the Tyrant Blade Sect and the Bamboo Joint Gate.

Lu Yuan could spare no attention for the fight between the Tyrant Blade Sect and the Bamboo Joint Gate. Time was running short. A few more matches, and the Sword Gate would be up. He needed to use this window to push his power to the sixth heaven of the World Realm, the Primal Qi Realm. Now, burn!

All seven emotions possess fire: Wrath has the Fire of Wrath, Fear has the Fire of Fear, Love has the Fire of Love, Joy has the Fire of Joy.

Currently, Lu Yuan sat cross-legged within his own Sword Space. Above him burned a searing flame, already at three million degrees, yet still desperately short of the temperature needed to forge a miniature sun and trigger fusion—a minimum of fifteen million degrees was required.

Fire of Joy, burn! The flame of boundless delight and ecstasy shot forth from the Sword of Seven Emotions toward that central inferno. Instantly, the temperature of the central flame climbed higher. Lu Yuan controlled it with his divine sense; this fabricated flame, if uncontrolled, would instantly incinerate his consciousness. He gauged the current temperature to be around five million degrees.

Fire of Sorrow, burn! The Fire of Sorrow streamed from the Sword of Seven Emotions, plunging into that void flame. The flame now radiated an almost blinding color. Everything nearby instinctively recoiled, maintaining a respectful distance, unable to withstand the immense heat. The temperature now registered around seven million degrees.

Fire of Fear, burn! This time, the Fire of Fear was released—a pitch-black flame that instilled dread the moment it materialized. As it merged into the void flame, the central fire began to shift, gradually stabilizing into a more consistent form. Simultaneously, the temperature soared to nine million degrees—a heat capable of scorching heaven and earth.

Fire of Love, burn! A deep crimson flame erupted from the Sword of Love and was cast into the superheated void flame. This void flame began transforming once more, evolving into an even more ferocious inferno. It surpassed ten million degrees, finally stabilizing at a scorching ten and a half million degrees! What was wrong? This time, the increase wasn't two million degrees, but only one and a half million. The reason was simple: once a flame surpasses ten million degrees, further increments become excruciatingly difficult. Thus, it settled at around 10.5 million degrees.

Now, only the Fire of Malice and the Fire of Desire remained unreleased, and the flame was still short a full 4.5 million degrees to meet the fifteen-million-degree standard.

Lu Yuan was enduring the searing brand, pushing for a higher temperature.

While Lu Yuan strove to break through to the sixth heaven of the World Realm, the battles of the Sweet Sixteen had already seen three matches concluded.

The first match saw the Tyrant Blade Sect defeat the Bamboo Joint Gate. Although the Bamboo Joint Gate was a dark horse comparable to the Sword Gate, possessing considerably greater overall strength than them, they offered little resistance against the Tyrant Blade Sect, one of the Ten Strongest. The Tyrant Blade Master’s technique, the Love-Snatching Saber Style, was truly earth-shattering.

(Uh, two chapters today. I’ve spent a significant amount of time lately conceptualizing the plot. I guarantee the story will be exciting, and I hope your genuine subscription will provide me with the motivation to continue.)