Lu Yuan stepped inside, and upon entering the tomb, two paths immediately presented themselves before him.

Lu Yuan glanced over.

One path was inscribed with the words: The Path of the Sword.

The other bore the inscription: The Path of the Non-Sword.

Lu Yuan examined them closely.

Under the Path of the Sword was a notation: “This path is difficult; it requires immense perseverance.” The Non-Sword Path, however, carried this annotation: “The Path of the Non-Sword reduces the difficulty significantly, with rewards lowered to ninety percent.” Lu Yuan gave it a cursory glance and, without hesitation, chose the Path of the Sword.

It was his very nature.

Lu Yuan stepped onto the Path of the Sword.

As soon as he entered the Path of the Sword, he was enveloped in an absolute, inky blackness—a darkness similar to training in the Sword Hall with his eyes closed.

In this total void, nothing could be discerned.

Furthermore, Lu Yuan discovered his spiritual sense was completely nullified; in this absolute darkness, he could perceive nothing, sense nothing.

However, having committed to this Path of the Sword, advancing was all that mattered.

Bang! While walking steadily, his body suddenly slammed heavily into a stone wall ahead.

There was a wall in front of him.

Lu Yuan knew that walking this Path of the Sword inherently meant encountering difficulties, so he wasn't overly surprised.

That initial wall, struck head-on, hadn't caused his current physique—already at the apex of the Divine Body—the slightest damage; it was extraordinarily solid.

Lu Yuan retreated slightly and drew his Yangwu Immortal Sword.

Since a stone wall blocked the way forward, he brought out his Yangwu Immortal Sword, channeled his strength into the blade, and brought it down fiercely.

This single slash tore a deep gash into the stone wall before him.

But the wall didn't break.

Lu Yuan continued his assault, slashing repeatedly.

After ten continuous strikes, the wall finally shattered with a sharp crack, allowing him to pass.

A wall requiring ten strikes to breach—truly hard.

After breaking through the wall, Lu Yuan continued his advance, still within the environment of darkness and nullified spiritual perception.

He hadn't walked long before he crashed into another stone wall with another bang.

Another wall? Lu Yuan had no choice but to draw his sword again.

Ten strikes were unleashed once more! With a sound of splitting stone, the wall was cleaved in two, allowing him to move on.

The darkness remained darkness; the spiritual sense still could not probe forward.

After taking a few more steps, he’d hit another wall.

All the walls were identically hard, each requiring ten strikes from Lu Yuan to break.

Lu Yuan swung his sword ceaselessly.

The hundredth strike.

The thousandth strike.

The ten-thousandth strike.

The hundred-thousandth strike.

At the one hundred thousandth, he had assumed he might be near the end, perhaps after ten thousand walls, but more walls lay ahead.

The millionth strike.

By the millionth strike, he had already shattered a hundred thousand sections of wall, yet more walls stood before him.

These barriers seemed endless.

More walls ahead—how many more walls were there in total? Was this Path of the Sword truly passable? Just how difficult was it? Lu Yuan contemplated in the darkness, wondering if he should turn back and take the Non-Sword Path.

That path offered significantly reduced difficulty for only a ten percent reduction in reward.

But he quickly dismissed the thought.

He was a sword practitioner; how could he choose the path of the non-sword within the Ancient Sword Ancestor's Tomb? No matter how many hardships lay ahead on this Path of the Sword, he had to see it through.

This was the way of the Sword.

His heart firming, the sword in his hand grew steadier.

He raised the Yangwu Immortal Sword and struck again.

The two-millionth swing.

Lu Yuan allowed himself a brief respite before resuming his strikes.

The three-millionth swing.

After breaking through the three hundred thousandth wall, Lu Yuan felt no elation, as he still had no idea how many more walls stretched ahead.

To save time, Lu Yuan swung his sword at the absolute fastest pace he could manage; the time taken for ten strikes was but an instant, perhaps less than an instant.

Wall after wall fell before Lu Yuan.

He used his spiritual consciousness, even suppressed, to create a small program within his mind to track the count of his swings.

The four-millionth swing.

How far was the path ahead, truly? How much harder was this Path of the Sword going to be? The five-millionth swing.

Finally, bang—after the wall ahead collapsed, it was no longer pitch black.

Light appeared.

At this moment, Lu Yuan couldn't quite place the emotion swelling within him; the transition from absolute darkness to illumination was profound.

After a moment, Lu Yuan surveyed his surroundings.

The light emanated from a vast hall.

His attention was immediately drawn to a piece of jade within it.

The jade looked ordinary, yet within it seemed to shimmer a faint human silhouette.

It was a middle-aged man, slightly stout, with a round face and large ears, wearing a gentle and benevolent smile.

Lu Yuan noticed this figure bore a faint resemblance to a certain Senior Martial Uncle Ye Yangrong he knew from Mount Hua—though only a resemblance.

Moreover, Lu Yuan could distinctly feel that beneath the subtle smile of this round-faced man, there lay the core of an incredibly sharp sword intent.

Others might not perceive it, but as a fellow swordsman, he could.

The man in the jade, with his genial smile, spoke, “Congratulations.

You have passed the second consideration of the three trials.” This was the second trial.

The first must have been the trial involving the spillage of the Ancient Sword Ancestor’s blood, Lu Yuan mused internally.

The round-faced man continued, “The second trial presented you with a choice: the Non-Sword Path, with reduced difficulty and rewards scaled back to ninety percent.

In truth, that path doesn't exist.

If you had chosen it, you would have been barred from entering the subsequent burial chambers and accessing the treasures beyond.” “As for the Path of the Sword, it was completely dark, sensory input was blocked, and fifty thousand walls were set up.

If I had told you upfront there were fifty thousand walls, it might not have seemed too difficult.

But by withholding that information and imposing an environment of absolute darkness where your spiritual sense failed, the situation was designed to induce anxiety, potentially forcing you toward the Non-Sword Path.

Nevertheless, you have passed the second test.

Now comes the third and final trial.” The final test, finally? Lu Yuan’s heart tightened.

He wasn't usually prone to nervousness, but this now concerned his ability to reach the Civilization Realm.

What was the final trial? As Lu Yuan awaited his final test, Wu Yan, the Deputy Sovereign of the Civilization, sat perched on a tree branch, snacking while dangling her fair, tender legs—like lotus roots—which were strikingly captivating and alluring.

Deputy Sovereign Wu Yan called out, “Deputy Sovereign of the Wild Eagle Civilization, since you’ve arrived, why not show yourself?” A man with an aquiline nose instantly materialized in the sky—he was none other than the Deputy Sovereign of the Wild Eagle Civilization.

Deputy Sovereign Wu Yan turned to face him, a mocking sneer on her lips.

“Deputy Sovereign Wild Eagle, your strength is a notch below mine, and I've defeated you several times.

What use is it appearing again now?” Deputy Sovereign Wild Eagle glared at Deputy Sovereign Wu Yan.

“Deputy Sovereign Wu Yan, do you truly believe that because you’ve beaten me a few times, you can win this time? Unfortunately, the world is not governed by individual strength alone.

Deputy Sovereign Wu Yan, I swear I will capture you and make you my sexual slave.” “Oh, how bold of you to utter such words.

In that case, it seems you’ve brought allies.

Bring them all out,” Deputy Sovereign Wu Yan’s expression turned cold; the Wild Eagle Deputy Sovereign had clearly provoked her.

Indeed, Wu Yan sensed several powerful auras lurking nearby, but regardless, her own presence could not falter.

“The Son of Immortals greets Senior Wu Yan.” A young, handsome man, with looks surpassing Pan An and skin fairer than snow, bearing a single red mole between his brows, appeared in the eastern sky.

Emanating from this youth was the power of the Civilization Realm—a torrent of force, overwhelmingly heavy, like the deep solidity of the earth itself.

The Son of Immortals! Upon seeing the Son of Immortals, Deputy Sovereign Wu Yan gasped in shock.

The Seven Children of Fortune were quite famous, known even among those in the Civilization Realm.

However, her impression was that the Son of Immortals should only be at the Half-Step Civilization Realm.

It took an exceptionally long time to transition from Half-Step Civilization to the true Realm, yet the current Son of Immortals exuded the aura of a true Civilization Realm master.

How had he achieved this? Even the Son of the Wild, the foremost of the Seven Children, likely hadn't reached the Civilization Realm yet.

Deputy Sovereign Wu Yan scanned him quickly and realized the Son of Immortals hadn't fully reached the Realm; he possessed the power of the Civilization Realm but lacked the corresponding status.

In about ten years, the Son of Immortals should ascend fully.

Wu Yan’s insight was astonishing; she immediately grasped the reason for his rapid advancement.

“So it is you, Son of Immortals.

Seeing that you currently possess the power equivalent to a Grand Epoch, it seems you have acquired a Civilization Relic and successfully merged with it.” “However, even with you, the Son of Immortals, and Deputy Sovereign Wild Eagle joining forces, passing me will not be easy,” Deputy Sovereign Wu Yan stated calmly.

If the Son of Immortals and the Wild Eagle Deputy Sovereign teamed up, Wu Yan estimated she had a sixty to seventy percent chance of holding them both off.

“Then how about adding me to the equation, Deputy Sovereign Wu Yan? Can you handle it?” A fractured, excruciating sound echoed through the void.

Even listening to the voice caused discomfort.

From the southwest void, a middle-aged man emerged.

Seeing this man, Deputy Sovereign Wu Yan’s heart clenched.

Another supreme master—one who would be difficult to deal with.

No, not just difficult to deal with.

Impossible to deal with.

(First update delivered.) (To be continued.)