Wu Yan, the Civilization Vice-Master, had lived for a considerable age, yet had never before encountered anyone as ferocious as Lu Yuan. To slay three Civilization Realm masters immediately upon entering the Civilization Realm itself!
From afar, the Son of Immortals, who had left a probing Immortal Art behind, saw Lu Yuan’s terrifying might. Without a second thought, he spun and fled, employing the Dust-Stepping Treads—a mere step covering a hundred thousand li—for he dared not linger there any longer.
Zhou Qingxuan turned to Lu Yuan: "Congratulations. Your swordsmanship has officially graduated under me." Finally.
He had finally awaited these words. A wave of complex emotions washed over Lu Yuan.
Many years ago, he had followed Zhou Qingxuan to learn the sword, and at that time, Zhou Qingxuan’s mastery was infinitely higher than his own. In subsequent meetings, Lu Yuan’s skill had always advanced significantly, yet each time, Zhou Qingxuan seemed to remain slightly ahead.
His swordsmanship was improving, but it was perpetually weaker than Zhou Qingxuan’s. Zhou Qingxuan was like a fathomless abyss; it might look shallow and small from the surface, but in reality, its depth was immeasurable.
And now, his swordsmanship had received Zhou Qingxuan’s acknowledgment—his style was officially certified as complete. It had not been easy!
Indeed, it had been an arduous journey. Zhou Qingxuan smiled faintly, hands clasped behind his back.
Lu Yuan returned the faint smile. Both men were deeply moved.
Zhou Qingxuan spoke, "Henceforth, let us revive the Dao of the Sword together." "Good," Zhou Qingxuan stated simply. "Yes," Lu Yuan responded just as briefly.
They shared a singular objective: the revival of the Dao of the Sword. Zhou Qingxuan looked at Lu Yuan.
"Your current blade is quite lacking. It is time for an upgrade." With a flourish that carried a hint of sorrow, Zhou Qingxuan sheathed his Long Sigh Divine Sword.
He had noticed Lu Yuan’s retained weapon, still the Yangwu. Zhou Qingxuan knew its origin, and knowing it only deepened his admiration for Lu Yuan.
"Go and improve your strength for now," Zhou Qingxuan said. "I shall take a walk." Zhou Qingxuan walked through the Ancient Sword Masters' tombs, overcome with emotion.
He had known the Vice-Master of the Jian Yuan Civilization in those days. However, due to a mysterious premonition from the Master of the Jian Gu Civilization, he was forbidden from joining the Great Heavenly Battle.
Now that Jian Yuan was gone, Zhou Qingxuan revisited the familiar ground, filled with boundless nostalgia. Lu Yuan, meanwhile, settled into meditation.
Having slain three Civilization Realm masters, the benefits gleaned would surely be substantial. Lu Yuan first turned his attention to the Desolate Eagle Civilization Vice-Master.
The latter’s body was covered in numerous Primordial Artifacts. Lu Yuan manifested his 'Restrain' Clone, absorbing everything.
Endless Primordial Artifacts streamed into his 'Restrain' Clone. Each character-clone became progressively harder to advance, especially moving from ninety percent to a hundred percent, where the transformation from clone to true body was extraordinarily difficult.
However, advancing from sixty to seventy percent was also an immense challenge. After absorbing all the Primordial Objects surrounding the Desolate Eagle Vice-Master, Lu Yuan observed that his 'Restrain' Clone had visibly expanded and strengthened, finally reaching the seventy percent stage.
The 'Restrain' character he held was becoming increasingly potent. Lu Yuan considered testing whether the Desolate Eagle Vice-Master’s physical form itself could be absorbed by the clone, but discovered that this was utterly impossible.
Simultaneously, he acquired fifty Heavenly-Grade Spirit Veins from the Desolate Eagle Vice-Master, resources of considerable utility. Lu Yuan then examined the remains of the Octagonal Civilization Vice-Master.
Numerous Mace Essences still radiated from the body. A thought struck him, and using the Myriad Swords Return to Origin technique, he forcefully absorbed all these Mace Essences.
He had wanted to see if the technique could handle Mace Essence, and this time, his guess proved correct: the Myriad Swords Return to Origin truly could absorb Mace Essence, converting it into Sword Qi. This was the most powerful surge of Sword Qi he had ever absorbed, causing his spiritual power to climb rapidly.
From the Octagonal Vice-Master, he also found fifty Heavenly-Grade Spirit Veins, along with various Mace Dao Secret Manuals. Lu Yuan moved on to the final one, the Strength Sage Civilization Vice-Master, from whom he naturally gained the most.
Setting aside other items, there were seventy Heavenly-Grade Spirit Veins alone—significantly more than the other two combined. Lu Yuan discovered two other unique items.
The first was a crystal! An amber-colored crystal!
Its exact nature was unknown, but it possessed a strange aura. Lu Yuan faintly sensed the presence of flowing Iron Rules within it.
The second was an axe, clearly not a weapon. It was a silver-white axe, only the size of a palm.
Lu Yuan faintly perceived an aura within it that transcended all things; nothing he had previously encountered compared to these three individuals. "That amber crystal is the Seed of the Iron Rule of Strength," the Wu Yan Civilization Vice-Master explained from beside him.
"If we speak of the myriad Heavens, the two entities that have mastered the Iron Rule of Strength—one of the ten great Iron Rules—best are the Axe Civilization and the Strength Civilization. Both possess an exceedingly rare treasure: the Seed of the Iron Rule of Strength.
Once absorbed, one can begin learning the Rule, but these seeds are exceedingly scarce." Indeed, the Seeds of Strength were rare, but considering the Strength Sage Vice-Master’s status—a titan of the Civilization Realm—it was entirely normal for him to possess one. In the books found on the Strength Sage Civilization Vice-Master, Lu Yuan located texts detailing the Iron Rule of Strength.
It seemed his pursuit of this Rule had finally yielded results. Wu Yan pointed to the silver-white axe.
"If I am not mistaken, this is a Divine Object of the Myriad Heavens." "A Divine Object?" Lu Yuan paused. "Yes, a Divine Object," Wu Yan nodded.
"I mentioned before that there are three ways to increase Epochal Spiritual Power in the Civilization Realm: one, endless ascetic training; two, Divine Objects expelled during the destruction and rebirth of an Epoch; and three, infusion from a more powerful Civilization Realm master. This item in your hand is a Divine Object, though it is the lowest grade among them.
Its effect is useless for the Second Epoch, but it still benefits the First Epoch, which is why the Strength Sage Vice-Master kept it." Lu Yuan nodded thoughtfully. So that was it.
Thus, the rewards from slaying the three Civilization Realm masters were enormous: one hundred and seventy Heavenly-Grade Spirit Veins in total; the advancement of his 'Restrain' Clone to seventy percent; a greater influx of Sword Qi via Myriad Swords Return to Origin; the Seed of the Iron Rule of Strength; and finally, this Divine Object. The gains were truly significant.
Oh, and a sixth: the eight maces from the Octagonal Vice-Master, which he easily transformed into eight Divine Swords: Sun-Obscuring Divine Sword, Water-Severing Divine Sword, Soul-Revolving Divine Sword, Hanging-Clip Divine Sword, Jīng Ní Divine Sword, Soul-Extinguishing Divine Sword, Qú Xié Divine Sword, and True Steel Divine Sword. However, these eight Divine Swords did not suit his temperament, so despite possessing them, he would not use them often.
... Lu Yuan began absorbing the Seed of the Iron Rule of Strength.
The seed instantly melted into his soul, and Lu Yuan felt as if he were witnessing a perfect and magnificent body, wielding an impossibly huge axe, striking down upon the primordial cosmic egg—it was Pangu splitting the heavens. This strike repeated endlessly, embodying an unparalleled beauty of strength and a fierce rigidity.
As Lu Yuan repeatedly observed this strike, he realized he had achieved a preliminary grasp of the Iron Rule of Strength. It had been stated that the Iron Rule of Strength comprised four forces: the Strong Nuclear Force, the Weak Nuclear Force, Electromagnetism, and Universal Gravitation.
Lu Yuan had now preliminarily mastered the Weak Nuclear Force among the four fundamental forces, completing one-quarter of this Iron Rule. This meant he now possessed eight and a half Iron Rules!
The Ten Iron Rules were drawing nearer to him. Lu Yuan felt a profound lightness, humming a tune of unknown origin—a loose, easy song, much like the feeling of seeing cattle and sheep beneath the wind-swept grass in open fields.
After a short respite, Lu Yuan began to burn the Spirit Veins! Including those obtained from the Jian Yuan Vice-Master, he now possessed two hundred and seventy Heavenly-Grade Spirit Veins.
Lu Yuan started burning them, ten at a time. The sensation of burning these high-grade veins was quite exhilarating.
After burning seventy Spirit Veins, he found his spiritual power saturated, reaching the very apex of the First Epochal power. Next, it was time to upgrade using the palm-sized Divine Object.
Lu Yuan attempted to ignite the silver axe with his Divine Fire, but it remained utterly motionless. He then changed tactics, deciding against the Divine Fire and using the Fire of Civilization instead.
As the Civilization Fire enveloped the silver axe, it began to melt, and gradually, an indescribable sensation emerged. This feeling was perfectly attuned to the Civilization Realm; other items lacked this specific resonance.
This silver axe contained a miraculous power. After drawing this energy into his body, Lu Yuan felt his physical form undergo constant transformation.
Boom! It seemed a massive threshold had been violently breached.
The cosmic song of heaven and earth rang in his ears, as if the universe itself was sounding a fanfare for him. In the next instant, his entire bodily defense became flawless.
Every inch of flesh was imbued with an even denser aura of civilization. With this aura coating every fiber, attacks from Heavenly Ranking experts felt like nothing.
Simultaneously, his spiritual power increased substantially, surpassing that of the First Epoch. He had reached the Second Epoch of spiritual power!
With every casual gesture, there was an immense, unparalleled might, seemingly capable of destroying more and creating more; a single movement held the power to easily obliterate a minor Thousand World. This was the Civilization Realm of the Second Epoch.
This progression was set on a timeline spanning from the Tenth Epoch as the midpoint to the Twentieth Epoch as the conclusion. And he had only just begun.
(Ah, the first update is delivered.) (To be continued)