The competition for the position of Azure Maiden had drawn the Five Great Ancient Civilizations and the thirty General Civilizations, nearly all of them present. Take, for instance, the Ancient Fa Civilization. Representing them this time was the Deputy Lord of the Ancient Kong Civilization, who appeared dressed as a monk, emanating an aura of profound emptiness and void. The Deputy Lord of the Ancient Kong Civilization had once clashed with Lu Yuan during his cultivation of the Hundred Defeats True Scripture, managing to defeat him once. Upon hearing the news that Lu Yuan had achieved the Civilization Realm, the monk couldn't help but smile faintly: "Excellent, most excellent."

"I wonder what title Lu Yuan holds as a Civilization Deputy Lord?" mused the Deputy Lord of the Ancient Kong Civilization. Every Civilization Deputy Lord possessed a unique title, each bearing distinct connotations and meanings; these titles could not be chosen arbitrarily. The Deputy Lord of the Ancient Kong Civilization was curious about Lu Yuan's new title—surely it wouldn't be something simple like the Deputy Lord of the Sword Drunken Civilization, would it?

Among those who arrived from the Ancient Desolate Civilization was the Deputy Lord of the Ancient Warmth Civilization. This individual appeared scholarly and refined on the surface, the very image of a gentle scholar, with notably refined looks. His sole distinguishing feature was an enormous gem-studded ring worn on the middle finger of his right hand.

The Deputy Lord of the Ancient Warmth Civilization stroked his ring, muttering softly as he did so, "This child, Lu Yuan, actually reached the Civilization Realm. Truly a menace. Fortunately, the Son of Desolation is now even stronger, already at the Three Epochs level. I imagine suppressing Lu Yuan won't be too difficult."

Essentially, the Ancient Desolate Civilization now viewed the Son of Desolation as the ultimate check against Lu Yuan. Indeed, the Son of Desolation had been defeated by Lu Yuan previously, but that was after the Son of Desolation was already injured, followed by a surprise attack from Lu Yuan—that fight could not be taken as the true measure. Moreover, the Son of Desolation had subsequently slain the Son of Sword and the Son of Demon, absorbing their fortunes, making him even more invincible.

The Deputy Lord of the Ancient Warmth Civilization continued to rub his ring: "The Deputy Lord of the Ancient Eagle Civilization actually let Lu Yuan slip away and ascend to the Civilization Realm. Wait, since Lu Yuan has reached the Civilization Realm, the Deputy Lord of the Ancient Eagle might be perished. I haven't heard any news from him in a long time." The Deputy Lord of the Ancient Warmth did not particularly care for the Deputy Lord of the Ancient Eagle; despite having 'Warmth' in his title, he was actually a cold-blooded and ruthless figure who enjoyed killing with a smile. The demise of other titans within the same faction meant little to him. However, this matter required reporting to the Ancient Desolate Civilization so they could confirm the situation. As one of the high-ranking officials of the Ancient Desolate Civilization, the Deputy Lord of the Ancient Warmth was aware that the Ancient Desolate Civilization had begun planning a grand scheme.

If this grand scheme succeeded, the Ancient Desolate Civilization would reign supreme among the myriad civilizations of the heavens.

Simultaneously, the Ancient Fa Civilization and the Ancient Martial Civilization would cease to exist.

This was a monumental conspiracy.

The Deputy Lord of the Ancient Warmth desired nothing to interfere with this grand design. Anyone who dared threaten it, including Lu Yuan, would be suppressed without hesitation.

The representative from the Wind Civilization was the Deputy Lord of the Wind Scar Civilization, who stood with his hands behind his back, observing the scene: "Good, a fine Lu Yuan indeed." The Wind Civilization was among the first to forge a positive relationship with Lu Yuan. The stronger Lu Yuan became, the greater the benefits reaped by the Wind Civilization.

Standing beside the Deputy Lord of the Wind Scar Civilization was a young man with a baby face—it was Feng Xingxing. Feng Xingxing also shared a decent relationship with Lu Yuan. Upon hearing that Lu Yuan had reached the Civilization Realm, Feng Xingxing couldn't help but click his tongue: "People really can't be compared."

The Deputy Lord of the Wind Scar couldn't help but let out a soft laugh: "You are usually not diligent; you must strive now that you've been stimulated." In truth, Feng Xingxing was a rare genius within the Wind Civilization but had never applied himself fully. Perhaps the news of Lu Yuan reaching the Civilization Realm would finally spur him into earnest effort.

The representative for the Halberd Civilization was its second-in-command, the Deputy Lord of the Severed God Civilization. This Deputy Lord bore scars across his brow, nose, ear, and mouth—a bizarre and deeply unsettling sight. He pondered aloud: "Lu Yuan has actually reached the Civilization Realm, and the Deputy Lord of the Eight-Prism Civilization has been gone so long without returning; he might have fallen by Lu Yuan's hand. It was a single mistake; I should have been the one sent to pursue and kill Lu Yuan. Unfortunately, I was occupied with pressing matters and couldn't depart. Lu Yuan grows stronger; this complicates things."

The severed brow of the Deputy Lord of the Severed God contracted slightly.

Meanwhile, on the side of the Miao Civilization.

Miao Girl Qinglian was nearly beside herself with grief. She had never encountered Lu Yuan before, only hearing rumors, assuming he wasn't that formidable. Now, seeing the reality, she realized how terrifying Lu Yuan was. A powerhouse in the Civilization Realm was a figure dwelling in the distant heavens, and he had dispatched her powerful reinforcement, Miao Changsheng, in just two moves.

Miao Girl Qinglian felt a wave of sheer terror wash over her.

Just as Miao Girl Qinglian was steeped in terror, two overwhelmingly powerful auras descended from the void above. One aura was incomparably strange, while the other was infinitely mighty. The incomparably strange aura landed first: it belonged to a stooped old man whose face was wrinkled like old tree bark. His eyes, upon fixing on someone, radiated endless horror. He was clad in strange garments adorned with indescribable patterns, and an intensely evil technique emanated from him. This was not Witchcraft; while it shared some similarities with Ouyang Tuo's aura from the Heaven Ranking, it was fundamentally different.

This was Gu Art!

The Miao Civilization possessed three ultimate skills: Miao Girl, Miao Blade, and Miao Gu.

Gu Art, a mysterious and sinister technique, distinct from Witchcraft, belonged exclusively to the Miao Civilization.

This old man was the Deputy Lord of the Miao Gu Civilization, the master of the Miao Civilization's Gu Art—a colossal figure in the cosmos possessing the cultivation base of the Second Epoch. That Second Epoch mana surged forth, yet the combat power of the Deputy Lord of the Miao Gu was not confined to that level; many figures of the Third Epoch had met their end by his hand. His Miao Gu Art was exceptionally formidable and bizarre; even those with stronger mana often fell victim to him.

The other old man was ruddy-faced with hair bristling in fury, shouldering a curved Miao Blade. This blade possessed a magical curvature, seemingly capable of piercing the secrets of heaven. The blade was unsheathed, revealing the characters "Qu You" inscribed upon it—the Qu You Miao Blade, the legendary weapon of a bygone figure.

This was the Deputy Lord of the Miao Blade Civilization, a figure of the Third Epoch. His most famous battle was against two other Third Epoch Civilization Deputy Lords; he fought them both to a victory, slaying the pair, though he himself sustained extremely grave injuries. After this engagement, the Deputy Lord of the Miao Blade became renowned throughout the heavens.

The Miao Epoch boasted three major Civilization Deputy Lords: the leader, the Deputy Lord of the Miao Civilization, possessed unfathomable strength, followed by the Deputy Lord of the Miao Blade and the Deputy Lord of the Miao Gu.

Both the Deputy Lord of the Miao Blade and the Deputy Lord of the Miao Gu were Deputy Lords who had established boundless renown, holding great prestige across the myriad worlds of the heavens. Now, as these two arrived, the Deputy Lord of the Miao Gu chuckled strangely: "Qinglian, no need to explain. We already know Lu Yuan ascended to the Civilization Realm. This Lu Yuan is indeed quite extraordinary."

"But no matter how strong he is, he cannot surpass the Miao Civilization. Under our hands, Lu Yuan won't be able to pull any tricks. Merely a Civilization Deputy Lord of the First Epoch, at best." The Deputy Lord of the Miao Gu indeed possessed sufficient grounds to look down on Lu Yuan. He had killed figures of the Third Epoch; the idea that a mere newcomer who had just entered the Civilization Realm dared to put on airs before him was infinitely laughable.

"Furthermore, we've brought some excellent items this time." The Deputy Lord of the Miao Gu moved his hand in the void and produced an arm and a leg. Both limbs radiated the aura of Civilization, their robust mana continuously flowing out. The Deputy Lord of the Miao Gu declared: "We will elevate your strength to the Half-Step Civilization Realm, and then fuse these arms and legs of a Civilization Realm expert with you. By then, you will possess the combat power of the Heaven Ranking. Overcoming Miao Girl Qinglian will be incredibly simple. How can a mere Lu Yuan compare to the profound foundation of our Miao Civilization? We can procure arms and legs from the Civilization Realm, not to mention the Heaven Fusion Pearl."

Miao Girl Qinglian was instantly overjoyed. With such power, defeating Yue Nu Xiao Qing would be trivial. She was certain of victory in this contest for the Azure Maiden position.

....

Lu Yuan and Yue Nu Xiao Qing settled into Xiao Qing's current residence, the Azure Patterned Palace.

Lu Yuan stated, "For the next three months, I will begin training you. The training starts now." There wasn't much time, so Lu Yuan began the direct training straightforwardly, determined to elevate Yue Nu Xiao Qing's strength in the shortest time possible. Although Lu Yuan himself had undergone intense training from figures like Yan Cangtian and Zhou Qingxuan, he had never personally trained anyone before. This was indeed his first time attempting such a thing, and for a moment, he wasn't sure how to proceed with the specialized training. But after a brief moment of contemplation, a flash of inspiration struck him regarding something he possessed that he had never found a use for, causing him to think internally, It seems I can finally use this item.

"Now, follow me in sword practice," Lu Yuan instructed.

Yue Nu Xiao Qing grew focused upon hearing that she would be practicing the sword with Lu Yuan. Her swordsmanship was already quite good, considering her previous life as Yue Nu Ah Qing, who was undefeated across the Southern Domain, and having now recovered her memories, she was already at the Sword Saint level. Lu Yuan's decision to teach her the sword was also because this specialized training would synchronize with what came later.

Lu Yuan did consider one point: when Yue Nu Xiao Qing advanced to the Second Level of the World Realm, she would face the Sword Heavenly Tribulation, an unavoidable trial. This tribulation could only be blocked by obtaining the Mark of Desolation. He himself had passed the Sword Forgetfulness Stele, but it was unlikely Xiao Qing could pass it; the Sword Forgetfulness Stele meant certain death. Right, perhaps he should seek out the Ancient Phoenix Civilization.

Indeed, the Ancient Phoenix Civilization was currently remaining neutral in the Azure Maiden contest.

However, the Ancient Phoenix Civilization always maintained one precondition: both Azure Maiden candidates must remain alive.

If Xiao Qing encountered her Heavenly Tribulation without the Great Seal of Desolation, she would perish by it. Only the Ancient Phoenix Civilization had the means to assist her through this specific trial; otherwise, if both Azure Maiden candidates died, the game would be over. If the Ancient Phoenix Civilization intervened, the Ancient Desolate Civilization, in an effort to secure the Ancient Phoenix Civilization's future allegiance, would only need to concede the Great Seal of Desolation.