"Oh, so according to Deputy Chief Wuyao Civilization, Lu Yuan's mastery of the Way of the Sword Circle is inferior to that of the former Deputy Chief of the Sword Circle Civilization?" asked Deputy Chief Fengshang Civilization, who had long heard of the former Deputy Chief of the Sword Circle Civilization but had never witnessed his skills firsthand.

"No." Deputy Chief Wuyao Civilization shook his head. "I fought the former Deputy Chief of the Sword Circle Civilization back then. Though it was just a casual exchange, I have a rough idea of his depth. His Way of the Sword Circle is indeed remarkable, but it should be slightly inferior to Lu Yuan's. After all, the former Deputy Chief could only completely block attacks from opponents of the same rank. But Lu Yuan is currently facing two opponents simultaneously—Deputy Chief Miaodao Civilization is certainly a Three-Iron Rank, and Deputy Chief Miaogu Civilization's attack, though seeming like a Two-Era attack, is effectively Three-Era. To fend off both simultaneously with such a mastery of the Way of the Sword Circle surpasses the former Deputy Chief's."

"Lu Yuan, the student surpasses the master; truly an astonishing figure," Deputy Chief Wuyao Civilization praised. He truly had to praise this level of swordsmanship. The original Deputy Chief Wuyao Civilization had often heard others praise Lu Yuan's swordsmanship but hadn't taken it seriously before, considering fights below the Civilization Realm merely childish skirmishes. But now, witnessing Lu Yuan deploy the Way of the Sword Circle, realizing he surpassed the predecessor, he was profoundly moved.

At that moment, it wasn't only Deputy Chief Wuyao Civilization who was moved; many Deputy Chiefs were similarly affected. All possessed keen eyes, and among the Civilization Realm powerhouses, none could fail to recognize the profoundness of Lu Yuan's Way of the Sword Circle.

Those who had previously underestimated Lu Yuan dared not do so anymore. Even if Lu Yuan's other aspects of swordsmanship were mediocre, this single mastery of the Way of the Sword Circle alone was extraordinary. Furthermore, such brilliance in the Way of the Sword Circle suggested that his other sword techniques must also be exceptional, yet Lu Yuan was currently employing only the Way of the Sword Circle against Deputy Chief Miaodao Civilization and Deputy Chief Miaogu Civilization. His other skills remained unrevealed for now.

Of course, everyone else was diligently recording Lu Yuan's Way of the Sword Circle. In the entire expanse of the Civilization Realm, there were, in essence, only a few hundred Deputy Chiefs. With such a small number, the probability of encountering any one of them again was extremely high. Therefore, for every Civilization Realm expert, gathering comprehensive data on all others was critically important. Since Lu Yuan had entered the Civilization Realm, he was rightfully subject to data collection by the other experts.

With this single battle, Lu Yuan could make a name for himself within the Civilization Realm.

Lu Yuan's previous notion of making a name across the world was considered a joke in the Civilization Realm; few genuinely cared. But this current fight was different: this was Lu Yuan truly battling Civilization Realm experts, and doing so with flair. He could certainly earn renown within this exclusive circle.

Lu Yuan had achieved instant fame. As for Deputy Chief Miaodao Civilization and Deputy Chief Miaogu Civilization, they felt deeply humiliated. Two Civilization Realm experts joining forces against a newcomer who had just entered the realm, yet failing to subdue him after such a prolonged effort—how could they not feel disgraced? Moreover, their vital energy had depleted somewhat. While the Civilization Realm possessed vast reserves of power—enough that a battle demanding the energy equivalent of a hundred thousand years might not exhaust it if using techniques below the Civilization level—the expenditure in a Civilization-level confrontation was far faster. Their relentless assault had naturally consumed some of their power.

Lu Yuan was still defending, but he was now close to counterattacking, having largely mapped out the strengths and weaknesses of Deputy Chiefs Miaodao and Miaogu.

Just as Lu Yuan prepared to strike back, he suddenly realized something: perhaps he could use this opportunity to upgrade his Azure Saint Sword Dao. The concept of 'poison' was troublesome, immensely so, and the existence of the Poison Civilization made him regard this aspect as even more vexing. Since the Poison Civilization claimed mastery over all toxins, their methods must be extraordinary. Furthermore, the Poison Civilization was situated near the Ancient Desolation Civilization. If the Poison Civilization were to unleash its full destructive potential—imagine the horror if, during a decisive battle between the Central Heavenly Dynasty and its adversaries, the Poison Civilization managed to fell a large number of forces through their toxins.

The Ancient Desolation Civilization was preparing for the grand war; Lu Yuan was similarly preparing for the Central Heavenly Dynasty's ultimate conflict. Since preparation was necessary, he needed to contemplate how to counter the Poison Civilization. The only way to counteract poison was to continue developing and advancing the Azure Saint Sword Dao. This current fight presented an obvious chance to level up the Azure Saint Sword Dao. There were two avenues for enhancing the Azure Saint Sword Dao: one was absorbing the script of the Medicine Civilization, but he hadn't found any of their texts yet. The second method involved honing the Azure Saint Sword Dao through poison itself—constantly tempering it with various toxic lights was also a viable enhancement path.

Currently, among the swarm of Gu, there was one particularly potent creature: the Myriad Poison Gu. This Gu was fearsome; every time it attacked, Lu Yuan was forced to push his Way of the Sword Circle to its absolute limit while simultaneously activating the Azure Saint Sword Dao. If he could capture this Myriad Poison Gu, it would be incredibly beneficial.

Lu Yuan mused internally.

However, capturing the Myriad Poison Gu would not be easy. The Gu itself was not large and was hidden within the sea of insects, moving at high speed, making it extremely stealthy. Capturing it was no simple feat; if the Myriad Poison Gu, one of Deputy Chief Miaogu Civilization's signature tools, were so easy to seize, someone else would have claimed it long ago.

But he possessed a peculiar Wind Spirit. With a slight movement, Lu Yuan summoned the Wind Spirit, Gu Gu. Gu Gu was not strong; in fact, introducing it into a battle of this magnitude was quite dangerous, as any stray shockwave could obliterate it. Yet, Lu Yuan's swordsmanship was transcendent, his Way of the Sword Circle peerless, ensuring absolutely no residual energy touched Gu Gu.

He was struck by poison again! Even after reduction by the Way of the Sword Circle, the effect was terrifying. Lu Yuan looked at Gu Gu, who nodded, understanding Lu Yuan's intent: to track the essence of this very poison. Gu Gu immediately began tracking, while Lu Yuan simultaneously activated the Azure Saint Sword Dao, a flash of azure light peeling away the layer of poison.

Gu Gu started tracking immediately; Gu Gu's tracking ability was unmatched in the world!

Lu Yuan instantly pinpointed the Myriad Poison Gu's location and channeled his power, striking towards that area. Vast numbers of Gu insects perished under Lu Yuan's onslaught, but the Myriad Poison Gu had vanished, escaping with remarkable speed. The speed of this Gu was indeed extraordinary, but unfortunately for it, Lu Yuan was known as one of the foremost practitioners of speed. With a turn of his hand, the Meteor Immortal Sword was in his grasp, and his next move pierced the Myriad Poison Gu—though not fatally, he understood moderation. The Apex Divine Sword reformed into a perfect circle once more, enveloping the Myriad Poison Gu within it, then cloaked by the Azure Saint Sword Dao, before being tossed into his New Sword World.

Once inside the New Sword World, the Myriad Poison Gu instantly thrashed, attempting to break free. But the circular form possessed tremendous defensive power, and equally strong trapping capabilities. The Myriad Poison Gu could not burst out. It immediately unleashed various poisonous vapors, but the circle blocked the majority, while the smaller residual toxins were blocked or shattered by the Azure Saint Sword Dao. The Azure Saint Sword Dao immediately began undergoing the tempering process from the circle, constantly improving.

Excellent!

With the Myriad Poison Gu secured, he could slowly advance the Azure Saint Sword Dao. He wondered when the Azure Saint Sword Dao would finally upgrade to the Azure Civilization Sword Dao.

The disappearance of such a vital Gu poison naturally registered with Deputy Chief Miaogu Civilization. He was enraged by the loss of such an important asset, while Lu Yuan couldn't help but chuckle internally.

Lu Yuan was about to launch his counterattack when he suddenly noticed his sword light stuttering, pausing intermittently. What was happening? During these stutters, Lu Yuan felt an icy chill creeping over his entire body. What was this? At that precise moment, the attacks from Deputy Chief Miaodao Civilization and Deputy Chief Miaogu Civilization slammed into him. They exploited his momentary lapse to strike. Lu Yuan needed to seal the flaw immediately, and normally, rectifying such an issue wouldn't be difficult, but the pervasive icy coldness seemed to slow his movements by half a beat. Although Lu Yuan exerted himself, his right shoulder was struck by Deputy Chief Miaodao Civilization's blade edge. A massive wave of blade energy, like a mountain or an ocean, instantly permeated his body. The sheer volume of blade energy was staggering; Lu Yuan instantly felt that nearly half of his New Sword World was on the verge of annihilation under this assault. Damn it! This was a hallmark of Civilization Realm combat: the body and one's personal world were intrinsically linked, and attacks targeted both simultaneously; otherwise, such vast inflows of power would have nowhere to go. This was Lu Yuan's first serious injury since the battle began. He instantly sketched out another circle.

What was happening? Why was his whole body so cold?

Deputy Chiefs Miaodao and Miaogu Civilization certainly weren't going to grant Lu Yuan time to ponder. Their attacks descended again. If their assault landed now, Lu Yuan’s situation would become critically dangerous because he couldn't even fathom the cause of this profound ice chill or why his body lagged. Focusing all his attention, Lu Yuan finally perceived something within his body's meridians: something resembling icy, snowy insects, stiffening his structure. He had finally found the reason—this was why he felt as if he'd plunged into an ice bath, his entire body rigid.

Since they were Gu insects, this had to be the trick of Deputy Chief Miaogu Civilization.

While deflecting the dual assaults, Lu Yuan fixed his gaze on Deputy Chief Miaogu Civilization. "Your Gu?"

"It seems you noticed. Indeed, it is my Gu. I call this the Shadowless, Formless Ice Silk Teleporting Gu," Deputy Chief Miaogu Civilization sneered mysteriously. "This thing can instantly phase into your body. We were simply prolonging the engagement initially, waiting for the Shadowless, Formless Ice Silk Teleporting Gu to take effect."

"No wonder, so that's it." Lu Yuan finally understood why his Way of the Sword Circle, which blocked every incoming attack, still resulted in him being hit—this thing was intangible, formless, and capable of instantaneous travel.