Heading directly toward the Fa Gu Civilization, he suddenly spotted a figure ahead.

It was an elder with white hair and a white beard, slightly stooped. This elder wore a white robe, possessed a benevolent expression, and exuded an aura of medicine—an incomparably soothing, medicinal fragrance. Even an expert of the Great Dao Realm standing near this elder for a moment would absorb this medicinal power and continuously enhance their strength.

Medicine!

Between Heaven and Earth, there was only medicine!

The mere presence of this elder gave the impression of standing within a realm of medicine, a world composed entirely of healing substances, as if countless rare medicinal herbs, ones that seldom appeared in ten thousand years, were blooming around him.

Lu Yuan made a quick comparison with the memories stored in his mind and instantly confirmed the elder's identity: "Vice-Lord of the Medicine Civilization?"

The white-haired, white-bearded, benevolent elder in white nodded: "Indeed, it is I."

"Greetings to the esteemed Vice-Lord of the Medicine Civilization, Senior," Lu Yuan clasped his hands and spoke. Lu Yuan was now mostly at ease, as the Medicine Civilization was a part of the Fa Wu Alliance, placing them on the same side.

"No need for such ceremony," the Vice-Lord of the Medicine Civilization said lightly. "Some time ago, while cultivating the Great Dao of Medicine, I divined a heavenly secret, realizing that another formidable figure had emerged within the Dao of Medicine. Recently, I heard that the Strongest Squad was pursuing you, and that the fifth member of the Strongest Assassination Squad, the Vice-Lord of the Poison Absolute Civilization, failed to subdue you with his portable poison. This piqued my curiosity, so I came to meet you."

"To put it plainly," the Vice-Lord of the Medicine Civilization cut to the chase, "I am here to exchange insights with you regarding the art of neutralizing poison." The Vice-Lord of the Medicine Civilization of the Holy Hall had always specialized in the Great Dao of Medicine and was fundamentally a researcher. He understood at least sixty to seventy percent of all known methods for unraveling poisons within the Central Heavenly Dynasty. Hearing that Lu Yuan, who was completely unrelated to the Medicine Civilization, had broken the poison mastery of the Vice-Lord of the Poison Absolute Civilization, and then sensing the subtle emergence of the Dao of Illumination, spurred his curiosity to seek Lu Yuan out for a mutual exchange.

This so-called exchange meant he would present his insights on breaking poison, and Lu Yuan would present his own, allowing both parties to benefit greatly from the discussion.

It was similar to Lu Yuan’s exchange with the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden previously: she taught him the Nine Heavens Gale Art and the Nine Heavens Wind Concealment Art, while Lu Yuan taught her Sword Nine, the Sword of Seven Emotions, and some of Gu Gu’s methods for wind tracking.

Such academic exchanges were inherently beneficial to both sides.

Of course, there were challenges—the primary hurdle being whether both parties could transcend the limitations of their established schools of thought.

The concept of "transcending established schools" sounds simple to overcome, but in reality, most individuals remain trapped by these barriers, finding it exceedingly difficult to break free.

As for Lu Yuan, the foundation of his Azure Civilization Sword Dao stemmed from Yan Cangtian, initially taught as the Azure Emperor Sword Dao. It later advanced to the Azure Saint Sword Dao, and finally, Lu Yuan painstakingly elevated it to the Azure Civilization Sword Dao. Therefore, the Azure Civilization Sword Dao was essentially founded by Lu Yuan. He had discussed this with Yan Cangtian, who had indeed advanced to the Azure Saint Sword Dao but only managed to reach the Azure Civilization Sword Dao after Lu Yuan pointed out and imparted crucial secrets. Thus, ownership of the Azure Civilization Sword Dao rightfully belonged to Lu Yuan.

The Vice-Lord of the Medicine Civilization, similarly, had founded the Medicine Civilization himself; the Great Dao of Medicine was essentially his creation, granting him ownership over it.

Consequently, in this exchange, both individuals could easily discard the preconceptions associated with their respective domains, sharing their knowledge and reaping substantial mutual benefits.

The Vice-Lord of the Medicine Civilization presented a volume titled The True Scripture of the Medicine Dao. Lu Yuan flipped through it briefly and discovered it was replete with profound truths. This True Scripture of the Medicine Dao held immense value for him. Lu Yuan was almost immediately immersed in the world contained within the scripture, feeling that the benefits were inexhaustible. (《》7* This True Scripture of the Medicine Dao genuinely contained many highly useful principles. Lu Yuan could leverage it to greatly enhance his Azure Civilization Sword Dao. Although his previous iteration of the sword dao managed to counter the portable poison of the Vice-Lord of the Poison Absolute Civilization, that was because the latter was attacking remotely, limiting his deployment of many techniques. Had all his abilities been fully unleashed, Lu Yuan might not have survived. Now, armed with the insights from the True Scripture of the Medicine Dao, Lu Yuan was certain that even if the Vice-Lord of the Poison Absolute Civilization used every skill he possessed in a direct confrontation, Lu Yuan would not fear him in the slightest and could completely neutralize the threat.

Lu Yuan also began mentally charting the progress of his Azure Civilization Sword Dao: against the portable poison, it was at the Minor Accomplishment stage. Now, with the True Scripture of the Medicine Dao, after a period of dedicated study, it could reach the Moderate Accomplishment stage, followed by Major Accomplishment, and finally, the Apex. Once he reached the Apex, across all heavens, all lands, and countless epochs, no one would ever poison him again.

Of course, for the present moment, his Azure Civilization Sword Dao remained at Minor Accomplishment.

Furthermore, the True Scripture of the Medicine Dao served a purpose beyond just poison neutralization for Lu Yuan. It was crucial for establishing his own Sword Civilization. A civilization cannot exist without artifacts and medicinal resources; these are necessities. Artifacts could be acquired through trade with the Artifact Civilization, with whom he already maintained an excellent relationship. As for medicinal resources, this True Scripture of the Medicine Dao would allow him to cultivate numerous essential herbs.

The Vice-Lord of the Medicine Civilization was not in a hurry. "This True Scripture of the Medicine Dao actually only records fifty percent of its content; it is not the complete ten parts. Certain secret teachings, I cannot share. Similarly, you only need to share fifty percent of your method."

Lu Yuan nodded: "That sounds fair." Lu Yuan generously offered fifty percent of his Azure Civilization Sword Dao. Neither was foolishly generous; retaining some trump cards during an exchange was only natural.

The Vice-Lord of the Medicine Civilization began studying Lu Yuan's Azure Civilization Sword Dao, immediately noting that the underlying philosophy was starkly different from his own usual approach. He became deeply engrossed, remaining silent for a long time. He, too, understood that he had gained significant benefits from this transaction; such exchanges were meant to be mutually advantageous.

After a considerable period, the Vice-Lord of the Medicine Civilization finally spoke: "Although your Azure Civilization Sword Dao is only fifty percent, it has benefited me immensely. Very well, I will give you an additional Heavenly Sandalwood Heavenly Fragrance Medicine King Pearl."

The Heavenly Sandalwood Heavenly Fragrance Medicine King Pearl was no ordinary treasure.

What was its function?

This object could generate vast amounts of spiritual energy constantly, available for cultivation, regardless of the user's specific elemental attribute. If that were its only benefit, it would still be extraordinary. Ordinarily, consuming too many pills can destabilize a practitioner’s foundation, but elixirs produced using the spiritual energy from this pearl ensured absolutely no foundation instability. The ability to stabilize the foundation while consuming medicinal aids was practically heaven-defying. In the entire Central Heavenly Dynasty, items with similar capabilities numbered no more than three—no, only two.

This was precisely why the Heavenly Sandalwood Heavenly Fragrance Medicine King Pearl was so incredibly precious. Though it held little direct use for those at the Civilization Realm, it was invaluable for nurturing the younger generation. The Vice-Lord of the Medicine Civilization felt that Lu Yuan’s Azure Civilization Sword Dao offered him too profound an advantage, hence the bestowal of this pearl.

Lu Yuan naturally accepted it; there was no need for politeness now. The pearl was roughly the size of a dragon’s eye, intermittently flashing white light and emitting an aromatic fragrance. It felt exceptionally comfortable to hold, and spiritual energy constantly flowed into his body. While this energy was negligible for a Civilization Realm expert, it was quite beneficial for a World Realm practitioner. Ah, another wedding gift secured.

Lu Yuan mused inwardly. He was never hesitant regarding gifts meant for the wedding. The gifts were technically for the Fa Gu Civilization, but the recipient was truly Yun Xiuxue. Since Yun Xiuxue was marrying into his family, this gift was effectively transferring from his left hand to his right; it was merely a necessary formality.

Lu Yuan offered his respects and took his leave from the Vice-Lord of the Medicine Civilization, concluding their academic discourse.

After bidding farewell, Lu Yuan proceeded directly toward the Fa Gu World, expecting a smooth journey.

However, Lu Yuan soon realized he was mistaken.

Midway, two separate incidents occurred, both of which resulted in him gaining two distinct advantages. These events were resolved with extreme speed and did not impede Lu Yuan's progress as he flew rapidly toward the Fa Gu World.

...

After continuous flight, he finally reached the Fa Gu World. As soon as he entered, the guards at the gate—every one of whom knew him—greeted him cheerfully, "Fourth Consort! Hand over the wedding candies!" Lu Yuan froze momentarily. He had prepared everything else, but he completely forgot the wedding candies. Showing remarkable adaptability, Lu Yuan quickly responded: "I arrived too swiftly today and forgot the preparation. Please accept these Heavenly-Tier Spirit Stones as compensation." Lu Yuan distributed a hundred Heavenly-Tier Spirit Stones to each guard. Lu Yuan possessed over two hundred veins of these stones, each containing hundreds of thousands of pieces; for him, a hundred stones were trivial, but for the guards, a hundred Heavenly-Tier Spirit Stones represented a substantial sum. These guards, who had merely asked for candy, ended up receiving a hundred Heavenly-Tier Spirit Stones each, causing them immense joy. "Thank you, Fourth Consort! Thank you, Fourth Consort!" Everyone was delighted, as this was indeed a day of great celebration for the Fa Gu World.

The moment Lu Yuan entered the Fa Gu World, the First Imperial Son of Fa walked toward him, laughing heartily. He clapped Lu Yuan on the chest: "Lu Yuan, I hear your recent achievements have been excellent, especially surviving the pursuit by the Strongest Assassination Squad—something even I might not have managed. Well done."

"You must not treat my fourth sister lightly now that she is yours."

Lu Yuan smiled: "How could I possibly treat her lightly? My affections are sworn to Heaven and Earth."

The First Imperial Son of Fa actually knew this well. Currently, Lu Yuan was entangled in emotional complexities with only three individuals, which was quite rare for someone at the Civilization Realm.