When the Six Ultimate Techniques of the Son of the Wasteland were unleashed on the grand battlefield of the Central Heavenly Dynasty, they were overwhelmingly magnificent, unmatched, and astonishing to behold.

But now, Lu Yuan possessed two hundred and twenty-two Ultimate Techniques, far surpassing that level.

In truth, Lu Yuan had not merely surpassed that number; he had long since blown past any single predecessor. Even Ancestral Dragon’s one hundred and eleven were left far behind, and the Sovereigns of other civilizations were beaten by countless leagues. This count of two hundred and twenty-two Ultimate Techniques actually had a specific origin.

First, the Straightforward and Unyielding—the way of the Sword.

One hundred and eleven represented the Sword of Swords, the Monarch of Swords. Under normal circumstances, the true limit for a Monarch of the Sword was one hundred and eleven.

Yet, Lu Yuan was the Genius of Eternity. Geniuses of Eternity each had their specializations: Ancestral Dragon excelled at creation, while Lu Yuan excelled at learning. Thus, the one hundred and eleven doubled, resulting in two hundred and twenty-two. This was the reason for Lu Yuan’s two hundred and twenty-two Ultimate Techniques. Lu Yuan was content; a person should be content to be happy, and two hundred and twenty-two Ultimate Techniques were more than enough.

Having spent time continuously studying the Ultimate Techniques, maintaining the Myriad Phenomena of the Forest Sword Dao was quite draining, especially mentally. Lu Yuan summoned a gourd of wine from the void and began to sip it with great relish. This was Spirit-Soothing Wine, mild in nature, used to relax the nerves.

After finishing his studies, Lu Yuan descended from the eighth floor.

On the first floor, he encountered the Sovereign of the First Civilization. Seeing Lu Yuan emerge, the Sovereign could not help but ask, “What? Finished studying? Not studying anymore?”

Lu Yuan waved his hand. “Yes, finished. Not studying anymore. Learning was a bit tiring.” With that, he walked away with graceful nonchalance, exiting the Technique Pavilion.

The Sovereign of the First Civilization frowned deeply upon seeing this. Lu Yuan had spent an incredibly short amount of time inside the Technique Pavilion. On the first floor, he only lingered momentarily before exiting each door, and it seemed he had done the same for every subsequent level. Calculating the total time, Lu Yuan must not have learned a single Ultimate Technique.

Lu Yuan was indeed a Genius of Eternity, but wasn't his specialization too narrow? Was his talent completely absent in techniques? He hadn't mastered a single Ultimate Technique.

Then Lu Yuan’s actual combat power as a Genius of Eternity couldn't be that high, could it?

At that moment, Lu Yuan was heading toward the moon, landing softly upon its surface.

On the moon, Chang’e stood with her hands clasped behind her back.

A silver lunar halo formed a backdrop to Chang’e, mysterious, noble, and powerful.

Her silver hair moved with the breeze; her solitary and slightly diminished silhouette held a touch of cool, unadorned elegance.

Chang’e suddenly turned her head. “So soon?”

Lu Yuan nodded. “Yes, so soon.”

Chang’e looked at Lu Yuan. “Then how many Ultimate Techniques did you learn? The time was so short; you couldn't have only learned three or five, making yourself a laughingstock, could you?”

Lu Yuan rested his sword on his shoulder. “You can test it out and see for yourself. Though I didn't learn a huge number, making myself a laughingstock, perhaps.”

“Very well. I will limit my power to the level of Ten Epochs and fight you again, to see how many Ultimate Techniques you managed to learn in such a brief time. I hope you don't disappoint me.” Her silver hair danced, and her slender hand shot toward Lu Yuan. In that single palm strike, she contained over thirty Ultimate Techniques, imbued with countless profound mysteries. Simultaneously, knowing Lu Yuan was not one to avoid conflict, she showed no mercy as hundreds of silver strands transformed into hundreds of directions, striking at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan laughed heartily, instantly drawing out his Immortal Sustaining Sword. He engaged Chang’e in battle, unleashing thirty-three Ultimate Techniques right from the start.

Chang’e could not help but startle. “Oh, so you originally had twelve Ultimate Techniques, and now you've learned twenty-one? Learning twenty-one Ultimate Techniques in such a short time—remarkable. It seems you’ve met the basic requirement.”

Lu Yuan’s sword light struck forward. “Only met the requirement?” He then struck with another sword intent, this one carrying forty-five Ultimate Techniques.

Chang’e was suddenly shocked. “Forty-five Ultimate Techniques? You learned thirty-three techniques in that short time? Impossible!” Her cherry lips parted slightly in astonishment.

“No.”

“No? You had more than twelve Ultimate Techniques earlier?” Chang’e breathed a sigh of relief, patting her chest.

“Wrong. I only knew twelve Ultimate Techniques before. But what I learned in the Technique Pavilion this time is far more than just thirty-three Ultimate Techniques.” Lu Yuan smiled faintly. “Watch this sword strike of mine; see how many Ultimate Techniques it contains.” Lu Yuan thrust his sword out suddenly.

This was the most terrifying sword strike Lu Yuan had ever employed regarding technique. Lu Yuan now realized that merging all the Ultimate Techniques for an attack was vastly, overwhelmingly superior to using just twelve. This feeling, saturated with pure power, was simply breathtaking. Amidst booming roars, it carried absolute detonation, undescribable by any adjective. Whether King, Emperor, Sovereign, Saint, God, Immortal, Heaven, or Earth—none could describe this sword. It was a sword of ultimate inclusion.

Chang’e watched with intense concentration.

Fifty-five!

No, seventy-five!

One hundred!

No, one hundred and thirty! Impossible! I must be seeing things. Ancestral Dragon, a Genius of Eternity, only achieved one hundred and eleven Ultimate Techniques. Lu Yuan couldn't possibly be stronger. But then he reconsidered: Ancestral Dragon was a Genius of Eternity, and Lu Yuan was also a Genius of Eternity; both belonged to the same echelon, so perhaps there was no absolute limit that couldn't be broken.

Chang’e was beginning to accept it, but immediately found herself unable to reconcile it. Within Lu Yuan’s sword strike, the Ultimate Techniques were continuously rising: one hundred and fifty, one hundred and seventy, one hundred and ninety, two hundred and ten, two hundred and twenty-two Ultimate Techniques.

Finally, it stopped!

At this moment, Chang’e, a Sovereign of the highest echelon who had witnessed countless scenes across heaven and earth, had her cherry lips parted wider than ever. Her perfectly red lips were filled with shock, and her usually exquisite, bright eyes were filled with sheer bewilderment. She was genuinely stunned. Ancestral Dragon’s one hundred and eleven limits were shocking enough, but Lu Yuan had exaggerated by producing two hundred and twenty-two limits. Could it be that Lu Yuan stood a chance of surpassing the top five, Ancestral Dragon, in the future? Ancestral Dragon could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Sovereigns of the Instant Civilization and the Undying Civilization. Chang’e closed her lips after a long moment; that had been quite undignified—Chang’e usually paid great attention to her image. With a slight gesture of her hands, she exuded infinite grace. Although Chang’e still appeared as a young girl, every casual movement captivated the eye and stirred the heart.

Chang’e regarded Lu Yuan with a gaze full of profound curiosity. “How did you do that?”

“I just did it. I can learn others' techniques easily,” Lu Yuan said with a shrug.

“Chang’e, let us fight once more, still ten Epochs against ten Epochs.” Lu Yuan shouted loudly, already launching the first attack. Chang’e tirelessly defended against Lu Yuan’s onslaught, and instantly, sword shadows and silver strands intertwined again. This was the third clash between Lu Yuan and Chang’e, and Lu Yuan’s sword momentum in this encounter was terrifying.

Two hundred and twenty-two Ultimate Techniques converged into a single sword strike. Facing such might, Chang’e unleashed her full power, sending thousands of silver threads shooting out instantly. However, these thousands of threads were forcefully repelled when they met Lu Yuan’s swordsmanship. Chang’e channeled her strongest magic to defend, but against two hundred and twenty-two Ultimate Techniques, she was completely unable to contend.

There was no choice. Seeing defeat imminent, Chang’e activated the power of Eleven Epochs. Her silver strands immediately became more formidable, often gaining the upper hand when directly clashing with Lu Yuan’s sword. This fierce exchange continued, a clash between sword techniques and silver threads, but as they fought, Chang’e found herself gradually pushed onto the defensive again. Despite employing various countermeasures, she could not turn the tide of the battle and was slowly but surely heading toward defeat.

Having no other option, Chang’e next unleashed the power of Twelve Epochs. Once her cultivation reached Twelve Epochs, she could once again suppress Lu Yuan with ease.

Bang!

The silver strands and the sword collided again. Lu Yuan retreated a thousand zhang, while Chang’e only fell back a mere hundred zhang.

Although Chang’e held the advantage, her expression was one of utter disbelief. She had needed the full power of Twelve Epochs to defeat the Ten Epochs power of Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan smiled faintly. “You said before that past the level of Civilization Sovereign, no one could defeat an opponent who was one small realm higher, no exceptions. But today, I proved you wrong. Legend says limits are left for people to break.” Lu Yuan’s words were mild.

Lu Yuan had truly shattered records again.

Originally, the highest recorded limit for Ultimate Techniques was Ancestral Dragon’s one hundred and eleven. The two previous Geniuses of Eternity had existed for so many epochs that their names were lost, let alone their records.

Now, Lu Yuan had broken another record. Relying on two hundred and twenty-two Ultimate Techniques, Lu Yuan forcefully managed to defeat an opponent one small realm higher even at the level of Civilization Sovereign—something previously deemed unimaginable.

Chang’e helplessly covered her forehead, an action that nonetheless possessed considerable grace. “Forget it. For a Genius of Eternity like you, anything is possible.” She felt she had been shocked into numbness.

“At this level of Civilization Sovereign, there is only one thing to teach, and that is this matter of Ultimate Techniques. Now I have finished teaching. You have passed beyond my expectations; you have cleared my requirement,” Chang’e stated. “Your current combat strength can defeat someone at Eleven Epochs without issue, but do not forget that in the Eternal Star Domain, there are individuals with the magic power of Nineteen Epochs. Therefore, you must remain extremely cautious and never be careless.”

Lu Yuan nodded. “I understand.” It was like reaching the finish line of a race; one must not stumble now.

“In the future, do not disappoint Yu Tu Zhong Ling.” This sudden remark from Chang’e put immense pressure on Lu Yuan, who was naturally unsuited for such matters.

(Second update delivered.)