My disciples are all villains.

However, Pan Zhong and Zhou Jifeng merely hesitated for a second. They knew their places. Both of them were like brothers in the same boat. They gave each other a motivating glance and walked over.

When they walked up to Yu Shangrong, Pan Zhong said, "I'm sorry, Mister Second."

To a cultivator who pursued the path of the sword to its extremes, his sword was nothing less than his own life. Yu Shangrong would never agree to this.

"Master, please! Anything but my sword!" Yu Shangrong fell to his knees again. He stabbed the Longevity Sword to the ground.

The others gasped. They did not expect the proud Yu Shangrong would act so humbly because of his sword. However, they recalled the person who had taught Yu Shangrong everything was his master after all. Lu Zhou was more than deserving of this humble display.

Pan Zhong and Zhou Jifeng did not dare to wrestle the sword from Yu Shangrong. They only looked at him helplessly, at a loss over what to do. They turned to look at Lu Zhou and waited for further instructions. If push came to shove, they would… they would take it by force.

Indeed, a sword was important, but it did not warrant such a huge reaction.

Lu Zhou looked at the kneeling Yu Shangrong and said, "You rely on your Longevity Sword too much, so much so that your progress with the sword has stagnated."

Yu Shangrong looked at the ground as he said, "My sword path isn't limited by my weapon but by my Golden Lotus! Master, please! Anything but my sword." Based on his voice, it was clear that his emotions were agitated.

Lu Zhou looked at Yu Shangrong and said, "I'll give you another chance. If you can best me, you can keep the sword."

The others shook their heads. How was Yu Shangrong supposed to best Lu Zhou? The gap between them was like an uncrossable chasm. This was not a chance at all. It was just another way to reject Yu Shangrong.

Yu Shangrong looked at his Longevity Sword. He wielded it. His current feelings were no different from what Duanmu Sheng felt a moment ago. He knew he would fail, but he had to try anyway. He charged with his sword in hand. He used the simplest and most precise moves as he charged forward at lightning speed.

Without the use of Primal Qi, it was a competition of techniques.

Yu Shangrong stabbed the sword forward.

Lu Zhou struck the flat of the blade with his palm.

Stab, strike.

Stab, hit, point, lift, hack.

Yu Shangrong unleashed all the possible moves that he could think of. His movements were a blur. With just his movements alone, he stirred up a gentle breeze. He appeared confident and graceful. The Guiyuan Sword Technique's sutra surfaced in his mind at this moment.

At first, the sword was like a shadow. Then, it was like the wind. In the end, it was like a tempest.

Lu Zhou remained calm as he struck with his palm. It was as if he had personally experienced the 1,000 years of cultivation in his memories. Since he was the one who taught Yu Shangrong the Guiyuan Sword Technique, he was, naturally, not inferior to Yu Shangrong in this regard. On top of that, he knew about the advantages of the various cultivation methods. He knew which properties to keep and to discard. Although he was old, he moved much nimbly compared to people his age.

Yu Shangrong was quick, but Lu Zhou was quicker.

When Yu Shangrong slowed down, Lu Zhou slowed down as well.

Every strike of Lu Zhou's palm hit the blade of the Longevity Sword.

The fight caused a loud commotion.

The others shook their heads. They could not help but sigh.

"The pavilion master knows the Guiyuan Sword Technique too well. Mister Second's every move is under the pavilion master's control."

The others nodded in agreement.

Clearly, Lu Zhou's understanding of the Guiyuan Sword Technique was not inferior to Yu Shangrong. Although Lu Zhou did not counterattack, he managed to nullify all of Yu Shangrong's advances.

"Mister Second lost the moment he attacked…" Hua Wudao said with a sigh, "He's no match for the pavilion master's skills to begin with. Now, his aura, confidence, and attitude are all suppressed. He's not as sharp as he's supposed to be."

Bam!

Lu Zhou steeled himself this time. He exerted more force and landed a heavy blow on the blade.

Yu Shangrong lost his grip and the sword fell out of his hand. It dropped onto the ground with a loud clang.

The battle ended.

Lu Zhou retracted his palm. He placed his hands on his back and looked at the Longevity Sword indifferently.

The Cave of Reflection was silent.

Although this was only a battle without Primal Qi, Lu Zhou had won with his technique. Even if he was given the use of his Primal Qi, Yu Shangrong did not stand a chance if this had been a battle to the death. The pavilion master could even seal his cultivation base. What other methods could Yu Shangrong use against him?

Yu Shangrong's pride was further crushed.

"Master, the Enter and Return Three Soul… Did you hold back?" Yu Shangrong asked.

"You still have a long way to go… from being accomplished in your sword path," Lu Zhou stroked his beard and waved his sleeve as he said, "It's the same for Yu Zhenghai as well."

Yu Shangrong. "…"

The loser would have to submit to the victor. There were no excuses for losing. Everything a victor said was right.

However, Lu Zhou could tell Yu Shangrong was unwilling to accept this. Therefore, he said, "The Return and Enter Three Soul. It has the origin radiance, majestic spirit, and the nether essence. The origin radiance is in the power of the body; the majestic spirit resides in the will and soul while the nether essence is neither dead nor alive. On the path of Wuji, the soul is Yin while the body is Yang."

At this juncture, Yu Shangrong said, "I know that by heart." He was still proud. He took pride in remembering all of these things.

Nobody doubted Yu Shangrong. After all, not many were capable of reaching the heights he did on the sword path.

"Since you're unwilling to accept this, I'll show you what the real sword path is like." Lu Zhou suddenly remembered everything he had learned before he transmigrated. Both of his memories have reached harmony before he even realized it. This merge… gave him new insights on cultivation. Yu Shangrong was too proud. If he could not reduce that pride, he would surely pay for it in the future.

After muttering to himself for some time, Lu Zhou stroked his beard and calmly said, "The highest point of the sword path is besting a sword with none."

'Besting a sword with none?'

Let alone the others who were present, even Yu Shangrong was puzzled by these words.

Duanmu Sheng, on the other hand, suddenly remembered what he saw when the barrier shattered. His master had personally demonstrated the Imperfect Divine Intervention's sword path to him. Back then, he did not completely understand what his master was trying to show him. Hence, he listened to this more seriously than the others.

There were also the three elders of the Old Age Pavilion. They were instantly invigorated. They wanted to listen to what the pavilion master had to say.

The others did not dare to breathe loudly. They hoped they would be able to gain some insight from this.

Lu Zhou said, "There are three levels of the sword. The first level is the commoner's sword that everyone, from the average cutlass to the princes, can use. It's nothing but a competition of cruelty and flashiness. The second level is the saint's sword. Bravery serves as its edge, loyalty as its core, and the sword path as its tip. The third level is the king's sword. Nations serve as its edge, the seas and mountains as its sharpness. It activates the Five Elements, opens with Yin and Yang, wields spring and summer, moves with autumn and winter. It's peerless, and the world bends its knee to it. This is the same for the saber…"

Everyone was silent as they listened attentively.

Lu Zhou's voice was the only sound in the area. 

"This is the Daoist view of things… You're using the sword path as your tip. That's the second level, at most."

A complicated expression appeared on Yu Shangrong's face. Based on these words, since his Eldest Senior Brother, Yu Zhenghai, wanted to reign over the lands, did this mean his senior brother's saber was on the third level?

Lu Zhou saw the change in Yu Shangrong's expression. He knew what was in Yu Shangrong's mind. He said, "Yu Zhenghai wishes to use the nation as his edge and make the lands bow before him. However… he does not possess the ability yet. At most, he's on the second level."

Yu Shangrong's curiosity was immediately piqued. He asked, "Who's on the third level, then?"