Lu Changsheng's reputation had spread far and wide, exceeding all expectations. Within the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, he had already become a legend, and among the sect's Divine Fortification martial artists, he was regarded as something of an idol.

After what happened at Boundary Mountain, even the powerful figures of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect intervened, opening negotiations with the Yellow Heavenly Sect. However, the matter did not violate any established rules, so the Yellow Heavenly Sect showed no fear.

The exchanges between the two sides amounted to little more than verbal sparring, and neither side took concrete action.

What changed, quietly, was the relationship between the two sects. The tension that had already existed deepened into something harder and more brittle. When disciples from the two sects crossed paths, skirmishes broke out with increasing frequency, and some even ended with fatalities.

Several true inheritor disciples of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect went a step further and issued warnings to the Yellow Heavenly Sect, declaring that if anyone dared to target Lu Changsheng again, they would retaliate in kind against the Yellow Heavenly Sect's true inheritors.

These were bold threats, but they actually carried little weight. No one truly expected them to do that. Truth be told, if Lu Changsheng were to die, no one would go to war over it. A dead genius had no value, after all, only a living one had one.

***

Meanwhile, within the Yellow Heavenly Sect, a thunderous crash echoed from the depths of Xu Haotian's cave residence. The door to the secret chamber swung open, and Xu Haotian stepped out, his expression cold.

"My heart won't settle!"

Xu Haotian wanted to forge his Dao Foundation, but the final step proved far more difficult than he had expected. His Mind Space had reached ninety-three li, still short of the full hundred. The gap appeared small, but gaining the last seven li was extraordinarily difficult.

Truth be told, with his Mind Space at ninety-three li, he could already attempt to forge it, but there was a difference between "could" and "definitely. Xu Haotian had no intention of taking that risk. He did not want just a possibility; he wanted a guarantee.

The heart was a strange and mysterious thing. An unsettled heart could affect the forging of a Dao Foundation, and Xu Haotian knew exactly what was unsettling his heart—Lu Changsheng.

Lu Changsheng had killed Wu Qingyi and Long Yun. Worst of all, the Heart-Soothing Pearl, a treasure meant to quiet the mind and ease the very process he was struggling with, had fallen into Lu Changsheng's hands, serving the latter's cultivation instead.

As frustration and anger churned within Xu Haotian, the sound of footsteps came from behind him. An elderly man stepped into his cave residence. Xu Haotian immediately lowered his head in respect. "Master."

The elderly man stared at Xu Haotian, a trace of anger flickering across his face. "Still brooding over Lu Changsheng?"

Xu Haotian opened his mouth, but the elderly man did not give him a chance to respond. "Xu Haotian, you're a lost cause! Letting him disturb your heart to the point that it's affecting the forging of your Dao Foundation is simply foolish.

"If you had already forged your Dao Foundation, or advanced further, what could the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect possibly do? Would they risk offending a dignified Dao Foundation martial artist over one disciple? Of course not!

"So put him aside and focus on forging your Dao Foundation. Once you do that, you can kill him freely without worry."

The Dao Foundation was one of the most pivotal realms in all the Martial Dao. Once forged, a martial artist's Mind Space could manifest from illusion into reality, and at the same time, their strength, status, and standing would rise significantly.

It would not necessarily place them at the pinnacle of the Ancient Region, but it was enough to make them someone no one could afford to ignore. Xu Haotian had been striving toward this very path, but thanks to Lu Changsheng, his heart was disturbed, casting a shadow over the very breakthrough he sought.

Xu Haotian was silent for a moment, then lowered his head. "Master, please calm your anger and forgive my foolishness. But my foolishness is not completely without reason. You see, I have only one younger brother, and he died at Lu Changsheng's hands. So, until this grudge is settled, it will remain a thorn in my heart.

"I'm sure you know, when I attempt to forge my Dao Foundation and merge with the Mind Materialization Stone, I must pass a trial of the heart. With this unresolved hatred, I fear I will not succeed."

He looked up and met his master's gaze, saying, "Please, Master, guide me. How can I kill Lu Changsheng and pull out this thorn?"

To outsiders, Xu Haotian's obsession with killing Lu Changsheng seemed like nothing more than a matter of brotherhood, a desire to avenge Xu Haoran. But Xu Haoran's death was only a trigger. What truly drove Xu Haotian now was the fact that Lu Changsheng had unsettled his heart and cast a shadow over his path forward. His resolve to kill him was no longer just about vengeance, but about freeing himself.

The old man studied Xu Haotian for a while before letting out a slow sigh. "Very well. Since this is what stands in your way, you must resolve it yourself. I will allow you to descend the mountain and deal with it, but whether you live or die is no longer my concern."

Xu Haotian's expression hardened, then he bowed respectfully. "I will not disappoint you, Master."

Without another word, Xu Haotian turned and strode out of his cave residence, heading straight down the mountain.

***

Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, more than four months had passed. Inside Lu Changsheng's cave residence in the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, a faint ripple stirred. Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. Finally, four months...

This seclusion had been unusually long. He had almost never held himself in seclusion for this many months at a time. Without wasting time, he summoned his Status Panel to review his progress.

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Changsheng

Mind Space: 15 li

Perception: 5620 (Praised by All)

[Skills]

Heart Sword True Mantra: Progress 22% (Jade Heart Sword)

Metal Element Domain: Perfection

Wood Element Domain: Perfection

Water Element Domain: Perfection

Fire Element Domain: Perfection

Earth Element Domain: Perfection

His Mind Space had expanded to fifteen li. The additional five li of growth had come from the five Element Domains.

Finally! The five Element Domains have all reached Perfection!

After separating the Five Elements Domain and nurturing each Element Domain to Perfection, Lu Changsheng now had to fuse them back into a single, unified Domain. He had only ever theorized that it was possible, and whether that theory held true would be seen now.

He took a deep breath, and his Mind Space trembled violently with a buzz. Once, twice, three times, four times, five times. Five tremors in total, and the five Element Domains descended at once before materializing.

As the five Element Domains layered on top of each other, Lu Changsheng commanded the Element Domains through a single thought. Fuse!

The Five Elements Domains collided and intertwined, grinding against one another in an attempt to merge.

Boom!

Almost instantly, it was done. Lu Changsheng could feel that the five Element Domains had fused into a single Five Elements Domain. The fusion had succeeded without resistance.

A flicker of excitement danced across his face. It worked! The five Domains have really merged back into one! And the Five Elements Domain is far more powerful than ordinary unified Domains. The five elements reinforce one another, cycling endlessly... incredible!

Lu Changsheng could not be happier. The successful fusion of the five Element Domains confirmed what he had long suspected—separating Domains and fusing them back together was a viable method to discover new fused Domains.

Just as Lu Changsheng was getting fired up, something else caught his attention. My cave residence... it has been disturbed more than twenty times in the past four months. That's odd...

Most of those disturbances had occurred about a month ago, with twenty people repeatedly coming to find him. However, he did not have many close friends within the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, so there was no reason for so many to seek him out in such a short span of time. He could only guess that something major had to have happened while he was in seclusion.

Lu Changsheng immediately rose to his feet, wanting to leave his cave residence to find the answer. As soon as he stepped outside, a person hurried toward him.

"Senior Brother Lu, you're finally out of seclusion!" It was a steward from the True Inheritor Hall, slightly out of breath. "The elder wanted me to tell you that whatever you do, don't leave the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect. At the very least, don't go down the mountain for now."

"What do you mean?" Lu Changsheng asked. "Why am I being kept from going down the mountain?"

"It's Xu Haotian! He's at the foot of the mountain, blocking the sect's entrance. He wants to challenge you to a battle, and he declared that he'll stay until you show yourself. Some of our true inheritors couldn't tolerate his behavior and went to confront him, but every single one of them came back up defeated.

"The Elders have sent a request to the sect's most supreme true inheritor disciple for assistance. So, don't you worry, just stay here and let them take care of it. They won't allow Xu Hatian to continue behaving this way."

Lu Changsheng had truly become an icon within the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, and it was to the point that its elders were willing to dispatch their most supreme true inheritor disciples to defend him.

If they could send a Dao Foundation expert, they would have done so, but under these circumstances, Dao Foundation experts would not intervene. After all, this was merely a conflict between Divine Treasury disciples, and Xu Haotian had not provoked the sect itself. Without proper justification, the Dao Foundation experts had no grounds to step in.

The steward's words made Lu Changsheng pause in thought. So, Xu Haotian has decided to come all the way to the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect to squat at the gate. This man has no regard for the sect's true inheritor disciples... How audacious!

He looked back at the steward and said with calm determination, "Blocking the sect's gate... Xu Haotian certainly has some nerve. Let's go take a look."

"Senior Brother Lu, you..."

"It's fine." Lu Changsheng shook his head. "I'm only going to see for myself. Besides, are we supposed to let him run wild just because the supreme true inheritors have yet to return and assist us?"

Before the steward could say anything else, Lu Changsheng turned and headed straight toward the foot of the mountain.