Seeking immortality begins with daily intelligence reports.

"A sword fanatic?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shen's gaze shifted slightly.

If it is this title, then Yun Yan's guess is most likely correct, but this is not good news for him.

Li Shen has dabbled in drawing talismans, refining pills, and setting up formations since he began cultivating, but when it comes to swordsmanship, he has only learned a little bit of the basic principles of swordsmanship from the "Cloud Crane Sword Manual".

It is difficult to break through the formation with a sword.

But Li Shen had no intention of backing down because of this. Although the test was swordsmanship, it was ultimately a formation.

If we can find a way around it and find some shortcuts, then it won't be a problem.

As his thoughts raced, Li Shen had a vague idea in mind, but daydreaming was pointless; he needed to reach the mountaintop and gather more information to verify it.

Let's keep going.

He suppressed his thoughts and was the first to walk out of the cave.

Taking advantage of the beautiful spring weather, the four of them quickened their pace.

The seasons continue to turn, and the scorching heat of summer is so intense that even finding a cave to take refuge in is of no use.

The four of them had no choice but to endure it. In order not to delay their journey, Li Shen had to let Yun Yan and the other two stay closer to him, relying on the cold air emanating from the Ice Jade Marrow to resist some of the heat waves and continue on their way.

Summer has passed and autumn has arrived. Temperatures have returned to normal, and the mountaintops are now faintly visible.

"Thank you for your help, fellow Daoist."

Yun Yan thanked him, and Li Shen put away the Ice Jade Marrow, waved his hand, and replied calmly:

"We've been delayed in the cave for quite a while, let's hurry on our way."

Yun Yan nodded slightly, wisely refraining from asking further questions, and quickened her pace.

After walking a little further, snowflakes began to fall, but Li Shen and his companions had already reached the mountaintop.

The moment I stepped onto the mountaintop, the snowflakes that had just begun to fall vanished.

Before you is a wide platform, and not far ahead is a tall stone gate, which is embedded in a mountain wall.

Several figures were already waiting in front of the stone gate.

Some of them were people Li Shen knew, and some were people he didn't know.

Li Shen's heart sank, and with a sense of vigilance, he followed Yun Yan and the other two over.

"Gentlemen, they've arrived."

As soon as the four arrived, Umoku Taku greeted them with a smile, fanning himself with a folding fan.

His two female cultivators in black and the beast-like boy followed behind.

Of the fellow disciples he had rescued before, only that female cultivator remained.

He followed at the back of the group, looking visibly shaken.

Li Shen glanced at her discreetly, showing no concern for the whereabouts of the other two, but this only made him more wary of the ever-smiling Ebony Prince.

He didn't join in the pleasantries between Yun Yan and Wu Mutuo, but looked at the unfamiliar faces in front of the stone gate.

The first thing that catches the eye is a male sword cultivator dressed in white.

The man stood with his sword on his back, his aura sharp and fierce, indicating he was also at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

His brows exuded a distant and unapproachable air, and he didn't even lift his eyelids when Li Shen and the others arrived.

Beside the sword cultivator stood an old man in yellow robes, with white hair and beard, a hunched back, and a dark wooden staff of indistinguishable material.

The old man smiled and glanced at Li Shen and the other three. When his gaze finally landed on Yun Yan, he paused for a moment before casually looking away.

Further to the right, there is a couple.

The man was dressed in a blue robe, with a handsome face and a fine jade pendant hanging at his waist. He exuded a composed demeanor and was clearly a scion of an extraordinary family.

The woman beside him was beautiful, and with a hint of anger in her eyes, she was arguing with the man.

As she spoke, the woman glanced at Yun Yan from time to time, her lips slightly pursed, as if comparing herself to Yun Yan.

Including the four of them, there were a total of four groups of people present.

Wu Mutuo is one group, the white-robed swordsman and the yellow-robed old man are probably on the same side, and the blue-robed man and woman are on another side.

Those who have made it this far are all capable, and must act with utmost caution.

Li Shen withdrew his gaze, having made up his mind.

After Wu Mutuo and Yun Yan discussed the information about the stone gate, Li Shen then interjected.

The group walked to the stone gate. Wu Mu Tuo closed his folding fan and pointed to the stone gate, saying:

We've been studying the restrictions on this stone gate for most of the day. It's not an ordinary sealing formation; it seems to require a certain level of sword intent. I wonder if any of you, Fellow Daoist Yun, are sword cultivators among us?

As soon as he finished speaking, the eyes of several people nearby all turned to him.

Yun Yan shook her head, her tone quite helpless:

"I am not well-versed in swordsmanship and cannot be called a swordsman. If I had to say, Qingluo is alright."

As she spoke, Yun Yan looked at Li Shen.

Li Shen also shook his head:

"I only have a very basic understanding."

After speaking, Li Shen turned his gaze to the stone gate.

The engravings are interwoven and vary in depth, likely caused by the sword energy used by previous cultivators who came here.

Behind these sword marks, one can discern some kind of array pattern.

Li Shen narrowed his eyes slightly, pondering, when he heard the old man in yellow lightly tap the ground with his wooden cane, producing a dull thud that drew everyone's attention.

"It seems that only this young friend I brought here has the ability to break this formation. Then we should set the rules after breaking through the gate."

As he spoke, he strolled to the stone gate, where the white-robed swordsman stood beside him, his eyes filled with disdain.

As soon as he finished speaking, the man in blue frowned and asked:

"What do you mean by that, senior?"

"The meaning is very simple."

The old man in the yellow shirt stroked his beard and smiled:

"After breaking the seal, we should be the first to choose 40% of what's inside."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed.

"There are thirteen people present. The two seniors want to take forty percent? That's quite an appetite."

The female cultivator beside the man in blue robes immediately let out a cold laugh.

The old man in the yellow robe wasn't annoyed; he simply said slowly:

"Without us, no one can get through this door."

His gaze swept over everyone present, lingering briefly on Yun Yan and Li Shen, who were the last to arrive, before he continued:

"You all have come this far, and I'm sure none of you want to leave empty-handed. My request is not unreasonable. Exchanging 40% for the qualification to enter the sect is very fair."

As he spoke, the man in blue robes snorted coldly, clearly unconvinced:

"This is only the first hurdle. According to what you said, Yao'er and I know the exact location of the treasure chamber behind the door and how to enter it. We should be able to get an extra 20% without any problem, right?"

The old man in the yellow shirt smiled:

"What you say is quite right, young friend. If things turn out as you say, we can discuss it further then. But for now, we must open this door first, mustn't we?"

The man in the blue robe choked up upon hearing this, unable to find a suitable reason to refute it.

As the two sides argued, Li Shen silently observed everything, pondering to himself:

"This couple is both at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, yet they dare to argue with two people at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. It seems they have considerable backing. However, what that man said is clearly not convincing enough. If it were true, how could they not know how to break the restrictions on this gate? Either it's fake, or their information is incomplete."

Just as they were pondering this, they saw Umoku Taku walk up to them, fanning himself with a fan.