On the mountain peak, a gentle breeze blew as dawn was about to break.
...
"Lin Zhao..."
Gu Yanshu gazed at the distant scenery and asked, "Is there anything else you wish to say?"
Lin Zhao furrowed his brow and replied, "I spared your life and brought you up the mountain, admittedly for selfish reasons. Your life and death were tied to my breakthrough, and I also wished to see what you truly understood of good and evil. Good and evil are two sides of the same coin. The sage said that people are born with good natures, and everyone carries a seed of kindness in their heart. If you've lost it, seek it again. If you remain unrepentant, then you can only be vanquished by the sword."
"These words are of no use to me now."
Gu Yanshu chuckled, "If I were to truly abandon evil and embrace good, would you spare my life?"
"No."
Lin Zhao shook his head. "Actually, the answer has long been clear in my heart. Gu Yanshu must die. What I truly wanted was to let you truly see the world before you die, to understand the distinction between true good and evil. I hope you can comprehend before your demise that this world is not as irredeemably terrible as you imagine."
"What kind of Confucian doctrine is this?" Gu Yanshu asked with a smile.
"Doctrine..."
Lin Zhao gave a self-deprecating laugh. "It's not really a doctrine. I simply didn't wish for you to die without understanding. It's my best effort."
"Hahaha, a fine 'best effort'."
Gu Yanshu sighed and said, "Alas... Gu Yanshu dies upon leaving the mountain. In this life, I have only made one friend, Lin Zhao. Since it is so, having you send me off is perhaps the best ending."
"Any last words?" Lin Zhao asked.
"Nan Qingfeng."
Gu Yanshu frowned. "I can never forget her."
"Then keep her in your heart,"
Lin Zhao replied. "There's no need to forget. It's good to hold someone dear."
"Mhm."
Gu Yanshu unbuckled the Xunlu Sword, placing it respectfully on a nearby rock. He then knelt before the Xunlu Sword, his eyes filling with tears. He whispered, "Master, Yanshu has disappointed you... The path Yanshu has walked is one of profound sin. Now, knowing my wrongdoing, I am no longer worthy of being the master of the Xunlu Sword. I am ashamed before you, master, and filled with regret..."
After kowtowing, with tears still on his face, he said, "Lin Zhao, strike."
"Mhm."
Lin Zhao slowly drew the Zhanlu Sword from his back, a slight frown on his face. "The next master of the Xunlu Sword?"
"Su Qingjiu."
Gu Yanshu's brow furrowed. "She cultivates 'Sword Heart Attainment of the Divine'. Her divinity surpasses her humanity, so she will not be swayed by the potent killing intent within the Xunlu Sword. With the Xunlu Sword in Su Qingjiu's hands, it will be a great fortune for the world."
"Thank you."
Lin Zhao nodded.
Gu Yanshu walked to the edge of the cliff, looking up at the heavens and laughing freely, "I, Gu Yanshu, have lived one life. Though it was not glorious, my death is peaceful. May this karma not fall upon my friend Lin Zhao."
He turned to look at Lin Zhao. "I'm leaving. Send me off."
Lin Zhao swept his sword in a horizontal arc, unleashing a brilliant golden "Sword Slaying Immortals" strike. In the next moment, Gu Yanshu's body in the wind began to disintegrate, vanishing into thin air in an instant.
Even until the very end, Lin Zhao did not reveal that Nan Qingfeng's affections for Gu Yanshu were merely a pretense, to spare Gu Yanshu further disappointment. This was, perhaps, Lin Zhao's final act of kindness.
He turned, knelt on one knee with his sword in hand, and faced the emerging dawn glow to the east, softly saying, "Liu Xingshu, Xiao Cong, and all other human cultivators who perished in Shuzhou, you may rest in peace."
Though the breeze was silent, myriad flowers bloomed in the mountains.
At this very moment, Lin Zhao's state of mind, aided by the phrase "best effort," completely opened. In the sky, streams of golden text descended, transforming into torrents of majestic literary fortune that rolled in. From another direction, golden sword qi, crisscrossing like a myriad of swords, also surged forth – sword fortune and literary fortune, descending together, seeping into Lin Zhao's body.
Upon breaking through, he had simultaneously drawn upon both sword and literary fortune. Lin Zhao's tenth realm was destined to be extraordinary.
Just then, a chime echoed above the mountain villa, then resonated throughout the entire server:
"Ding!"
System Announcement: Congratulations to player [Bai Yi] for successfully perceiving the stars and entering the [Star River Realm]! You have gained new realm abilities: [Water Moon Contemplation], [Nascent Soul Refinement 2], [Sword Refinement 2]! You have received an additional reward: 200 unbound Golden Cicada Coins!
...
In White Emperor City, at the Embroidered Uniform Pavilion.
"Ah?!"
Su Xinghe, who was practicing his swordplay in the morning, stared dumbfoundedly at the sky. His heart churned like a stormy sea. While he was still striving for the ninth realm, Lin Zhao had already stepped into the tenth. By what means had he achieved this, was it through a breakthrough in his state of mind or a quest? These were the questions swirling in Su Xinghe's mind.
However, one thing was certain: Lin Zhao's tenth realm would undoubtedly allow him to dominate the server for a long, long time. For a considerable period thereafter, no player would be able to contend with him.
"Damn it!"
Beside him, Feng Bingcao Jia, who had just finished a jianbing guozi and logged in, frowned. "How did Lin Zhao break through so quickly?"
"I don't know."
Su Xinghe knit his brows. "People from the Scarlet Moon Knights said Lin Zhao is elusive, always researching background plots. He's handed over all guild matters to Xingchen and Chen Xue."
"Yeah."
Yun Mi Wu Suo, who had also just logged in, said, "Actually, I feel Lin Zhao never really cared about guild dominance. He's too detached regarding the guild system, unwilling to compete."
Feng Bingcao Jia sighed, "To put it bluntly, he disdains to compete. When the Scarlet Moon Knights obtained the Burning Heaven War Horse in the national server, they did so with moral authority. All the major guilds respected him, Lin Bai Yi of Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. They yielded resources willingly, and if we in Star River were to truly vie with the Scarlet Moon Knights, we would be condemned before the fight even began."
Yun Mi Wu Suo narrowed her beautiful eyes and chuckled, "Players in the national server would say, 'Lin Bai Yi is risking his life fighting demons in Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, and you lot are sneakily attacking the Scarlet Moon Knights. Isn't that like taking firewood from under the cauldron? How unethical!'"
Su Xinghe looked helpless. "That's true. But it doesn't matter. Star River doesn't necessarily have to compete with the Scarlet Moon Knights. The national server is currently a vibrant scene. Everyone, focus on your cultivation and strive for Star River to produce more Nascent Soul Sword Cultivators. Then, when ten of us Nascent Soul Sword Cultivators form a party, even slaying gods and buddhas will be within our grasp."
"Mhm."
The two nodded and crushed their return scrolls, leaving to avoid disturbing their guild leader's practice.
...
Mountain Peak Villa.
Lin Zhao's face was filled with joy. The guild was now abuzz with excitement. Shen Xingchen, Chen Xue, Ding Chi, and many others were congratulating him on his breakthrough. Lin Zhao's personal mailbox exploded with messages. Even players with whom he had only the slightest connection sent congratulatory messages. Some even attached "small films" or alluring cards of "young ladies" promising to "ease brother Lin Zhao's cravings," demonstrating the affectionate camaraderie of the mountain world.
Lin Zhao felt a surge of satisfaction. His inventory suddenly gained 200 unbound Golden Cicada Coins, a substantial sum. In terms of general currency, this was 200 million, enough to buy a street in some small cities. This game was truly the "Second World," where the bold thrived and the timid starved. Lin Zhao, always at the forefront of all players, was destined to amass fortunes through the game. Moreover, Lin Zhao was not merely a player; he was a player deeply integrated into the storyline, possessing myriad advantages and resources beyond the imagination of other players.
As for the three new divine abilities gained from becoming a Star River Realm sword cultivator, each was useful.
Water Moon Contemplation: This was an old technique of the elder immortals in the Upper Five Realms. As long as there was water, or even a trace of moisture condensed from the air, one could observe scenes elsewhere at any time, in real-time. With the Water Moon Contemplation technique, Lin Zhao's ability to scout and maintain awareness would significantly improve.
Nascent Soul Refinement 2: This allowed for the refinement of a second Natal Flying Sword. Following the order, it would naturally be Haoran. Now, Haoran, residing in the Sword Concealment Lake, had its cracks and imperfections on its tip fully repaired with Lin Zhao's breakthrough and the influx of literary fortune. It seemed even more potent than before. Refining Haoran as a Natal object would empower abilities like Ming Xing and Fang Cun, yielding immense benefits.
Sword Refinement 2: The second stage of sword refinement. As a tenth-realm sword cultivator, the number of flying swords he could refine continued to increase. The upper limit for mid-refined flying swords was now 10, and for small-refined flying swords, it increased to 24. This meant he could mid-refine 5 more and small-refine 12 more flying swords. Coincidentally, before Wei Huarou ascended, she had left Lin Zhao five ancient immortal swords: Qinghuan, Xiling, Chisu, Jinse, and Xuanyue. These five swords, along with the five immortal swords previously gifted by Yan Beichen, totaled ten.
All of Lin Zhao's mid-refined objects were of immortal grade, a luxury even peak players could not afford.
However, the small-refined flying swords were more troublesome. Previously, Lin Wanhua had gifted him twelve Great Desolate Ancient Swords, all of superior celestial grade. He wondered if she had any new Great Desolate Ancient Swords recently.
Regardless, he would visit Fusang Great Wall later to inquire. It would be best if these small-refined flying swords were uniform, to create a more imposing aura when unleashing flying sword attacks.
...
He grabbed the Xunlu Sword. The system displayed that this sword could not be equipped, being a quest item. Clearly, it was not something players could casually wield, being one of the ten divine swords of the world, and a divine sword at that. It would be quite absurd for a player to treat it as a mere ornamental sword, at least not in the current version.
Carrying the Xunlu Sword, he descended the mountain.
Tianranju.
Lu Qi was polishing his Pear Blossom Spear. He glanced at Lin Zhao and said with a smile, "Congratulations on your breakthrough!"
"Thank you."
Zhu Zhi walked over and asked, "Killed?"
"Killed."
Lin Zhao sighed. Killing Gu Yanshu was, in fact, justified, and even comprehensible from the Confucian perspective of benevolence, kindness, frugality, and modesty. Yet, there was still a sense of regret. The Gu Yanshu before his death had arguably become a good person, albeit with a profoundly broken state of mind, even more so than Tang Guangjun. He looked at Zhu Zhi and said, "Send a Flying Fish Post to Little Jiu'er, telling her that Gu Yanshu chose her as the next master of the Xunlu Sword before he died. Have her come to Snow Domain Heavenly Pool immediately. From now on, she can walk the world with the Xunlu Sword."
Zhu Zhi's eyes lit up. "Mhm, mhm, I'll write the Flying Fish Post right away!"
Zhu Zhi and Xiao Jiu'er were close, like sisters. Zhu Zhi was naturally delighted that Xiao Jiu'er could wield one of the ten divine swords of the world.