this infinite world

"...Was that the swordsmanship of the Qionghua Sect just now?"

Most of the Beibingzhou team were stunned by Nian Xikong's display of combat power. After all, each of the three sword moves was stronger and more imposing than the last. In the end, Zhang Heng was the first to react and asked in a dreamlike tone.

“Yes.” Nian Xikong nodded.

"...The swordsmanship of the Qionghua Sect in The Legend of Sword and Fairy 4?" Zhang Heng still spoke in that dreamlike tone, but anyone could hear the anticipation in his words.

"Yes."

"I, I, I... Holy crap!"

Sure enough, after a brief silence, Zhang Heng's anticipation burst forth like a flood. The young man's lips trembled, his face flushed with excitement, and he leaped three feet into the air like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shouting, "Handsome! So handsome! Absolutely stunningly handsome!"

He twirled and kicked around on the scorched earth, sending pebbles flying. His Windrunner's Bow swung wildly, nearly hitting Tom's nose, who had just emerged from the shadows and returned to the scene. "This is the swordsmanship of the Qionghua Sect… this is the real immortal swordsmanship!"

At that moment, Zhang Heng's voice cracked with excitement: "What flying sword? A single sword strike to the head is child's play! Look at those special effects—"

He imitated Nianxi's empty-handed sword-making gesture, but unlike the latter's ethereal and otherworldly demeanor, clearly that of a true cultivator and sword immortal, Zhang Heng's movements were simply like a monkey in a crown, causing the members of the Northern Ice Continent team around him to turn their heads away... Even though he almost twisted his wrist, the young man still excitedly exclaimed, "Transformation True Like Sword! Thousand Directions Residual Light Sword! Supreme Clarity Cloud-Piercing Sword! These move names even have background music when you say them out loud, okay?!"

"...Should we cast a calming spell on him?"

Tom silently moved two steps to the side, and with an extremely speechless look, whispered to Chu Hao, "I'm afraid he'll do something even more embarrassing next."

"Just watch..." Chu Hao felt a little embarrassed looking at Zhang Heng, who was going crazy in the arena, but in the end he sighed, shook his head and said, "Anyway, it's not the first time..."

"Alright, you're the captain, you decide..."

As it turned out, Tom's concerns were entirely justified. For some unknown reason, Zhang Heng had completely entered a state of frenzy, grabbing Sterry, who was only trying to hide away and be a bystander, and shaking him wildly: "Did you guys see that last move? That 'whoosh' that darkened the sky! The special effects budget was burning! It's ten times cooler than those flying swords that just go 'biubiubiu'... no, nine times cooler!"

After nearly shaking Stry's brains to a crisp, Zhang Heng finally released his grip amidst the astonished and speechless stares of the crowd. He grinned and approached Nian Xikong, mimicking exaggerated sword techniques in the air, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism: "Niannian, could you... do you want that awesome swordsmanship...?"

"...He taught me."

The moment the name "Niannian" left her lips, Nian Xikong shuddered as if she had been electrocuted. Ignoring Zhang Heng's previous rudeness, she pointed precisely at Yang Yun not far away, then turned away swiftly, not even bothering to give Zhang Heng a glance.

"But, I..."

"Qiang!"

Before Zhang Heng could speak further, the Jidu Sword emitted a dangerous sword cry—a blatant warning to shut up. The girl's tightly closed eyes made her resemble an ice sculpture, even her hair exuding a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay. Her demeanor seemed to say: Say one more word, and the next "Shangqing Breaking Cloud Sword" will be upon you…

Seeing this, Zhang Heng scratched the back of his head sheepishly, chuckled awkwardly to ease the embarrassment, and then slid over to Yang Yun. He clasped his hands together, blinked rapidly as if his eyes were twitching, and began, "Senior~"

The moment the word "senior" was uttered in such a convoluted and circuitous way, the entire Arctic team shuddered. Tom nearly stumbled and fell, Nian Xikong's killing intent surged instantly, and even Chu Hao, who usually had extremely strong mental fortitude, couldn't help but cough and turn his face away, as if looking at him for even a second would lower his IQ...

But Zhang Heng seemed completely oblivious to how cheesy his tone was, and shamelessly continued, "Look, could you... that incredibly cool swordsmanship..."

"Aren't you going to change your lines at all?"

Facing Zhang Heng, who had taken the initiative to approach him, Yang Yun stroked his chin with a half-smile: "Do you really want to learn?"

"Absolutely!" Zhang Heng pounded his chest, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism. "That's the Qionghua Sect's sword-controlling technique! To be honest, I've been a die-hard fan of the Legend of Sword and Fairy series since I was a kid; I even have the original DVD of the first game displayed prominently on my bookshelf!"

"...It's not impossible." Yang Yun said, half-jokingly and half-curiously, "You should know the rules, right?"

"I understand, I understand!" Seeing that Yang Yun seemed to be softening, Zhang Heng immediately seized the opportunity.

Before he could finish speaking, the young man knelt down with a thud, kowtowing three times, raising dust in a flurry of motion—a truly decisive act. When he looked up, his forehead still smudged with dirt, and his grin stretched so wide it almost disappeared his eyes: "Master! A teacher for a day is a father for life… You must teach me the Qionghua Sword Technique!"

Zhang Heng's fawning manner resembled that of a lapdog begging for food, causing the surrounding members of the Arctic team to throb with anger and look on with disbelief.

"You really are...unique."

Yang Yun rubbed his temples. Although he had met several "Zhang Hengs" and knew that all Zhang Hengs were actually fragments of the inner universe of the "world," this guy in front of him, who crushed all morals and then trampled on them, still refreshed his understanding of the bottom line... In Yang Yun's eyes, this guy was simply a combination of Luo Yinglong and Cheng Xiao, plus he had taken their shamelessness to a whole new level, making him the ultimate in shamelessness.

“However…” Even though Zhang Heng had already said that, Yang Yun still felt it necessary to confirm it again. After all, every generation of Zhang Heng had served as an archer in the team, as if they were inextricably linked to the concept of “bow and arrow.” To be honest, it was quite novel to see Zhang Heng now expressing his willingness to “abandon the bow for the sword”: “Why do you, an archer, suddenly want to learn swordsmanship? Are you planning to change careers?”

"That's naturally because..."

"If you dare utter another word that begins with 'pretentious'—"

Faced with Yang Yun's question, Zhang Heng chuckled, about to reply, when Nian Xikong's icy voice suddenly interrupted, the Jidu Sword already pressed against Zhang Heng's Adam's apple. A cold glint flashed in the girl's eyes, her tone devoid of any hint of jest: "I'll just flip your skull open and see if it's filled with brains or mush." ​​"--Of course, it's because you're handsome and strong!"

Zhang Heng's Adam's apple bobbed laboriously beneath the sword tip, his words changing in an astonishingly rapid motion. He raised his hands in surrender, yet still managed a wink at Yang Yun: "Think about it, Master, firing arrows from a distance is so unromantic! If you could ride a flying sword, draw your bow, and nock an arrow, that would be truly ethereal..."

As he spoke, he disregarded the Jidu sword at his throat and began gesturing wildly: "Then, I'll hang the quiver on the flying sword, and shoot arrows while riding the sword. It'll be the perfect combination of a sword immortal and an elven archer... I was wrong, I was wrong! Sword immortal, have mercy!"

"...Okay, I understand now. You're willing to risk your life just to show off."

Looking at the scene unfolding before him, Yang Yun suddenly gained a completely new understanding of the so-called "disparity of the world." He couldn't believe that the fragments of the world could be so ridiculous, as if they had cultivated the concept of "shamelessness" to the level of the ultimate simplicity: "However, if you're just looking to show off, you can exchange an electronic flying sword from the main god... After all, mechanical technology is much easier to learn and simpler than rune technology."

Yang Yun wasn't making this up without reason. After all, in the original timeline, the pseudo-cultivator in the Demon Team followed the path of "mechanical technology." Although he was scorned by orthodox cultivators, his effectiveness in actual combat was not to be underestimated. He had even broken Luo Yinglong's natal magic weapon, which he had nurtured for many years.

However, in terms of sound and light effects and visual appeal, mechanical modifications do have a clear advantage. No need for arduous cultivation of true energy; a few precise components are all it takes to make a flying sword spew out plasma tail flames. No need to condense runes to calculate data; a holographic projector can simulate the effect of sword energy crisscrossing the land… Ironically, this kind of “cyber cultivation” often has a far greater impact than genuine cultivators.

"Besides, didn't you exchange for Saint Seiya bloodline and Cosmo?"

Leaving aside Zhang Heng, whose eyes lit up upon hearing about this simple and quick way to show off, and who decided to return and inquire with the Supreme God about the relevant exchange so he could show off to his heart's content, Yang Yun's gaze lingered on Zhang Heng's Sagittarius Silver Cloth for a moment, and he said with interest, "I remember that whether it's archery or Saint Seiya, they all have very strong, cool, and high-class moves."

At this point, Yang Yun even started counting on his fingers with great seriousness, as if reciting a familiar list: "I also know about the Saint Seiya bloodline. They come with their own cosmic energy system, and when they cultivate to a high level, they can comprehend various skills through their own talent. For example, the standard move of the Gold Saints, the 'Beam Punch,' although it can't actually reach the speed of light, its gorgeous special effects are not diminished in the slightest; and there's the legendary forbidden move that only three Gold Saints can perform together, 'Athena Exclamation'..."

As he spoke, Yang Yun casually waved his hand, and interwoven light and shadow appeared in mid-air, transforming into three golden phantoms arranged in a triangular formation: "Moreover, since you've exchanged for this bloodline, you must have your sights set on the Sagittarius Gold Cloth. And whether it's Sagittarius Gold Saint Aiolos's signature move 'Atomic Lightning Speed ​​Fist' or his innate skill 'Golden Arrow,' they are both incredibly cool and powerful moves..."

"Atomic Lightning Beam Fist? Golden Arrow? Heh heh..."

Hearing Yang Yun's words, a silver thread involuntarily twitched at the corner of Zhang Heng's mouth, and the longing in his eyes almost materialized. Suddenly, he felt like he had gained several more paths to showing off. The Qionghua Sword Technique was incredibly cool, mechanical technology was simple and cheap, and becoming a Saint Seiya character was his destined path…

How should I choose? It's so hard to decide...

"Hopeless……"

Seeing Zhang Heng's infatuated grin, almost drooling, Chu Hao shook his head in disdain and took over the conversation, bowing to Yang Yun and saying, "Thank you—"

"Thank you too much... Well, consider this battle a lesson I set for you."

Before Chu Hao could finish speaking, Yang Yun raised his hand to stop him. His gaze changed from teasing to calm: "But unfortunately, the answer you, as the captain and the wise man, have submitted is only unsatisfactory."

"...You're right."

Thinking of his earlier arrogant question, "Does my 'Eight Trigrams Formation' meet your approval?"; the foolishness of misjudging the strength of a fourth-tier enemy; and the fact that he would have been utterly defeated if Nian Xikong hadn't intervened; Chu Hao gritted his teeth and lowered his head deeply.

"Huh, is it feeling ashamed? That's quite rare..."

Looking at the expression of shame and humiliation on Chu Hao's face, Yang Yun couldn't help but feel a sense of novelty. Chu Xuan simply didn't possess such emotions, and seeing such an expression on his face was unthinkable... Perhaps just seeing that expression on that face, so similar to Chu Xuan's, made everything that had just happened worthwhile.

"It's good that you can admit your mistakes and correct them."

Observing Chu Hao's reaction was just a small pastime. What Yang Yun really wanted to do was to make the immature captain of the Arctic Continent team realize his mistakes so that he could grow up as soon as possible: "Don't talk about defeat before you talk about victory. After all, this is the Main God Space. Anything strange can happen... So it's never wrong to prepare a corresponding backup plan under any circumstances."

With a hint of reminiscence in his eyes, Yang Yun sighed and said, "Before the truth of the mystery is revealed, you may never know what you are facing. Human or monster, enemy or friend, even when facing a vengeful spirit like Ju-on, who is not even at the level of demonic possession, a madman might suddenly jump out and try to usurp the world's will and become a saint..."

"...I've learned a lot." After listening attentively, Chu Hao solemnly clasped his hands in a salute.

Seeing Chu Hao's sincere attitude, Yang Yun's expression softened slightly. After all, he couldn't just keep undermining the other party's confidence. Adhering to the principle of giving a slap followed by a sweet treat, he changed the subject, saying, "However, with your current combat strength, achieving this is already quite an accomplishment. The opponent is capable of forcibly creating fourth-tier powerhouses; enemies of this level..."

With a light tap of his fingertip, a 3D projection of the previous battlefield appeared in the air. The image of Azog going berserk and breaking through to the fourth rank suddenly froze in the projection. Yang Yun looked at Chu Hao meaningfully: "This is not within the scope of what you should be dealing with at this stage."

“…That’s right!”

Hearing this, Chu Hao suddenly realized what Yang Yun had said earlier, implying that the breakthrough of the Blasphemer Azog was unrelated to the Celestial Team. However, this was also the point that puzzled him the most: "But, if it's not the Celestial Team—"

"—Then who else would be your enemy, right?"

Yang Yun smiled and looked at Nian Xikong beside him, saying, "Well, it's a bit embarrassing to say this now, but you should be considered as having been implicated by me... The other party's real goal is probably to use you to test my strength."

Seeing Chu Hao's initial surprise followed by a look of sudden understanding, Yang Yun continued, "That's why I specifically had Nian Xikong intervene, both to extricate him from the predicament and as a return gift. And now that the pawn in the hands of the person behind the scenes has died, I think that being..."

At this point, Yang Yun broadened his gaze, observing the changes in the void that were unknowable and invisible to ordinary people, and calmly said—

"That's about right, it's time to step onto the appropriate stage." (End of Chapter)