Devour: Can you also draw entries from clone projection worlds?

You tried a few more moves, feeling each one as you went. Each move felt the same, as if the longsword in your hand had become more "obedient".

It's not that your skills have improved, it's that the connection between you and the sword has become "closer".

This feeling is hard to describe. If I had to use one word to describe it, it would be "tacit understanding".

You tried to learn a new sword technique again. There are only a few sword techniques for the outer disciples of the Huashan Sect. You've already learned them all, but you haven't practiced them much.

You found a sword move you hadn't practiced much before called "White Clouds Emerging from the Mountain". This move is considered relatively difficult among the basic sword techniques of Mount Hua, requiring flexible wrist rotation and coordinated arm movements.

You've practiced a few times before, but it hasn't been going very well.

This time, you only looked at the sword manual once, then tried to imitate it. With a flick of your wrist, the tip of the sword drew an arc and flicked upwards. The movement was so smooth that even you were a little surprised.

It's not that you "learned it through practice," it's that you "already knew it." It's as if this term has directly implanted the "knowledge" of swordsmanship into your brain, and you only need to "reproduce" it with your hands.

The effect of "Sword Heart Clarity • Beginning" is even better than you expected.

You took a deep breath and began to use this entry more systematically. You used your sword to execute the methods of breaking the spell that were written on the cliff of reflection, one move at a time.

You couldn't use some moves before because your wrists weren't flexible enough, your internal energy circulation wasn't fast enough, or your body's instinctive reactions weren't right.

But now with "Sword Heart Clarity", these problems no longer exist. The sword has become more "obedient". Wherever you tell the sword to go, it goes without the slightest hesitation.

It felt like I'd changed swords. No, it felt like I'd changed hands.

When news of Linghu Chong and Ren Yingying's wedding spread throughout the martial arts world, you were practicing your swordsmanship in the back mountains.

You put down your sword, wiped away your sweat, and listened to your fellow disciples discussing among themselves.

"Our eldest brother is getting married! To the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect!"

"What Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect? That's Miss Ren. She's no longer a member of the Demonic Sect."

"Regardless of whether he's a member of the Demonic Sect or not, at least Senior Brother has a home now."

Listening to these words, you feel a mix of emotions you can't quite describe. Linghu Chong's journey has been so arduous.

He was distrusted by his master, expelled from the sect, and scorned by the entire righteous martial arts world. He almost died at Shaolin Temple and almost died at Blackwood Cliff.

Now, he finally has a home, and someone willing to share his joys and sorrows.

However, you didn't attend the wedding not because you didn't want to, but because you couldn't.

Linghu Chong and Ren Yingying's wedding was held on Blackwood Cliff, which you cannot reach.

Moreover, you didn't receive an invitation. How could an outer disciple of the Huashan Sect receive an invitation from Linghu Chong?

In Linghu Chong's heart, you are probably just a "junior brother who drank with me on the Cliff of Contemplation," nothing more.

But you didn't seem to care. That night, you sat on the edge of the cliff behind the mountain, looking at the starry sky, and activated the "Knowing People's Hearts • Initial Understanding" to recall the discussions you had heard during the day.

You find that when you listen to others, you can perceive more than just the literal meaning of the words; you can also sense the speaker's true emotions.

Those who say "Eldest Brother finally has a home"—some are genuinely happy, some are offering insincere flattery, and some are harboring a sour resentment—you can sense it all.

"Knowing People's Hearts • Initial Understanding" is gradually being upgraded, not with a sudden "ding," but through a subtle and gradual change.

You feel your perception of people has become increasingly acute. Before, you could only sense broad emotions like "happiness," "sadness," and "anger," but now you can perceive more subtle things, such as "jealousy behind a fake smile," "disdain beneath flattery," and "unease in silence."

However, your projection this time still emphasizes the word "survival" to the end. No matter how the outside world changes, you remain calm and composed, and you cultivate alone.

Even when your cheap master Yue Buqun died, you were still practicing your sword on the back of Mount Hua. You didn't see it with your own eyes, but you heard about it.

You've already heard that Yue Buqun set a trap on Mount Song to capture Linghu Chong and Ren Yingying in one fell swoop.

However, Linghu Chong and Ren Yingying clearly saw through his trap.

As for now... you put down your longsword, sat on the tree stump, and remained silent for a long time.

Everyone must die eventually, even Yue Buqun, the leader of the Huashan Sect, the Gentleman Sword, the leader of the Five Mountains Sect, and one of the best among the top masters (because of the Zixia Divine Skill).

He was once one of the most renowned figures in the martial arts world, yet he died so hastily in the end.

His weakness lies in his ambition—his ambition to strengthen himself and, more importantly, to revitalize Mount Hua.

If he hadn't been so ambitious, he would never have stolen the Evil-Slaying Sword Manual, castrated himself to practice swordsmanship, set a trap on Mount Song, or died at the hands of others.

But... without ambition, he wouldn't be Yue Buqun.

After thinking about it for a while, I realized that Yue Buqun's life was actually quite tragic.

He wanted to glorify the sect, dominate the martial arts world, and make the Huashan Sect the number one sect in the world.

He gave everything for it—his conscience, his apprentices, his wife, his daughter, and himself—and in the end, he gained nothing.

The Huashan Sect disbanded, his wife died, his daughter died, his disciples left, and he himself died.

What did he get? Nothing.

You stand up, pick up the axe, and continue chopping wood. After you finish chopping wood, you go back to practice your sword.

The story of Yue Buqun teaches you a lesson: don't let ambition cloud your judgment; the more you want, the more you lose.

What you want is very simple: to live, become stronger, and accumulate stats. That's all.

Another winter has come. You sit in the old spot on the back mountain, watching the distant mountains covered in white snow. This is the seventh time you have spent winter in this world.

In seven years, you have gained a lot: top-notch skills, one green entry, and ten white entries.

But you've also lost a lot. You've temporarily lost your connection with the main world, lost the possibility of being a "normal person," and even lost the expectation of "going home."

You don't know how much longer you can stay in the world of Swordsman. The window of opportunity for the first projection was five years, but this time you've already been here for seven years.

What does this mean? It means that the window of opportunity is not fixed and may be related to your "cause and effect" in this world. The more you participate, the longer you can stay.

It might also be related to other factors. Before, you didn't participate in anything, you just practiced your skills, and it ended after five years.

Now that you're getting involved in small things, like drinking with Linghu Chong on the Cliff of Contemplation, attending the Bingpai Conference at Mount Song, and drawing lots in Fuzhou City, it's possible that your "karma" has increased, and the window of opportunity has become longer.

What if you were more involved? What if you actually went to Blackwood Cliff and witnessed the death of Dongfang Bubai?

If you actually go to Chaoyang Peak to see Ren Woxing's death, will the window of opportunity become even longer?

You shook your head, suppressing the thought. You can't rush things; you're not strong enough yet. Getting involved too much will kill you.

Wait until you've mastered "Sword Heart Clarity" to a higher level, until you've honed "Danger Perception" to the point where you can sense dangers further away, and until you've accumulated enough vocabulary before considering those things.

Let's extract the eighth annual term first.

You close your eyes and open the keyword extraction interface.