"So many books in the world, yet never enough when you actually need them…"
Chen Huaian could only squeeze out his words with great effort, painfully aware of his limited vocabulary.
But the moment those words left his mouth, the entire plaza of Qingyun Sect fell into a tense silence.
Qingxuan Daoist said nothing.
He merely drew his sword.
The aura of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator surged like tidal waves.
Spiritual energy roared, his hat fell beside his feet, and his robes and long hair whipped wildly in the unseen currents of force.
"Qingxuan Elder, calm down! Let's talk this through!"
Wu Duantian was the last person who wanted to see two great cultivators fight.
This was the Qingyun Sect!
If the place got wrecked, it was his loss!
Not to mention he was still hoping that mysterious senior would help Zhao Lingtian recover his shattered dantian.
If a grudge formed now, what help could he possibly expect?
"Lu Changtian is my direct disciple," Qingxuan replied coldly, his voice pressed thin as silk. "How could I stand by while someone abolishes his cultivation?"
"That man is definitely not at the Fusion stage. Look at his relationship with Li Qingran—if not a true master and disciple, then at least bonded by that dynamic.
If he really were some grand senior cultivator, would he need all this scheming to step in?"
He was resolute.
Determined to protect Lu Changtian, even at the cost of his own pride.
Wu Duantian exhaled a long sigh.
Of course he understood what Qingxuan meant.
They weren't blind.
That mysterious figure clearly had some scruples toward Qingyun Sect's power, which was why he hadn't truly struck yet.
But Wu Duantian didn't care about any of that.
He didn't care whether the man was Nascent Soul, Fusion, or whatever.
He only cared about one thing—
Can this person restore Zhao Lingtian's dantian?
"Can't we just… sit down and talk like adults?"
"There's nothing to discuss."
Qingxuan's voice was still ice-cold.
He let his voice echo freely through the plaza.
"Fine, fine, then fight!" Wu Duantian gave up completely, throwing his hands in the air.
"Tear down the sect gates, alarm the ancestor, let the whole Cangyun Realm laugh at how our Qingyun Sect devours itself!"
"Good. Then let's see if you people even qualify to intervene in today's matter."
A cold snort echoed from the warped void behind Li Qingran.
That sound alone carried a fury that set hearts pounding.
An aura far more terrifying than Qingxuan's rolled out over the plaza.
And then, from that shifting void, a figure began to appear.
He wore dark robes and silver-white hair.
A black-scaled sword in hand.
His face shimmered with divine light, too indistinct to clearly see, but every line suggested elegance and power.
What stood out most were his golden vertical pupils—gaze into them, and your soul would tremble.
He hovered behind Li Qingran.
As his form solidified—
ROAR—!
A deafening thunderclap cracked across the sky.
From behind the man, the phantom of a black dragon emerged—twisting and coiling, clawing the air, exuding an aura of absolute dominance.
It spiraled around him, finally merging into the black-scaled sword in his hand—its spirit, clearly one with him.
"S-Se—Senior!"
Li Qingran stared wide-eyed at the figure now standing in front of her.
Even seeing only his profile, her breathing halted.
Her cheeks flushed red, her mind went blank.
"Back up, girl. I'm about to… ahem… start posturing— I mean, start killing!"
Chen Huaian was just as nervous as she was.
On the right side of his field of view, an entire list of skills lit up at once.
He had no idea what they did.
There was no time to read—he'd been shoved onto center stage like a duck on fire.
And with that VR helmet on… the immersion was way too intense.
He didn't even dare to look at Li Qingran.
He glanced at her once earlier—too beautiful.
Terrifyingly beautiful.
VR made everything different.
He feared he'd get so distracted he'd forget to fight.
So, what now?
How did he use these skills?
Just tap where it lights up?
But—they were ALL lit up!
[Beginner Combat Tutorial Initiated.]
A game window appeared in his view.
Chen Huaian's heart soared.
"Yes! It's a dumbed-down tutorial! We're saved!"
The entire world froze in place.
He knew what that meant: cutscene combat tutorial.
Immediately, he turned to stare at Li Qingran.
Hard.
Desensitization training.
[This game utilizes advanced neural-mapping technology. You may control your avatar directly through thought.]
A rippling mirror appeared before him, and a practice dummy formed from mist.
Chen reluctantly tore his eyes from Li Qingran's face.
He looked at his reflection and tried a peace sign.
A Nascent Soul stage master radiating immortal energy throwing up a peace sign?
Yeah… visually jarring.
He quickly snapped back to his solemn, sage-like posture.
Once he got into character, the urge to "act cool" came naturally.
[Your skills and techniques will be mapped into your consciousness. This process is safe and will gradually integrate these as part of your memory over time.]
[Please attack the training dummy.]
Chen slashed out casually.
The dummy shattered like tofu.
No sense of force. No feedback.
[Now, please use one of your combat techniques.]
The dummy respawned.
Chen focused, recalling the first technique of
First Style – "Break the Waves."
Chiiing—!
A sword cry echoed.
Chen Huaian moved with the blade—his motion elegant yet sharp.
A flash of blinding silver light.
The dummy exploded into fragments.
He was already back in position, while a misty afterimage in the form of his attack still floated nearby.
The second part of the technique lit up.
Shadow Piercer – Instantly teleport to the afterimage's location and deliver a second strike.
"Damn. That's insane!"
Chen Huaian may not have been well-read, but he knew how to appreciate something epic.
And this was epic.
If the first style was already this bizarre and lethal—
He had to master it.
Just so he could teach it to Li Qingran.
[Tutorial complete. Enjoy your game!]
---
The world resumed.
Everything around him came back to life.
Chen Huaian's gaze locked onto Lu Changtian and Qingxuan Daoist.
The confusion in his eyes had vanished—replaced by cold confidence.
Qingxuan, huh?
Likes meddling?
Chen Huaian gave a cold smirk.
For these old, stubborn relics, there was only one solution—
Throw the biggest skill you've got right in their face.
He sifted through his memory—yes, there it was.
Unfortunately, Eleventh and Twelfth styles were still locked.
Even full Nascent Soul couldn't access them.
Otherwise he'd gladly shove an entire galaxy's worth of sword energy onto Qingxuan's face.
The black-scaled sword slid out half an inch.
Sword light shimmered faintly.
But already, the sword intent howled from the scabbard, cutting the air with a screech.
Old dog Qingxuan, you want to shield your precious disciple?
Chen Huaian's eyes flashed.
"Then face—this sword of mine!"
CHIIING—!
A piercing sword cry, like thunder through the mountains.
Before the grand gates of Qingyun Sect—
A beam of moonlight suddenly rose from the earth.