The next day, at the crack of dawn.
Life went on as usual.
Qin Yang got up bright and early to clock in at the library. As soon as he walked in, he noticed many of his colleagues whispering, quietly discussing something on their phones.
He could vaguely overhear words like "glowing twilight" and "outskirts."
Qin Yang didn't have to think twice. He knew it was about the commotion he had caused last night.
'I really did make quite a scene.'
Qin Yang scratched his head helplessly, opened his phone, and scrolled through the latest trending topics. As expected... he was number one on the hot search again.
The internet was in an uproar. Countless news outlets and independent media had jumped on the story, pushing the topic "Sword Dao expert" straight to the number one spot.
In the comments section, many netizens were chiming in, showing off photos they claimed to have taken of the celestial phenomenon last night. Fact and fiction blurred together as all sorts of theories flew around.
"SHOCKING! Mysterious Sword Dao expert appears in Jianghai City again!"
"Image.JPG, this is the photo I took! The sky was filled with a violet glow, and all the master Star Martial Artists in the city rushed over!"
"It's insane! My friend said he even heard a Star Beast roaring! That expert was actually fighting a Star Beast!"
More and more comments appeared, all based on hearsay. Eventually, the rumors even escalated to an Immortal descending to the mortal world.
'Geez, they've never even seen my face, and they're already hyping me up this much. This generation of netizens really knows how to exaggerate.'
Qin Yang smiled knowingly and put his phone away, unconcerned.
There was no need to keep reading.
'If this keeps up at the rate netizens are exaggerating, I'll be deified online long before I achieve anything like that in real life...'
As he was putting his phone away, Qin Yang walked over to the time clock and ran into Xia He, who was just coming through the door.
"Yo, Old Qin, you're in early today."p>
Xia He, sporting two dark circles under his eyes, greeted him wearily. He looked completely drained.
Clearly the after-effects of his great battle at Platinum Han last night.
His face was haggard and his lips were pale, as if he might collapse at any moment.
"Shouldn't you just take the day off?"
Qin Yang glanced at Xia He a few times and joked, "Don't go dying on me, buddy."
"Screw you, Old Qin! I told you to come last night, but you didn't. I had to pull a double shift by myself!"
Xia He grinned, clocking in and walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Qin Yang. "Platinum Han almost didn't let me leave last night."
As he spoke, he remembered last night's trending topic and lamented, beating his chest in regret. "And I freaking missed that spectacular violet glow! Aaargh, I knew I shouldn't have gone to Platinum Han."
"Just forget it. A battle's a battle, right? You should've just stayed put at Platinum Han instead of trying to join in on the commotion."
Hearing this, Qin Yang shrugged and continued to tease him with a light chuckle.
'After all,' he thought, 'with Xia He's Postnatal Second Realm Cultivation, he probably would have been torn to shreds by the turbulent Sword Intent I released before he even got into the valley.'
'Trying to join the fun would've just been suicide. He could only have watched from a few kilometers away.'
But just then, Qin Yang glanced at Xia He's Realm.
He suddenly noticed something was off!
He could faintly see the Star Force radiating from Xia He's body. Although still very weak, it was significantly stronger than before.
He had actually reached the level of the Postnatal Third Layer.
'Huh? The kid broke through?!'
Qin Yang was stunned for a moment, slightly surprised.
Breaking through to the Postnatal Third Layer overnight was by no means an easy feat for an ordinary person.
But how did Xia He manage it?
'Could it be... that doing *that* actually has this kind of benefit?!'
Just as Qin Yang was pondering this, Xia He's confident voice sounded in his ear again.
"Old Qin, you might not believe this, but you missed out by not coming to Platinum Han yesterday. Who would've thought? I had a wild night and even managed to break through!"
Xia He looked smug, leaning back theatrically. "I'm in the Postnatal Third Realm now! If you ever need help, just come to me. I'll cover you!"
"..."
Hearing this, the corners of Qin Yang's mouth twitched as he struggled to suppress a laugh.
'Good thing I'm professionally trained, otherwise I'd be laughing out loud.'
"What? You don't believe me?"
Seeing his reaction, Xia He immediately rolled up his sleeves. "I'm not bullshitting you, Old Qin!"
"I believe you, of course I believe you."
Qin Yang asked perfunctorily with a smile, "So how'd you do it, kid?"
"Hmph, Old Qin, I'll say it again: if you want to know, you'll find out when you finally come to Platinum Han with me!"
Xia He said coyly, inviting him with a grin.
"Next time, for sure."
Qin Yang rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively.
'Fine, don't tell me then.'
'This kid is so secretive, always trying to set me up.'
'I'm not that easy to manipulate.'
'Anyway, there's plenty of time. The future is long. The truth will come out eventually!'
After a bit more small talk, the two soon parted ways and went to their respective posts to start the day's work.
...
The first floor of the library was peaceful and quiet. The faint scent of ink and old paper hung in the air, punctuated by the soft rustle of turning pages.
Rows upon rows of bookshelves passed before his eyes.
After many days of practice slacking off, Qin Yang expertly found a blind spot in the surveillance camera's coverage, ducked down, and hid from everyone's view.
'With my current strength, instantly killing an ordinary Grandmaster shouldn't be a problem.'
He held out his palm, a boundless Star Force emanating from his fingertips, and began to take stock of the fifty years of Cultivation he had gained last night.
A full fifty years of Cultivation.
In just one night, it had brought him to the Peak of the Innate Realm. It was like ascending to the heavens in a single step!
And on top of that, he had the Emperor Level Sword Dao Martial Arts and the Divine Sword Ziwei.
'With all this godly equipment, it's totally reasonable for someone in the Innate Realm like me to crush a few Grandmaster Realm experts, right?'
'It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them a bunch of chumps.'
'Hiss... Speaking of which, the damn system's hundredfold amplification only gave me fifty years of Cultivation as a reward. What was its original plan... how much was it going to give me?'
Qin Yang's brow furrowed in thought for a moment, but then he decided not to dwell on it.
Instead, he threw himself back into the stimulating "work" of slacking off.
...
Over the next few days, Jianghai City was in turmoil.
The persistent violet celestial phenomenon above the valley finally dissipated.
The night sky returned to normal, but the "valley" incident only grew more intense, continuing to develop.
At this moment, outside the valley, a police cordon had long since been established. Rows of Star Martial Police Bureau vehicles moved in and out, and heavily armed guards were everywhere.
Floating above them were the Chief Commander and Elder Li, surveying the entire scene and watching the busy people below.
"Elder Li, are you suggesting we open this valley to the public?"
The Commander looked down at the crowds below, discussing it with Elder Li in a low voice.
"Mm, the Sword Qi in this valley is omnipresent. For Star Martial Artists who practice Sword Cultivation, it is a treasured land for gaining enlightenment."
Elder Li nodded slightly. "Since it was created by that senior," he said softly, "we in Jianghai City cannot monopolize it."
"I understand. You are truly magnanimous, Elder Li."
The Commander said with emotion.
"No, Commander, I cannot take credit for this. It is all the masterpiece of that senior. We are merely recipients of his favor, passing it on to the world."
"Very well. I will report your intentions to the higher-ups in the coming days and see what they think."
Several days passed, and after discussions among the higher-ups, Jianghai City officially named the valley "Sword Valley."
Thanks to the rich Sword Intent within it, Sword Valley naturally became a Martial Arts Sacred Land for Jianghai City.
In the years that followed, Swordsmen from all over the world would travel thousands of miles on a pilgrimage to this place, to observe the True Understanding of Sword Intent within, forging a beautiful and legendary tale.