Si Jian could never have imagined that someone else's sword could surpass the quality of his own.
Moreover, the "Art of Competing Swords" did not merely test the quality of the sword. Once a sword gained spirituality through secret arts, it also judged the worthiness of its wielder, measuring their swordsmanship, cultivation, and every aspect of their being.
Even if the opponent held a treasured sword of the Divine Grade, this mere Sixth Rank cultivator, whose aura was unstable and whose every movement showed not the slightest trace of swordsmanship, how could such a man possibly earn the recognition of that level of sword?
Si Jian was not careless; it was simply that this reality defied all common sense. It shattered everything he had learned over centuries of cultivation.
He had devoted his entire life to the Way of the Sword, believing firmly that every sword had its own spirit, and that spirit would always choose a worthy master. That belief was the very foundation of the "Art of Competing Swords."
In the Grand Dao Sword Palace, it was the sword that chose its master, not the cultivator who chose the sword.
Thus, the sword itself determined a person's worth.
Within the spiritual awareness of a blade, nothing about a sword cultivator could be hidden.
In Si Jian's eyes, Gu Fangchen possessed none of the qualities of a proper sword cultivator, in fact... this fellow wasn't even one at all!
No matter what, it was impossible that he could lose in such circumstances!
And so, Si Jian stepped forward with full confidence.
Then, he died on the spot.
He could never have guessed that Gu Fangchen's sword had been stolen using the system.
Though this world was no longer a game, the system within Gu Fangchen still operated by game rules when making its judgments.
That meant certain determinations were essentially bugs.
For instance, according to the system's logic, anything stolen no longer had the concept of "recognition." It simply appeared in the player's inventory, ready for use.
Just like before, the "Wheel of the Sea of Calamity," which counted as a divine ability in the original game, was treated by the system as a stolen skill, appearing directly in the skill bar.
But now that Gu Fangchen had no "skill bar" in this world, the ability instead fused into his soul, becoming inseparably bound to him.
The same applied to the "Sky-Piercing Sword of the Seventy-Two Peaks." No matter how high its grade, to a player it was simply a piece of equipment.
Even if the burden was great, it merely weakened certain attributes; there was no such thing as "unable to equip."
Thus, Gu Fangchen could use it immediately upon obtaining it.
That was just how the system worked.
"Impossible! Ancestor! Ancestor, you must have judged wrongly! That man isn't even a sword cultivator!"
"How could I lose?! Why would you let me lose?!"
Si Jian's eyes were bloodshot, his Dao heart nearly shattering as he glared at the massive, aged visage hovering in the void.
Yet the will of that ancestral remnant had long merged with the Grand Dao itself, it possessed no independent thought. It merely glanced down coldly, then faded back into nothingness.
Si Jian fell to his knees, staring blankly at the sword in his hand.
Though he now existed only as a remnant soul, the core of the Grand Dao Sword Palace's seal, at that moment, even his soul seemed to age.
Gu Fangchen walked toward him.
Si Jian remained silent for a while. Though resentment and confusion churned within him, as a disciple of the Grand Dao Sword Palace, he was bound to obey the "Art of Competing Swords" and accept defeat.
He knelt and said solemnly, "I have lost."
Gu Fangchen waved his hand. "Stand aside and wait." Then he stepped past Si Jian, smiling as he stopped before Hu Wenxin's corpse.
"Will you come out yourself," he asked mildly, "or shall I make you?"
The corpse said nothing.
Si Jian blinked, then realized he had been deceived. The thought that this fellow had provoked him into using the "Art of Competing Swords" made him furious.
"You old blood fiend! Faking your death? Have you no shame?"
"So what if I did? I'm a heretic cultivator, it's normal for me to use any means necessary!"
The blood that had seeped into the shadows suddenly surged back into the lifeless corpse.
The shriveled body swelled again, and Hu Wenxin opened his eyes, springing upright and glaring shamelessly at Si Jian.
This demonic cultivator's "Molting Cicada Escape Technique" allowed him to transfer all the blood in his body, faking death to conceal himself until one side fell, so he could escape unscathed.
Unfortunately, Gu Fangchen knew that technique inside and out.
He had already killed this man once on the third floor, and now, on the fourth, he had to do it again. Given how long Hu Wenxin had managed to survive within the sword palace, if not for his lack of power and low infamy as a dungeon boss, he might have rivaled Gu Yuye for the title of "King of Staying Alive."
Si Jian glared at him, then turned to Gu Fangchen with a serious expression. "Sir, this vile heretic's false death can only mean treachery. He must not be allowed to live."
Hu Wenxin's eyes widened, cursing silently, Damn, this old bastard's even more shameless than me!
Yet Si Jian was, after all, native to the Grand Dao Sword Palace. Though unwilling, none knew its rules better than he.
Hu Wenxin immediately forced a flattering smile. "No, no, sir, you misunderstand! This humble servant is timid, yes, but I swear I bear no disloyalty!"
Gu Fangchen raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then make a Heart Demon Oath."
Hu Wenxin's face froze.
Under Gu Fangchen's calm gaze, he had no choice but to make the humiliating Heart Demon Oath never to betray him.
At the Fourth Rank Tribulation Realm, the greatest trial came from the inner and outer demons, crossing the tribulation itself.
From the Middle Three Ranks to the Upper Three Ranks marked the second threshold of cultivation; only after passing it could one truly be called an immortal.
For most, a Heart Demon Oath was merely a potential future obstacle.
But for a Fourth Rank cultivator like Hu Wenxin, the oath took immediate effect, fail to uphold it, and death would strike instantly. He didn't dare gamble.
Gu Fangchen then took the secret key from Si Jian, released the seal of the Grand Dao Sword Palace, and had Si Jian select a proper sword for Xu Zhenguan before escorting him away.
Though he could have returned through the "Teleportation Array 1.14514," that would have exposed his true identity.
He needed to create a time gap, to fabricate an eyewitness to the identity of "Not a Daoist," distinguishing it clearly from "Gu Fangchen."
Xu Zhenguan's cold, composed face showed little expression, but he cupped his fists and said hesitantly, "Since Daoist intends to enter seclusion, it would be inappropriate for me to remain. Yet once we part, I wonder when we will meet again..."
The honest man only felt he owed "Not a Daoist" more and more.
If "Not a Daoist" were to disappear again, he would never be able to repay the debt.
He also had a suspicion, one he decided to test with words.
Gu Fangchen smiled. "Once you return to the Sword Pavilion, seek out Gu Fangchen. Follow him, and we shall meet again."
Xu Zhenguan's eyes flickered. He nodded firmly. "Very well."
With that, he and Si Jian left, ascending to the upper levels of the Hall of Sword Offering.
Gu Fangchen then went through the palace's treasure vault, retrieving the final material needed for reforging his spiritual foundation, before returning to the Hall of Sword Offering. He opened a plain-looking door on the first floor and stationed Hu Wenxin outside.
Inside was a hidden chamber. After unlocking several mechanisms and dismantling the formation within, Gu Fangchen muttered, "Still such a pain to access the hidden ones... but for seclusion, this place is as safe as it gets."
He gazed upon the sword bound by four chains before him, the finest sword in the entire game.
Its name was White Steed.
The so-called demonic sword beneath Dragon Hollow Lake had been a fabrication. This was the real one.
Its grade was not the highest, but its evil lay in its ability.
It allowed its wielder to see a "seam" in any object, and by striking along that seam, cut it apart.
Against any boss, this sword could slice off a huge portion of their health at the start, sometimes even killing instantly if luck was good.
And if an object were split in half, each half counted as a new object, meaning it could be cut again.
Thus, players had nicknamed it The Hydraulic Press.
As the saying went, once you owned a hydraulic press, soon the only thing left in your house was the press itself.
This sword was no different.
It had no power to incite evil thoughts, but every one of its wielders, without exception, had turned into a bloodthirsty fiend.
Hence, the Grand Dao Sword Palace had sealed it away to prevent it from ever returning to the world.
Gu Fangchen broke the seals and drew the sword.
A crisp hum rang out as he flicked the blade with his finger.
Pleasant.
He looked around.
In his eyes, faint white seams appeared everywhere, on the walls, chains, and even the floor.
He casually swung the sword toward one such seam on a chain, and it split cleanly in two.
An irresistible urge welled within him, to cut every seam in sight.
His hands itched.
Taking a deep breath, he quickly sheathed the blade and calmed himself.
Fortunately, he didn't suffer from compulsions...
Otherwise, the Great Wei Empire would soon have one more peerless demon.
He then sat cross-legged within the chamber, set up the array, and took out the Lotus Concealed in the Womb.
The translucent lotus petals were laced with crimson veins, pulsing rhythmically like blood vessels.
A golden mist of fragrance flowed from it, seeping into the ground, where tender green shoots sprouted from the cracks.
At the lotus's center, a lump of flesh beat like a heart.
Gu Fangchen held it gently and pressed it into his chest.
The lotus reacted, its petals withered into mist, merging into his body, while the veins and the heart-like mass sank deep into his flesh.
The reforging of the Lotus Concealed in the Womb was literal, it rebuilt the body itself.
It was far more brutal than cleansing the muscles and purging the marrow.
Normal cleansing merely expelled foul black sludge.
This, however, replaced the meridians and dantian entirely, what it exuded was blood.
Yet only such brutality could solve Gu Fangchen's inability to cultivate normally.
...
Far away, in Huangtian City, the Northern Garrison Prince's manor.
The study was dark.
Gu Yuye sat at the head, his gaze cold. "So you're saying, you not only failed to assassinate Gu Fangchen, but he also destroyed the Seven Sect Alliance in just three days and silenced everyone with a near-Divine sword?"
"I thought the esteemed Dao Lords might have some real strategy, but you were played like fools by that whelp!"
From the shadows stepped an old man with pitch-black fingertips, the Dao Lord of "Righteousness," the Charcoal Seller.
"This matter is indeed strange," he said gravely. "We underestimated him."
Before crossing blades with Gu Fangchen, they had assumed Gu Yuye's repeated failures were due to incompetence.
After all, how could reclaiming a son and verifying an identity drag on so long?
Even the wise can be foolish at times.
With the Tenfold Dao joining forces, eliminating Gu Fangchen should have been effortless.
Yet this man had anticipated every move, diverting their agents, breaking the chaos of the Seven Sects at Dragon Hollow Lake as if foreseen.
That level of foresight exceeded any technique of causal divination.
Even the disciples of the Celestial Fate Dao, such as Xu Fu or the Sixth Division Star Lord, could glimpse only fragments of what was to come.
But Gu Fangchen seemed to see every step, every outcome, each time choosing the perfect solution.
In their review, this was the most terrifying part.
The "Seven Sect Turmoil" involved an impossibly tangled web of factions, yet Gu Fangchen pierced straight to the root and tore it out entirely.
Three days.
They themselves had allotted Gu Yuandao a full month for the same task.
His efficiency was monstrous.
It was as though, he had already resolved the matter countless times, and this was merely one more repetition of the correct answer.
The Charcoal Seller turned the glowing ember in his hand. "This time, we shall fully assist Your Highness in preventing his return to Huangtian City."
Gu Yuye snorted. "You'd better."
The old man smiled faintly, raising the ember. "This flame belongs to the souls of Saishao City, slaughtered by Ding Xingfeng. The surviving children became spirits of the Path of Annihilation."
"This is Marquis Yizhou's karmic debt, his heart demon."
"Without a Martial Saint's protection, and with the aid of the young princess, even if he cultivates to the Sixth Rank, what can he do?"
"The Path of Annihilation can destroy even causality itself."
"Your Highness need only prepare the celebration for the young heir's triumph..."
...
Seven days later.
Gu Fangchen opened his eyes once more. Around him, the ground was covered in blooming lotus flowers, encircling him completely.
It was as if golden lotuses rose from the earth.
He exhaled slowly.
As he stood, the blossoms withered and vanished.
A faint fragrance lingered in the chamber, it was coming from his own body.
"Well, that's better than reeking of black sludge," he muttered.
He raised his hand, glancing at the demonic flower that still marked his palm, the Heart-Poison Mark.
"At least my dantian and meridians are restored. I can cultivate properly again. The spiritual circuit formed by the Demon Refinement Method doesn't conflict with the new ones, in fact, it's like having two sets of meridians."
"With the Upper Dantian stabilized, my soul is far steadier."
He clenched his fists, feeling the power flow through his renewed body.
The excess medicinal power from the Primordial Pill had also been released during the reforging.
His cultivation had risen from the early Sixth Rank to its peak.
Half-step Grandmaster.