Chapter 26: The Invincible Hero Power Fantasy (25)

The fact that Qin Yang was still alive did not come as a surprise to Su Bai.

Even after failing to defeat her during the inner sect assessment, Qin Yang was still able to continue practicing the Heavenly Derivation Sword Technique and was taken as a personal disciple by the Xiaoyao Sword Venerable. Even the Dragon Chant Sword seemed to have been destined for him.

For the sake of ensuring Qin Yang could successfully slay the Candle Dragon, it would not be strange for this world to do anything.

The Soul-Swapping Technique was a forbidden art of the Guiyuan Continent. Even if she had destroyed Qin Yang’s dantian, Su Bai had naturally left a contingency plan back when she had dared to stab him with that sword.

Qin Yang and she held their own secrets; neither was foolish enough to expose the other.

One thing that did catch Su Bai off guard was the barrage of messages telling her that the "Dragon Overlord System" was going to open a live-streaming channel in the world she inhabited, with Qin Yang as the protagonist.

This was the reason Qin Yang had managed to claw his way back from the brink of death.

To the Heavenly Dao of the Divine Realm, since this small world was meant to go all out to help Qin Yang slay the dragon, it was only logical to give him a "cheat" and provide him with a helping hand.

However—

Facing a dantian destroyed by the sword aura of the Dragon Chant Sword, even the Dragon Overlord System must be feeling a massive headache.

The young girl thought with a touch of wicked amusement.

[Is it really Qin Yang? But isn't Qin Yang a god-in-waiting?]
[I heard it’s an emergency task. Something went wrong with the main plot of this world; if it’s not handled well, it will affect the entire plane.]
[Has 888 never heard of such a big deal?]
[The system's level must be too low. Besides, I heard this mission level is quite high.]

That day, when the Dragon Chant Sword manifested its form through sword aura in the Sword Mound, it was something witnessed by the elders of the Eight Great Immortal Alliances and the Twelve Lesser Immortal Alliances. Since none of the disciples most favored by the cultivation world had managed to bring the Dragon Chant Sword out, rumors had long since begun to spread: the world's number one Dragon Chant Sword was in the hands of someone with a Heaven-Water spirit root.

In the hands of an previously obscure disciple of the Wuji Sect.

As soon as Su Bai returned to the Wuji Sect, she went to pay a visit to Elder Yaoguang.

Ruofeng was not just a single peak, but a cluster of countless small peaks surrounding a main peak, all collectively referred to as Ruofeng. Countless formations were set up within the peaks, and for certain treasures or forbidden grounds, ordinary disciples under the Ruofeng elders had to request permission to enter.

For example, the Heavenly Heart Pool at the summit of Ruofeng was Elder Yaoguang’s usual place for meditation and cultivation, and it was a forbidden area for other disciples.

The Heavenly Heart Pool was rich in spiritual energy. Legend had it that the water in this pool was a handful of heavenly water that spilled down from the Divine Realm when Nüwa created the world. Whenever a cultivator gazed into the lake, if they held even a shred of distraction in their heart, they would fall into endless illusions.

To control the water in the Heavenly Heart Pool, even with a Heaven-Water spirit root, one had to expend hundreds of times the usual amount of spiritual energy. Furthermore, because the lake water contained the most primitive power from the birth of the world, even a Golden Core cultivator could not stir the surface in the slightest if their Daoist heart was unstable.

The token Elder Yaoguang had bestowed upon Su Bai that day granted her almost all access to Ruofeng, so the Heavenly Heart Pool was no longer forbidden to her.

Moreover, Yaoguang taught the Water-Cloud Art right here at the Heavenly Heart Pool.

"You've returned."

As soon as Su Bai stepped into the formation guarding the pool, Elder Yaoguang, who was meditating by the side, spoke calmly: "I haven't seen you for only a month, and you’ve already reached the Golden Core stage?"

"Reaching Golden Core is fine, but if you forced your cultivation level up, it’s a different story for your path of cultivation."

Before Su Bai could reply, a thin pillar of water surged from the pool, transforming into a water sword.

Su Bai was a sword cultivator, so when Yaoguang taught her the Water-Cloud Art, she was accustomed to using water to manifest swords.

The long sword struck toward Su Bai without hesitation.

But such speed was not considered fast in Su Bai’s eyes. She tilted her head slightly and dodged Elder Yaoguang's first technique.

"The old rules."

Elder Yaoguang sat by the lake, neither turning her head nor opening her eyes. While meditating, she said, "No drawing your sword, no using external forces; you may only use the water from the Heavenly Heart Pool to spar with me."

As the words fell, a burst of concentrated spiritual energy shot into the pool like an arrow, and a torrent as thick as a bowl surged out.

Elder Yaoguang chuckled, "You have indeed improved quite a bit."

To control a single drop of water in the Heavenly Heart Lake required hundreds of times the energy of a normal feat. The fact that she could condense water into shape in such a short time meant that this Golden Core wasn't forced by a surge in cultivation level, but was truly built step by step.

However, breaking through two minor realms in a single month to reach the Golden Core stage...

Elder Yaoguang’s mouth twitched.

Calling it "steady" didn't quite seem appropriate.

The torrent instantly took the shape of a sword, striking head-on against Elder Yaoguang’s water sword. Although Elder Yaoguang’s sword looked small, it contained a wisp of divine sense from a Tribulation-stage powerhouse and did not fear that long sword.

Elder Yaoguang intended to test Su Bai on the second level of the Water-Cloud Art: "Green Sea, Rising Tide."

Before Su Bai had formed her Golden Core, she had been unable to take this strike.

Before entering the Sword Mound, she had mastered the first level of the Water-Cloud Art in less than a month, but she couldn't manifest the second level—not because she didn't know how, but because her body, lacking a Golden Core, simply could not bear the weight of the Daoist heart she had condensed.

The slender little sword collided with the long sword. The moment the blades touched, Elder Yaoguang flicked her finger, and the edge of the little sword instantly froze into ice. Its power surged, smashing the long sword into countless tiny droplets of water.

Amidst the rain of water droplets, Elder Yaoguang closed her eyes and shook her head.

"You expended more spiritual energy to condense a long sword, but unfortunately, 'Green Sea, Rising Tide' isn't about the size of the sword or the consumption of energy. In the words of you sword cultivators, it is about the sword intent."

"To manifest the path you cultivate from void to reality and attach it to such a wide blade is less effective than taking a step back and condensing it onto a small sword. Only then will the intent be resilient, and the Dao will not be loose or prone to dissipating."

Just as Yaoguang finished speaking, among the countless tiny water droplets where the long sword had shattered, one droplet suddenly stopped in mid-air. Then, the spiritual energy around that drop surged wildly, and it turned back, shooting straight at the small sword Elder Yaoguang had condensed.

Elder Yaoguang opened her eyes abruptly.

The trajectory of the water droplet left a bright silver light in its wake, and the air vibrated, visibly rippling as if scorched.

That droplet had condensed actual sword intent!

*Bang.*

The ice sword shattered inch by inch.

Yet, the water droplet remained.

"Master is right."

The young girl’s eyes were deep: "Green Sea, Rising Tide, it should indeed be this way."

"You..."

Elder Yaoguang took a deep breath.

With a disciple of such monstrous talent, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Sometimes, Yaoguang couldn't help but suspect that this disciple was deliberately holding back to save her some face, or perhaps hoping that she would teach her a few more techniques.

Elder Yaoguang steadied her breathing and looked at the disciple she hadn't seen for a month.

Sure enough.

Still that same arrogant, cool, and insufferable look.

Elder Yaoguang rubbed her temples, dropping the subject of the Water-Cloud Art, and asked, "The Dragon Chant Sword... is it in your hands?"

Su Bai replied, "It is."

Along the way, countless Wuji Sect disciples who recognized her had asked about the sword. So, Su Bai paused for a moment and asked, "Does Master want to see it?"

"I practice techniques; my life-bound artifact is the Linlang Life, which is a rare, holy-grade artifact. Why would I need to see your Dragon Chant Sword?"

Elder Yaoguang withdrew her gaze: "I just wanted to say congratulations."

"Since the Dragon Chant Sword has recognized you as its master, you can finally put aside your thoughts of forging a sword."

That day, she had been clamoring to forge a sword, but fortunately, Elder Yaoguang was well aware of these youngsters' minds.

If they could find a suitable, good sword in the Sword Mound, they would never think of forging one again.

However, regardless, this was the best outcome.

Elder Yaoguang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Forging a sword wasn't just something one could talk about lightly. Setting aside the theory of sword forging, just collecting the materials, inscribing formations on the blade, and applying enchantments—were these things an ordinary cultivator could easily expend the energy to do?

"But."

The young girl added, "I only said the Dragon Chant Sword is here with me, I didn't say the Dragon Chant Sword is *my* sword."

Elder Yaoguang: "?"

Su Bai didn't change her expression and pulled the Dragon Chant Sword out of her Qiankun bag.

The long sword was heavy, its presence filled with a stern, righteous aura. The blade was engraved with countless arrays and enchantments, and the hilt was carved from ten-thousand-year-old Panruo stone in the shape of a dragon's head and body. Even though Yaoguang didn't understand swords, she knew this blade was no ordinary treasure.

The divine sword had a spirit; it didn't need Su Bai’s manipulation to hover in mid-air on its own.

"The sword spirit is formed by the sword-user's aura and heart. The Dragon Chant Sword’s spirit was not born for me, so it is not the sword that suits me."

As she spoke, she pulled a massive, crystalline piece of Frost-Condensed Ice from her bag: "This is my sword."

The moment Su Bai brought out the Frost-Condensed Ice, bitter cold flooded the area. The temperature at the summit of Ruofeng plummeted, and the Heavenly Heart Pool, which never froze in ten thousand years, was instantly covered in a thin layer of frost and snow.

Elder Yaoguang’s breath hitched.

As someone with a Heaven-Water spirit root, how could she not recognize what was in Su Bai’s hand?

Elder Yaoguang rarely lost her composure: "This is recorded only in ancient, unique texts—the only remaining piece of Frost-Condensed Ice in the world! It actually fell into your hands!?"

"What kind of fortuitous encounter did you have in the Sword Mound!?"

A Dragon Chant Sword and a piece of Frost-Condensed Ice—just one of these was a windfall that so many people could never hope to obtain!

She had thought Su Bai had long since given up on the idea of forging a sword, but who would have thought she had actually found the sword embryo.

And this sword embryo was so good that she couldn't find a single flaw. Elder Yaoguang felt a breath trapped in her chest, unable to go up or down.

Because it truly was the holy-grade material found only in ancient illustrations.

If she could really use it to forge a sword tailored to her, it might not be any worse than the Dragon Chant Sword.

"Frost-Condensed Ice as a sword embryo is indeed rare in this world."

Elder Yaoguang was silent for a long time before saying, "Regardless of your sword-forging skills, to forge this Frost-Condensed Ice, you need an exotic fire."

"The Heaven-Swallowing Ice Flame is born in the extreme north of the Guiyuan Continent. It is a land of eternal ice and snow, chilling to the bone—the domain of the Snow Demons. It belongs to the Demon Realm, and even Golden Core cultivators dare not venture there alone. The boundaries between the Human, Demon, and Spirit realms are distinct; unless it concerns affairs of the three realms, cultivators above the Tribulation stage must never easily set foot in the Demon Realm."

"Su Bai, have you thought this through?"

Su Bai was silent for a moment, then bowed and said, "Master, I have thought it through."

"I must forge this sword."

***

After bidding farewell to Elder Yaoguang, Su Bai saw Yue Nianxin waiting for her at her courtyard gate with Yun Zhu and Shen Xing.

Compared to a month ago, Yun Zhu’s complexion looked much rosier. Today, she wore a bright red flower *dian* on her forehead, her willow-leaf eyebrows were relaxed, and she carried the spirited, vibrant air Su Bai had seen when they first met.

"It’s been a month, and you’ve actually reached the Golden Core stage, Junior Sister."

Yue Nianxin was astonished: "No wonder we kept hearing your name everywhere we went."

Shen Xing laughed: "See what I said before we entered the Sword Mound? I said Qin Yang was born with a sword heart, and our little Junior Sister is also born with a sword heart."

"She has never been one to let Qin Yang steal the spotlight."

Suddenly mentioning the name "Qin Yang," the scene fell into a dead silence.

Yue Nianxin glared at Shen Xing, who touched his nose, not daring to look up.

A few days ago, Qin Yang had returned to the Wuji Sect with the Jinghong Sword.

Obtaining the Jinghong Sword, the second-ranked weapon on the Divine Weapon Ranking, should have been an infinitely glorious event. Yet, who could have expected that the disciple once hailed as a genius would return dragging a destroyed dantian?

This incident alarmed many elders of the Wuji Sect who were on good terms with Qin Yang.

Contracting a divine sword—if the sword and the user were in harmony, how could one suffer such a massive backlash?

In their eyes, the Jinghong Sword was a good sword, but to bet all one's cultivation talent on contracting a sword that might not even suit one's self was a deal that led to total ruin.

Furthermore—

Why would contracting a life-bound sword injure a dantian?

No matter how they pressed him, Qin Yang only said that when he was contracting the Jinghong Sword, he attracted a Demon Beast at the peak of the Yuan Infant stage. The beast had gone mad, and he had fought for his life to escape, barely managing to save his own life.

This lie was full of holes, but considering that some cultivators in the Sword Mound had indeed claimed that a massive sword light had erupted in the southeast, accompanied by the roars of demons and the sound of dragon chants, the Wuji Sect Master was half-convinced. He asked him again if the Golden Core tribulation clouds that had alarmed the elders of the Eight Great Immortal Alliances outside that day were caused by him.

Qin Yang was silent for a long time before saying it was not.

But whether it was or not, it didn't matter much anymore.

A Lightning spirit root, a natural sword heart, recipient of the Heavenly Derivation Sword Technique, and someone who went from the early stage of Heart-Moving to the Great Perfection of Heart-Moving in just two years—yet this heaven-favored child, who had been so smooth in his cultivation and protected by Heavenly Dao, had fallen due to a twist of fate. It was a tragedy that made everyone in the cultivation world sigh in regret.

The Wuji Sect Master thought of Yun Zhu.

The Huichun Valley was the leader in alchemy in the cultivation world. As a disciple of the Huichun Valley Master, Yun Zhu had been invited by Qin Yang in the first place, so the Master wanted to ask Yun Zhu to take a look and see if the destroyed dantian could be healed.

However, Qin Yang said it wasn't necessary.

Yun Zhu remained silent for three full days. Just a day before Su Bai returned, Yun Zhu replied to the Master—

She would not treat him, and she could not heal him.

The dantian is the foundation of a cultivator's path. Rather than seeking help from a disciple with mediocre skills like her, the Master should personally go and invite her master out of the valley.

During that day's inner sect assessment, Su Bai had broken off her engagement in public because Qin Yang and Yun Zhu were secretly involved, yet today, there was a rift between the two of them for some unknown reason.

Cultivators lived long, endless lives. Even the Xiaoyao Sword Venerable, who was usually detached from worldly desires, had had several partners in his youth. Therefore, the Wuji Sect elders did not care about the emotional entanglements between Yun Zhu, Qin Yang, and Su Bai, nor were they willing to intervene.

But they couldn't help but sigh that the disciple who had unhesitatingly broken off the engagement in front of everyone that day truly had a discerning eye and was someone destined for the Great Dao.

The girl who was once seen as having been betrayed by Qin Yang in the eyes of the Wuji Sect disciples had now reached the Golden Core stage in the Sword Mound and returned with the world’s number one Dragon Chant Sword.

And Qin Yang, apart from his title as a disciple of the Xiaoyao Sword Venerable, was no different from a cripple.

Those who had previously whispered behind her back that Su Bai’s actions were too extreme and lacked fraternal loyalty now shut their mouths, turning to applaud and say it was a good thing they had separated.

Qin Yang was not worthy of such a heaven-favored genius.

Seeing the sudden silence, Yun Zhu couldn't help but sneer, crossing her arms: "Why are you all staring at me?"

As soon as she spoke, everyone seemed to break their silence.

Shen Xing wiped cold sweat: "Great Alchemist Yun, I was truly wrong."

Yue Nianxin quickly chimed in: "He just has a loose tongue, don't take it to heart."

Su Bai answered cleanly: "You look beautiful."

Shen Xing & Yue Nianxin & Yun Zhu: ...?

Beau-beautiful??

The three heads turned in unison toward Su Bai.

Is that something she could say?

Is that something she *should* say?

"Is it not beautiful?"

Seeing them all staring at her, Su Bai felt puzzled and shrugged innocently: "I don't know why, but I think Yun Zhu looks much more pleasing to the eye today."

"Why, I wonder..."

She lowered her head, murmuring, rarely beginning to ponder this question.

Yun Zhu was speechless.

She lifted her head and couldn't help but complain to Yue Nianxin and Shen Xing: "Did you think I would be washing my face with tears or throwing a tantrum just because you mentioned the name Qin Yang?"

Yue Nianxin and Shen Xing stood in a row, looking at their noses and hearts, not daring to speak.

Wasn't that the case?

Usually, when Su Bai was around, she would teach Yun Zhu sword techniques. When Yun Zhu couldn't beat Su Bai, even though she would look lively out of frustration, the sorrow and worry locked on her face, and the occasional loneliness in her eyes, were obvious even to a fool.

Yun Zhu snorted: "That was before!"

A crimson flush appeared on her face, as if the next words were embarrassing, but she gritted her teeth, as if that could stop the shame, and stammered: "Do, do I look like that kind of person?"

Yue Nianxin & Shen Xing: "...No?"

Su Bai was still standing to the side, arms crossed in thought.

Yun Zhu remembered the days she had spent crying for Qin Yang, and the more she thought about it, the redder her face became.

But she knew that if she didn't make it clear today, she would forever carry the stigma of being hopelessly in love with Qin Yang.

"I, I *did* like Qin Yang before."

"He was the only one in the cultivation world in hundreds of years to have a Heaven-Lightning spirit root. He was gifted and had inherited the Sword Venerable's sword path. Although his family had fallen, but... but if he were truly that perfect, I would have felt I wasn't good enough for him!"

Yun Zhu stomped her foot, hating her own lack of vocabulary, and continued: "I can't fight; I only dared to bully low-level demon beasts by relying on my higher cultivation. But Qin Yang defeated stronger opponents and saved me from demon cultivators. So, I thought everything about him was good—he was attentive, gentle, he would protect me, and he would play the leaf flute to make me happy..."

"Most importantly, he was handsome, had a nice voice, and even his hands were beautiful..."

At this point, Yun Zhu’s voice trailed off.

Seeing Shen Xing and Yue Nianxin looking at her with heartbreak, their faces clearly saying, "Child, how can you be so spineless?", Yun Zhu coughed a few times and quickly added: "Don't misunderstand! That was the old me! Now that his dantian is destroyed and I’ve started using a sword, I suddenly feel..."

"He is just an ordinary person. He isn't the omnipotent being I imagined. He kept me under his wing like he was raising a kitten or a puppy. I could only gamble on whether he would love me forever. If he didn't love me, it would be like..."

Her blood-red lips were bitten until they bled. Yun Zhu looked up at Su Bai with anxiety.

Shen Xing and Yue Nianxin followed her gaze.

Suddenly the center of attention, Su Bai shrugged, saying indifferently: "Don't look at me like that. To me, Qin Yang is just a defeated opponent. If you look at me like this, you’ll give me goosebumps."

Let’s be real—who would want to have some ambiguous relationship with a competitor?

Yun Zhu breathed a sigh of relief and continued: "It’s just like the inner sect assessment... If he despised me, if he wanted to pursue something higher, then I could only become a discarded piece. Because he was always pursuing becoming stronger, while I... I could only be trapped in the cage of so-called love, gambling that he would love me forever."

"To him, I was just icing on the cake, but to me, he was a gift in the middle of a snowstorm. Fantasizing about who can't live without whom is actually quite ridiculous."

Yun Zhu’s face showed a look of confusion: "Furthermore, the things I thought were amazing about him before don't seem that hard anymore."

"People who use swords are indeed elegant and look very impressive, but when I picked up a sword, I realized I could protect myself, and I could become that kind of person too."

"So... I don't think I liked him that much after all."

Yue Nianxin listened, moved, and was just about to praise Yun Zhu for growing up when Su Bai suddenly realized: "You are right."

Shen Xing coughed a few times.

Su Bai patted Yun Zhu on the shoulder and said earnestly: "The way you don't care about Qin Yang is indeed very beautiful."

***

On her first night back at the Wuji Sect, after Yue Nianxin, Yun Zhu, and Shen Xing left, Su Bai practiced her sword alone in the courtyard.

888 manifested as a spiritual entity and jumped out, sitting on the stone table to check the barrage of messages one by one.

But today it seemed exceptionally downcast, its rabbit ears drooping motionless on the table.

As the final strike landed, Su Bai performed a clean sword flourish, and the Dragon Chant Sword returned to its scabbard.

The noise of the day dissipated. It was the third watch of the night, the moon was deep and the dew was heavy, with only the sound of crickets filling the air. The young girl pursed her lips, leaned down, and poked 888’s ears.

"Unhappy again?"

888 gave a small, quiet "Hmm."

"Why are you unhappy?"

She continued to ask.

"Because..."

888 hesitated for a moment and looked up at Su Bai.

The young girl’s pupils were clear under the moonlight. The moonlight fell into her eyes like stones washed in a mountain stream, as if illuminating all of 888’s little thoughts.

It hung its head again: "Because I can't help you with anything..."

"The Dragon Overlord System has many followers; it’s an SS-level system with higher authorization than me, a better script... but I have nothing..."

"So what if you don't?"

Su Bai said: "I don't need those things."

"Is it your fault that you don't have these things?"

She looked at 888 and asked back.

888’s soft little body shook: "I, I... it’s because I’m too useless..."

"You are too useless, but is it your fault that you are too useless?"

Su Bai pulled away the ears 888 was using to cover its eyes.

"These small worlds were once just scripts and legends spread across countless planes. Because they were passed down by word of mouth by countless people, they eventually formed self-awareness and became worlds of their own. When the 'Little White Flower Saint Mother System' was created, wasn't it the choice of the audience from all the planes?"

"What fault is that of yours?"

888 muttered: "I’m not strong enough, I don't have a sweet plot line, I’m weak, no one likes me..."

"Incorrect."

Su Bai shook her head: "If you put the Phoenix Overlord System in your situation and gave it the same script, do you think it could have done any better than you?"

"A D-level system, unable to cheat, no followers, a terrible script, no face-slapping or counter-attacks, no overbearing sweet romance."

With every word Su Bai said, 888’s body trembled slightly.

"But."

The young girl picked 888 up from the stone table with hands that carried the warmth of the night. She looked at it as if looking at another living, breathing person.

"You are not wrong."

Su Bai poked 888’s ears. Her tone was cold, and her hands were cold, but 888 inexplicably gained a sliver of courage from her eyes.

"No one taught you, no one gave you a choice, no one asked if you were willing. Some people are born 'Dragon Overlords' or 'Phoenix Overlords,' so they assume everyone should be just like them."

"Never try to find the fault within yourself."

She stood up straight, her gaze as calm as a moonlit river: "If you feel injustice, then be angry."

888’s body trembled.

Be angry? How to be angry?

"Be angry that it was *they* who created me, and it was *they* who abandoned me."

"Then..." 888 whispered, "What if I am truly wrong..."

"And what if you are?"

She lowered her head and smiled.

"Then persist in your mistakes and carry them to the end."

"How to carry them to the end?"

888 opened its mouth slightly, asking curiously.

"Become the SSS+ level system of the Divine Realm, fill all the live-streaming recommendations with the name '888', make it so that from birth, they can only watch your scripts, hear your name, and sing your praises. Because you are the strongest, no one will dare to say you are not, no one will dare to be disrespectful to you. From then on, you will be the only Dao they believe in."

Her eyes were cold and sharp, like they were tempered with thick, freezing light.

"If they allow injustice upon you, then return it to them a hundredfold, and make them believe in your Dao."

"There is no Dao in the world to begin with. With me, there is a Dao."

888’s eyes widened.

She stood in the moonlight. Where the moonlight could not reach, shadows grew. The phoenix eyes splashed with moonlight were noble and proud, while the other half seemed buried in the deep, dark sea.

888 shivered.

The unseen other half was the most arrogant and rampant.

"Is... is this your Dao?"

"Yes, this is my Dao."