"Cough... COUGH COUGH!"
The disciple looked at Lin Qingfeng, then began to cough violently. Blood, mixed with fragments of his internal organs, gushed from the corner of his mouth as his life force rapidly faded.
Lin Qingfeng: "What are you looking at me for? Forget your lines? Spit them out! You won't get another chance in a minute!"
Only then did Zhan shudder and, with all his might, turn his head to look at Su Ling'er.
The previous shock and indignation in his eyes were gone, replaced only by a despair that came from having all hope hollowed out.
He reached a hand out toward Su Ling'er. It trembled violently in the air, as if trying to grasp something, yet unable to hold onto anything at all.
"Why... has it come to this..."
Every time he spoke, flecks of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, making his voice even hoarser and more broken.
"Lin Qingfeng, with methods like yours... I admit defeat..."
"But... Junior Sister... from the moment you joined the sect, I... I've been smitten with you..."
"Ah..."
"Oh, Celestial Dao... why are you so unjust!"
"Oh, great earth... why grant me the heart to protect her, but not the strength!"
"We were meant to be a divine couple, seeking only a lifetime of bliss!"
"They say the universe has its ordained order, so why can't it tolerate one devoted heart!"
Su Ling'er watched, somewhat bewildered.
'Seriously? How long have we even known each other for you to be "smitten" with me? Didn't I just join the sect?! What is it about me you even like?!'
'You're smitten with me just like that?! What "divine couple"?! Are you suffering from some false memories or something?!'
'And "devoted heart"! If you're going to die, can you not drag me down with you? What do I have to do with any of this?!'
However, as Su Ling'er was furiously ranting in her head, she was unaware that from behind a pile of rubble not far away, a pair of eyes was staring intently at the scene.
It was a player who had heard a new NPC had arrived in the sect and had rushed over to take a look.
And this was the scene he stumbled upon.
'Holy shit! What's going on? Is this NPC a succubus? She already took down that Zhan guy?'
The disciple was seen struggling to raise his other hand, pointing with a trembling finger to his own chest—to the ancient sword that was still dripping blood.
"This is... PTHOO... cough... COUGH COUGH... the consequence..."
His last words having been interrupted by a gush of blood, the junior brother before her repeated himself.
"This is... the consequence... of not mastering body cultivation..."
"It's all my fault... It's all my fault for being obsessed with external objects, for indulging in that useless sword, and forgetting... that the physical body is the foundation, that one's own self is the true path to the Dao!"
"If I... if I had also cultivated the Sword Refining Skill... then... how could it have come to this?"
"If my flesh and bone had been refined to be as hard as a magic treasure, how could I... how could I have been ambushed by Senior Brother?"
"How could he possibly... have killed me?!"
"Junior Sister... look closely... this is... the consequence... of not cultivating the Sword Refining Skill..."
Bloody spittle slid from his lips like beads from a broken string, and the light in his eyes quickly dimmed.
"You must... you must... walk the right path..."
His hand finally fell, lifeless.
"Don't... don't follow my old path... Don't... let... this tragedy... repeat itself..."
"I have yet to attain the Great Dao, yet to ascend as an immortal..."
"I... resent... this..."
"Junior Sister... I don't want... this to happen to you... You must... you absolutely must... not be like me..."
His sorrowful cries came to an abrupt end. His head lolled to the side, and he went silent.
But his eyes remained fixed on Su Ling'er, as if he wanted to etch her image into his heart even in death.
His gaze seemed to hold a trace of adoration for the one he loved and a warning, not wanting her to repeat his mistakes.
Until his pupils turned vacant, and he was utterly still.
Lin Qingfeng stepped forward and yanked the ancient sword out. The so-called "admirer of his junior sister" fell backward, stiff as a board.
A pool of blood spread quickly beneath him, dyeing his disciple robes a dark red.
Even in death, the disciple's eyes remained fixed in his junior sister's direction, unable to rest in peace.
Meanwhile, Zhan himself was off to corpse run and revive.
The Sword Mound fell deathly silent.
Lin Qingfeng's eyelid twitched slightly.
'What an awkward performance... I feel like Zhan overdid it a bit. I wonder if Junior Sister will buy it.'
'But, seeing as she accepted all that other ridiculous stuff I said before, I guess... probably... maybe... it'll be fine?'
However, the player behind the pile of rubble was already completely floored by the shock.
'What the fuck is going on?'
'Did you guys do something when I wasn't looking? Why is it already a matter of life and death?'
'And why does this sound so much like a TV commercial?! Did the Artifact Refining Pavilion pay you guys for this ad spot?!'
He cleared his throat and checked the unlock progress for the follow-up quest.
[Follow-up quest unlocking.]
[Progress: 73%]
He then retracted the ancient sword he had just named [Hold On], clasped his hands behind his back, and once again assumed the air of a peerless master filled with worldly compassion.
[Ancient Sword: Hold On]
[Grade: High-grade Spirit (Upgradeable)]
[Sharpness: Grandmaster-rank]: The blade is exceptionally sharp, capable of severing gold and jade, indestructible.
[Evil-Slaying: Grandmaster-rank]: The righteous aura of the sword's body naturally suppresses demonic entities.
[Sword Qi Amplification: Major]: When using any Sword Dao Skill, the power, range, and duration of Sword Qi are significantly enhanced.
[Toughness: Spirit-grade]: The sword's material is extraordinary, making it extremely difficult to destroy or wear down.
[Myriad Sword Shadows]: By infusing Spiritual Power, one can conjure thousands of sword shadows, making it difficult to distinguish real from illusion and confusing the enemy's judgment.
[>]: A supreme Sword Technique created by an Ancient Sword Immortal. When drawn, the sword is like a blooming cyan lotus, coexisting in slaughter and splendor.
[Other attributes not yet unlocked]
[Sword Talent: Oblivion]
Sealed in ancient tomb for years untold,A rusted lotus awaits a hand to hold.Though nameless now, its edge concealed from sight,Once drawn, a thousand lotuses ignite.
Legend has it that there was once a peerless swordsman known as the "Cyan Lotus Sword Immortal."
The > he created could, with a single thought, make flowers bloom and ten thousand swords fly. It was a combination of splendor and slaughter, unparalleled in its time.
However, during a world-sundering catastrophe, he used this sword song to slay countless demons and save the common people. But due to the excessive slaughter, the cyan lotuses were stained with blood, and his Dao heart was sullied.
Filled with remorse, the Sword Immortal took this sword to a place of final ruin and established a sword mound for himself.
He personally erased the Divine Sword's name, sealed the > and his life's insights within the sword's core, and then passed away in meditation on that very spot.
His only wish was for this Divine Soldier, which carried both endless slaughter and glory, to be forgotten by the world along with him.
From then on, the Divine Sword gathered dust, its name lost to time.
It is both the end of a glorious legend and the inheritance of a supreme Sword Dao.
It awaits the day it can once again slaughter its way across the world with a new master, who will decide whether its thousand cyan lotuses will bloom for the people once more, or fall into a bottomless abyss.
...
Lin Qingfeng looked at Su Ling'er's small, blood-splattered face and sighed softly.
"Sigh... You've seen it yourself. The line between life and death is but a single thought. Zhan was exceptionally talented, and his will to fight was second to none in our sect. It's a pity he was too reliant on external objects, putting his faith in that greatsword he carried while neglecting to temper his own body."
"If he had cultivated the Sword Refining Skill, using his body as a scabbard and his will as the sword's soul, his physical form would have long been comparable to a magic treasure. How could he have been killed on the spot by a simple counterattack from me?"
"Had I known he was your admirer, I would have let you deal with him."
"To think he had the great courage to strike at me for your sake. Sigh, how tragic and lamentable."
Then he once again recited that line,
"'Since ancient times, love has brought only sorrow, a sorrow that stretches on into eternity~'"
Su Ling'er shot him a sidelong glance.
'Senior Brother, you already used that line!!!'
Then, Lin Qingfeng changed his tone, his gaze falling upon Su Ling'er.
"Junior Sister, so now, are you still going to hesitate?"
"You heard what he said. This Sword Refining Skill might be painful, it might be difficult, but at least it can give you one more way to save your own life in this cruel Cultivation Realm."
"Otherwise, if you get into a fight with someone and you're unable to withstand a simple counterattack, leading to your body perishing and your Dao vanishing, how then will you attain the Great Dao? And how will you allow Zhan, who admired you so deeply, to rest in peace!"
Su Ling'er's heart sank to the pit of her stomach.
She didn't understand how this man could have become smitten with her at first sight, but thinking back to the conspiracy she'd overheard at the foot of the Asking Dao Ladder, she pretty much understood!
'So that's how it is!'
'So Senior Brother brought me here just to put on this ridiculously awkward play for me to watch!'
'To make me cultivate that inhumane Sword Refining Skill, he was willing to sacrifice a disciple's life to stage this self-injury ploy! She didn't believe a word of that "love at first sight" nonsense.'
'Was he threatened? Or was his mind controlled, or was he brainwashed, just like those disciples who jumped into the Pill Furnaces and Forging Platforms?'
Otherwise, she couldn't possibly understand why the disciple, on the brink of death, didn't hate Lin Qingfeng for killing him, but instead looked at her with that expression of frustrated disappointment.
'Hey! It's not like I'm the one who killed you!'
'If you're going to die with your eyes open, you should be glaring at Senior Brother! What are you glaring at me for? Do I have anything to do with this?!'
But she knew one thing for sure: just for cooperating in a play, that disciple had lost his life on the spot. If she were to say even half a word of refusal now, some even more terrifying method would surely be waiting for her!
So, she took a deep breath, suppressing all her fear and panic.
'How can I stall for time and delay practicing the Sword Refining Skill?'
Her mind raced, and she finally latched onto Zhan's "smitten" speech.
'In that case... I might as well play along. That's what I'll do!'