This Slice Will Be Really Cool

“Junior Brother Lu, did what I just say provoke you... I know you’re not afraid of the 【Reaper】’s instant kill, but please come back quickly...”

Following Lu Ze’s movements, Zhou Yue broke out in a cold sweat, even starting to wonder if he had somehow offended Lu Ze recently, so that Lu Ze would recklessly walk into death at such a critical moment.

“You... what are you trying to do?”

Li Moran was equally baffled.

Sure, Lu Ze’s earlier moves were astonishing, but at least they were technically understandable, and Li Moran felt that with enough practice, she could achieve the same.

But now...

Li Moran had absolutely no idea what he was trying to pull.

Lu Ze didn’t say a word. He kept adjusting the speed of the dagger’s swing.

Although the gameplay, firearms, and maps of “Xianyuan Continent Ops” were all evolved from the previous life’s “Delta Force Ops,”

this didn’t mean it was a perfect copy.

The action system, in particular, was a key difference. Since the environment wasn’t a computer game, the players had much more freedom of movement, even though everyone shared the same base stats.

This meant a higher operational ceiling.

For example, the swing speed of a blade could be adjusted, but the gap between the upper and lower limits was not huge.

Or techniques could be more varied than in computer games — in extreme cases, dodging bullets by twisting your body was not impossible.

...

Beyond that, there was another subtle setting:

Melee weapons had collision volumes.

This was a tribute to the previous life’s “PUBG,” where a loaded magazine could be entirely blocked by a frying pan.

However, “Xianyuan Continent Ops” didn’t have frying pans; its daggers were mostly small-volume items.

If a chainsaw were ported in, it might actually work like a frying pan...

Truly, “time will prove the chainsaw right.”

In short, the idea of a dagger blocking a bullet was purely theoretical.

To pull it off, you’d need a sufficiently long distance, extremely quick reflexes, and perfect timing...

For example,

right here, right now.

Lu Ze squinted, having already calculated the flight time of the spirit bullet over that distance and the timing of his swing in his mind. Then he stepped onto the central control bridge.

“Watch closely.”

Lu Ze held “Chixiao” sideways in his hand, tilted his head, and gave a faint smile.

“This strike is going to be epic.”

...

At Blue Hall platform, atop the shipping container.

At the moment the 【Reaper】’s red spirit bullet shot out,

in 【Twilight】’s eyes, the progress bar above Lu Ze’s head finally filled completely.

Instantaneously, the sensation of “Heavenly Eye” loading surged over him again.

In 【Twilight】’s view, everything slowed down.

The trajectory of the red spirit bullet, Lu Ze’s slightly raised hand holding the dagger, the nearly stagnant air...

But to his shock, this time it was different.

He couldn’t see Lu Ze’s trajectory.

Not even a trace of an afterimage.

This meant that even with the ninth spiritual lamp lit, he still couldn’t see through Lu Ze’s movements.

‘No... impossible...’

He opened his eyes wide in terror, forcing his focus to try and increase the “Heavenly Eye” output.

In an instant, script after script seemed to appear behind Lu Ze.

Invincible,

Unbeatable,

Un...

matched!

【Twilight】 gasped, a wave of despair instantly enveloping his heart.

The next moment, he felt a stabbing pain in both eyes and was forced out of the “Heavenly Eye” state uncontrollably.

Then—

Lu Ze drove his arm downward in a heavy slash.

The red spirit bullet was literally cleaved in midair by that red-and-white dagger!

“How can this...”

【Twilight】 was horrified.

Before he could finish, a heavy gunshot rang out,

and a red spirit bullet sank into his brow.

...

...

Lingxiao Sect Spectating Area.

First came a deathly silence, then an earth-shaking roar of applause.

“Junior Brother Lu is way too... too... too freaking awesome!!”

Zhong Yi was so overwhelmed he couldn’t form proper words, just using the most basic language to express his feelings.

Even though he had contemplated the possibility, witnessing Lu Ze execute it firsthand was still a profound shock.

The Divine Tournament finals, the decisive round, the impartial 【Reaper】, the hopeless disadvantage of no cover...

And despite all that, Lu Ze had chosen the riskiest play.

Cutting down the 【Reaper】’s spirit bullet with a single slice — that move was practically grinding everyone’s understanding into the dirt!

Even if Zhong Yi had already analyzed the theoretical possibility and constraints of such a move, watching this scene a hundred times more, it would still feel over-the-top.

This wasn’t like others whispering behind his back, claiming Lu Ze had simply exploited insider knowledge of the Illusion Master’s design.

Take this sword-cutting-spirit-bullet technique.

Anyone can swing a blade, right?

Anyone can calculate a projectile’s trajectory, right?

Anyone can seize the right timing, right?

Did that mean just anyone could slice a spirit bullet with a knife?

It was like a mountain peak in “Xianyuan Continent Ops.” Lu Ze stood at the summit.

Everyone knew the way to climb it.

But only Lu Ze could reach the top.

...

Divine Tournament Live Stream.

【???】

【What just happened???】

【Blade splitting spirit bullet... is that for real???】

【They’re not even pretending now!!】

【I was doubting Endless Twilight’s hacker status, but turns out Old Demon Lu is the real hacker...】

【Guess I have no choice but to buy the Chixiao skin now!!】

【Where’s that rich kid who was talking about gifting knife skins? Pulled a vanishing act?】

【They said the Reaper makes all equal under it, turns out a sniper is worse than a knife?】

【Not only that, after slicing the spirit bullet, he snipes someone from a hundred meters without even aiming??】

【Seriously, never scoping?】

【Too strong, too insane...】

【I don’t care if he’s hacking — thank god I don’t have to go bankrupt!】

...

Celestial Base, Outside the Command Center Building.

Lu Ze jogged slowly across the sand, heading back to revive Li Moran and Zhou Yue, grinning like a kid.

The move he just pulled was clearly earth-shattering; his system rewards kept ringing in his ear.

【Host impressed the righteous cultivator Zhong Yi with his strength, earning his admiration. Will randomly acquire one of his abilities.】

【Reward obtained: One year of enlightenment insights】

【Host impressed the righteous cultivator Zhou Yue with his strength, earning his admiration. Will randomly acquire one of his abilities.】

【Reward obtained: One year of enlightenment insights】

【Host impressed the righteous cultivator Li Moran with his strength, earning her admiration. Will randomly acquire one of her abilities.】

【Reward obtained: Sword Opens Heaven’s Gate】

...

Lu Ze gradually figured out the mechanics of this function.

First, anyone weaker than him, no matter how stunned, wouldn’t give any reward.

Second, the reward’s value depended on the gap in strength, or cultivation level, between the two parties.

Back when he was still a nobody, he’d get ten years of enlightenment experience left and right. Now, pulling off such a big play, all he got was a single year.

The wool was getting harder to shear...

Lu Ze pouted. At least there were enough people this time — the accumulated enlightenment bonuses added up to around three hundred years, enough to let him comprehend quite a few moves.

“Damn! That was way too broken!! That move, I genuinely can’t learn it!!!”

Zhou Yue couldn’t help but exclaim the moment Lu Ze revived him.

Not to mention splitting a spirit bullet with a blade, even that hundred-meter instantaneous sniper headshot wasn’t something a person could learn.

“Haha, it’s not like I can pull it off anytime. I just had the right timing, position, and conditions on my side.”

Lu Ze said with a grin.

The distance to “Dusk” was relatively far, and the flight time of the spirit bullet in the air happened to be about the same as the maximum speed of his sword swing, so he’d had the chance to pull off that move.

This trick wasn’t exactly practical, but it sure was impressive.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have raked in so many rewards.

“So? Was that slash cool or what? Wanna learn?”

Lu Ze asked cheerfully as he pulled Li Moran up.

After repeatedly getting advanced skills out of Li Moran, Lu Ze found himself increasingly thinking his senior sister was quite pleasant to look at.

Li Moran, who had just revived, opened her mouth to say something but seemed to struggle for words.

After a long pause, she suddenly recalled those bizarre terms Lu Ze had asked about earlier, and she broke into a rare, gentle laugh:

“Yeah, I’m impressed.”

…

…

Heavenly Dao Livestream, Loose Cultivator Spectator Section.

Blood Crow and Rakshasa’s expressions were far from good.

Blood Crow was worried he’d have to go broke again.

Rakshasa, on the other hand, was worried he’d have to die again.

“Damn it! That kid must be colluding with the Heavenly Dao—nothing else explains it!”

Blood Crow’s eyes were red, like a gambler who had lost his mind.

“Elder Blood Crow, don’t panic…”

Rakshasa quickly tried to soothe him, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire again.

“When I left the illusion earlier, I went to see the Alliance Leader…”

“Since they’re acting so recklessly, there’s no need for us to hold back anymore.”

“The Alliance Leader has already agreed to lift the restrictions on the Ten Directions Spirit Summoning Array.”

“Once the ten spirit lamps are lit, what we summon…”

“Will be a god.”