Gu Chengyin retracted his sword fingers, and with a whoosh, the flying sword flew backward, hovering in front of him once again. The blade was spotless, free of any wood shavings, shining as if it were brand new.
Gu Chengyin praised it repeatedly in his heart. The power of this flying sword strike far exceeded the destructive force of his previous ordinary attacks.
Amidst his joy, he calmed his mind and looked inward at his own body.
Upon seeing this, he couldn't help but click his tongue in slight astonishment.
Such a seemingly effortless flying sword thrust had actually consumed more than half of the originally abundant and thick true qi in his dantian's spiritual sea.
As expected, even the most basic sword control technique consumes an astonishing amount of true qi.
Gu Chengyin wasn't too surprised; instead, he felt it was only natural.
High-level skills inevitably came with high consumption. This was a basic rule.
Being able to use it at the Qi Condensation stage was only possible because he had used a cheat.
If he could use it as casually as ordinary sword moves, that would truly be unreasonable.
Just as Gu Chengyin grasped the longsword in his hand, preparing to officially practice his sword moves, a familiar voice came from outside the arena:
Young Master Gu?
Gu Chengyin retracted his stance and turned around, looking toward the source of the voice.
At the edge of the martial arts arena stood Shangguan Yunying. Her crimson palace dress was particularly striking against the deepening night and the halo of the palace lanterns.
Her face carried a faint blush from hurrying, and her eyes were filled with surprise at seeing Gu Chengyin, which quickly turned into delight.
Are you practicing sword techniques?
Shangguan Yunying walked quickly into the arena, her gaze falling on the longsword in Gu Chengyin's hand. Do you need me to teach you? Or perhaps we could spar?
Gu Chengyin paused, not expecting her to appear at this moment.
He lowered the tip of his longsword and asked, Don't you need to report back to Her Highness first?
Shangguan Yunying had already approached. Hearing this, she shook her head and explained, I already did. Her Highness said you were looking for something in the Myriad Phenomena Pavilion and told me to come help you.
She paused, a helpless yet amused expression on her face. Upon receiving the order, I immediately went to the Myriad Phenomena Pavilion, thinking I could help you search.
But after walking around inside, I didn't even see a shadow of you.
It was Xiaoli who told me that you had already found what you were looking for and left for the martial arts arena. That's why I came looking for you here.
Saying this, Shangguan Yunying curiously sized up Gu Chengyin. What exactly were you looking for? You found it so quickly.
An unfathomable smile appeared on Gu Chengyin's face as he answered half-truthfully, It was a fortunate coincidence, really. Perhaps there was some unseen guidance.
Before his voice faded, Gu Chengyin's mind stirred, leaking out a tiny trace of the unique aura of the Azure Cloud Mantra that was circulating on its own within his body.
However, even this tiny trace of aura was like a sudden clap of thunder to Shangguan Yunying, who was standing right in front of him.
Buzz!
The true qi within Shangguan Yunying's body, cultivated from the Azure Sword Mantra, suddenly surged like raging waves.
It wasn't a hostile attack, but a near-instinctive palpitation and submission stemming from the very origin of her cultivation technique.
It was like a stream encountering a vast river, a firefly gazing up at the bright moon, or a descendant with thin bloodlines suddenly feeling the summon of their primal ancestor.
Shangguan Yunying clearly felt that the true qi she had cultivated for years became uncontrollably docile in the face of that strange, ethereal, ancient, and majestic aura emanating from Gu Chengyin. It even vaguely threatened to break free from her control, harboring an urge to bow in worship toward him.
What shook her mind even more was that this suppression and attraction at the technique level actually affected her directly on a spiritual level.
An indescribable sense of intimacy and trust, along with an absurd impulse to swear loyalty to the person emitting this aura, crashed against her mental defenses like a tidal wave.
This... What is this...
Shangguan Yunying froze in place. The color drained from her beautiful face, only to be quickly replaced by a flush of horror and disbelief.
Her beautiful eyes widened, staring fixedly at Gu Chengyin as if truly seeing him for the first time.
Her Foundation Establishment realm cultivation circulated madly within her, barely suppressing the urge to fall to her knees. But within the lake of her heart, stormy waves continued to crash, unable to calm down for a long time.
Acknowledge him as master? What a joke!
Even if she had to... it shouldn't be under such inexplicable circumstances!
An extremely shameful thought flashed through Shangguan Yunying's mind, making the tips of her ears burn.
Seeing that the desired effect had been achieved, Gu Chengyin immediately restrained his aura and returned to his normal state, as if the heart-palpitating feeling from just a moment ago had merely been an illusion.
At the same time, he deliberately asked, Well? Can you tell what's different about my new cultivation technique?
Shangguan Yunying took several deep breaths before suppressing the monstrous waves and bizarre palpitations in her heart.
She stepped forward, her footsteps still somewhat unsteady, and walked halfway around Gu Chengyin, examining him carefully from head to toe.
She even leaned in slightly, her delicate nose twitching twice as she sniffed to see if Gu Chengyin carried the scent of any special pills or spices.
After confirming that Gu Chengyin had no external aids on him and that the aura had indeed emanated from his own body, the curiosity in Shangguan Yunying's eyes practically overflowed.
She asked eagerly, How on earth did you do that? That aura just now was incredible! My true qi almost lost control!
Shangguan Yunying was too embarrassed to mention the urge to acknowledge him as her master, but the words lost control were enough to explain the situation.
Seeing her reaction, Gu Chengyin felt completely reassured.
This perfectly verified the absolute suppression and superior status that the Azure Cloud Mantra had over the Azure Sword Mantra.
This was more convincing than any token.
He deliberately put on a cautious expression, looking around the empty martial arts arena once more before leaning close to Shangguan Yunying and speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear:
I'll tell you, but you absolutely must not tell anyone else. This matter is of grave importance.
Made even more unbearably curious by his secretive attitude, Shangguan Yunying nodded vigorously, her beautiful eyes wide and round.
Only then did Gu Chengyin slowly open his mouth, recounting the story he had fabricated.
His tone held three parts emotion, three parts sudden realization, and four parts solemnity:
Actually, I'm not some ordinary country bumpkin from North River City.
Rather, I come from an ancient immortal cultivation family. It's just that when I was young, my family encountered some sort of disaster. I became stranded outside, and my memories grew blurry and confused. I could never remember my family's name.
It wasn't until today, with Her Highness's permission, that I was able to enter the Myriad Phenomena Pavilion to look for clues.
Strange as it sounds, it felt as though some unseen guidance led me to find a token of utmost importance to me among the vast sea of ancient texts.
Through that token, combined with the Azure Sword Mantra you taught me, I finally understood the origin of my bloodline!
Gu Chengyin's voice grew agitated. It turns out I am the sole surviving bloodline heir of the ancient Azure Cloud Immortal Clan left in this world!
And the Azure Sword Mantra that your Azure Sword Sect relies on as its foundation... He looked at Shangguan Yunying, his gaze burning bright:
According to the records on that token, it is actually an incomplete fragment of the sword path inheritance from the Azure Cloud Immortal Clan's Heaven-tier technique, the Azure Cloud Mantra!
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
