Murong Ziying had grown up in the Qionghua Sect, where the doctrine of exterminating monsters and demons to the last—regardless of whether they were truly a threat—was deeply ingrained. This mindset was as foundational as the "Will of Fire" in Naruto's Konoha. In the game, had Murong Ziying not traveled with Yun Tianhe, experienced those events, and eventually encountered Yun Tianqing, his attitude would not have undergone such a significant transformation later on.
Given these circumstances, convincing Murong Ziying with words alone was an impossibility. Even Naruto, the ultimate "Talk no Jutsu" master, wouldn't be able to persuade him. Only through personal experiences could Murong Ziying's perspective be changed.
"This is what they call walking too many nights and finally running into a ghost, huh?"
The day after Daniel Davis left the Reflection Valley, Yun Tianhe, Liu Mengli, and Han Lingsha were caught red-handed by Murong Ziying during one of their playful outings. All three were promptly sent to the Reflection Valley as punishment.
"These people have way too much free time."
The reason Yun Tianhe and the others were caught so easily was due to someone reporting them. However, the person who reported them had no idea that these four were very different from the average Qionghua Sect disciples. None of them actually cared about being sent to the Reflection Valley.
When Daniel sneaked in to deliver food to the trio, he found Yun Tianhe, Han Lingsha, and Liu Mengli chatting and laughing without a care in the world.
For the average disciple, the rules of the Qionghua Sect were sacrosanct and not to be disobeyed. But for Daniel and his group, such rules were meaningless. If someone were to catalog all the rules they had broken, the list would be long—especially for Daniel and Han Lingsha, who had repeatedly snuck into restricted areas like the Qionghua Sect's library pavilion.
Han Lingsha was searching for a way to attain immortality, while Daniel was looking for advanced cultivation techniques. After Murong Ziying had taught them the basics of swordsmanship and spellcasting, he stopped offering further instruction. It wasn't hard to guess that this was on Su Yao's orders.
Given Murong Ziying's personality, he might privately disagree with Su Yao's decision. However, as the sect master, her orders were not something he would openly defy.
Daniel was well aware that his actions couldn't remain hidden from the Qionghua Sect's leadership. But as long as Su Yao and Xuan Xiao needed the group to remain in the sect for their ascension plan, they had no choice but to turn a blind eye to Daniel's small transgressions.
While Han Lingsha came up empty-handed in her searches, Daniel's gains were considerable. He acquired advanced cultivation methods and studied many of the sword techniques left behind by the Qionghua Sect's predecessors.
Just as different people bring unique adaptations to the same martial art, the Qionghua Sect's swordsmanship varied greatly due to the contributions of numerous talented practitioners over the years. Among the foundational techniques available to all disciples were Taiyi Sword Technique, Stinging Ray Sword, Still Sword, and Bagua Sword. However, even these basic techniques were not taught to Daniel and the others, likely under Su Yao's orders.
For Daniel, the basic techniques were far from satisfying. Eventually, he unearthed more advanced techniques like Three Talents Converging to Origin, Four Directions Commanding Respect, Five Elements Returning to the Source, as well as more combat-oriented moves like Formless True Sword, Thousand Shades of Swordlight, and Shangqing Sky-Cleaving Sword. These were the very techniques used by Murong Ziying in the game.
Swordsmanship evolved alongside the practitioner's cultivation level. For example, the Qionghua Sect's 24th generation sect master, Taiqing Zhenren, had reached the realm of complete unity with the sword—known as "Man and Sword as One" and "Ten Thousand Swords Returning to the Source." At this level, neither flight nor combat required a physical sword anymore.
Taiqing Zhenren's level of unity between man and sword far surpassed that of Nameless in Storm Riders, as the latter was merely a martial artist while the former was an immortal cultivator—a difference akin to comparing a puddle to the ocean.
"Maybe I can turn the Thousand Shades of Swordlight into something like the Ten Thousand Swords Technique."
In the game, the Thousand Shades of Swordlight was a famously powerful move, earning the nickname "Thousand Bugs Sword" for its exploits. Its resemblance to Mount Shu's Ten Thousand Swords Technique was a testament to how different paths can lead to similar outcomes.
The Ten Thousand Swords Technique had once been a dream for Daniel. Being able to perform it himself felt like fulfilling that dream. Of course, his ultimate goal was to reach Taiqing Zhenren's level, where every move and gesture unleashed sword energy of unimaginable power. Even the queen of the Demon Realm, Chan You, had to resort to cunning to defeat Taiqing Zhenren.
"Is this a Five-Poison Beast? The protagonist's luck is real—even in the Qionghua Sect, he can have such an encounter."
After their time in the Reflection Valley, Yun Tianhe and the others behaved for a few days, though they still didn't believe they had done anything wrong. However, keeping Yun Tianhe quiet and focused on cultivation was an impossible task.
Unable to venture far from the Qionghua Sect, Yun Tianhe ended up exploring the Taiyi Immortal Path. There, he encountered a Five-Poison Beast under attack by a demon and rescued it.
Initially, Yun Tianhe didn't intend to save the Five-Poison Beast. He had thought of it as a flying "wild boar," planning to roast it for food. However, after Han Lingsha and Liu Mengli saw the creature, Han Lingsha found it adorable, and Liu Mengli could communicate with it. Yun Tianhe's plans for a barbecue naturally fell through.
"Damn, I totally forgot about this. It's too late now."
The Five-Poison Beast was a rare celestial beast in the Sword and Fairy series, with only three appearing across all the games. It contained the Five-Poison Pearl, capable of neutralizing any poison in the world. Wearing it made one nearly immune to toxins—a priceless treasure, especially in a world where poisons could rival the most lethal weapons.
Some poisons from certain demons might even kill powerful beings in other worlds, like Storm Riders' Emperor Shitian. After all, even a celestial emperor could fall to the venom of a divine insect.
Had Daniel remembered this earlier, he would have tracked down the Five-Poison Beast before Yun Tianhe. Even if not for the pearl, its adorable appearance made it an ideal pet. Just seeing how much Han Lingsha adored it was proof enough.
Daniel wasn't one to care much for pets, but something as cute as the Five-Poison Beast—or perhaps a little Pixiu or red panda—was a different story. Having such a pet was always welcome.
"Little one, if he doesn't want you, how about following me?"
Seeing Yun Tianhe reject the Five-Poison Beast's offer to follow him, Daniel immediately extended an olive branch. After all, this was a celestial beast.
"Mm-mm-mm!" The Five-Poison Beast looked at Daniel with its round, adorable eyes, tilting its head as it made unintelligible sounds. Then it shook its head.
"He says he's already acknowledged Big Brother Tianhe as his leader. Even if his leader doesn't want him, he won't abandon him," Liu Mengli translated with a smile.
"Well, let's be friends then. I'm a good friend of your Big Brother. You can come find me to play anytime," Daniel replied warmly. If the Five-Poison Beast wouldn't leave Yun Tianhe, he could at least establish a friendly relationship. After all, this was his first time encountering a celestial beast, and he knew he'd return to this world again.
Because of Yun Tianhe's insistence and Liu Mengli's persuasion, the Five-Poison Beast eventually left the Qionghua Sect after gifting Yun Tianhe a collection of gems it had gathered. It promised to return after forming the Five-Poison Pearl.
"Damn it!" Han Lingsha pouted in frustration as the Five-Poison Beast disappeared. She had wanted to cuddle it, but the creature completely ignored her in favor of Yun Tianhe, leaving her questioning her own charm.
"Let's go out and take a look around. Little Uncle-Master isn't here for a few days."
The group soon decided to venture outside the sect, taking advantage of Murong Ziying's temporary absence. After visiting Bo Xian Town, they flew over a vast desert. For Yun Tianhe and Liu Mengli, who had never seen a desert before, it was a breathtaking sight.
"Let's land and take a look."
Descending from their swords, the group arrived at a dry, winding riverbed. Although it was once a river, it had long since dried up.
"This is sand? How interesting!" Yun Tianhe exclaimed, grabbing a handful of sand and watching it slip through his fingers.
"Seriously?" Han Lingsha rolled her eyes, exasperated.
"Wait, there's a village ahead." Following the riverbed, they spotted a small village in the distance. As they approached, Liu Mengli's expression suddenly changed.
"Someone's calling for help!" she exclaimed, her face pale.
As the group reached the village, they encountered a scene of tragedy and desperation, with Daniel stepping in to prevent a terrible act. The details revealed the village's struggles with starvation and water scarcity—symptoms of their self-inflicted environmental collapse.
What began as a simple journey to explore had now brought them face-to-face with the harsh consequences of humanity's greed.
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