Chapter 47: Is the Sword Path Really This Inconvenient?
(Suddenly realizing I slightly neglected to post a chapter yesterday—I accidentally mistook Chapter 47 for 46 and published it early… Sorry! The previous chapter has now been updated!)
“Big Brother, how did you pull off that last move just now?”
The moment Bai Feng returned, Bai Yu Mo shot over like a caffeinated squirrel, chirping non-stop around him.
Meanwhile, Chu Ning Yan, with her curious gaze, looked at him expectantly, as if waiting for a secret trick to be revealed.
“During my breakthrough to Jin Dan, I suddenly remembered how you looked when practicing swordsmanship earlier, and I had a little epiphany,” Bai Feng half-opened his eyes, jokingly sincere. “But I only know this one move; everything else is a bit rusty.”
Chu Ning Yan nodded approvingly. She’d heard that sometimes, breakthroughs could trigger sudden insights.
All in all, Bai Feng’s talent was mediocre, but his comprehension was surprisingly sharp.
“Only knowing one move still makes you a path to Dao? Isn’t the Sword Path supposed to be less awkward than this?” Chu Ning Yan chuckled, encouraging him. “From now on, every week you must come here and learn swordsmanship. Don’t waste your innate sword talent!”
“Yes, Master,” Bai Feng obediently responded.
In the past, he might have groaned inwardly about the workload, but now, after acquiring the Sword Path fragments, his grasp of sword techniques was as smooth as unlocking an innate channel—learning was effortless.
Plus, having an extra defense means of course a bonus!
He suddenly remembered something and turned to look at the illusion array he had set up: “Sister Su Lan Qian, hasn’t come out yet?”
Liu Meng shook her head worriedly. “No, she moved a bit at first, but after a while, she just went quiet.”
“…Maybe I should go dismantle the illusion array,” Bai Feng thought grimly. As I suspected, it was a mistake to let Su Lan Qian enter—her mental state simply isn’t suited for breaking illusions.
But what exactly did she see that made her fall so deep into the dreamscape?
While Bai Feng was the one who set the array, its operation was based on the subconscious of the person breaking through—this minimized the chance of being discovered.
It’s like dreaming or playing a game; even the most outrageous dreams are almost impossible to tell apart from reality, and a game feels like a game no matter how real it looks.
“Uh, sorry to trouble you.”
Liu Meng nodded without protest.
Even if Su Lan Qian’s mental state was a little damaged, it didn’t matter much anymore. If this keeps up, she might really be lost in it forever and never wake up.
……
Inside the illusion.
Su Lan Qian stood in a bustling square. Dark clouds hung overhead, mirroring her mood—oppressive, painful, on the verge of collapse.
She had indeed lost…
She had broken through two illusions. The first illusion had taken her back to her home, where she saw her parents and childhood friends.
Though it looked incredibly real, she faintly remembered she was in a test, so when she opened her Spirit Eyes, that first illusion shattered.
Then she was transported to the testing square, where disciples cheered her on. Her greatest opponent, Bai Feng, was trapped in a Five Elements Array, unable to escape.
She had won… She finally won! She guarded her pride successfully!
Seeing the crowd admiring her, her master praising her, even Bai Yu Mo walked up to praise her generously.
As for Bai Feng, the loser, he stood alone, ignored by everyone. Watching his miserable retreat, she looked on.
But instead of feeling elated, doubt crept in—did I really win?
Was that all? Was his skill really that low? Did I really beat him so easily?
Could I… really win?
She looked at the smiles around her and at her master’s gentle smile. For a moment, everything felt so fake.
Crack—
The scene in front of her shattered like broken glass, cracks spreading wildly until everything was in ruins.
Tick-tock…
A few raindrops fell on her face. She gazed blankly at Bai Feng, who had already broken the illusion. He was now enjoying the cheers and her master’s praise.
She, like a phantom Bai Feng, was ignored and isolated—no one, not even her master, spared her a glance.
If her mind had been stable, she would have noticed the oddity—but being so, she could only fill her mind with “I lost.”
Watching that person she once mocked from afar, she finally couldn’t hold it anymore and kneeled on the ground, tears or rain sliding down her face.
The rain grew heavier. Her hair and clothes were soaked through.
She watched her master hold an umbrella over Bai Feng, laughing and chatting, while no one paid her any mind—passersby even steered clear of her.
She had never felt rain so icy before—so cold it made her tremble, breaking her heart.
Her confidence, her pride—all washed away by the rain. She couldn’t hold it any longer; she collapsed onto the ground and cried.
Suddenly, she felt the rain stop.
She looked up and saw a face she hated.
Bai Feng squatted in front of her, holding an umbrella, a mocking smile on his lips.
He reached out, lifting her chin, then slid his long fingers across her eyes, wiping away tears: “Calling others geniuses and calling yourself a fraud—can you be this pathetic? Or are you trying to expose me with this?”
……
Su Lan Qian remained silent, tilting her head away, but Bai Feng used his finger to turn her face back.
Under her humiliating gaze, he suddenly looked as proud, wild, mocking, and a little excited as if in a drama she’d once watched:
“You still have some talent. Want to be my personal maid? Maybe I’ll reward you with some array knowledge if you work hard.”
Su Lan Qian tightened her lips, saying nothing.
“Hahaha, I advise you to agree. Your master already abandoned you—you’re left with nothing now.”
Bai Feng’s body gradually emitted black aura, but Su Lan Qian didn’t notice.
Her face was filled with sorrow as she slowly closed her eyes: “I…”
“What the heck! What is this thing?”
A sudden voice cut through the tranquility.
Bai Feng stared at the pitch-black ‘version of himself,’ twitching the corner of his mouth—was this really what he looked like in her heart?
Is this some outer demon?
He then saw that black ‘himself’ lift its head, glaring at him with crimson eyes: “You, why can you come in?”
“I built the illusion array myself, so why shouldn’t I be able to come in?”
Bai Feng stroked his chin, puzzled. How could his own self inside the illusion still talk to him?
Could… this be a Heart Demon?
He glanced at Su Lan Qian, who was curled up. Her face looked equally confused—she couldn’t understand why there were two Bai Fengs.
Wow, what kind of Bai Feng hell is this?
“d*e!!”
At that moment, the Heart Demon Bai Feng lunged at him, but in the next second, his body shattered into black mist.
Bai Feng’s eyes flickered with black and white—an All-Conquering Divine Consciousness attack immediately shattered the Heart Demon.
But in the next instant, the Heart Demon re-coalesced—this time reforming as Su Lan Qian, a blackened version of her.
“She is me, I am her—so long as she’s afraid, I won’t disappear!”
