On the left side of Qingluan Peak, the scenery was completely different.
Though this place had once been where Yue Qianqiu practiced swordsmanship, no residence had been built here. Only vines twisted around the area, with occasional chirps of birds coming from afar.
The rain from last night left the earth underfoot still a bit damp as Ji Rong followed the sound of the flowing water, walking deeper into the area.
As she walked on, she came across a grove of fiery red maple trees. The golden-red shadows of the trees spread out before her, resembling burning red silk, stretching all the way to the horizon where the clouds met.
Snowflakes drifted down through the barrier, landing on the maple leaves.
The red silk clung to the snow like waves, creating a scene so dreamlike it could easily be mistaken for a mirage.
Ji Rong reached out to touch the snowflakes resting on the maple leaves. The diamond-shaped crystals melted on her fingertips, turning into a small puddle of liquid.
She took out a silk handkerchief to wipe her fingers, thinking to herself, if all of this were just carefully designed game data, then the sensation was far too real.
But if this weren't a game, snowflakes and maple leaves coexisting in the same place seemed impossible, even within the cultivation world.
Then, Ji Rong thought, never mind whether it's a game or not—so long as she was having fun, that was all that mattered.
She continued forward, seeking out the sword monument mentioned in the game.
In the game's setting, Yue Qianqiu had left behind three sword monuments, but only one was inscribed with words. The other two were wordless monuments with just sword intent carved into them.
Ji Rong gazed at the wordless monument covered in moss at the end of the flowing water.
She extended her hand, brushing off the fallen leaves.
She stared at it for a long while, almost certain that this was the first sword monument left by Yue Qianqiu for posterity.
Ji Rong gently traced the sword scar etched into the stone and continued to study it for about the time it would take to finish a cup of tea.
Then, she fell silent.
Damn it, that evil game designer! Staring at this thing for so long, is there really anything to understand?
At this moment, Ji Rong remembered how the female protagonist in the game had effortlessly understood the first wordless monument upon entering the forest of monuments. With just a glance, she saw through its true meaning and instantly gained five hundred cultivation points.
Now, standing here and looking at the deep sword marks carved into the stone, Ji Rong had no idea how to interpret them, other than thinking, "The Sword Saint is amazing."
Ji Rong calmly asked the system, "Are you sure someone can actually understand this sword monument?"
[System: Dear~ Perhaps you could try meditating. According to data analysis, this method will double your success rate.]
Ha, why didn't you say that earlier?
With that, Ji Rong sat down on the ground, closed her eyes, and entered meditation.
Her soul floated above her body.
Within her sea of consciousness, a pitch-black monument appeared.
The monument was less like a stone and more like a person.
It stood at the center of her sea of consciousness, like a silent martial artist; rigid, solemn, and deadly.
Ji Rong had thought she wouldn't be able to understand this monument, but as she took a few steps closer and looked at the markings on it, she suddenly felt as if she could understand.
The stone monument, after being carved, sliced, and chipped, was covered in jagged and uneven marks.
The sword intent carved into the stone was sharp and heavy, not like it had been struck by a sword, but more like…
A knife.
Just as Ji Rong was thinking this, the monument dissolved into light spots and vanished in the center of her sea of consciousness.
In its place, a woman holding a sword appeared.
The woman's face was unremarkable, looking like any ordinary person.
She raised her sword and simply said to Ji Rong, "Come fight."
Ji Rong was shocked as the woman struck at her with a sword.
This was her domain, who did this woman think she was, attacking her first?
The sword's intent was as sharp as a knife, crashing down with the weight of a mountain, causing the Qinghe Sword to bend under the pressure.
Ji Rong barely managed to block the strike, still in shock, and coldly asked, "We've never met. Why are you attacking me?"
"Less talking, fight again."
The woman answered indifferently, her movements swift. She raised her sword and slashed down at Ji Rong again.
This strike was even fiercer than the first one.
What the hell, she's coming again?
Ji Rong was furious. This crazy woman was wreaking havoc in her sea of consciousness. If she didn't act now, she would be a pushover.
With that, Ji Rong raised her sword and struck out with a "Canglang Zhuangying."
But just as the wave of water surged from the sword's tip, the woman's sword intent sliced through it, completely obliterating it.
The woman shook her head. "You need to use a knife."
Ji Rong: "..."
She asked, her face expressionless, "Where am I supposed to get a knife from?"
"Swordsmanship isn't about form, it's about intent."
The woman said softly, "I'll make the final strike. If you lose, you can leave."
A cold glint flashed.
The woman swung her sword again, executing one last strike.
Ji Rong was thoroughly incensed by the words, "If you lose, you can leave."
Damn it, who's this arrogant? Acting all high and mighty in front of me?
Ji Rong's eyes narrowed as she saw the sword intent coming toward her face.
After the tempering in the cold pool, she could now clearly see the trajectory of the sword strike.
Rather than a sword move, it looked more like a knife technique. The opponent's sword intent was not light like usual sword qi, but heavy and powerful, like the cutting edge of a knife drawn from its sheath.
She thought, Heh, isn't this just knife techniques being incorporated into sword intent? I'm a master of all the sect's techniques. You think I'm afraid of you?
With that, Ji Rong raised her sword, closed her eyes, and slashed toward the woman.
Her posture looked odd, she was holding a sword, but her movements resembled those of someone wielding a knife.
Ji Rong appeared to be a beginner at swordplay, her strikes slow and hesitant.
In truth, Ji Rong was using the "Zouma Xingchuan" knife technique from the Feidao School though she wasn't very familiar with it. She had seen NPCs use it in the game and had also read about it in the books at the library.
But now, she found herself in a situation where she could not back down. The only option was to forcibly merge her sword intent with her knife technique and fight the woman.
With a single stroke, the sound of thousands of horses galloping echoed, and yellow sand filled the air.
Unfortunately, this sword intent was only grand in appearance and lacked any real lethality.
Facing Ji Rong's sword technique, which was all show but no substance, the woman slowly withdrew her sword.
Amid the sound of thousands of horses' neighs, she smiled and said to Ji Rong, "You win."
Ji Rong was momentarily stunned.
The sword qi sliced through the air like a blade, countless sword shadows rushing towards the woman.
Just then, the woman transformed into dust and vanished from her consciousness.
[Ding! Congratulations, player, you have achieved the "Sword Intent as a Blade" achievement, earning 10 achievement points.]
Ji Rong: "…"
In this day and age, even the villains get achievements this easily?
She couldn't help but suspect that she had picked up the wrong identity token. Oh, maybe I'm actually the heroine, and that's why the NPC is going easy on me, right?
Considering that she was the ultimate beneficiary, Ji Rong stopped complaining and shifted her focus to the next sword monument.
According to the game's storyline, the second sword monument was extremely difficult to comprehend.
This was because it looked ordinary, and the sword marks were shallow, making it all the more mysterious, giving people more to speculate on.
Even players who spent money had to dutifully stand in front of the sword monument for three minutes, soaking in the mystical energy before picking up their experience pack and leaving.
At this moment, Ji Rong stood before the second sword monument, staring at the sword marks for a long while.
In the past century, dozens of cultivators had come to see this monument.
Some said they saw white snow covering the peaks of countless mountains in the sword intent.
Others said they saw mist rising from the blue sea, and for a moment, they felt themselves transported to the heavenly realm, where immortals rode the clouds and controlled the wind.
Many were curious about why Yue Qianqiu left this sword intent behind and what its true meaning was. For years, none of the younger generation's top talents could unravel it.
Ji Rong stood before the second sword monument, gazing at the sword's intent.
After a while, she understood.
She sighed softly, thinking, "NPC rumors really can't be trusted."
The sword intent was too casual, engraved on the monument as if it were simply a sword mark Yue Qianqiu had casually struck.
It was a sword intent left by a Sword Saint.
Therefore, it had no deeper meaning; it was just a sword intent.
Ji Rong closed her eyes, and before her, a scene seemed to appear.
One day, a woman walked by carrying her sword.
The sound of flowing water could be heard, and she quietly gazed at the stone before her. Suddenly, she felt compelled to strike it.
So, she struck the stone.
That was the Sword Saint's sword intent.
…
When Ji Rong opened her eyes again, an electronic voice rang in her ears:
[Ding! Congratulations, player, you have achieved the "One Sword, Eternal Glory" achievement, earning 20 achievement points and 500 cultivation points.]
[Congratulations, player, you have earned the title "One Glance, Stepping on the Moon," earning 10 achievement points. You have now met the requirements to advance to the Stepping on the Moon realm. Your promotion will be automatically processed when you leave this realm.]
[Detected that you have fully comprehended the second sword monument. You will be transferred to another realm shortly.]
Ji Rong: "…"
What are these titles, and why are the bonuses being given out so casually?
Ji Rong was left dumbfounded by the sudden experience drops. While she was still complaining, she found herself at the end of the sword monument forest.
The ground was covered with scattered stones engraved with sword intents, all in disarray, with no order or rhythm.
The stones were covered in moss, carrying the scent of earth.
Over time, the stones had become smooth and flat, worn down by rainwater. Under the sunlight, the surface gleamed brightly, resembling a shining mirror.
At the end of the monument forest stood a towering Bodhi tree. Its slender leaves and interwoven branches were marked with white spots and deep cracks, evidence of the years it had stood.
Ji Rong gazed at the tree, suddenly remembering a scene from the story she once played through.
As she thought about it, it seemed as though a purple shadow appeared before her eyes.
The figure looked up at the towering tree, smiling lightly and asking, "So, you are the Bodhi tree? Why is there no immortal living inside?"
"What a pity, even though there's no immortal living there, I still can't understand this stone monument."
The woman in purple ran her hand along the cracks in the Bodhi tree and gazed at the monument beneath it, speaking to herself, "But I know someone like an immortal. If it were her, I'm sure she would understand it."
The scene gradually faded from Ji Rong's sight, and the purple shadow disappeared as well.
At that moment, she remembered the storyline in the game. The final description of the monument forest's main quest was:
…
Gu Baiyi retracted her hand, looking toward the distant sky.
She stared at the sword monument and the Bodhi tree, feeling that these things were both elusive and faraway.
Her instincts told her to stay and contemplate for three days, but instead, she turned around and left.
Because she was thinking of the plum blossoms on Bixue Peak.
…
Ji Rong snapped out of her reverie, feeling complex emotions.
She had once viewed this storyline as a clear indication of the Baihe CP ship being canon.
She remembered posting on the forum with excitement:
"Guys, look! The keyword 'immortal-like person' appeared! Who else could this be other than my beloved Baihe wife?
And why did the heroine leave? Isn't it because she wanted to see the 'plum blossoms on Bixue Peak' soon? Come on, the word 'mei' in Bixue Peak's plum blossoms clearly solves the puzzle! This is an official announcement for my Baihe ship! Finally, the game designers are doing things right!!
Today, the Baihe ship is destined to soar to great heights, and this lifetime, we've made a solid investment. Baihe is amazing, Baihe is worth it!!"
At that moment, Ji Rong swore with tears in her eyes that if she ever returned to the modern world, the first thing she would do was delete that post and expose how the game designers had tricked CP fans into investing in a false ship.
After all, from the start, the only fools were the CP fans.