Chapter 125

At the familiar Hulao Pass, the familiar Hua Xiong makes his opening.

And the familiar peerless bearing.

The blade light fell like wings hanging from heaven, like the Milky Way of the nine heavens, gorgeous yet thick with killing intent, descending without mercy.

A murderous aura, as if the heavens were collapsing, surged toward Mu Yi like a tide.

Boom—

A cyan light burst forth, sending a transparent wave of air rushing in all directions, leaving a deep scar etched into the earth wherever it passed.

However, Guan Yu, who had just slashed a peerless blade, furrowed his brows slightly.

Mu Yi's version of Hua Xiong dodged this fatal strike; in that instant he seemed to have momentarily detached from his surroundings—otherwise he could not have avoided this blow.

But it doesn't matter; this was only the first strike.

Boom—

The tremendous roar echoed again across the plain; the earth was once more split by a ferocious fissure, groundwater gushing out to soak the surrounding land into a mire.

Violent gales kicked up endless dust, dyeing heaven and earth a dreary yellow.

As Guan Yu's second blade fell, Mu Yi sensed trouble; he felt his will completely locked onto by Guan Yu, and even if he accelerated time, he could not dodge this strike—he could only meet it head‑on.

Mu Yi unleashed all his inner strength, thrusting his blade fiercely toward where he felt most endangered; the tremendous force sent him and his horse flying dozens of meters.

His hand went numb, his chest felt tight, yet before Mu Yi could catch his breath, a massive cyan light came down upon him once again.

"Open up!" Mu Yi summoned all his strength, his whole body engulfed in scarlet flames; his Inner Qi surged and condensed on his blade into a huge crimson fire‑edge that slammed into Guan Yu's cyan light‑blade.

"Clang!" A tremendous ringing shook Mu Yi's ears incessantly, yet at this moment he paid no heed to it.

His all‑out strike could not block Guan Yu's cyan light‑blade; his attack was like waves crashing against a reef, ending in his body being shattered to pieces.

The massive cyan light came straight down.

Mu Yi gave a wry smile as he lifted his blade; the gap was too great—though his Inner Qi surged wildly, his opponent was simply too strong, strong enough to inspire despair.

Three consecutive strikes, each heavier than the last, especially this final one, which evoked despair from the heart.

Just as fate was about to replay itself, Mu Yi gripped his weapon tightly.

"I am not Hua Xiong!"

Mu Yi roared, squeezing every ounce of his strength without regard for cost; the Tathagata's Ten Powers erupted instantly, his arm muscles bulged in a flash, and he unleashed his final strike.

No miracle appeared; Guan Yu's third swing fell like heavenly judgment, shattering all of Mu Yi's resistance and cleaving him apart.

Yet at the instant Guan Yu sheathed his blade, his face suddenly changed; his hand moved unbidden to his neck, and a trace of blood slowly seeped out.

Although the blood vanished under the healing of his Inner Qi, seeing the stain on his fingers, Guan Yu knew he had indeed been wounded.

"You actually learned my blade?" Guan Yu muttered to himself, gazing at the place where Mu Yi had vanished.

……

"Zongwang Prompt: Conducting comprehensive evaluation of the Soul‑forging Trial; based on your trial performance, your rating is Good."

"Beginning reward settlement: … special conditions not met, no extra reward, you gained 3000 points of Universal Experience."

"After enduring a grueling battle, you observed and mimicked the enemy's attack techniques in combat, gaining some insight into swordsmanship."

"The All‑Round Talent effect activated; you mimicked the target Guan Yu's skill 【Spring‑and‑Autumn Sword Method】, gaining some insight into swordsmanship."

"You have gained a new understanding of 【Sharp Slash】; your skill has been upgraded to 【Ten Thousand Armies Take Head】."

【Ten Thousand Armies Take Head】: You have grasped the true essence of swordsmanship; when you attack, you can unleash three swift strikes.

These attacks can inflict physical damage that ignores the effect of defensive skills.

Using Inner Qi can boost the attack damage, but each use consumes all of your Inner Qi.

The first strike gains increased speed, the second strike is guaranteed to hit, and the third strike is guaranteed to be a critical hit.

(Understanding requires mastering the prerequisite specialty 【Swordsmanship Mastery】 and the prerequisite skill 【Sharp Slash】.)

Actual combat, indeed, is the best teacher.

Although the upgrade of 【Sharp Slash】 is delightful.

But what is even more surprising is the All‑Round Talent; he has always underestimated this Elite Talent.

Mu Yi suddenly realized that, among all the abilities he currently uses, probably only All‑Round Talent and Iron‑blooded Slaughter can be called top‑tier Elite Talent; even Blazing Annihilation and Time Confusion fall far short.

The latter merely enriches his combat repertoire, whereas the former two truly raise both his ceiling and floor, boosting his ability from the most basic level.

This is not All‑Round Talent at all; it is outright copying and imitation.

Although it cannot achieve perfect replication, it is already heaven‑defying; if Iron‑blooded Slaughter can infinitely raise his basic attribute panel, then All‑Round Talent can infinitely raise the sum of his technique skills.

Knowing many things does not necessarily make one strong, but knowing many things is certainly useful.

He dare not imagine how open‑minded he would become after mastering all the technique‑type abilities of other professions.

Mu Yi drew a deep breath and dove once more into the Soul‑forging Trial; he was eager to improve.

"Hua Xiong, remember it was Guan Yu, Guan Yun Chang, who cut you down!"

This time he still could not withstand three blows; the third strike was terrifyingly fierce, as if heaven and earth were being split apart by it.

Mu Yi could find no way to block or evade; he could only watch helplessly as the blade light fell, cleaving him into ashes.

Again and again he struggled, each time the damage he could inflict on Guan Yu seemed to grow.

Unable to block Guan Yu's blade, he simply gave up defending and switched to offense, hoping to drag Guan Yu down with him in mutual destruction.

Until the tenth attempt, Mu Yi entered the Dungeon again, yet this time he did not hear the familiar angry shout.

Instead, he arrived in a completely new space.

Before him lay a vast expanse of water, its far shore invisible to the eye; through the rushing, turbulent current, Mu Yi could roughly judge that the water before him was probably a river, but it seemed impossibly wide.

Mu Yi was pondering when he suddenly sensed someone approaching nearby; he turned his head and saw the familiar Guan Yu.

But this time, the opponent's aura was utterly different.

In a daze, Mu Yi seemed to see a towering figure wielding a Green Dragon Crescent Blade, his eyes brimming with boundless divine might.

When he saw the other's eyes, Mu Yi's heartbeat involuntarily skipped a beat.

Mu Yi knew that the person before him was likely not Guan Yu's spirit from the Trial, but rather Guan Sheng Dijun, with whom he had once met.

"You've done well, not only imitating my sword but also turning fate around in Hua Xiong's body! I didn't misjudge you!"

Guan Sheng Dijun's tone was very calm, but his words still carried approval; as he said this, Guan Sheng Dijun involuntarily paused, recalling Hou Tu Niangniang's earlier evaluation of Mu Yi…

Even heavenly deities have differences; although he had attained the position of emperor through many years of incense praise, the gap with Hou Tu Niangniang, who represents the earth deity, is still too great.

He gave a barely perceptible shake of his head; if obsession were so easy to let go, it wouldn't deserve to be called obsession.

"Thank you, Guan Sheng Dijun!" Mu Yi bowed respectfully; although they had no formal teacher-student title, they truly shared that bond, and as the first Jiuzhou senior he had encountered, the other deserved his courtesy.

"I originally wanted to take you as my disciple, but we have fate without affinity!" Guan Sheng Dijun looked at Mu Yi with some regret; he was a fine seedling, but too many people were eyeing Mu Yi.

Not only the earth mother goddess of foreign lands, but also the Buddha of the Buddhist Sect, and even the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva burdened with endless sins of hell sent people to inquire of him.

Moreover, there were prior inquiries from the Military Strategist school itself, not to mention that Hou Tu Niangniang, this great deity, had not yet acted.

He and Mu Yi were destined to have fate without affinity; moreover, his own intentions were not pure, so he simply let go and regarded Mu Yi as an outstanding junior.

Using karmic benefits as exchange, he had Mu Yi help him resolve his obsession.

"I have a matter I want you to handle; are you willing?"

Guan Sheng Dijun got straight to the point; he had originally only regarded Mu Yi as one of several backup candidates, but now Mu Yi, in Hua Xiong's body, had turned fate around, letting him see hope of breaking fate.

It seemed he realized his words were too heavy, so he added a brief explanation.

"But success or failure is heavenly will; you needn't be obstinate—just do your best!"

"Please issue your orders, Your Majesty!" Upon hearing this, Mu Yi had no intention of refusing; he immediately clasped his hands and replied.

"The time hasn't come yet; I can't tell you!" Guan Sheng Dijun shook his head; he also needed to make some preparations.

"Besides, you're too weak now to do anything; when your strength is sufficient, I'll send you word!"

Guan Sheng Dijun threw Mu Yi a token; on the token was written a large "Guan" character.

Mu Yi received it somewhat glumly; it was another entry in the Jiuzhou riddler series,

"All this riddler nonsense is really annoying, but his strength is indeed weak—he at least has self-awareness."

"Before that, I will teach you my swordsmanship!" Seeing Mu Yi accept the token, Guan Sheng Dijun nodded and spoke softly.

"What you've imitated is ultimately my swordsmanship from my mortal days, still lacking much, and moreover only form without spirit; what I will teach you today is what I have comprehended since becoming a deity—how much you can learn depends on your fortune."

Mu Yi widened his eyes upon hearing this; "Is this Guan Sheng Dijun's advance payment? It's too generous—even imitating ten percent would suffice, let alone seventy percent."

"Watch closely!" Guan Sheng Dijun's form swelled without limit; with each breath he swallowed clouds and exhaled mist, as if the entire heaven and earth were occupied by him.

What was even more striking was Guan Sheng Dijun's sword; although it resembled Guan Yu's sword, it was utterly different—just looking at it made Mu Yi's eyes sting.

Mu Yi endured the sting, widened his eyes, and carefully observed Guan Sheng Dijun's every move; the latter deliberately slowed his demonstration so that Mu Yi could learn more.

But… it seemed he really couldn't discern any pattern…

Guan Sheng Dijun's motion did not stop, slow yet unceasing; everything proceeded naturally, and before the move was even unleashed, merely the starting posture already provoked heavenly-earthly phenomena, causing various anomalies in this place that was inherently less stable than the material world.

It seemed as if the rules governing heaven and earth at this moment had all gone haywire—magnetic fields scrambled, gravity reversed, wind bore metal, water bore fire, everything fell into chaos.

Under the protection of an unknown force, Mu Yi observed everything; at the moment when the whole heaven and earth were in turmoil, Guan Sheng Dijun's figure showed not the slightest waver—he calmly raised his hand and then brought down the slash.

A single straight chop—the simplest technique, the purest power, and also the most terrifying lethality.

As the sword's edge sliced through space and fell, the heavenly-earthly phenomena were all cut off; from where the blade landed, extending to the horizon, an irreparable scar appeared in heaven and earth.

Mu Yi stared blankly at that sword scar; not only elements, space, and even time… everything seemed to have been split open by that blade.

Guan Sheng Dijun unreservedly displayed his understanding of swordsmanship before Mu Yi.

Heaven unleashes killing intent, the stars shift; earth unleashes killing intent, dragons and snakes arise.

Yet all of this pales in comparison to this moment.

Divine might like a mountain, divine might like a prison, divine will destroys all things.

The sword's momentum cuts open all existence, whether tangible or intangible.

Even Mu Yi felt as if he had broken free from some bond upon himself.

Guan Sheng Dijun looked at Mu Yi, who had fallen into epiphany, nodded, turned to gaze at his own masterpiece, and his face darkened somewhat.

Even if he could cleave heaven and earth, he still could not sever his own obsession—not because he couldn't, but because he wouldn't…

It was as if he disliked the fruition of the Sangharama Bodhisattva, yet could not sever it—not because he wouldn't, but because he couldn't.

There is always some bond that can halt his blade, preventing him from cleaving all, leaving him only to linger in place; this is also the greatest reason he has made no progress for years and devoted himself to aiding juniors.

Just as Guan Sheng Dijun's thoughts were drawn back once more to that peach orchard, Mu Yi awoke.

"Awake?" Guan Sheng Dijun's thoughts returned to reality; he looked curiously at Mu Yi, wanting to know how much Mu Yi had learned.

Although the disparity in power was immense, under his deliberate demonstration, Mu Yi should have been able to learn quite a bit.

Mu Yi swung his sword; Guan Sheng Dijun froze, seeing that the threads of 【fate】 had been interfered with by Mu Yi.

Although still immature, he could only make a faint change on 【fate】, unable even to affect the very progression of fate itself.

And this… is already the essence of his swordsmanship.

Sever everything, even sever fate.

Guan Sheng Dijun's gaze upon Mu Yi finally burned hot; if before he had merely clung to a sliver of hope,

then now he was certain that if Mu Yi could not succeed, there would be no further chance of success.

So now he was certain: if even Mu Yi couldn't succeed, then there would be no chance of success left.