Chapter 205: Playing Games Requires Thinking (3/4)

Someone asked me why a Martial Emperor absolutely crushes a Divine Sea... Um... Is it really that strange for a practitioner of the seventh martial realm to crush a cultivator of the sixth spiritual realm...

In other words, cultivators have always been an entire realm ahead of martial artists in terms of power, and it was only upon reaching the Martial Emperor and Divine Sea stages that they were finally put in their place, if you catch my drift...

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"Not good!" Within the small shop a few miles away, behind Ji Wuyou, the black-robed man's face shifted drastically!

"What is it?" Ji Wuyou asked in confusion.

"Nalan Hongwu's aura, far from waning, has grown even stronger!" the black-robed man said. "The situation has changed!"

"That shouldn't be...!" Intense doubt and bewilderment crossed Ji Wuyou’s face.

He naturally knew that Fang Qi’s shop could elevate one's cultivation and strength, but that effect was only obvious for low-tier martial artists like Song Qingfeng. How could a powerhouse at the Martial Emperor realm also rapidly advance?!

He naturally had no idea that Nalan Hongwu, having completely resolved the bottleneck of his state of mind, had broken through by unleashing a lifetime of accumulated potential!

Even less could he have imagined that Fang Qi's shop could actually resolve issues regarding one's state of mind! Not only could it resolve them, but it could also elevate them!

At that moment, a long whistle pierced the air. When it began, it seemed infinitely far away, yet in the blink of an eye, a figure materialized in the distant darkness, and before anyone could look closer, the man had already arrived before them!

"Go!" The black-robed man grabbed Ji Wuyou and slapped the storage artifact at his waist. Instantly, a boat-like artifact expanded rapidly against the wind, and in the span of a single breath, the two had already landed upon the Dharma Boat!

As for the remaining subordinates, they were naturally left behind where they stood.

Nalan Hongwu paid no heed to these subordinates. Stepping through the empty air, he descended upon the upper deck of the Dharma Boat in nearly a heartbeat!

At that exact moment, the entire Dharma Boat had barely managed to deploy its spiritual energy barrier!

Nalan Hongwu gripped his sword in a reverse hold. He didn't seem to employ any particular martial technique, yet the moment his blade fell, it unleashed a power far more terrifying than any ordinary skill!

*Crack!*

A peerlessly formidable surge of martial qi converged, shattering the spiritual energy barrier almost instantaneously!

Resembling a demon god, Nalan Hongwu slaughtered his way straight into the Dharma Boat. With one hand, he instantly seized Ji Wuyou by the throat, hoisting him up like a mere chick.

"Nalan Hongwu, do you intend to make an enemy of the Eastern Sea Ji lineage?!" Terrified to the core, Ji Wuyou barked harshly.

He could not comprehend at all why Nalan Hongwu, instead of dying, seemed to have grown even more powerful!

"This old man has been reclusive for many years, and it seems your Eastern Sea lineage has entirely forgotten my methods! Sending people to attack the Nalan family, plotting to assassinate me—had I not possessed a few tricks of my own, I would have long since become a ghost beneath the blade. Do you truly think this old man dares not touch you now?!"

"As for that old scoundrel, the King of the Eastern Sea, this old man will settle scores with him sooner or later! Do not think I am unaware that all of this was done under his orders!"

"Your Highness, my apologies!" In an instant, the black-robed man transformed into a cloud of black mist, fleeing in the exact opposite direction of the Dharma Boat!

This cloud of black mist was exceptionally fast, reducing to nothing more than a dark speck in the blink of an eye!

Only then did the black sword in Nalan Hongwu's hand soar into the heavens!

Several miles away.

A streak of dark light pierced clean through the black mist!

"How... is this possible?!"

A corpse tumbled down from the sky.

The Shushan Sect's Sword Control Technique governed the blade with qi; if the sword itself possessed spirituality, paired with one's own incomparably dense martial qi, it would naturally achieve twice the result with half the effort!

At the same time, Nalan Hongwu exerted force with his grip!

A crisp snap echoed!

……

"Boss..." Many had noticed it just now. Although Fang Qi had used the advanced sword technique, the Thousand Sword Array, to catch up to the assassins, much of the array had been blocked. Instead, it was that current of electricity wrapping around the blade that repeatedly shocked the Grand Martial Ancestor, catching him off guard and contributing greatly to shattering the opponent's martial technique!

Fervent excitement gleaming in his eyes, Song Qingfeng rubbed his hands together and stepped forward to ask, "That wasn't the Divine Sword Lightning Control just now, was it?"

"The Divine Sword Lightning Control invokes heavenly wrath, which that clearly wasn't!" Lin Shao asked in wonder, "Boss, what move was that just now? I've never seen it before, it was simply too powerful!"

The cultivators and martial artists who had been drawn over by the commotion also looked toward them, exclaiming in admiration, "To instantly demolish the martial technique deployed by the opponent!"

"Is this the power of the Sword Control Technique?" Lan Mo, Xue Daolü, and the others exchanged glances, left with nothing but wry smiles. This kid's cultivation seemed to be only at the Martial Ancestor realm, right?!

Instantly killing two Martial Ancestors plus a Grand Martial Ancestor?!

This was simply a bit too terrifying!

It was always said that a cultivator's combat power at this realm far exceeded that of a martial artist, but even a cultivator of Fang Qi’s exact level could not possibly cross an entire major realm to slay a Grand Martial Ancestor!

Let alone an absolute instant kill!

It was truly horrifying!

Everyone stared at Fang Qi, silently waiting for an answer.

Fang Qi spoke up, "My shop has so many games and television series, so many martial arts and techniques—no one ever said they couldn't be combined. That was Holy Shock just now."

"..." Song Qingfeng, An Cheng, and the others who were well-versed in Diablo were dumbfounded. "Boss, aren't Paladins strictly melee? Can Holy Shock be used at range?"

"Those playing Paladins can go buy a javelin themselves and see if the thrown javelin carries the lightning attribute of Holy Shock!" Fang Qi rolled his eyes at them. "Who said Holy Shock couldn't support ranged attacks? You have to use your brain when playing games!"

Everyone was rendered utterly speechless: "...That works too?!"

We all bloody thought the Paladin was a melee class!

"Boss..." Jiang Xiaoyu tugged at Fang Qi’s sleeve, looking up at him with eager eyes, and said weakly, "I want to learn too... I want to learn the Sword Control Technique..."

Watching others practice the Sword Control Technique all day, and seeing the boss use it, Jiang Xiaoyu could no longer contain herself!

Though she had long suffered under the oppression of this unscrupulous boss, today she had made up her mind; no matter what, she was going to learn the Sword Control Technique she had been yearning for!

At worst, she would just work here as a shop clerk for a few more years!

"Is that so..." Fang Qi thought about it. Hadn't he planned on improving employee benefits earlier? Teaching the Sword Control Technique would do nicely.

A certain little girl who still wasn't allowed to play games: "..."

……

There were plenty of people to manage the subsequent matters, and Fang Qi had no intention of intervening further for the time being, returning to his cultivation in the game training room.

Later that night, after the shop had closed, out on the street.

Fang Qi tossed a wooden sword to Jiang Xiaoyu.

"Boss! Why is it a wooden sword!" Jiang Xiaoyu pouted, her face filled with disdain!

"Why can't it be a wooden sword?" Fang Qi retorted. "For a true master, plucked flowers and flying leaves can all inflict harm. Giving you a wooden sword means the boss has already acknowledged your strength!"

"Eh—?! Really?" Jiang Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up brightly, her tender hands gripping the wooden sword happily as she said, "You're finally willing to acknowledge this princess's strength? So are you teaching me the Sword Control Technique now?"

"From now on, after closing every night, you will practice cultivation for two hours, and I'll teach you the Sword Control Technique!" Fang Qi spoke. "This is a benefit of being a clerk at this shop!"

"Then I also want to learn Sword Flight! Grappling! Holy Shock! The Thousand Sword Array..." In one breath, Jiang Xiaoyu rattled off a dozen or so cool and powerful skill names, her mind already conjuring up scenes of herself flying around on a sword while unleashing various skills.

Fang Qi reached out and flicked her forehead. "You had better master the Sword Control Technique first before talking about anything else..."

With that, he began to explain the detailed execution methods and the essential mantras of the Sword Control Technique to her.

"The core of the Shushan Sect's Sword Control Technique lies in governing the blade with qi..."

Two hours later.

Jiang Xiaoyuan raised her fingers in a sword-spell gesture, and the wooden blade resting before her toes began to quiver, before suddenly taking flight with a sharp, resonant whoosh!

"Not bad at all...!" Fang Qi nodded with profound satisfaction. "You are easily on par with that Nalan Mingwen girl. Practice diligently every day from now on, and the next time she dares to flaunt her natural gifts, you just step up and blind her eyes with this sword-riding technique, understood?"

Such were the instigations of an unscrupulous owner who possessed absolutely no talent of his own.

"Got it, Boss!" Jiang Xiaoyuan's delicate face was the very picture of smug triumph, but the moment her focus wavered, the wooden sword clattered violently.

And fell to the earth.

"..."

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