Chapter 451: Go Check Out the Internet Cafe Tomorrow

At this juncture, the Heavenly Sword Palace had fallen into an absolute stillness, a stark departure from its erstwhile arrogance and overbearing vanity.

Nangong Zhuo had not only failed to achieve a single thing within the Boundless Academy, but had instead exited as a laughingstock; outside Yuanwang City, two sword slaves had been utterly obliterated in combat. Everyone had initially presumed that the fragile, long-standing peace maintained upon the surface of the cultivator realm was about to be shattered, yet up until now, the Heavenly Sword Palace had not been observed making any subsequent move whatsoever.

Not even the faintest whisper of rumor or wind of intent had drifted forth.

It was as though they had finally grown quiet.

Meanwhile, Boss Fang was content to enjoy his leisure, idly practicing his swordplay when inclined, and spending the rest of his hours nestled upon the sofa, brewing himself a cup of milk tea while leafing through the official novelization of Diablo 2.

Inside the shop during the early morning hours, though one could not deem it bustling, it was far from desolate.

In the past, save for the other six ancient clans of equal standing, any faction would have found themselves entirely at the mercy of the Heavenly Sword Palace’s tyranny; now, however, the tables had effectively turned.

The little shop, which had originally seemed perched at the very epicenter of the storm, had also settled into a state of tranquility. With the Heavenly Sword Palace remaining motionless, no one else dared to stir; thus, let alone instigating trouble, even those of the most illustrious status behaved with utmost decorum the moment they stepped through the door.

Furthermore, without anyone noticing precisely when it occurred, the neighboring shop had changed hands, and the shop assistant who used to block the entrance whenever he was idle had vanished to parts unknown, never to appear before his eyes again.

Indeed, having accustomed himself to this peaceful state of affairs for a considerable duration, Fang Qi actually found it somewhat unfamiliar.

Lingzhou was perhaps truly vastly larger than the continent where the Grand Jin Kingdom of the Desolate Sea Realm resided. The seven great clans were distributed across various lands, yet in truth, to the vast majority of cultivators, most of these clans were names they had merely heard of in passing.

The Boundless Academy lay roughly at the northernmost extremity of the continent, and further north lay the territories of the Heavenly Sword Palace and the Abyssal Sea; eastward from the Abyssal Sea resided the Jiang clan and the twelve demon tribes.

Yuanwang City, as a city directly under the jurisdiction of the Boundless Academy, counted its City Lord, Zong Wu, as a disciple who had emerged from the academy itself.

Of course, those were mostly matters of the distant past.

As the morning sun newly rose, thin and elegant tones of lecturing occasionally drifted from the Pavilion of Enlightened Dao within the Boundless Academy. Farther away, by the lotus pond, an old man with hoary hair and a youthful complexion, his skin wrinkled like a crane’s, held a small, exquisite purple clay teapot in his hand. He was focusing entirely on brewing a pot of fragrant tea, exuding a measured, unhurried, and unruffled demeanor of aloof detachment.

He appeared very much like an aged soul peacefully spending his twilight years; had there been no one to suggest otherwise, perhaps no one would ever have imagined that this was the old Principal of the Boundless Academy, a figure to whom even the masters of the great clans would yield three measures of deference.

Standing silently behind him was a refined young man clad in pristine white robes.

Further behind stood yet another individual, precisely the black-robed Daoist from before.

His mind was composed and his breath calm, bearing not the slightest trace of displeasure despite having stood there for a long while.

The old man nodded slightly. "This composure of yours is quite decent. In my lifetime, I have accepted many disciples, and to none of them have I been stingy about allowing them to choose a supreme technique from my repertoire. Yet to this day, I have never transmitted the 'Mirror of the Heavenly Haven' to a single soul. Do you know why?"

This young man was none other than Wang Xie, who, after a fierce battle that day, had clearly suppressed Xun Yuan by a notch and claimed the top spot.

He knitted his brows slightly in contemplation for a moment. "I have often heard it said that 'the secrets of heaven must not be leaked.' Could it be because the mysteries of the heavenly mechanism cannot be transmitted to third parties?"

The old man spoke serenely, "Not so. The heavenly mind is not entirely unmeasurable, nor is it impossible to transmit to third parties; otherwise, how would the world ever have come to know the name of my 'Mirror of the Heavenly Haven'?"

"Then what is the reason?" Wang Xie inquired in curiosity.

The old man spoke in a drifting voice, "This 'Mirror of the Heavenly Haven' is of an unknown era of origin. I only know that since the lineage of this art began, it has never once suffered a mistake. If it were to be transmitted haphazardly, I fear it might provoke a mutation in the celestial phenomena."

"To think that the 'Mirror of the Heavenly Haven' is so potent?"

The old man nodded. "Yet I am also unwilling to carry this art into the Yellow Springs and allow it to be lost to time. Your temperament happens to be suited for practicing this art. Today, I shall demonstrate it for you once. Look closely."

In the palm of his hand, he held several yin-yang hexagram lines and divining pieces crafted from an indeterminate material. He opened his mouth to say, "These items are the essential divination tools required to practice the 'Mirror of the Heavenly Haven.' Three yin and three yang; Qian represents heaven and is yang; Kun represents earth and is yin. When yin and yang interact, and the upper and lower realms communicate, heaven and earth intersect, and all things manifest in boundless variety."

The old man then said, "If you have any doubts, you may ask now. Today, I shall make an exception and perform a divination for you."

"For Master to personally divine is a rare opportunity indeed!" the black-robed Daoist behind Wang Xie exclaimed excitedly. "You must grasp it well! Even several treasures within the Golden Palace of Creation have never eluded Master’s calculations!"

A demonstration was not the transmission of the true method; for the black-robed Daoist to observe from the side mattered little.

"Is that so?" Wang Xie dithered for a moment.

"Recently... there is indeed a matter that has aroused my curiosity." Wang Xie pondered for a while; there seemed to be no treasures worth divining at present. After a thought, he spoke, "A few days ago, the sword slaves of the Heavenly Sword Palace were executed, the young master of the Nangong family unexpectedly exited the ranks, and... what has been discussed most frequently within the Boundless Academy of late... 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3' and the Origin Internet Club. I know not what their origins are, but it sounds like an incredibly formidable realm of immortal heritage. Could Master divine its nature?"

"Ha! And here I thought it was something grand!" The black-robed Daoist broke into a laugh. "To think Junior Brother would actually be interested in such trivial, feather-light matters. It truly wastes Master's divination..."

"Pfft—!" Before his words could finish, the old man was seen spraying a sudden arrow of blood from his mouth.

The yin-yang divining pieces before him abruptly shattered inch by inch. Immediately following, the teapot, the tabletop, the ground, and even the entirety of the space seemed to shudder violently.

"Go... quickly support me and let us leave!"

The black-robed Daoist stared with wide eyes, speechless.

Wang Xie's mouth fell wide open, his jaw practically dropping to the floor, speechless.

Rumble!

Accompanied by an earth-shattering roar, those six dharma treasures shaped like yin-yang fish violently exploded. The space where the three had stood was instantly reduced to a field of ruins.

Everyone was left in absolute silence.

...

"Origin Internet Club?" It was unknown how much time elapsed before Gu Tingyun returned to his senses.

"Uh... yes..." Wang Xie's face twitched violently. At this moment, he could not maintain his composure at all; he knew not what expression he bore, but he was certain his countenance must look terrible.

The black-robed Daoist remained silent.

"It is... Master..."

"Furthermore... that 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3' you spoke of, what exactly is it?" the old man demanded, his face utterly darkened.

Wang Xie himself did not know what look he possessed now. "Uh... I am not entirely clear on this either. It seems Junior Sister Xiaoyue and the others discuss it constantly... speaking of things like Chonglou, Jingtian, Xu Changqing, and the like... they even told me to go and play it."

"Pfft—!" Another mouthful of fresh blood was spat out.

"Today, I shall first recuperate my vital energy..." the old man uttered weakly. "Tomorrow, support me so I may personally go to this 'Origin Internet Club' and see for myself."