Time flowed on, and March arrived in the mortal realm.
The rain in Cangzhou, in the end, could not hold back the steps of the master and servant. When Shen Qingqiu stood on the white jade plaza of the Sword Washing Pavilion, seemingly floating in the clouds, she held in her hand a Lin family recommendation token stained with old blood.
This was the cultivation world, the celestial court in the eyes of mortals.
The scene before her was breathtakingly beautiful. Three thousand floating islands appeared and disappeared in the sea of clouds, and shimmering waterfalls cascaded from the sky, transforming into countless fragments of jade. Cranes circled in the golden sunlight, emitting clear, melodious cries. The air was filled with a pure, refreshing spiritual energy; taking a breath felt as if even the dust in one's lungs had been washed away.
However, in Shen Qingqiu's eyes, this was an imperfect "holographic projection."
She narrowed her eyes slightly and activated [Overclocked Vision].
The edge of that beautiful sea of clouds was riddled with extremely fine, jagged tears; the elegantly circling cranes flapped their wings with an almost perfect, millisecond-precise rhythm, like a video clip played on a loop countless times.
"It's even more 'fake' here than down the mountain," Shen Qingqiu thought with a cold laugh. The closer one got to the center of power in this world, the stronger the distorted, data-driven feeling became.
"Nervous?" A cold, hesitant voice sounded in her ear.
Shen Qingqiu turned her head. Seventeen stood half a step behind her, still dressed in black, but the tattered cloth used to conceal his face had been replaced with a silver half-mask—forged by Shen Qingqiu from a fragment of the bronze mirror monster from the Lin family, capable of blocking most prying divine senses.
Even with most of his face covered, his upright, pine-like figure and the chilling aura surrounding him still drew frequent glances from the female cultivators around him.
"I'm not nervous." Shen Qingqiu reached out and casually straightened his slightly crooked collar, her fingertips tracing his cold collarbone. "I'm just wondering, what's the logic behind this so-called 'immortal bone'?" Seventeen lowered his gaze to her fingers, a faint blue light flashing deep within his eyes.
[Environmental Scan: High-Energy Reaction Zone. Threat Level: Medium. Recommendation: Remain Vigilant.]
"Silence—!" A booming shout shattered the clamor in the plaza.
Above the clouds, an elderly man in purple robes, with an air of otherworldly grace, arrived on his sword. His gaze, sharp as lightning, swept over the thousands of young men and women seeking immortality in the plaza, his expression arrogant as if looking down upon ants.
"The Sword Washing Pavilion opens its doors once every ten years, accepting only geniuses, not trash." The old man waved his sleeve, and a colossal crystal, three zhang high, rose from the center of the plaza. The crystal was completely transparent, its interior seemingly sealing a dazzling galaxy, refracting sunlight with a mesmerizing brilliance.
"This is the 'Heaven-Spotting Stone.' For ordinary bones, the stone remains silent; for spiritual bones, it shines; for celestial bones, it roars like thunder."
"Begin." The test began.
It was a brutal selection process. Some placed their hands on it, the crystal showed no reaction, and they were immediately expelled, their cries echoing through the air; others made the crystal emit a faint, firefly-like glow, and were ecstatically led away by a registered disciple.
Shen Qingqiu observed coldly.
She discovered that this so-called "Heaven-Spotting Stone" was essentially a giant "energy reader." It read energy fluctuations of a specific wavelength within the human body.
"Next, the holder of the Cangzhou Lin family recommendation token, Shen Qingqiu." The disciple in charge announced loudly.
Countless gazes instantly converged. The Lin family was a powerful secular clan; those recommended were usually wealthy and noble. Everyone wanted to see what was so extraordinary about this young lady from a prominent family.
Shen Qingqiu took a deep breath, lifted her skirt, and ascended the steps.
Today she wore a simple, moon-white dress, without any makeup, yet her ethereal beauty was still undeniable. The wind ruffled her hair, giving her a delicate, fragile air.
She reached the Heaven-Revealing Stone and extended her hand.
The moment her palm touched the crystal, a cold suction force surged through her.
Shen Qingqiu did not resist, allowing the force to probe her meridians.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths… The Heaven-Revealing Stone remained deathly silent. Not a ray of light, not even a speck of dust, was disturbed.
A brief awkward silence fell over the plaza, followed by a burst of laughter.
"The Lin family misjudged her this time! She's just a mortal with no spiritual roots!"
"She's pretty, but a waste. Only good for a furnace." The purple-robed elder above the clouds glanced at her contemptuously and said coldly, "Mortal bones. No chance of immortality. Step back."
That word "step back" carried an invisible pressure, striking Shen Qingqiu's chest heavily. She groaned, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, her body involuntarily falling backward.
She didn't fall to the ground.
A cold, strong hand steadily supported her back.
Shen Qingqiu raised her head, meeting a pair of eyes as black as an abyss.
Seventeen caught her.
He didn't look at the mocking crowd, nor at the high-ranking elder. He only looked at the blood at the corner of Shen Qingqiu's mouth, his eyes beneath the mask instantly becoming extremely dangerous.
The blue light in his eyes surged instantly, as if a miniature data storm was brewing within him.
[Host damage detected.] Judgment: External attack. Counterattack procedure... activated.
"Seventeen, don't kill anyone." Shen Qingqiu immediately pressed down on his hand, speaking quickly in a voice only the two of them could hear. "Go touch that stone."
Seventeen's movements paused.
He tilted his head in confusion, seemingly trying to understand the logic of the command.
"Go." Shen Qingqiu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a crazed gambler's gleam flashing in his eyes. "Let them see what true 'talent' is."
She has no spiritual root? It doesn't matter.
She has the biggest bug in the world.
Seventeen released her and turned to walk towards the enormous Heaven-Appraisal Stone.
The originally noisy square fell silent for a moment because of the black-clad youth's actions. He walked slowly, each step feeling like it was treading on everyone's heartbeats. The silent oppressive feeling made even the purple-robed elder frown.
"Who's that? That good-for-nothing's follower?"
"These days, even followers want to try their luck?"
Amidst the whispers, Seventeen stood before the Heaven-Appraisal Stone.
Unlike the others who respectfully placed their hands on the crystal, he casually, even disdainfully, extended a slender finger and lightly touched its surface, as if brushing off dust.
The instant his fingertip touched the crystal,
time seemed to stand still.
A sharp, piercing buzzing sound, exceeding the limits of human hearing, instantly assaulted everyone's eardrums.
The next moment, the Heaven-Revealing Stone, which had previously emitted only a soft glow, suddenly erupted with a light ten thousand times brighter than the sun!
The light wasn't golden, nor white.
It was blue.
It was the deep blue of data streams, the color of the system's core.
A pillar of light shot into the sky, tearing apart the perfect sea of clouds overhead, piercing a massive hole in the heavens. The cranes that had been circling in the air were instantly transformed into strings of random code and vanished into the air by the terrifying energy wave.
"Wh...what?!" The purple-robed elder fell from his flying sword in horror.
However, this was only the beginning.
Crack.
Crack, crack.
The ancient Heaven-Observing Stone, said to be indestructible and passed down for ten thousand years, began to crack. The cracks spread rapidly like a spiderweb, each one spewing forth a torrent of violent, chaotic code.
It couldn't read Seventeen's data.
Because Seventeen's authority was higher than its own. It was attempting to analyze an unanalyzable "god," and thus, its core logic collapsed.
"What is he doing?! Tell him to stop! The Heaven-Observing Stone is going to explode!" the elder screamed hysterically.
Too late.
BOOM—!!!
With a deafening roar, the massive crystal shattered.
Shards of crystal flew everywhere, like a magnificent diamond rain.
Each shard refracted the sunlight with iridescent colors, beautiful and magnificent, yet carrying an aura of destruction. The shattered jade scattered on the ground resembled tears fallen from the heavens, or the remains of some ancient, stale rule.
At the center of the swirling storm of crystalline dust, Seventeen stood silently.
Those fragments, powerful enough to pierce metal and stone, hovered, shattered, and vanished into nothingness within three feet of him. He was unharmed, not even a hem of his robe was lifted.
He slowly withdrew his fingers, turned, and, amidst a deathly silence and terrified gaze, walked step by step back to Shen Qingqiu.
The blue light in his eyes had not completely faded, appearing both eerie and sacred behind the mask.
He looked at Shen Qingqiu, his tone still flat and straightforward, as if he had merely crushed an ant:
"The stone... is broken."
Shen Qingqiu looked at him, at this "god" walking towards her amidst the crystalline rain.
Her heart pounded uncontrollably.
Not from fear, but from an indescribable tremor.
This was her sword.
A sword capable of severing all the rules of this illusory world.
She took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and turned to face the group of cultivators and elders who were already terrified.
Her pure white dress, set against the backdrop of the glittering jade shards, exuded an aura of unapproachable nobility.
"Elder," Shen Qingqiu's clear and melodious voice echoed across the deathly silent plaza, "may I ask, if the Heaven-Piercing Stone is shattered, is this considered mortal bone, or... celestial bone?" The purple-robed elder trembled as he rose from the ground, looking at the scattered fragments, then at the black-clad youth standing behind the girl, silent as death itself, and swallowed hard.
He couldn't see through the youth.
But he had a hunch that if he uttered even half a "no," these shattered jade fragments would be his fate.
"This...this is..." the elder stammered, struggling to find an explanation within his own understanding. "This is the legendary...'Chaotic Divine Bone'! A once-in-a-millennium find! A once-in-a-millennium find indeed!"
He dared not admit the stone was broken (that would be a disgrace to the Sword Washing Pavilion), nor did he dare admit he couldn't understand it. Therefore, he gave it the highest possible evaluation.
"Congratulations...congratulations to this..." the elder wiped away cold sweat, his gaze falling on Seventeen. "I wonder what this young master is like..."
"He is my guard."
Shen Qingqiu interrupted the elder calmly, a graceful yet sarcastic smile curving her lips. "Since even my guard possesses such talent, surely I, with him by my side, am qualified to enter the Sword Washing Pavilion?"
The elder nodded repeatedly: "Of course! Of course! Both of you...both of you are geniuses!"
Shen Qingqiu turned to look at Seventeen.
The crystalline dust gradually settled, covering the white jade plaza like a thick layer of frost.
"Let's go, Seventeen."
She extended her hand.
Seventeen hesitated for a moment, looking at the hand, then extended the hand that had just destroyed the Heaven-Piercing Stone and gently grasped her fingertips.
His hand was still icy cold, but this time, Shen Qingqiu did not let go.
The two walked side by side across the shattered jade, heading towards the towering Sword Washing Pavilion. The crystal fragments underfoot made a soft, rustling sound, like the final groan of this old world.
Behind them, thousands of people stood in complete silence, only daring to watch the two figures with awe.
That was the first time they had seen someone who hadn't come seeking immortality.
They had come to… shatter the path to immortality.
A fleeting glimpse on the Sword Testing Platform, frost and snow scattering as they departed.
On this day, the Heaven-Piercing Stone of the Sword Washing Pavilion shattered.
On this day, Shen Qingqiu's name, along with the black-clad guard wearing a silver mask, pierced the heart of the cultivation world like a sharp blade.
And the real "game" had only just been loaded onto the map.