037 The World of the Strong

"Although I haven't met you, that move just now was indeed quite seasoned..." Duanshan Yue was a man who had weathered many great storms, yet at this moment, a look of gravity surfaced on his face.

"Hey, are you someone's alt account, running around here to 'experience life'?"

"Experiencing life" was a mocking term, generally referring to professional gamers who came to indulge and relax during their idle time.

In a way, the life of a professional gamer was incredibly dull. Beyond dealing with various competitions, their usual working hours were dedicated to training. In the context of the *Free World*, this meant researching and practicing various techniques and tactics—it was rumored that the next league championship would use this game as its platform.

Using a game originally intended for leisure and relaxation for tedious training was truly not a good thing. Even for the most resilient professional players, facing a game that was gradually becoming "not a game" created immense internal pressure. Therefore, team leaders of major guilds and squads generally employed a management style that balanced work and play: while ensuring their members maintained a certain intensity of training, they encouraged them to find various ways to relax during their downtime.

Of course, what the members did with this time for relaxation was beyond their control.

Some liked to take their powerful characters to run amok in the world; others preferred doing things completely unrelated to the game; some chose to switch to a different game to change their mood; naturally, others used this time to continue training, striving to further improve their technical and tactical levels; and there were those who enjoyed traveling to every corner of the game world to experience its various pleasures—this was what was meant by "experiencing life."

Among them was a type of person who, like some veteran players, would create a small alt account to rediscover the feeling of when they first entered the game.

Duanshan Yue clearly mistook Duan Qing for this type of person because of that proficient Waltz Step just now.

Since the emergence and maturation of virtual reality games, various related gaming techniques had also matured and formed systems used by major forces in the league. Because of their differing practicality, difficulty, and versatility, their specific manifestations varied in each game. Thus, the league officials only compiled these things for professional players from major guilds to reference and study. In recent years, as these techniques became public, the vast number of non-professional players could also access them. However, practice had proven that most of these combat-related techniques could not simply be picked up by anyone; without extensive practice and mastery, average casual players found it difficult to perform high-difficulty moves—unless one was willing to put in great effort and hard work, or possessed extraordinary talent. But most such people had already caught the eyes of major factions and become professional players.

The Waltz Step was one of the higher-difficulty techniques.

By utilizing the gaps in attacks, coordinating footwork and body movement, and adding feints—a combination of multiple maneuvers—one could instantly move to the side or even behind an enemy. This was not something an ordinary player could achieve casually, as the means and methods of execution had been revised several times, becoming a fairly complete system that even branched into many variations. Ordinary players would only feel their vision blur; while their attacks missed, they would be struck from behind. As for the more complex variations, they were even harder to guard against or master. However, those who had seen it and knew a thing or two could rely on split-second reactions to make certain defenses or counter-moves. Duanshan Yue had just used one of the more rigid forms of response, and from that, he concluded that the person before him was an expert.

"Oh? Whose alt account am I..." Duan Qing tilted his head and thought for a moment. "The possibility is indeed high... How about this, then?"

He flicked his weapon and struck a strange pose with a mysterious smile. "Guess... whose secondary account I am, Second-in-Command?"

"You..." Duanshan Yue’s eyes narrowed.

Being addressed by a title from his past was indeed an infuriating thing, especially since that nickname was not particularly glorious. At that moment, it felt like having an old wound reopened. Yet, Duanshan Yue’s heart quickly cooled, because once those words were spoken, a more concerning question surfaced and stood before him.

Duan Fenglei, Duanshan Yue, Duanshanhe—the three brothers who led the Jianghu guild. Although he was the second-in-command, he was actually the oldest of the three. Back in the day, the three of them were powerful figures who dominated the professional scene. Unfortunately, time had passed, and he was aging, having already passed the golden age of a professional player. In order to make way for the rising stars, he had decisively decided to retire two years ago. While his name remained famous today, it was merely confined to the concept that "this person is very powerful," and few knew of his past deeds.

These things naturally included the fact that he was once called "Second-in-Command," though in the history he had created, this was a trivial matter not worth mentioning.

When he was young, he was high-spirited and reckless, doing many arrogant things and suffering many hardships. Even though he had become steady now, those past deeds were still the capital of his enduring strength, and he certainly didn't mind mentioning them. However, after so many years, while his various successes and failures had been spread around, there were some minor details that hadn't been mentioned in a long time, and few people even knew about them. For instance, the fact that he missed the League Cup because he went on a date with his girlfriend, or the story of how he was called by his subordinates to help and ended up masked-slaughtering several alt accounts when he was in a bad mood, or this "Second-in-Command" nickname—hardly anyone called him that when he was playing professionally. This title was casually coined by an unscrupulous senior because the Jianghu faction was small in its early days, and to survive, they had to act like outlaws, burning, killing, and looting everywhere. Because it was a dark history from so long ago, it hadn't spread very widely.

But some people did know, and those few were veterans of the professional world.

Could this person in front of him be an ancient-level monster?

Instinct drove him to step back, assuming a defensive posture while his mind replayed the Waltz Step he had just parried. He continued to probe verbally: "It turns out that I, in my ignorance, failed to recognize a master... May I ask your esteemed name, and where you studied?"

Although it was somewhat cryptic, Duan Qing understood the meaning behind Duanshan Yue’s words. But he certainly wouldn't tell the truth; that would lead to even more complications. So, Duan Qing had no choice but to push his upward-spiking hair back and use his previous line.

"Easily said, easily said. I am Mo Shang Qingshan, coming from the Great Qingshan far away. My master calls himself the Qingshan Immortal. Seeing that I have extraordinary bone structure, he taught me all his swordsmanship skills. Uh... I wonder if you have heard of my master's name..."

Meng Zhu, standing to the side, couldn't help but cover her mouth to avoid laughing aloud, as the situation would be awkward and the uncle would surely settle the score with her later. Liu Qingniu, meanwhile, had his mouth agape in shock, looking as if he were telling everyone that he actually believed it.

"...Since you are unwilling to say, then so be it." Duanshan Yue sighed. Although he still held some suspicions, he couldn't easily make a judgment. He weighed his words and spoke again: "...However, today's affair is a grievance between our Jianghu and Wings of Freedom. Why must you interfere?"

***

Heh, your attitude just now wasn't like this...

Duanshan Yue’s words were earnest; he had secretly begun to treat Duan Qing as some kind of big shot. However, seeing that the other party’s fists were still not relaxed, he did not lower his own internal guard—after so many years, whether the other party’s rogue nature had been polished away was not something Duan Qing wanted to bet his life on.

Having made it this far, it would be a total failure to be sent back now.

"This is indeed a grievance between us, but I hope we can resolve it after this matter..." While the situation remained tense, the voice of the woman in the black cloak drifted over from behind and to the side, accompanied by the sound of stumbling footsteps.

Her voice remained steady and cold, but having spent some time with her, Duan Qing could still detect a hint of unnaturalness; it seemed that the previous strike had indeed caused her some harm.

"Even if you need us to take responsibility, I... will not object. However, I hope that we can set aside our prejudices for now and cooperate with each other..."

"Heh, this doesn't sound like your style, little ice doll." Facing the cold woman, Duanshan Yue regained some of his arrogance: "Settle it later? Will you give me that chance? You have the numbers; if you sneak-attack and one-shot me later, who would I go to for justice? Step back, even if we settle it later, is there any possibility of cooperation between us? Just by the likes of you, rats and dogs..."

"Arrogance is not an attitude we should hold right now, little one."

Duanshan Yue’s words were interrupted—the blue-robed woman who hadn't spoken until now finally stepped in to handle the chaotic situation.

"If you can set aside the prejudices in your heart, perhaps you will be able to see more. This is a suggestion from me, a Great Mage... to you."

A gust of wind swept across the edge of the cliff, causing Christine’s robes to flap rhythmically. Her mature and charming face wore a serious expression, as if she were a teacher instructing others: "Differences between individuals can be set aside in the face of a great crisis. This is not only an inevitable choice for human development but also a manifestation of the human survival instinct." She held her staff in her hand and swung it forward. The giant sapphire at the top of the staff was glowing brilliantly, accompanied by bursts of cold air, carving a swaying blue light.

"Otherwise, it will be difficult for you to survive here and now."

Her gaze swept over everyone: "Even for me, it is the same."

A massive explosion suddenly erupted in the distance.

Although they were in a vast forest, Duan Qing and the others could see the tall tower standing in the center of the distant basin, so they could also see the source of the explosion—it was in the air to the side of the tower.

Amidst a mixture of fiery red and charred black, a massive fireball expanded and rose with thick smoke, then transformed into brilliant fireworks blooming in the clear sky. The momentum of the explosion was so great that the moment they turned their heads upon hearing the loud bang, they felt a blast of air rushing towards them.

The scorching heat arrived in an instant, pushing the few people at the edge of the cliff to stagger back several steps before they could regain their footing.

Lowering his right arm which had been shielding his head, Duan Qing quickly looked up toward the direction of the anomaly. In the distant sky, a figure was flying toward them. The person’s flight speed was not fast; only when it got closer could Duan Qing see the fiery red color on that figure, along with the matching fiery red hair.

Then, another black figure arrived in an instant, crashing into the fiery red figure like a sharp arrow.

The red figure didn't seem to react for a moment, but judging by the unhurried appearance, there seemed to be some other protection on her. A red, spherical light flashed around her, then transformed into a tangible shockwave that burst outward in all directions. The black figure was pushed aside by that impact and landed on the top of a giant tree canopy.

As the crowd suffered another shock, Duan Qing narrowed his eyes and vaguely saw the black shadow’s hands, which appeared to be holding a weapon in each. The two weapons were likely thin, long swords or the like; the person spun them twice in his hands, then held them one in front and one behind. He stomped his foot, launching another strike toward the red figure in the sky.

The red figure remained unhurried, extending one hand forward. Fiery red light converged in her palm, then flew out instantly—it was a fireball.

Even the bright sky could not mask the shining trajectory of that fiery red light sphere. Trailing red light, it flew instantly toward the figure leaping upward. Seeing this, the black shadow swung his arms, and the black blade in his right hand slapped the incoming "baseball" like a baseball bat.

The ball was not batted away, but rather shattered instantly.

Breaking through the flying flames, the black figure emerged without a hint of hesitation, continuing to leap toward the red figure. The black light was slowly fading from the dual swords in his hands, but the next second, the light reappeared, erupting into black gas.

Before him, a fireball larger than the previous one had already arrived.

He pushed his left hand forward, slapping the fireball again. The larger size didn't seem to play its intended role; the fireball wobbled slightly before following in the footsteps of the previous one.

The black shadow stabilized his posture and looked toward his target, only to see the other person’s palms held flat, and a long sword rapidly enlarging in his field of vision.

It was a giant long sword made of fire!

Only hesitating for a moment, the black shadow did not maintain his stance but continued to turn along the momentum of the force. At the same time, light condensed on the black swords in his hands, and he slashed fiercely in a certain direction.

A black sword beam shot out toward the distance, seemingly hitting something on its path, and then another cluster of giant flowers bloomed there—it was a fireball hidden on the side, waiting for a sneak attack. It had condensed out of thin air not far away, circled a large arc from the previous direction toward its enemy, and was then blown up by this sword strike.

"You guys are really something..." Duan Qing muttered while shielding his head again.

In high-speed leaping, there is actually not much room for maneuver. In a hurry, the black shadow continued to turn, twisting his entire body, and began to rotate. Eerie black light flashed constantly on the two weapons, and with his rotation, he slashed time and again at the flaming giant sword whose tip was almost touching his head.

The dual swords indeed possessed some magic-breaking effects; the tip of the flaming long sword dissipated instantly, followed by the part behind the tip, and then further back—the black whirlwind transformed into a meat grinder, devouring the flaming giant sword bit by bit.

The red figure was not shaken by this—as if conducting a grand concert, those two fair hands were dancing slowly, but what should have been the front of the concert was filled with the light of the red giant sword. Violent energy was constantly erupting there, then drifting and dancing in the air. The rotating black whirlwind also didn't stop for a second, and the red long sword was constantly being whittled down, shattered, and turned into tiny stars drifting in the air as the black shadow pressed forward.

The black whirlwind was near. The next moment, his opponent abandoned control of the flaming giant sword, flicked her hands to dissipate the remaining embers, and pressed her palms together.

The red light and flame surged intensely. The palms glowing with fire pushed forward, and the fire elements attached to them spread rapidly, expanding in an instant into a sea of fire.

The black shadow was instantly submerged in this sea of red, as if he would never make a wave again. However, Duan Qing knew that the previous concentrated attacks hadn't been able to do anything to the black figure and his two weapons, so such a dispersed attack method was even less likely to defeat him.

Sure enough, the red figure flew backward and then fell as if she had lost power—this was the first retreat since the sudden outbreak of this battle. Before the red sea of fire in front had dissipated, the black figure had already broken through. He crossed his hands, holding the two weapons horizontally in front of him. Eerie black-and-purple light flickered constantly; it seemed he had managed to resist most of the damage in this way. The black clothing was covered in scorched marks, some of which were not even extinguished yet, but he couldn't care about that now.

Raising his hands above his head, he approached the falling red figure and slashed down with all his might. The red figure slowly looked up; the eerie black dual swords seemed to be only a few centimeters above her head, about to split her in two.

But she still made no move.

BOOM!

A massive explosion sounded again. Although the momentum was not as great as the previous one, being closer, Duan Qing and the others were shaken quite hard. However, his heart understood a few things: the previous display of flames had hidden something in the end. Although he didn't know what it was specifically, that trap made with a feint had finally caught the opponent off guard.

The few of them struggled to get up again and looked up at the sky, but they could no longer find the two people from before. Meng Zhu looked around for a long time, only then being reminded by Duan Qing to look at a nearby tree canopy—there, a huge fireball was forming and flying toward another canopy.

Another brilliant firework flew up; the sounds of explosions, whistling winds, snapping trees, and flying grass leaves intertwined. Just as they were about to continue observing this shocking battle between experts, Christine’s warning suddenly rang out among the crowd: "Watch out!"

Amidst the sound of air being torn, a purple-black sword beam flew over from that direction, grazing Duan Qing’s side. That black light carried up the fallen leaves and withered grass covering the ground, leaving a trail on the earth, finally snapping several branches, and flew into the distant sky amidst the crackling of wood.

It seems like stray fire...

Everyone looked at each other in dismay. Amidst clicking tongues, Duan Qing, who had almost been split in two just now, wiped his forehead and said with lingering fear: "When gods fight, it really is easy for us to suffer..."