Eldritch Horror Theatre

The murderous aura of a Tier 4 Transcendent was no trivial matter.

As things stood, all it would take was a twitch of his finger for Ji Liushuang to drop dead on the spot.

Surprisingly, however, Ji Liushuang showed no trace of fear in the face of this sudden crisis. She didn’t even take a single step back.

”You’re trying to scare me.”

”Oh? How do you know?”

Fu Qian watched her, his finger still raised.

”I don’t know why, but I just know.”

Ji Liushuang answered naturally.

’Are we doing tongue twisters now?’

Seeing Ji Liushuang’s slightly dazed eyes, Fu Qian knew this was very likely related to her sword intent.’Interesting!’

Fu Qian had indeed just been testing her; he hadn’t actually planned to kill her.

But that was easier said than done. Faced with such a lethal threat, it was impossible to remain calm if there was even a sliver of doubt.

Evidently, whatever it was had given Ji Liushuang an unimaginable intuition. Her thoughts were pure and clear, naturally dispelling any illusions.

The side effect, of course, was that a good chunk of her mind seemed to have been dispelled along with it; she looked rather muddled and out of it.

Just like a moment ago—he had easily derailed her train of thought, completely stripping her of her usual alertness.

’It’s entirely possible that this strange sword intent is my target,’

Fu Qian mused.

”You still haven’t answered me. Did you need something from me?”

Ji Liushuang fell silent for a moment before suddenly seeming to remember her original question.

”Actually, there is something.”

Fu Qian finally withdrew his finger, a wide smile on his face.

”I came over today to ask you: do you want to leave the Sword Comprehension Institute and join the Apocalypse Branch?”

”Why?”

Faced with this absurd question, Ji Liushuang finally showed a trace of shock.

She clearly knew nothing about this. It seemed Jian Jingzheng hadn’t gotten around to talking to her yet.

Was he so certain that Fu Qian was just spouting nonsense, completely confident that this star pupil would never jump ship to another faction?

’What baffling confidence!’

”It’s obvious you’ve run into a bottleneck lately. Why not consider taking a different path?”

Fu Qian pointed at Ji Liushuang’s head.

”Joining the Apocalypse Branch... is taking a different path?”

Ji Liushuang looked at Fu Qian seriously.

”Of course. Whether you want to be a muscle-bound bruiser or a deadly femme fatale, as long as you’re willing, you can take any route you want. Advancing to the Mid Tier would be a piece of cake.”

As he spoke, Fu Qian sounded exactly like a pyramid scheme pitchman.

”Oh.”

Ji Liushuang simply offered a soft reply.

A moment later, she slowly lifted her head.

”Can that path allow me to become a demigod?”

”You’re thinking a bit far ahead!”

”Yes, because Dean Li has already advanced to the Demigod Realm. If you want me to transfer to the Apocalypse Branch, you have to prove that it can achieve the same.”

Ji Liushuang explained in dead earnest.

’Li Weixuan became a demigod?’

Fu Qian’s interest was immediately piqued.

”How do you know?”

”I just know.”

Ji Liushuang shook her head, turning to gaze into the distance.

He should have expected that answer.

Following Ji Liushuang’s gaze, Fu Qian suddenly noticed something unusual.

The next moment, a sharp metallic ring erupted from the Sword Pavilion nearby.

Before the echo faded, another chime followed.

One ring followed another, the metallic clashing quickly growing as dense as a torrential downpour, shaking the soul.

Even the seemingly impregnable Sword Pavilion began to tremble violently.

Amidst cries of alarm, longswords of every shape and size shattered the windows of every floor in the Sword Pavilion. They streamed out like a river, flying off into the distance in a dense swarm.

At the end of this rain of swords, a figure slowly approached.

His right hand was outstretched. Though he held no sword, it looked as if he were supporting a thousand-pound weight.

Once all the longswords reached him, they formed a vortex around his empty right hand, the sharp sound of tearing air humming like a swarm of bees.

Li Weixuan!

Every student who had rushed out of the Sword Pavilion recognized who that man was.

The dean... a demigod?

Faced with this spectacular sight, the crowd exchanged blank looks, unable to stop themselves from guessing.

”Scatter!”

Supporting this mountain of swords, Li Weixuan walked closer, let out a hearty laugh, and forcefully swung his arm outward.

The vortex exploded in all directions. Every single sword seemed to possess a life of its own, their blades shimmering with radiant light and carrying a myriad of distinct auras.

The next moment, the swords spread into a massive circle, stabbing into the ground all around the Sword Pavilion in perfect unison.

”Thankfully, I didn’t miss this day!”

Li Weixuan laughed aloud, his voice ringing clear.

”A few insights I’ve comprehended these past few days—I share them with you all!”

Witnessing this magnificent scene, the students immediately erupted into thunderous cheers.

Given this display, there was no longer any need to guess. Dean Li, who had been in secluded meditation for a long time, had officially advanced to the Demigod Realm.

No wonder so many people loved learning the sword. Setting aside actual combat strength, the sheer style points were absolutely maxed out!

Fu Qian sighed with emotion as he watched Li Weixuan, who looked like a descending sword immortal.

’The situation is getting more and more complicated!’

In his demigod state, Li Weixuan gave off the feeling of a razor-sharp ancient sword.

If this man turned out to be his target, taking him down was going to take some effort.

Speaking of which, he turned his head and looked at Ji Liushuang again.

This girl was equally miraculous!

Based on her cultivation tier, the possibility of her discovering Li Weixuan through pure perception moments ago could almost be ruled out entirely.

Yet not only did she know Li Weixuan was approaching from that direction, but she had even confirmed his advancement to a demigod.

Just how had she done it? It was truly intriguing.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Li Weixuan’s footsteps seemed slow but were actually incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, he reached the front of the Sword Pavilion, greeting everyone as he enjoyed the students’ cheers.

Naturally, as the only person in strange attire, Fu Qian instantly drew his attention.

”You are?”

Li Weixuan looked at the unfamiliar face, a hint of confusion in his expression.

The moment he spoke, everyone’s eyes turned toward them.

Naturally, almost all of those gazes were filled with schadenfreude.

Whether they were students or staff, it was safe to say that none of them had any good feelings toward Fu Qian.

Now that the dean had advanced to a demigod, this guy who had cast a heavy shadow over the Sword Comprehension Institute had finally hit a brick wall.

”Congratulations. I am Fu Qian from the Apocalypse Branch.”

Fu Qian sized up Li Weixuan and said with a wide smile.

While he couldn’t quite be described as flowing with ethereal immortal energy, there wasn’t anything wicked or bizarre about him either. He just looked like a very normal demigod.

”I came here today hoping to take one of your students as my own.”

Fu Qian pointed at Ji Liushuang. Her expression remained wooden, and she didn’t utter a word.

What?

This guy actually came all this way because he wanted Ji Liushuang to be his student?

This was the first time the crowd had learned of Fu Qian’s purpose for visiting.

This was... arrogant to the extreme!

”Be your student? Why?”

Li Weixuan was just as shocked. He scrutinized Ji Liushuang for a moment before his eyes suddenly lit up, his face breaking into a joyful expression.

”Well done!”

”Liushuang, you truly are one of the most talented students in the Sword Comprehension Institute!”

”To think you’ve comprehended sword intent this quickly!”

What? Ji Liushuang had comprehended sword intent?

Li Weixuan’s words visibly startled the onlookers, who stared at Ji Liushuang in disbelief.

She didn’t look like it at all. Her face was pale, and she seemed drained of energy.

”Divine sense completely transparent, the mind and sword in perfect resonance—this is...”

Even now, Li Weixuan couldn’t stop marveling.

”A Lucent Sword Heart!”