Chapter 451: Chapter 390: Old Xiao’s Visionary Thoughts Are Surprisingly Accurate!
’Master, I’ve finished eating, not a single drop wasted.’
The Demon Blade hovered respectfully behind Li Zheng, its spiritual awareness growing considerably.
"Hmm." Li Zheng responded noncommittally and walked into the poisonous mist, with the Demon Blade floating after him step by step, creating an almost cultivator-like impression.
Li Zheng suddenly asked, "Since you can fly on your own, can you carry me in the future?"
’In response to Master, no.’
"Even at the top level you can’t?"
’Still can’t.’
"Useless!"
Li Zheng felt slightly disappointed; there would be one less flashy way to show off. How cool would it be to enter standing on a blade while everyone else is using skateboards and flying devices?
"Then can you attack in the air in the future?" Li Zheng asked again. He already had an inkling of the answer but wanted to confirm.
’In theory, within the coverage of Master’s spiritual power, the blade can attack independently.’
’However, if Master holds the blade in battle, it’s more powerful than if the blade flies out to attack.’ The Demon Blade added.
The difference between the two is akin to a rootless water plant versus a sturdy tree on the bank; the former drifts without consistent "force" support, naturally weakening the power.
The latter, rooted in the soil, has a basis for reliance, naturally feeling more confident.
Li Zheng thought briefly and understood the reasoning; after all, this is merely a characteristic of a tool, not like the powers cultivated by oneself in an immortal cultivation novel that can imbue force outside the body.
"If I develop an ability like an invisible hand, I could replicate the cultivator’s flying sword attack method without diminishing power?" Li Zheng mused, thinking such an ability isn’t impossible to develop, though it’s quite dependent on luck.
With a thought, the Demon Blade automatically entered his hand. Li Zheng held the blade upside down and stepped out of the poisonous mist range.
Zhan Zhouzhou, keeping a distance, examined Li Zheng carefully for a moment. Seeing no apparent change in him, she visibly sighed in relief.
"Are you... okay?" she asked hesitantly upon approaching Li Zheng, her tone cold but with a hint of concern.
Li Zheng flicked his fingers, retracting the Demon Blade into the capsule, shrugged, and said, "Do I look like anything’s wrong?"
Zhan Zhouzhou’s gaze paused on Li Zheng’s left hand: "What happened to your hand?"
"It’s nothing, the damn blade requires blood for ownership recognition; it wasn’t deep and will heal shortly." Li Zheng opened his palm, and already a sixth of the wound had healed.
Suddenly, he paused, looking at his palm thoughtfully.
Before entering the Matrix, such an injury would make him miserable, likely requiring a trip to the hospital for anesthetics and stitching.
Yet now, he could endure such pain, acting as if nothing happened?
"Old Xiao was right; in the Matrix, we indeed must learn to endure pain." At this moment, Li Zheng finally agreed with Xiao Siyuan’s point made in the ancient ruins.
After confirming that Li Zheng was genuinely okay, Zhan Zhouzhou let go of the Purple Thunder Sword, and her demeanor gradually softened: "Although Xiao Siyuan has aggressive medical methods, his viewpoint indeed matches our current circumstances and is somewhat forward-thinking."
"Yes, looking back, Old Xiao was indeed correct." Li Zheng shook his head, "But he was too aggressive, adopting his ways without anyone mentally prepared; likely, many patients have a love-hate relationship with him."
"Xiao Siyuan is a few years older than us, so his thoughts are naturally more mature. Being suddenly thrown here to survive, who knows which day might be our last, leaving no time to mentally prepare."
Zhan Zhouzhou spoke softly: "One either adapts to the environment or gets eliminated by it. Over nearly twenty days, those who got eliminated, mainly during major actions by the Terminal causing mass eliminations, evidently couldn’t adapt."
"Indeed."
Li Zheng agreed deeply, recalling when the novice period ended, many players hiding in their capsule homes were killed and devoured by certain creatures.
Those players couldn’t adapt, some indeed foolish.
But they couldn’t be blamed, as their life environment led them to those choices when facing danger.
Not everyone can truly thrive after crossing over, just by reading a few novels.
Fire safety awareness is promoted daily, yet people still freeze during a fire; no matter how hard you pull, they won’t stand up.
"In retrospect... perhaps what the Lin Fan brothers did wasn’t entirely wrong? The law of the jungle, survival of the fittest, is nature’s way after all." Li Zheng sighed slightly.
"If you think that way, you’re mistaken," Zhan Zhouzhou handed back the Mysterious Declaration to Li Zheng, which he had temporarily given to her before entering the poisonous mist range.
"Just like this lantern, I remember you fused the Blood Lantern obtained from Lin Fan, right?"
"The same tool, the same effect, in his hands, is a weapon for murder."
"In your hands, it’s a divine artifact for justice."
"The blade isn’t wrong, nor is the person."
"But when a blade falls into different hands, it distinguishes right from wrong."
"From our standpoint, Lin Fan and Lin Feng are wrong; without a law to bind them, we can only use violence against violence."
"I understand the logic," Li Zheng smiled bitterly, "But sometimes I suddenly doubt if some actions are worth it."
For instance, in the dungeon with Wang Chaoran, encountering that female player from channel 879, he did many things to help her, boosting her survival rate.
Why did she instead hold a grudge against him?
And in the Abyssal Dungeon, meeting those two teammates, was he truly undeserving of their trust?
And Shinoda Chizuru...
In one channel, over 900 people benefited from Li Zheng’s help, 900 remembered his kindness, only several cursed him.
Yet it was precisely those few whose words and actions Li Zheng least wanted to confront.
"In my view, this shows an insufficient conviction," Zhan Zhouzhou patiently explained to Li Zheng, "Without going far, let’s talk about Xiao Siyuan. His conviction is to heal others, even if it hinders his strength advancement, he’s content being at the bottom of the top 100 battle rankings."
"Or take me for instance, my conviction is simple: Supreme Sword Dao! Whenever I have free time, I practice swordsmanship; from basic sword skill to family swordsmanship, then to advanced swordsmanship!"
"Practicing swordsmanship under normal conditions had little effect, so I trained under pressure! When pressure training became less effective, I trained with gravity!"
"Once accustomed to 1.2x, it’s 1.5x, and so on!"
"If it benefits my pursuit of Supreme Sword Dao, I’ll do it, with no regrets."
"I don’t seek future achievements, only a clear conscience!"
...
This piece is dedicated to everyone, hoping you don’t follow the crowd, stay unique, and have your own ideas when facing matters, breaking free from herd mentality.
PS. Although I’m just a trend follower myself (referring to this book following trends)