Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Three, The Clear Peace Floating Life Sword
Sang Zhe in his past life was a planner at a game company.
Being a planner, one understands the drill. It’s the classic scapegoat position.
If something benefits the players, the management will scold you for not earning money. If something benefits the company, the players will curse you for being a greedy fool.
If you focus on game mechanics, you can only hire third-rate writers for the storyline. If you prioritize the story, you have to get some lazy bum who only knows how to plagiarize to handle the mechanics.
You might ask, why not have it all?
Duh.
If the company doesn’t give you money, how can you get everything?
The leaders are a bunch of brainless morons who can only mindlessly demand from employees. When something goes wrong, their first thought is not how to solve the problem but how to yell at the employees.
Try explaining user retention or maintaining active players to them; they wouldn’t get it.
All they know is, asking them for money is a no-go.
In short, being a planner is a total nightmare. Sometimes, you end up designing imbalanced events against your conscience, forcing players to spend money and getting cursed by them to boot.
Anyway, whether you design or not, you’ll still get scolded by the management. Getting yelled at from both ends is tolerable as long as you can make some money.
You can’t dare to create an overly grand world background; fear that if it’s too much, you’ll be roasted alive for it.
Sometimes you have to face it—hiring someone to develop the background story often means getting a university kid with a severe case of delusions of grandeur. You’ll have to push through with them.
After all, nowadays, university students aren’t easy to swindle.
Just make do with what you have.
So, a lot of the game storylines at Sang Zhe’s company involved his direct contributions.
Among them, there was one particular piece that was Sang Zhe’s personal hidden treasure.
In it, there was a storyline event about saving a silly young man filled with dreams of being a heroic swordsman.
However, in the end, although that silly young man became a mighty figure, he still got killed by his lover in a plot twist.
And that unparalleled divine sword technique that propelled the silly young man to greatness was called “The Clear Peace Floating Life Sword.”
The name of the sword technique was rather casual, meant to reflect Sang Zhe’s beautiful desire to lay back amidst a stressful work environment.
But games are ultimately games.
After the event launched, Sang Zhe was thoroughly blasted with complaints of “clichéd plot,” “difficulty levels are outrageous,” “planners are garbage,” and so on.
Luckily, he was used to it by now.
Currently, in this unrelated environment, seeing that familiar name still left Sang Zhe feeling oddly puzzled.
…What a coincidence to have the same name?
That’s too coincidental.
After a long silence, Sang Zhe finally asked, “How many points do I need to exchange for this sword technique?”
Nian Nian didn’t answer him.
Her delicate figure, coupled with a clean pleated skirt, floated by Sang Zhe as her calm eyes behind glasses blinked slightly.
“Host… do you wish to exchange for this one?”
“Not yet decided, just asking the price.”
“This one is free,” Nian Nian said nonchalantly. “The techniques rated as question marks are essentially blind boxes; what quality you get depends on luck.”
“But most likely, they’re all unwanted trash.”
Free, huh?
In that case, I’ll be polite then.
With that, Sang Zhe happily exchanged for the sword technique, and his consciousness returned to his body as he slowly opened his eyes in bed.
In his hand, a cultivation jade miraculously appeared.
“Let me see what quality blind box I can get.”
He eagerly got up, took the wooden sword for contacts, and activated the cultivation jade.
The next moment, a wonderful sensation spread throughout his entire body.
Sang Zhe had experienced the cultivation jade before.
But this time, the feeling was quite different.
Previously, the cultivation jade felt like others’ insights into sword techniques were being forcibly poured into his brain, and it was as if he couldn’t control his own body, only able to let it simulate that sword intent naturally.
But this time.
Sang Zhe didn’t have that loss of control.
It felt instinctive as he raised his hand, lifting the sword.
With one slash, he struck out.
And then nothing happened.
But after that slash, Sang Zhe was very sure.
It felt just like he had personally struck out that sword intent.
Never mind that Sang Zhe had hardly practiced sword techniques; even during his time in the Water Moon Sect, he didn’t take his studies seriously.
The feeling of personally executing sword techniques was incredibly unique.
“Nian Nian, what rank is this sword technique?”
Nian Nian didn’t respond.
“Nian Nian?”
“…It’s Foundation Establishment level,” Nian Nian replied with annoyance, rolling her eyes. “The host can’t expect to win the lottery and think you’ll get lucky, right?”
And it really is garbage. Sang Zhe sighed.
But one point she made was right.
He’s just a small fry at the Foundation Establishment level himself.
Executing this sword technique felt perfectly integrated with his level of skill, even he could easily make it work.
What good could it possibly be?
“Sigh, looks like I’ll have to spend a lot to rent another cultivation jade.”
Flopping back onto the bed, Sang Zhe’s consciousness once again entered the system marketplace, beginning his aimless browsing.
However, this time, Nian Nian didn’t join him in the marketplace.
Her figure remained sitting at Sang Zhe’s bedside, gently swinging her smooth little legs.
Before her eyes, words quietly appeared.
【Clear Peace Floating Life Sword, Mask Mode has been unlocked】
【Mask Mode unlocked Sword Technique Mastery】
And behind “Clear Peace Floating Life Sword,” the rank position was no longer a question mark.
Instead, it was a term that Sang Zhe had never heard before.
Floating Life Realm.
“…Sigh.”
Nian Nian suddenly sighed, gently swinging her legs.
“Another one unlocked by him.”
“If only I hadn’t informed him about Mask Mode in the first place.”
Her gaze lingered slightly on Sang Zhe, who was wandering aimlessly through the system marketplace; the beauty concealed behind her black-frame glasses flashed a hint of complexity.
This guy.
There might really be a day.
When he unlocks the complete version of Mask Mode, right?
——
——
In the following three days.
Sang Zhe submerged himself in the joy of educating the two sisters.
I must say, this feeling kind of resembles the exhilarating thrill of pirating someone else’s little honey.
The sisters secretly found time to meet messily behind each other’s backs.
Then they’d leave utterly exhausted, flushed, and exhilarated.
Clearly harboring resistance in their hearts, yet their bodies were incredibly honest.
But none dared to tell each other, keeping it a secret.
Sang Zhe didn’t do anything particularly outrageous, only guiding the two in learning sword techniques each day.
Though there were some subtle differences.
Sang Zhe gradually discovered he could, with some effort, see the highs and lows in their sword techniques.
No longer asking Nian Nian about everything in that irritating old manner.
He could genuinely feel the issues and progress in each other’s sword techniques.
But he didn’t think too much of it; after all, he had used the cultivation jade, so some improvement was to be expected.
The matter of “Clear Peace Floating Life Sword” was quickly pushed to the back of his mind.
Time swiftly passed, and three days later arrived.
That morning, Sang Zhe woke up refreshed, washed up, and dressed in his best outfit.
Spring Lan and Qiu Ju had been waiting at the door since early.
“Young Master Sang, the Sect Leader requests your presence.”
Though their gazes at him were different.
One was resentful, and the other timid.
Yet, both carried a hint of avoidance.
Sang Zhe smiled cheerfully and said, “Thank you for leading the way.”
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