After the man in the green robe pointed at Xie Dafang and said: “Because he is the number one master in the martial world.” There was a moment of silence in the whole venue and after a while, a tsunami-like uproar erupted.
“What’s going on? Did the Green Shirt Guest just say that Xie Dafang is the number one master?”
“Come to think of it, it was indeed said that only the number one master could receive the sword from the Green Shirt Guest.”
At this moment, the players and audience at the scene finally remembered that the prerequisite for the sword’s owner sought by the Green Shirt Guest had always been “the number one master in the martial world.” After he passed the sword to Xie Dafang, there were indeed suspicions on the forum that Xie Dafang was the hidden number one master.
However, as time went on, Xie Dafang continued to live his life as a player, constantly astonishing the entire server with his incredible skills, but he never demonstrated any achievements in martial arts. Gradually, everyone forgot about this matter, and some even thought that with so many extraordinary feats, it was hard to say how Xie Dafang managed to deal with the Green Shirt Guest.
Now, that the old story was brought up again, everyone finally got the exact information from the man in the green robe- he really believed that Xie Dafang was the number one master and passed the sword to him.
The whole venue became noisy because of this sudden turn of events. Yang Xianyun, who was still confused, looked at Xie Ran hesitantly and said: “You said Xie Dafang is the number one master? But I have never seen him fight.”
As an NPC in the game, Yang Xianyun followed established program logic in his actions. For example, at this moment, his program required him to certify the new martial arts alliance leader as the number one master in the martial world in the name of the Lord of the Bright Moon City and present the Sword. Even though he had a good personal relationship with Xie Ran, he would not favor him in this matter.
However, it seemed that the man in the green robe couldn’t give him an accurate answer either and only said vaguely: “He reminds me of someone I used to know…”
“Nonsense.” Yang Xianyun frowned even deeper: “The Cang Hai Bright Moon Sword is the sword of the supreme master of the martial art world. How can it be casually given to someone else?”
He looked at Xie Ran and said apologetically: “I’m sorry, Mr. Xie. The man in the green robe acted on his emotions and mistakenly gave you the Cang Hai Bright Moon Sword. Can you please return the sword? I can compensate you with the other treasures of the Bright Moon City.”
Xie Ran hadn’t spoken yet, but Meng Feixuan raised his eyebrows and shrugged: “What does it have to do with us if you’re looking for the Cang Hai Bright Moon Sword? My husband has the Mark Sword, what’s the connection?”
Yang Xianyun’s expression showed a crack. “You… you call it the Mark Sword?”
Usually, after a sword was claimed by its owner, the owner set the sword’s name. However, the sword transfer program for the Cang Hai Bright Moon Sword itself was not normal, so the sword’s name wasn’t immediately activated. As a result, it was given a new name by the owner before it was activated, it was forced to be renamed.
Many experienced players at the scene quickly understood this and their expressions cracked open just like Yang Xianyun.
Mark Sword was indeed the Cang Hai Bright Moon Sword. Nobody actually named it Mark Sword, that was just a name made up by Xie Dafang!
Just what kind of taste Xie Dafang have!
Among the audience are many members of the Dynasty Smoke Pavilion. Initially, when Green Shirt Guest passed the sword to Xie Dafang, he was mocked for his self-righteousness. Now, hearing that this sword should originally belong to the Martial Alliance Leader, who is none other than Jian Jingsheng, it turns out their initial thoughts were correct. This sword should belong to Jian Jingsheng.
The people from Dynasty Smoke Pavilion immediately felt triumphant and shouted: “Xie Dafang, hand over the sword!”
“Our leader is the number one martial artist in the world. What are you?”
“Did Xie Dafang cheat? I demand the game company to investigate him!”
“Hand it over, hand it over!”
Yang Xianyun’s face shows a troubled expression: “Mr. Xie, please don’t make things difficult for me…”
Xie Ran was not as rude as Meng Feixuan and just calmly responded: “The sword is already gone.”
“What?” Yang Xianyun was shocked. After pondering for a moment, he resolutely said:: “In that case, you can only fight against Jian Jingsheng. If you win, the sword will be yours, and we will no longer pursue the matter. If you lose, the Green Shirt Guest, who committed a grave mistake, will act as a substitute for the sword…”
His voice was heavy: “Sent by the Martial Alliance Leader…”
As soon as these words are spoken, the whole venue was filled with heated discussions. The people from Dynasty Smoke Pavilion rejoiced exuberantly: “Let the Green Shirt Guest follow the orders of our leader!”
“Doesn’t that mean Dynasty Smoke Pavilion will dominate the martial world from now on?”
Other players who envied them, said: “Will Dynasty Smoke Pavilion become the dominant force?” ‘
“Fine.” Xie Ran casually agreed. In fact , he could refuse, but having interacted with data for so many years, he was more familiar with data than with people. Naturally, he has no intention of making things difficult for an NPC who just followed the program. Fortunately, this matter was not too troublesome for him.
“Sir, how about letting me handle it?” Meng Feixuan eagerly volunteers, showing that he really wants to beat Jian Jingsheng himself.
“Keep a low profile,” Xie Ran brushes his hand over Meng Feixuan’s head, calming the competitive AI down.
“Alright.” Meng Feixuan sat back regretfully and gives a tug on the little chicken’s wing: “I’ll cook some chicken soup for you.”
Jiu Ji exlaimed fearfully: “Kokokoko—”
No one expected to see Xie Dafang take action in this situation, and the entire audience suddenly becomes excited.
Although Yang Xianyun explained that Xie Dafang did not register to participate in the Martial Arts Conference, so this battle was only for the ownership of the Cang Hai Bright Moon Sword and does not affect the official competition rankings and results.
But everyone knows that what Yang Xianyun said doesn’t really matter.
This was the final arena of the Martial Arts Conference. Jian Jingsheng was the newly crowned ultimate winner and If he defeats Xie Dafang, it will naturally be a well-deserved victory. Otherwise if the official competition acknowledges him, the players in the martial world won’t.
However, at this moment, no one believed that Jian Jingsheng would lose.
Xie Ran walked up to the arena under the gaze of tens of thousands of eyes. He stood tall and straight, with a relaxed and unhurried demeanor, resembling a model strutting on a T-stage. There was no sign of nervousness or panic that one would expect before a big battle.
Jian Jingsheng stared at him intently. He never expected that the game system would provide him with such a timely opportunity to defeat Xie Dafang in front of everyone and redeem himself.
He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he last faced Xie Dafang like this, face to face. Seeing him now, he felt a sense of separation as if they were from different worlds. The person in front of him felt incredibly unfamiliar yet dazzling.
The dazzling aspect did not come from Xie Dafang achievements but from the natural aura he exuded. He hadn’t done anything, just sttood there casually with a slightly raised chin. The indifference and coldness in his gaze created a sense of superiority, making the person standing in front of him involuntarily look up to him, feeling slightly diminished.
Jian Jingsheng suddenly felt a strong sense of unwillingness. This sense of unwillingness distorted his mindset, and a strange and gloomy smile appeared on his face. He suddenly spoke: “Xie Dafang, were you proud when you treated me as a backup? Did you think you had me wrapped around your finger? Did you think I liked you?”
Xie Ran just looked at him calmly without saying a word.
That emotionless gaze again, like he was looking at a piece of pork!
Jian Jingsheng felt even more hatred, and he urgently wanted to destroy the other person’s composure: “You must not have expected that I never liked you. You just resembled someone I liked. Every time I was with you, I was thinking of him…”
He spoke with a deep tone, deliberately emphasizing the mocking tone, trying to humiliate the other person and regain some ground.
However, the other person showed no signs of being provoked, not even a trace of doubt as he simply said: “Let’s get on with it.”
Jian Jingsheng: ?
“Do you think I’m lying? Do you really think you are so charming?” Jian Jingsheng couldn’t help but feel embarrassed and angry. Regardless of the consequences, he continued speaking: “Do you want to know who it is? I can tell you, he’s also in the game…”
“I know, Yin Luyan.” Xie Ran impatiently interrupted him: “Can we start now?”
Jian Jingsheng’s unfinished words came to a halt abruptly. He looked at Xie Ran with a shocked expression and blurted out: “How do you know?!”
But Xie Ran didn’t answer him.
Jian Jingsheng felt as if he had been struck by lightning. All along, he considered his secret crush on Yin Luyan as his biggest secret. He thought no one knew about it, but Xie Dafang casually revealed it, as if it was nothing.
It seemed that Xie Dafang had known it for a long time. He knew that he was never sincerely toward him and only used him as a substitute. He knew that the sweet words he said to him and the tenderness in his eyes were all fake.
But he didn’t expose it or reveal the truth. He just silently watched him acting in front of him.
So from the beginning, in Xie Dafang eyes, he was not just a spare tire but also a self-righteous clown.
Shock, anger, frustration, and endless hatred instantly filled Jian Jingsheng’s mind. He clenched his teeth, making a “crack” sound. “Xie Dafang, what do you think you are? You’re just a fake!!!”
A divine weapon appeared, and a dazzling cold light flashed as a powerful true energy surged.
The Sword God’s ultimate skill: Wings of Destruction.
The spectators exclaimed from the sidelines: “Damn, he’s so fierce right from the start!”
“Jian Jingsheng really wants to take Xie Dafang life!”
“Tsk tsk, they used to be immortal lovers!”
“Xie Dafang is done for this time. He can’t even withstand firt move from half Dynasty Smoke Pavilion.”
“Look, look! Xie Dafang is pulling out a weapon! Is it the Mark Sword?”
“But didn’t they say the Mark Sword was gone? Jian Jingsheng’s blade is so powerful, what weapon can compare to it…”
Before the words could finish, the entire arena fell silent.
On the arena, Xie Ran, who was being attacked by Jian Jingsheng, remained calm. In the split second when Jian Jingsheng charged at him, he just casually pulled out… a gun?!!!!!
Everyone’s eyes widened in disbelief, and some even rubbed their eyes, thinking they were seeing things.
Someone knowledgeable in firearms shouted: “Oh my god, it’s an AKM!!!”
On the arena, Jian Jingsheng also widened his eyes, displaying astonishment on his face.
In the next second, a gunshot rang out.
Jian Jingsheng, the newly appointed leader of the martial arts world, was defeated.
The entire audience: “…”
The entire audience: ????
After a moment, the scene erupted again. This time, it was a true uproar, akin to an avalanche.
“Guns, guns, guns, guns! It’s a gun!”
“Why does this game have AKM???”
Did the trash game server crash!!! How did it connect to other game?”
“This is blatant cheating!! I’m calling the police!!!”
The scene descended into chaos, and everyone’s gaze was captivated by the AKM in Xie Ran’s hands. People were discussing what was happening.
The martial arts convention was initiated by the official authorities, and the game developers naturally monitored the competition’s progress in real-time. When Yang Xianyun announced Jian Jingsheng as the number one martial artist and had Green Shirt Guest present the Cang Hai Bright Moon Sword, the game company realized something was wrong.
In the game company’s initial plan, according to the normal game progression, there wouldn’t be an officially recognized number one martial artist before the martial arts competition start.
They had to wait until the Treasured Chess Game was solved, Yang Xianyun emerged, and the martial arts convention would be initiated. Only then would the final winner receive the official title of “Number One Martial Artist.”
To maximize the promotional impact of the first martial arts convention and mobilize players’ enthusiasm to the fullest, the game company carefully designed two types of rewards for the participants.
One type was real-life rewards, such as cash prizes and trophies, directly awarded by the game company.
Another type of rewards was game items given by NPCs in the game, including divine-level equipment, weapons, battle pets, and so on. The specific rewards in this category were not announced in advance because the NPCs in the game “Bright Moon River Lake” have a certain level of autonomous evolution and selection ability. They will choose different reward schemes based on the players’ actual performance, which was what set “Bright Moon River Lake” apart from other games.
More intelligent NPCs provide a stronger sense of immersion.
However, no matter how intelligent and immersive NPC ware, their behavior still followed established logic clues. For example, the winner of the Material Art Conference will definitely be acknowledged by Yang Xianyun as the top martial artist in the martial world.
The sword held by the “Green Shirt Guest” was originally prepared for this competition as a reward for the first-place martial artist.
But two unexpected incidents occurred during this process.
The first unexpected incident was that the “Green-shirted Guest” recognized the player Xie Dafang in advance and regarded him as the top martial artist, so he passed the sword to him.
Although this step was unexpected for the game company, they determined that it was logically reasonable after inspecting the data, so they couldn’t interfere.
Under normal circumstances, since the “Cang Hai Bright Moon Sword” had already been passed to Xie Dafang, Yang Xianyun should have chosen a new divine weapon as the weapon for the Martial Alliance Leader in the Material Art Conference.
However, a second unexpected incident happened. After receiving the “Cang Hai Bright Moon Sword” Xie Dafang did not activate the sword’s name but randomly named it “Mark Sword,” which was accepted by the system.
As a result, the data in Yang Xianyun’s possession was not updated, and it was assumed that the “Cang Hai Bright Moon Sword” was still in the hands of the “Green Shirt Gues” and remained unactivated.
Naturally, Yang Xianyun then followed his predetermined procedure and asked the “Green Shirt Gues” to pass the “Cang Hai Bright Moon Sword” to the new Martial Alliance Leader, leading to an irreversible situation.
Xie Dafang then appeared on stage and took out an AKM rifle, directly defeating Jian Jingsheng.
The bosses on the podium were equally surprised and stood up one after another, curiously asking: “What is that?”
Yang Xianyun excitedly took a big step forward onto the arena, pointing at the strange-looking weapon in Xie Ran’s hand and asked in amazement: “Xie Dafang, what is this?”
“A firearm.” Xie Ran succinctly replied: “I melted down the “Cang Hai Bright Moon Sword” you wanted and recast it into this weapon.”
In the logic of the self-made equipment system in “Bright Moon River Lake”., in order to create divine-level equipment, rare materials and profound cultivation are required.
Undoubtedly, the “Cang Hai Bright Moon Sword” was the rarest item in the game.
But the new weapon created by Xie Ran surpassed it.
“I see.” Yang Xianyun suddenly realized.
The conversation between the two reached the audience. The players who were initially excited fell silent for a moment, and a series of question marks floated slowly in the air above the entire venue.
What is this? Xie Dafang made it using the self-made equipment system?
Is this something a human would do?
While everyone was thinking about making knives, swords, whips, and hidden weapons, you directly made a firearm?
How are you respecting the artistic style and setting of this game?
After the chaos, someone belatedly realized that they were still at the Material Art Conference and quickly asked: “So, what’s the situation now? How will the result of this competition be determined?”
“Technically, Xie Dafang won, but if you say he’s stronger than Jian Jingsheng, I feel like something is off…”
“Plus one.”
“Just, it feels like Xie Dafang and we are not even playing the same game ……”
Yang Xianyun also seemed somewhat confused, contemplating how to judge this result. Just then, the Green Shirt Guest ” finally recalled something, stood up abruptly, and looked at Xie Ran with excitement, saying: “I remember now, God Fade, you are God Fade!”
“You defeated me outside Illuminated City and you should have taken over the “Cang Hai Bright Moon Sword” but you suddenly disappeared into thin air.”
Although you’ve changed your appearance, I can still sense that you are him.”
The words of the “Green Shirt Guest” refocused everyone’s attention on Xie Ran and they asked: “What does that mean?”
“Xie Dafang is God Fade?”
On the arena, Xie Ran casually retracted the rifle and glanced at the “Green-shirted Guest” replying in a calm voice: “Yes.”
The author has something to say: Mark: (cursing) Isn’t the Green Shirt Guest the one who just recognizes the reincarnated God Fade? I’ve traveled across countless universes to find my husband! Why is he showing off!
Director Xie: What is the game setting?
Support translation:

