The Grand Dao Sword Palace, an ancient sect that had perished long ago, had existed far earlier than the Sword Pavilion itself.
In most people's eyes, this sect was nothing more than an illusory legend.
But in Gu Fangchen's eyes, it was a large-scale dungeon rich with rewards.
And within that dungeon was one of the finest swords in the entire game.
This was the sword he had originally come to the Sword Pavilion intending to retrieve.
The Sky-Piercing Sword of the Seventy-Two Peaks might look impressive, but for him, its quasi-epic level was far too high to be of real use, it could only serve as an intimidation prop.
In the settings of Mirror in the Dust, players could equip or use items beyond their level as long as they possessed them; there were no restrictions preventing equipment use.
However, if their attributes did not meet the requirements, severe penalties would be applied.
They wouldn't just be unable to use the item properly, it would also negatively affect their attributes and condition, piling on a stack of debuffs.
For Gu Fangchen, that sword fell precisely into that category.
Just taking it out to trigger its special effects would drain all his spiritual power. If he actually swung it once, he would likely have to sacrifice himself outright.
Even having Qing Jian alongside wouldn't make a difference.
The sword hidden within the Grand Dao Sword Palace, however, was a top-grade orange-tier weapon.
Its level was just right. Though Gu Fangchen couldn't yet unleash its full power with his current cultivation, he could still wield about eighty percent of it.
That eighty percent would make him unstoppable.
After all, Gu Fangchen followed a dual cultivation path of divine and martial power, a route of raw numerical domination. He didn't rely on techniques or secret arts.
At times like this, his equipment mattered more than anything.
Before leaving the Sword Pavilion, he had to raise his strength as much as possible.
Days of safety like these would vanish once he returned to Huangtian City and finally tore all pretense with Gu Yuye.
And speaking of good weapons, he should also take the chance to help out his "brother" who had unintentionally drawn the attention of the demonic sect for his sake...
Ahem, not unintentionally, it had been part of the plan from the start.
Gu Fangchen had wanted to put a bit of pressure on Xu Zhenguan, to make him level up faster. He hadn't intended to kill him outright.
But with the demonic sect after him, combined with a high-level dungeon like this one, even the Adversity Bodhisattva himself would have a hard time making it out unscathed.
So, when necessary, it was only natural to lend a helping hand.
Most importantly, the rules of the "Grand Dao Sword Palace" dungeon were now fully in Gu Fangchen's favor. He could move through it unhindered.
Once his thoughts were settled, Gu Fangchen took up brush and paper, calmed his breathing, and spent three full hours meticulously redrawing the diagram of the Sacred Fire of the Dark Waters Formation.
To draw a formation of this level required not only special materials but also a tremendous amount of mental energy. If one's soul strength was insufficient, they would be left drained for days, or worse, die on the spot.
This formation was different from the higher-tier formations he had drawn before, which were either half-finished products created through shortcuts or had the support of a mine's spiritual energy to reinforce the soul.
This time, he had to rely solely on his own Seventh Stage soul strength.
Fortunately, Gu Fangchen had no shortage of supplies now. With endless blue potions to restore his energy, he forced himself to complete the drawing.
"Whew..."
Exhaling deeply, Gu Fangchen tossed the completed blueprint, along with a stolen storage pouch, to Qing Jian, clapped his hands, and said calmly,
"I'll be in seclusion alone for about seven days. Go out and deliver this blueprint and these materials to Ning Songjun."
During those seven days, most of his time would be devoted to reconstructing his spiritual foundation. The rest would be for retrieving the sword, and pulling Xu Zhenguan out of trouble.
Qing Jian accepted the items and nodded. "Yes, Young Master."
Once the chamber was silent, Gu Fangchen took a moment to regulate his breath, then sliced open his palm and used his blood to draw a formation on the ground.
This formation was called "Teleportation Array 1.14514."
Hmm...
The name wasn't due to a bug or any meta-breaking nonsense from the developers.
It was simply one of Gu Fangchen's own creations.
Mirror in the Dust was a game of extremely high freedom, if players delved deeply enough into a particular field, they could create original content.
Some exceptionally talented players had even invented new cultivation techniques, though the results were said to be... less than ideal.
Gu Fangchen's expertise lay in formation arts. Especially after befriending "General Qianmo" and studying the great formation Between the Weft and Warp, he had pushed his understanding even further.
The "Teleportation Array 1.14514" was based on that formation, one of his custom designs, refined through fourteen iterations.
As for why he gave it that strange code name, well, that was just Gu Fangchen's personal sense of humor.
The formation incorporated two key features: coordinate establishment and dynamic teleportation.
Ordinary teleportation formations had to be fixed between two set locations.
But the coordinates of "Teleportation Array 1.14514" could shift along with the target, and it only required a shared material medium to activate.
In this case, one coordinate was with Gu Fangchen, and the other was attached to Xu Zhenguan.
When Gu Fangchen had handed Xu Zhenguan the sword earlier, he had patted him on the shoulder, and placed the coordinate at that exact moment.
And the material medium? Naturally, Gu Fangchen's own blood, still the most reliable option.
After finishing the formation, he rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes.
"Come to think of it, since Gu Yuandao came alone, that means Master Juehui has likely been imprisoned inside the Mountain and River Diagram."
"That's an important witness..."
He would have to rescue that master later as well.
Gu Fangchen disguised himself once again as the "Nameless Daoist," stepped into the center of the formation, infused it with spiritual power, and vanished instantly.
...
Xu Zhenguan was gasping for breath, his body covered in blood. Clutching his arm, he gripped the treasured sword The Finest Stream tightly as he stumbled through the stone corridor in disarray.
Five days ago, his cultivation had still been at the Ninth Stage, but now it had soared to the Seventh Stage.
That speed was only a step behind Gu Fangchen's.
Gu Fangchen had relied on cheating. Xu Zhenguan, however, was a cheat incarnate.
After accidentally falling into the ruins of this ancient sect, he had triggered the sect's great defensive formation. The entire ruin had gone into defense mode, activating countless mechanisms and several guardian puppets that attacked all intruders.
The weaker "Candle-Cutters" from the demonic sect were the first to fall, overwhelmed by the puppets.
Two Grandmaster-level Fifth Stage experts remained.
In the chaos, Xu Zhenguan had escaped deeper into the ruins.
Strangely, the puppets only pursued the two Candle-Cutters and not him.
Upon closer observation, he realized that the sword in his hand seemed to be made from the same material as the puppets' weapons, or perhaps it had even been reforged from a sword belonging to this very sect.
Thus, the puppets mistook him for one of their own.
While evading pursuit, Xu Zhenguan had explored the ruins in search of an exit, stumbling into a scripture hall, falling into an alchemy chamber, and through sheer luck learning a sword scripture.
In his wounded state, he had even found a half-finished Third Grade Elixir, the Purifying Dust Pill, which refined his spiritual roots and elevated his cultivation.
Thinking of all this, Xu Zhenguan felt even more grateful toward the Nameless Daoist.
That Daoist truly was his savior!
If not for the treasured sword in his hand, he would have been killed by the puppets the moment he fell into the ruins, never surviving to enjoy such incredible fortune.
But now, it seemed that he might not live long enough to enjoy it after all...
Xu Zhenguan pulled the corner of his mouth into a bitter smile.
Perhaps his luck had finally run out. When he reached the innermost chamber of the ruins, he had accidentally awakened an old monster, still alive.
The old creature didn't seem to be one of the sect's disciples, but rather an enemy who had once come to destroy it, surviving by suppressing his life force with a tortoise-breath technique and waiting to absorb the energy of intruders to revive himself.
"My young friend, why run?"
The gaunt old man, his skin shriveled and skeletal, smiled kindly as he approached at terrifying speed.
In an instant, he was in front of Xu Zhenguan, blocking his path.
Though his tone was gentle, the blood-red pupils in his eyes made him seem all the more sinister.
"This Grand Dao Sword Palace has long been sealed. Without the formation key, one can enter but not leave. Why don't we cooperate? Lend me that treasured sword in your hand. With it, we can enter the inner palace and retrieve the key, then we can both leave safely."
Xu Zhenguan's face turned cold. "Lend it? Sounds more like borrow without return!"
The old man laughed loudly and raised his sword.
"Since you understand, then hand it over. I'll make your death quick!"
"With your Seventh Stage against my Fourth, even in this broken body, killing you would be like crushing an ant, unless you can activate the Yijian Formation. But unfortunately, only disciples of the Sword Palace know how to awaken the Great Dao of the Sword Palace..."
Before he could finish, a hand suddenly rested on Xu Zhenguan's shoulder.
Then came a bright, cheerful smile.
"Oh? Is that so?"