Chapter Ninety-Three: The Divine Blade! Time to Show Off! [Four Thousand Words—Please Subscribe!]

The girl fainted.

The instant she lost consciousness, the flames on the forging platform snuffed out at once, and a brilliant longsword began to throb madly, as though it were a beating heart.

Thump, thump.

Thump, thump.

Thump, thump.

Within that rhythmic pulse, the blade gave off a piercing hum, sharp to the extreme.

Around the sword’s body, a ring of red, spherical light enveloped it. Within that glow, miniature true dragons of gold, violet, and crimson swam and gradually transformed into runic traces of spiritual resonance.

They etched themselves across the blade and edge.

Upon the crimson sword, golden and violet diamonds began to gleam.

What had once been merely a silver-quality sword of extreme flame and ring pommel had, under the watering of blood, talent, soul essence, and sweat, crossed the threshold of gold, then platinum, and finally become a true diamond-quality longsword.

More than that.

It had surpassed the ordinary standard of a diamond longsword.

Because the girl, in forging Lin Qiye’s blade, in proving herself, in repaying his trust, had not hesitated to drain herself to the very last drop of heart and blood.

She had overdrawn herself until she could no longer hold on, and only then had she collapsed beside the forge, like a mermaid with all her bones drawn out of her body...

At that moment, sweat flowed over the girl’s body, over her delicate, fair skin.

It made her translucent figure seem all the more alluring and beautiful...

Of course, no one could see that sight.

And no one could help her up.

Because by then, Lin Qiye had already left the Technology Association.

“Captain Wen, I’ll be away for a while. I need to go find a few old acquaintances.”

Wen Shuhong nodded.

“Go ahead. Killing is not permitted at will in Star City, so the safety there is fairly high. You still have the Soul One Jade Pendant, too. If things get dangerous, take it out, and it can intimidate every traveler. Even a diamond traveler would have to think twice before laying a hand on you.”

Wen Shuhong patted Lin Qiye on the shoulder.

“Just remember to return to Suspended Island at night. Don’t linger outside. The jade pendant can’t hold back the black fog.”

“I understand. By dusk, I’ll go get my weapon, then head straight back to Suspended Island.”

Captain Wen inclined his head slightly.

“All right. I have matters to attend to as well. See you this evening.”

With that, the two parted ways.

Lin Qiye moved swiftly through Star City.

He arrived at a hotel.

After describing the three people’s clothes and appearances to the receptionist, the staff member led Lin Qiye to the suite.

Inside the suite, Chen Fan was restless.

“What on earth happened to Brother Ye?”

“He should have been back last night, but he vanished the entire day yesterday, and it’s already past ten this morning...”

Chen Fan was filled with anxiety.

Jiang Nian smiled.

“Trust Brother Ye! I believe he’ll come back unharmed.”

Her bright, lively eyes shone with amusement.

When Lin Qiye was only three, he had been cast into the black fog as a sacrifice and still survived. At a critical moment, surely he would be able to ignore the black fog’s erosion.

Chen Fan sighed helplessly.

“The black fog is simply too dangerous. I’m afraid for Brother Ye... Ah, Brother Ye really is too reckless!”

He paced back and forth.

Jiang Nian rested her slender hand on the table and gazed silently out the window.

As for Jiang Qingxue, she simply sipped her tea in silence by the side.

Though a trace of worry lurked in the depths of her eyes, she did not reveal it completely.

The three of them were utterly different in expression and demeanor.

After a while, Jiang Qingxue set her cup down.

“Maybe Lin Qiye has had some encounter of his own and is in seclusion cultivating?”

“Why should we just sit here and wait? We need to find a faction to take root in, set up Suspended Island, and ensure our safety. We can’t keep living in a hotel forever.”

“One night costs ten thousand travel points.”

At that, Jiang Nian looked annoyed.

“But... where are we supposed to settle? The local army of the seven-city alliance is xenophobic. We’d have to sign a contract pledging loyalty before they’d let us join.”

“The Church of Light and Shadow is no better.”

“As for the Technology Association, who understands alchemy, artifact forging, and research? If you don’t know those things, you won’t pass the assessment at all.”

“If we had our family badges, we could at least seek help. But I already threw mine away. Sister, you threw yours away too, didn’t you?”

Jiang Qingxue’s expression turned faintly disgusted.

“Long ago. Thrown into the black fog abyss.”

Jiang Nian shook her head.

“So what can we do? We can’t join any of the three factions. That leaves only Dream Island...”

“But we already asked. To join Dream Island, you have to work for them for two months first and undergo a character assessment... And if you abandon the assessment, you can’t apply again until a month later.”

At the mention of the character assessment, Jiang Qingxue could not help frowning.

Dream Island was truly bizarre.

Chen Fan also sighed and shook his head.

“We should just wait for Brother Ye... wait until Brother Ye rejoins us.”

Jiang Qingxue said, “What if Lin Qiye doesn’t return for a month? Surely we can’t stay in a hotel for a month, can we? Three hundred thousand travel points— even I feel that pressure.”

At that, Chen Fan’s expression froze.

Just as the three of them were at odds, a knock came from outside the suite.

“Hello, Mr. Lin Qiye is here to see you.”

Chen Fan was instantly overjoyed and hurried to the door, yanking it open.

Standing outside was none other than Lin Qiye, upright and graceful, with strikingly handsome features.

“Brother Ye! You really came back safely!”

Chen Fan let out a breath and instinctively hugged Lin Qiye, patting him on the shoulder.

After doing so, he seemed much more at ease.

“I was worried I’d have to attend your memorial feast.”

Lin Qiye laughed.

“What memorial feast? My life is hard to take. When we were kids, we couldn’t die together in the slums. Later, when Li You and the golden traveler came to kill us, we still didn’t die. This morning, a diamond-grade evil fiend tried to assassinate me, and I still didn’t die!”

“For someone like me, long life is my destiny.”

Hearing this, Chen Fan jumped.

“Brother Ye, you were attacked by a diamond-grade evil fiend?”

Lin Qiye nodded.

“Yes. Bad luck. It was probably because I killed the temple fiend. They came to hunt me down this morning, but fortunately someone blocked them for me.”

He spoke lightly, as though mentioning nothing important.

Yet Chen Fan’s forehead was already slick with cold sweat.

Even Jiang Qingxue’s beautiful eyes flickered with unease.

“To be hunted by a diamond-grade evil fiend and still live... You really do have a hard life.”

Jiang Nian looked Lin Qiye up and down, like a curious child.

“Little Qiye, you... you’ve actually become a platinum traveler?”

“What?! Brother Ye, you...”

Chen Fan was dumbfounded, staring fixedly at Lin Qiye.

As if trying to investigate him.

Lin Qiye had nothing to hide from Chen Fan, so he revealed his cultivation.

Chen Fan was inwardly shaken.

At that moment, he felt a thick, suffocating pressure from Lin Qiye that made it hard to breathe.

This pressure was beyond that of an ordinary platinum traveler.

It was suffocating.

Chen Fan was overwhelmed.

“Brother Ye, you really have the bearing of an emperor! You were gone for just one day, and you’ve already become a platinum traveler!”

He punched Lin Qiye in the shoulder.

He was happy for him, and even more astonished by him.

As for Jiang Qingxue, her red lips parted slightly, surprise flashing through her eyes.

“Your cultivation is rising far too quickly.”

“You’ve only just turned fourteen, what, five days ago? In only five days, going from a novice traveler straight to platinum is not actually a good thing.”

She shook her head slightly.

Jiang Nian nodded as well.

“Yes, it shouldn’t be too fast.”

“Usually, the geniuses of major families will spend dozens, even hundreds of simulations in silver time, gold time, and platinum time, gaining endless experience from them and becoming familiar with all kinds of unexpected situations.”

“In that way, when later dangerous moments come, they can deal with the troubles encountered by travelers with ease.”

“As far as I know, no matter what family a genius comes from, and no matter how monstrous he is, he will still simulate in one time stream a hundred times or more.”

“Although his strength hasn’t improved, he has already opened a gap between himself and ordinary geniuses. After all, the further you go, the more experience and foundation you need.”

“Perhaps some sudden situation was encountered in a previous simulation, and when it appears again, it can be solved effortlessly.”

Jiang Nian explained to Lin Qiye earnestly.

“I suggest you stay at the platinum stage for a few months and undertake dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of journeys. Otherwise, you may very well fall before your glory is complete.”

“Your current situation is extremely dangerous!”

Jiang Nian was full of sincerity.

The reason the geniuses of the great families so far surpass loose cultivators is that their vision is entirely different. They know how to maximize their talent. Lin Qiye’s vision, however, was insufficient.

He was only focused on improving his strength and had forgotten to accumulate experience.

If strength rises too quickly, experience will inevitably be lacking.

In the end, that leads to an unstable foundation.

It could even end in immediate ruin.

For Lin Qiye’s sake, Jiang Nian advised him tirelessly.

Lin Qiye smiled lightly.

He knew Jiang Nian was doing this for his own good.

She feared his foundation was unstable, feared his experience was insufficient, feared that he would fall during his travels.

But...

Lin Qiye was not an ordinary genius.

He was not only a super genius, he was also a cheat-user.

So Lin Qiye remained entirely unmoved.

“Don’t worry. I don’t need to be concerned.”

Seeing that Lin Qiye was utterly unconcerned, Jiang Nian looked a little aggrieved.

“I’m only warning you out of kindness. Why don’t you believe me? Hmph!”

Beside her, Jiang Qingxue, with her cool and impassive features, could not help but interject.

“My sister has a point. I’ve already traveled seventy-eight times in gold time, and I still feel it isn’t stable enough.”

“The higher the level of the time stream, the more complex and treacherous it becomes. The more it brims with life-and-death danger. This is especially true for geniuses—the danger is terrifying, impossible to guard against.”

“That is why you must travel dozens or even hundreds of times through each time stream, in order to gather the corresponding memories and foundation. You must even go out and witness all kinds of geniuses and civilizations. For instance, some geniuses can sever fortune, while some possess extraordinarily strange physiques...”

“And some civilizations excel at alchemy, some at forging puppets, some at formations, some at beast taming, some at poison or gu. All of that must be experienced before you can gain the corresponding means of dealing with it.”

“Otherwise, if you encounter it suddenly, you are very likely to fall!”

Jiang Nian looked at Jiang Qingxue in surprise.

“Hehe, Sister is right. Little Qiye, did you hear that? Don’t be in such a hurry. I don’t want to see a genius like you fall.”

She blinked her bright golden eyes.

Lin Qiye nodded.

“I understand.”

However, he was only agreeing on the surface.

In truth, Lin Qiye merely smiled inwardly.

“What can compare to my own SSS-grade talent? Or rather, what can compare to my SSS-grade divine ability?”

With deep blue points, I can smash through everything.

Lin Qiye laughed freely.

“By the way, have you decided which faction you want to join?”

“If we don’t join a faction in Star City, it seems hard to survive.”

He posed the question.

Chen Fan, Jiang Qingxue, and Jiang Nian all looked bitter.

“Brother Ye, you may not know this, but Star City has four major factions...”

“We inquired everywhere and found that only Dream Island is somewhat normal. But... to join Dream Island, you have to work for a month and undergo a character assessment. Isn’t that a joke?”

“In one month, we could travel at least a dozen times. Wouldn’t working there just waste time?”

Chen Fan gritted his teeth.

Dream Island’s rules had given him a headache.

Beside him, Jiang Nian propped her chin on her hands, at a loss.

“Indeed... the organization and rules of major factions are very strict... They involve the distribution of benefits, so they won’t easily let others in to take a share. Gold travelers won’t do, platinum travelers won’t do either. Only diamond travelers are acceptable.”

Jiang Nian shook her head.

Human nature is inherently selfish, and those who already hold the benefits will never willingly give up the cake in their mouths.

The only place with any chance of joining was Dream Island.

But Dream Island’s work-first model and character screening system were also rather odd.

Jiang Nian let out a breath.

Seeing everyone so troubled, Lin Qiye smiled brightly.

“The entire Star City really only has Dream Island that suits us.”

“Let’s go. We’ll head to Dream Island! I’ll take you in directly. No assessment needed.”

Hearing this, everyone was skeptical.

“Why? Brother Ye, what method do you have?”

Jiang Nian looked slightly puzzled.

“We asked several people in charge on Dream Island, and they all gave the same answer, with absolutely no room for compromise. Where does your confidence come from, little Qiye?”

“Could it be that you know someone in Dream Island’s upper ranks?”

Lin Qiye smiled.

“Come with me. I have my own brilliant plan.”

“Hm? Brother Ye, what brilliant plan?”

Lin Qiye only smiled without answering.

Turning, he left the hotel.

Jiang Qingxue and Jiang Nian exchanged a glance.

“Little Qiye can even deal with a temple fiend. Maybe this time he really does have a way. Let’s go see.”

Jiang Nian had complete confidence in Lin Qiye.

As for Chen Fan, he had already been following behind Lin Qiye.

They strode toward the domain of Dream Island.

Before long, they reached the entrance palace of the suspended isles.

Lin Qiye swaggered up to the guard force.

There were thirty-three guards in all.

They were led by three platinum travelers, with thirty gold travelers assisting them.

The guard force wore golden-grade armor monopolized by the Technology Council. It glittered brilliantly, radiant and resplendent, imposing and menacing.

So long as no diamond-level powerhouse forced an entry, they could stop anyone.

Of course, no diamond-level powerhouse would be foolish enough to make an enemy of Dream Island.

When they saw Lin Qiye arrive, one of the platinum travelers immediately stepped forward to question him.

“Who are you? What identity do you have? What are you here to do on Dream Island? If you have no proper credentials, leave Dream Island at once.”

The platinum traveler was stern.

Because Dream Island housed many high-rises and ordinary civilians, they could not allow civilians to come to harm.

So in many cases, they would directly drive away any traveler who did not belong to Dream Island.

Lin Qiye said nothing.

He simply allowed the Soul One Jade Pendant from Wen Shuhong to glow brightly.