Chapter 1104: The Dragon Slayer
Xu Huo paused. "Is that reliable?"
"What do you mean?" Zhou Yuanzhu was taken aback.
"Back in Zone 002, didn't he notice we were surrounded?"
"That was probably because the players in Zone 002 used some special props," Zhou Yuanzhu said. "The Holy Sword Society and the Snow City players haven't dealt with each other for the first time. Someone might have already seen through Uncle Guan's ability and taken precautions in advance."
"Besides, we were also tricked before being sucked into that high-risk instance. The other side was probably planning to throw us in here all along."
A look of worry crossed her face, clearly concerned for the other companions.
This was an internal matter of the Holy Sword Society, so Xu Huo didn't feel it was appropriate to say more. He exchanged some information about super evolution with her instead. Notably, the highly unreliable method of super evolution he had obtained from the bounty platform earlier actually turned out to be feasible.
"Repeatedly tempering both arms can also lead to a successful super evolution of the arms?" He raised an eyebrow.
"I was even more surprised than you when I first heard about it," Zhou Yuanzhu said. "But it's true, and it happened to a player from the Holy Sword Society. However, it seems that kind of evolution only made the arm muscles exceptionally tough—the kind that can withstand blade cuts—with no other changes to the body."
"But not everyone can succeed. Those who tried to imitate it afterward all failed."
"This method seems within reach, but it's actually far away," Xu Huo commented. It was a matter of quantitative change leading to qualitative change, but when that qualitative change would happen, or if it would happen at all, was uncertain. Ordinary people couldn't stick with it.
"This also proves a point: as long as there's hope, it might happen one day," Zhou Yuanzhu said with double meaning. She then pressed Xu Huo for details about mental evolution, as she had never personally seen a Mental Super Evolver before.
Xu Huo pulled her into the portal space.
Looking at the dense, layered portals that seemed endless, Zhou Yuanzhu exclaimed in amazement, "Can all these doors be opened? What's behind them?"
"That depends on where you want to go," Xu Huo said.
Zhou Yuanzhu didn't open any door. She just reached out and touched the frame of the nearest one. "I heard that when mental evolution reaches a certain level, it can even traverse physical space. Is that true?"
"I haven't reached that stage yet," Xu Huo said with a smile. "And as impressive as this spiritual realm looks, it's not easy to trap someone with a strong will or who is on guard."
Zhou Yuanzhu nodded. "Still, it's incredibly powerful—much more useful than my fingernails... Mr. Xu, it would be great if you joined our Holy Sword Society."
Xu Huo smiled but said nothing. He had no intention of joining the Holy Sword Society before, and now it was even less likely.
After finishing the discussion on super evolution, he steered the conversation toward the splintered, widely known Holy Sword Society.
"Most of the Gold Disciples in the Holy Sword Society now are the original members who left the original Holy Sword Society back then," Zhou Yuanzhu said. "Uncle Guan mentioned that these people are different from those recruited later."
"Those who joined the Holy Sword Society later either wanted a powerful backer to do evil, sought strength because they couldn't stand alone, or had a blood feud with the Game Government. The majority of them stand in opposition to the Game Government."
"But the batch of Gold Disciples who stood at the top, enjoying the offerings of lower-level players, had long blurred their stance. Some of them no longer even resent the Game Government. In special circumstances, they would even cooperate with the government."
"In one district at the E18 wormhole point, the new Holy Sword Society and the Game Government each govern half. This was made public. At the time, notices were sent to several nearby wormhole points, and all players who received them knew about it."
"At first, we thought the new Holy Sword Society members would be absorbed by the Game Government, but it never went beyond that. The Holy Sword Society's high-ranking members didn't restrain their subordinates... Hah, you can see the pattern, can't you?"
Xu Huo nodded slightly: The dragon slayer had become a dragon before even slaying the dragon.
"So, only those holding the Time Sword Token are the original Holy Sword Society members," he said. "I've never seen one before."
"That's because we're few in number. You might never have run into any of our people," Zhou Yuanzhu said. "Besides, every Time Sword Token is custom-made. It becomes invalid once it leaves its original owner's hands."
She took out her own token and pointed to a dial near the tip of the sword. "Look, now that I'm holding the token, the second hand is moving. Here."
She handed it to Xu Huo to try. He did as instructed and found that once the token was in his hand, the second hand stopped moving.
"This way, no one can impersonate a true Holy Sword Society member."
"No wonder the original Holy Sword Society required a long approval process for new members," Xu Huo remarked.
Zhou Yuanzhu smiled. "Actually, the new Holy Sword Society's tokens also have special features, but as their numbers grew and costs rose, they just slapped something together. That kind of token—anyone could make ten or eight of them to fool people, and then we all end up taking the blame."
"Look on the bright side. Having such a big target out in the open drawing fire for you makes it easier for you to do things," Xu Huo consoled her.
That was precisely the frustrating part. The original Holy Sword Society couldn't sever ties with the new one unless they completely changed their name.
But building a "brand" wasn't easy. Neither side was willing to give up the name. One had gone completely public, while the other had gone underground.
"Do your people still have contact with the new Holy Sword Society?"
Zhou Yuanzhu hesitated. "I'm not sure. But sometimes, when we run into members of the new Holy Sword Society, we find ways to eliminate those who don't act like human beings."
"Even though the game has put me through a lot of hardship, sometimes I'm still grateful for it. Because of the game, the weak can become strong. Those who once ran rampant, believing they could stand above everything, finally got their comeuppance. They used to ignore the law, and now they want the law to protect them—but that's impossible."
"An eye for an eye. It's only right," Xu Huo said, glancing toward the door. "It looks like the rain has let up a bit."
Zhou Yuanzhu was startled to realize how long they had been chatting. She quickly drank some water and stood up. "Let's go, then. I'm worried that Jiang Wenzhang and his group might have returned to Xiaohe City ahead of us, putting Uncle Guan and the others in danger."
"They haven't left," Xu Huo said, his brow furrowing in a strange expression. "Not only have they not left, but it looks like they want to kill us."
As soon as he finished speaking, a torrent of black rain surged in from the doorway. The "Only Entrance" retracted, and the two realized they were inside a double-layered glass tank about ten meters in diameter.
This glass tank must have been set up outside the location prop earlier. Now, the outer layer of the tank was filled to overflowing with black rain, which was seeping through holes in the inner layer. What had accumulated became the cascading torrent Xu Huo and the others had seen earlier.
Jiang Wenzhang and his group were stationed in the trees nearby, looking down at them with expressions of glee, as if they were ants about to drown.
(End of Chapter)