Chapter Nine: Breaking Free

Blood dripped down, quickly seeping into the "decayed wooden plank." A faint crimson light flashed and vanished, and in an instant, a vivid flame-shaped mark appeared on the board. At the same time, the entire plank began to transform—the texture of rotten wood faded away, replaced by the solid, weighty feel of black metal.

In just a few moments, the board underwent a complete metamorphosis, leaving Liu Kuang utterly dumbfounded, while Liu Pan could barely contain his astonishment. Although this transformation had sprung from his own imagination, seeing it with his own eyes was a far cry from the casual descriptions in his writing.

As the decayed plank completed its change, Liu Kuang paused, clearly sensing something unusual. Before he could speak, the Great Wilderness Blade transformed into a streak of rainbow light and shot into his dantian.

The blade entered his body, causing Liu Kuang to tremble slightly, then stiffen in place.

Liu Pan was not concerned by this abrupt turn of events; it was exactly as he had anticipated. He had guessed that Liu Kuang’s consciousness would now be immersed within his dantian, conversing with the blade’s spirit—Yan.

“The protagonist is still you, after all,” Liu Pan sighed softly.

After all his hard work, it seemed he had gained nothing, and the Great Wilderness Blade had ultimately returned to the hands of the story’s original hero. It was impossible not to feel a twinge of disappointment.

Still, despite his dismay, Liu Pan could not see anything wrong with it. After all, the blade had simply returned to its rightful owner.

After some thought, Liu Pan took Liu Kuang’s broad-bladed sword, strapped it across his back, and turned to leave the woods.

Though Liu Kuang was the novel’s original protagonist, Liu Pan had no desire to speak with him. Or perhaps, everything he wanted to say had already been entrusted to Yan, including the request for Liu Kuang to help investigate his own origins.

A gentle breeze brushed his face. By the time Liu Kuang awoke from his rigidity, Liu Pan had already vanished.

Just as Liu Pan emerged from the forest, he paused in surprise. At the edge of the woods, someone was peering furtively inside—it was none other than Jackal, who had been quietly trailing him all along.

Liu Pan frowned slightly, but did not pay Jackal much heed, turning instead toward the foot of Greatleaf Peak.

Jackal, startled by Liu Pan’s sudden appearance, looked up at the sky and pretended to be nonchalant. Yet even he knew his act was unconvincing, as his eyes kept darting toward Liu Pan.

Watching Liu Pan depart, Jackal frowned. He sensed something different about Liu Pan, though he could not quite pinpoint what had changed. After a brief contemplation, he followed Liu Pan down the mountain.

Peak Thirteen.

Without the Great Wilderness Blade by his side, Liu Pan felt a small pang of disappointment, but also sensed a “shackle” in his heart had been unlocked, filling him with lightness.

This sudden sense of freedom pleasantly surprised him, yet, after some reflection, he understood. Now that the blade was gone, nothing tied him to Liu Kuang’s path, nor did he feel compelled to follow the story’s original trajectory.

In truth, he had stepped off the “Liu Kuang Road.” Now, he could finally be his truest self.

An inexplicable smile touched his lips. Though he could not claim the blade as his own, nor cultivate the Flame Dragon Overlord Technique or the Nine Suns Heaven-Searing Blade Technique, Liu Pan’s heart was suddenly ablaze with fighting spirit.

So what if he lacked these things? With his understanding of this world, what corner could be out of reach?

Besides, if the blade had truly accepted him, granting him the power to cultivate those legendary techniques, then with his knowledge, dominating this world would have been a foregone conclusion. Where would the thrill be in that?

Liu Kuang—the protagonist? Liu Pan realized that only now could he truly compete with Liu Kuang for the title of hero as an equal.

His gaze flickered toward the future. Ultimately, what mattered most to him was whether he could return to Earth. Yet with no clues at hand, all he could do was live brilliantly in this world.

Perhaps, when his cultivation reached a certain level and his abilities grew strong enough, he might discover a way home.

Having stepped off Liu Kuang’s path, Liu Pan reconsidered his next steps.

Regarding the Sunbright Sect, he decided to stay. Here, at the southern border of the county, it was the strongest sect and the one he knew best; remaining was all benefit and no harm.

Besides, with his current cultivation, leaving the border to join a higher-level sect was nearly impossible.

As a ninth-level martial artist, it would take months just to travel out of the border. Such a waste of youth seemed hardly worthwhile.

Sunbright Sect? Liu Pan smiled; it would be effortless to thrive in such a small sect.

The next few days passed without excitement, leaving Liu Pan quite bored.

In the Sunbright Sect, new disciples had seven days to familiarize themselves with the sect’s affairs, followed by an entrance exam. Only after this would they gain access to the sect’s resources, becoming true outer disciples.

Liu Pan found the sect’s sluggish treatment of newcomers rather exasperating. More frustrating still, these rules were his own creation—casually mentioned in the book, yet experiencing them firsthand felt like an utter waste of time.

With his changed mindset, Liu Pan worked to integrate himself into this world.

As for Jackal, his constant shadowing was not a solution, so Liu Pan approached him directly. To his surprise, Jackal earnestly requested to become his follower!

This left Liu Pan completely bewildered. Yet seeing Jackal’s sincerity, he accepted his first little brother in this world.

“Jackal, remember to bring me food from the dining hall.”

“Jackal, has anything interesting happened in the sect lately?”

“Jackal, what do the beauties of Peaks Six and Seven look like? What are their names?”

“Jackal, haven’t I told you before? When the entrance exam comes, I’ll show you why you lost to me.”

For the seven days leading up to the entrance exam, Liu Pan barely left Peak Thirteen, choosing to cultivate in its rear mountain. As for familiarizing himself with the sect, that was pointless—he knew this world like the back of his hand, even with his eyes closed!

Too lazy to descend Peak Thirteen, Liu Pan delegated all affairs to Jackal. After all, what was the use of a little brother if not to handle such tasks?

Their occasional conversations also brought Liu Pan tidings of interesting events. For instance, an old disciple as skinny as a monkey, along with several others, was blocking the foot of Peak Eight, loudly declaring he was searching for a new disciple surnamed Liu.

Later, someone in the dining hall identified a new disciple surnamed Liu and informed Skinny Monkey. Skinny Monkey and his crew then chased this disciple all the way from the dining hall to Peak Eight, where he dared not descend.

Afterwards, the disciple seemed too frightened to leave the mountain, relying on others to bring him food and drink, much like Liu Pan. New disciples were protected for seven days, with old disciples forbidden from causing trouble at their lodgings.

Hearing Jackal recount this, Liu Pan nearly burst out laughing. He had intentionally declared, “I’m Liu, living on Peak Eight,” in the dining hall.

Though Skinny Monkey had instigated the trouble, it all stemmed from the Great Wilderness Blade. Now that the blade was with Liu Kuang, Liu Pan felt it only fair to pass on the blade’s associated troubles to him as well—anything less would be unfair.

After all, there should be no such thing as a pie falling from the sky. To gain something, one must pay a price.

Since Liu Kuang had acquired the blade without facing life or death in the Cold Abyss, he deserved to shoulder Skinny Monkey’s grudge. At least, so Liu Pan believed.

The seven days passed swiftly, and Liu Pan had fully restored his energy and spirit. He continued his body-tempering cultivation, but progress was slow due to limited resources.

He knew that, despite breaking through to the ninth level in just a month under Yan’s guidance, reaching the Martial Apprentice realm would take much longer if he continued as he was.

His main cultivation method remained the Wood Sutra, which did not align with his water affinity. With every step forward, the obstacles increased exponentially.

The gap between ninth-level martial artist and Martial Apprentice was insurmountable for many with poor aptitude. Even those gifted sometimes failed to cross it, often due to their chosen cultivation technique.

Liu Pan was unconcerned about his slow progress, understanding its cause. He was in no hurry. The reason for restoring his energy was to take the entrance exam seriously, knowing that if he ranked in the top three, he would earn the sect’s reward—a free choice of technique from the sect’s library.

“Dong! Dong! Dong!”

Three heavy strikes of the bell rang out, and the entire Sunbright Sect became lively.

It signaled that the entrance exam for new disciples was about to begin.