Days turned into weeks, and in the blink of an eye, half a year had slipped by. During this time, I hadn't stopped for a moment, save for the absolute necessities of rest. My cultivation progressed ever faster, and the Dòuqì energy within my body began to change with a noticeable intensity. This transformation was peculiar: the Dòuqì coiled within me started consciously converging toward the lower abdomen, the area marked as the Dāntián on the meridian charts. I could feel the Dòuqì energy at the Dāntián slowly swirling, forming a vortex-like energy field. The Dòuqì that had permeated my entire body was being drawn into it. As the absorbed Dòuqì increased, the vortex spun faster and faster, until its speed was like a full-throttle electric fan. The Dòuqì seemed to be forcibly sucked into the vortex's center, constantly being compressed. Strangely, my Dòuqì never showed signs of weakening. Whenever a certain amount was absorbed, I would find that upon entering combat, new Dòuqì would generate within my body. But this new energy was quickly reclaimed by the strange vortex. However, this vortex seemed judicious; it never absorbed completely, always leaving me with enough Dòuqì to fight. It only took the surplus energy after my Dòuqì had genuinely strengthened. This absorbed Dòuqì was then compressed within the Dāntián. What a bizarre change! I mused to myself, but I guessed this must be the precursor to mastering the Lièhuǒ Jiànfǎ (Blazing Fire Sword Skill). Thus, I had no concerns and allowed the strange vortex to continue its workings inside me, maintaining my efficient pace of monster slaying.

As time wore on, I sensed the formation of a rice-grain-sized energy cluster at the very center of the vortex. This tiny speck gave me a unique sensation; though small, I could feel the Dòuqì energy it contained was astonishing. I analyzed this internally: this must be the condensed Dòuqì core formed from all the absorbed energy. I estimated that this Dòuqì cluster would grow larger over time through continuous combat, and when it reached a certain magnitude, some change would occur—perhaps the successful completion of the Lièhuǒ Jiànfǎ.

So, I maintained my high rate of cultivation, eagerly awaiting the maturation of this rice-grain-sized Dòuqì cluster. Constant fighting fueled new Dòuqì, which fed the cluster, causing it to expand.

Another half-year vanished. The cluster, once the size of a grain of rice, had grown to the size of a walnut. I could feel my strength increasing in tandem with the growing Dòuqì mass. Now, just two strikes were enough to annihilate an Evil Pincer Bug. My footwork and sword speed had also greatly improved. My one-strike, three-combo attack could now be executed in a mere 0.2 seconds.

With enhanced speed and power, my monster-slaying efficiency soared, and the Dòuqì cluster's growth accelerated even faster. Six months later, it ballooned to the size of a fist.

At this point, I sensed that this fist-sized Dòuqì cluster was about to stir. It seemed to stop absorbing surplus Dòuqì and began to seethe, like a well-fed, contented child preparing to cause mischief.

The fist-sized Dòuqì cluster began to heat up, rapidly growing hotter. In moments, I felt as if my entire body was submerged in searing magma; incredible heat raced through me wildly.

Yet, strangely, I felt no discomfort, only a nameless pleasure and elation. I knew this was the immediate precursor to mastering the Lièhuǒ Jiànfǎ. I did not dare relax my vigilance, continuing my high-speed reaping of Evil Pincer Bugs with my sword.

The heat inside me intensified, finally erupting like an irrepressible volcano.

Whoosh! Almost simultaneously, the striking sword in my hand was instantly enveloped in a blinding golden light.

Thwack! This thrust penetrated the Evil Pincer Bug's thick carapace without resistance. The wild Dòuqì energy seemed to possess its own consciousness, swiftly burrowing deep into the creature’s body.

Bang! Instantly, the Evil Pincer Bug’s massive body exploded like a barrel of gunpowder. The terrifying shockwave nearly threw me to the ground.

Crash! Splat! Splat! After a while, the blasted remains of the Evil Pincer Bug scattered haphazardly across the ground.

“Good heavens! Is this the Lièhuǒ Jiànqì (Blazing Fire Sword Aura)? Such terrifying power, it’s practically a bomb!” But before I could fully recover, that long-absent killing intent surged back.

"Damn it! That trick again! Who or what is this entity?" Truthfully, I had anticipated that once the Lièhuǒ Jiànfǎ was mastered, this strange killing intent would surely emerge to cause trouble. And I was certain it would be more powerful this time. However, I couldn't find any way to counter it. This thing was like a greedy, unscrupulous landlord, waiting for me to accumulate enough strength only to swoop in and squander it all, completely disregarding my well-being. Furthermore, I didn't know if it would willingly retreat after this reappearance.

I cursed internally while closely monitoring the changes in my body and the fluctuations of that killing intent. Despite being mentally prepared, I was utterly stunned when I attempted to gauge its intensity.

I cannot describe the feeling. My deepest impression of the killing intent was that of a primal force rooted in brutality, madness, and slaughter. Yet, now it presented a completely different sensation.

In my mind, a barrage of tragic scenes flashed constantly. Crimson blood beneath yellow sands, bronze armor and iron horses—a brutally fierce battlefield. Countless indistinct faces flickered through my mind, feeling so intimately familiar and profound, as if I were watching a classic ancient war epic in a grand cinema. I didn't know what this meant; it felt as if the killing intent was trying to describe something to me, to convey some message.

Then, the scene shifted to two figures moving swiftly, chasing and intertwining. I vaguely discerned a man and a woman engaged in a high-speed mutual assault. Every move, every stance, was flawless, moving with unparalleled perfection. At times, they were like soaring white cranes ascending to the heavens; at others, like a falling star destroying the moon, plummeting toward the horizon.

The two incredibly swift forms finally transformed into two dazzling arcs of light, soaring across vast distances, fiercely entangled, constantly colliding. The surrounding scenery shifted rapidly—desert, ocean, islands, sky, grassland, glaciers appeared in turn. Finally, the two figures simultaneously shot toward their opponent from the distant horizon at astonishing speed.

Clang!! A thunderous roar, like two colliding fighter jets, where the entire sky was consumed by a shockwave of dazzling Dòuqì energy, turning the firmament a fiery red.

Awe! Absolute awe! I felt that even the most brilliant film director, using the most cutting-edge technology, could never recreate this scene. It was real, magnificent, imbued with an ineffable sense of antiquity and desolation, yet layered with deeper feelings of loss, unwillingness to yield, and lingering reluctance.

Then, everything dissolved into nothingness. That killing intent quietly vanished again, as if it had never been there. Crucially, the killing intent had never attempted to seize control of my body; it seemed its sole purpose was to play that inexplicable sequence of images in my mind.

What on earth was that? I shook my head instinctively. What just happened? I was certain it wasn't mere fantasy, or if it was an illusion, it was certainly not meaningless. That soul must be trying to tell me something.

An ancient battlefield! A life-or-death duel between two peak masters, ending, seemingly, in mutual destruction! And the strange emotional state that accompanied it—disappointment and reluctance—made me deeply uneasy. Did this soul have some unfinished business?

My mind was a complete mess from the sudden intrusion of these thoughts.

I shook my head vigorously, trying hard to calm myself. I needed to set aside that strange vision for now and examine the actual changes in my body!

Putting aside the distractions, I carefully focused on the internal transformation.

That fist-sized Dòuqì energy cluster seemed quiet now, still rotating slowly. My body was filled with rich, scorching Dòuqì energy, yet it imparted no feeling of discomfort or stuffiness. To be honest, the feeling was bizarre, but my body told me this was natural, as it should be.

"Then let's test it on an Evil Pincer Bug! See how powerful my Lièhuǒ Jiànfǎ has become!"

With that thought, I selected an Evil Pincer Bug. However, recalling the warriors in Legend (the game) executing Lièhuǒ, they always used a chopping motion—a move that looked incredibly cool. If I were to use a chopping motion with the sword in my hand, it felt somewhat awkward. With that thought, I returned the sword to the sheath on my back and retrieved the Hundred Battles Long Saber from my spatial pouch! The moment my hands gripped the saber, I felt a surge of potent, scorching Dòuqì energy naturally condensing onto the blade. The entire Hundred Battles Long Saber was encased in this Dòuqì, resembling a golden-red mass of constantly flickering flame.

"Roar!" I gathered all my strength and unleashed a vertical cleave across a distance of twenty meters toward the Evil Pincer Bug.

Whoosh! A golden-red sword qi shot out like lightning, passing directly through the Evil Pincer Bug’s body.

Boom! Boom! Immediately followed by two dull, heavy impacts.

The Evil Pincer Bug pierced by the Lièhuǒ Jiànqì was blasted into fragments, but the fiery Dòuqì that passed through its body struck the stone wall twenty meters behind it, creating another massive crater, fully three cubic meters in volume.

“Good heavens! What terrifying power! And it can strike that far!” I exclaimed. “Who said warriors can only attack at close range? This Lièhuǒ Jiànqì can be used for long-range attacks too, and with immense power!”

I then fought several more Evil Pincer Bugs individually and discovered that the Lièhuǒ Jiànfǎ's peak power was exerted at the very instant the energy left the blade; it weakened gradually with distance. In essence, the Lièhuǒ Jiànfǎ was primarily a devastating close-combat skill, and the Lièhuǒ Jiànqì I just witnessed was merely an extension of its power.

I should have been ecstatic upon mastering the Lièhuǒ Jiànfǎ, but that strange vision had spoiled the moment. Frankly, that emotional state left me deeply unsettled. Moreover, whether my current strength was sufficient to venture in or out of the Scarlet Moon Canyon remained unknown. Future cultivation would now require my own exploration, lacking any clear direction or defined goal. This feeling was disheartening; it felt like reaching an endpoint having gained almost nothing tangible.

I gazed around with a touch of melancholy. It seemed there was no reason to linger here now that the Lièhuǒ Jiànfǎ was complete. But I had no intention of leaving yet. The Centipede Cave. In my past life playing Legend, the Centipede Cave held countless memories for me. It was there that I met Brother Tian Tian, Liu Zi, and A Ye. We were brought together by the game and became good friends. I vividly recall meeting them at the deepest part of the Centipede Cave, the Coffin of Death, while fighting the Touch Dragon God. Tian Tian and Long Ge, A Ye and Liu Zi, were on the verge of killing it when they were ambushed midway. Long Ge and Tian Tian were instantly killed, and the remaining A Ye and Liu Zi were in grave peril. I happened to be passing by and couldn't bear to watch, drawing my saber to help. As a result, not only did I fail to aid A Ye and Liu Zi, but I also lost my own life and had my only valuable item, the Inferno weapon, dropped.

But that encounter led to my friendship with those four, becoming steadfast comrades in Legend. Later, we formed a guild, leveled up together, and acquired gear together. After I graduated high school and moved to Beijing, I found myself living in the same city as them. I then learned their true identities: all four were formidable figures. Tian Tian and Long Ge were former members of the national fencing team, long since retired, now running a security firm that supplied personnel to other companies.

Liu Zi and A Ye were the owners of two super-malls in Beijing. Two men old enough to be uncles called me 'Big Brother' in the game, which made me deeply ashamed.

I had often been curious and asked them why, being so wealthy, they bothered hanging out at internet cafes and playing so poorly in the game, getting crushed constantly. With their financial means, they could have easily bought good equipment to arm themselves.

But their answer was quite telling.

“A game is a game! Only by adhering to the game's rules and achieving victory is it real capability. As for why we hang out at the internet cafe? We simply love the atmosphere; after all, back then, almost everyone in the cafe was playing Legend.”

Thinking of this, I felt a strong urge to visit the real-world Coffin of Death, even though it was genuinely perilous.

No sooner thought than done. I tidied up minimally and headed toward the exit. Strange—I didn't see a single soul along the way. This area, the Evil Influence Zone, was the primary training ground for high-level warriors mastering the Lièhuǒ Jiànfǎ. Even if high-level warriors were scarce, there shouldn't be nobody at all, right? Had they all advanced their cultivation at the exact same time?

Otherwise, why wouldn't I see a single person? But that scenario seemed highly improbable. To my knowledge, that enthusiastic bald guy and the beautiful female Daoist entered the Evil Influence Zone to train around the same time as me. Although I didn't know their efficiency, I doubted their pace could match mine. Under normal circumstances, they should still be cultivating here. Yet, now, even they were gone. Once a Ranger begins training, it’s hard to make them stop. To find no Rangers training in such a crucial location as the Evil Influence Zone was highly anomalous.

Did something major happen inside the Centipede Cave? I analyzed internally.

Currently, I had no leads. It seemed the only way to find out was to ask someone once I got outside.