The Sword Heart's Choice, the System Reborn

After the Sea God's Pavilion meeting ended, it was already late at night.

As they walked back to the dormitories, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy. Beibei was still processing his tangled brotherly bond and enmity with Xiao Hongchen, while Jing Ziyan was shaken by the sinister nature of the "Demon Sword" plan.

Only Ji Juechen remained calm. His calmness did not stem from ignorance, but because his heart was immersed in deeper contemplation of the "sword."

[Ding! Detected intense emotions such as "awe" and "solemnity," originating from: Muen, Cai Mei'er. Obtained Sword Intent Points x points!]

[Ding! Detected positive emotions such as "worry" and "determination," originating from: Beibei, Jing Ziyan. Obtained Sword Intent Points x points!]

The system notifications flashed through the depths of his mind like sparks against a sharpening stone. To him, Sword Intent Points were no longer cold numbers, but steps leading toward a higher realm of the sword.

[Current Sword Intent Points: points]

"Xiao Hongchen... Demon Sword..." For the first time, Ji Juechen felt such intense interest in a "person." It was not killing intent, but the yearning of a craftsman standing before a divine weapon.

Using Spiritual Power as fire and Soul Power as the hammer, he wants to forge me into a "Demon Sword"... What an arrogant notion. If I can cut down such a sword, my Sword Intent will surely advance.

Just then, Jing Ziyan suddenly stopped. Tilting her head, she studied Ji Juechen curiously with her beautiful violet eyes.

"Ji Juechen, do you... have something on your mind?"

Ji Juechen looked at her expressionlessly.

"Ever since we left the Sea God's Pavilion, you haven't said a word, but I keep feeling... like you're rather happy?" Jing Ziyan asked tentatively.

Ji Juechen fell silent.

Happy? No. I have found an uncut jade worthy of being carved with all my strength. How should I describe this feeling?

[Ding! A social dilemma has been detected. The system has generated the following options. Please choose:]
A. "I am thinking about the sword." (Fits your persona and can end most conversations.)
B. "You are mistaken." (A direct denial that may cause the other party to become suspicious.)
C. Remain silent. (The coolest response, but it may provoke deeper speculation from the other party.)

"A." Ji Juechen silently recited in his heart.

"I am thinking about the sword."

The answer was expected, yet Jing Ziyan felt that something was off. When Ji Juechen had said this in the past, it had been pure emptiness and obsession. But now, why did she feel as if he was actually "thinking" about something specific, such as "how to maintain a sword" or "a sword's potential for appreciation"?

"Is it... about how to deal with the 'Demon Sword'?" Jing Ziyan pressed.

"Yes." Ji Juechen nodded.

Sharpening the blade does not delay the cutting of wood. Against a "sword" like that, my "scabbard" is not sturdy enough yet.

With a thought, he prepared to reinforce his Sea of Consciousness.

[Ding! The host intends to make a major purchase. The system has generated optimized plans. Please choose:]
A. Purchase "Advanced Spirit Protection - Thunderclap" immediately. (Thunder is supremely yang and unyielding, capable of destroying evil. It is the natural nemesis of the "Demon Sword.")
B. Purchase "Intermediate Spirit Protection - Profound Ice." (Profound Ice is sturdy and restrained. It uses stillness to counter motion and can stabilize the foundation of the Sea of Consciousness.)
C. Abandon the purchase and deposit the Sword Intent Points in a bank, anticipating financial products that may appear in the future. (Extremely risky, but may yield extraordinary returns.)

Faced with an aberrant attack like the "Demon Sword," Ji Juechen instinctively chose the most direct and domineering response.

"A."

[Purchase successful. Sword Intent Points consumed. "Advanced Spirit Protection - Thunderclap" has been loaded and is beginning to merge with the Sea of Consciousness...]

Boom!

A peal of thunder that no one else could hear exploded within Ji Juechen's Sea of Consciousness! His body trembled almost imperceptibly as an invisible pressure spread outward from him.

Beibei, who had been walking ahead, abruptly turned around and cried in shock, "Such powerful Spiritual Power fluctuations! Ji Juechen, you..."

Jing Ziyan was stunned as well. She could clearly sense that, in a single instant, Ji Juechen's Spiritual Power had become incomparably condensed, violent, and even carried a trace of... sacred purifying aura.

Ji Juechen slowly opened his eyes. A flicker of golden lightning flashed through his deep pupils and vanished.

He felt as though the entire world had changed. The spiritual particles drifting through the air, the flow of Soul Power, even the Life Aura of distant plants and trees—all had become clearer than ever before.

Is this... rebuilding after destruction? My sword heart seems to have been cleansed by this thunder, becoming even more lucid.

[Ding! A qualitative transformation has been detected in the host's strength. The "Complaint Feedback System" has met the requirements for an upgrade. Beginning upgrade...]

[Upgrading... 10%... 50%... 100%!]

[Congratulations, host! The system has upgraded to version 2.0! A new function has been unlocked. Please select one of the following two initial functions to activate:]
A. [Sword Intent Pressure (Passive)]: The host's Sword Intent will carry a stronger oppressive force. During confrontations, it can more easily shake an opponent's mind and delay their attacks. (Suitable for hosts who pursue ultimate pressure and seek to settle all beneath a single sword.)
B. [Eye of Insight (Active)]: A small amount of Sword Intent Points may be consumed to analyze a target's imminent soul skill or action. If the analysis succeeds, the host will receive double Sword Intent Points as a reward and temporarily gain greater insight into that skill. (Suitable for hosts who seek to "know themselves and know their enemy," finding flaws before drawing their sword.)

For the first time, a true "choice" appeared in Ji Juechen's heart.

Sword Intent Pressure was an extension of "power," fitting his style of sword against sword. But the Eye of Insight... it was simply a supreme art born for "breaking techniques"! Against the complex construction of the "Demon Sword," against any enemy he might encounter in the future, seeing through their essence before drawing his sword—this was the ultimate "sword of breaking techniques"!

My sword does not pursue overwhelming strength, but that "one" which pierces falsehood after seeing through all things.

"B." He made his choice.

[Function "Eye of Insight" has been activated! The system wishes you a farther sight upon the path of the sword.]

"Ji Juechen, what exactly is wrong with you?" Beibei and Jing Ziyan had already walked over to him, their faces full of disbelief.

Ji Juechen withdrew the aura he had released and returned to his icy expression, though his gaze was now deeper than before.

"Breakthrough." His reply was concise.

"A breakthrough?!" Beibei blurted out. "You just... broke through after taking a few steps down the road? Has your sword path already reached such a level of returning to simplicity?"

Ji Juechen offered no explanation. He merely turned his gaze toward the Sun Moon Empire beyond Shrek City.

It was as if he could already see the exchange student named Huo Yuhao, carrying an enormous bundle on his back and walking toward the gates of Shrek Academy with a heart full of anticipation.

Huo Yuhao... Spiritual Power, Extreme Ice, and that Million Year Soul Spirit hidden deep within... Your "sword" has a very complex structure. I truly want to see what kind of "flaws" it will reveal beneath my Eye of Insight.

A thousand miles away, Huo Yuhao, who was preparing to set out, suddenly shivered. He felt as though someone was observing him from behind with an inquisitive gaze. Scratching his head, he blamed the feeling on Shrek Academy's food being too delicious and having eaten too much.

He did not know that a "sword-path analysis" aimed at him had already quietly begun.