Sword Valley! A Martial Arts Holy Land!

The next day, faint morning light filtered in.

Daily life continued as usual.

Qin Yang got up early and came to the library to clock in for work. The moment he walked through the door, he noticed many colleagues whispering among themselves, holding their phones as they quietly discussed something.

He could vaguely make out words like "glowing clouds" and "suburbs."

Qin Yang did not need to think to know they were talking about the commotion he had caused last night.

"I really did make quite a big fuss."

Qin Yang scratched his head helplessly, pulled out his phone, and browsed the latest Trending Searches. Sure enough... he had once again claimed the top spot.

The internet was in an uproar. Countless news outlets and self-media accounts caught wind of it and pushed topics related to the Sword Dao Expert to the top of the rankings.

Many netizens in the comments shared their firsthand accounts, showing off photos of the celestial phenomenon they had taken the night before. Truth and fiction mixed together, with all kinds of claims flying around.

"Shocking! A mysterious Sword Dao Expert has appeared in Jianghai City once again!"

"Image.JPG, this is the photo I took at the time. Glowing clouds filled the sky, and every Star Warrior expert in the city rushed over!"

"This is too ridiculous. My friend said he even heard a Star Beast roaring! That expert was actually fighting a Star Beast!"

More and more comments appeared, each more hearsay than the last. In the end, some were even claiming that an immortal had descended to the mortal world.

"Damn, they have never even seen me, yet they can exaggerate things this much. Netizens these days really know how to spin a tale."

Qin Yang smiled knowingly and put away his phone without giving it much thought.

There was no need to keep reading.

At the rate those netizens were boasting, before he could become a god in real life, he would already ascend to godhood online first... Just as he was putting away his phone and walking toward the time clock, Qin Yang ran into Xia He entering through the door.

"Yo, Lao Qin, you're here pretty early today."

With two dark circles beneath his eyes, Xia He greeted him wearily, looking utterly drained.

It was clearly the aftermath of last night's great battle at Bai Jin Han.

His face was haggard, his lips pale, as if he could collapse at any moment.

"You should probably take sick leave."

Qin Yang gave Xia He a few glances and teased with a smile, "Don't go dying in front of me later."

"Screw you, Lao Qin! You refused to come last night, so I had to handle double the load by myself!"

Xia He bared his teeth. After clocking in, he walked alongside Qin Yang. "I nearly got left behind at Bai Jin Han last night."

As he spoke, he recalled last night's Trending Searches and could not help beating his chest in regret. "And I fucking missed that stunning purple glow too. Sigh, if I'd known, I wouldn't have gone to Bai Jin Han."

"You'd better forget it. A fight is a fight wherever it happens. Just stay put at Bai Jin Han and stop trying to join every bit of excitement."

Qin Yang shrugged and continued teasing him with a light laugh.

After all, with Xia He's Second Level of the Acquired Realm cultivation, he probably would not even have made it into the valley before the stray sword intent Qin Yang had released tore him apart.

Going to watch would have been pointless. At most, he could have watched from thousands of meters away at the perimeter.

However, at that moment.

Qin Yang took another look at Xia He's realm.

He suddenly noticed something was off! The Star Power radiating from Xia He's body was still extremely weak, but it was noticeably stronger than before.

He had actually reached the Third Level of the Acquired Realm.

"Huh? This kid broke through?!"

Qin Yang froze for a moment, somewhat surprised.

Breaking through to the Third Level of the Acquired Realm overnight was no easy feat for an ordinary person.

But how had Xia He broken through? Could it be... that doing that actually had such benefits?! Just as Qin Yang was wondering, Xia He's confident voice rang out beside him again.

"Lao Qin, you might not believe it, but when I invited you to Bai Jin Han yesterday, you refused. Bet you never expected that after one carefree night, I broke through too!"

Xia He wore a smug expression and leaned back theatrically. "I'm at the Third Level of the Acquired Realm now! If anything happens in the future, come to me—I'll cover you!"

"..."

Hearing this, Qin Yang's lips curled upward slightly as he struggled to suppress his laughter.

Good thing he had received professional training, or he really would have laughed out loud.

"What? You don't believe me?"

Seeing this, Xia He immediately rolled up his sleeves. "I'm not bullshitting you, Lao Qin!"

"I believe you, of course I do."

Qin Yang smiled as he perfunctorily asked, "How did you manage it?"

"Hmph, Lao Qin, I'll say it again: if you want to know, come to Bai Jin Han with me someday and you'll find out!"

Xia He kept it vague as he invited him with a grin.

"Next time. Definitely next time."

Qin Yang rolled his eyes and waved him off dismissively.

Fine, do not tell him, then.

This kid was always being mysterious, always trying to lure him into some trap.

He was not someone who could be so easily manipulated.

There was plenty of time ahead. Sooner or later, the truth would come out!

After chatting for a few more moments, the two soon parted ways and headed to their respective posts to begin work.

...The first floor of the library was quiet and peaceful. A faint scent of ink and books lingered in the air, accompanied by the soft rustling of turning pages.

Rows upon rows of bookshelves passed before his eyes.

After slacking off for many days, Qin Yang skillfully found a blind spot beyond the surveillance cameras and crouched there, avoiding everyone's notice.

"With my current strength, killing an ordinary Grandmaster should be no problem at all."

He held out his palm, majestic Star Power spilling from his fingertips as he began tallying the fifty years of cultivation he had gained last night.

A full fifty years of cultivation.

In just one night, it had allowed him to reach the Innate Realm Peak, practically a single step to the heavens! On top of that, he had that Emperor-level Sword Dao martial art and the divine sword Ziwei.

With all this top-tier equipment boosting him, there was nothing wrong with an Innate Realm cultivator like him crushing a few Grandmaster Realm experts, right? Calling them a bunch of little brothers would not even be an exaggeration.

"Wait, this Dog System's Hundredfold Amplification only rewarded fifty years of cultivation. So how much was it originally planning to give me?"

Qin Yang furrowed his brow and thought about it for a moment before deciding not to dwell on it any longer.

Instead, he returned to the thrilling work of slacking off.

...Over the following days, Jianghai City was swept by rising turmoil.

The lingering purple glow above the valley finally faded away.

The sky returned to its usual nightscape, but the matter of the "valley" only intensified and continued to ferment.

At that moment, Caution Tape had already been set up outside the valley. Rows of Star Police Department vehicles entered and exited, while armed guards could be seen everywhere.

Above them, the Police Chief Commander and Old Li hovered in the air, surveying the overall situation as they watched the people busily working below.

"Old Li, are you suggesting that this valley be opened to the public?"

The Commander looked down at the crowd below and discussed it with Old Li in a deep voice.

"Yes. The valley is filled with sword energy everywhere. For Star Warriors who practice the sword, it is a precious place for enlightenment."

Old Li nodded slightly and said softly, "Since it was created by that senior, Jianghai City cannot keep it all to ourselves."

"I understand. Old Li, you truly are magnanimous."

The Commander said with feeling.

"No, Commander, this old one dare not accept such praise. All of this is that senior's handiwork. We are merely benefiting from his grace and passing it on to the world."

"Very well. I'll report your proposal over the next few days and see what the higher-ups think."

Several more days passed, and after deliberation by the higher-ups.

Jianghai City ultimately named the valley "Sword Valley."

Thanks to the dense sword intent within it, Sword Valley naturally became Jianghai City's Martial Arts Holy Land.

In the years to come, swordsmen from across the world traveled thousands of miles to make pilgrimages there, studying the true meaning of its sword intent and together forging a beautiful legend.