No. 1 Sword Immortal of the National Server

Master Tongtian's dominance in the PVP arena hadn't entirely healed the trauma of his gacha pulls, but it at least offered a "skill over luck" path to glory. Just as he had delved into the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation during the Primordial Era, he now threw himself into the game's mechanics, hero abilities, and tactical battles with obsessive focus, foregoing sleep and meals. The living room of the villa often echoed with the rapid tapping of his fingers on the screen and his murmurs, sometimes low, sometimes impassioned.

"So that's how it is... this 'cooldown reduction' stat, it's remarkably similar to the Daoist art of 'thought-to-action'..."

"Hmph, this 'four protect one' lineup seems solid, but if the core is breached, the whole thing collapses. It's like that incomplete 'Two Forms Micro-Dust Formation' – all show, no substance!"

"Brilliant! Using minions to block positions and evade crucial crowd control skills. Such micro-management secretly aligns with the profound principles of the Heavenly Dipper footwork!"

Lin Fan listened from the side, utterly amazed. He finally understood. Master Tongtian wasn't just playing a game; he was using the game as a medium to verify and deduce his own "Dao." What ordinary players needed extensive practice for, forming muscle memory and conditioned reflexes, this Sage absorbed, transformed, and sublimated with his powerful divine sense and near-instinctive grasp of the Great Dao.

The result was that the ID "Supreme Purity Sword Master" became a name that struck terror in the high ranks of the game. He particularly favored high-skill, high-burst characters like swordsmen and assassins. In his hands, these characters seemed infused with soul; wherever his sword light pointed, victory was assured. Legends about him proliferated on the forums. Comments like "mechanical god," "peak awareness player," and "movement like cheating" were rampant. Some even suspected he was a smurf account of a retired pro player, or perhaps even an AI.

However, Master Tongtian's "esports holy path" was not without its challenges. The biggest obstacles weren't the in-game opponents, but rather... the weak material foundation of this world and certain uncontrollable teammates.

That afternoon, Master Tongtian was in the middle of a crucial match, one that would determine if he could reach the "Apex of Kings" rank for the first time. He was using one of his signature heroes, "Azure Lotus Sword Immortal - Li Mubai," a character known for its ethereal mobility and astonishing burst damage. The match had reached a fever pitch, with both sides vying for the key resource, the "Ancient Dragon Soul."

Master Tongtian's gaze was sharp, his fingers a blur across the screen. His "Azure Lotus Sword Immortal" moved like a phantom, weaving through the five enemy players. Each flash of his sword precisely dodged an enemy's crucial skill or stripped away a significant chunk of health. In his mind, he had already calculated the next three-step combo, enough to decapitate the enemy's core damage dealer amidst the throng and secure the victory.

Just as he was about to unleash the game-deciding "Azure Lotus Sword Song - Severance"--

The Wi-Fi signal icon in the upper right corner of the screen abruptly... turned into a red cross.

A despair-inducing prompt appeared in the center of the screen: [Network connection lost. Attempting to reconnect...]

The "Azure Lotus Sword Immortal" controlled by Master Tongtian instantly froze, as if struck by a immobilizing spell, standing dumbly in place. The enemy team, naturally, did not miss this opportunity. Countless skill effects instantly engulfed him.

"Defeated!"

Accompanied by the sound of exploding crystals and a blinding defeat emblem, Master Tongtian turned to stone. He remained in the pose of preparing to click a skill, motionless. Only the bulging veins on his forehead and the subtle sword qi beginning to uncontrollably emanate from him, slicing through the air, revealed the tempest raging within him.

"Ah--!!!" After a moment of deathly silence, a roar filled with boundless rage and frustration erupted. The chandelier in the living room swayed violently, and the glass of the windows groaned under the strain. The teacup Lin Fan had placed on the coffee table cracked with a "snap," revealing a spiderweb of fissures on its surface.

"Net! Work! La! Tency!" Master Tongtian enunciated each word, as if squeezing them from between his teeth, laced with icy killing intent. "This petty trick again! Blocking my Great Dao! Ruining my victory! It deserves death! It deserves annihilation!"

He suddenly looked up, his eyes blazing with ferocity, scanning the villa as if searching for the source of the intangible yet persistent "network" that had repeatedly opposed him, intending to uproot and obliterate it.

"My Lord, calm your anger! Please, calm down!" Lin Fan scrambled over, nearly falling to his knees before the enraged Sage. "It's network fluctuations! Server issues! Or maybe the router needs a reboot! It has nothing to do with the 'network' itself! It's just a tool! If the tool malfunctions, we fix the tool; we don't blow up the factory that made it!"

He explained incoherently while quickly pulling out his phone to create a hotspot, attempting to salvage the situation. "Look, I've turned on my hotspot! Full bars! We... we'll definitely win the next match!"

Lao Tzu, who had opened his eyes at some point, looked at the nearly berserk Tong Tian and said calmly, "To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools. Fellow Daoist Tong Tian, impatience is a major taboo in warfare, and also a major taboo in gaming."

Master Tongtian's chest heaved. He watched Lin Fan fumbling to connect to the hotspot, then looked at Lao Tzu's placid eyes. He finally managed to suppress the saintly rage that was about to erupt. With a dark expression, he took the hotspot connection from Lin Fan and gritted out, "Get this One... the best network! The fastest phone! If there's a next time..." He didn't finish, but his icy gaze left Lin Fan with no doubt that the city's communication base stations might be next to suffer.

After this painful "disconnection incident," Lin Fan deeply realized that meeting Master Tongtian's gaming needs had escalated to the level of maintaining community and even city public safety. He immediately spent a "fortune" to upgrade to gigabit fiber, purchased the latest gaming phone with the best cooling, and even equipped Master Tongtian with a "gaming-grade" router that reportedly stabilized the signal.

With the hardware upgrades, Master Tongtian's climb up the ranks became much smoother. But another problem continued to plague him—teammates.

A Sage could control his own actions, but he couldn't control the Schrödinger-like state and awareness of his mortal teammates.

"Idiot! If not now, when will you engage?! Are you waiting for them to wish you a happy new year?!"

"Support! Are your eyes on the soles of your feet? Can't you see the enemy jungler flanking from behind?"

"This awareness... it's an insult to the word 'awareness'! Might as well go home and raise pigs!"

Master Tongtian's "earnest teachings" to his teammates often echoed through the living room. Although the opponents couldn't hear him through the network, his sharp sword qi would surge through the living room with his anger, often startling Lin Fan into checking the furniture for internal injuries.

Gong Gong's assessment was: "Tsk, impotent rage." He then continued reading his Application of Fluid Mechanics in Hydraulic Engineering.

Nüwa found Tong Tian's angry demeanor "unpleasant to behold" and advised him to "maintain a peaceful heart, and your beauty will last forever."

Jumang attempted to soothe Tong Tian's emotions with the fragrance of plants and trees, but with little effect.

Lao Tzu's response remained the same: "All beings are diverse, each with their own destiny. One cannot force it."

After countless times of his mentality exploding due to "noob teammates," Master Tongtian finally had an epiphany. Relying on mortal teammates was less reliable than trusting the sword in his hand! He focused even more on improving his personal ultimate skills and carry potential, striving to be a one-man army capable of turning the tide even when behind.

His efforts were not in vain. With his god-like mastery of "Azure Lotus Sword Immortal" and several other heroes with extremely high skill ceilings, Master Tongtian blazed through the competition, achieving a frighteningly high win rate, and finally reached the highest rank in the server's arena – "Apex of Kings"! Furthermore, his account, "Supreme Purity Sword Master," was officially recognized by the game system for its ultimate understanding of swordsman heroes and terrifying win rate, earning him the exclusive title of "No. 1 Sword Immortal of the National Server"!

When the dazzling "Apex of Kings" border and the "No. 1 Sword Immortal of the National Server" badge appeared on his player profile, even Master Tongtian, with his saintly composure, couldn't help but curve his lips into a triumphant smile.

"Hmph, mere empty fame, not worth mentioning," he said nonchalantly to the observing Lin Fan, but his sparkling eyes betrayed his inner elation. The feeling was akin to returning to the days when he lectured at Biyou Palace, with myriad immortals coming to pay homage... Although the scale was vastly smaller, the sense of achievement from reaching the pinnacle through his own "skill" was undeniably real.

Lin Fan, being tactful, offered his congratulations: "Congratulations, Master Tongtian! Congratulations! This is an honor countless players dream of!" He also secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The Sage had finally found a sense of accomplishment in the game, hopefully, he would settle down for a while.

However, the wind never ceases to blow when the tree desires stillness. The news of Master Tongtian reaching the "No. 1 Sword Immortal of the National Server" was like dropping a depth charge into the gaming community.

Major game forums, bulletin boards, and video sites exploded.

Revealed: Who Exactly is "Supreme Purity Sword Master"?Analysis of "No. 1 Sword Immortal of the National Server's" Terrifying Win Rate: Suspected Pro Player or Even Cheating!Seeking "Supreme Purity Sword Master's" First-Person Perspective Recordings for Study!

His in-game ID's popularity even surpassed that of some professional players. Countless friend requests and team invitations flooded in like snowflakes, and his private message channel was completely overwhelmed with messages – some of admiration, some seeking technical advice, some questioning his cheating, and some outright curses (mostly from opponents he had thoroughly crushed).

At first, Master Tongtian found it novel, but he soon grew weary of it.

"Noisy! All just the chirping of ants!" he frowned, setting his friend requests to 'do not disturb' and disabling private messages.

But the trouble didn't end there.

One day, Lin Fan received an unfamiliar phone call. The caller claimed to be the manager of the "Peak Esports Club" and spoke very politely, stating that they had seen "Supreme Purity Sword Master's" astonishing achievements online and wanted to invite him for a tryout, or even sign him directly with generous terms.

Lin Fan held the phone, looking at Master Tongtian, who was currently slaughtering his way through a ranked match with "Azure Lotus Sword Immortal," and felt a prickle of dread. He stammered out a perfunctory response, hung up the phone, and felt a splitting headache coming on.

"My Lord... there's something..." Lin Fan said, steeling himself.

"What is it? Can't you see this One is busy?" Master Tongtian replied without looking up, his "Azure Lotus Sword Immortal" on screen executing a brilliant low-health counter-kill.

"Uh... there's... there's a mortal... uh... 'sect' that wants to invite you to... preside over them," Lin Fan explained, trying his best to use terms Master Tongtian would understand.

"Sect?" Master Tongtian's hands didn't stop their operations as he scoffed, "Are there still cultivation sects in this world? What's their strength? Where is their mountain gate? Do they have Innate spiritual treasures to suppress their destiny?"

"Uh... it's not that kind of sect," Lin Fan wiped his sweat. "It's a sect for playing games, called... an esports club. They noticed your... gaming skills and want to invite you to be a professional player, meaning... you'd make a living solely by playing this game."

"Oh?" Master Tongtian finally got slightly distracted, raising an eyebrow. "Playing games professionally? Is there such a profession? What's the compensation?"

Lin Fan stated a number.

Master Tongtian fell silent for a moment, then slew another enemy on the screen with his sword. He then said indifferently, "It is indeed more valuable than the wish power beads some Primordial juniors offer. However, to have This One perform for mortals, for their viewing pleasure? Hmph, it's beneath my dignity."

Just as Lin Fan was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he heard Master Tongtian continue, "However... if they sincerely invite me and offer enough 'sincerity,' it wouldn't be impossible for This One to offer them some guidance during leisure time."

Lin Fan: "..." You still want to negotiate!

He quickly advised, "Sect Master, please reconsider! Professional players have to be in the public eye, participate in competitions, and be photographed by countless people! Plus, training is strict, and their schedules are not free! How is that as comfortable as you are now? Playing when you want, resting when you want?"

Master Tongtian thought about it and found it reasonable. How could a dignified Sage be bound by the rules of a mortal club? Thus, he dismissed the idea but instructed Lin Fan, "If there's any such harassment in the future, block it all on This One's behalf."

Lin Fan quickly agreed.

However, the club's invitation was just the beginning. Soon, bigger "troubles" came knocking.

The game's official servers released an announcement: to celebrate the launch of a new version, they would be holding a server-wide "World's First Martial Arts Tournament" online competition. The individual champion would receive a grand prize of one million, along with a limited-edition title and exclusive skin rewards!

Upon the announcement, the entire internet erupted. Countless experts were sharpening their skills, ready to make a name for themselves in this grand feast.

Master Tongtian looked at the cool limited-edition skin and the "World's First" title in the announcement, his eyes narrowing slightly as his fingers tapped gently on the phone screen.

"World's First... Martial Arts Tournament?" he repeated the name in a low voice, a smile of amusement curling on his lips. "This is somewhat interesting. This 'No. 1 Sword Immortal of the National Server' of mine is in need of a worthy opponent to verify the ultimate realm of this path."

He looked up at Lin Fan, his tone carrying an undeniable decisiveness:

"Little Lin, sign This One up."

Lin Fan looked at Master Tongtian's eyes, reminiscent of when he had decided to set up the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation, and knew that this "World's First Martial Arts Tournament" was destined to stir up a storm beyond mortal comprehension.

The title "No. 1 Sword Immortal of the National Server" might just be the beginning for Master Tongtian. His daily gaming routine would soon shift from climbing ranks to a broader, and more dangerous, competitive stage.

As for Lin Fan, besides obediently signing him up, he could only pray that the game servers were robust enough to withstand the full might of a Sage's actions, and... potentially, the various unexpected "surprises" that might follow.