No. 1 Sword Immortal of the National Server

Master Tongtian's dominance in the PVP arena had not completely soothed the emotional trauma of his disastrous gacha pulls, but at least it had offered him a broad avenue for making up for his bad luck with skill. Just as he had once devoted himself to studying the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation in the Primordial Era, he now threw himself into an in-depth analysis of the game's mechanics, hero abilities, and tactical play. The villa's living room often echoed with the rapid swipes of his fingers across the screen and his muttered comments, sometimes low and sometimes impassioned.

"So that's how it is... This 'cooldown reduction' attribute is remarkably similar to the Daoist principle of 'a thought made manifest'..."

"Hmph. This 'protect-one-carry' lineup looks sturdy, but if its core is broken, the whole formation collapses. It's just like the incomplete 'Two Modes Microcosm Formation'—strong on the outside, weak within!"

"Brilliant! Using minions to block the way and evade key crowd-control abilities—such fine micro-play accords with the essence of the Heavenly Dipper Steps!"

Lin Fan listened from the side, utterly amazed. He understood now: Master Tongtian wasn't playing a game so much as using it as a vehicle to test and develop his own "Dao." The muscle memory and reflexes that ordinary players had to build through extensive practice were rapidly absorbed, transformed, and refined under this sage's powerful spiritual sense and almost instinctive comprehension of the Great Dao.

As a result, the ID "Supreme Purity Sword Master" became a fearsome presence in the game's highest ranks. He particularly favored sword-wielding heroes, assassins, and other characters with high skill ceilings and explosive damage. In his hands, these characters seemed to come alive; wherever his sword flashed, none could stand against him. Legends about him spread across the forums: "mechanical monster," "peak game sense," "moves like he's hacking"—the praise kept coming. Some even began to suspect that he was a retired pro playing on a smurf account, or simply an AI.

However, Master Tongtian's "sacred path of esports" was not without its setbacks. His greatest obstacles were not his opponents in the game, but... the frail material conditions of this world, along with certain uncontrollable teammates.

One afternoon, Master Tongtian was in the middle of a crucial match that would determine whether he could make his first push for the "Apex of Kings" rank. He was using one of his signature heroes, "Azure Lotus Sword Immortal - Li Mubai," a character renowned for his elegant agility and astonishing burst damage. The match had reached its climax, with both sides battling over the key objective, the "Ancient Dragon Soul."

Master Tongtian's gaze was sharp, and his fingers had become a blur across the screen. The "Azure Lotus Sword Immortal" he controlled darted through all five enemy players like a wraith. Every flash of his sword precisely drew out a key ability or chunked away a huge amount of health. In his mind, he had already mapped out the next three moves of his combo, enough to cut down the enemy team's primary damage dealer in the midst of their ranks and secure victory.

Just as he was about to unleash "Azure Lotus Sword Song - Severance," the decisive move—

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

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

The "Azure Lotus Sword Immortal" under Master Tongtian's control froze in place, as if struck by a paralysis spell. The enemy team naturally seized the chance, and a flood of skill effects swallowed him whole.

"Defeated!"

As the crystal exploded with a sound effect and a glaring defeat symbol appeared, Master Tongtian turned to stone. He remained frozen in the pose of someone about to tap a skill, not moving an inch. Only the veins bulging at his temples and the wisps of sword energy escaping uncontrollably from his body, slicing through the air, showed the storm raging within him.

"Ah—!!!" After a brief silence, a long howl rang out, brimming with fury and frustration. The chandelier in the living room shook violently, and the windowpanes groaned as if they could barely hold together. The glass on the coffee table, where Lin Fan had set down his cup, cracked with a sharp snap, a web of fractures spreading across its surface.

"NETWORK! LAG!" Master Tongtian ground out each word, each one seeming to squeeze through his clenched teeth, icy killing intent in his voice. "Another despicable trick! You obstruct my Dao! You ruin my victory! You must be slain! Annihilated!"

He abruptly lifted his head, eyes blazing with murderous fury as he searched the villa, as if looking for the source of that invisible, intangible "network" that had repeatedly opposed him, ready to tear it out by the roots and wipe it from existence.

"Master, please calm down! Please!" Lin Fan rushed over, nearly falling to his knees before him. "It was a network fluctuation! A server problem! Or maybe the router needs restarting! It has nothing to do with the 'network' itself! It's just a tool! When a tool breaks, we fix the tool—we don't blow up the factory that made it!"

He babbled out an explanation as he hurriedly pulled out his phone and turned on its hotspot, trying to salvage the situation. "Look, I've turned on the hotspot! Full signal! We... We'll definitely win the next one!"

At some point, Lao Tzu had opened his eyes as well. Watching Tong Tian teeter on the edge of a rampage, he said calmly, "To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools. Fellow Daoist Tong Tian, agitation is a great military taboo—and a great gaming taboo as well."

Master Tongtian's chest heaved violently. He looked at Lin Fan fumbling with the hotspot, then at Lao Tzu's placid gaze. At last, he forcibly suppressed the sage's fury that had nearly burst forth. With a dark expression, he accepted the hotspot connection Lin Fan offered and ground out, "Get me... the best network and the fastest phone! If this happens again..." He left the rest unsaid, but the icy look in his eyes left Lin Fan with no doubt that the next victim might be the city's telecommunications tower.

After this painful "disconnection incident," Lin Fan realized that meeting Master Tongtian's gaming needs had become a matter of safeguarding the neighborhood, if not the entire city. He immediately spent a "fortune" upgrading to gigabit fiber, replacing the phone with the latest gaming model equipped with the best cooling, and even getting Master Tongtian a so-called "esports-grade" router that supposedly stabilized the signal.

After the hardware upgrades, Master Tongtian's climb through the ranks went much more smoothly. But another problem continued to plague him—his teammates.

A sage could control his own actions, but he couldn't control the Schrodinger-like form and awareness of his mortal teammates.

"Fools! If we don't engage now, when will we? Are you waiting for the enemy to come wish you a happy new year?"

"Support! Are your eyes on the soles of your feet? Can't you see their jungler has already circled around behind us?"

"Your game sense is an insult to the very words 'game sense'! You might as well go home and raise pigs!"

Master Tongtian's "earnest instruction" to his teammates often rang through the living room. They couldn't hear him through the internet, of course, but his sharp sword energy surged through the room with his anger, often leaving Lin Fan checking the furniture for internal damage.

Gong Gong's assessment was: "Tsk. Throwing a tantrum because you're useless." Then he went back to reading Applications of Fluid Mechanics in Hydraulic Engineering.

Nüwa thought Tong Tian looked "unsightly" when he got angry and advised him to "stay calm if he wished to preserve his beauty."

Jumang tried to soothe Tong Tian with the fragrance of flowers and trees, but it had little effect.

Lao Tzu stuck to his usual line: "All living beings have their own natures and destinies. They cannot be forced."

After having his mental state shattered by "useless teammates" countless times, Master Tongtian finally understood. Better to trust the sword in his own hand than rely on mortal teammates! He focused even more on perfecting his individual skill and carry potential, striving to be one god leading four wards and to turn the game around even when behind.

His efforts paid off. With his peerless "Azure Lotus Sword Immortal" and several other heroes with equally high skill ceilings, Master Tongtian overcame one opponent after another, winning an astonishing number of matches. In the end, he reached the highest rank in the server's arena: "Apex of Kings"! What was more, thanks to his unparalleled understanding of sword-wielding heroes and his terrifying win rate, his account, "Supreme Purity Sword Master," was officially recognized by the game and awarded the exclusive title "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 game profile, even Master Tongtian, with his sage's composure, couldn't keep the proud curve from forming at the corner of his mouth.

"Hmph. A trifling title. It's hardly worth mentioning," he said lightly to Lin Fan, who was watching nearby. But the gleam in his eyes betrayed his delight. It felt as though he had returned to the days when he preached in Biyou Palace, with immortals gathering from every direction... Though the scale was incomparably smaller, the satisfaction of reaching the pinnacle through his own "skill" was real enough.

Lin Fan tactfully offered his congratulations. "Congratulations, Master Tongtian! Congratulations! This is an honor countless players dream of!" Inwardly, he let out a sigh of relief. At last, this man had found a sense of accomplishment in the game. Hopefully, he would settle down for a while.

However, the world would not stay still just because Tong Tian wanted it to. The news that Master Tongtian had reached the top as the "No. 1 Sword Immortal of the National Server" hit the gaming community like a depth charge.

The major gaming forums, Tieba boards, and video sites erupted.

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 hacker! Looking for "Supreme Purity Sword Master"'s first-person gameplay footage to study!

His gaming ID briefly became more popular than that of some professional players. Friend requests and team invitations poured in like snowflakes. His private messages went completely wild: some admired him, some asked him for advice, some accused him of hacking, and some simply cursed him out—mostly opponents he had thoroughly crushed.

At first, Master Tongtian found it novel, but it soon became more than he could bear.

"How noisy! Nothing but the cries of ants!" He frowned, set his friends list to Do Not Disturb, and turned off private messages.

But that was not the end of the trouble.

One day, Lin Fan received a call from an unfamiliar number. The caller claimed to be the manager of Peak Esports Club and spoke very politely. He said they had seen "Supreme Purity Sword Master"'s impressive record online and wanted to invite him for a tryout—or even sign him directly—on very generous terms.

Holding the phone, Lin Fan looked at Master Tongtian beside him, who was using "Azure Lotus Sword Immortal" to kill his way through a ranked match, and felt his scalp prickle. He mumbled out a vague reply, hung up, and felt as if he now had a mountain of problems on his hands.

"Master... There's something..." Lin Fan began, forcing himself to speak.

"What is it? Can't you see I'm busy?" Master Tongtian didn't raise his head. On the screen, "Azure Lotus Sword Immortal" was in the middle of a spectacular comeback with barely any health left.

"Well... There's... a mortal... um... 'sect' that wants to invite you to... preside over them." Lin Fan did his best to explain it in terms Tong Tian would understand.

"A sect?" Master Tongtian kept playing and gave a scoff. "Are there still cultivation sects in this world? How strong are they? Where is their mountain gate? Do they have an Innate spiritual treasure to suppress their fortunes?"

"Uh... Not that kind of sect." Lin Fan wiped his sweat. "It's a sect for playing games. It's called... an esports club. They've taken an interest in your... gaming skills and want you to become a professional player. That means... making a living by playing this game."

"Oh?" Master Tongtian finally spared him a little attention and raised an eyebrow. "There's an occupation devoted to playing games? How much do they pay?"

Lin Fan gave him a figure.

Master Tongtian fell silent for a moment, while another enemy was cut down on the screen. Then he said coolly, "That's worth more than the beads of faith some Primordial Era juniors offer as tribute. But have me perform for mortals and let them gawk at me? Hmph. It would be beneath my station."

Lin Fan was just beginning to relax when Master Tongtian continued, "Still... If they invite me sincerely and offer sufficient 'respect,' I could spare some time to give them a few pointers."

Lin Fan: "..." He still wanted to negotiate terms!

Lin Fan hurried to talk him out of it. "Master, think this through! Professional players have to appear in public, compete in tournaments, and be watched and photographed by countless people! Their training is strict, and they can't set their own schedules! You're much freer as you are now. You play when you want and rest when you want!"

Master Tongtian considered it and decided Lin Fan had a point. He was a dignified sage—how could he submit to the rules of a mortal esports club? He abandoned the idea and merely instructed Lin Fan, "If you receive any more such disturbances, refuse them on my behalf."

Lin Fan agreed at once.

However, the club's invitation was only the beginning. Soon, an even bigger "problem" came knocking.

The game's developers announced that, to celebrate the launch of a new version, they would hold a server-wide online tournament called the "World's First Martial Arts Tournament." The individual champion would receive a prize of one million, as well as an exclusive title and a unique skin!

The announcement set the entire internet abuzz. Countless skilled players rolled up their sleeves, ready to make a name for themselves in the tournament.

Master Tongtian looked at the flashy exclusive skin and the title "World's First" in the announcement. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he tapped his fingers against the phone screen.

"World's First... Martial Arts Tournament?" he murmured, repeating the name. An intrigued smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Interesting. This 'No. 1 Sword Immortal of the National Server' could use a worthy opponent to test the limits of this Dao."

He looked up at Lin Fan, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Xiao Lin, sign me up."

Looking at the expression in Master Tongtian's eyes, the same one he'd worn back when he decided to set up the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation, Lin Fan knew that this "World's First Martial Arts Tournament" was bound to unleash a storm beyond mortal comprehension.

The title "No. 1 Sword Immortal of the National Server" might have been only the beginning for Master Tongtian. His gaming life was about to shift from climbing the ranked ladder to a broader—and more dangerous—competitive stage.

As for Lin Fan, all he could do was dutifully sign him up and pray that the tournament's network servers were sturdy enough to withstand a sage giving it his all, along with... whatever unexpected "surprises" might follow.