My Fate Is Mine to Command, Not Heaven's

The two chatted and laughed as they soon arrived at the edge of Sword Pool.

The emerald pool was a thousand feet deep, its bottom nearly impossible to see.

A massive stone stood by the pool. Its surface bore four lines of characters, as if carved by blade and axe:

Su Ming, Su Ming,

Why do you not sing?

Zhen Mei, Zhen Mei,

How utterly dim!

Though there were only sixteen characters, the writer's indignation, unwillingness to yield, and despair leaped from the stone, leaving Ling Yunpo rather astonished.

"Senior Sister, who wrote this?"

"I don't know." An Zhisu shook her head. "According to Master, when her master's master first joined the sect, someone had already carved these words into this Sword Stele."

She gazed up at the stele and slowly explained:

"Su Ming refers to the sword Taiyin Su Ming; Zhen Mei refers to the sword Taiyang Zhen Mei."

"Long ago, Fuxi, the first ancestor of humanity, took the innate yin and yang energies left behind after Pangu created the heavens and earth and forged two supreme immortal swords, Su Ming and Zhen Mei. They were meant to suppress the Demon Race and protect humanity."

"To this day, both supreme immortal swords have vanished without a trace. So the prevailing view in Shushan is that these four lines were written by an ancestor to express their sorrow and regret at being unable to find humanity's immortal swords."

"I see." Ling Yunpo smiled. "I wonder, then, what rank those two supreme immortal swords would be?"

"You just called them supreme immortal swords. How could they have ranks?" An Zhisu covered her mouth as she laughed. "It's like those immortal swords left behind from antiquity, such as the Taiyi Splitting Light Sword and the four swords of Zhu, Xian, Lu, and Jue... None of them have ranks, but that doesn't stop them from being called immortal swords."

"Enough of that, Junior Brother. Go to the edge of Sword Pool and circulate the Sword Control Technique mental cultivation method beside the pool. A flying sword will answer your summons."

"If you're not satisfied with it, you can toss it back into the lake and keep choosing."

"You can choose again?" Ling Yunpo clicked his tongue. "Then if I don't throw it back in, but keep summoning swords until I've drained the whole pool, couldn't I sell them..."

"That's why someone keeps watch over Sword Pool," An Zhisu said with a smile.

Ling Yunpo gave an awkward laugh and stopped teasing his senior sister. He simply held his breath and focused on Sword Pool.

Within Mirror Flower Water Moon, the character template "Ling Yunpo" corresponded to the persona known as "Unyielding."

He just hadn't figured out how to synchronize with "Unyielding."

Was he supposed to let his senior sister beat him up? Then he could shout, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Don't bully a poor young man!"

"Senior Sister." Ling Yunpo pondered for a while beside Sword Pool, then spoke in a low voice.

"Hmm?" An Zhisu answered brightly.

"Have you ever thought about what we should do if Master stays in seclusion and never comes out, while Green Snail Peak's situation keeps getting worse?"

An Zhisu fell silent. Only after a long while did she murmur:

"I don't know."

"But, Junior Brother, you don't need to worry too much."

"As long as I'm here, I won't let you suffer any grievances."

"Thank you, Senior Sister." Ling Yunpo smiled freely. "Then let me say this, too."

"As long as I, Ling Yunpo, am here, I won't let you suffer any grievances either!"

In his sea of consciousness, the Kunlun Mirror suddenly spoke:

[Unyielding persona, synchronization +1.]

Ling Yunpo: ...

"So it really is like that!" Cold sweat beaded on his brow as he grumbled inwardly.

Wait, this is a good thing!

How familiar was this tune? The words rolled right off his tongue!

"Senior Sister." Ling Yunpo spoke gravely.

"What is it?"

"Although I'm only at the Qi Refining Stage right now," Ling Yunpo declared, "thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Don't bully a poor young man!"

"And then?" An Zhisu blinked.

"And then... One day, with a sword in hand, my fate will be mine to command, not Heaven's!"

"Mhm, very spirited." An Zhisu nodded and smiled. "Now hurry up and pick a sword."

Ling Yunpo: ?

"A Jing," he called softly in his mind. "Why didn't my synchronization increase?"

After a long pause, the Kunlun Mirror finally spoke:

"Don't you feel embarrassed saying those lines yourself?"

"Of course I do. I've got goosebumps all over." Ling Yunpo grumbled. "So why didn't my synchronization increase?"

"Though Mirror Flower Water Moon is an illusion, it must at least be convincing enough to be mistaken for reality. Only then can it reflect you back to yourself," the Kunlun Mirror said helplessly. "Even you don't believe the lines you're saying, so there's nothing Mirror Flower Water Moon can do."

"I get it. The situation isn't right." Ling Yunpo pondered. "If a villain showed up and humiliated me, then I'd have the right feeling. I could say those lines without a problem."

"Exactly," the Kunlun Mirror agreed. "Still, make sure you stay safe. Don't let the villain kill you right after you finish your speech."

Ling Yunpo looked inward again at the "Unyielding" template in the Kunlun Mirror.

The innate talent embedded in this persona was called Innate Sword Bone.

The name sounded a little unpleasant, but its effects were unexpectedly powerful:

Innate Sword Bone: The bones throughout the body are like sword edges. Improves the efficiency of Nourish Sword with Body, increases resistance to Sword Qi and Sword Intent, allows resonance with flying swords, and, under special circumstances, causes the body to be treated as a flying sword.

The last point seemed a little questionable, but the other three were easy enough to understand.

First, it improved the ability to nourish flying swords. Second, it increased his defensive power against flying swords. Third, it enhanced his ability to control flying swords.

He had remarkably high compatibility with Shushan Sword Immortals.

Ling Yunpo stared at the pool and took a deep breath.

Then, concentrating, he extended his hand toward the pool and tried to use the talent of Innate Sword Bone to resonate with it:

"Come, sword!"

An Zhisu watched from behind, finding her junior brother utterly adorable.

But before she could react, Sword Pool suddenly erupted!

A great volume of water surged and sprayed outward, forming a massive, turbulent whirlpool.

A drop of water splashed out of the pool, transforming in midair into a flying sword, black from hilt to tip. It was about three feet and six inches long, with a green lotus carved into its hilt. Just looking at it made one's head swim.

The black flying sword fell into Ling Yunpo's hand. When he looked at Sword Pool again, it was calm and still, its surface shimmering gently. There was no trace of the raging waves from moments ago.

"Did you see that just now?" An Zhisu asked in shock.

"See what?" Ling Yunpo gave her a bewildered look.

"...Nothing." An Zhisu shook her head and looked at the flying sword in his hand.

"What kind of flying sword is this?" Ling Yunpo asked curiously.

"I'm not sure. I'll look through the records when we get back." An Zhisu turned the sword over and over, examining it as she spoke uncertainly.

"Could it be unranked?" Ling Yunpo was secretly astonished. He quietly asked the Kunlun Mirror, "A Jing, A Jing, tell me, what kind of sword is this?"

Kunlun Mirror: ...

"Ask her yourself," she said suddenly.

After that, no matter how much Ling Yunpo pressed her, the mirror fell silent.

An Zhisu led him away. A while later, the male and female disciples who had been guarding Sword Pool hurried over.

"Was that Astonishing Pool just now?" the male disciple cried out.

"Ten thousand swords bowing in homage, surging into a whirlpool—it was definitely Astonishing Pool!" the female disciple shrieked. "A Tenth-Order Immortal Sword has appeared!"

"Quick, inform the elders of the peak!"

[Detailed explanation of the Mirror Flower Water Moon mechanism: The Kunlun Mirror can reflect all living beings and record a copy of a target within the mirror. The protagonist only needs to focus on imitation to gradually synchronize with the target and acquire the target's innate talents and aptitudes.]