Outside the Southeast Military Region Supply Base in Jiangnan Base City.
Bai Yang and Yang Wu stood fully dressed, gazing at the sky as they waited in silence.
Before long, a mighty rumble rolled across the sky.
The familiar blue flying saucer appeared again. It had come to pick them up for Mount Hua.
Although he had seen it several times, this was Bai Yang's first time actually riding in it.
The various buttons and instruments inside the flying saucer were beyond his understanding, giving it a distinctly futuristic, high-tech feel.
Lu Ting hadn't come this time. Only Mei Xiaqing had arrived.
As soon as Bai Yang boarded, he called out, "Sister Mei."
Mei Xiaqing nodded amiably to the two of them, then focused on piloting the flying saucer into the air.
After spending so much time with her, Bai Yang knew this was just how she was: work always came first. He didn't mind.
The flying saucer rapidly climbed into the sky. Through the windows, the two of them looked down at the vast land spread out below.
Unlike the Earth of his previous life, all kinds of monsters ran rampant outside the Base Cities here.
The land seemed full of life, yet it made just how little territory humanity controlled painfully clear.
After only a few glances, Bai Yang felt a surge of displeasure. The beautiful mountains and rivers that people remembered had been ravaged beyond recognition by all kinds of mutated creatures.
The towns and villages that had once lined the roads, one after another, had all vanished, reduced to ruins.
This Huaxia was indeed nothing like the place he knew.
The flying saucer traveled at several times the speed of sound. Even accounting for takeoff and deceleration, the trip from Jiangnan to Kyoto took only a little over ten minutes.
Neither of them had much time to react before they had arrived.
When they stepped outside, the three of them found themselves at a desolate private airfield.
Farmland stretched all around them, with hardly a building in sight.
This is Mount Hua?
Bai Yang was puzzled. It was nothing like he'd imagined.
Mei Xiaqing gestured for them to follow, and the three entered a low building beside the airfield.
She led them confidently to an indoor elevator.
The elevator was extremely old. Its doors were nothing more than iron grilles.
Once all three had stepped inside, Mei Xiaqing did something to the elevator's control panel.
The entire elevator suddenly lurched downward, plunging at an astonishing speed.
Bai Yang gauged their speed. The three of them must have already descended hundreds of meters underground, yet the elevator showed no sign of stopping.
A little while later, there was a clang, and the elevator finally came to a halt.
Bai Yang peered out. They were now in a vast white hall.
Mei Xiaqing led them straight to the reception desk.
Two attractive female officers confirmed their identities and completed the basic procedures.
Hundreds of people hurried back and forth through the hall, all busy with work.
Every so often, someone nearby spotted Bai Yang, snapped to attention, and saluted. "Greetings, sir!"
Bai Yang nodded in acknowledgment. His official position was now head of Mount Hua's Ninth Group.
In practice, he was a commander with no troops, and Yang Wu would be his first group member.
But his rank really was that of a major general.
As they walked, Mei Xiaqing said, "The Ninth Group's new office has been renovated, but there's basically nothing in it yet.
"Are you sure you don't have any requests?"
Bai Yang glanced around at their surroundings and answered casually,
"I really don't have any. I won't be coming here often for a while, so there's no point in decorating it."
The Wilderness Zone, the War God Camp... Considering Bai Yang's plans, he really wouldn't have much time to spend in Kyoto.
Mei Xiaqing didn't say anything more.
After walking for a while, Bai Yang's eyes suddenly lit up.
In the middle of the white hall stood a huge boulder, oddly out of place.
Some words were carved into it. They were the same short poem that had appeared on the Mount Hua Sword box:
When the Mount Hua Sword is drawn,
Ten steps, one kill,
To pieces shattered?
Protect Huaxia!
This was also the founding purpose of Mount Hua.
After passing through the hall, the three of them went by elevator, then stairs, and through countless winding corridors.
The inside of Mount Hua was as complicated as a maze. Without someone to guide you, finding your way around would be nearly impossible.
After winding through the enormous underground complex for more than half an hour, the three of them finally arrived at an extremely secluded reception room.
Jia Yi and Lu Ting were already waiting there.
They were all straightforward people. As soon as Jia Yi saw him, he asked, "Bai Yang, are you really confident you can do this?"
Bai Yang smiled. "Elder Jia, don't worry. I won't disappoint you. How much everyone manages to remember will depend on them.
"I've already sent Sister Mei the written explanations for the forty-seven forms.
"Either way, we'll get something out of it."
Lu Ting looked rather unhappy. "We really offended the Limit Dojo badly last time. If the teacher hadn't stepped in personally, they wouldn't even have lent us the holographic camera.
"Our film stock is limited. We'll get at most one chance. I'm afraid we'll have to trouble you with this."
Bai Yang assured him it was no trouble. It would only take some time; it wasn't as if it would tire him out.
The five of them said no more. They simply opened a concealed door in the reception room.
Beyond it was a spiral staircase descending underground.
They followed the stairs down and reached a vast space resembling a photography studio.
Mei Xiaqing explained, "We've taken precautions in two ways this time.
"Besides the holographic camera we borrowed from the Limit Dojo, we're also using our own Earth equipment.
"We've set up sixteen groups of cameras in each of six directions—above, below, front, back, left, and right—to capture every angle.
"That way, we can record as much information as possible.
"Finally, we'll compile all the data on the most advanced computer and generate a digital model. Then we'll be able to distribute and reproduce it."
Lu Ting sighed. "Unfortunately, this is only a last resort.
"Otherwise, those aliens would have done the same thing long ago. I've already tried it myself. Every time, the inner force divides differently, even when I follow the same route.
"Any tiny variation could have thousands of different solutions.
"Unless I can memorize every single variation, there's no way I can just follow instructions step by step."
Bai Yang was helpless too. He had tried several times himself, and each practice session had gone differently.
There was no way to teach it. Even passing on one percent of a fragment to someone else was already difficult.
He walked straight to the center of the studio and began demonstrating Mist Sword.
The other four sat quietly at the edges of the room, waiting for the scene to unfold.
Before long, an enormous image glowing with a platinum sheen appeared.
They already knew the truth, but seeing a scene like this for the first time was still breathtaking.
Jia Yi and Lu Ting were especially moved. They had spent decades studying and practicing Mist Sword.
Never in their wildest dreams had they thought they would uncover its secrets in their lifetime.
The entire studio fell silent.
Only the low hum of nearly a hundred cameras of various kinds disturbed the quiet.
Bai Yang struck with his sword again and again. This time, the platinum light and shadow appeared differently from before.
As he practiced, he was also refining his swordsmanship. Gradually, he entered a state where he forgot both himself and the world around him.
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