The fake prince was exposed at the beginning, and I took office as emperor on the spot

Chapter 258 The Female Sword Immortal of Sword Pavilion (Part 2)

In the original game "Mirror in the Dust", players had already explored and figured out almost all the available professions and compiled them into a table.

There are a total of 272 kinds.

There are still some items not included in this list, some with information and uses yet to be discovered, and others that exist only as legends among players. But one thing is clear—

The job must be one that allows you to work.

In other words, a player must first take on a job before the template and skills for that job will appear.

Conversely, if players cannot actually take up a job through their own actions, then that job certainly does not exist.

Even if there are professions that are not recorded by players, the above requirements must still be met.

The profession that appeared above Gu Fangchen's head at this moment clearly exceeded this category.

【The One Who Unties the Bell (Infinite)】

The keyword "the one who unties the knot" only appeared once in the entire plot of "The Mirror in the Dust".

If a player chooses to rescue Xuanling and turn "Yubaigong" into a neutral unit, they need to mention the phrase "the one who tied the bell must untie it" to remind "Yubaigong," which is essentially a coded message.

The meaning of the term "the one who unties the bell" should refer to returning to a certain point in time through the Xuanling bell, severing the cause and effect of the "Heavenly Gate," and awakening the Xuanling bell.

However, Gu Fangchen now understands that doing so cannot truly save Xuanling; what will awaken is merely an empty shell occupied by the "Dao."

Therefore, players in the original game cannot be given the title of "the one who unties the knot".

Therefore, this previously unseen profession should represent that Gu Fangchen has reached a true causal juncture.

Only in this way can he truly be called the "one who unties the knot".

With a thought, Gu Fangchen activated the two skills provided by the [Bell Unraveler] profession.

【Skill 1: Turn Real into False (Active)】

[Note: You have seen the real world and lived within it, but you can still turn it into something false.]

【Skill 2: Concealing the False as Real (Passive)】

[Note: You have seen and lived in a false world, but you can still make it real.]

Gu Fangchen was stunned. One was the one who took the initiative, and the other was the one who was passive...

But upon closer reflection, he realized it was true.

Whether it's the cheat code he recognizes in front of him, the so-called career system, or the illusion that took him back five hundred years, in essence, they all became "real" existences under passive circumstances.

When he first transmigrated, he hoped for a "golden finger" (a cheat code to gain an advantage). So, the thing that impressed him most from another "false" world turned into "reality".

When Gu Fangchen first transmigrated, it was precisely when he had finished completing the storyline and reviewing the entire game. Naturally, the game's class system became his "cheat code".

In other words, these two skills were originally his own abilities?

[Turning the false into the true] He already knew.

What about the statement that "the truth is false"?

Gu Fangchen reached out and broke off a reed from the bank to play with.

The old Taoist priest Deyuanzi, who was standing next to him, was afraid that this more cunning and treacherous senior would kill him. To show his sincerity, he continued to ramble on about the current state of the world.

One hundred and seventy years ago, the Central Plains was still a wild and chaotic place, without any order. In the midst of this chaos, people discovered that "seeds of the Dao" had descended from the heavens.

Those who obtain the "Seed of the Dao" will develop all sorts of supernatural abilities, just like immortals.

The immortals mentioned here are no longer the respectful title that ordinary people use to refer to cultivators, but the true immortals in the eyes of cultivators!
A person who possesses the "seed of the Dao" is equivalent to becoming the master of a certain Dao, and can completely control that Dao!

"For example, Li Kan, the God of War, is the holder of the 'Dao Seed' of the 'Hundred Weapons' Great Dao."

De Yuanzi was clearly used to boasting, and once he opened his mouth, he kept babbling on and on, starting to use people as examples.

"This 'Hundred Weapons' Dao, 'Hundred Weapons' is just a figurative number. In reality, all weapons in the world are under Li Kan's control. You must never use a weapon in front of him, or you will be courting death."

"And as a result, he no longer had any living soldiers under his command... they had all been turned into puppet soldiers."

"Humans can't be considered weapons, but puppets can. With the blessing of this Great Dao, they are virtually invincible."

The old Taoist priest sighed:
"Tsk tsk, but nowadays Li Kan is becoming increasingly ruthless and bloodthirsty. Every city and country he conquers has been massacred... I heard that the Emperor is also dissatisfied with this."

He shook his head, then suddenly realized he had gone off-topic. He coughed twice and said seriously:
“Those like him are called ‘enlightened.’”

This means that all those who are of the first rank are actually people who have obtained the "seed of the Dao".

Gu Fangchen toyed with the reed in her hand, raising an eyebrow:

"What about those who haven't received the 'seed of the Dao,' like you and me? Are we still classified from the ninth rank to the second rank?"

De Yuanzi was completely bewildered:
"What are these ranks? Could this be a term used to describe cultivation levels somewhere before you went into seclusion, senior?"

He scratched his thinning hair and said:

“People like the senior and the old Taoist have not yet ‘attained the Tao’, so they are naturally just cultivators and there is no distinction between ranks. Some busybodies, in order to show off themselves, have created things like first-class, second-class, heavenly ranking, earthly ranking and so on.”

De Yuanzi glanced at Gu Fangchen and said cautiously:

"I reckon that if you were on the Heavenly Ranking, you would be in the top three."

"Although I am not interested in fame and fortune and have never been included in the list, I have seen the top five make their moves, and they are no more or less on par with me."

Gu Fangchen chuckled:
"It's not that you don't care about fame and fortune, it's that you're afraid that if you become famous, your methods and appearance will be known, and you won't be able to scheme against others, right?"

It seems that this Heavenly Ranking is not much different from that of later generations, except that there may be more people of the second rank in the top row.

Those immortals who have already "attained enlightenment" cannot be included in the comparison.

De Yuanzi: "..."

Damn it, I knew this guy was even darker than him!

The old Taoist priest, having been exposed, gave an embarrassed smile and said:
"Senior has a keen eye."

Gu Fangchen asked again:

"How many people have attained enlightenment in total today?"

De Yuanzi said:

"I reckon there should be at least two hands."

Gu Fangchen paused in her steps.

That means at least ten first-grade items!
This "Great Furnace of the World" is truly a fitting name. Is there any scene in the world more deserving of the name "Great Furnace"?

Living in such a world is truly an unbearable ordeal...

Battles between second-rank officials often result in widespread devastation.

If these "enlightened beings" were to fight, that would truly be a battle of gods, wouldn't it?

But now it seems that there has never been any war within this dynasty...

De Yuanzi seemed to know that Gu Fangchen would have doubts, and then added:

“However, with the Emperor above keeping things under control, these ‘enlightened ones’ don’t dare to act recklessly.” Gu Fangchen was still very interested in the information about “Master Hengchang.”

"So what realm is he at now? He should be above 'attaining the Dao', right? And what kind of 'Dao Seed' does he possess?"

De Yuanzi nodded:
"Of course, the Human Emperor realm is unique. Above 'attaining the Dao,' it is called 'infinite.' Only by reaching this realm can one be called a true immortal."

"It is said that the 'infinite' realm is the realm of true immortality and indestructibility, where one is one with the Dao."

Gu Fangchen twirled the reed in her hand, thinking to herself that this was probably not just hearsay.

Based on his observations of the "Master of Hengchang Dao," the description is likely true, but what this old man is pursuing is clearly more and higher than "infinity."

Otherwise, he could have become the leader of all those who have attained enlightenment, allowing the "Dao" that is about to burn the world to invade in large numbers. Before it burns out in a spectacular fashion, he would still be the supreme being.

Gu Fangchen then said:
"I just saw many practitioners heading southwest. Why is that?"

De Yuanzi smiled wryly:

"I heard that another 'Taoist Seed' has fallen to earth in the southwest, so naturally everyone is scrambling to get it."

He had only passed by Baima Temple because of the "Taoist Seed," but who knew he would fall into such a trap.

Gu Fangchen looked up towards the southwest, a thought flashing through her mind, and asked:

Is there a "Jiange" in the southwest?

De Yuanzi was taken aback:
"Didn't you just come out of seclusion, senior? How did you know?"

Gu Fangchen raised an eyebrow:
"How to say?"

"There was no 'Sword Pavilion' in the Southwest before... But not long ago, I heard that a female sword immortal founded a sect in the Southwest. However, she did not accept disciples or recruit people. Instead, she built a pavilion on the mountain and called it 'Sword Pavilion,' which is very strange."

De Yuanzi shook his head:
"However, that female sword immortal was also an 'enlightened one' with extraordinary strength. After killing a few fools, no one had any objections."

"In any case, she merely occupied a mountaintop for quiet cultivation and never interfered with other cultivators."

"To be honest, I think she seemed to be waiting for someone..."

Gu Fangchen's pupils constricted. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled to calm her agitated emotions.

In an era before the Sword Pavilion was even established, who could be the female sword immortal who suddenly appeared and then occupied the mountain to build the pavilion?
Ninety-nine percent of the time, it was Ning Caiyong who had made a pact with Gu Fangchen to "meet in the furnace".

For "Master Hengchang" and Ning Caiyong, sealing away this part of history does not seem to be an obstacle.

However, it seems they cannot remain in the mortal world in their true form for long.

Based on the old Taoist's description of the current situation, Gu Fangchen guessed that the main purpose of the seal should be to prevent the "Tao Seed" from flowing out.

And they themselves are also part of the "Tao seed".

This "Great Furnace Era" currently has ten First-Rank cultivators existing simultaneously. It is conceivable that, given time, even the "Master of Hengchang Dao" will be unable to suppress these "enlightened ones".

Or rather, this world may not be able to withstand so many "enlightened beings".

Xie Qian, a mere first-rank cultivator, is enough to turn the world upside down. If there were ten more, wouldn't they obliterate the Great Dao?

Thinking about this, Gu Fangchen vaguely understood why those "Dao" were said to be like bookworms, or flames that burned the world.

The "Tao" that parasitizes this world doesn't care whether the world can withstand its turmoil; it only continuously draws strength from the world as nourishment to grow stronger.

Ultimately, it turned into a situation like the "Great Furnace of the World"—

It's basically a standing kick!

The sealing of this history is probably also to reduce the burden on the world, and at the same time, to prevent future generations from continuing to "attain enlightenment".

Gu Fangchen had just learned from the old Taoist Deyuanzi that the current world's situation was highly similar to that of the present world, almost completely overlapping.

Except for the lack of enlightened beings, the current ancient dynasty is exactly the same as the Great Wei dynasty over the past 170 years.

This is definitely not a coincidence.

Given that "Master Hengchang" would become the founding emperor and the last emperor of every dynasty, it is almost certain that he was deliberately controlling the development trajectory of each dynasty!

This is the true way of "constancy".

If everything is erased and then rebuilt in the exact same world, wouldn't that be a Truman Show?

Gu Fangchen even felt that the present world might have already undergone more than one erasure!

Because the outflow of "Taoist seeds" has not been stopped, there are still "preachers" who are chosen by "Tao" and spread those foreign Taos.

Moreover, there are now more than a dozen first-grade items in the "Great Furnace Era".

It's impossible for it to just disappear like that.

Therefore, when a re-established history develops to a certain stage, it will inevitably follow the old path.

Then, it was erased once more.

Then fault lines appeared one after another...

Today, people refer to the era before the Zhou Dynasty as "ancient times," but in reality, the Zhou Dynasty may have existed for less than five thousand years. How can it be called "ancient times"?
This kind of terminology may be a legacy of established conventions.

In other words, the world has been restarted countless times...

No wonder those who witnessed the "Heavenly Gate" went mad.

If one were to discover that their world and the history they know are all man-made, they would indeed go mad.

Gu Fangchen pondered for a moment, then said:
“Come, I will go with you to the southwest.”

De Yuanzi was taken aback at first, then said:
"Senior, are you also interested in that 'Tao Seed'?"

Gu Fangchen, of course, couldn't admit that he was interested in the female sword immortal, so he casually nodded and began to blatantly lie:

"I have been in seclusion for many years and I was unaware that such an interesting thing had appeared in the outside world, so I naturally had to go and see it."

"As for whether to take it or not, that depends on whether this 'seed of the Way' is suitable. Let's discuss that later."

De Yuanzi looked at him strangely and began to grumble inwardly.

Is it even suitable...? Even if you are powerful, you are only at the same level as me. Among those who come to snatch it, there are many who are at the top of the Heavenly Ranking. It is hard to say whether you can even get it!

You're still stirring things up!

However, circumstances forced De Yuanzi to refute the situation, so he could only offer a few flattering words with a fawning smile before the two of them flew away together, heading towards the southwest.

"Whoosh..."

Gu Fangchen felt the wind blowing against her face, looked down at the similarly undulating mountains and rivers below, and asked:
"By the way, do you know what kind of 'Great Dao' that 'Dao Seed' is?"

De Yuanzi replied:
"I've heard it seems to be 'divine mandate,' which has alarmed quite a few important figures."

"Oh."

Gu Fangchen's tone was very strange, and she glanced at herself again. De Yuanzi couldn't help but say:
"Senior, what do you mean by 'oh'?"

"I'm thinking...maybe this 'destiny' really is what destiny has ordained."

(End of this chapter)