Chapter 31 The Dao I choose is…
After what felt like an eternity of contemplation, Zhao Lingfeng made his decision.
His eyes fixed on the Sword Dao's gate, its dim grey light a stark contrast to the brilliant radiance of the other paths before him. A wry smile touched his lips as he acknowledged the irony. He'd chosen perhaps the most generic, common path of all.
"The sword."
"How many countless cultivators have walked this road?"
"How many have failed?"
The gate's minimal resonance with his spirit was telling.
He was no sword genius, just a menial disciple who had stubbornly practiced basic forms whenever he could steal a moment between chores. Not because he showed any particular talent, but because it was available, because it was simple and standard. Because it was cool. Every journey had to start somewhere.
After all, though few, hadn't cultivation history been filled with tales of those who rose from humbleness?
Geniuses might soar quickly, but the vast majority of them had their limits or fell before they could shine. In the grand scheme of things, there wasn't much difference between a humble sword cultivator and one of a genius. Talent was certainly a crucial factor, but Zhao Lingfeng believed that with the right opportunities and luck, one can even surpass talent.
Still, doubt nagged at him.
The Beast Taming Dao had shown clear compatibility, offering a path that leveraged his unexpected talent with spirit beasts. The Perseverance Dao resonated with his grinding and enduring nature, while the Adaptation Dao promised tactical flexibility that would suit his strategic mind. Even the Servant Dao, despite his instant rejection, guaranteed swift advancement and resonance.
But all of them shared one critical flaw.
Their power was too abstract, too dependent on circumstances. What he needed right now, facing an ancient evil that could end them all, was raw, direct combat strength.
He felt somewhat ashamed and hypocritical.
He was no different from those who simply picked the avenue of power. But in the cultivation world, the number 1 rule was certainly might makes right. And unlike them, the manifestation of the Sword Dao's gate proved that no matter how little the resonance, there was indeed possible fate between him and the sword.
Above all, I have something they don't. Zhao felt the System's presence in his mind. A golden finger that ensures I'll never hit a true ceiling, as long as I'm willing to put in the work. No matter how difficult the road is.
"The sword is the simplest path to pure power," he whispered, fingers tightening around his plain iron blade that somehow appeared before him. "No complex strategies, no reliance on external factors. Just me and my sword."
His mind drifted back to his gaming days, to countless hours spent perfecting melee DPS rotations.
He'd always gravitated toward the melee DPS Classes.
Warriors cleaving through enemies with massive blades, samurai dancing through combat with lethal power, rogues striking vital points with fatal accuracy. The pure satisfaction of mastering those combat arts, of unleashing powerful skills or turning even the most basic attacks into devastating combinations through perfect timing and positioning...
"A Level 100 character," he chuckled softly. "How many months of playtime did I spend grinding to make my characters into DPS monsters? Wasn't that the dream of us gamers? To become so powerful that we could even kill the end game bosses in a matter of seconds?"
But what kind of swordsman would he become?
The cultivation world didn't lack for sword styles; swift and graceful like autumn leaves, domineering and unstoppable like raging flames, precise and lethal like lightning strikes...
Or perhaps he should follow a typical Sword Saint protagonist route? Clean swordsmanship with the pinnacle of simplicity, elevating the fundamentals to a level beyond.
Zhao Lingfeng did not know exactly what road he would take yet.
However…
That was okay for now.
His voice rang out through the starlit void:
"I choose the Sword Dao! And why should I stop at becoming a Sword Saint? I'll shoot to become a Sword God!"
The gate's grey light suddenly sharpened, transforming into brilliant silver that cut through the void. As it began to open, Zhao Lingfeng felt an inexplicable sword power exert its presence.
The gate opened fully, revealing a road that gleamed like the edge of a perfectly forged sword. As Zhao Lingfeng stepped forward, he felt the weight of his choice settle into his spirit. The road ahead would be long and hard, but that was nothing new.
As Zhao Lingfeng stepped through the gate, his consciousness plunged into a sea of silvery light. His body froze, immobilized by an unseen force as visions began to cascade through his mind like the opening cinematics of a game he'd never played.
He saw a warrior dancing through cherry blossoms, each swing of their blade precise and graceful, leaving trails of petals that turned razor-sharp. Another scene showed a burly cultivator wielding a greatsword that hummed with thunder, each strike carrying the weight of mountains. A masked swordsman moved like water, their blade becoming mist before reforming for killing blows.
The visions accelerated.
Thousands of different sword styles flashed before him in a blink of an eye. A woman whose sword sang with phoenix flames. A youth wielding dozens of flying swords into an extreme killing array. An elder whose simple wooden blade cut through reality itself.
Just as Zhao Lingfeng was trying to process all the profound sword techniques flashing before his eyes, the visions suddenly became a blur. His head grew dizzy, images distorting and merging until they became incomprehensible.
When the light faded, he found himself back in the chamber, struggling to remember what he'd witnessed. Only vague impressions remained. Flashes of mighty sword techniques that now felt like fragments of a half-forgotten dream.
A series of notifications appeared before him:
[Congratulations! You have entered the Sword Dao.]
[You have gained: + 5 Strength +3 Dexterity + 2 Spiritual Power]
[You have obtained +100 Achievement Points.]
[You have witnessed something incredible. Unfortunately, you are unable to comprehend even 0.0000000001% of what you had witnessed. Comprehension of the Sword Dao has deepened.]
[You have gained +4 Sword Dao Insight.]
[The Sword Dao Mastery Tree has been unlocked.]
[Your journey begins with basic understanding. Unlock skills and cultivate your sword to carve your path to mastery.]
[Primary Dao: Sword Dao]
Alignment: Novice Swordsman
Connection to the Dao: Very Faint (3%)
Progress to Next Alignment: 6/100
You have 5 Sword Dao Insight available.
[Horizontal Slash], [Vertical Slash], [Thrust]
Zhao Lingfeng stared at the notifications, particularly at the three grey basic techniques presented to him on a very familiar interface that branched endlessly.
"The Skill Tree! Hahahaha"
He couldn't help but laugh. After all those magnificent visions of profound sword arts, his starting options were the most fundamental moves possible.
"Just like every good RPG," he muttered, remembering countless games where you started with nothing but basic attacks or rudimentary skills. "At least the System is consistent with its theme of starting from the bottom."
Although his head felt fatigued, he was exhilarated.
He quickly tapped to view the System Help.
[System Help - Sword Dao Progression]
Alignment:
Represents your current stage of mastery in the Sword Dao. Advancing in alignment grants stronger techniques, improved combat prowess, and deeper Dao comprehension.
Connection to the Dao:
What It Represents: Your spiritual attunement and understanding of the Sword Dao. Purpose: Unlocks abilities, Dao epiphanies, and higher Dao insights. Mechanics: Grows steadily with cultivation, enlightenment, and battle experience. Can carry over into advanced or specialized Sword Dao paths. High Connection does not automatically mean advancement in Alignment but may provide unique breakthroughs.
Example:
A swordsman with 100% Connection to the Dao might unlock an advanced Sword Dao path or other unique notions, but they must still fulfill practical requirements to reach the next Alignment.
Progress to Next Alignment:
What It Represents: Your tangible, martial growth within your current stage. Purpose: Determines when you break through to a higher level of swordsmanship. Mechanics: Progress is earned through combat experience, technique mastery, and real-world achievements. Unlike Connection to the Dao, this requires tangible proof of growth (e.g., defeating strong opponents, fulfilling trials, or refining techniques). Once maxed, triggers a cultivation breakthrough into the next Alignment.
Sword Dao Insight:
Sword Dao Insight represents accumulated comprehension and breakthroughs in the Sword Dao, functioning similarly to skill points. These insights can be spent to enhance techniques, unlock new abilities, or deepen your understanding of the Dao.
Zhao Lingfeng studied the system's notifications with the careful analysis of a veteran gamer learning a new game's mechanics. Four distinct metrics displayed before him, each one familiar yet different from anything he'd seen in his gaming days.
"Alignment, Connection, Progress, and Insight..." he mused, fingers unconsciously tracing patterns in the air as if navigating an invisible menu. "So we've got character rank or class, a spiritual attunement gauge, an experience bar, and skill points all in one system."
His current Alignment, Novice Swordsman, was straightforward enough. Just like character classes in games had their advancement paths, this would be his ladder of progression.
His Connection to the Dao sat at a measly 3%, which made him wince. Unlike simple stat increases, this seemed to measure something more fundamental.
The actual understanding of the sword itself.
He'd seen enough cultivation stories to know that true power came from genuine comprehension, not just accumulated strength.
The Progress to Next Alignment (6/100) was more familiar territory.
"Classic experience bar." He nodded to himself.
"But it's not just about grinding kills."
This would require real achievements, actual proof that he'd grown stronger. No power-leveling shortcuts here. It reminded him of some games where he would gain experience from completing quests from NPCS.
Then there were the Sword Dao Insights.
He had five points to allocate. These weren't just ordinary skill points; they represented actual comprehension of sword principles.
"So these are like talent points in RPGs, but they reflect real understanding rather than just allocated stats."
Zhao Lingfeng took a moment of respite, thinking of something.
He opened his normal status window.
Name: Zhao Lingfeng
Age: 18 (24 previous life)
Level 5: Qi Refining Realm (3rd Level) (EXP until next level: 634)
Affiliation: Liuyun Sect
Title: Liuyun Sect's Outer Court Disciple
Dao: Sword Dao (Novice Swordsman)
Talent Grade: D grade
Body Constitution: None
Reputation: A trash menial disciple that diligently accomplishes his menial jobs.
Attributes (With Party Buffs):
Strength: 18 (+4)
• Dexterity: 21 (+4)
• Endurance: 18 (+4)
• Spiritual Power: 14 (+3)
• Perception: 20 (+4)
[You have 1 Stat Point Available]
As expected, he saw a new field known as "Dao". Seeing the increase of increase of stats, also made him very pleasant.
Once done, he closed this window and entered back into the Sword Dao interface.
Zhao Lingfeng cracked his knuckles, eyeing the three basic techniques before him.
"Now then, let's see what kind of build we can create with our starting points."