"This magic artifact's attributes are actually a bit better than the [Soul-Losing Lamp] I gave to Pudding, especially its skill—once triggered, it can instantly kill the opponent. No wonder it's a treasure personally bestowed by the Jade Emperor, haha!"
Jiang Yuan was overjoyed. He quickly bound the artifact to himself and placed it into his equipment slot.
"Ding! Congratulations on successfully binding the magic artifact [Soul-Aweing Ruler]. You can now perform operations such as blood refinement, upgrade, energy gathering, and demon infusion at the Artifact Masters of various immortal sects!"
A prompt sounded, informing Jiang Yuan about the relevant gameplay mechanics for magic artifacts.
"Since I've got nothing to do right now, I might as well head over to the Artifact Master and check it out!"
Having just bound the [Soul-Aweing Ruler], Jiang Yuan was itching with excitement—it was like buying a new piece of clothing and wanting to put it on the moment you brought it home!
Jiang Yuan opened the door, stepped outside, and glanced at the mini-map. He found that the Artifact Master was located in the "Functional Area" of the Eternal Life Hall Immortal Sect, separated from the "Living Area" where Jiang Yuan currently was by several mountain peaks!
"Looks like I have no choice but to use the flying sword!"
At such a distance, relying solely on a mount would take who knows how long, especially since the terrain here was mostly steep and rugged peaks, some towering into the clouds, making it impossible for a mount to climb!
Though a trace of fear lingered in his heart, Jiang Yuan still summoned the Clear Frost Flying Sword!
"Buzz!"
A sound like a dragon's roar rang out, and when the Clear Frost Flying Sword appeared before Jiang Yuan, it startled him!
The sword before him was no longer the foot-long size it had been in his backpack; it had expanded dozens of times, now about as wide as a wooden plank, enough for a person to stand on.
Jiang Yuan lifted one foot and stepped onto the blade of the Clear Frost Flying Sword to test it. It felt no different from stepping on solid ground. The firmness underfoot reassured him, and he placed his other foot on it as well.
Once Jiang Yuan was fully standing on the flying sword, a virtual joystick appeared in his consciousness.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Yuan cleared his mind of distractions, visualized a hand in his thoughts, gently grasped the joystick, and pushed it forward slightly!
The Clear Frost Flying Sword wobbled unsteadily into the air, heading straight for the cliff ahead!
"Mom! Ahhh!"
Standing on the flying sword, Jiang Yuan was lifted off the ground, suddenly four or five meters high, and he couldn't help but scream in fright!
As the flying sword was about to crash into the opposite cliff, the giant hand Jiang Yuan had visualized in his mind grabbed the joystick and yanked it back sharply!
The sword shot vertically upward, barely grazing the cliff face as it soared into the sky, narrowly avoiding a collision!
But just as Jiang Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, his concentration wavered, and the visualized hand in his mind shattered. The flying sword suddenly began to plummet at breakneck speed!
"Thud!"
A dull sound echoed as Jiang Yuan landed face-first, and a damage number rose above his head: -1200!
"Whew! That was close!"
Jiang Yuan slowly got up, muttering to himself, thankful that his health was a bit thick; otherwise, that fall might have killed him outright!
It was also fortunate that Jiang Yuan lived in the West Wing; if Wen Ding Cang Sheng and Ding Ye had seen that, he would have lost all face!
"Looks like flying a sword isn't easy at all!"
Glancing at the Clear Frost Flying Sword still hovering in midair, Jiang Yuan wore a wry smile. He pulled himself together and stepped back onto the sword.
This time, Jiang Yuan focused intently, once again visualizing a giant hand in his mind to grip the joystick, slowly guiding the sword upward.
Gradually, under Jiang Yuan's control, the Clear Frost Flying Sword hovered steadily in the air, performing basic maneuvers like forward, backward, up, down, speed up, and slow down.
After about ten minutes, Jiang Yuan had mastered the basic movements and began ascending to a higher altitude, slowly flying toward his destination—the "Functional Area" where the Artifact Master NPC was located.
"Haha! So this is how awesome flying a sword feels!"
High in the sky, Jiang Yuan clasped his hands behind his back, carefully controlling the sword to move forward at a steady 6 meters per second. Watching the white clouds drift by beneath him, he shouted in excitement.
It had to be said, with his Eternal Life Hall robe on and his hands behind his back as he soared through the air on the sword, Jiang Yuan actually exuded a faint hint of an immortal's aura!
He cautiously maneuvered the Clear Frost Flying Sword at about 100 meters above the ground, choosing this height because he was still new to it and feared flying too high would make him nervous.
But just as Jiang Yuan was focused on flying steadily, a small black dot appeared in his nine o'clock direction, slowly approaching from afar. Then, he heard a familiar voice.
"Oh my god! Move aside, newbie on the road!"
The one suddenly cutting in from Jiang Yuan's left was Ding Ye, also practicing sword flight. He was standing on his sword, flailing his arms wildly in the air, his whole body wobbling as if he might fall off at any moment!
"Damn it! Old Ding, don't come over here!"
Seeing Ding Ye flying straight toward him, Jiang Yuan shouted in panic.
"Ahhh! Yuanzi, move out of the way! I can't turn!"
Ding Ye finally noticed Jiang Yuan ahead and started yelling frantically, his movements growing even more chaotic.
"Fuck!"
As Ding Ye got closer, Jiang Yuan quickly used his mind to steer the sword to the right to dodge, but it was too late—the two collided head-on!
"Bang!"
A loud crash echoed as the "traffic accident" in midair sent Jiang Yuan tumbling from Ding Ye's impact. Both of them plummeted headfirst from the sky!
"Thud!"
"Smack!"
Two dull sounds like sandbags hitting the ground rang out. Damage numbers appeared above Jiang Yuan and Ding Ye's heads, and their health bars instantly emptied. Both died in this high-altitude "traffic accident"!
"Damn it, can you even fly a sword?"
Back at the respawn point, Jiang Yuan kicked his buddy Ding Ye in the ass and cursed.
"Damn you, you blocked my way, you idiot!"
Ding Ye wasn't one to back down, punching Jiang Yuan in the chest and retorting.
"I was going straight, okay?"
Jiang Yuan glared at Ding Ye, gesturing to show his flight path.
"So was I! You just popped out of nowhere like a ghost!"
Ding Ye gestured too. Up in the sky, paths went everywhere, and what Ding Ye said actually made some sense!
"Pfft!"
"Hahaha!"
Jiang Yuan and Ding Ye looked at each other and suddenly burst out laughing. The pair of best friends and goofballs hugged each other, roaring with laughter!