Chapter 26: Sword Sect Light Gate: Code Refactors the Way of the Sword

Shen Yan’s legs went weak, nearly kneeling on the gray-white stone slab. The aftereffects of the teleportation felt like ten pounds of liquor poured into an empty stomach, buzzing incessantly. He instinctively touched his phone—the screen was cracked like a spider’s nest, but the Terminal was still running Data Streams, green text scrolling line by line: “Protocol synchronization complete, four-dimensional anchor stabilized.”

He breathed a sigh of relief and looked up.

Mist curled around, and in the distance, two massive pillars supported a stone gate. On the lintel were carved three words—Sword Sect Realm.

“Arrived?” His voice was hoarse as he turned to look at Ye Zhao.

She stood half a step away, a strand of silver hair lifted by the wind, her gaze fixed on the mountain gate direction. She didn’t speak, but her hand was already resting on her sword hilt.

Shen Yan glanced down at the Terminal, and suddenly a Notice popped up: 【Detected high-level Mountain-Protecting Array, protocol version: Ancient Five-Element Nesting V3.1, compatibility mode initiating…】

Before he could react, three sword lights swept out from the mist, landing steadily ten paces ahead.

The leader was a young disciple in gray robes, his waist sword still sheathed, but his tone was unambiguous: “Ye Zhao, you privately brought an outsider to breach the mountain gate. Do you know your offense?”

Shen Yan raised an eyebrow, thinking, “Do they use facial recognition in the Cultivation Realm these days?”

Ye Zhao stepped forward half a step, shielding him, her voice cold enough to freeze frost: “He is brought by me. I bear the responsibility.”

“Bear?” Another female disciple sneered. “The Outer Sect rules are clear: wild cultivators cannot enter the mountain. As a chief disciple, you lead in breaking the rules?”

The third person held his sword, his tone sarcastic: “Could it be you picked up a mortal as your lover? Tsk, you disgrace the Sword Sect’s face.”

The air instantly tightened.

Shen Yan didn’t move, but his fingers were already sliding across the phone screen. The Terminal Interface displayed the Mountain-Protecting Array’s Energy diagram, red, blue, and green intertwined like a complex circuit board.

“Ancient Five-Element Nesting?” He narrowed his eyes. “This thing still uses single-direction authentication? Doesn’t even open an API Interface?”

As he muttered, he called up the “Spiritual Power Spectrum Analysis Module.” Data refreshed for a few seconds, and the System prompted: 【Found protocol Vulnerability: Spiritual Energy Waveform Verification has weakly encrypted fields, allowing forged authentication Signals】

“Good grief, old System not upgraded, Firewall still leaking.” Shen Yan’s lips curled. “Then I won’t be polite.”

His fingertips flew, beginning to write the “Cross-Protocol Spiritual Power Conversion Script.” Code lines dropped one by one, like patching an ancient Cultivation Formation.

Ye Zhao sensed his movements, slightly turning her head: “What are you doing?”

“Working.” Shen Yan didn’t look up. “They won’t let us in, we’ll open our own Backdoor.”

“You’re insane? This is the Sword Sect Mountain-Protecting Array, not your home Wi-Fi!”

“Similar.” He blinked. “Both are Signals, just they use Spiritual Energy, I use Code.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the three disciples had already closed in. The gray-robed man coldly said: “Ye Zhao, immediately take this person away, or we report to the Discipline Hall!”

Shen Yan ignored them, typed the last line of Code, and pressed Enter.

【Script running… Simulating Sword Sect Authentication Waveform】【Forgery successful, injection channel opening】

He raised his phone, aiming toward the mountain gate, and softly said: “Try connecting.”

In an instant, ripples spread across the light screen of the Mountain-Protecting Array, like a stone dropped into water. Immediately after, the runes on the left stone pillar flickered violently several times before slowly cracking open a gap, wide enough for one person to pass through.

The entire area fell silent.

The three disciples stared wide-eyed as if they had seen a ghost. “This… how is this possible? No one has ever manually broken the Outer Sect Formation before!”

Shen Yan put away his phone and patted his pant leg. “Now there is.”

He turned to look at Ye Zhao, grinning. “Shall we go? Or stay here and listen to them recite the sect rules?”

Ye Zhao stared at the gap, then glanced at him, and suddenly gave a slight nod.

Side by side, they walked through the crack in the light screen. The moment they stepped into the mountain gate, the terminal chimed:

【Achievement Unlocked: First Heterogeneous Spiritual Power Protocol Connection Achieved】

【Reward: Basic Sword Flight Assistance Module (Trial Version) Preloaded】

Before Shen Yan could check the details, an enraged roar came from behind. “Stop! You can’t just walk in like that!”

The gray-robed man drew his sword, Sword Qi aimed directly at their backs. “The Mountain-Protecting Array is damaged. You must be investigated!”

Ye Zhao paused her steps, drew Frost Soul Sword with a backhand motion, and lightly tapped its tip on the ground. A silver light spread like a net, instantly sealing off the three men’s range of movement.

“Take one more step forward,” her voice was piercingly cold, “and your swords will break.”

The three froze in place, their faces pale.

Shen Yan glanced back at her but said nothing, though he felt a warmth inside. This woman was usually cold as ice, but in critical moments, she was reliable.

He asked quietly, “Protecting me like this—aren’t you afraid of being accused of favoritism?”

“I’m merely enforcing the sect’s regulations,” Ye Zhao said, looking straight ahead. “Bringing someone in for the entrance trial is the duty of the Chief Disciple.”

“Oh, duty,” Shen Yan chuckled. “So, blocking for me just now was also duty?”

Ye Zhao ignored him, but the tips of her ears flushed slightly.

They continued forward, the stone slabs beneath their feet gradually steepening, winding upward until they reached a long staircase disappearing into the clouds and mist.

“Cloud Ascension Stairs?” Shen Yan looked up, squinting as he counted. “At least three hundred steps.”

The terminal popped up another notice: 【Detected High-Level Sword Intent Domain. Preload Sword Flight Assistance Module?】

He stared at the “Confirm” button, finger hovering in mid-air, not pressing down.

“You’re becoming quite reliant on that little box,” Ye Zhao suddenly spoke up.

“Phone?” Shen Yan shook it. “It’s my external brain.”

“But a true Sword Cultivator relies on the resonance between heart and sword.”

“So you’re saying I have to smash my phone first to be considered a proper disciple?”

“At the very least, don’t let it do your thinking for you.”

Shen Yan fell silent for two seconds, then suddenly smiled. “You’re right. But sometimes, code is more honest than the heart.”

He put away his phone and looked up toward the top of the staircase. “For example, right now, I know I’m afraid of heights, and my legs are trembling a bit. But the code tells me—as long as the logic is correct, even if I jump from the mountaintop, I can write a script for a safe landing.”

Ye Zhao looked at him, her eyes flickering slightly.

“So you’re not afraid?”

“Of course I am,” he shrugged. “But I’m more afraid of being stopped outside the mountain gate and told, ‘Wild cultivators are not allowed inside.'”

With that, he took the first step.

The stone steps were cold, the mist hitting his face. With each step, his body felt as if pressed down by an invisible weight—clearly, some kind of trial Restriction Seal was at work.

By the fiftieth step, Shen Yan was already panting.

“These stairs… have a weight buff added?”

Terminal Notice: 【Detected mental suppression field. Recommend activating auxiliary module.】

He gritted his teeth, still not clicking confirm.

“Can’t rely on external forces… have to climb up on my own.”

Ye Zhao walked slightly behind him and to the side, suddenly reaching out. A wisp of Sword Qi from her fingertip coiled around his wrist as she said softly, “Lending you a bit of buoyancy.”

Shen Yan was startled, his body instantly feeling lighter.

“Didn’t you say not to rely on external forces?”

“I said dependency,” she replied calmly. “But support between companions isn’t called an external force.”

Shen Yan laughed, the sound echoing through the mountains.

“Ye Zhao, would you say we’re… teaming up to clear a dungeon?”

“What dungeon?”

“It’s like… fighting monsters together to level up, getting equipment, and finally taking down the big Boss.”

She frowned. “Nonsense.”

“Then you’re my main tank, and I’m the healer and DPS,” Shen Yan said seriously. “See, a perfect match.”

Ye Zhao couldn’t be bothered to respond, but the corner of her mouth lifted slightly.

By the hundredth step, Shen Yan’s Grid Shirt was soaked through with sweat. He stopped to catch his breath, looking back to find the mountain gate long out of sight, replaced by a vast sea of clouds.

“What do you think… is waiting for us up there as the test?”

“The Sword Heart Trial,” Ye Zhao said. “Question your true heart, sever your Obsession.”

“Sounds mentally exhausting,” Shen Yan scratched his head. “What if I answer ‘I want to clock out’? Would I get kicked out immediately?”

“No,” Ye Zhao looked at him. “But you might be punished to copy the Sword Canon three hundred times.”

“I’d rather write ten thousand lines of Code.”

As they spoke, they continued upward.

By the two-hundredth step, Shen Yan’s hands began to tremble, his knees feeling as if nailed in place. He leaned against the stone railing, panting like a dog.

“Can’t do it… is this staircase trying to exhaust people to death?”

Ye Zhao handed him a Pill. “Hold it in your mouth. It refreshes the mind.”

He took it and put it in his mouth, grimacing at the bitterness. “This taste… is as unpleasant as a client changing requirements.”

“Then climb faster,” Ye Zhao continued forward. “Finish sooner.”

Shen Yan gritted his teeth and followed.

Finally, the end of the three hundred steps appeared before them. The mist cleared, revealing a ceremonial archway standing quietly, inscribed with two large characters—Seeking the Way.

The two stood side by side.

Shen Yan glanced down at his phone. The Terminal suddenly popped up a new message: 【Detected unknown Signal source approaching. Distance: two kilometers. Energy signature: same origin as Host】

His brow twitched.

At the same moment, from the shadows of the archway, a crow flapped its wings and took flight, its wings slicing through the silence.

(End of Chapter)