Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [223]

Yanqing was furious.
Yanqing cursed under his breath.
Yanqing summoned his flying swords.
Yanqing attacked decisively!

Two minutes later, Yanqing was utterly defeated.

Not only did Chen Lin take control of Yanqing’s swords, but even with the full force of all six blades supporting him, Yanqing couldn’t withstand two casual strikes from Blade—let alone hold his ground against all three of them.

After learning that Yanqing was Jing Yuan’s disciple, Dan Heng barely lifted a finger. Most of the time, he simply evaded or passively defended. Chen Lin didn’t make a move either, instead letting Blade have his fun. Unsurprisingly, the first target of Yanqing’s aggression was Blade, who had been about to leave.

When it came to redirecting trouble toward others, Chen Lin had perfected the art through plenty of "hands-on experience."

Before today, Chen Lin hadn’t known much about Blade’s personality. But after watching him for a while, he realized that Blade was far from mindless—he was quiet, calculating, and quick to notice when he was being used as a scapegoat.

Kafka had instructed Blade not to harm either Chen Lin or Yanqing, but she hadn’t specified that he had to personally attack. Taking this loophole to heart, Blade used the opportunity to bait Yanqing into chasing him… straight into Dan Heng and Chen Lin. What had started as a one-on-one scuffle quickly turned into Yanqing facing what seemed like three opponents at once.

If Yanqing somehow managed to beat all three of them, he might have rushed back to Jing Yuan and gleefully shouted, “General, I’ve conquered Mount Tai!” Even if he were punished afterward, he would have happily accepted the honor, as such a feat was no ordinary accomplishment.

What Yanqing failed to realize was that none of the three opponents were taking him seriously. They were essentially toying with him. Even Blade, who was technically Yanqing’s main opponent, spent most of his time messing around—sneaking behind Yanqing to kick the back of his legs whenever he had the chance.

In barely a minute, Yanqing had been knocked to his knees over a dozen times.

The three alternated sparring with him, while the others stood aside watching, making no effort to ambush him. Despite this, Yanqing exhausted himself fighting just one of them at a time and failed to notice how strangely the “battle” was progressing. To him, it felt like a heroic showdown—taking on a wanted criminal and two traitors. If he could just push a little harder, he might win a glorious victory.

Eventually, Blade sidestepped Yanqing’s attacks, using one of the flying swords to shove Dan Heng into the fray. As Yanqing continued his fruitless struggle, Blade stood beside Chen Lin, his expression dark and foreboding.

“You’re using me to teach Jing Yuan’s little apprentice a lesson, aren’t you?” Blade growled.

“Yes,” Chen Lin replied bluntly. “But you’re going along with it willingly. I noticed you’ve been holding back—just like when you stabbed Dan Heng earlier. You know, for someone with so much bloodlust, you seem to know these two pretty well. Care to share the story?”

Blade’s face twisted, his soaked bangs dripping rainwater. His menacing glare could have turned the battlefield into a slaughterhouse. But as the drizzling mist fell, the overwhelming bloodlust in his eyes faded, leaving only a faint shadow of the so-called "demon" he was.

To Chen Lin, he looked less like a murderous deity and more like an angry, hissing kitten pretending to be fierce.

If Chen Lin had a cigarette, this would’ve been the perfect moment to take a puff and muse about life.

“Honestly, I misunderstood a lot before. But after realizing Dan Heng is Yingyue-jun, things started falling into place,” Chen Lin said with a shrug.

“…That’s your problem, not mine,” Blade muttered.

“Sure, sure. But let’s think this through. Jing Yuan mentioned an old friend, and clearly, he meant Dan Heng. Jing Yuan lured Dan Heng off the Astral Express, and from what I’ve observed, you’ve been obsessing over stabbing Dan Heng for quite some time. Even though he can’t remember you, I’d wager you two definitely have history.”

Chen Lin sighed, waving a hand to deflect Yanqing’s flying swords using a flash of psionic energy. “Dan Feng, once known as Yingyue-jun, was one of the Xianzhou’s ‘Five Legends of the Clouds.’ That’s what my dear ‘sister’ Fu Xuan told me. Alongside him were a masterful fox archer, Baiheng; the previous Swordmaster of Luofu; and a craftsman capable of forging divine weapons, Yingxing. Unfortunately, the Five Legends fell apart during the Yinyue Calamity. Some died, some vanished, and the rest were scattered.

“From what I’ve pieced together, I’ve already encountered three of the Five. Baiheng sacrificed herself in the war against the Abundance—this is recorded history. So that leaves us with you. You know Jing Yuan. You know Dan Heng is really Dan Feng. And from your obsession with him, it’s obvious you were part of the Five. That makes you Yingxing, right?”

Blade’s sword dimmed, its glow fading as if his power had been intentionally suppressed.

Chen Lin glanced at him. The Mara-struck condition was an extraordinary phenomenon, something neither fully understood nor controlled by the Xianzhou. Yet Blade and Jingliu seemed to have mastered it to some extent.

Still, Chen Lin’s focus wasn’t on the Mara but on the stories Fu Xuan had shared with him.

“My foster brother Jing Yuan, the Vidyadhara Dragon High Elder Dan Feng, Baiheng the fox archer, and Yingxing the smith. Together, they were legends. It’s a shame the Yinyue Calamity tore them apart. But now, here I am, standing before three of the five. Baiheng’s fate is sealed, and if I’m right about you, then this whole picture is starting to make sense. So, Blade, am I wrong?”

Blade sneered, his voice dropping to a low growl. “Who said I had to be a man?”

“…What?”

Chen Lin blinked, momentarily thrown off.

After seeing Chen Lin’s dumbfounded expression, Blade let out a derisive snort and clarified, “Relax. I’m a man. But Yingxing is dead. What remains is Blade. Got it?”

So… that was basically a confession. Why did this guy have to be so cryptic?

“So, seeing your old friend’s apprentice softened you up a bit, huh? You clearly didn’t have a problem killing before. Don’t tell me you suddenly grew a conscience.”

“If the student dies, blame the teacher. Out in the field, if they die, they die. No one’s fault but their own,” Blade snapped.

“Oh, so you did go easy on him,” Chen Lin teased.

“…Tch. Meddling fool,” Blade muttered, turning away.

Chen Lin could tell Blade was trying to mask his frustration, but his silence spoke volumes. For someone so ruthless, Blade was surprisingly easy to bait.

Blade lingered in the distance, brooding. Just before stepping away, he murmured, almost too quietly to hear, “Don’t die.”

“Huh?”

Chen Lin turned to look, but Blade had already moved on, choosing to observe the scene from afar.

By now, Jing Yuan and Li Sushang had arrived, the General calmly leading the young swordswoman toward the platform. Chen Lin recognized it was time to end things.

“Dan Heng, let’s go,” he called, taking a deliberate step toward the Abyssal Depths.

As expected, Yanqing shouted angrily, “Go? None of you are going anywhere! Whatever you have to say, you can say it in the Confinement Array!”

His flying swords moved in unison, hurtling toward Chen Lin like a flock of deadly birds. But Chen Lin, unfazed, made a subtle gesture. A psionic field shimmered into existence, halting the blades mid-flight and sending them spiraling back toward Yanqing, wrapped in a strange violet energy.

Before Yanqing could react, the swords turned on him, moving with impossible speed. The nearest blade stopped mere inches from his throat, close enough to make him feel the sting of its edge.

Dan Heng, watching silently, finally stepped in. Whispering a quick incantation, he summoned a wall of water, stopping the blades before they could strike.

The adrenaline wearing off, Yanqing collapsed to the ground, his face pale and shaken.

As Chen Lin approached, he conjured a piece of paper and a pen, writing a few words before folding it and placing it in Yanqing’s trembling hand. Pulling him to his feet, Chen Lin said simply, “This is for your own good. Consider it a lesson.”

When Jing Yuan arrived moments later, he smiled warmly. “My dear brother, you’ve gone to such lengths to teach Yanqing. Meanwhile, I, the General, spend too much time scheming in the shadows. Not very noble of me, is it?”

“General!” Yanqing called out, overjoyed to see reinforcements at last.

Jing Yuan shook his head, motioning for Yanqing to stay silent. Glancing between Dan Heng and Blade, the General spoke with an easy grace.

“Old friends returning to the Xianzhou often choose such inconvenient times to appear. If you miss the bonds of the past, you should’ve reached out sooner. I am a General, yes, but I am also just a man of the Xianzhou.”

Blade smirked faintly. “I’ve finished what I came here to do.”

“Very well, you’ve done what you came for,” Jing Yuan replied with a nod.

Their exchange was brief but loaded with subtext. Chen Lin watched with quiet amusement, noting how Jing Yuan seemed to have mastered the art of humoring Blade without provoking him.

Li Sushang approached Chen Lin curiously. “Master, what were you laughing about earlier?”

“I wasn’t laughing,” Chen Lin replied, feigning seriousness. “This isn’t the time for that.”

“But—”

“Adults’ business. Don’t meddle, kid.”

“But you’re not even older than me—”

“Do you want to disrespect your master?”

“…I’m sorry, I take it back!”

Satisfied, Chen Lin turned his attention back to Jing Yuan, who was giving Blade a final word.

“You may go for now. Your actions today, in a way, have helped the Xianzhou. Consider this my thanks,” Jing Yuan said.

Blade offered a mysterious smile but said nothing, disappearing into the distance.

Yanqing stared in disbelief. “General! He’s a wanted criminal! How could you just let him go?”

Jing Yuan silenced him with a raised hand. “Yanqing, how do you speak to your elders? Show respect. Now, what did your uncle give you? Why not read it aloud?”

Yanqing reluctantly unfolded the note, his eyes scanning the words.

“Through this battle, you’ve proven that you can handle a third of a fully powered Blade. Remember your limits. Think carefully before picking fights you can’t win.”

Yanqing’s face froze in a mix of shock and embarrassment.

He looked up at Chen Lin, who stood with a knowing smile. For the first time in a while, Yanqing muttered the title he had been avoiding.

“…Uncle…”

“Yes?” Chen Lin replied, smirking.

“You were teaching me a lesson this whole time?”

“Exactly. The battlefield isn’t a training ground, nor is it the setting for some heroic story. Luck doesn’t always save you. Sometimes death comes in an instant. Against an opponent twice as strong, retreat is the only logical choice. Even your General and I would do so. Remember: Preserve the people, and the land will follow.”

Jing Yuan added with a nod, “Death itself isn’t terrifying. What’s terrifying is dying without purpose. As a Cloud Knight, you fight not to kill but to protect. If retreating today ensures victory tomorrow, then retreat. Always prioritize survival.”

Chen Lin chimed in, “If you have the chance to ambush or outmaneuver your enemies, take it. Don’t make reckless moves that rely on luck. Honestly, I thought you’d use your head and draw us into a one-on-one, instead of overestimating yourself and trying to fight all three of us.”

Yanqing’s shoulders sagged. “I’ve disgraced you both… I’m sorry, General, Uncle.”

Jing Yuan smiled warmly. “Reflect on this well. For the next ten years, you will remain in the Divine Strategy Manor to focus on your swordsmanship. You may not leave without my permission.”

Chen Lin raised an eyebrow. “Only ten years? That’s barely enough to learn how to fight properly. Anyone hearing this would think the Divine Strategy Manor can only train Yanqing for ten years before giving up on him.”

Jing Yuan nodded thoughtfully. “You’re right. Let’s make it a hundred years.”

“…WHAT?!” Yanqing exclaimed, his face pale as a ghost.

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This is a fan translation of 在星穹铁道点群星科技树真的没问题吗? by 杏雨诗韵 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!