Chapter One: The Initial Trial of the Sword Sect

The sixth year of the Tianqi era.

Before the mountain gate of the Sword Sect, the Hundred-Mile Gallery was packed with a crowd like swarming ants.

Though vast in number, they queued in an orderly fashion, a structured harmony within the chaos.

Near the end of the gallery closest to the gate stood a wide table of green wood, upon which several sheets of white paper were neatly arranged.

Lu Bo held a brush between his fingers, idly tapping it against the tabletop out of sheer boredom.

The Sword Sect's triennial disciple recruitment assembly was drawing near. Trivial tasks like recording the details of the applicants naturally fell upon fourth-generation disciples like him, whose cultivation was mediocre and experience shallow.

Hearing approaching footsteps, Lu Bo gripped his brush with practiced ease and, without raising his head, asked, "Name?"

"Lin Fei."

"Where are you from?"

"I don't remember."

"???"

Hearing this response, Lu Bo frowned. Without moving his head, he cast a sideways glance at the newcomer.

The youth was dressed entirely in white from head to toe, exuding a quiet and aloof aura.

His voice was low and resonant, carrying the weight of someone exceptionally composed.

Yet, he was remarkably young, a boy whose appearance seemed entirely at odds with the temperament suggested by his attire and voice.

His eyes, in particular, reflected an extreme calmness—bordering even on indifference.

After a quick glance, Lu Bo merely thought to himself that this was likely another wealthy scion of the Ming Dynasty; these pampered playboys loved playing such annoying little games.

Ignoring the youth's attitude, Lu Bo scribbled a random location on the paper and continued his questioning. "Have you ever studied the sword?"

"It seems I have."

Lin Fei's eyes, calm as still water, gazed toward the mountain gate of the Sword Sect, showing no trace of emotion.

"It seems so?"

Lu Bo was genuinely at a loss for words, letting out a laugh of sheer exasperation.

He then asked, "And how many sword styles do you know?"

Lin Fei withdrew his gaze, paused in brief thought, and quickly replied, "In the beginning, I knew many. But as time passed... I only remembered one strike."

"Pfft!"

Lu Bo couldn't help but snort, though he quickly suppressed it. Finally raising his head, he sized up the astonishingly bold youth before him.

"Just one strike?" Lu Bo was genuinely astonished. It seemed this boy was simply not cut out for the sword; of all the styles he had learned, he could only recall a single strike. Youths like him would inevitably be ruthlessly eliminated, never to pass through the Sword Sect's gates.

Lin Fei shook his head and said in a tranquil voice, "Perhaps it is because, eventually, there was no one left who could withstand my second strike..."

***

"A fine-looking lad, but a fool..." Lu Bo muttered under his breath.

Ignoring the whisper behind him, Lin Fei walked toward the mountain gate.

There, the mountains rose in steep, rugged peaks, each sharp summit resembling a towering sword poised to pierce the heavens.

Yet, the mountain gate of the Sword Sect did not share the aggressive grandeur of the surrounding peaks. Its simple, muted colors gave it a low-profile appearance, like a master living in seclusion.

But this was only what ordinary people perceived. Only a true master, upon looking at the gate, would feel a sudden tremor in their heart.

Lin Fei merely cast a brief glance at the gate and stepped right through.

The gate of the Sword Sect clearly had no effect on him whatsoever.

Upon waking from his deep slumber, Lin Fei had found the world completely changed. He, who had once stood on the verge of ascending through tribulation, had somehow become an infant.

Over the years, he had come to realize that the era when sword immortals ascended was now considered ancient history.

So, he had been reborn...

Yet, by Lin Fei's calculations, his ascension should have proceeded smoothly. Its failure was anomalous.

A sword immortal's ascension required gathering the spiritual fortune of the entire world.

If someone had set a trap to steal that fleeting moment of global spiritual fortune, the benefits they reaped would be beyond imagination.

After much deliberation, Lin Fei resolved to cultivate once more to uncover the truth behind his failed ascension.

As for those who might have coveted the fruits of his ascension, they could be counted on one hand—such as the entities of the Primal Wilds or the Endless Demon Realm...

To uncover the truth, he would have to face enemies far too powerful, and he was currently still too weak.

Thus, his primary task was to find the sword that once belonged to him.

Hearing after his awakening that the Sword Sect was vast and possessed countless swords, Lin Fei had come to see if he could find his former weapon—the Wood God.

Yet, the moment he arrived, he sensed traces of the little fellow he once kept by his side from the lingering sword intent on the gate.

Perhaps he was still around.

...

After walking four or five hundred meters, he came upon a crowd of youths gathered around a pond, watching something.

Approaching, he saw a waist-high block of jade standing in their midst, entirely translucent green.

The crowd queued up, each person stepping forward to place a hand upon it with nervous expressions.

For most, the jade only emitted a faint green glow when touched. This meant they possessed only the most ordinary talent.

Seeing this, Lin Fei shook his head. He thought to himself that despite all the years that had passed, the Sword Sect was still using this outdated method that easily overlooked true geniuses.

"Next, Xia Yi," a middle-aged man in white with a sword strapped to his back called out from a small pavilion by the pond.

A bright, spirited young girl with a ponytail stepped briskly out of the crowd. Her fair, delicate face looked as though it had been meticulously sculpted like a porcelain doll. She extended a pale, slender hand and pressed it gently against the jade.

Immediately, the jade shone with a brilliant green light, which grew even brighter, transitioning into blue, and then shifting into a dazzling, eye-catching purple.

The shifting colors instantly triggered a flurry of excited whispers among the crowd.

"Is that... an Earth-grade Sword Heart?!"

***

"How old is she? To have such talent at her age, she's one in a hundred even in the Sword Sect!"

"Her talent is good, but in the Sword Sect, it's not entirely unheard of."

In the pavilion, Di Yuan, the examiner in charge of the test, whose brow had remained unmoved for a long time, twitched slightly. A look of satisfaction appeared on his face; he had finally encountered a decent prospect today.

The light from the jade fell upon the girl's face, lending her an exceptionally pure and sacred appearance.

Lin Fei had no interest in the colors reflecting from the jade. Yet, as he gazed at the girl's delicate and beautiful face, his brow arched slightly, as if he had discovered something intriguing.

The girl remained stubbornly in front of the jade, her palm pressed against it, refusing to pull away for a long time.

The purple light enveloping her gradually thickened from a thin mist to a dense shroud, as if on the verge of some transformation.

Seeing this, Di Yuan's gaze turned solemn. He stared intently at the changing light, his breathing growing rapid without him realizing it.

However, after watching for a moment, although the light on the jade seemed poised to solidify, it ultimately fell just short.

Di Yuan knew in his heart that the transformation he hoped for would not happen after all.

"A pity..."

Di Yuan felt a pang of disappointment and regret. Nonetheless, he comforted the girl, "That is enough. You have already done exceptionally well."

The girl's lips remained stubbornly set. Her eyes were fixed intently on the jade, and she did not make a sound.

Lin Fei looked at the girl's stubborn face. Seeming to recall something, he pondered briefly, and his gaze fell upon the jade stone.

Throughout the entire test, Lin Fei's attention had not been drawn to the jade even once.

This glance was the first time he had looked at it directly.

He gave the jade a focused look.

In the next instant, as if the jade had received some sort of command, a resonant boom echoed from the direction of the pavilion.

The stagnant purple light suddenly surged and churned like boiling water.

Reaching its peak, it suddenly dispersed, erupting into a brilliant golden light that illuminated everyone's faces.

The crowd fell into a dead silence at the sight, before erupting into a frenzy at the sound of Di Yuan's trembling, excited voice.

"Xia Yi, Heaven-grade Sword Heart, admitted to the Sword Sect!"

Di Yuan's voice shook with uncontrollable excitement.

Amidst the explosive cheers of the crowd, the girl's cheeks flushed red, revealing two cute dimples as an irrepressible smile spread across her face.

Yet, she could not understand. She had clearly felt that she had reached her limit, so why had that final breakthrough occurred at the very last second?

For some reason, she subconsciously turned her head and caught sight of the retreating back of a black-robed youth walking away...