Heavenly Sword Saint
Morning arrived quietly over the Jian Clan.
Golden sunlight spilled through the clouds, illuminating the ancient rooftops and casting long shadows across the courtyards.
The clan had already come alive.
Young disciples moved through the training grounds, their voices rising into the morning air as wooden swords and practice blades collided.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The sounds echoed throughout the clan.
But within a secluded courtyard...
There was only silence.
Jian Chen sat cross-legged upon his bed.
His back was perfectly straight.
His hands rested naturally upon his knees.
His breathing gradually slowed.
One breath.
Two.
Three.
The noise outside faded.
His consciousness descended into darkness.
At the center of that darkness floated an ancient golden scroll.
The Heavenly Sword Scripture.
Jian Chen stared at it for several moments.
Even after awakening a thousand years after his death, he still could not understand the origin of this mysterious scripture.
In his previous life, he had encountered countless cultivation arts.
Body-tempering techniques.
Soul-forging methods.
Bloodline arts.
Secret techniques capable of transforming spiritual roots.
He had even obtained cultivation methods that allowed weaker cultivators to challenge those with superior talent.
Yet none had ever been like this.
The Heavenly Sword Scripture did not merely teach a person how to cultivate.
It challenged the foundation upon which cultivation itself was built.
Jian Chen slowly opened the first chapter.
Ancient characters appeared across the golden scroll.
His eyes moved over them.
Then stopped.
His expression became solemn.
Meridians.
Every cultivator knew about them.
The human body possessed thirty-six primary meridians.
The number that could be opened naturally varied from person to person.
Some were born with several open meridians.
Others were born with many more.
And some...
Had almost none.
This difference was one of the fundamental reasons cultivation talent varied between individuals.
Throughout the cultivation world, one's innate meridians were considered part of their destiny.
Once a person was born, their foundation was largely determined.
There were methods to strengthen existing meridians.
There were treasures capable of nourishing them.
There were even secret arts that could temporarily force spiritual energy through sealed pathways.
But permanently opening a naturally sealed meridian?
That was another matter entirely.
Jian Chen's eyes narrowed.
The Heavenly Sword Scripture contained a method that contradicted everything he had learned during his previous life.
Sword qi could be used to attack the restriction surrounding a sealed meridian.
Not to force it open temporarily.
Not to bypass it.
But to destroy the restriction itself.
Jian Chen read the passage again.
Then once more.
His expression gradually changed.
"Impossible..."
He had spent less than thirty years reaching the Divine Realm in his previous life.
During that time, he had encountered countless extraordinary geniuses.
He had seen terrifying physiques.
Heaven-defying bloodlines.
Rare spiritual roots.
Monstrous cultivation talents that left ordinary cultivators despairing.
Yet even those people had been bound by the foundation they were born with.
Their meridians could be strengthened.
Their bodies could be tempered.
Their bloodlines could be awakened.
But the fundamental number of meridians they possessed could not simply be increased.
If the Heavenly Sword Scripture truly worked...
Then innate talent was not absolute.
Jian Chen's lips slowly curved upward.
"If this technique existed in the Divine Realm..."
His eyes became profound.
"Countless ancient forces would fight to obtain it."
But he quickly suppressed the thought.
The Divine Realm was too far away.
Right now, he had nothing.
No cultivation.
No strength.
Not even the body he once possessed.
If he wanted to return to the heights he had once reached...
He had to start again.
From the beginning.
Jian Chen closed his eyes.
His consciousness spread throughout his body.
He carefully examined his meridians.
One.
Then another.
Then another.
He searched deeper.
Finally...
He found it.
The first sealed meridian.
Jian Chen's consciousness stopped before it.
A thick restriction completely covered the pathway.
It resembled an iron wall buried deep within his body.
No spiritual energy could pass through it.
Jian Chen studied the restriction carefully.
After a moment, understanding appeared in his eyes.
"So this is the root of the problem."
For sixteen years, this body had been unable to cultivate.
Physicians throughout Moonriver City had tried countless methods.
None had succeeded.
They had searched for injuries.
They had attempted to repair his body.
They had used medicines and treasures.
But they had been looking in the wrong place.
There was nothing broken.
The meridian had simply been sealed.
Jian Chen's gaze hardened.
He began preparing.
He gathered his consciousness.
He condensed his sword intent.
But the process was painfully slow.
His current body was far too weak.
In his previous life, condensing sword qi had been as natural as breathing.
Now...
Every strand required tremendous effort.
Minutes passed.
Then an hour.
Then another.
Sweat covered Jian Chen's forehead.
His breathing became heavier.
Yet he remained motionless.
He continued condensing.
Again.
And again.
Finally
Clang!
A faint sword cry echoed through his sea of consciousness.
A tiny thread of sword qi appeared.
It was incredibly thin.
Almost invisible.
Yet the moment Jian Chen sensed it, his eyes brightened.
Sharp.
Pure.
Unyielding.
His understanding of the Sword Dao had survived reincarnation.
Even though his cultivation was gone...
His comprehension remained.
"This is enough."
He carefully guided the sword qi into his body.
It moved slowly through his meridians.
Closer.
Closer.
Until it reached the sealed pathway.
The moment the sword qi touched the restriction
BOOM!
Jian Chen's body violently trembled.
His fingers dug into the mattress.
A horrifying pain erupted from deep within him.
It felt as though an invisible sword had suddenly appeared inside his body and begun tearing through his flesh.
His muscles contracted.
His veins bulged.
Cold sweat instantly covered his face.
"Ghh..."
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
The restriction did not move.
Instead...
It pushed back.
The tiny strand of sword qi trembled violently.
Jian Chen's consciousness shook.
The pain intensified.
For an ordinary person, this would have been enough to make them abandon the attempt.
But Jian Chen was no ordinary cultivator.
He had experienced something far worse.
Death.
His memories flashed through his mind.
The sword piercing his chest.
Blood soaking his robes.
Lin Xue'er's cold expression.
The realization that the people he trusted had betrayed him.
His eyes slowly opened.
The pain remained.
But fear was gone.
Only determination remained.
"Break."
BOOM!
The sword qi struck the restriction again.
The barrier trembled.
A tiny crack appeared.
Jian Chen's pupils contracted.
"It works."
But the crack was far too small.
The meridian remained sealed.
Worse...
His sword qi was already weakening.
He needed another strike.
Jian Chen gathered what remained.
"Again."
BOOM!
The impact shook his entire body.
His back arched.
His fingers dug deeper into the mattress.
Blood seeped from beneath his fingernails.
Another crack appeared.
But his consciousness was weakening rapidly.
The sword qi was fading.
If it disappeared now...
He would fail.
Jian Chen stared at the restriction.
His breathing became slow.
His former life flashed through his mind.
The Jian Clan.
His cultivation.
His glory.
His enemies.
His betrayal.
His death.
Everything he had possessed had been taken from him.
Yet heaven had given him another chance.
A second life.
A second beginning.
He would not lose at the first step.
Jian Chen gathered every remaining trace of sword qi.
His expression became completely calm.
"Break!"
BOOM!
The final strike crashed into the restriction.
Silence.
For one heartbeat...
Nothing happened.
Jian Chen's heart tightened.
Had he failed?
Then—
Crack!
A tiny fracture appeared.
His eyes widened.
Crack!
Another fracture spread across the barrier.
Then another.
Then dozens.
The cracks rapidly multiplied.
The entire restriction was covered.
Jian Chen's breathing stopped.
The wall that had imprisoned his meridian for sixteen years...
Was collapsing.
"No way..."
His voice trembled.
"It really works."
CRACK!
The restriction shattered.
BOOM!
A surge of spiritual energy suddenly rushed into the newly opened meridian.
Jian Chen's body shook violently.
The energy flowed through the pathway.
For the first time in sixteen years...
The meridian was alive.
The spiritual energy continued forward.
Into his flesh.
His muscles.
His bones.
His blood.
A faint warmth spread throughout his body.
Jian Chen remained completely still.
He simply felt it.
Spiritual energy.
After sixteen years...
He could finally sense it.
The amount was pitifully small.
To another cultivator, it would barely be worth mentioning.
To Jian Chen...
It was priceless.
His eyes slowly opened.
"One meridian..."
His voice was barely audible.
"Completely open."
He examined it carefully.
The restriction was gone.
Not loosened.
Not weakened.
Destroyed.
Permanently.
A smile slowly appeared on Jian Chen's face.
Then he laughed.
It was quiet at first.
But beneath that laughter was something he had not felt since his rebirth.
Hope.
"So this is the Heavenly Sword Scripture."
His eyes shone.
"Even what heaven has sealed..."
"Can be opened."
He guided the spiritual energy through the newly opened meridian.
His flesh slowly absorbed it.
His muscles tightened.
His bones warmed.
His blood became slightly more vigorous.
This was only the beginning.
The first step into the Body Tempering Realm.
Yet Jian Chen wasn't excited because of the small amount of spiritual energy he had gained.
His attention remained fixed on the meridian.
One.
Only one.
But if one could be opened...
His eyes slowly narrowed.
"What about six?"
His heartbeat quickened.
"What about twelve?"
His smile deepened.
"What about twenty?"
His gaze became profound.
"And what about all thirty-six?"
For the first time since his rebirth, Jian Chen saw something that had been missing from his future.
Possibility.
In his previous life, he had climbed to the Divine Realm using the foundation heaven had given him.
This time...
He would forge his own foundation.
Every additional meridian would make his foundation stronger.
Every step would widen his path.
And if the Heavenly Sword Scripture truly allowed him to continue opening sealed meridians...
Then his limits would no longer be determined entirely by the body he had been born with.
He didn't know how far this path would take him.
He didn't know what price he would have to pay.
But Jian Chen knew one thing.
He finally had a path forward.
Knock!
Knock!
"Young Master?"
Xiao Yue's voice came from outside.
"I've brought your breakfast."
Jian Chen immediately withdrew his consciousness.
The Heavenly Sword Scripture vanished into the depths of his sea of consciousness.
He wiped the blood from his lips and adjusted his clothes.
"Come in."
The wooden door opened.
Xiao Yue entered carrying a tray.
The moment she saw Jian Chen, her expression changed.
"Young Master!"
She hurriedly placed the tray down.
"Why are you sweating so much? Are you feeling unwell?"
Jian Chen shook his head.
"I was cultivating."
Xiao Yue froze.
"Cultivating?"
For sixteen years...
Jian Chen had been unable to cultivate.
She stared at him in disbelief.
Then she noticed the faint spiritual energy circulating around his body.
Her eyes widened.
"You..."
Her voice trembled.
"You can cultivate?"
Jian Chen looked at his hand.
A faint stream of spiritual energy flowed through his newly opened meridian.
He nodded.
"Yes."
"The first step has begun."
Xiao Yue's eyes immediately filled with joy.
She had watched him struggle for sixteen years.
She had seen the humiliation he endured.
She had watched countless people look down upon him.
Now...
He could finally cultivate.
For the first time...
There was hope.
Jian Chen turned toward the window.
Sunlight illuminated the courtyard.
The world outside was peaceful.
But his heart was anything but.
He remembered the Divine Realm.
His former glory.
His betrayal.
His death.
One day...
He would return.
One day...
He would uncover the truth.
And one day...
Those who had once stood above him would realize that the person they had killed had returned.
But that day was still far away.
Right now...
He needed strength.
Jian Chen slowly clenched his fist.
"This time..."
His eyes became cold.
"I will build a foundation that even the heavens cannot break."
He closed his eyes.
His consciousness returned to his body.
The first meridian quietly circulated spiritual energy.
Then Jian Chen frowned.
Something was wrong.
His attention shifted toward the newly opened meridian.
Deep within it...
Something was glowing.
A faint golden light pulsed in the darkness.
Jian Chen's expression slowly changed.
"That wasn't there before."
He carefully approached it with his consciousness.
The golden light was extremely faint.
Almost insignificant.
Yet the closer he came...
The more ancient it felt.
Jian Chen hesitated.
He had seen countless treasures during his previous life.
He had encountered ancient techniques and mysterious artifacts that existed long before his birth.
But he had never sensed anything quite like this.
Slowly, he extended his consciousness toward the golden light.
The instant he touched it—
Clang!
A clear sword cry echoed through his body.
Jian Chen's pupils contracted.
His consciousness was violently pushed backward.
He immediately opened his eyes.
His heart pounded.
Silence filled the room.
Jian Chen remained motionless.
The golden light pulsed again.
Once.
Twice.
Then it became completely still.
Jian Chen stared inward.
His expression was solemn.
The Heavenly Sword Scripture had opened his first meridian.
That alone was enough to change his future.
But this...
This was something entirely different.
He had no idea what it was.
And for the first time since his rebirth...
Jian Chen felt genuine uncertainty.
His gaze hardened.
He did not reach for it again.
Not yet.
Whatever was hidden inside his meridian had appeared for a reason.
Until he understood it...
He would not act recklessly.
Jian Chen slowly clenched his fists.
"One step at a time."
His eyes became cold.
"This life..."
"I will go farther than I ever did before."
His gaze lingered on the faint golden light.
"And you..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I'll uncover your secret eventually."
Outside, the morning sun continued to rise.
Inside the quiet courtyard...
Jian Chen's second life had truly begun.