Heavenly Sword Saint
Night had settled over the Jian Clan.
The day's activity had gradually faded, leaving the enormous estate wrapped in silence. Moonlight slipped through the broken window of Jian Chen's room, illuminating the worn floor and simple furnishings with a pale glow.
Jian Chen sat quietly on his bed.
He had already made sure Liu Ruyan and Xiao Yue had returned to rest, but sleep was the last thing on his mind.
His gaze rested on the moon.
Its pale light reminded him of another night.
A thousand years ago.
The Heavenfall Secret Realm.
Blood had covered his body.
His strength had been almost completely exhausted.
Yet even at that moment, he had never imagined that Lin Xue'er would be the one to strike him.
He remembered the sword piercing his back.
The coldness in her eyes.
The smile on Long Tian's face.
And the sound of his sword breaking.
For a thousand years, those memories had been accompanied by hatred.
Now, they carried something else.
His mother was alive.
His father had not yet disappeared.
The Jian Clan still stood.
The disasters he remembered had yet to unfold.
A thousand years ago, he had been given no chance to change anything.
Now, he had one.
Jian Chen slowly closed his eyes.
His breathing became steady.
The distracting thoughts in his mind faded one by one.
With a single thought, his consciousness sank into his soul.
The world around him disappeared.
His sea of consciousness appeared as an endless expanse of darkness.
There was no sky.
No earth.
No beginning.
No end.
Only darkness.
At its center floated an ancient golden scroll.
Jian Chen's expression immediately became solemn.
The Heavenly Sword Scripture.
A thousand years ago, this Scripture had appeared before him inside the Heavenfall Secret Realm.
He had barely obtained it before Lin Xue'er's betrayal changed everything.
His injuries had been too severe to investigate its secrets.
Then her sword had pierced his body.
His life had ended before he could discover what the Scripture truly contained.
Now, he had another chance.
Jian Chen approached the golden scroll and extended his spiritual sense.
The instant his consciousness touched it
Boom!
A tremendous sword cry erupted throughout his sea of consciousness.
The endless darkness trembled.
The golden scroll slowly unfolded.
Countless golden sword runes emerged from its surface, spreading through the darkness like stars across an endless night.
Jian Chen's eyes narrowed.
Every rune carried a different Sword Intent.
Some were fierce and domineering.
Others were calm and profound.
Some contained principles so deep that even Jian Chen could only sense their existence without fully understanding them.
His expression gradually became more serious.
In his previous life, he had stood among the greatest sword geniuses of the Divine Realm.
His understanding of the Sword Dao had been profound enough to suppress countless geniuses of his generation.
Yet the Heavenly Sword Scripture still made him feel as though he were looking at the Sword Dao from an entirely different height.
It wasn't that he had forgotten what he knew.
The Scripture was simply pointing toward something beyond the limits of his previous understanding.
Then an ancient voice echoed through the darkness.
"The Sword is the beginning of all blades."
"It can protect."
"It can destroy."
"It can sever fate."
"It can cut through reincarnation."
Jian Chen's pupils contracted.
Reincarnation.
He stared at the golden Scripture.
According to everything he had understood in his previous life, reincarnation was something far beyond ordinary cultivation.
Yet he had died.
And a thousand years later, he had awakened in another body.
Was this merely coincidence?
Or was his second life connected to the Scripture?
Jian Chen's thoughts raced.
Before he could investigate further, the golden scroll suddenly erupted with brilliant light.
Seven ancient symbols appeared above it.
Jian Chen's gaze sharpened.
"Seven levels..."
A trace of surprise appeared in his eyes.
He had never discovered this in his previous life.
The Scripture he had obtained back then had been far more mysterious than he had realized.
The first symbol slowly illuminated.
Sword Heart Foundation.
Golden light descended from the symbol and entered Jian Chen's consciousness.
An enormous amount of information flooded into his mind.
Jian Chen immediately focused.
He began studying the technique.
The Sword Heart Foundation was unlike any cultivation method he had encountered before.
It did not begin with absorbing spiritual energy.
It did not begin with strengthening the physical body.
It began with the Sword.
The heart of the Sword.
The will of the Sword.
The understanding of the Sword.
Only after establishing that foundation could a cultivator truly walk the path of the Heavenly Sword Scripture.
Jian Chen's expression slowly changed.
In his previous life, he had cultivated one of the Jian Clan's supreme techniques.
That technique had taught him how to refine spiritual energy, strengthen his cultivation, and advance through the realms.
It had supported his rise until he stood at the peak of the Divine Realm.
But the Heavenly Sword Scripture sought something fundamentally different.
It wanted the Sword itself to become the foundation of cultivation.
Jian Chen fell silent.
He had spent his previous life pursuing the Sword.
He had studied countless sword techniques.
Comprehended profound Sword Dao principles.
Fought countless experts.
Yet he had never considered making the Sword the foundation upon which his entire cultivation was built.
"So that's the difference."
His gaze shifted toward the remaining six symbols.
They remained hidden within the darkness.
Jian Chen extended his spiritual sense toward them.
Nothing happened.
The Scripture did not reject him.
It simply revealed nothing.
Jian Chen understood.
His current cultivation was insufficient.
Only the first level was available to him.
Sword Heart Foundation.
The other six would have to wait.
He withdrew his spiritual sense and continued studying the first level.
Then his expression suddenly changed.
His eyes stopped on a particular passage.
He read it once.
Then again.
His brows slowly furrowed.
"The Sword Heart Foundation..."
His gaze sharpened.
"...can only be cultivated by those born with blocked meridians."
The darkness became strangely quiet.
Jian Chen lowered his gaze toward his body.
Blocked meridians.
His meridians had been completely sealed since birth.
It was the reason everyone believed he was incapable of cultivation.
A crippling defect.
A dead end.
Yet the Scripture described something entirely different.
His weakness was not an obstacle.
It was a requirement.
A faint smile appeared on Jian Chen's face.
"So this path was waiting for someone like me."
He continued reading.
The smile soon disappeared.
The first step was to condense sword qi.
Then, using the sword qi as a blade, he would have to carve through the blockage within his meridians.
Jian Chen immediately understood the danger.
The meridians were extremely fragile.
Sword qi was inherently destructive.
If the sword qi was too weak, it would fail to break the blockage.
If it was too strong, it could tear the meridian apart.
The consequences would be severe.
At best, his cultivation path could be crippled.
At worst, his organs or dantian could be damaged.
Death was not impossible.
Jian Chen remained silent for several breaths.
He knew exactly what he was about to attempt.
But for the first time since awakening in this life, he had found a genuine path forward.
He opened his eyes.
"Let's begin."
Jian Chen sat upright.
Spiritual energy slowly gathered around his body.
The moment it approached his meridians, resistance appeared.
The blockage was absolute.
Even the smallest amount of spiritual energy struggled to pass through.
Jian Chen did not force it.
Instead, he followed the instructions of the Sword Heart Foundation.
He gathered the spiritual energy.
Compressed it.
Refined it.
Then repeated the process.
His understanding of the Sword Dao guided every movement.
His control was precise.
One mistake could destroy the meridian before he even began.
Time passed quietly.
The night deepened.
Gradually, a faint Sword Intent began forming within his body.
Jian Chen sensed it immediately.
His attention became absolute.
He compressed the Sword Intent.
Again.
And again.
Each cycle stripped away impurities and forced the scattered Sword Intent into a smaller and sharper form.
The pressure inside his body increased.
Then
Buzz!
A tiny strand of golden sword qi appeared.
Jian Chen's eyes opened.
He stared at it.
It was incredibly weak.
Compared with the sword qi he had once wielded at the peak of the Divine Realm, it was insignificant.
But he did not underestimate it.
This was his first sword qi in his second life.
More importantly, it was the first sword qi created through the Heavenly Sword Scripture.
Jian Chen carefully guided it toward the sealed meridian.
The instant it entered
Pain exploded through his body.
His entire body jerked.
The tiny strand of sword qi was only a thread, yet within the narrow meridian, it was as destructive as a blade cutting through iron.
Jian Chen's face turned pale.
Cold sweat immediately appeared on his forehead.
His muscles tightened as he fought to maintain control.
The pain wasn't confined to the meridian.
The nerves surrounding it seemed to burn.
Even his internal organs trembled from the shock.
Blood slowly appeared at the corner of his lips.
Jian Chen ignored it.
His entire consciousness was focused on the sword qi.
Too much force would rupture the meridian.
Too little would accomplish nothing.
He advanced it by the smallest possible amount.
The blockage resisted.
The sword qi scraped against it.
A sharp sensation spread through Jian Chen's abdomen.
His fingers dug into his thighs, but his control remained steady.
He had endured injuries far worse in his previous life.
But that body had been forged through countless years of cultivation.
This body was different.
His meridians had never been tempered.
His physical strength was insignificant compared with what he once possessed.
Even this tiny strand of sword qi was pushing his body toward its limit.
Jian Chen continued.
Slowly.
Carefully.
The sword qi pressed deeper into the blockage.
The meridian began to tremble.
Jian Chen sensed the danger immediately.
Another fraction of force could cause the meridian to rupture.
He reduced the pressure.
Then changed the angle of the sword qi.
A subtle adjustment.
The golden strand began cutting through a different section of the blockage.
Jian Chen's eyes flashed.
This was why understanding mattered.
Strength alone could not accomplish this.
He needed control.
The sword qi moved again.
Pain surged through his body.
Jian Chen's vision blurred for an instant.
Blood spilled from his lips.
He swallowed it and continued.
Then
Crack!
A tiny fracture appeared within the blockage.
Jian Chen's pupils contracted.
A thread of spiritual energy immediately slipped through the opening.
For the first time since his birth, spiritual energy had crossed the absolute barrier of that meridian.
Warmth spread through a tiny section of his abdomen.
But the meridian immediately trembled violently.
The fragile fracture began expanding.
Jian Chen's expression changed.
If it continued, the meridian could rupture.
He immediately withdrew the sword qi.
The golden strand retreated from the meridian and returned to his sea of consciousness.
The pressure disappeared.
Jian Chen's body went limp.
He remained seated, breathing heavily.
Blood stained his lips.
His right hand trembled slightly.
The meridian he had attacked throbbed with every heartbeat.
When he instinctively tried to circulate spiritual energy through it, a sharp pain shot through his abdomen.
Jian Chen stopped immediately.
He lowered his gaze.
His body had paid a price.
The first meridian was still sealed.
He had not achieved a true breakthrough.
He had only created a fracture in the absolute blockage.
But that fracture was enough.
A path now existed.
A tiny one.
Fragile.
Dangerous.
But real.
Jian Chen closed his eyes and examined the damaged meridian.
He could sense that it would require time to recover.
If he attempted another strike immediately, the consequences would be far more severe.
He would not take that risk.
There was no need to rush.
He had already confirmed the most important thing.
The method worked.
Jian Chen wiped the blood from his lips and slowly leaned against the wall.
A faint smile appeared on his exhausted face.
The cost had been greater than he expected.
But the path was real.
That was enough.
After resting for several breaths, Jian Chen closed his eyes again.
His consciousness returned to his sea of consciousness.
The ancient golden Scripture remained suspended within the darkness.
The first symbol continued to glow.
Sword Heart Foundation.
The other six remained silent.
Jian Chen's gaze slowly passed over them.
Then stopped.
The seventh symbol.
He stared at it for several breaths.
There was nothing unusual about it.
No light.
No movement.
No visible change.
Yet Jian Chen couldn't shake the feeling that something was different.
His intuition had rarely failed him.
Perhaps there was a reason.
Perhaps—
Buzz!
The seventh symbol trembled.
Jian Chen's pupils contracted.
The vibration lasted for less than a breath.
It was so faint that an ordinary cultivator might never have noticed it.
But Jian Chen saw it clearly.
The seventh symbol trembled once.
Then became completely still.
Silence returned to the sea of consciousness.
Jian Chen stared at it.
His expression gradually became solemn.
He had not imagined it.
But why?
He had only begun cultivating the first level.
He had not even opened his first meridian.
There was no obvious reason for the seventh level to react.
Jian Chen's mind raced through every possibility.
Then he stopped.
There wasn't enough information.
He would not make a conclusion based on a single unexplained reaction.
Still, one thing was certain.
The Heavenly Sword Scripture was hiding secrets even he could not understand.
The golden scroll slowly closed.
The seven symbols disappeared into darkness.
Jian Chen opened his eyes.
Moonlight still illuminated the quiet room.
Everything appeared exactly as it had before.
Yet his body told him otherwise.
His abdomen still throbbed with pain.
His meridian remained damaged.
His body was exhausted.
And deep within his consciousness, the first trace of sword qi continued to exist.
A thousand years ago, he had obtained the Heavenly Sword Scripture and died before uncovering its secrets.
This time, he would not make the same mistake.
Jian Chen looked down at his hands.
These hands had once held a sword at the peak of the Divine Realm.
Now they were weak.
His meridians remained sealed.
His cultivation had barely begun.
But he had found a path.
Not an easy path.
Not a safe path.
A path that demanded that he carve his way forward with his own sword qi.
Jian Chen slowly raised his gaze toward the darkening sky.
His eyes were calm.
He knew exactly how long the road ahead would be.
He had walked one before.
This time, he would walk it again.
And somewhere within the darkness of the Heavenly Sword Scripture, the seventh level had already noticed him.