Heavenly Sword Saint
"Young Patriarch Jian Chen."
"You've become quite famous."
The voice drifted over the courtyard wall.
Jian Chen stood beneath the old tree, his iron sword already in his hand.
He did not look toward the voice immediately.
Instead, he listened.
The night was quiet.
No footsteps.
No movement.
Whoever was outside had concealed their presence extremely well.
That alone told Jian Chen enough.
This wasn't an ordinary disciple.
"Let's see..."
"Whether your strength is worthy of the name you've gained."
The voice carried a faint hint of amusement.
Jian Chen finally raised his eyes.
"Since you've come all this way..."
"Why hide?"
Silence.
Then a figure slowly appeared on the wall.
A young man dressed in dark clothing stood there with his arms folded.
He looked to be around Jian Chen's age.
His face was unfamiliar.
Jian Chen studied him for a moment.
Not from the Jian Clan.
The young man smiled.
"You noticed me quickly."
"I noticed you before you spoke."
The smile disappeared slightly.
The visitor jumped down from the wall.
His feet touched the ground without making a sound.
"I heard the rumors."
"Rumors?"
"About your tournament."
He looked Jian Chen up and down.
"Defeating Jian Xuan."
"Defeating Jian Ming after his breakthrough."
"Then defeating Jian Yuan."
He paused.
"And all of this after only a little over one month of cultivation."
Jian Chen remained expressionless.
"You came here just to repeat things I've already heard?"
The young man's eyes narrowed.
"No."
"I came to see whether the rumors were true."
Jian Chen's hand remained on the sword.
"And?"
The young man smiled again.
"I haven't decided."
He suddenly stepped forward.
A powerful aura burst from his body.
Jian Chen's eyes sharpened.
Seventh Stage?
No.
Stronger.
The visitor's cultivation was clearly above Jian Chen's current realm.
Yet Jian Chen didn't retreat.
The young man stopped several steps away.
"Don't misunderstand."
"I'm not here to kill you."
"Then leave."
The answer came without hesitation.
The young man laughed.
"You're quite direct."
"There's nothing else to discuss."
"Perhaps."
He turned as if preparing to leave.
Then stopped.
"I'll give you some advice, Young Patriarch."
Jian Chen said nothing.
"Your name has spread quickly."
"Too quickly."
The young man looked back.
"In this city, attention can be more dangerous than an enemy."
Jian Chen's expression remained calm.
"Are you threatening me?"
"No."
The young man shook his head.
"I'm warning you."
"Why?"
"Because I've seen what happens when someone rises too quickly."
He looked toward the night sky.
"People begin wondering why."
"They start asking what you possess."
"What you've found."
"Who is backing you."
"And eventually..."
"They stop watching."
His gaze returned to Jian Chen.
"They act."
Jian Chen gave a faint smile.
"Let them."
The young man stared at him.
For the first time, there was no amusement in his eyes.
"You really aren't afraid."
"I've faced worse."
The answer was simple.
The visitor studied him for several breaths.
Then he nodded.
"Perhaps the rumors are true."
He turned around.
"Who are you?"
The young man stopped.
After a brief pause, he replied,
"Someone who may see you again."
Then he disappeared into the darkness.
Jian Chen watched the direction he had left.
He didn't pursue him.
There was no need.
The man's purpose had been clear.
He had come to test Jian Chen.
And more importantly...
He had wanted Jian Chen to know that someone was watching.
Jian Chen looked down at his iron sword.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"So the news really has spread."
He returned to his room.
But tonight...
He didn't immediately begin cultivating.
He sat beside the window, staring into the darkness.
The tournament had changed something.
Before, he had been ignored.
A cripple.
A useless young master.
Someone nobody expected anything from.
Now...
He was the Young Patriarch.
The champion of the Jian Clan tournament.
And his victory over Jian Yuan had given the entire city a reason to remember his name.
That attention would bring opportunities.
It would also bring trouble.
Jian Chen understood that better than anyone.
He wasn't afraid of trouble.
He was simply unwilling to waste time on meaningless trouble.
His current strength was still too weak.
That was the truth.
He needed resources.
He needed time.
And he needed to continue cultivating.
Jian Chen closed his eyes.
The Heavenly Sword Scripture began circulating once again.
Spiritual energy slowly entered his body.
His expression became serious.
The moment cultivation began...
He immediately noticed the same problem.
The energy he had accumulated was disappearing rapidly.
The Heavenly Sword Scripture consumed far more spiritual energy than ordinary techniques.
Jian Chen frowned slightly.
At this rate...
The resources provided by the tournament wouldn't last long.
He opened his eyes.
"The Scripture Pavilion."
He remembered the third floor.
The faint spiritual energy beneath it.
There was something unusual about that place.
Perhaps not a treasure.
But definitely something worth investigating.
Tomorrow...
He would return.
Jian Chen stood.
He picked up his iron sword and walked outside.
The courtyard was silent.
Moonlight fell across the ground.
He raised the sword.
Then began practicing.
No complicated movements.
No unnecessary force.
Just the sword.
Every swing was controlled.
Every step deliberate.
His body was still weak compared to his former self.
His cultivation was still pitifully low.
But his understanding of the sword had never disappeared.
One strike.
Another.
The sword moved through the night.
After several hundred repetitions, Jian Chen stopped.
A thin layer of sweat covered his forehead.
He looked at his hands.
They were still young.
Still unfamiliar.
But gradually...
They were becoming his again.
The memories of his former life remained deep within him.
The battles.
The countless years of cultivation.
The countless deaths he had witnessed.
The heights he had reached.
And the fall that had brought him here.
Jian Chen closed his eyes.
He remembered the moment of betrayal.
The blade entering his body.
The woman he had trusted.
The expression in her eyes when she told him she had never loved him.
His fingers tightened around the sword.
For sixteen years, the original Jian Chen had suffered.
And now...
He carried his name.
His life.
His unfinished path.
Jian Chen opened his eyes.
"The past is over."
His voice was quiet.
"What matters now..."
"Is how far I can go."
He sheathed his iron sword.
Far beyond the Jian Clan...
The city continued discussing his name.
Some admired him.
Some doubted him.
Some were curious.
And some had already begun calculating what his sudden rise might mean.
Jian Chen knew none of their names.
Nor did he care.
But one thing was certain.
The moment he defeated Jian Yuan...
His quiet life had ended.
The world had finally begun to notice him.
And once the world noticed someone...
It rarely looked away.