Heavenly Sword Saint
Night had settled over the Jian Clan.
Most of the residences were already dark, and the pathways that were usually filled with disciples had become quiet.
Yet inside the residence of the Third Elder, a single room remained illuminated.
The Third Elder sat behind a wooden table.
Several reports were spread before him.
They all concerned the same person.
Jian Chen.
Across the room stood Jian Ming and Jian Hu.
Jian Hu's expression was difficult to conceal.
He had been holding back his anger since the tournament ended.
Jian Chen had won.
Jian Yuan had lost.
And the person Jian Hu had once regarded as an insignificant cripple had become the Young Patriarch of the Jian Clan.
Even worse, Jian Chen had been granted permission to enter the Scripture Pavilion.
To Jian Hu, it felt as though everything had changed in a single day.
"Father."
His voice finally broke the silence.
"What are we going to do about Jian Chen?"
The Third Elder didn't answer immediately.
He continued reading the report in his hand.
Only after several moments did he place it on the table.
"What do you think we should do?"
Jian Hu hesitated.
"I think we should stop him before he becomes even stronger."
The Third Elder looked at him calmly.
"And how do you intend to do that?"
Jian Hu fell silent.
He had no answer.
The Third Elder leaned back in his chair.
"That is the problem."
Jian Hu lowered his head.
Beside him, Jian Ming remained quiet.
Unlike his brother, he had already accepted the result of the tournament.
He had fought Jian Chen himself.
He knew exactly how difficult it was to defeat him.
The Third Elder turned his attention toward Jian Ming.
"You fought him."
"Yes."
"What did you learn?"
Jian Ming thought for a moment.
"He's stronger than his cultivation suggests."
The Third Elder nodded.
"Anything else?"
Jian Ming's expression became serious.
"His combat judgment."
The Third Elder waited.
Jian Ming continued.
"He doesn't fight like someone who has only recently recovered his cultivation."
"He doesn't waste movements."
"He doesn't panic when he's pressured."
"And he adapts extremely quickly."
Jian Hu frowned.
"Isn't that simply talent?"
Jian Ming shook his head.
"Talent can explain some of it."
"Not all of it."
The Third Elder's fingers tapped lightly against the table.
He had reached the same conclusion.
Jian Chen's sudden improvement wasn't merely about cultivation.
Something had changed.
The young man who had once been ignored by everyone now possessed a calmness that was difficult to understand.
More importantly, he had defeated Jian Yuan.
That victory had established Jian Chen as the strongest member of the younger generation.
And the Clan Master had rewarded him accordingly.
The Third Elder picked up another report.
"Jian Chen has only been cultivating for a little over a month."
Jian Hu's expression darkened.
"I know."
"Yet he's already reached the Early Seventh Stage."
Jian Ming remained silent.
The Third Elder continued.
"That alone would have been enough to attract attention."
"But he went further."
"He defeated Jian Xuan."
"He defeated you."
"And he defeated Jian Yuan."
Each name carried weight.
Jian Hu's hands tightened.
The Third Elder looked directly at his sons.
"That is why you cannot treat him the way you did before."
Jian Hu immediately responded.
"I wasn't the one who"
"Enough."
The Third Elder's voice was quiet.
But Jian Hu stopped speaking.
"You are still thinking about the tournament."
"You should be thinking about what comes next."
Jian Hu lowered his head.
"What comes next?"
"Jian Chen."
The Third Elder's eyes became colder.
"His position has changed."
"He is now the Young Patriarch."
Jian Ming nodded.
That title alone made any reckless action dangerous.
The Young Patriarch represented the future of the clan.
Even if Jian Chen's current authority was limited, the Clan Master had clearly placed his confidence in him.
Anyone who openly moved against him would draw attention.
And attention was exactly what the Third Elder did not want.
"From this moment onward," the Third Elder said, "neither of you will provoke Jian Chen."
Jian Hu looked up.
"Father"
"Neither of you."
This time, there was no room for argument.
Jian Hu reluctantly nodded.
"Yes."
Jian Ming bowed his head.
"I understand."
The Third Elder's expression softened slightly.
"Good."
He gathered the reports into a single stack.
"We are not going to fight him."
Jian Hu looked confused.
"Then what are we going to do?"
"Watch."
The answer was simple.
Jian Hu frowned.
"Watch?"
"Yes."
The Third Elder stood and walked toward the window.
The moonlight illuminated the distant rooftops of the Jian Clan.
"Jian Chen has just begun his rise."
"He has resources now."
"He has access to the Scripture Pavilion."
"He has the authority of the Young Patriarch."
"And he has the attention of the clan."
The Third Elder paused.
"Let him use all of it."
Jian Hu didn't understand.
"Why would we allow him to grow?"
"Because stopping him now would reveal our intentions."
Jian Ming's eyes narrowed.
The Third Elder continued.
"We don't know his limits."
"We don't know how quickly he can continue improving."
"And we don't know what he will become if given enough resources."
Jian Ming understood.
"You want to see how far he can go."
"Exactly."
The Third Elder turned around.
"Right now, Jian Chen's rise is still confined mostly to the younger generation."
"But if he continues at this pace..."
His gaze became distant.
"Eventually, people outside the clan will notice."
Jian Hu's eyes flickered.
"Our clan is small."
"Exactly."
The Third Elder nodded.
"Small clans cannot hide extraordinary talents forever."
"Once someone becomes strong enough, attention comes naturally."
Jian Ming remained thoughtful.
"And when that happens?"
"We observe."
The Third Elder returned to the table.
"Every step he takes will tell us something."
"His cultivation."
"His decisions."
"The resources he seeks."
"The people he associates with."
"The techniques he chooses."
"We will learn what we can."
Jian Hu slowly nodded.
He finally understood his father's approach.
They didn't need to rush.
Jian Chen had just reached the position they could no longer ignore.
But he was still far from being untouchable.
Time would reveal everything.
Jian Ming suddenly asked,
"Father, what about me?"
The Third Elder looked at him.
"You lost once."
Jian Ming's expression remained calm.
"I know."
"Then learn from it."
The Third Elder's voice carried no anger.
"A defeat only becomes meaningless if you refuse to learn from it."
Jian Ming nodded.
"I won't lose myself because of one defeat."
"Good."
The Third Elder looked toward the cultivation room.
"Your next task is simple."
"Become stronger."
Jian Ming's eyes hardened with determination.
"I will."
The Third Elder then looked at Jian Hu.
"And you."
Jian Hu straightened.
"Yes?"
"Stop thinking about revenge."
Jian Hu's expression stiffened.
The Third Elder continued.
"Your emotions will not defeat Jian Chen."
"Only strength will."
Jian Hu lowered his head.
"Understood."
The room fell silent.
For a moment, the three of them stood in silence.
Then Jian Hu asked the question that had been troubling him since the tournament.
"Father..."
"What if Jian Chen continues improving?"
The Third Elder looked at him.
"Then we will continue watching."
"And if he becomes too strong?"
The Third Elder's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Then we will reconsider."
Nothing more was said.
There was no immediate plan to attack.
No attempt to challenge Jian Chen.
No reckless action.
Only patience.
The Third Elder understood something Jian Hu had yet to fully accept.
Sometimes the greatest mistake was moving too early.
Jian Chen had risen quickly.
Perhaps too quickly.
But his future was still uncertain.
The Third Elder wanted answers before making a decision.
He walked back to the table and extinguished the lamp.
"Go."
"Continue cultivating."
Jian Ming and Jian Hu bowed before leaving.
The door closed.
The Third Elder remained in the darkness for a moment.
His thoughts returned to the tournament.
The young man who had once been ignored by the clan now stood at the center of its attention.
The transformation was remarkable.
But the Third Elder had lived long enough to understand that extraordinary talent was not enough to determine someone's future.
There were too many variables.
Too many paths.
Too many possibilities.
He looked through the window toward the distant mountains.
"Jian Chen..."
"Let's see how far you can go."
At the other end of the Jian Clan, Jian Chen knew nothing about the conversation taking place in the Third Elder's residence.
The night had passed peacefully.
By morning, he had already finished his cultivation.
He stood beneath the old tree with his iron sword in hand.
His breathing was steady.
His expression calm.
A little over one month.
That was how long he had been cultivating in this life.
Yet he had already reached the Early Seventh Stage.
To the current Jian Clan, that achievement was extraordinary.
To Jian Chen, it was only the beginning.
He knew how vast the cultivation path was.
He knew how many powerful cultivators existed beyond Moonriver City.
And he knew that his current strength was still far too weak.
There was no reason to be satisfied.
He raised his iron sword.
A simple sword movement followed.
Then another.
His movements were controlled rather than forceful.
He repeated them until every motion became natural.
The tournament had ended.
His position had changed.
The entire clan now looked at him differently.
But Jian Chen's goal remained unchanged.
Strength.
Nothing else mattered.
After finishing his practice, he sheathed his sword.
His gaze moved toward the distant mountains.
Beyond them lay lands he had yet to visit in this life.
Beyond those lands lay an even greater world.
One day, he would walk through it.
But that day could wait.
He still had much to accomplish here.
Jian Chen turned toward the Scripture Pavilion.
The Clan Master had given him permission to enter.
That was what mattered.
The Young Patriarch position itself held little attraction for him.
The resources and authority attached to it were useful.
Very useful.
The Heavenly Sword Scripture consumed resources far faster than ordinary cultivation methods.
If he wanted to continue advancing, he needed every advantage he could obtain.
Jian Chen walked toward the pavilion.
His footsteps were unhurried.
He had no need to rush.
The path ahead was long.
The horizon was distant.
But for the first time since his rebirth...
He had begun walking toward it.