Episode 1 – The Fallen Sword Sect
The night sky was heavy with ash and embers. Once, the mountains had shone with the light of countless swords, but now only ruins remained. The proud Azure Blade Sect, feared and respected across three provinces, had been reduced to rubble overnight.
From the broken stone steps, a lone youth staggered forward. His black hair was tangled, his robe torn, and in his hands was nothing but a cracked wooden training sword. His name was Li Shen, a seventeen-year-old outer disciple often mocked for his lack of talent.
"Pathetic," the elders had always said. "A disciple with no spirit veins cannot cultivate."
Yet here he was, one of the last living members of his sect.
At his side, two companions stood against the darkness.
Mei Lan, his childhood friend, her bright eyes fierce even in despair. She carried a slender blade, her movements sharp and fast, a reflection of her fiery temper.
Chen Wu, tall and broad-shouldered, with a heavy greatsword strapped across his back. He rarely spoke, but his loyalty was unshakable.
The three of them stared at the wreckage of the great hall, where their masters and seniors had made their last stand.
Li Shen clenched his fists.
"Master… seniors… I swear I will uncover the truth behind this massacre. Even if it costs me my life."
Mei Lan turned sharply.
Mei Lan: "Swear later, Shen! We're not safe yet. Do you feel it? Someone's coming."
The Ambush
The air shifted, and from the shadows emerged three masked figures. Their robes were black, embroidered with blood-red fangs—the mark of the rival sect, Blood Fang Hall.
Masked Cultivator: "So, a few rats escaped the slaughter. Hand over the relic of your sect, boy, and we may spare your miserable lives."
Chen Wu stepped forward, placing himself between the enemy and his friends.
Chen Wu (growling): "Relic? We barely have food, let alone relics. If you want a fight, you'll have one."
Mei Lan raised her sword, her eyes burning.
Mei Lan: "Blood Fang scum! You'll pay for what you did!"
The leader sneered.
Leader: "Foolish children. You think you can stop us?"
With a wave of his hand, the three assassins lunged, blades flashing with dark qi.
Steel clashed against steel. Mei Lan parried desperately, sparks flying as her light sword met the brute force of her enemy. Chen Wu swung his massive greatsword with raw strength, cleaving the ground apart, forcing one enemy back.
Li Shen, however, was cornered. He raised his cracked wooden sword—mocked by others as nothing but a stick.
Enemy Cultivator (mocking): "That broken stick? You'll be dead before you swing!"
Li Shen (calmly): "Then let's test that."
The enemy's blade descended. Li Shen blocked.
CRACK!
But it wasn't the wooden sword that broke. Instead, a faint silver light rippled across its surface. Strange runes glowed for a heartbeat, and the enemy's steel blade snapped in half.
The masked cultivator stumbled back, blood spraying as Li Shen slashed forward.
Mei Lan (shocked): "Li Shen! That… that wasn't just a block—your sword…"
Chen Wu (grinning): "Heh. So the useless one wasn't so useless after all."
The leader of the Blood Fang trio narrowed his eyes.
Leader: "That power… impossible. The Immortal Blade Seal? No wonder our master wanted this one dead."
The battle grew fiercer. Mei Lan was wounded, Chen Wu nearly forced to his knees, but together they struck down two of the assassins. Only the leader remained, glaring at Li Shen.
Leader (dying words): "The relic… it was hidden… inside you all along…"
With a final strike, the leader collapsed. Silence filled the ruined courtyard.
Mei Lan (panting): "Inside you? Shen… what did he mean?"
Li Shen looked at his trembling hands. The wooden sword in his grip glowed faintly, silver lines crawling across its surface like veins.
Then—
A deep, ancient voice echoed in his mind.
Ancient Voice:"Child of the Broken Sect… you carry the mark of the Immortal Blade. Your path will tear the heavens asunder."
Li Shen dropped to his knees, clutching his head.
Li Shen: "Wh–what is this voice?!"
The ground trembled. Cracks split open, and from beneath the ruins of the sect, a hidden chamber revealed itself. Countless ancient swords were buried upright in the earth, glowing faintly as though alive.
Mei Lan (whispering): "A sword graveyard… beneath the sect all this time?"
The swords began to hum, their edges trembling in unison. One by one, they tilted—bowing toward Li Shen, who stood bathed in silver light.
Chen Wu (in awe): "…The swords… they're recognizing him."