The morning sun had barely crested the horizon when a loud voice shook Lu Yuan from his slumber.
"Boy, do you know your sword is a fierce, evil sword?"
Lu Yuan groaned groggily, rubbing his eyes. "Eh? Old man, what nonsense are you spouting this early? My sword's evil? And how would you even know that?"
Standing before him was Bai He, looking more serious than the night before. His gray brows furrowed as if he'd swallowed something bitter.
"I… I just know," Bai He muttered with forced confidence.
The truth was that Yang Wudi's grim warnings had kept him tossing about all night. Finally, he decided he had to mention it to Lu Yuan. But he wasn't about to betray his old brother by repeating his name. So he summoned all the solemnity he could muster and stated it outright.
Lu Yuan blinked, more awake now, lifting the wine jar at his side for one habitual swallow. "There's no way you'd say that without a reason. Come on, spill it."
So Bai He explained, word for word, what Yang Wudi had told him the previous evening—the sacrifices, the cursed forging, the possibility that Lu Yuan's so-called Martial Soul weapon was feeding on him instead of obeying him.
When he finished, Lu Yuan sat motionless. His mind spun.
Could it be real?
Hadn't he, on more than one recent occasion, felt his body go blank, his memory slip, only to wake later in blurry fragments? He had always assumed it was drunken madness, but this was different. He remembered the nightmare years ago when the sword first stirred within him. He remembered the uncontrollable violence that surged against Titan just days ago.
His pupils shrank. Is it… really the sword controlling me, not the other way around?
"Old man Bai, then tell me—how do I solve this?" His tone was sharp, urgent.
Bai He flinched. "Uh… this, I don't know. If someone like Old Goat couldn't solve it, do you think I can? What do you expect me to do—pull answers from thin air?"
Lu Yuan slammed his palm on the table, rattling the wine jars. "You're killing me with half-truths, old man. Learn to give solutions, not just problems!"
Bai He raised his hands helplessly. "If I had a way, I would've told you from the start. For what it's worth, if Xiangxiang really does follow you from now on, I'd feel far more at ease knowing this was settled. But I—truly—don't have the power."
Lu Yuan buried his frustration in another drink. The sour liquid stung less than the thought drilling into his chest: perhaps the thing inside his sword really was evil after all.
The Decision
Days later, Bai Chenxiang stood before her grandfather with red cheeks, fidgeting with her dress hem.
"Grandpa… I've decided. I'm going with Lu Yuan to Star Luo City."
Her voice was firm despite her blush.
Bai He sighed deeply. Last night while drinking, Lu Yuan had casually looked at his granddaughter and asked, "Want to come along?" She had agreed before her mind had even caught up to her mouth. Now she could barely face her grandfather without her whole body heating up.
Bai He's heart softened. His granddaughter's eyes were already set on Lu Yuan. No advice could turn that tide. Quietly, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out two narrow bottles, crimson liquid sloshing faintly inside.
"Xiangxiang," he said softly, placing the vials into her hands. "Do you remember the change that overcame Lu Yuan that day? This… is the medicine Old Goat used. If something like that happens again, be the one to use it. Guard him."
Her eyes widened, fingers trembling as she clutched the medicine. Then, with fierce determination, she nodded. "Don't worry, Grandfather. I'll protect him."
Bai He stroked her head with a bittersweet smile. He had wanted to give the medicine to Lu Yuan directly, but then realized Lu Yuan himself couldn't use it when lost to the flames. Only Xiangxiang could.
"I only hope," Bai He whispered as he watched her go, "that Old Goat's fears turn out to be nonsense…"
Martial Soul City – The Papal Palace
Far away, in the sacred heart of Martial Soul City, darkness brewed under golden light.
On the Pope's throne, Bibi Dong sat robed magnificently in black edged with gold. Her slender leg hooked over the other, her eyes half-lidded with regal disdain. In her hand, the report from Longxing City smoldered, before curling into ashes.
"Who else knows of this matter?" She asked icily.
Before her, Yue Guan bowed with nervous formality. "Only the scout team I dispatched. They are all Soul Emperors, carefully selected."
"Then kill them."
Yue Guan's head snapped up in disbelief. "Papal Majesty, that's our best scout unit. Loyal, efficient—"
"Did you not hear me?" Bibi Dong's scepter slammed into the floor, a shockwave of spirit energy radiating outward, pinning Yue Guan in place like a bug beneath a nail. Her gaze cut colder than winter. "Dispose of them."
"Y… yes." Yue Guan's voice trembled, his back slick with cold sweat. He dared not argue again.
So merciless… just a single report, and she wipes them out to silence it, he thought, bowing himself away quickly.
"Ghost, Chrysanthemum," Bibi Dong snapped once they returned. "The plans from Tiandou—I want them in motion. Begin now."
The two Elders bowed deeply. "Yes, Your Holiness!"
When the Papal Palace finally emptied, Bibi Dong tapped her scepter rhythmically against stone, her lips curling.
"So, you want to fight against me?" Her voice was low, venom dripping. "Let's see who wins…"
The Carriage to Star Luo
The golden city of Star Luo was still miles ahead as the carriage rumbled along the cobblestone road. Its cabin was crowded now with one extra member—Bai Chenxiang.
She sat shyly across from Zhu Zhuqing, speaking in a whisper.
"Sister Zhuqing… do you think Brother Lu Yuan minds me tagging along?"
Zhu Zhuqing tilted her head. "Why would he?"
"I—I don't know… but normally, every morning he downs two jars of wine to wake up. Today he only finished one. That's not like him at all." Chenxiang bit her lip.
Zhu Zhuqing chuckled. "You're observant."
But truthfully, she too had noticed the shift. Ever since they left Longxing, Lu Yuan had been quiet, lying against the window, lost in his own world. Normally, if not drinking, he'd steal naps on her shoulder or tease her mercilessly. But now—he had barely spoken a word.
What she didn't know was that Lu Yuan's silence had nothing to do with them.
Inside, he wasn't staring at the passing scenery. His eyes were locked inward, fixed on the familiar yet strange panel only he could see.
Lu Yuan's Status
[Name: Lu Yuan]
[Level: 55]
[Martial Soul: **]
[Spirit Rings: Purple (2700), Purple (3850), Purple (5760), Black (20,350), Black (22,300)]
[First Soul Skill – Surge: Increases all attributes by 70%]
[Second Soul Skill – Broken Air Slash: Nine rapid sword strikes in a flash]
[Third Soul Skill – Sword Array: Summons and confines enemies into a storm of blade strikes]
[Fourth Soul Skill – Sword Will: Burns sword intent to temporarily heighten attack]
[Fifth Soul Skill – Wind Severing Phantom: Body becomes Sword Qi, teleporting untargetable for a short range]
[Soul Bones: Dark Evil Phoenix Left Arm Bone (49,700), Explosive Force Right Arm Bone (32,150)]
[Left Arm Skill – Dark Fire: Sword Qi wreathed in dark flame]
[Right Arm Skill – Earth Slash: Massive soul-powered slash forward]
(Note: Being drunk provides a special bonus!)
His spirit power had risen to level 55—pushed up by the nightmare years ago, sharpened by the battle against Titan, honed even tighter by the pressure gnawing within him. His physical strength, his speed, his killing edge—all had ascended higher.
But none of that bothered him as much as one blank line that taunted him endlessly.
The martial soul slot.
Pixelated, censored, covered over like a crime. Everything else was visible—his rings, his bones, his skills. But the one field holding his essence was hidden.
Why?
He was the wielder, the so-called host. Did he not have the right to even know what demon sat inside his sword?
His thoughts went back to that night, when one drunken slash carved through nightmare itself. A strike so overwhelming that not even he could recall its form. He only remembered the feeling—brutal and intoxicating.
The problem was that it hadn't listened to him.
And now, as he stared at the shaded words, a creeping suspicion chilled his veins: perhaps Yang Wudi's warning wasn't superstition after all. Perhaps Bai He had been right to repeat it. The evil sword might really not be his weapon at all.
It might be his master.
--
Unlock 50 exclusive advanced chapters for just $10 – don't miss out! Check the synopsis/description for the link! 🚀
Loved this fic? 🔥 Then you'll absolutely binge my other hits — "Douluo Dalu: Ten Thousand Years Early System!" & "Douluo Dalu: My Harem System is Bugged!" — don't miss out!