A crane's shadow crosses the cold pool; a cold moon buries the soul of a sword.
Beneath the desolate Forbidden Moon Cliff lay a frigid Cold Pool.
Wisps of crimson mist occasionally rose from the Cold Pool's surface, where the reflection of a waning Blood Moon shimmered.
The air was cold.
As cold as Ye Tianling's already frigid blood.
Beside the cliff, a solitary grave stood in silence, looking exceptionally bleak and desolate.
Here, there was nothing but the sobbing wind and the lonesome caws of crows.
Next to the lonely grave and its dilapidated stone tablet, Ye Tianling knelt on the ground, his entire body trembling.
"Father, I can't do it! Tell me, what should I do? How can I possibly become a true Swordsman and comprehend the Sword Realm?!"
"Why can others use their Bloodline Power, but I can't? If I use it, will I really become a cripple?"
"They all look down on me! They all laugh at me and bully me! Even Yueling... she's grown to despise me. She's getting close to that Ye Tianyun, even though I gave her all of my own cultivation resources."
The young man lamented, his voice hoarse.
Tears gradually blurred his vision.
Suddenly, the young man's heart pounded for no reason. He sensed something and abruptly looked up at the night sky.
In the dark and profound night sky, a human figure seemed to suddenly appear within the waning Blood Moon.
In Ye Tianling's eyes, that figure seemed to magnify.
He was holding a massive axe, relentlessly chopping at a huge, crooked old tree within the Blood Moon.
The Blood Moon trembled violently, as if it could fall from the sky at any moment!
Suddenly, a crimson rainbow of light exploded! The ancient tree collapsed, and a colossal, slender, golden Fierce Beast burst out from within.
The Fierce Beast's eyes were like two divine lamps, blindingly bright! On its head grew two horns as massive as small mountains, and from its body sprouted five golden claws the size of great rivers! It was covered in layers upon layers of enormous scales, which glinted with a sinister, golden-red light.
It roared as it dove down from the void, blotting out the sky and sun—a truly terrifying sight!
It charged toward Ye Tianling, its speed so immense it felt like Mount Taishan was crashing down upon him.
Seeing this, Ye Tianling was utterly petrified. A terrifying sense of suffocation washed over him.
In the face of this destructive aura, he was completely unable to move.
BOOM—
His whole body jolted. Ye Tianling shivered violently as a massive stream of information, like a raging sea, flooded his mind.
'Huaxia Dragon Soul Inheritance Divine Blood...'
'Xuanyuan Sword Soul...'
'Earth...'
'Broken Void Sword Dao Grandmaster's Will of Slaughter...'
'Nine Swords of Dugu...'
After a long time spent absorbing it all, Ye Tianling was filled with a sense of profound, world-altering change.
It was as if he had lived another life—the legendary life of a Sword Dao Grandmaster from a place called 'Earth.' A life of awakening the Dragon Soul Divine Blood inheritance, refining his Sword Soul with the Dragon Soul, and ultimately shattering the void with his sword.
Aside from the Martial Dao experience, the powerful Soul Will, and the ruthless, decisive mentality of the 'Grandmaster' that deeply influenced him, Ye Tianling received no memories of the man's personal life.
Ye Tianling returned to his senses, his feelings a complex mix.
This was a bloodline and Sword Dao inheritance from the 'Huaxia Civilization,' which had descended upon him inexplicably. It perfectly and seamlessly merged with his own hidden bloodline.
The two complemented each other, and his once-deficient Dantian was instantly restored to Perfection.
'What is a sword? What is the Sword Dao?'
'That senior's records say he used four swords in his lifetime.'
'The first was a nameless, sharp sword. Ferocious and swift, nothing could stand in its way.'
'The second was the Ziwei Soft Sword. His Sword Intent followed his will, and his slaughter was peerless.'
'The third was the Profound Iron Heavy Sword. It struck with the weight of Taishan, crushing all opposition with ease.'
'The fourth was when No Sword is Better than Having a Sword. He achieved the Unity of Heaven and Man, becoming an invincible Sword Demon.'
Ye Tianling contemplated these cultivation insights, honing his Sword Dao will.
BUZZ—
Suddenly, the Qi and blood in his body surged, partially clearing his blocked meridians. The realm he had long been stuck in instantly shattered. In a single leap, he stepped into the Swordsman First Heaven Realm.
Immediately after, his realm continued to soar. He instantly crossed two more barriers and stepped directly into the Swordsman Third Heaven Realm!
With just a moment of insight and meditative cultivation, his realm advanced like splitting bamboo simply because his Dao Heart was firm!
Ye Tianling was overjoyed, so excited that his eyes welled up with tears.
After a good while, Ye Tianling finally emerged from this state.
By now, the Blood-Colored Crescent Moon had long since set.
The first light of dawn was breaking.
As Ye Tianling felt the transformative, bone-deep changes in his body, his excitement gradually calmed.
His Sixth Sense had become exceptionally sharp and powerful.
...
"Ye Tianling, you... you actually broke through?! Have you given up on yourself?"
As Ye Tianling continued to sort through his new memories, a pleasant, melodic voice—one that was also exceptionally cold—drifted over.
Ye Tianling was very familiar with the owner of that voice.
She was none other than Ye Yueling, the wife his father had arranged for him before his death, the one who was supposed to accompany him for life.
Ye Tianling turned around and saw Ye Yueling.
Ye Yueling's black hair cascaded like a waterfall. Her light green gauze dress swayed in the wind, making her look exceptionally graceful and alluring.
But her beautiful face was covered in a frosty expression.
Her gaze was so indifferent, it was as if she were looking at a clown.
There was no disappointment in her eyes; it seemed Ye Tianling's 'pathetic' performance was exactly what she had expected.
"So, because I broke through, I've given up on myself? Am I supposed to be a cripple?"
Ye Tianling's lips moved as he retorted coldly.
His inherently humble and cowardly nature made him want to explain himself almost instinctively.
But the sliver of Sword Intent deep in his heart severed those cowardly thoughts, making his will suddenly resolute. That timid, subservient demeanor vanished.
Ye Yueling scoffed mockingly, "And aren't you? You were born with an Innate Deficiency and needed to constantly nourish your meridians without ever using your bloodline! Only by doing that for another year or two, once your meridians were healed, would you have had a sliver of a chance to inherit your father's 'Fiery Sun Sword Body' talent."
"But what a pity. You couldn't endure the loneliness and had to show off, forcefully using your bloodline's foundation to break through! This will inevitably damage your meridians, injure your Dantian, and shatter your Qi Pillar. You've destroyed your own Talent, and you'll never have the chance to form it again!"
As Ye Yueling spoke, a trace of pity and regret appeared on her face, but it was overshadowed by an even greater decisiveness and indifference.
Ye Tianling nodded. "It seems you're right. So what? Does that mean you can now shamelessly and openly fool around with Ye Tianyun?"
Hearing this, Ye Yueling's delicate brows furrowed. "My relationship with Brother Tianyun is none of your business! Do you really think you're my future Dao partner? If your father hadn't saved my life, I would have never bothered with a gutless cripple like you! You originally had a slim chance of becoming a genius, but now, you've forced a breakthrough with your Bloodline Power just to show off. You've sacrificed your future for a moment's gain and thrown away your last chance!"
"I warned you many times, but you wouldn't listen. You deserve this outcome! I have done all I can for you! You... should look after yourself!"
After speaking, Ye Yueling didn't spare Ye Tianling another glance and turned to leave.
"Done all you can for me? Look after myself? You're the one who should look after herself! That Ye Tianyun is no good. He's only using you for Absorption, yet you still throw yourself at him so shamelessly?"
Ye Tianling sneered.
"How dare you! Ye Tianling, you are utterly despicable and shameless! Brother Tianyun is filled with Vast Righteous Qi and has achieved Sword Heart Clarity. How could a cripple, a toad lusting after a swan, possibly compare to him? How dare you slander him like this! It seems that with a mindset as petty as yours, you're destined to be an ordinary person for the rest of your life, only able to look up at his achievements!"
Ye Yueling was so angry her body trembled. She pointed a slender finger at Ye Tianling, her body even beginning to emit a murderous aura.
"Oh? I give you a kind reminder, and you respond with killing intent? It seems there's really nothing left for us to talk about! Go on, kill me. That way, you and that bastard can be together openly and honorably! After all, as long as I'm alive, whatever he does will never be legitimate!"
Ye Tianling mocked.
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[Author's Note: This book won't get bogged down in complexities. It's all about one thing: action! Please give me your recommendation votes, add this to your library, click, and comment to show your support! I'll make sure you experience an explosive, satisfying thrill to the very end, the raw excitement of your beast blood boiling! This book will have a massive release burst of 7-20 chapters a day, and every single review in the comment section will be pinned!]