Shen Liqian woke up in his own Sea of Consciousness.
It was a world of stars he had glimpsed before.
Now, he was clearly here, floating in water that reflected the sparkling stars.
Absentmindedly, he stared at the sky and tracked the shooting stars that drew purple, blue, and orange trails.
Am I meant to swallow those stars?
His breath caught. The water felt colder against his skin.
As the question surfaced in his mind, something at the bottom of the water growled low.
A ripple tapped his ankles and kept going.
If Shen Liqian had a bird's-eye view from above, he would see the huge shadow of the Cosmic Asura Hydra, its twelve serpentine heads and claws stretching forward.
It was a terrifying shadow that could bring realms to their knees.
Its growl alerted Shen Liqian.
It was then that Zhiyin appeared in his Sea of Consciousness and landed on his dry chest.
She looked up at his face, then tilted her head to stare at the sky.
"Sea of Consciousness, even at its lowest and undeveloped stage, is such a beautiful place, isn't it?"
She curled up on Shen Liqian as though she couldn't sense the Cosmic Asura Hydra.
Shen Liqian wanted to warn her or at least gesture for her to be quiet, but Zhiyin spoke before he could.
In the end, he decided to speak with her.
"There's… a Cosmic Asura Hydra beneath us, right?" he asked.
"I didn't expect your system to have this bloodline and bless you with it, but it must be because you've bestowed me with the Shen surname and bound me completely to yourself.
"So, indeed.
"That's the Cosmic Asura Hydra.
"Its remnants, to be precise.
"You have your own Cosmic Asura Hydra bloodline now," Zhiyin said.
Shen Liqian nodded.
Before he could ask what the remnant wanted from him, a familiar pain spread across his stomach.
Did my cultivation just… sever itself?
Is that normal?
Zhiyin sensed the changes in him and answered his questions.
"Your current cultivation method couldn't withstand your new bloodline.
"It's also normal to sever cultivation a few times at the foundation realm since foundation plays an important role on your path.
"You don't have to worry much."
He let out a slow breath he hadn't noticed he was holding.
With a new bloodline from such a transcendent existence, Shen Liqian had little reason to worry about his cultivation.
Appeased by Zhiyin, he wanted to cultivate a new method tied to his bloodline and see how fast his cultivation would progress.
He'd suffered quite a lot to obtain this bloodline, after all.
Just then, twelve serpentine heads rose through the water's surface and took over the sky, blanketing Shen Liqian in shadows.
Each head had a different shape and eye color, but their eyes held the same emotion.
And that was the desire to kill him.
One of the heads even held Shen Liqian's only Spiritual Root in the form of a sword.
It chewed on it and shattered it into pieces that silently sank into Shen Liqian's Sea of Consciousness.
The heads then materialized into a humanoid figure.
Looking at this man, Shen Liqian's heart thudded loudly against his chest.
He stood and found himself atop the water without knowing how.
Zhiyin leaped onto the water's surface as well and looked up.
"It's your first Heart Demon, Liqian," Zhiyin said.
The Heart Demon looked like his uncle, Shen Junce.
"The remnants of the foreign bloodline grasped your doubts and elevated them into your first Heart Demon, now eager to kill you and claim your body."
After Zhiyin's explanation, the Heart Demon drew his sword from a battered scabbard and brandished the weapon diagonally, sneering.
Shen Liqian didn't flinch under the demon's stare and met his gaze.
The Heart Demon then kicked the water and sprinted forward.
Circles spread across the water's surface, shaping into a worm-like wake as the Heart Demon closed the distance in the blink of an eye.
He swung his sword at Shen Liqian.
Though Shen Liqian dodged, cuts split his clothes and sliced into his flesh.
Every slice stung like ice. His arms felt heavy, like they belonged to someone else.
It's Sword Claw… I'm so familiar with this technique, yet I can't dodge it?
Not only that, but I feel slower and heavier!
It was as though Shen Liqian was underwater while his opponent wasn't.
In a short exchange, Shen Liqian suffered slashes all over himself, blood dripping from his face, torso, and even legs.
Only his back remained intact as he refused to turn away from this man.
Is that how it is?
Am I really only words and empty promises?
He'd declared his intent to everyone around him and promised many things: to become a Clan Chief, to kill Shen Junce, to bring his Clan out of poverty, to show Zhiyin the peak of his cultivation path, and so on.
Were those empty words with no resolve?
Was his Sword Intent… fake?
The thought tasted like ash. He ground his teeth.
In the first place, he didn't even have his own sword in his Sea of Consciousness.
Did it mean he was actually frightened to raise his sword against his foes and take their lives with it?
Why?
Could it be because of my past life?
Could it be because I want to give a second chance to this man?
Those were the only reasons Shen Liqian could think of amidst his battle against his Heart Demon.
Each reason weighed on him more, slowing him down and exposing him to his Heart Demon's attacks.
Because of that, the demon managed to cut off Shen Liqian's left arm cleanly.
White flashed at the edge of his vision. The stump burned cold.
His arm plopped onto the water and slowly sank beneath the surface.
Shen Liqian grew cold.
That's disgusting!
How could I even subconsciously think of giving Shen Junce a second chance?
His parents, Shen Yiren, and even Shen Jixian believed that Shen Junce deserved nothing but death.
His mother and Shen Yiren were ready to kill this man at any moment.
Murder was a crime?
That was Earth's law, not the Cultivation World's law!
Those are simple excuses that could hold me back.
Heart Demon!
I thank you for appearing to me at this moment!
I could hesitate if it weren't for you.
But now, I won't!
Because I am Shen Liqian, and I have decided to kill Shen Junce!
My sword is decisive!
The water steadied under his feet. The fear thinned to a hard line of will.
He extended his hand forward and called his Sword Intent.
From the depths of the water, broken pieces of his Spiritual Root rose and leaped free, coalescing into a sword.
Shen Liqian clenched the hilt tightly and pounced at the Heart Demon.
———
"Qian'er has been sleeping for two weeks now…" Shen Lexi said, her face sculpted by concern and fear.
Her voice thinned. Her fingers were cold in Wenwan's hands.
Shen Yiren and Shen Jixian had explained what had happened to her son and his ordeal, but when they returned to his room, he was lying unconscious in his pool of blood.
His father believed that his son had gone through an important breakthrough and that no one should bother him.
Shen Wenwan clutched Shen Lexi's hand and reassured her.
"Shen Liqian has a bright future ahead of him as Shen Clan Chief.
"Believe in him more."
"I do believe in him, of course…
"But…" Shen Lexi said.
Just then, a loud voice boomed from outside the manor.
"Lijian!
The manor walls seemed to pull tighter around them. A hush spread through the courtyard.
"It's time you made your choice!"
Shen Junce said those words, smiling from ear to ear.
Outside Clan Chief's Manor, elders of the Shen Clan gathered, and so did other Clan Members, all here to witness the turning point of their clan.
Shen Yiren and Shen Jixian walked into the room.
Shen Lijian appeared shortly after them, his body brimming with Qi, his gaze sharp with killing intent.
The air felt sharper. Floorboards creaked under his step, then went still.
"Let's welcome our guests," he said, his voice cold.