Night had fallen over the Heavenly Sword Sect, but it was not the peaceful quiet of a mountain evening. Instead, a tension hung in the air—sharp, taut, vibrating with the faint hum of Sword Qi.
The world had begun to turn its eyes toward them.
The Azure Cloud Sword Sect had tested the waters.
The Scarlet Moon Demonic Sect had issued a threat.
And somewhere in the shadows… other forces lurked.
Zhou Yu stood atop the highest peak, arms folded behind his back. His dark robes danced lightly in the night wind. His gaze was fixed on the moon, but his mind stretched far beyond—over the mountains, the forests, past Skywind City, and into the territories of the Eastern Sky Continent.
He could sense them.
Watching. Waiting. Whispering.
The sect was rising.
And rising things attracted predators.
Below him, Liang Chen cultivated in the courtyard, Silver Sword Qi swirling around him. Feng Lian practiced silently within the Frost Lotus Hall, each slash releasing cold so intense that frost crept along the walls. Han Xiang sat cross-legged amidst a pile of formation plates, muttering desperately as he tested combinations. Su Mei tended to the glowing spirit fields, her gentle Qi spreading across the herbs like soft rain.
Each disciple was giving everything they had.
And yet—
Zhou Yu knew—
It still wasn't enough.
Because what was coming… was far beyond simple sect visits or polite threats.
Tonight, he would push them—especially Liang Chen—just one step further.
Liang Chen was deep in cultivation, refining the surface of his new Sword Core, when a shadow appeared beside him. A cold wind brushed his cheek.
He opened his eyes.
Zhou Yu stood there silently.
Liang Chen nearly jumped. "M-Master! I didn't sense you at all!"
Zhou Yu's voice was calm. "If you could sense me, that would mean I was sloppy."
Liang Chen swallowed.
Zhou Yu nodded toward the mountain path. "Follow me."
Liang Chen hesitated for a moment. It was deep into the night—what was the Master planning? But he rose immediately.
Ling, the Nether Shadow Wolf, padded silently beside Zhou Yu, his eyes glowing faint silver under the moon.
The three walked into the forest behind the sect, where ancient sword trees grew. Their branches were sharp like blades, and their leaves emitted faint ringing sounds when wind passed through them.
Finally, Zhou Yu stopped in a clearing where the moonlight shone brightest.
"Liang Chen," he said, turning slowly, "let me see your Sword Core."
Liang Chen blinked. "Right here? Out in the open?"
"Yes."
Liang Chen breathed deeply, guiding his Qi upward. A radiant silver-bronze light emerged from his dantian, rising into a faint projection above his abdomen.
The Bronze Sword Qi Variant Core glimmered—etched with that thin crescent-like Sword Qi mark.
Zhou Yu studied it carefully.
"Your foundation is stable," he said. "But your Core Qi circulation is still crude. In the coming days, enemies stronger than Core Formation will arrive. You must grow faster."
Liang Chen tensed slightly.
"What must I do?"
Zhou Yu's lips curved slightly.
"Tonight, you will learn a technique that only Sword Core cultivators can attempt."
Liang Chen's eyes widened. "A new sword technique?"
"No," Zhou Yu said. "Something far more dangerous."
He raised one finger.
Sword Qi condensed on the tip—pure, sharp, deadly. The air around it distorted.
Liang Chen felt his throat go dry. "That's—Master, that Sword Qi could kill me!"
"Yes," Zhou Yu said calmly. "If your Sword Core is weak."
Before Liang Chen could react—
Zhou Yu flicked the Sword Qi forward.
Liang Chen froze.
Time slowed.
The pure Sword Qi arrow shot forward—a silent killing stroke aimed directly for his heart.
Ling watched without blinking.
To Ling, and to Zhou Yu, this was training.
To Liang Chen—
It was death.
Liang Chen threw himself sideways, Sword Qi bursting from his dantian as instinct took over. He swung his sword upward in a desperate arc—just barely blocking the lethal strand of energy.
CLANG—KRRRRRRK—!!
The force sent him tumbling across the ground. His sword arm trembled violently. The blade cracked.
He coughed. "M-Master… are you trying to kill me?!"
Zhou Yu stepped forward, expression unchanging.
"If you cannot block even that, you do not deserve to stand beside me."
Liang Chen trembled.
Zhou Yu continued.
"In the Outer Frontier, you surpassed yourself. But that was a single moment of desperation. The path of the sword requires not moments of luck…"
His eyes sharpened.
"But constant mastery."
He raised his hand again.
And a second strand of Sword Qi formed—
Ten times thicker, ten times sharper.
Liang Chen paled.
"Master—I—I can't—!!!"
"You will."
Zhou Yu flicked his fingers—
And the second Sword Qi arrow shot forward.
Liang Chen screamed internally.
Just before impact—
His Sword Core pulsed.
A violent surge of Sword Qi erupted from him—instinctive, uncontrolled, fueled by fear.
He swung his cracked sword—
SHIIIIING—!!
Sword Qi exploded outward from Liang Chen's blade, forming a shimmering arc. The Master's attack struck it, splitting the ground and shaking the trees.
But Liang Chen was still standing.
Barely.
His breath trembled. His knees shook. His sword was moments from shattering.
Zhou Yu watched him silently.
Liang Chen swallowed.
"I… blocked it."
Zhou Yu nodded.
"Again."
Liang Chen stared in horror. "AGAIN?!"
Once more, Zhou Yu formed Sword Qi—this time even sharper than before.
Liang Chen couldn't help shouting:
"MASTER, ARE YOU SURE YOU AREN'T TRYING TO MURDER ME?!"
Zhou Yu didn't answer.
He simply flicked his fingers.
Zhou Yu did not use even one percent of his true power.
If he did, the mountain would collapse.
But even these fragments of his Sword Intent were overwhelming—enough to cut a Silver Core cultivator cleanly in half.
Ling sat down calmly.
To the wolf, this was entertainment.
For Liang Chen—it was a nightmare.
He blocked one strike.
Then another.
And another.
Each time, his core trembled violently, but each time—it stabilized a little more.
Hours passed.
By the time the moon reached its highest peak—
Liang Chen collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath, drenched in sweat. His clothes were torn. His hair was a mess.
But his Sword Core—
Was glowing more brightly than ever.
Zhou Yu lowered his hand.
"That is enough."
Liang Chen looked up, exhausted. "Master… why…?"
Zhou Yu spoke quietly.
"Sword cultivators do not grow through comfort. Only pressure—true pressure—refines the blade."
He offered a hand.
Liang Chen grabbed it, barely able to stand.
"You did well," Zhou Yu said. And there was warmth in his voice now. "In one night, your Sword Core has matured more than it would have in a month."
Liang Chen blinked in shock.
"I… improved?"
"Substantially," Zhou Yu said. "This is the path of the sword."
Liang Chen's chest tightened—not from pain, but from pride.
He bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Master."
Zhou Yu nodded. "Rest for now. Tomorrow, I will teach you the second stance of the Dawn Break fragment technique."
Liang Chen froze.
"That's… the technique the Sect Founder created, right?"
"Yes," Zhou Yu said. "And you are now qualified to learn the early stances."
Liang Chen's heart raced.
He was progressing.
Truly progressing.
But just as they turned to leave—
Ling growled.
A shadow moved across the trees.
Zhou Yu's expression sharpened.
"Ling."
The wolf blurred, vanishing into the darkness.
A scream tore through the night.
Moments later, Ling emerged—dragging a limp body in his jaws. A masked man wearing ink-black robes with a crimson moon insignia.
A Scarlet Moon assassin.
Zhou Yu stepped forward, crouching beside the dying man.
The assassin spasmed, coughing blood.
"Y-you… shouldn't have revived this sect…! The Eastern Sky Continent belongs to the great powers! You—cannot—change—"
His sentence ended abruptly as Ling crushed his throat.
Silence filled the forest.
Liang Chen felt his heart racing again. "Master… they're already trying to infiltrate us?"
"No," Zhou Yu said, rising. "This was merely one scout."
His eyes grew cold.
"The real danger comes tomorrow."
Zhou Yu took a single step.
Space warped.
He reappeared atop the sect gate.
Han Xiang, who had been working on formation plates for hours, nearly screamed and tossed his tools. "MASTER?! H-HOW DID YOU—YOU WERE JUST—AHHH!"
Zhou Yu ignored him.
On the gate pillar, written in dried, demonic blood, was a message:
"Three days. Hand over the fragments.
If you don't—We will take your heads instead."
Liang Chen felt a chill run down his spine.
Han Xiang nearly fainted.
Su Mei, hearing the commotion, peeked out of the nearby hut—and paled instantly.
Feng Lian emerged from her training hall, frost swirling around her.
"They've already issued a blood threat…"
Zhou Yu's eyes narrowed, filled with cold killing intent.
"So they want to force my hand."
He turned to his disciples.
"Prepare yourselves."
His voice was soft.
But the mountain shuddered.
"In three days… the Heavenly Sword Sect goes to war."