Chapter 13 — Welcome to Cloudveil Peak

Jian Wuchen had imagined many things after losing his cultivation.

Death.

Revenge.

Recovery.

Perhaps one day standing before Ye Feng again with a sword in his hand.

He had never imagined stepping through a hole in space and finding a girl waiting with folded arms on the other side.

The spatial passage closed behind him.

Moonlight covered Cloudveil Peak.

Spirit lamps illuminated stone paths winding between elegant courtyards. Waterfalls disappeared beneath the cloud sea. Spiritual Qi was so dense that even Jian Wuchen, whose conventional meridians could no longer circulate it properly, could feel it brushing against his skin.

Ahead stood three people.

A young woman.

A man in attendant robes.

And—

several meters behind them—

six cultivators wearing the white-and-gold robes of the Profound Sword Sect.

Jian Wuchen stopped.

His grip tightened around Clear Wind.

The young woman noticed immediately.

Her eyes moved from his face—

to his wounds—

to the broken sword.

Then to Shen Yuan.

"Master."

"Lin Yue."

Jian Wuchen's eyes sharpened.

So this was her.

His senior sister.

Shen Yuan had mentioned her once.

Mostly by implication.

He had not mentioned that she looked younger than Jian Wuchen expected.

Nor that something about her felt extremely dangerous.

Her cultivation was only Body Tempering.

Ninth stage.

Jian Wuchen frowned.

That couldn't be right.

His newly formed Heart Meridian reacted.

Not with fear.

Recognition.

Something powerful was contained inside her.

Cold.

Still.

Deep.

Lin Yue was also examining him.

No cultivation.

That was the first thing she noticed.

The second was the Sword Intent.

It was everywhere.

Not leaking uncontrollably.

It had simply become part of him.

His robes were torn.

His hair was disordered.

Blood covered his shoulder and chest.

The sword in his hand was missing half its blade.

Lin Yue looked toward Shen Yuan.

"This is Junior Brother?"

Shen Yuan nodded.

"Jian Wuchen."

Jian Wuchen looked at her.

Lin Yue clasped her hands.

"Lin Yue."

A pause.

"Eldest disciple of Cloudveil Peak."

There was something slightly strange about the way she said it.

As if she had only recently realized the title belonged to her.

Jian Wuchen returned the gesture.

"Senior Sister."

Lin Yue's expression changed almost imperceptibly.

Senior Sister.

She liked that more than expected.

Shen Yuan noticed.

He said nothing.

Jian Wuchen continued.

"I apologize for arriving like this."

Lin Yue looked at his blood-covered robes.

"Master found me while my cultivation was collapsing."

She glanced at Shen Yuan.

"Apparently this is normal."

Shen Yuan frowned.

"I've only done it twice."

"Out of two disciples."

"Small sample."

Jian Wuchen's mouth twitched.

The attendant stepped forward.

"Young Master Jian."

Jian Wuchen turned.

The man appeared ordinary.

Qi Refining.

Mid-grade spiritual root, if Jian Wuchen judged correctly.

Calm expression.

Neatly arranged robes.

He bowed.

"I am Chen An, Chief Attendant of Cloudveil Peak."

Chief Attendant.

Shen Yuan looked at him.

Chen An ignored the look.

The title had apparently become official without consultation.

"I've prepared your residence, clothing, bathing water, basic necessities, medicinal supplies, and food."

Jian Wuchen stared.

Chen An continued.

"If anything is unsuitable, tell me."

For several seconds—

Jian Wuchen didn't answer.

Three years.

He had spent three years moving from inn to inn.

Training yard to training yard.

Ruined temple to ruined temple.

People who once welcomed him had gradually stopped.

A crippled genius was uncomfortable company.

Too much history.

Too little future.

Now he'd arrived covered in blood at a mountain he'd never seen—

and someone had already prepared his room.

"Thank you."

Chen An smiled.

"You're welcome."

Shen Yuan nodded approvingly.

Very useful man.

Then—

Li Cangwu stepped through behind them.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

The six Profound Sword Sect cultivators froze.

Song Yao's face became pale.

"Grand Elder."

All six bowed.

Li Cangwu didn't acknowledge them.

His gaze settled directly on Song Yao.

"Seventh Lineage."

She lowered her head.

"Yes."

"Who ordered you here?"

"The Sect Master."

Li Cangwu's eyes narrowed.

"Which one?"

Silence.

Shen Yuan looked over.

Which one?

Interesting.

Song Yao's expression tightened.

"The Acting Sect Master."

Li Cangwu became still.

"Why is there an Acting Sect Master?"

Song Yao hesitated.

Then:

"Sect Master Lu entered seclusion seven months ago."

"I know."

"He has not emerged."

"I also know."

"Three months ago, the elders voted to appoint an Acting Sect Master until his return."

Li Cangwu's face became increasingly unpleasant.

"And nobody informed me?"

Song Yao looked at him.

"You were in seclusion."

Li Cangwu stared.

Shen Yuan understood that feeling.

People tended to make decisions while you were unavailable.

Usually administrative ones.

Sometimes apparently sect leadership.

"Who?"

Li Cangwu asked.

Song Yao lowered her eyes.

"Seventh Lineage Master."

A pause.

"Zhou Tianluo."

Li Cangwu's hand moved toward his wooden sword.

Only slightly.

But every Profound Sword Sect cultivator noticed.

"And Zhou Xuanji?"

Song Yao said nothing.

Li Cangwu's voice became colder.

"Answer."

"Missing."

"You knew."

"...Yes."

"When?"

"Yesterday morning."

"Before the Sword Tomb opened."

"Yes."

Li Cangwu's eyes hardened.

"And yet Seventh Lineage sent you directly to Cloudveil Peak."

Song Yao remained silent.

The answer was obvious.

Li Cangwu turned toward Shen Yuan.

"I need to return to the Profound Sword Sect."

Shen Yuan nodded.

"Probably."

Li Cangwu looked at Jian Wuchen.

For a moment, he seemed to want to say something.

He didn't.

Instead, he addressed Song Yao.

"You and your people are coming with me."

Her head snapped upward.

"Grand Elder—"

"Now."

No one argued.

The six cultivators returned to their flying ship.

Li Cangwu stepped into the air.

Then stopped.

He looked toward Shen Yuan.

"Peak Master Shen."

"Hm?"

"Keep Jian Wuchen on Cloudveil Peak."

Jian Wuchen's expression hardened.

"I can decide where I stay."

Li Cangwu looked at him.

"Good."

Jian Wuchen paused.

The old man smiled faintly.

"If you were still the boy I was supposed to recruit three years ago, you might have obeyed me."

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His smile faded.

"Don't."

Jian Wuchen stared.

Li Cangwu continued.

"Trust your master before you trust anyone from the Profound Sword Sect."

Song Yao's expression changed.

That was not something a Grand Elder should say publicly.

Li Cangwu clearly didn't care.

"Even you?" Jian Wuchen asked.

Li Cangwu smiled bitterly.

"Especially me."

He turned.

The flying ship departed.

Within moments, it disappeared beyond the clouds.

Jian Wuchen watched until it vanished.

Then looked at Shen Yuan.

"What was that about?"

"A long story."

"About me?"

"Mostly."

"Do I get to hear it?"

"Tomorrow."

Jian Wuchen frowned.

"Why tomorrow?"

Shen Yuan pointed at him.

"Because you're bleeding on my mountain."

Jian Wuchen looked down.

Fair.

Chen An stepped forward.

"This way."

Jian Wuchen followed.

After three steps, Shen Yuan spoke.

"Chen An."

The attendant stopped.

"Yes, Peak Master?"

"Food first."

Chen An looked at Jian Wuchen.

"Bath first."

Shen Yuan considered.

"Food."

"He's covered in blood."

"He's hungry."

Jian Wuchen looked between them.

"I can decide."

Both turned.

"Bath," Jian Wuchen said.

Chen An nodded.

Shen Yuan looked betrayed.

Jian Wuchen added:

"Then food."

Acceptable.

They continued.

Lin Yue fell into step beside him.

For several moments—

neither spoke.

Then she looked at Clear Wind.

"Does it have a name?"

Jian Wuchen glanced down.

"Clear Wind."

"It's broken."

"Yes."

"Master didn't give you another one?"

"He tried."

Lin Yue nodded.

"That sounds like him."

"You've known him for two days."

"Three."

Jian Wuchen looked at her.

"That's not much better."

"No."

They walked.

Ahead, Chen An pretended not to listen.

Behind them, Shen Yuan very obviously listened.

Lin Yue looked at Jian Wuchen's wounds.

"What happened inside?"

"I was hit by swords."

"How many?"

"I stopped counting."

She considered.

"Master made me punch a wooden post two thousand times."

Jian Wuchen looked at her.

"Why?"

"Training."

"Did the post fight back?"

"No."

"Then you had it easier."

Lin Yue stared at him.

Then smiled.

"Maybe."

Shen Yuan watched them from behind.

Good.

They'd known each other for approximately three minutes.

No one had challenged anyone.

No one had tried to kill anyone.

Promising.

Jian Wuchen's residence was the second courtyard below Shen Yuan's palace.

Lin Yue's stood nearby.

Chen An had chosen well.

Simple.

Quiet.

A small training yard.

Meditation room.

Bedroom.

Bathing chamber.

A rack for weapons.

Jian Wuchen stopped at the entrance.

The plaque above the door was blank.

Chen An noticed.

"Peak Master Shen allows disciples to name their own residences."

Shen Yuan blinked.

He did?

Chen An looked at him.

Shen Yuan nodded.

"Yes."

Apparently he did.

Jian Wuchen looked at the plaque.

"I'll decide later."

"Of course."

Inside, several sets of robes had been prepared.

White.

Gray.

Dark blue.

Cloudveil's cloud emblem embroidered subtly along the sleeves.

Jian Wuchen picked one up.

"These are mine?"

"Yes."

"All of them?"

"Yes."

He became quiet again.

Chen An noticed.

He didn't comment.

"Bathing water is prepared. Medicine is beside the basin. Dinner will be ready when you finish."

Jian Wuchen nodded.

"Thank you."

Chen An left.

Lin Yue followed.

Shen Yuan remained.

Jian Wuchen looked over.

"Master?"

"Give me Clear Wind."

His hand tightened around the sword.

Shen Yuan noticed.

"I'm not replacing it."

Jian Wuchen relaxed slightly.

He handed it over.

Shen Yuan held the broken sword.

Up close, it looked worse.

Cracks.

Chips.

Dried blood.

The blade had snapped almost halfway down.

Yet now—

something lived inside it.

Faint.

Almost imperceptible.

Sword resonance.

Shen Yuan opened the system.

[Clear Wind.]

Grade: Spirit — Low.

Condition: Severely damaged.

Weapon Bond: 94%.

Embryonic Sword Spirit Resonance: 2%.

Evolution Potential: High.

Recommended Investment Path: Symbiotic Sword Evolution.

Interesting.

"What did you do to it?"

Jian Wuchen frowned.

"Nothing."

Shen Yuan raised the sword.

A faint silver line appeared along the broken edge.

The missing half of the blade manifested.

Sword Intent.

Jian Wuchen's eyes sharpened.

"It started doing that after the First Gate."

Shen Yuan nodded.

"Your Sword Meridian is feeding it."

"Is that bad?"

"No."

Quite the opposite.

The system displayed another line.

[Suitable evolution resources detected in Host inventory.]

Shen Yuan's interest immediately increased.

He opened the list.

Most were ordinary.

Spirit metals.

Sword crystals.

Weapon-refining materials.

Then—

one item caught his attention.

[Heavenly Star Iron.]

Grade: Fifth.

A rare metal Shen Yuan had acquired years ago.

Useful for repairing Spirit weapons.

Suitability:

87%.

Good.

But not perfect.

Another item.

[Sword Soul Jade.]

Grade: Sixth.

Suitability:

94%.

Better.

Shen Yuan selected it.

[Warning.]

He paused.

[Immediate use not recommended.]

[Disciple's weapon is currently undergoing self-directed transformation.]

[Premature external refinement may limit future evolution.]

Shen Yuan dismissed the item.

Not yet.

He handed Clear Wind back.

"Don't repair it."

Jian Wuchen blinked.

"I wasn't planning to."

"Good."

"Why?"

"Because it isn't broken enough."

Silence.

Jian Wuchen stared.

"Master."

"Hm?"

"Sometimes I can't tell whether you're joking."

"Neither can I."

Shen Yuan left.

Jian Wuchen looked at Clear Wind.

Then at the door.

"...Cloudveil Peak is strange."

The broken sword hummed.

He decided that was agreement.

An hour later—

Jian Wuchen discovered Cloudveil Peak had excellent food.

He sat at a long table.

Shen Yuan opposite him.

Lin Yue beside him.

Chen An stood nearby until Shen Yuan pointed at the fourth chair.

"Sit."

Chen An paused.

"Peak Master—"

"Sit."

"I'm an attendant."

"And?"

Chen An looked toward Lin Yue.

She nodded toward the chair.

Jian Wuchen was already eating.

Chen An sighed.

Six years of maintaining proper hierarchy—

destroyed in one evening.

He sat.

One of the elderly cooks brought another bowl.

"Thank you, Auntie Liu."

The woman smiled.

"Eat more. You're too thin."

Chen An accepted defeat.

Jian Wuchen watched.

"Is this normal?"

Lin Yue answered.

"I don't know."

"Right."

Three days.

Shen Yuan ate noodles.

He had missed dinner.

That was the true danger of ancient inheritances.

Jian Wuchen finished one bowl.

Then another.

Then a third.

Lin Yue watched.

"How long since you ate?"

"Yesterday."

Shen Yuan looked up.

"Why?"

"I was being chased."

"Poor planning."

Jian Wuchen stared.

"Next time I'll schedule the pursuit after dinner."

"Good."

Lin Yue lowered her bowl to hide a smile.

Chen An had already stopped trying.

After the fourth bowl, Jian Wuchen slowed.

Shen Yuan finally spoke.

"Your meridians weren't destroyed accidentally."

The table became quiet.

Jian Wuchen set down his chopsticks.

All humor disappeared.

"Explain."

Shen Yuan did.

Not everything.

Only what mattered.

The Jian Clan.

The Sword Tomb guardians.

The seven keys.

The Profound Sword Sect's Sword Bell.

Zhou Xuanji.

His master's death.

The attackers.

The possibility that his crippling had been deliberate.

Jian Wuchen listened without interrupting.

When Shen Yuan finished—

he said nothing.

Lin Yue watched him carefully.

Chen An quietly stood.

"I'll clear the table later."

Shen Yuan nodded.

Chen An left.

This wasn't a conversation for him.

Not yet.

Jian Wuchen looked at his hands.

Three years.

He had asked those questions.

Again and again.

Why had his master died?

Why had the attackers known his route?

Why had they destroyed his meridians but not killed him?

People had told him grief made him paranoid.

That fallen geniuses always searched for someone to blame.

Eventually—

he'd stopped asking.

Not because he believed them.

Because nobody answered.

"Zhou Xuanji."

His voice was quiet.

"Possibly."

Shen Yuan didn't allow certainty where none existed.

"We don't have proof."

Jian Wuchen nodded.

"Li Cangwu said the same thing?"

"Yes."

"Do you trust him?"

"No."

Jian Wuchen looked up.

Shen Yuan continued.

"But I don't think he lied about what he knows."

That distinction mattered.

Jian Wuchen looked toward the window.

Moonlight covered the courtyard.

"Ye Feng."

Shen Yuan remembered the name.

His former rival.

"What about him?"

"He was there."

Shen Yuan's expression changed.

"When?"

"The day my master died."

Lin Yue became still.

Jian Wuchen continued.

"Ye Feng trained under a different elder, but our masters were friends."

He frowned.

"He came to the funeral."

"And?"

"Nothing."

Shen Yuan waited.

Jian Wuchen's eyes narrowed.

"He left early."

"Why?"

"He received a message."

"From whom?"

"I don't know."

Shen Yuan stored that detail.

Not guilt.

Not evidence.

Just a thread.

"Do you think he was involved?"

Jian Wuchen answered immediately.

"No."

Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow.

"Certain?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Jian Wuchen looked at him.

"Because if Ye Feng wanted to defeat me, he'd do it from the front."

That was confidence.

Perhaps misplaced.

Perhaps not.

Shen Yuan nodded.

"We'll find out."

Jian Wuchen looked down.

"Master."

"Hm?"

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why involve yourself?"

Shen Yuan stared.

Jian Wuchen continued.

"You accepted me before knowing any of this."

"Yes."

"Now there are ancient lineages, missing elders, the Profound Sword Sect, seven keys, and apparently someone who has been alive for eight thousand years."

"Potentially."

"And you're still helping."

Shen Yuan considered.

Then shrugged.

"You already bowed."

Jian Wuchen stared.

Lin Yue smiled.

He looked at her.

She nodded.

"He said the same thing earlier."

Jian Wuchen looked back at Shen Yuan.

"That's your reason?"

"Do I need another?"

Jian Wuchen became quiet.

Then lowered his head.

"No."

Something settled inside him.

Not Sword Intent.

Something simpler.

Shen Yuan stood.

"Good."

He stretched.

"Sleep."

Jian Wuchen looked surprised.

"No cultivation?"

"Tomorrow."

"No training?"

"Tomorrow."

"No ancient scripture?"

"Tomorrow."

Jian Wuchen frowned.

"What am I supposed to do tonight?"

Shen Yuan stared.

"Sleep."

Apparently fallen geniuses were difficult in their own way.

Lin Yue stood.

"Come on."

Jian Wuchen reluctantly followed.

At the door, Shen Yuan spoke.

"Jian Wuchen."

He turned.

Shen Yuan looked at him seriously.

"Don't try circulating spiritual Qi."

"I can't."

"Good."

"Why?"

"Because tomorrow we're destroying your cultivation."

Silence.

Jian Wuchen looked down at himself.

"I don't have cultivation."

Shen Yuan smiled.

"Exactly."

Jian Wuchen stared.

Lin Yue patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry."

He looked at her.

She spoke from experience.

"It gets worse before it gets better."

That was not reassuring.

They left.

Shen Yuan remained at the table.

Then—

the system appeared.

[Disciple Jian Wuchen has completed two Sword Meridians.]

[Optimal investment window approaching.]

[Special Disciple Mission updated.]

Forge a cultivation path worthy of the Innate Sword Heart.

Current completion: 18%.

Recommended next step: Create foundational Sword Dao cultivation method.

Shen Yuan smiled.

Finally.

Something familiar.

Lin Yue had required a scripture that could support the Nine-Yin Immortal Body.

Jian Wuchen needed something entirely different.

A cultivation method that did not rely on normal meridians.

One that used Sword Intent as circulation.

Sword Heart as the core.

Sword Meridians as pathways.

Spiritual Qi would become secondary.

A sword cultivator who cultivated the sword first—

and energy second.

Shen Yuan opened the system's derivation interface.

[Cultivation Method Derivation available.]

Target Disciple: Jian Wuchen.

Primary Concepts Recommended:

Sword.

Heart.

Intent.

Body.

Secondary Concepts Recommended:

Metal.

Slaughter.

Void.

Tribulation.

Destruction.

Shen Yuan stared.

Then smiled.

"This one might be expensive."

The system did not disagree.

Jian Wuchen didn't sleep.

He tried.

He genuinely tried.

The bed was too soft.

That was the first problem.

The room was too quiet.

Second.

Nobody was chasing him.

Third.

His sword was resting beside the bed.

Fourth.

He stared at the ceiling.

Eventually—

he stood.

He picked up Clear Wind.

Stepped into the courtyard.

Moonlight covered the training ground.

He raised his sword.

One swing.

Two.

Three.

His body hurt.

He continued.

Twenty.

Fifty.

One hundred.

The Heart Meridian pulsed.

The Bone Meridian strengthened.

Two hundred.

Three hundred.

Then—

"Your shoulder is dropping."

Jian Wuchen stopped.

Lin Yue sat on the wall.

He hadn't noticed her.

"Senior Sister."

She jumped down.

"You're supposed to be sleeping."

"So are you."

"I was cultivating."

"That's different?"

"Yes."

"How?"

She thought.

"I was sitting down."

Fair.

Jian Wuchen raised Clear Wind again.

Lin Yue watched.

"Ten thousand?"

He paused.

"What?"

"Master said you swung a wooden sword ten thousand times every day after losing your cultivation."

Jian Wuchen looked at her.

"He told you?"

"No."

"Then how—"

"Master talks."

Jian Wuchen frowned.

Shen Yuan didn't seem particularly talkative.

Lin Yue corrected herself.

"Sometimes."

That made more sense.

"Yes."

"Why ten thousand?"

"No reason."

She waited.

Jian Wuchen sighed.

"At first, I could only manage one thousand."

"My meridians hurt."

"Then two thousand."

"Then five."

"Eventually ten."

Lin Yue looked at the broken sword.

"Did it help?"

"Yes."

"How?"

Jian Wuchen thought.

"Before I lost my cultivation, I thought about winning."

He swung once.

"I thought about techniques."

Again.

"Realm."

Again.

"Speed."

Again.

"How strong my opponent was."

Again.

"How strong I was."

He stopped.

"Afterward, none of that mattered."

Lin Yue understood more than he realized.

"When my cultivation broke," she said, "I kept trying harder."

Jian Wuchen looked over.

"The worse it became, the more I cultivated."

She smiled faintly.

"I thought effort could fix everything."

"Did it?"

"No."

"Then what did?"

"Master."

Jian Wuchen almost smiled.

"Convenient."

"Very."

They became quiet.

Two disciples.

Both once considered ruined.

Standing beneath the moon on a peak that had accepted neither of them for what they used to be.

Lin Yue looked at Clear Wind.

"Want to spar?"

Jian Wuchen raised an eyebrow.

"Master said no random challenges."

"I'm not random."

Fair.

"Your realm?"

"Body Tempering ninth stage."

"Mine?"

"None."

Jian Wuchen smiled.

"That seems unfair."

Lin Yue nodded.

"For you?"

He liked his senior sister.

"One exchange."

"Fine."

They stepped apart.

No techniques.

No spiritual Qi.

Lin Yue raised one hand.

Jian Wuchen raised Clear Wind.

The courtyard became still.

Then—

Lin Yue moved.

Fast.

Far too fast for Body Tempering.

Jian Wuchen's Heart Meridian reacted.

He saw the attack before it fully formed.

He turned.

Clear Wind moved.

Her palm stopped against the flat of his broken blade.

Boom.

The ground cracked beneath Jian Wuchen.

He slid backward six meters.

Lin Yue's eyes widened.

Jian Wuchen's arm shook.

He stared at her.

"Body Tempering?"

"Yes."

"You're lying."

"No."

He looked toward Shen Yuan's palace.

"Did he do this?"

"Mostly."

Jian Wuchen laughed.

A genuine laugh.

For the first time in a long while.

"Again."

Lin Yue smiled.

"Again."

In Shen Yuan's palace—

his eyes opened.

He could hear them.

Of course he could.

Immortal senses.

He sighed.

"I told them to sleep."

The system displayed the derivation interface.

Shen Yuan looked toward the courtyard.

Then back at the system.

He smiled faintly.

Fine.

Let them.

He selected the first manual from Cloudveil Peak's library.

[Heavenly Sword Breathing Art.]

Consumed.

Then another.

[Golden Edge Scripture.]

Consumed.

[Sword Heart Sutra.]

Consumed.

[Ninefold Sword Body Manual.]

Consumed.

[Void Severing Sword Canon.]

Consumed.

The derivation grade climbed.

Earth — High.

Earth — Transcendent.

Heaven — Low.

Shen Yuan continued.

Ten manuals.

Twenty.

Thirty.

Sword techniques.

Body refinement methods.

Mental arts.

Sword Intent records.

Heavenly-grade inheritances.

Heaven — High.

Not enough.

Shen Yuan frowned.

Lin Yue's scripture had reached Immortal grade only after adding a trace of Primordial Lunar Origin and his Dao comprehension.

Jian Wuchen needed an equivalent catalyst.

Something truly aligned with Sword Dao.

Shen Yuan searched his inventory.

Nothing perfect.

Then—

the system reacted.

[Compatible source detected nearby.]

Shen Yuan blinked.

"Where?"

An arrow appeared.

He followed it.

Out of the palace.

Down the steps.

Past the courtyard where Lin Yue and Jian Wuchen were still exchanging attacks.

Neither noticed him.

The arrow continued.

Toward Cloudveil Peak's rear mountain.

Shen Yuan frowned.

He had lived here for six years.

What was back there?

Trees.

Cliffs.

An old pavilion.

The former Peak Master's abandoned cave residence.

Shen Yuan stopped.

Right.

He hadn't entered it in years.

When the previous Cloudveil Peak Master relinquished the position, he'd left most of the mountain to Shen Yuan.

One place remained sealed.

Not because Shen Yuan couldn't open it.

Because his predecessor had said:

"There's nothing useful inside."

Shen Yuan had believed him.

Mostly because opening it sounded like work.

The system arrow pointed directly toward the sealed cave.

[Sword Dao source detected.]

[Estimated age: Unknown.]

[Estimated grade: Unable to determine.]

Shen Yuan stared.

Six years.

He had apparently been living above something interesting for six years.

He placed one hand on the seal.

It opened immediately.

Dust drifted outward.

Inside—

nothing.

A small stone room.

One table.

One chair.

And a wooden box.

Shen Yuan walked over.

The box had no formation.

No lock.

He opened it.

Inside lay—

a piece of metal.

Rusty.

Jagged.

Perhaps the size of two fingers.

Shen Yuan stared.

The system exploded with notifications.

[WARNING.]

[Unknown Sword Dao material detected.]

[Analyzing...]

[Analysis failed.]

[Reanalyzing...]

[Partial identification successful.]

[Broken Sword Fragment.]

Origin: Pre-Severance Era.

Grade: ???

Contains residual Sword Dao Law beyond current mortal-world limits.

Contains damaged higher-order law structure.

Contains trace of unknown sword wielder.

Compatibility with Jian Wuchen method derivation: 100%.

Shen Yuan became very still.

Pre-Severance.

Again.

The Sword Tomb had carried the same classification.

And this fragment—

had been sitting inside Cloudveil Peak.

Shen Yuan looked around the empty cave.

His predecessor had called this useless.

Either the old man had lied—

or he genuinely didn't know.

Shen Yuan reached for the fragment.

The moment his finger touched it—

the world disappeared.

He saw darkness.

Then—

a sword.

One sword.

Nothing else.

It moved.

There was no technique.

No light.

No spiritual Qi.

No Dao phenomenon.

Just—

a cut.

The universe split.

Stars separated.

Space opened.

Something enormous beyond the void screamed.

Then—

a voice.

Faint.

Ancient.

"When the heavens sever the path..."

The vision shook.

"...become the sword that severs the heavens."

Everything vanished.

Shen Yuan stood inside the cave.

The fragment remained in his hand.

For several seconds—

he said nothing.

Then:

"That's probably useful."

The system appeared.

[Would Host like to consume Broken Sword Fragment for Cultivation Method Derivation?]

Shen Yuan looked at it.

A Pre-Severance artifact.

Unknown grade.

Potentially irreplaceable.

Consume it?

No.

Not blindly.

"Can you extract only the residual comprehension?"

The system paused.

[Possible.]

"Without destroying the fragment?"

[Possible.]

"Cost?"

[1,000,000 high-grade spirit stones.]

Shen Yuan stared.

Then laughed.

Of course.

"Do it."

[Confirm expenditure?]

"Yes."

A million high-grade spirit stones disappeared.

Golden light surrounded the fragment.

Something impossibly thin was drawn from it.

Not energy.

Meaning.

A trace of Sword Dao.

The fragment remained intact.

The derivation interface reacted violently.

[Compatible higher-order Sword Dao comprehension added.]

[Heaven — High → Heaven — Transcendent.]

[Transformation occurring.]

[Immortal — Low.]

[Immortal — Mid.]

[Immortal — High.]

Shen Yuan smiled.

Then—

it kept rising.

[Immortal — Transcendent.]

[Warning.]

[Method structure undergoing qualitative transformation.]

The manuals he'd consumed began reorganizing.

Sword Heart.

Sword Meridians.

Body.

Intent.

Qi.

Everything shifted.

The method rejected conventional cultivation architecture.

Dantian was no longer the center.

The Sword Heart became the core.

Nine Sword Meridians became the circulation network.

The body became the sheath.

The soul—

the edge.

Spiritual Qi became fuel.

Sword Intent became cultivation.

Shen Yuan watched.

A final notification appeared.

[Unnamed Sword Scripture.]

Grade: Dao Scripture — Embryonic.

Current Equivalent: Immortal — Transcendent.

Compatibility with Jian Wuchen: 100%.

Primary Path: Sword Dao.

Foundation Structure: Nine Sword Meridians.

Special Characteristic: Cultivation realm may develop independently of conventional mortal cultivation system.

Shen Yuan's eyes sharpened.

Independently?

Interesting.

Very interesting.

[Please name the scripture.]

Shen Yuan thought.

Nine Sword Meridians.

A broken sword.

A path rebuilt from destruction.

Pre-Severance comprehension.

Then—

he smiled.

"Ninefold Heaven-Severing Sword Scripture."

The system accepted it.

[Naming complete.]

[Ninefold Heaven-Severing Sword Scripture.]

At that exact moment—

Clear Wind screamed.

Far below—

Jian Wuchen stopped mid-swing.

Lin Yue stepped back.

"What happened?"

Jian Wuchen stared toward Shen Yuan's location.

His Sword Heart was pounding.

Something was calling him.

Not the Sword Tomb.

Not Clear Wind.

Something else.

Something that felt—

made for him.

The system appeared before Shen Yuan one final time.

[Special Disciple Mission progress: 18% → 67%.]

[Optimal investment opportunity detected.]

[Teach Ninefold Heaven-Severing Sword Scripture to Disciple Jian Wuchen.]

[Predicted compatibility: Perfect.]

[Predicted disciple transformation: Significant.]

[Cashback eligibility: Extremely High.]

Shen Yuan looked at the notification.

Then toward the courtyard.

His smile widened.

Tomorrow had arrived early.