First Immortal of the Sword

The Aberrant higher-ups gathered in the hall smiled. They’d long since wanted to attack the Heart-Tempering Sword House!

This was a peak Heavenly Monarch faction outside of territories, without its pillar of support. They seemed little different from a fatty sheep, and better yet, they already had them effectively “fenced in.”

“Chief, give the orders, and we’ll attack the Heart-Tempering Sword House immediately. I guarantee that we can capture every last one of them!” that mountainous, armored man said in a muffled voice.

His name was Bei Lin, and he was the second libationer of the Aberrant Race, as well as a ferocious fighter with powerful murderous intent.

“We can’t.” Chief Meng Che shook his head. “Those sword cultivators aren’t afraid to die. If we push them into a corner, both sides will end up with heavy injuries.”

“Then what should we do?” someone asked. All eyes focused on Meng Che.

“Threaten them,” Meng Che said coldly. “We should tell them in no uncertain terms that if they wish to continue enjoying our protection, they must submit, offer all their legacies and treasures, and follow our orders going forward.

“Refuse, and they must leave our territories immediately. The Aberrants have no interest in raising a bunch of layabout ingrates!

The others exchanged glances. They couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Such threats seemed far too conservative, and far more complicated than just rallying their forces and attacking.

Chief Meng Che smiled faintly. “Rest assured. To protect their disciples and legacies, their leaders are sure to submit. After all, all of them are well aware that without our protection, they’re nothing more than masterless dogs anyone can beat or chastise as they please.”

He paused, his gaze suddenly deep and intense. “Besides, aren’t they worried that we’ll simply reveal their location and borrow others’ hands to kill them?”

The crowd mulled this over, then quickly understood.

The current Heart-Tempering Sword House was indeed helpless. If they didn’t submit, they’d be doomed! There was absolutely no need for the Aberrants to attack personally, either. A few threats would be enough to force the sect’s old-timers to lower their heads, like it or not!

Chief Meng Che said gravely, “If they refuse to swallow their pride and try to leave, I guarantee they won’t escape the Great Aberrant Ruins alive!”

With that, Meng Che directly issued orders. He arranged for Grand Libationer Mu Yang to visit the Heart-Tempering Sword House personally.

Mu Yang was that bony old man in beast skins. His authority was second only to Chief Meng Che’s.

“Tell them that we won’t take this to extremes. We’ll give them three days to think things over. They must give us a clear answer within three days’ time!” ordered Meng Che.

“Yes, Chief!” Mu Yang nodded his assent, then set off to carry out his orders.

......

Sect Leader Lu Ye and the other higher-ups learned of the Aberrants’ decision later that very day. All of them were instantly beside themselves with fury.

“They really have gone mad with ambition. They seriously want to force us to submit!?”

“I said it, didn’t I? In their eyes, we’re nothing but fatty sheep just waiting to be slaughtered!”

“Let’s just cast aside all pretenses of cordiality and fight! I’ve long since had enough of this!”

Sect Leader Lu Ye silently took in his sectmates’ fury, then reached a decision.

“I’ll go meet with Master and report this, then let him decide.” Sect Leader Lu Ye rose, then exited the hall and set course for the forbidden ground where they kept the Sword-Testing Tower.

Su Yi was busy meditating and tending to his wounds. Lu Ye couldn’t help but feel ashamed; if the situation weren’t urgent, he would never have disrupted his master’s cultivation like this.

Su Yi opened his eyes. “What happened?”

Lu Ye took a moment to steady himself, then concisely explained what had happened.

After hearing the full story, Su Yi couldn’t help but frown.

Still, he wasn’t exactly surprised. On his very first day here, he’d watched two lowly guards brazenly try to extort Heavenly Monarchs like Wen Feng and Fei Qiu. That incident was enough to alert Su Yi to the Heart-Tempering Sword House’s predicament.

Indeed, all was just as he thought. The only difference was that now, the Aberrants had revealed their fangs. They wanted to swallow the Heart-Tempering Sword House whole!”

“Didn’t the Malevolent Sword Venerate prepare countermeasures in case something like this happened when he arranged for you to seek refuge here?” Su Yi asked, a bit confused.

Sect Leader Lu Ye grimaced. “Were he still alive, there’s no way the Aberrants would dare to act like this, but... he’s already dead...”

Su Yi inclined his head. Even tea went cold if neglected, let alone human relationships. The Malevolent Sword Venerate might have been close to the Aberrants once, but now, he was dead, so that no longer mattered.

Moreover, the Heart-Tempering Sword House had lost its ancestral grounds, and it was now wanted by Limitless Palace. Given the circumstances, it wasn’t at all surprising that the Aberrants would take them for a helpless, fatty sheep.

They figured that threats alone would be enough to force them into submission.

Su Yi suddenly asked, “How would you respond to this if I weren’t here?”

Lu Ye’s heart shook; he knew that his master was testing him. He paused briefly, then decided to tell the truth. “We’d end our relationship with them completely!”

“You’d rather risk calamity than submit?” asked Su Yi.

Lu Ye steeled himself. “As important as our legacies are... a sword cultivator cannot cast away his pride, and his spirit cannot break!”

Here, he paused, too nervous to even breathe too loudly. He had no idea whether or not this answer would disappoint his master.

After all, it had taken his master a lifetime of effort to build the sect.

But against his expectations, Su Yi smiled. “It doesn’t matter that our ancestral grounds have been destroyed, or that the whole world is hunting us, but... if we chose to submit, would the Heart-Tempering Sword House still be the Heart-Tempering Sword House?”

Lu Ye was briefly stunned. Then, he felt a massive weight lift from his shoulders. “You’re absolutely right, Master!”

Su Yi pondered briefly. “To the best of my knowledge, the Aberrants aren’t particularly powerful. Why do they have such a big appetite? Aren’t they worried that they’ll bite off more than they can chew?”

On his way here, Su Yi learned that the cataclysm that had befallen the Aberrants during the Devastation had come close to annihilating them completely.

The passage of countless years had given them ample time to recover, but they’d still only recovered a portion of their vitality. Their Grand Libationers were roughly equivalent to Heavenly Monarchs, but there were only about thirty of them.

That was a far cry from the Aberrant Race’s glory days. They were even slightly inferior to the current Heart-Tempering Sword House!

Lu Ye explained, “A starving camel is still bigger than a horse. The Aberrants were once glorious and strong. At their peak, they could even contend with Heavenly Sovereign factions! They might have declined, but their foundations remain.

“Rumor has it that the Aberrants still have numerous Taboo Treasures from the Devastation, as well as the Heroic Souls of many of their ancestors!”

The Heroic Souls of their ancestors! Su Yi instantly understood.

Sometimes, when a particularly terrifying existence died in battle, their Heroic Souls lived on. They were similar to avatars of will.

The Aberrants also had numerous strange and taboo Aberrant techniques. With them, they could seal their ancestors’ Heroic Souls. They now saw them as their Guardian Spirits.

Lu Ye paused, then continued, “The Malevolent Sword Venerate also said that one of their progenitors is still alive, and that he survived the cataclysm of the Devastation. He’s been dormant ever since, but if the Aberrants are threatened, he can awaken at any time!”

Only then did Su Yi understand. So, the Aberrants aren’t as simple as they appear on the surface!

“Go back and tell the Aberrants that the Heart-Tempering Sword House will send someone to discuss this matter with them in person in nine days’ time,” said Su Yi.

Lu Ye blinked, then understood. Master plans to visit the Aberrants himself! He’s delaying for nine days for the simple reason that he’s still badly injured and needs time to recover!

“Master, will nine days be enough?” asked Lu Ye. He couldn’t help but worry.

If it were just a matter of buying time, Lu Ye was confident that he could do so by pretending he was willing to converse, then stalling for time. The Aberrants were likely to agree to wait if he played his cards right.

Su Yi smiled. “It’s more than enough.”

Before long, Lu Ye set off, while Su Yi resumed his meditation.

From the perspective of the Heart-Tempering Sword House, the Aberrants’ threats were a huge deal. Their very survival was on the line.

But to Su Yi, it was trivial. So what if they had a falling out? Did the Aberrants really think that there was no place for the Heart-Tempering Sword House in this world without their protection?

Time slipped by. Soon, seven days had passed.

Nothing major had happened. The Aberrants were waiting for the Heart-Tempering Sword House, while the Heart-Tempering Sword House was waiting for their founder, Su Yi, to leave seclusion.

On this day, Su Yi rose. He’d decided to re-enter the Sword-Testing Tower!

His wounds had long since knit back together, and he’d had a breakthrough in his cultivation. He was now in the late-stage Silent Realm.

However, he wasn’t entering the tower to challenge the Heavenly Sovereign imprint on the thirteenth floor. Rather, he was going to meet with the Primordial Sword Devil.

The twelfth floor of the Sword-Testing Tower, inside the Blood Lotus Hidden Realm.

Su Yi had only just appeared when the black-robed, red-haired Primordial Sword Devil dashed up to him frantically and grumbled, “You’re finally here! Do you have any idea how much I suffered waiting for you?”

Su Yi laughed. “Have you thought it over?”

The Primordial Sword Devil nodded repeatedly. “Let’s put it like this. I want to ask you to help grant me a second chance at life! With your power of reincarnation, you can recreate my vital source. Once you’ve recondensed my vital source energies, I’ll be able to rebuild my body and soul on my own.

“In exchange, I’ll tell you one of the Sword-Testing Tower’s secrets in advance. Once you’ve kept up your end of the deal, so long as I have answers, I’ll tell you everything you want to know!”

With that, he looked at Su Yi eagerly.

It was clear that all of that waiting had worn away his patience, and that he couldn’t hold back any longer. He didn’t even wait for Su Yi to ask questions, instead blurting out all of his intentions at once.

Su Yi raised an eyebrow. “The power of reincarnation can restore your vital source energy?”

This time, it was the Primordial Sword Devil’s turn to be surprised. “You’re the one who’s mastered reincarnation. Surely you know that already?”

Su Yi shook his head. “I’ve never done anything of the sort.”

The Primordial Sword Devil was instantly nervous. “Little Brother, don’t scare me like this! Even back in the Primordial Era, everyone knew that reincarnation could reverse death and grant new life. With the power of reincarnation, even a wisp of awareness can enter the cycle of reincarnation and be reborn. Don’t... Don’t tell me you can’t do it?”

Something occurred to Su Yi. “If you’re really willing to cooperate, I’d be down to try it.”

“To... try it?” The Primordial Sword Devil hesitated, his expression shifting and uncertain. “But what if something goes wrong? Won’t I be finished?”

Su Yi said casually, “You’re also welcome to wait until I’ve figured out how to reverse death and grant new life through the power of reincarnation, then decide.”

The Primordial Sword Devil fell silent.

“You’re welcome to take your time to think it over,” said Su Yi. Then, he turned to leave.

The Primordial Sword Devil said hurriedly, “Wait! Didn’t you want to hear the secret of the tower I promised you?”

Su Yi immediately stopped in his tracks. “Let’s hear it.”

The Primordial Sword Devil’s lips twitched. Damn you! You obviously want to hear this secret, but here you are, making me beg you for an opportunity to share it with you!

Kid, you’re seriously awful!