Chapter 8: Sword Intent Baptism, the Sword Immortal Within Reach
Swordplay?
You're at peak Nascent Soul, half a step into Soul Transformation, the most fearsome sword cultivator in recent Qinglan Sect history—what the hell am I going to cross swords with you for!?
"Master! I refu—"
The word had barely left his lips when—
Boom!
A boundless pressure of sword force descended like an avalanche. Heaven and earth inverted. Clouds whirled backward.
In the surrounding void, an unfathomable, self-evolving tide of sword rhythm surged into being.
In that instant, heaven's vault echoed with thunder. Lightning crackled at the edge of the cosmos.
Sword Intent becoming thunder.
This wasn't a simple divine ability—it was a sword technique conjured purely through the vast, refined will of the sword. No embellishment, no restraint. Crude in its simplicity. Supreme in its dominance.
Damn it. What is this woman trying to do?
Is she planning to crush me with this flood of sword intent, to feed her sword spirit with my soul?
No. No! I must not die here!
Then I'll fight you!
In a flash, Lin Xiao clenched his jaw, veins bulging at his temples. His handsome face twisted in raw fury.
He could accept being crushed by strength. He could accept playing the role of a scapegoat, a stepping stone.
But what he could not—would not—accept, was someone tearing up the script.
This life of his, Lin Xiao swore, would only end on his terms.
"Sword, come!"
In the split-second that followed, his own sword intent surged to its absolute peak. He thrust his hand into the void.
Whoosh!
A translucent, dreamlike blade—as though carved from misty jade and drifting clouds—ripped through space and landed gently in his palm.
Yes.
He had now stepped into the Innate Realm.
Within his spiritual platform, the Purple Mansion had begun to form, and the sword he now gripped was none other than the natal spirit blade he had been nurturing in that secret domain—Dreammist Marsh.
"My good little disciple… all this time on the mountain, and it's the first time I've seen you draw your sword so seriously."
"Hmm… sword energy's not bad, sword intent still weak, but… well, you've got promise."
"In that case, allow your master to give you a little push."
With a flick of her wrist, Xiao Hongling's crimson lips curled in a teasing smile. One slash—simple, effortless—and a hundred-zhang sword domain burst open, swallowing the entire Tiannü Cliff.
At the same moment, the night sky above responded.
Ten thousand bolts of thunder surged like a tidal wave, summoned by the edge of her sword. They howled through the heavens and came crashing toward Lin Xiao.
She really is trying to kill me!
Everyone's gone off the rails. One character after another. This villain role—hell with it!
With bloodshot eyes and clenched fists, Lin Xiao didn't dodge. He raised his blade and met it head-on.
He just wanted it to end—cleanly.
Boom!
The next moment, thunder roared in his ears. The wind howled like a beast. But—he wasn't dead.
On the contrary…
That devastating tide of sword lightning had stopped just a breath away. Then it exploded into light, forming a field of sword intent that enveloped him completely.
Within that realm, he felt time slow, reality congeal, the world beyond shut away.
He closed his eyes by instinct. Sword rhythm bloomed around him like golden lotuses, their petals dissolving into profound streams of sword truth.
Each bloom carried with it a fragment of insight—a glimpse of ultimate sword Dao.
"Disciple. Watch carefully."
"This technique… is called—"
"Sword Intent Baptism, Sword Immortal Within Reach."
A cold, solemn voice spoke beside his ear.
Lin Xiao's heart jolted. His eyes snapped open.
And there she was.
The most exquisite face beneath the heavens, gazing back at him from a distance so close he could feel her breath.
The air grew… strange.
"Xiao'er, hold still. Master is… coming in."
Xiao Hongling's rose-tinted lips parted as she spoke with uncharacteristic gentleness.
What kind of terrible line was that?
Lin Xiao shuddered.
Then came a sharp pain.
He looked down, stunned—only to see her immortal sword, Azure Luan, thrust clean through his abdomen.
"Master, what are you—"
"Damn. This is that scene! The one where Rukia stabs Ichigo in that old anime…"
His mind reeled.
"Shut it."
Her voice rang like a bell of finality.
"Your master has glimpsed the threads of fate. I won't stand by."
"Destiny's chosen child? Reincarnation's decree? Let it all burn."
"My disciple shall reign alone above the stars, peerless across all heavens."
"And that path… begins with your duel against Ye Chen tomorrow."
Her voice echoed through his fading thoughts, words indistinct.
But then—he remembered.
"Wait! Master! You've got the wrong target! It was supposed to be Ye Chen!"
He cried out inwardly.
…
Meanwhile, just outside Qinglan Sect's gates.
In a guest chamber, a black-robed youth abruptly snapped out of meditative trance.
"Old Shi, what is it?"
"This is bad! I cast a divination with the Divine Needle just now, and I felt it—your destiny atop Qinglan Mountain…"
"Over half of it… is gone!"
"But fate never disappears. It must have been… stolen!"
"What!?"
The youth's eyes widened with fury.
"I am the one who seizes opportunity from others. Since when have others dared take mine!?"
"There can be no other heaven-defying existence at Qinglan Sect!"
"Tomorrow… I ascend the mountain."
"To kill!"
Ye Chen's eyes turned scarlet, his handsome face twisting, jaw clenched so tightly it cracked. He looked less like a man, more like a beast—cornered, enraged.
…
Back atop Shenluan Peak.
At Tiannü Cliff, all was hazy and still.
Time passed. How long, he couldn't say.
Lin Xiao stirred.
His fingers twitched. Awareness crept back into his limbs.
As he opened his heavy eyelids, the first thing he saw was—
A snow-pale face, perfect beyond words, smiling down at him from an unthinkably close distance.
Her ink-black hair hung low, brushing his cheek, fragrant and cool.
"Ma…ster?"
He finally regained full consciousness.
A chill spread from the back of his head.
He realized—
He was resting on her lap.
Her bare, jade-white thighs like marble carved by gods.
"Tsk. After all that effort pouring sword intent into you, and you're the one who ends up tired?"
Xiao Hongling chuckled, lifting the wine gourd to her lips, then brought it down to his.
"Come, drink. Celebrate the awakening of your Formless Sword Body. Your sword realm has advanced by leaps and bounds. Even your Second Junior Sister, a known sword fanatic, might not surpass you now."
"From this moment on, the title of Senior Brother finally befits you."
Formless Sword Body!?
Hearing those words, Lin Xiao nearly blacked out on the spot.
He scrambled to open his system interface.
Yes, he had one. A transmigrator's standard loadout.
It's just… he had never cared enough about his own cultivation stats to check it.
"System, display character panel!"
Ding!
Name: Lin Xiao
Age: 22
Cultivation: Innate Realm, Mid Stage
Physique: Formless Sword Body (Minor Achievement)
Description: "Colorless, formless. The one who bears this body possesses supreme talent in the sword Dao."
"Can cast techniques through intent alone, replacing true essence with sword intent. Upon full mastery, the bearer can fuse all sword laws, including Space, Time, Cause and Effect, and Reincarnation…"
Techniques: Qinglan Sword Canon, Outer Scroll – 32 Forms
…
He really did have the Formless Sword Body.
The radiant display left him hollow. Hopeless.
This plot… was broken beyond repair.
…
According to the original novel, Qinglan Sect was a legacy sword sect with ten thousand years of history.
Once a disciple passed the inner sect's sword trials, they could enter the Sword Tomb below the mountain and forge a natal sword by offering their own sword intent into a mystic furnace.
Every natal sword, as the wielder advanced, could eventually give birth to a sword spirit.
Like Second Junior Sister Guo Yourong's Iceblade Spirit.
Or Third Junior Sister Chu Youwei's Zitherheart Spirit.
And Lin Xiao's… well, the author hadn't bothered to give him one. He was just a tool for the main character's ascension.
But what mattered most—
His Master's sword, Azure Luan, was special.
The wielder could use it as a vessel to pour their sword intent directly into another.
That was insane.
In the cultivation world, cultivation and techniques could be transferred through secret arts—but sword intent?
That had always been something one had to comprehend alone.
To bypass that law of nature—to transfer insight—was utterly heretical.
And worse…
According to the story, only men could receive such a transfer.
In the later arcs, after Ye Chen was crippled by the Great Zhou Empress, it was Xiao Hongling who used this exact ritual to reawaken his sword realm, grant him the Formless Sword Body, and set him on the path to vengeance.
It was the biggest power-up in the entire series.
And now?
He'd taken it first.
How the hell was this story supposed to continue?
He was genuinely worried he might accidentally kill Ye Chen tomorrow at the disciple initiation ceremony.
…
"What's that little head of yours spinning about? I give you wine and you won't even drink it?"
Her voice snapped him back to reality.
"Master, you just drank from that jug yourself. If I drink it directly, wouldn't that… be improper?"
Lin Xiao rushed to find an excuse.
"Improper?" Xiao Hongling raised a brow. "And you think lying on your Master's legs like this is proper?"
"Uh…"
Realizing the absurdity, Lin Xiao sat bolt upright and scrambled away.
"Pfft."
Watching his flustered retreat, Xiao Hongling let out a clear, unrestrained laugh.
Then, slowly, the smile faded.
She propped her chin on both hands, gazing at him with unfocused eyes.
Something weighed on her mind.
"What's wrong, Master?" he asked, playing the concerned disciple.
"There's something important I must ask you. Answer honestly…"
She leaned in close, her expression unusually grave.
Startled by her seriousness, Lin Xiao tensed and gritted his teeth. "Master, ask away! I will speak without reservation!"
Then, in the very next breath—
She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, cheeks dusted in red, lips curving upward with a teasing gleam in her eyes.
"Tell me, does your Master… look good?"
Lin Xiao: "???"