The three radiant treasures dissolved into Liam Ardent's body one after another. A tidal surge of power thundered through his meridians, his strength climbing like a sun piercing storm clouds.
System Update
[Internal Energy +10,000 → Current: 281,000]
[Prestige +100 → Current: 109]
[EXP +100,000 → Current: 109,000]
A faint smile curved across Liam's lips. His foundation had solidified yet again. With Prestige now over a hundred, the passive tide of cultivation had begun to move like an unseen river, a constant reservoir of strength feeding him day and night.
He brushed the dust from his robes, toes tapping lightly against the ground. In a breath, he soared forward, his body a streak of white fire across the wilderness.
Not far ahead, the clash of steel rang sharply in the mountain air—metal grinding, voices shouting, the desperate cadence of men wagering their lives.
Liam quickened his pace.
Soon, the scene revealed itself: three men in crimson-flamed insignia robes—the banner of the Ming Cult's Liehuo Division—surrounded a solitary figure. Their blades danced in a vicious storm, yet the lone swordsman, resolute and unyielding, fought back with dazzling precision.
It was a man in his thirties, his expression sharp, his long sword singing as it carved arcs of cold light. Despite being outnumbered, he pressed the three assailants to their limits, each stroke of his blade leaving shallow wounds on their bodies.
The insignia of fire burned bright on the Ming disciples' sleeves. But it was not they who seized Liam's attention.
It was the swordsman.
Recognition struck him instantly.
System Scan
[Detected: Edwin Rowan]
[Realm: First-Rate Expert, Late Stage]
[Origin: Sixth disciple of Master Elias Rowan, one of the Wudang Seven Heroes. Fiancé of Lady Moira Drake.]
Liam's eyes narrowed. Edwin Rowan.
The fiancé of Lady Moira Drake… Isla's father's sworn brother. Wudang's so-called paragon of loyalty and righteousness.
But Liam felt no warmth. Only a cold disdain curdled in his chest. Rowena Sterling's claim on me. Isla Drake's bond to her father. And this man—the one fate had tied to Lady Moira before her life was shattered. If left alive, he is nothing but a lurking threat.
Resolve hardened in Liam's heart. Edwin Rowan could not be allowed to remain in this world.
The Ming disciples? They were irrelevant.
Liam's toes tapped against the rock, his form streaking like a phantom. In an instant he descended behind Edwin, the Heaven-Reliant Sword flashing from its sheath, its edge gleaming with the chill of inevitability.
The air split as the sword light carved forward like a rainbow piercing the dusk.
Edwin Rowan's blade had just forced two Ming disciples backward, a triumphant shout forming on his lips—when he heard the hiss of a deadly strike cutting through the wind at his back.
His instincts screamed.
Without hesitation, he twisted, raising his sword to parry—
A metallic shriek rang.
His treasured longsword snapped apart like brittle glass beneath the Heaven-Reliant Sword. The shock reverberated up his arm, nearly tearing the weapon from his hand.
Horror flared in Edwin's eyes. His gaze snapped to the weapon that had shattered his defense.
"The Heaven-Reliant Sword!"
And then, recognition struck deeper still. His eyes locked on Liam's face.
"You… Liam Ardent!" Rage erupted in his chest, his voice sharp with fury and grief. "My nephew Lucas—turned half-crippled, neither man nor woman—that was your poison! Now you strike from behind, skulking like a coward! Do you dare call yourself a hero of Jianghu?!"
Liam's expression remained cool, untouched. "I never claimed to be a hero."
The Heaven-Reliant Sword blazed once more, its edge descending with unrelenting finality.
Edwin leapt backward, summoning the signature lightness skill of Wudang. His form blurred, vanishing upward in a graceful arc—
But Liam's body moved in perfect mirror.
The same art. The same footwork. Wudang's Drifting Cloud Steps.
Edwin's eyes widened as Liam closed the distance in a blink. "How… how do you know our sect's sacred skill—?"
His words never finished.
The Heaven-Reliant Sword whispered once, flashing past his throat. A spray of crimson mist painted the wind.
Edwin Rowan's head flew free of his shoulders, his expression frozen in shock and fury.
His body collapsed, lifeless.
The mountains held their breath.
Liam's blade returned to its sheath with a quiet click. His voice was calm, carrying no ripple of emotion.
"I told you. I am no hero."
System Update
[Edwin Rowan slain – EXP +10,000]
[Silver +3,000]
No manuals dropped. Liam felt no disappointment. He had already consumed all of Wudang's heritage from the Infinite Upgrade System itself.
The three Ming disciples froze mid-battle. Moments ago they had faced certain death; now salvation had arrived in a single stroke.
They dropped to one knee in unison, clasping fists with reverence.
"Great Hero Ardent, you saved our lives! We swear eternal gratitude!"
Their sincerity was absolute.
System Update
[Liehuo Banner Disciples Favorability +100 → Current: Unwavering Devotion]
[Prestige +3 → Current: 112]
Liam inclined his head faintly. "Go. Live as you will. My sword has no need of your thanks."
The three disciples bowed again, retreating quickly into the trees, their eyes still burning with awe.
A flare of azure light suddenly streaked into the sky to the northeast, blooming like a lotus of fire against the heavens.
Liam's gaze sharpened. He recognized it immediately. A Wudang distress signal.
And more specifically—
Tristan Hale.
A thin smile touched Liam's lips. "So… it's your turn."
With a single step, he vanished, streaking toward the source of the flare.
The hunt was not yet over.
System Update
[Quest Updated: The Siege of Bright Peak]
[New Objective: Locate Tristan Hale]
The mountains whispered with the promise of blood.
Glossary – Chapter 45
Edwin Rowan: Sixth disciple of Master Elias Rowan, one of the Seven Heroes of Wudang. Fiancé of Lady Moira Drake. Killed by Liam Ardent.
Liehuo Banner: One of the Five Elemental Banners of the Ming Cult, known as the Fire Banner. Its disciples specialize in aggressive fire-based tactics and siegecraft.
Tristan Hale: Disciple of the Emei Sect and son of Mother Clarisse Hale. Currently in conflict with the Ming Cult, his signal flare draws Liam's attention.
This story is inspired from various Wuxia novels ,so if you find any similarities please dont mind . and if you think this is boring wait till the Dual cultivation starts ,Thank you .
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T/N :
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