Karael of the Burning Edge Sect wielded a flaming odachi, his aura a roaring inferno. Li Xuyan of the Plum Blossom Sword Valley stood poised with a slender dao, his every motion refined, his qi flowing like ink on silk. There was Hiei of the Shadow leaf clan—a silent predator with dual daggers as fluid as shadows. There was Kazue of the shining blade clan, who was in fact Hiei's twin!
Finally, there was Rojin, a hulking axe-wielder from a lesser clan, his massive shoulders flexing as if raw strength alone could shatter the trials ahead. The entrance hall stretched before them, tiled with sheathed blades, hundreds of thousands of swords buried tip-first, their hilts jutting upward like grave markers in a steel graveyard. The entire corridor gleamed with muted light reflected from the polished metal.
At its far end, a towering statue of the Blade Saint Zephyr stood motionless, arms crossed, head bowed. Even as unmoving stone, his presence radiated suffocating intent, as if a single breath would cleave them in two. The air trembled. The disembodied voice of Blade Saint Zephyr called out from the inheritance:
"Steel is patience. Steel is trial. Only those who survive its tempering may ascend."
The ground glowed faintly as Sword Qi pulsed through the buried blades. The moment Karael took a step forward, steel hissed like snakes—blades snapping up from hidden slits in the floor.
Trial One: The Path of Unsheathing.
They quickly realized that each glowing hilt pulsed in rhythm, telegraphing which swords would strike next. A misstep would mean a dozen blades spearing through flesh, qi and bone. Karael scoffed and surged forward in a blaze of fire qi. "I'll burn my way through!" He swung his flaming odachi to deflect the barrage, but the swords were faster!
Steel flashed, and a single blade carved a deep line across his thigh! He cried out, staggering back, he circulated his qi to staunch the bleeding. A teleportation rune ignited beneath him, enveloping him in fairy fire light.
Fwoosh!
Karael was ejected from the inheritance!
The survivors froze, sweat beading their foreheads, one mistake meant elimination. Zhenba's expression remained unreadable. With slow precision, he unsheathed a single saber and spun it lazily in a glowing arc, flashing qi hummed faintly along its edge. He exhaled once and stepped forward. Then he became a storm of motion—each footfall perfectly placed, every glowing hilt's rhythm anticipated. Blades shot up around him, but his saber flicked them aside, his body weaving through the steel storm like a dancer!
In heartbeats, he reached the far end of the hall, untouched. "Watch the rhythm. The hilts signal everything. Flow with it, or die."
Li Xuyan followed, his dao tracing elegant crescents through the air, His movements were slow yet impossibly smooth, every strike deflecting with graceful precision.
The Shadowleaf twins laughed softly, sprinting at impossible speed. Hiei kicked off a wall, Kazue mirrored him on the opposite side, both of them flipping through the gauntlet in a crossing dash that barely skimmed the floor at all.
Rojin lumbered forward last, grunting with effort, but Zhenba's commands helped guide his steps. He crashed through with a few close calls, sweat dripping from his chin. They regrouped in the next chamber, five survivors now standing in silence. The adjacent chamber was cylindrical; its walls etched with runes. Dozens of floating swords orbited the room like a spinning galaxy, glowing with Sword Qi.
The moment they entered, the swords began humming, blades lashing out in a deadly rhythm. Zhenba's sabers flashed, knocking two blades from the air, his flashing sword qi made his body blur.
Kazue: "Fastest way out?"
Zhenba: "Kill the song."
The others realized they'd have to match their qi to the resonance of the orbiting swords! Li Xuyan closed his eyes, flowing Plum Blossom Qi through his veins until his dao hummed in harmony with the rhythm, deflecting blows in soft arcs. Hiei and Kazue danced along the walls, slashing runes midair to slow the swords' movements. Rojin roared, swinging his massive axe, but a dozen blades converged at once, and with a single metallic shriek, his weapon snapped in half.
Three slashes carved deep across his chest, the blades circled around him slowly, a teleport rune activated beneath his feet and whisked him away!
Four survivors left. Zhenba stepped forward, spinning both sabers in a complex pattern, etching the Blade Saint's sigil into the air. The orbiting swords froze mid-swing, then shattered into motes of light! The Blade Saint's Voice spoke "Precision is strength. Recklessness is death." The group advanced, shaken but alive.
At the room's center lay a glowing silver pool, "a Sword spring essence pool!"
Its shimmering liquid released sharp Sword Qi that made the air vibrate like a plucked string. Zhenba calmly dipped his sabers, coating them in a thin sheen of metallic silver energy. The blades now sang with every swing. Li Xuyan followed, but carefully. Hiei and Kazue were less cautious, attempting to draw too much essence—the pool flared dangerously, almost cutting Kazue's palm. The final trial of the first floor was a duel.
A glowing figure materialized, the Blade Saint himself, draped in golden qi that flickered like sunlight through steel. He held a single longsword, its edge so sharp the chamber's air hummed. The Sword Will pressing down on them was suffocating—its flashing aura oppressive enough to make Li Xuyan stagger back a step, sweat already beading at his brow.
The Blade Saint Zephyr spoke, "Show me your footwork." The projection moved. It didn't step forward; it blurred, vanishing and reappearing mid-strike. The longsword cut a golden arc that ripped through the air, forcing everyone into motion.
The Hiei of the Shadow leaf flanked him like a hunting panther, his daggers glowing green as they darted in for a synchronized kill strike. Kazue of the shining blade clan struck alongside with him.
Hiei shouted to his twin Kazue; "Right side, now!" The Blade Saint didn't even look. His longsword swept out in a single, contemptuous slash. The sheer force of the qi sent Hiei tumbling back, barely dodging a killing blow, while Kazue's blades were knocked spinning from his hands. Li Xuyan stepped forward, his dao flashing with plum blossom qi, intercepting the follow-up strike. Each movement was as graceful as flowing ink, his blade painting delicate circles in the air to redirect Zephyr's killing intent.
Li Xuyan privately thought to himself, " Even his projection… moves like a god.''
But he was only stalling. His breathing grew ragged as the oppressive intent crushed his spirit. Zhenba lowered his stance, one saber held high, the other low. Lightning qi crackled across his shoulders, sparking along the ground. Zhenba spoke, "Watch closely."
He vanished in a burst of speed, appearing at Zephyr's flank, sabers slashing in six perfect arcs that hummed like a storm. Each strike resonated with the Swordspring Essence, glowing silver lines carving deep across the projection's body.
The Blade Saint laughed.
He spun his sword in a perfect circle, a single strike that parried all six attacks at once. Sparks exploded through the chamber like a lightning storm, knocking Zhenba back two steps.
Blade Saint Zephyr: "Not good enough, sunny Jim."
Before anyone could blink, his form dispersed into golden motes—and reappeared behind Kazue. Kazue froze. Kazue: "Whu—what? No!" The longsword tapped him lightly on the shoulder. A teleportation rune flared at his feet, swallowing him in blue light.
Whoooosh!
Kazue was ejected from the inheritance. Hiei shouted "Kazue!" Hiei's cry echoed as his twin vanished. His fury flared, but he didn't dare rush the Saint blindly. The golden figure's smile sharpened. Blade Saint Zephyr: "Three left." He raised his blade in a duelist's salute and charged again. The golden projection moved like a streak of sunlight, its sword slicing the air with perfect economy. Li Xuyan was already breathing hard, his Plum Blossom Sword Style faltering under the pressure. Every swing of his dao felt like parrying a falling star. Li Xuyan gritted his teeth, "He… sees every flaw."
The Blade Saint's longsword flickered, striking like lightning. Xuyan twisted at the last moment, qi blooming like petals as he barely redirected the attack. Even so, he was flung back against the chamber wall, blood dripping from his lip. But before the Saint could press his advantage, a shadow streaked forward. Hiei exploded into motion, his twin daggers blurring into a storm of green-tinged qi. He zigzagged across the floor like a phantom, striking from impossible angles. For a heartbeat, it almost seemed like he might land a decisive blow.
But Blade Saint Zephyr just smirked, "Ahh yes... killing intent, how delightful!" The Saint spun, his sword tracing a crescent arc that clashed with Hiei's daggers midair, knocking him into a backward roll. Yet Hiei used that momentum to flip off the wall, landing behind Zephyr and stabbing for his back!
For the first time, the Blade Saint's projection tilted its head in approval, he pivoted, blocking with his sword in reverse grip, sparks exploding as steel clashed!
Blade Saint Zephyr spoke approvingly, "Not bad, assassin. Not bad." The Saint thrust out his Palm! A shockwave of Sword Intent sent Hiei skidding back, but not ejecting him. Now only Zhenba stood unshaken, his twin sabers humming with flashing qi. He dropped into a low stance, his aura crackling.
Zhenba: "I see it now…"
Li Xuyan panted "See what?!"
Zhenba smiled "The pattern."
The Blade Saint lunged, sword flashing. Zhenba vanished in a streak of lightning, his sabers tracing arcs that sang like thunder. He deflected a strike that would have killed Xuyan, spun past the Saint's guard, and delivered a clean cut to his glowing shoulder. The chamber went silent.
The Saint looked down at the glowing mark across his projection's arm. Then, he laughed—a warm, ringing sound that filled the hall.
"Finally."
He sheathed his sword in one smooth motion.
"Among all blades, only one strikes true, Zhenba of the Thousand Cuts Clan… your edge pleases me."
Golden motes swirled around the projection as it faded away. The chamber's oppressive Sword Will lightened. A staircase of floating swords materialized, leading upward.
Li Xuyan: "We… passed?" Hiei wiped sweat from his brow, "Barely." A pillar of light descended over Zhenba, marking him as the trial's favored candidate. A small cache of glowing Sword Tokens appeared at their feet—each floor's reward. Hiei spoke, "Figures...The Saint likes you best." Zhenba looked back over his shoulder "Then keep up,or get left behind."
With that, Zhenba ascended the sword staircase first, his aura sparking with anticipation. The staircase of swords dissolved behind them, depositing Zhenba, Hiei, and Li Xuyan in a lush bamboo forest. The stalks were enormous, each as thick as a man's torso, towering into darkness. The air was heavy with moisture and humming Sword Qi, every leaf trembling with unseen danger.
The Blade Saints voice, deep and resonant, echoed through the grove, "A swordsman is nothing without his cut. Your blade is your soul—show me its edge."
The floor beneath them glowed, and a path of golden light snaked through the bamboo ahead, vanishing into mist. From somewhere above, a loud clang echoed like a gong.
"Begin."
The bamboo shifted like a living maze—stalks twisting to block their path. Zhenba and Li Xuyan exploded forward immediately, blades flashing. Zhenba's lightning-infused sabers sliced cleanly through bamboo, his movements a storm of arcs and crackling thunder. He used his momentum to spin and carve multiple stalks with a single swing, creating a trail through the dense forest.
Li Xuyan was slower but more precise—his dao sang through the air, every cut a perfect crescent. Each swing severed a stalk in one blow, his Plum Blossom Sword Style leaving petals of qi drifting in his wake.
Hiei leapt into the air, daggers flashing as he tried to dance through gaps in the bamboo rather than cut. But the stalks shifted faster the more he avoided them, forcing him to hack away with his too-short blades. Sweat beaded on his brow.
Hiei gritted his teeth, "Damn it...they're too thick!" A bamboo stalk slammed sideways like a whip, sending him tumbling. Hiei managed to roll back to his feet, but he was falling behind. Suddenly, the forest came alive. From the mist emerged hulking, turtle-shelled creatures with glowing yellow eyes!
Genbu.
Their massive jaws snapped, and their armored limbs swung like hammers. They moved slowly but were impervious to casual strikes! One Genbu lumbered into Zhenba's path, its shell glittering with sword intent. Zhenba didn't slow down—he gathered qi into his sabers, lightning dancing wildly. Zhenba shouted "Out of my way!"
With a roar, he performed his Storm Splitter Slash technique, a double diagonal cut that released a thunderclap! The Genbu's head flew off, and its massive body crashed aside, clearing his route. Li Xuyan was more strategic. He used the bamboo maze itself—slashing stalks in a crescent to create an overhead trap, causing a cluster of bamboo to fall like spears onto a Genbu's shell, pinning it. He darted past, a swirl of elegance and lethal precision.
Hiei, however, found himself cornered. The daggers simply couldn't pierce the Genbu's shell, and his evasive style failed in the cramped bamboo. A second gong rang out, and the golden light path blazed brighter.
A teleportation rune flared beneath Hiei's feet. Hiei shouted in frustration "Tch! Damn this place!"
whoosh,
Hiei was ejected from the inheritance. Now only Zhenba and Li Xuyan remained. The bamboo thinned ahead, leading to a towering wooden gate flanked by massive swords. But the final stretch wasn't easy—the forest tilted forward, as if gravity itself was dragging them down a slope.
Sword intent lashed through the air like invisible blades, slicing leaves and bamboo stalks to ribbons.
Li Xuyan ducked a near-invisible strike, "Sword Will! He's attacking us from everywhere!" Zhenba grinned "Good. I was hoping for a warm-up."
Zhenba accelerated, his lightning sabers crackling, each swing intercepting a streak of Sword Will before it could cut him. His dual sabers carved a glowing spiral path forward, his mastery of tempo and motion unmatched. Li Xuyan followed, his Plum Blossom Style countering with elegant flowing parries, each step carefully timed.
They burst through the final gauntlet side by side, crossing beneath the gate. The wooden gate dissolved into light, revealing another staircase of floating swords leading to the Third Floor. A chest of Sword Tokens materialized, their glow brighter than before.
Li Xuyan panted he smiled wryly "Just the two of us."
Zhenba smiled back "This too will pass."
The golden staircase ascended into a swirling vortex of mist and steel. The next trial awaited. The sword-spiral staircase dissolved, depositing Zhenba and Li Xuyan into a massive coliseum of steel. The arena stretched endlessly, its walls lined with glowing swords of every shape and size, all humming with killing intent. Above, a massive glowing sword illuminated the battlefield, casting long, sharp shadows.
The ground beneath them shimmered like polished steel. As soon as their boots touched down, the Blade Saint's voice boomed:
Blade Saint Zephyr: "You have shown speed. You have shown precision. Now… show me dominance."
One hundred glowing Sword Masters materialized in a ring around them, each one a projection drawn from Zephyr's lifetime of duels. Every fighter was unique—grizzled veterans wielding claymores, slender duelists with rapiers, massive warriors hefting curved odachi. Their combined Sword Will blanketed the arena, making it feel like they were standing beneath a mountain of blades.
Li Xuyan drew on his dao, calm but tense, "A hundred swords…"
Zhenba was grinning, lightning sparking along his twin sabers "That's only fifty each."
The gong rang and the 100 man kumite began! The ring of Sword Masters surged forward in perfect synchronization, their swords a wall of flashing light! Li Xuyan flowed into motion, his Plum Blossom Sword Style blossoming like petals on the wind. He moved like water, each cut precise, each parry elegant. Three opponents fell in a single arc of his dao.
Zhenba, by contrast, was a storm. His sabers blurred, lightning coursing across his strikes. He carved through the first wave, each slash fast enough to leave glowing trails. His feet never stopped moving; he became a whirlwind of death, slipping between blades, severing limbs, dismantling opponents in a dance of chaos and precision.
But the numbers pressed in. Ten opponents struck at once from every direction, forcing Zhenba to spin wildly, parrying and slashing in the same movement. Sparks lit the arena as he kicked one Sword Master in the chest, flipped backward, and decapitated another in a single slash.
Li Xuyan fought valiantly, his dao singing as he deflected a spear thrust and answered with a clean killing stroke. But a veteran swordsman wielding twin sabers slipped through his guard.
Shnk!
A shallow cut traced across Li Xuyan's ribs. The arena pulsed. The wound was shallow, but the inheritance allowed no mistakes. A teleportation rune flared beneath Li Xuyan's feet. Li Xuyan grimaced, sheathing his dao "Zhenba! Finish this!" With a flash of golden light, he was ejected from the inheritance. Zhenba froze for only a fraction of a second as the reality set in. He was alone. The Blade Saint's laughter echoed overhead, "One down. Good. Let's see how far you can go."
Li Xuyan's fallen opponents turned as one. Their eyes flared with blue sword light. Suddenly, Zhenba was surrounded by one hundred Sword Masters.
Zhenba lowered his stance. His sabers glowed white-hot, arcs of electricity crawling across his body. His eyes narrowed, and the air itself trembled as his qi surged to its peak. "Fine. Let's end this… in one breath." The Sword Masters charged, one hundred blades descending like a tidal wave.
Zhenba vanished.
"FLASHING THOUSAND BLADE DANCE!"
In a single heartbeat, the arena was filled with flashing arcs of light. A storm of blades erupted—Zhenba's sabers carving patterns so fast they left afterimages, hundreds of glowing cuts filling the air.
Slash—Slash—Slash!
Clang!
CRASH!
The sound was deafening. Lightning exploded from his sabers, illuminating every strike. Each movement was impossibly sharp, each swing calculated to intercept, deflect, and kill. By the time he reappeared, panting and kneeling low with his sabers outstretched, the one hundred Sword Masters froze in place. One by one, their glowing bodies shattered into motes of light. The arena fell silent. The phantom moon overhead blazed brighter as the Blade Saint's voice rumbled, amused yet reverent.
Blade Saint Zephyr: "One hundred swords… defeated by one man."
A low chuckle.
"Good. Good! You are worthy to step further, Zhenba of the Thousand Cuts." The coliseum trembled as a golden chest appeared at Zhenba's feet, glowing with rare cultivation relics and resources. The staircase of swords reformed, now brighter and sharper than ever, leading to the Fourth Floor. Zhenba twirled his sabers once, breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his jaw. But his grin was feral. Zhenba spoke to himself alone "Four hundred next, Blade Saint? Bring it."
He ascended, the echoes of shattered sword projections ringing behind him. The spiral staircase dissolved beneath Zhenba's feet, leaving him standing in absolute silence.
The chamber was vast, circular, and lined with ancient swords embedded in the walls, each one glowing faintly, as if whispering secrets of centuries past. At the center of the room stood a towering statue of the Blade Saint Zephyr, his stone visage stern and timeless, arms crossed over a sheathed sword. The air was thick with Sword Will. Every breath Zhenba took felt sharp, as though he was inhaling blades.
Zhenba wiped the sweat from his brow, his sabers still humming faintly with residual qi. He straightened his posture, taking a deep breath.
Zhenba spoke low, reverent, "So this is it… the heart of my inheritance."
As if in response, the statue trembled. Cracks spread across its surface, glowing golden light spilling out. The sound of breaking stone echoed through the chamber, sharp as snapping steel. The statue's chest split open, light flooding the room, and from the fragments stepped a middle-aged man.
He wore simple robes, yet his every movement carried an aura of unquestionable mastery. His black hair was tied neatly, streaked with silver, and his calm eyes reflected the glow of countless battles fought and won. His presence alone felt like a sword so sharp it could cut heaven itself.
The legendary Blade Saint Zephyr had awakened.
He raised a hand in greeting, his voice carrying both warmth and immense pressure. "You cut through one hundred shadows of my former foes in life. Impressive. Few mortals have even reached this chamber. None have stood before me in seven centuries."
Zhenba knelt instinctively, head bowed. "Senior… no. Master. I came here for your inheritance." Zephyr smiled faintly, extending his hand. Just than in a flash of golden light, a strange sword materialized.
It was a Sakabato—a reverse-blade sword.
Its curve was elegant, the sharpened edge facing inward, designed not to kill, but to protect. The steel gleamed with a subtle golden sheen, and its aura was paradoxical: serene yet deadly, a blade that rejected bloodshed but demanded absolute mastery.
Zephyr held it out to Zhenba. "This is your inheritance Zhenba. The Hoshizora no Namida—Tears of the Starlit Sky. The greatest blade I ever produced. I forged it when I swore never again to kill recklessly. To wield it is to turn the heart of the sword inward, to temper your spirit rather than spill blood."
Zhenba's eyes widened "A reverse blade...!?" Zephyr nodded, stepping closer, his presence like a calm sea concealing endless depth. "You have strength. You have speed. But you lack the heart of a true swordsman. A killer's edge is sharp but brittle. I will temper you, Zhenba, until your will is unbreakable."
He handed the Sakabato to Zhenba, who gripped it reverently. The weapon felt alive, pulsing faintly in his hand. Zephyr gestured, and the swords in the walls began to glow brighter, lifting from their resting places to hover in the air.
"From this day forth, you are my disciple. You will learn the art of the reverse blade, a path that rejects easy killing and embraces control beyond mortal limits."
"You will master the Thousand Cuts anew, not as a storm of slaughter, but as a shield that none can pierce."
Golden light enveloped Zhenba, sinking into his meridians, filling him with Sword Qi so dense it felt like his body was being reforged anew. His sabers dissolved into motes of light, merging into the sakabato in his grip, as though his very essence was being rewritten.
Zhenba knelt, sword across his lap. "I, Zhenba of the Thousand Cuts, vow to carry your blade and your will. Teach me, Master Zephyr."
Zephyr smiled, eyes glinting with pride and something like relief.
"Rise, my successor. Let the world remember the name Blade Saint not as mine… but as yours."
The chamber's walls flared with blinding light.
Zhenba's training under Zephyr had begun.