Chapter Four: Long Yun Takes Action!

Long Yun held no sword in his hand. Seeing Pei Yue was ready, he wasted no time and turned to Yuan Chen, saying, “Senior brother, lend me your sword.” Ever since Long Yun had stepped into the courtyard, right up to the moment before his duel with Pei Yue, Yuan Chen had remained wooden and silent, unable to voice any opinion. Now, hearing Long Yun’s words, he instinctively raised his arm and tossed his sword over.

With a resonant clang, the sharp blade was unsheathed, sending forth a flash of cold brilliance. Long Yun caressed the sword’s body, and the smile on his face faded, replaced by solemnity. To a swordsman, the sword is a companion, not merely a weapon; every sword deserves the respect of its master.

“You will follow me, and under the name of the Mortal Sword, become renowned in the Jade Sword Sect.” Long Yun spoke softly; instantly, the sword trembled, as though it understood his words.

Resonance—man and sword as one. This was a lofty realm, one that even few elders of the Jade Sword Sect could attain. It was not something achieved through arduous training alone, but required extraordinary talent.

A sharp whistle cut the air as Long Yun brandished the blade. Pei Yue realized trouble was brewing; before the fight had even begun, his momentum was already suppressed, so he struck first.

His sword drew a strange arc, its cry piercing the air, blue sword light flickering uncertainly.

The Mortal Piercing Heart Sword—one stroke, ten thousand swords united, each deadly, each penetrating the heart. With this technique, Pei Yue unleashed his cultivation at the Gathering Essence stage to its utmost, an unstoppable force.

Long Yun furrowed his brow, his sword sweeping out in response. Sword energy surged, intent soared, and the strike seemed to touch the hearts of all present, as if its aura seeped into their very souls.

Sword intent—yes, though Long Yun lacked formidable swordsmanship, he understood the most fundamental principle: the essence of the sword.

Sword energy is formless, slaying with sharpness, yet the sword itself remains unsullied. Whether sword energy, intent, or the Way of the Sword, all are derived from the sword.

Without the sword, how could one speak of sword energy?

Sword techniques are called sword arts, sword secrets.

Yet techniques impose constraints; only the sword itself remains unchanged, ever true to its nature.

Most cultivators study the sword energy and Way passed down by predecessors, enriching themselves through heritage. Long Yun, however, embarked on an utterly different path.

What he comprehended was not the Way, not the intent, but the sword itself.

Back on Dragon Island, an elder once led several gifted disciples into a cave, a forbidden ground with only a single sword wedged in a stone.

They spent a full month within that cave, with no instructions given, nor any clues as to the elders’ intentions.

It was Long Yun’s last act on Dragon Island, the final time the disciples remained there. Only three remained after countless brutal eliminations.

During that month, aside from Long Yun and Long Xuan, another disciple comprehended an extraordinary sword technique from that ancient blade, one of immense destructive power.

Long Xuan, when the elders came to assess their progress, caused the sword to tremble twice.

Though it was only a slight tremor, it allowed him to surpass Long Yun and the other disciple, becoming a candidate for inheritor of the Dragon Fang, while Long Yun was eliminated.

Not for lack of talent, but because, during that month in the cave, Long Yun gained nothing tangible; he simply understood what a sword truly is.

The essence of the sword—that was all he grasped. Yet before he could explain, he was sentenced to death, his bloodline power stripped away.

Later, when he entered the Jade Sword Sect, all his previous cultivation had been abolished, but his comprehension of the sword remained, deeply etched in his mind.

This was why Long Yun could resonate with a sword, causing an ordinary blade to hum.

With a crisp clang, two forces of sword energy collided, ringing out like the clash of gold and iron. Ripples spread from their point of contact, fierce energy raging.

Almost simultaneously, both men retreated. Long Yun stepped back over ten paces, Pei Yue only six; the outcome seemed clear.

Yet only those who understood realized that Long Yun had the advantage. Though he retreated further, he had dispersed all the force of the blow.

Pei Yue, concerned for his dignity, forcibly steadied his retreat, appearing to have the upper hand, but in truth, it was the lesser move.

“What profound comprehension of sword intent! Is this youth truly just a new disciple?” Pei Yue frowned, gazing at Long Yun’s calm visage, and no longer dared to underestimate the disciple who had only joined the sect a year ago.

Yuan Chen and the disciples of the Heart Sword branch clenched their fists, hoping Long Yun would win—for this was the beginning of their branch’s rise.

“Mortal Piercing Heart Sword—Shatter the Heart!” Pei Yue, having suffered from the previous exchange, saw Long Yun advancing again and, with renewed determination, unleashed the most ruthless move of the Mortal Piercing Heart Sword, his true energy without reservation.

Seeing Pei Yue’s attack, Long Yun’s brow knit. Pei Yue intended to seriously injure him.

He dared not be careless, for Pei Yue was a whole level above him. Long Yun’s sword quivered, humming, thrusting forth along a unique trajectory.

Sword shadows flickered; in that instant, Long Yun’s blade seemed frozen in place. The onlookers felt his sword appeared like a figment of imagination—lacking tangible reality, yet possessing an uncanny aura.

A sudden, clear chime echoed, ringing in everyone’s ears like a warning bell, melodious and deeply moving.

Pei Yue shuddered violently; a vast and overwhelming sword intent surged through his blade, causing his mind to momentarily blank.

For that instant, everything vanished from Pei Yue’s sight; all he saw was a single sword—a sharp, deadly blade.

Its edge flowed, its essence annihilating all his resistance.

This move was exquisitely subtle. With his understanding of sword intent, had he unleashed it fully, he could have contended even with cultivators at the fifth stage of the Eight Realms, the Divine Gathering realm.

To deal with Pei Yue, who had only just broken through to the Gathering Essence stage, it was effortless. But sword intent was his greatest secret, so he could not display it openly.

Among the disciples present, Pei Yue was the strongest, yet none could perceive the true power of Long Yun’s technique.

Thus, Long Yun dared to act boldly, imparting sword intent to Pei Yue’s blade in a flash, so subtly even the elders failed to notice its profound intricacy.

The crowd only saw a dazzling, snowy sword energy flash and vanish, breaking through Pei Yue’s aura like a bamboo splitting, and then, all sword energy dispersed.

Countless points of light drifted through the world.

Pei Yue, still holding his sword, remained in his original stance, but his blade drooped, its tip pointing to the ground, and his eyes dimmed as if bereft of all vitality.

Less than an inch from his throat, a chilling sword tip halted abruptly. Seventeen held his blade, its point leaving a thin red mark on Pei Yue’s neck.

The cut was exceedingly shallow, just grazing the skin and leaving a red line, with not even a drop of blood—testament to Seventeen’s exquisite control over his technique.

A hiss swept through the audience; all were stunned. No one had expected such an outcome. Seventeen’s sword seemed like a giant blade shattering the pride of the entire Sword branch.

Especially Wang Bing and Liu Pingzhi, their eyes wide in disbelief. That wild youth had just defeated their idol, Senior Brother Pei Yue.