Chapter 1: Awakening of the Sword's Shadow

Night... a slight cool breeze, a crescent moon hanging high.

Outside the Ancient Sword Sect, two figures moved forward under the faint moonlight, silent and soundless.

"Catherine, it's already so late. Where exactly are you taking me?" The figure behind suddenly stopped and asked in a low voice.

"We're almost there." The figure in front waved a hand, and seeing the person behind not following, urged, "William Harper, what kind of relationship do we have? Would I ever deceive you? Come on... once we get there, you'll definitely be surprised."

The figure behind hesitated for a moment, then followed after being urged.

The two of them crossed a hill and arrived at the edge of a cliff.

"We're here." The figure in front stopped.

"The Sword-Falling Cliff? What's so surprising about this place?" The figure behind glanced down at the cliff below.

At the bottom of the Sword-Falling Cliff, discarded swords from the Ancient Sword Sect—either eliminated or broken—were strewn about. If you stood atop the cliff during the day, you could see the bottom, where sword blades reflected the sunlight, creating a unique scene. But at night, everything below was pitch black.

"William Harper, are you surprised to see me, Henry Clark?" At this moment, a man stepped out from behind a huge boulder, blocking William Harper's way back, and sneered.

Upon hearing this, William Harper's heart tightened instantly, thinking to himself, "This is bad." Henry Clark was also from Autumn Leaf City, just like him. However, the Ma and Yang families had always had a hostile relationship, and the children of both families had been at odds since childhood.

The Sword-Falling Cliff was a bit far from the Ancient Sword Sect disciples' living quarters, so no one else could hear if someone shouted here.

Running into Henry Clark at the Sword-Falling Cliff late at night was definitely not a good thing!

William Harper immediately sensed danger.

Henry Clark had entered the Ancient Sword Sect a year earlier than him and had already reached the seventh level of the Condensing Origin Realm, while he himself, after three years in the sect, was still stuck at the first level, with no improvement at all—a well-known joke in the sect.

In front of Henry Clark, William Harper was utterly powerless to resist. Tricked into coming to the Sword-Falling Cliff at night, with Henry Clark waiting for him here, William Harper naturally understood his predicament.

"Catherine Grant!" William Harper looked at the girl who had brought him here, his voice filled with anger:

"You tricked me? The Yang and Zhang families have always joined forces against the Ma family in Autumn Leaf City, and our families have been close for generations. We... have known each other since childhood and joined the Ancient Sword Sect in the same year. I've always considered you a friend. Why did you deceive me?"

Catherine Grant listened to William Harper's words without any change in expression, and said coldly, "William Harper, from now on, Autumn Leaf City will belong to the Ma family. Henry Clark's older brother has already broken through to the third level of the Blood Transformation Realm. At the end of this year, he'll marry your sister and, in the process, swallow up the Yang family.

Don't look at me like that. I used to like playing with you because you were a genius with perfect sword dao talent. But in reality... you're not! You have the talent, but after three years in the Ancient Sword Sect, you haven't improved your cultivation at all. I've long since lost interest in you!"

As she spoke, Catherine Grant walked over to Henry Clark and threw herself into his arms.

Henry Clark hugged Catherine Grant, patted her on the hip, and took out a dagger with his other hand.

Catherine Grant stepped aside, and Henry Clark waved the dagger, its cold light glinting in the moonlight:

"William Harper, although you're basically already considered a useless waste, who told you to have perfect sword dao talent? What if you suddenly have an epiphany one day and become a late bloomer? You'd always be a threat to the Ma family. So... it's better if you're dead."

As soon as he finished speaking, Henry Clark struck. A flash of cold light—the dagger stabbed toward William Harper's chest, fast as lightning.

A seventh-level Condensing Origin Realm attack was not something a first-level could withstand. William Harper, standing at the edge of the cliff, had nowhere to retreat. Henry Clark's strike was a killing blow.

At the very instant Henry Clark made his move, William Harper jumped off the Sword-Falling Cliff without hesitation.

The Sword-Falling Cliff was over a hundred zhang deep and as steep as a vertical wall—falling from it meant certain death.

William Harper would rather die from the fall than at the hands of Henry Clark.

Henry Clark stood at the edge of the cliff, watching William Harper's figure instantly disappear into the darkness below, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"This kid... Back then, he joined the Ancient Sword Sect with perfect sword dao talent and caused quite a stir. The Yang family basked in glory for a while, too. Now... this kid is finished, and the Yang family... will soon be finished as well!" Henry Clark put away the dagger and smiled faintly.

The Sword-Falling Cliff was over a hundred zhang deep and as steep as a vertical wall. Unless you were a bird, any person or beast falling down would be doomed.

Whoosh—

William Harper fell faster and faster, the wind howling fiercely past his ears.

He closed his eyes, but his heart was filled with unwillingness. Before the age of twelve, he had opened his origin meridians and entered the Qi Condensation Realm. The Ancient Sword Sect had tested him and found his sword dao talent to be perfect, and he had entered the sect in a blaze of glory. Back then... how high-spirited he had been!

However, after breaking through to the first level of the Condensing Origin Realm, he never improved again. Whenever he tried to absorb spiritual energy, it felt like a stone sinking into the sea, vanishing without a trace.

Three years had passed, and his cultivation had not progressed at all. Meanwhile, the disciples who entered the Ancient Sword Sect at the same time as him had all reached at least the fifth level of the Qi Condensation Realm.