Author's Preface
To begin the path towards immortality and ascension, one must learn to wield their weapon properly. Once a swordsman had achieved great sync, only then could they reach the first major realm: Swordman. It consists of nine minor realms, with each stage one will achieve greater physical strength and perception.
Then comes the next major realm: Sword-Main. Even the first minor realm requires perfect synchronization between the weapon and its wielder. The sword becomes the extension of the user. Each minor realm is harder to get through; however, the power gap is also considerable.
The first three stages of Sword-Main focus on physical prowess as well as pure strength. After the fourth stage, the focus shifts to speed, as well as perception. A top-notch Sword-Main is capable of sensing an imminent threat in its close vicinity. Its ninth and final stage grants the first glimpse into the true world of cultivation, and the user is able to sense Qi.
Sword-Sovereign is the third major stage. Someone on this level can control the Qi in the air, and even control it to their advantage; however, only once the ninth stage is reached can the user start gathering inner Qi.
Such were the teachings Ceeo's parents had told him many times. Such a fond memory came to mind. A warm summer day; he was just sparring with his father. Ceeo was barely six years old, yet he had already reached the second stage of Swordman.
However, the memory vanished, and he woke up. Unlike what he had remembered, he was not out in the forest beside a number of wolf corpses, but instead he was lying in his battered house. Just as the morning sun hit his eyes, a sharp pain surged within him from across each and every fiber of his very being. He felt as if he had been pummeled into a pulp and had just been put together.
As he slowly looked up, he noticed that his entire body was covered with different kinds of clothes. They were used as bandages; some parts were quite bloody. He tried moving his legs slightly, but it proved to be quite a difficult task.
He remembered being injured, but his feet were perfectly fine. He quickly closed his eyes, trying to remember what could have happened; however, after beating the magical beast, nothing came up, but then his eyes jolted open.
He had been stuck at the third stage of Sword-Main for four years, but now he was at the fourth stage. A pleasant surprise after the rude and terrible awakening. However, that was not the only surprise he received. Beside him, he noticed two blades and two scabbards placed.
He recognized one of them, as that was his blade; however, it was but a fraction of its former glory. The sword was shattered beyond repair. Although he remembered only a small portion of it breaking off during his fight, this one barely even had a blade; it was almost entirely a hilt.
The other one was completely new and unknown; it had a perfectly new hilt; not even a single fingerprint was visible on the fine leather cover. And the blade was so clean that it was reflecting the sun.
With great effort, Ceeo sat up; it took a few minutes for his body to get used to the new position and the pain to fade. Now that he had a better viewing angle of the room, he noticed a wooden cane leaning against the wall beside him.
Without a second thought, he reached for it, but at that very moment, pain shot up from across every part of his body, and if that wasn't enough, he couldn't reach it. With struggle, he pushed himself closer to it, and then finally he grabbed it.
The moment he grabbed the cane, he felt that his pain slightly dissipated, and it got weaker gradually. After a few short minutes, he was even able to stand up, though he was able to endure the pain of straining his legs; he still felt considerable pain.
He slowly stumbled over the door of his house, and as he was about to touch it, it suddenly opened, hitting him straight in the face. In his state, even this bit of force was more than enough to knock him out. As he fell back, he unintentionally let go of the cane, and then the back of his skull collided with the hard ground, and then everything went black.
Although he was unaware of his situation, he felt that some remnants of consciousness still remained in him, as although there was no pain, he could still feel that he was lying on the ground. He even heard a voice, though it was muffled beyond recognition. He could tell that he was lifted off the ground and was moved to some other place, then put back down.
He had been unconscious many times, but this one was the first time he could still keep hold of reality, though everything felt almost as if he was still dreaming; he knew it was real. Maybe it was thanks to him reaching the fourth stage of Sword-Main. His heightened senses allowed him to perceive the outside world while he was not able to do so with his eyes.
Time moved strangely in this state. Usually, he could easily estimate how much time had passed, but this time, he completely lost his sense of time. After who knows how long, he finally felt his senses returning. And with that, pain simultaneously returned, though it was strangely weaker than the previous one.
Slowly opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was that it was no longer morning. It was well past that; the sun was perfectly aligned and was blinding him. Just as he was about to turn away, a figure stepped in the way of the sun, perfectly blocking it out. He could see the silhouette of a feminine outline, but his vision was still blurry, and the powerful light of the sun behind the person was not helping either.