The young man's gaze was sharp as he looked at Chen Chang'an, a hint of wariness in his eyes.
Chen Chang'an merely smiled faintly and said, "Not a bad approach. All sword techniques in this world ultimately trace back to the fundamentals."
"Your starting point isn’t wrong. Mastering the basics can indeed greatly enhance your comprehension of the sword path."
"But relentlessly pursuing perfection—while not entirely incorrect—isn’t entirely right either."
Hearing this, the young man frowned. Not right? What did he mean?
"You practice the sword path as well?" the young man asked, his brow furrowed.
"I know a thing or two."
A thing or two?
The young man scrutinized Chen Chang'an carefully. His cultivation was only at the first level of the Divine Ability Realm—lower than his own—yet he dared to act like some expert in front of him?
"I have my own path. There’s no need for you to concern yourself," the young man said coldly.
"I have training to attend to. I’ll take my leave."
Not intending to engage further, the young man tossed out those words and turned to leave.
Chen Chang'an chuckled softly, then flicked his finger, sending a streak of sword qi straight toward the young man.
Sensing the attack, the young man’s heart jolted—such powerful sword qi!
With a swift movement, he dodged the strike and glared at Chen Chang'an. "What was that for?"
"Looking for a spar?"
"Exactly what I had in mind."
Chen Chang'an stood up and gestured invitingly.
"Fine. Let’s see just how skilled you are in the sword path!"
Without another word, the young man darted forward, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye.
Draw, thrust—his movements were fluid, seamless, and lightning-fast!
Yet, just as his sword was about to pierce Chen Chang'an, his body froze mid-motion.
No matter how much force he exerted, his sword remained locked in place, unable to advance even an inch.
"What… what is this?"
"Why can’t I control my sword?" The young man stared at Chen Chang'an in shock.
"Want to know?"
At this, the young man’s expression turned grave as he nodded.
Chen Chang'an smiled faintly, and with a mere thought, the young man was pushed back several steps.
"Tell me—was what I just used the sword path, or cultivation?" Chen Chang'an asked.
The young man frowned, puzzled by the question.
Chen Chang'an hadn’t even drawn his sword, so it couldn’t have been a sword technique. It must have been some kind of restraining skill.
"Neither. It was some kind of technique that immobilizes others," the young man answered.
"Wrong."
"It was the sword path."
What?
The sword path?
"I don’t understand."
"Have you heard of sword intent?"
Sword intent?
Any practitioner of the sword path would know what sword intent was—it was fundamental. Only those who comprehended sword intent could truly call themselves swordsmen.
But the young man still didn’t grasp it. Even if Chen Chang'an had mastered sword intent, he hadn’t sensed any trace of it earlier.
"You’re saying you stopped my sword with sword intent?" the young man asked skeptically.
"Not sword intent. A domain."
What?
A domain?
A sword path domain?
He… he’s actually comprehended the legendary sword path domain?
The young man’s face was a picture of disbelief. Only those who had perfected their sword intent to the pinnacle had a chance—just a chance—to glimpse the domain. And even then, not everyone succeeded.
Chen Chang'an didn’t look much older than him, and his cultivation was weaker. How could he have achieved this?
While the young man was lost in thought, Da Huang, who had been watching from afar, was utterly stunned.
First sword intent, now a sword path domain? Just how had Chen Chang'an trained?
"Strange. Truly strange. I’ve never seen Chen Chang'an practice the sword path, yet he’s silently reached this level?"
"Xian'er, have you ever seen him train?" Da Huang asked, baffled.
"Senior Da Huang, if even you don’t know, how would I?"
"Come to think of it, haven’t I answered this question before?"
"Never mind. He’s a freak. Freaks defy logic."
With a resigned shake of his head, Da Huang flopped onto the grass and fixed his eyes on Chen Chang'an, saying nothing more.
"So you’ve truly comprehended the sword path domain?" The young man’s voice was thick with doubt.
Chen Chang'an didn’t answer. Instead, he released his sword intent.
As the overwhelming pressure of Chen Chang'an’s sword intent washed over him, the young man’s eyes lit up with fervor.
"Sword intent… this is sword intent!"
"Feel anything?" Chen Chang'an asked.
At this, the young man slowly closed his eyes, immersing himself in the sensation of Chen Chang'an’s sword intent.
"What’s gotten into Brother Chen? Taken a liking to this kid? He’s actually personally instructing him?"
Fang Yunxi had also arrived beside Da Huang, watching the scene with curiosity.
"Hard to say. His motives are sometimes beyond me."
"But knowing him, he must see something special in this boy."
"Wait—this kid… what incredible comprehension!"
Suddenly, Fang Yunxi noticed that within Chen Chang'an’s sword intent, the young man had actually grasped his own sword intent.
His talent was terrifying!
"Sword intent… I’ve actually comprehended sword intent!"
The young man opened his eyes, his face alight with excitement. He hadn’t expected to achieve this so quickly.
"You were already on the verge of grasping it. You just needed the right push."
"Even without me today, you’d have comprehended it within a month," Chen Chang'an said with a faint smile.
"My thanks, brother."
"I never imagined your mastery of the sword path had reached such heights."
"My earlier rudeness was uncalled for. I hope you won’t hold it against me," the young man said apologetically.
"No matter."
"Do you have a master?" Chen Chang'an asked with a smile.
The young man shook his head, his expression somber. "No."
No master? So he’d been training alone all this time?
To reach this level without guidance—his talent and comprehension were truly rare.
"If you’re willing, I can take you as my disciple."
The moment these words left Chen Chang'an’s mouth, the young man froze, and Fang Yunxi’s jaw dropped.
Chen Chang'an was actually taking a disciple? What kind of luck did this kid have?
"I knew it. He wouldn’t be this generous without a reason. He really does want a disciple," Da Huang muttered, surprised but not entirely shocked.
The young man hesitated, glancing at Chen Chang'an. Becoming the disciple of someone his own age?
And with such low cultivation—only the first level of the Divine Ability Realm?
"Damn it, why is he hesitating? An opportunity like this is something others would beg for!"
Seeing the young man hesitate, Fang Yunxi was itching to stride over and slap some sense into the kid. How could he still be deliberating when such a golden opportunity had fallen into his lap?
"Can I ask you a question?" After a moment of silence, the young man furrowed his brows and spoke.
"Ask."
"Why should I take you as my master?"
Hearing this, Chen Chang'an smiled faintly and replied, "Because I am stronger than you—and I can make you stronger still."
"Good!"
"In learning, there is no distinction of seniority; the accomplished are the teachers."
"I am willing to pledge myself as your disciple."
"Disciple Ye Zhiqiu pays respects to Master!"
Ye Zhiqiu?
So, this young man was named Ye Zhiqiu.
"Ye Zhiqiu? That name... why does it sound familiar?"
"Holy shit, how could it be him?"
"He... actually came to the Qingyun Sect?"
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
