The Sword Fanatic's Path

Jing Hongchen's departing figure was like a mountain, casting a shadow over Ji Juechen's heart. Yet beneath that shadow, a fire burned ever brighter.

Three days later.

This was not a matter for discussion, but an order.

Ji Juechen shut the door, and the dormitory returned to Deathly Silence. He did not check whether Jing Ziyan was still outside, nor did he ponder Jing Hongchen's true intentions. He merely returned to his bed, sat cross-legged, and laid the longsword that had accompanied him for twelve years across his knees.

The blade was cold, just like his heart.

But he knew that his heart was no longer the same as it had been twelve years ago.

In the past, his world had contained only the sword. The sword was both the goal and the process. What he pursued was the ultimate Unity of Man and Sword, a pure sword path that severed all emotion.

But now, he had a "system."

This system had transformed something as intangible as "emotion" into tangible power. Like a venomous snake, it had silently slithered into his pure sword path and told him there was more than one road to strength.

"Is this my path, or the system's path?"

For the first time, Ji Juechen doubted the belief he had upheld for twelve years.

He closed his eyes and turned his awareness inward, entering his Sea of Consciousness. It was empty, save for a translucent system panel floating quietly within.

[Host: Ji Juechen]

[Cultivation: Four-Ring Soul Sect]

[Sword Intent Points: 5800]

[Skills: Clear Sword Heart (Advanced), Self-Healing Sword Qi, Sword Qi Projection]

He tried to circulate his Soul Power and activate the technique of Sword Qi Projection. Sword qi, more condensed and sharper than before, flowed down his arm to his fingertips. This time, he could even clearly sense the intent of "severing" contained within it.

This power had been given to him by the system.

"No."

Ji Juechen suddenly opened his eyes, a trace of realization flashing through them.

"The system merely gave me the method. But what drives it is my Soul Power, my sword heart."

He rose to his feet and slowly swung his sword in the cramped dormitory.

There was no Sword Qi Projection in this strike, no earth-shaking might, yet it was faster and more precise than any sword strike he had made before. The tip sliced through the air, producing not the whistle of wind, but an incredibly faint, piercing shriek, as though it could puncture one's eardrums.

"My sword is still pure," he murmured. "The system merely gave me a sharper 'whetstone.'"

Having understood this, Ji Juechen no longer felt the slightest confusion.

His path was the path of the sword. No matter what method he used, making his sword stronger was his path.

Emotion, Soul Power, the system... they were all merely swords in his hand, swords to be wielded against stronger opponents.

"Jing Hongchen..." He spoke the name, his gaze turning sharp. "You want to see me make a fool of myself? Then I'll use your stage to make the entire academy tremble."

The next day, Ji Juechen's name had completely become taboo at Sun Moon Academy.

No one dared discuss him openly anymore, but private discussions about him had reached a peak. Posts about him had been deleted from the forum, but the screenshot of the Million Year Soul Ring spread like a virus through every private chat group.

Some said he was the reincarnation of an ancient sword immortal. Some said he had encountered a great opportunity. Others claimed he was not human at all, but a sword spirit that had taken human form.

And Jing Ziyan, the other protagonist of the incident, became the object of everyone's envy and jealousy.

"Senior Jing, what exactly is your relationship with Senior Ji Juechen?"

"Yeah, yeah! You were so brave yesterday! You actually dared stand in front of him!"

"What does he... usually talk to you about?"

Surrounded by a group of junior students, Jing Ziyan merely blushed and said softly, "We... we're just friends. He doesn't talk much."

But she knew better than anyone that Ji Juechen had changed. He was no longer that indifferent block of wood who cared about nothing. There was now something in his eyes that she could not understand, yet made her heart race.

She wanted to see him, but was afraid of interrupting his cultivation. The conflict left her distracted all day.

On the third day, at dawn.

The day of the ranking matches had arrived.

Sun Moon Academy, Central Battle Soul Arena.

This was a massive structure capable of holding tens of thousands. Its dome was a Soul Tool that simulated the sky. The sun shone brightly at the moment, yet the atmosphere inside was cold to the extreme.

The students in the stands were buzzing with conversation.

"Did you hear? Ji Juechen is entering the ranking matches!"

"Is he insane? How can a Four-Ring Soul Sect fight those monsters? His opponent is Senior Lin Tian, a Soul Emperor!"

"I bet he'll be killed in one move. A Million Year Soul Ring? It has to be fake!"

Amid all the chatter, Ji Juechen walked slowly out of the competitor's tunnel alone.

He still wore that simple training outfit, his sword on his back and his expression indifferent, as though the gazes and noise of tens of thousands of people had nothing to do with him.

He walked to the center of the arena and quietly looked toward his opponent's side.

At that moment, a tall young man with an arrogant face rose to his feet and looked at him with disdain.

"Lin Tian, Six-Ring Soul Emperor, martial soul: Earth Splitting Demonic Ox. The acknowledged number one of the second year."

"Ji Juechen, Four-Ring Soul Sect, martial soul: sword. What a... joke."

After the referee announced the rules, he shouted, "The match begins!"

Lin Tian gave a savage grin. Two yellow, two purple, and two black Soul Rings beneath his feet lit up with a thunderous flash!

"First Soul Skill, Savage Bull Charge!"

His enormous body transformed into a bolt of black lightning and charged fiercely toward Ji Juechen with the force to crush everything! The ground cracked beneath his feet, and the entire Battle Soul Arena trembled faintly!

Everyone held their breath, as though they could already see the miserable sight of Ji Juechen being sent flying.

Yet in the face of this Thunderous Might, Ji Juechen merely slowly raised his hand and gripped the hilt of the sword on his back.

"Too fast. Too heavy. But there are far too many openings."

Through the vision of his Clear Sword Heart, Lin Tian's charge was like a barrel riddled with holes.

The instant before Lin Tian's fist touched his body.

"Clang—!"

A clear sword cry rang through the entire arena.

Ji Juechen drew his sword.

A streak of silver light, swift beyond measure, flashed through the air.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Lin Tian's charge came to an abrupt halt. His massive body stiffened in place, a savage grin still on his face, but his eyes were already filled with confusion and disbelief.

He looked down and saw a thin line of blood across his chest.

"This... what is..."

Before he could finish, his entire body was cleanly split in half down the middle!

There was no spray of blood, only a smooth cut, as though he had been sliced apart by the most precise instrument.

"Thud."

The two halves of his body fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The entire arena fell into Deathly Silence.

In the Battle Soul Arena of tens of thousands, one could hear a pin drop.

Everyone's eyes were wide and their mouths hung open, as though they had witnessed the most unbelievable thing in the world.

One sword strike.

A single sword strike had instantly killed Lin Tian, a Six-Ring Soul Emperor!

Ji Juechen slowly sheathed his sword without even sparing the corpse on the ground another glance.

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the terrified faces in the stands before finally landing on Jing Hongchen in the VIP section.

His eyes seemed to say:

"Who's next?"