Original Heart

The Taoist wore a blue-green Daoist robe embroidered with dense sword-shaped runes.

Those runes had already dimmed, yet their former exquisite craftsmanship could still be seen.

His face was square and upright, with thick brows and large eyes. Three long strands of beard hung from his chin, neatly groomed.

A long sword was strapped to his back.

The sword had no scabbard, hanging bare across his back. Its blade was covered in fine cracks, yet faint sword-light still flowed through them.

He looked at Chu Ming and spoke.

His voice was like muffled thunder rolling in from an immense distance, echoing through the void.

There was scrutiny in that voice, vigilance as well as curiosity.

"Who goes there? State your name!"

Chu Ming's gaze remained calm.

"Chu Ming."

The Taoist frowned.

He frowned deeply, squeezing a profound vertical line into the space between his brows.

He examined Chu Ming from head to toe, his gaze sweeping from Chu Ming's face to his shoulders, from his shoulders to his hands, then from his hands to the gray-gold radiance swirling around his body.

The glow stood out especially sharply in the darkness, like a thin layer of flame slowly flowing over Chu Ming's body.

"Chu Ming?" Confusion tinged the Taoist's voice. "Never heard of you."

He paused and raised a hand, palm facing upward.

A long sword condensed into shape in his palm.

The sword was formed entirely from pure power of laws. Its blade was translucent blue-green, its surface flowing with countless sword-shaped runes. The runes spun rapidly across the blade; with every revolution, the blade's edge grew a fraction sharper.

At the tip, a glint of cold light flickered faintly. Though tiny, it made the surrounding void tremble slightly.

The Taoist clenched the sword, its point aimed directly at Chu