Seven-Star Sword Art

The battle at Wangjiang Terrace had ended. Xie Jinghan bade everyone farewell and, not daring to delay, rushed back to the Xie Residence.

After confirming that every Blackfeather Guard had departed and that the danger within the residence had been completely dispelled, he finally let out a breath of relief.

Xie Jinghan quickly walked up to his grandfather, Xie Xuanyuan, and his father, Xie Huaijin, then said softly, "Grandfather, Father, the battle at Wangjiang Terrace is over. Gong Feiyu was defeated and retreated, and the threat of the Blood Slaughter Sect has been completely eliminated. The Xie Household is safe."

"That's wonderful!"

The hearts they had held suspended for days finally dropped back into place. They hurried forward to examine him closely, their eyes brimming with unconcealed concern as they anxiously asked:

"Han'er, are you injured? Whatever happens, don't force yourself!"

Xie Jinghan gave a slight shake of his head, his expression calm. "Rest assured, I'm fine."

After seeing his grandfather and father, Xie Jinghan turned and headed to the inner courtyard, where he accompanied his mother, Madam Yang, through dinner and soothed her worries.

Only after everything had settled did he bid everyone farewell and return alone to the Parasol Tree Courtyard.

A gentle breeze drifted through the courtyard, rustling the parasol tree's branches and leaves. The tranquil, secluded atmosphere calmed his heart.

Xie Jinghan found himself enjoying this kind of environment more and more.

He sat cross-legged atop a bluestone in the courtyard, closed his eyes, and gathered his thoughts as he reviewed the life-and-death battle at Wangjiang Terrace.

Though he had won, it had been a perilous victory.

Life and death had been separated by a single thread. He had nearly failed.

He had nearly died and vanished from this world!

Gong Feiyu was the strongest opponent he had ever encountered.

His profound Fourth Stage Innate Realm cultivation, the endlessly slaughterous Bloodrain Sword Intent, and the support of the Divine Weapon, the Bloodrain Sword—each was top-tier. He truly deserved to be called the Blood Slaughter Sect's Holy Son.

His narrow victory over such a formidable enemy this time was largely thanks to his duel with Chu Ning three months ago.

That duel had allowed him to grasp the piercing properties and explosive power of the lightning from One-Character Lightning Sword: Thousand Flashes. Through deeper contemplation, drawing on the electrical knowledge and experience accumulated in his previous life, and through ceaseless deduction, attempts, experiments, and verification based on some law or another, he had finally comprehended this sword strike.

With the help of that bottle of Sword-Condensing Pills and three months of bitter cultivation, his sword intent had finally reached the realm of Clear Swordheart.

At that point, he was able to sense the various energies between heaven and earth.

He had begun cultivation of the second stage of artistic conception.

Over the past three months, using Innate True Qi as a guide through the realm of Clear Swordheart, he had continuously absorbed the stray electrical energy between heaven and earth, extracted positive and negative electrical atoms, and stored them within the Thunderclap Sword.

Day after day of absorption caused the electrical energy stored within the Thunderclap Sword to grow ever more abundant.

The instant he drew his sword, the accumulated electrical energy would erupt in full, forming a high-voltage blast that bombarded everything.

The more electrical energy there was, the stronger its power became.

Beyond that, he had remedied the flaws in "Sword-Edge Flowing Light," the first killing move of the Sword-Drawing Technique, and comprehended its second layer—Heart-Severing!

Once the sword light emerged, it could seal the mind, casting its target into a vast expanse of blinding white.

None could break it unless their mental will was sufficiently powerful!

This time, it had primarily been the miraculous effect of Heart-Severing that sealed Gong Feiyu's mind for an instant.

Catching him off guard!

With a thought, Xie Jinghan summoned his panel:

[Name: Xie Jinghan]

[Martial Cultivation: First Stage of the Innate Realm]

[Cultivation Methods and Martial Skills:]

...

[Innate Breathing Method: 198'316/2'000'000 (Comprehending)]

[Sword-Drawing Technique · Intent: 305'218/2'000'000 (Comprehending)]

[Single-Character Lightning Sword: Thunder Induction: 99/2'000'000 (Comprehending)]

[One-Character Lightning Sword: Thousand Flashes: 100'000/100'000 (Complete)]

...

Under Gong Feiyu's extreme pressure this time, his swordheart had been fiercely tempered, the Sword-Drawing Technique had been thoroughly forced to its peak, and his use of sword intent, sword-drawing rhythm, and control over his state of mind had all undergone an ultimate sublimation in that instant between life and death.

From a single duel alone, Xie Jinghan's sword intent proficiency had surged to three hundred thousand points.

His martial cultivation was also drawing ever closer to the Second Stage of the Innate Realm.

The gains had truly been immense.

Xie Jinghan slowly opened his eyes. The sharp gleam in them was restrained, while his state of mind grew ever more lucid.

This battle had also allowed him to see the Xie Household's greatest current weakness.

In today's life-and-death crisis, from Gong Feiyu delivering the Sword Challenge Letter and threatening the lives of the entire Xie Household, he alone had borne it all.

Yet not one person in the Xie Household could share his burden. Not one possessed combat power at the Innate Realm. All hope rested entirely upon his shoulders.

If he were defeated, injured, or even killed, the Xie Household would be wiped out in an instant, without the slightest ability to fight back or protect itself.

This passive situation of a lone tree holding up the sky was far too dangerous and fragile.

In the past, he had devoted himself to cultivation, focused on quietly building his strength and progressing steadily, and had never deliberately managed the forces within the residence or cultivated trusted subordinates.

But after this battle, he had thoroughly awakened to the fact that no matter how strong an individual was, he was ultimately alone—isolated and weak, unable to split himself in two, and incapable of protecting the family's long-term peace and stability.

If the Xie Household wished to truly gain a foothold in Central Province, fear no coercion from the Blood Slaughter Sect, and refuse to be manipulated by others, it could not rely solely on his combat strength. It had to possess its own backbone of strength.

Quite a few of the younger family members had decent foundations and pure dispositions. Perhaps they could be cultivated.

Now that he possessed Innate Realm cultivation and Clear Swordheart, if he personally guided the clan members and honed their cultivation methods, martial skills, and practical combat ability according to their needs, he could surely allow the younger members of the family to grow rapidly. In the short term, he might be able to train a group of core personnel capable of supporting the Xie Household and standing on their own.

The Xie Household needed to strengthen itself!

Having made up his mind, Xie Jinghan gathered his stray thoughts and quietly sat in the courtyard, regulating his breathing and stabilizing the sword intent and cultivation that had surged after this battle.

He decided that tomorrow, he would discuss matters in detail with his father, Xie Huaijin, begin training the clan's elite younger members, forge the Xie Household's core combat strength, and completely reverse its current passive predicament.

The night was quiet, and the evening breeze in the small courtyard carried a slight chill.

Just as Xie Jinghan was considering the details of training the younger generation, light footsteps sounded beyond the courtyard.

The servant Lai Fu entered with a bow, presenting a plain letter and a package with both hands as he softly reported:

"Young Master Second, someone outside the residence delivered a letter, along with an item."

Xie Jinghan raised a hand and accepted them. His gaze fell upon the signature, and when he saw Miao Cunyi's name, he immediately opened the letter and read it.

The handwriting in the letter was earnest:

"Congratulations, Young Master, on defeating a powerful enemy and preserving the Xie Household."

"Cunyi is about to depart for Shuzhong and writes specially to bid farewell."

"For the kindness you once showed me, Cunyi has no way to repay you."

"I hereby offer a secret manual that I acquired through a recent fortuitous opportunity."

"The road ahead this time is fraught with danger, and life and death are uncertain. If I keep this item, disaster will surely follow. Rather than let it be lost for nothing and fall into the hands of evil men, I would rather give it to you, Young Master, so that this fortuitous opportunity will not be wasted."

He then opened the package. A yellowed, ancient sword-art manual lay quietly within, and four large, vigorous characters stood out on its title page—Seven-Star Sword Art.

"Seven-Star Sword Art?!"

Xie Jinghan could not help but think to himself, How did he have so many secret manuals? Could he be some child of fortune? The protagonist?

He lightly rubbed the sword manual between his fingers and asked calmly:

"Did the visitor leave any word of where he was going?"

Lai Fu lowered his head and replied, "In reply to Young Master Second, the visitor said nothing more. This servant has no way of knowing."

"Forget it."

Xie Jinghan gave a slight nod, his gaze darkening as he silently pondered the strange circumstances of Miao Cunyi's journey. Then he waved a hand. "You may withdraw first."

Lai Fu acknowledged the order, bowed, and quietly left the small courtyard, gently closing the courtyard gate behind him.