Chapter Two: The Youth Chi Yuan

"Ha!" The youth gathered his energy into his palm, thrusting his right hand forward to shatter the rock face. Several fragments fell with a crash, yet most of the cliff remained unshaken.

"Still lacking," said the loose-robed man lounging nearby, toying with a wine flask and not bothering to lift his head.

He strode over, brushing aside his long hair. "Chi Yuan, your palm just now was distracted. You must see and think of nothing but the stone before you—the very stone you wish to shatter. Watch closely." With that, he raised his hand and struck. The blow seemed casual, but a formless pressure filled the air.

Chi Yuan watched intently. The stone did not move. He was about to speak when, without warning, the rock crumbled into dust and drifted away.

Xuanse took a swig from his flask, his voice thick with drunkenness. "You’re fifteen this year, aren’t you? Time you saw a bit of the world." Even as his words faded, a thunderous crash echoed behind them—the mountain where they’d been training collapsed with a roar. Xuanse spat in annoyance, "Not what I once was."

Chi Yuan stared, dumbstruck, turning over the man’s words in his mind before silently returning to his practice.

He pondered the palm he had just witnessed, and the phrase Xuanse had spoken: "Where the mind goes, the force follows." Chi Yuan suddenly punched forward—air trembled and a deep hum of sonic shockwaves filled the air. He tried to withdraw his hand, but the current caught him, yanking him back and tearing the skin between thumb and forefinger.

"I can’t believe a single hint from my foster father could make my punch so much stronger," Chi Yuan murmured, glancing at his injured hand. "Right, time to chop firewood." He went to the backyard and picked up the longsword he used, for reasons unknown, as a woodcutter’s tool.

But as soon as his hand touched the hilt, a wave of agony shot through him. The small crack in his skin split wide, blood pouring from the wound into the sword. Instantly, the blade blazed with divine light and shot into his forehead. Pain exploded in his skull, and Chi Yuan collapsed unconscious.

When he awoke, he found himself in a boundless, directionless void. Before him appeared the face of a girl of thirteen or fourteen.

"Where is this? And who are you?"

The girl said nothing, her youthful features twisted in anger.

Chi Yuan was perplexed. Then the girl spoke. "How dare you use me for chopping wood!"

He was still trying to understand when she raised her fist and swung at him. Chi Yuan stepped back, dodging the blow. The girl, having missed, scowled and burst into tears.

"Don’t cry, please don’t cry..." Chi Yuan fumbled, but tears streamed down her face.

Suddenly, the low notes of a flute echoed through the space, soothing and gentle. The girl’s eyes fluttered closed, and she fell asleep.

"Yuezun..." Chi Yuan wondered aloud—then felt a sharp pain at the back of his neck as he was yanked out of the void.

Xuanse stood before him, a length of red tassel peeking from his crimson sleeve.

"Foster father..." Chi Yuan looked at Xuanse, then down at his hand. The wound had healed; the pain was gone. He tilted his head, puzzled. "What just happened..."

Xuanse didn’t answer. He stood with hands clasped behind his back, deep in thought. After a long silence, he gazed into the endless sky and sighed. "Such is karma. Such is fate..."

He picked up the fallen longsword, gripping the hilt and channeling his energy within. The blade shimmered with golden light, its edge so potent it broke free from Xuanse’s grasp.

"This sword has chosen its master," Xuanse said, a wry smile on his lips as he looked at Chi Yuan.

"Chosen its master? Isn’t this just a firewood sword?"

Xuanse laughed. "It is a sword, though hardly a mere lump of scrap for firewood."

Chi Yuan was more confused than ever...

That night, Chi Yuan returned to his room to sleep. The moment he closed his eyes and opened them again, he found himself lying on a stone platform, surrounded on all sides by swords thrust into the ground, each radiating a fierce aura.

"Little weakling."

He turned to see the same girl from earlier, sitting lazily on the steps. Behind her towered a sword-shaped sculpture hundreds of meters high, upon whose blade was inscribed: "Valley of Ten Thousand Swords." Above the inscription floated a sword that, on closer inspection, resembled the one he used for chopping wood.

"Where is this?"

"The Valley of Ten Thousand Swords, can’t you read?" The girl lifted her chin. "You really are useless. Don’t know about the Valley of Ten Thousand Swords? Let me educate you."

"Humans are wise, but weak. Demons are strong, but dull. The mighty forged swords to vanquish demons and fiends; swords have souls, and with their own spirits, they forged this valley." She looked at Chi Yuan. "Among swords, there is hierarchy just as among men. The noble stand at the summit, the lowly dwell in the depths. The sword you possess is named Infinity, the ancestor of all swords. I am Infinity’s sword spirit."

A strange force seized Chi Yuan before he could react. He tried to defend himself but found his body immobilized.

"Little weakling, have you heard of the sword body?" the girl mocked from behind him.

"I haven’t. Why can’t I move?"

"I’m going to forge your sword body. Only then will you be able to wield Infinity."

As she spoke, golden light flashed in her hand and entered Chi Yuan’s body. Agony tore through him, threatening to rip him apart. The girl watched his suffering.

"Strange," she mused. "You possess little spiritual power and haven’t reached the innate realm, yet your body is free of impurities. Is that why Infinity chose you?" she murmured, turning away.

"Infinity chose me? Aren’t you Infinity?"

Startled by his voice, she spun around. "How are you awake? That’s not right... forging the sword body should take at least four or five hours, but it’s only been half a cup of tea. How is this possible?" She stared at Chi Yuan, who was flexing his wrists, as if he were a monster. "Could it be..."

"You still haven’t answered my question!"

The girl ignored him, stepping forward to press her hand to his chest. "It’s as I thought—the Heavenly Sword Bone."

She drew back, explaining, "Infinity is the sword, not wholly me. It was Infinity’s sword soul that chose you, not I. The sword soul is the awareness born from the sword’s spirit, while the sword spirit is a soul inhabiting the sword."

"And this Heavenly Sword Bone..."

"It’s different from a sword body—it’s not a physical trait but a unique destiny. 'Before the Heavenly Sword Bone, all swords bow.' Those born with this fate are born rulers of swords. That’s why your sword body was forged so quickly. Though I’ve never seen it myself, only read about it in ancient texts."

Chi Yuan tried to speak, but she cut him off. "Don’t celebrate yet. The Heavenly Sword Bone is remarkable, but for that very reason, advancing your strength will be far more difficult than for others."

...

In the moonlight outside Chi Yuan’s door, a pair of ornate black boots appeared. Xuanse’s face, bathed in silver, was unreadable, and it was unclear how long he had stood there. On the bed, Chi Yuan slept deeply, wrapped in pale swordlight.

Xuanse sighed heavily but did not disturb him. Instead, he turned away, quickly forming a series of hand seals. A sphere of faint golden energy condensed in his palm. He pushed it gently toward the room, and it drifted to settle over Chi Yuan, enveloping him in radiance.

"Little one, let me give you another helping hand."

As time passed, Chi Yuan’s body absorbed the pure spiritual energy. His skin took on a subtle sheen, and a golden sword-shaped sigil appeared at his brow.

After a while, the glow faded. Xuanse watched thoughtfully for a moment, then turned and left.

The next morning, Chi Yuan awoke in his room. As he circulated his spiritual energy, his meridians felt clearer than ever before.

"Little weakling, do you feel your cultivation has improved? You should thank me, you know," came the girl’s voice in his mind.

Chi Yuan knew the change was thanks to her and offered his gratitude.

"No need for thanks. In my prime, I ruled the land and my name was known far and wide..."

Chi Yuan shook his head in exasperation as she began to boast, then headed for the door. Seeing herself ignored, the girl shouted indignantly, "Hey, little weakling! Wait for me!"

Chi Yuan searched the house for Xuanse, but found only a note on the study table:

Go to the Far North. Decide for yourself.
—Xuanse

"We should head to the Far North," he said.

"The Far North?! Do you know what kind of place that is? The demon clans have held it for years, and the ancient beast Yujiang dominates the Sea of No Regret. The sea is shrouded in blood mist, and the snow in deep winter falls red. Why are you going?"

Chi Yuan set the note down. "There’s nowhere else to go."

The girl studied him with a mischievous grin. "Fine, if you die, I’ll just find a new master. But I’m not going like this."

With a flash of divine light, Infinity transformed into a delicate sword-shaped pendant and fastened itself around Chi Yuan’s neck.

He packed his things, stowed them in the spatial pouch Xuanse had given him, and set off down the mountain road.