The sun had barely risen beyond the mountain ridge, casting pale golden rays across Black Rain Village. But in the narrow forest behind the village, where the light struggled to pierce the dense canopy, Ye Tian stood alone beneath a dying willow tree. The rusted sword lay in front of him, stabbed into the soil.
He stared at it.
It looked like a worthless relic — chipped edges, dull surface, corrosion eating at its once-proud form. To the world, it was trash. But Ye Tian knew better.
In his past life, he had wielded swords that devoured stars. But none had ever resonated with his soul like this one.
"Why are you with me again?" he muttered, kneeling before it. "Were you waiting for me too?"
The blade trembled, as if answering.
Suddenly, a faint gust stirred the leaves, and a ghostly wail passed through the air. The sword shimmered faintly in response.
Ye Tian narrowed his eyes.
The Taiyi Sword—one of the Nine Divine Weapons—had once responded only to will, not touch. In its prime, it cut through karma and space itself, severing fate and rewriting destiny.
But now, it was asleep… or sealed.
"I'm still too weak," he muttered, clenching his fists. "But if the heavens thought they'd bury me in a grave of mediocrity, they've forgotten who I was."
He stood, pulling the sword free with a slow, reverent motion.
Clink. A single sound echoed like thunder in his ears.
A flash of energy sparked from the blade, small and sharp. The corrosion along its edge burned away slightly — not all of it, just a whisper of the past self.
The Sword Soul within was awakening.
At that moment, a rustling came from behind.
"Cripple!" a voice spat.
Ye Tian didn't turn. He knew that tone. It belonged to Feng Mu, third son of the Feng family. A petty cultivator barely in the Qi Condensation Realm, but cruel, arrogant, and protected by his sect's reputation.
"You're still alive?" Feng Mu sneered, stepping out from the trees with two lackeys behind him. "Heard you've been waving that scrap around like it's a treasure. What, playing hero now?"
Ye Tian's gaze stayed fixed on the sword. He didn't reply.
Feng Mu clicked his tongue. "Still mute, huh? Maybe breaking your legs again will loosen that tongue."
He stepped forward, qi flaring faintly from his palms, trying to intimidate. But something in Ye Tian's presence stopped him cold.
That calm.
That coldness.
It wasn't the gaze of a broken man—it was the silence before a blade was drawn.
Ye Tian slowly raised his sword.
"You've barked long enough," he said softly. "Time to see if your bite is still pathetic."
Feng Mu laughed. "You dare?"
Before he could finish, Ye Tian's blade moved.
A single step forward.
A single slash.
Not elegant. Not flashy. But sharp — as though it had been forged from the bones of the wind itself.
Feng Mu staggered back. His sleeve had been sliced open. Blood trickled down his arm.
Impossible.
"You—! You actually—!"
Ye Tian didn't speak. His hand moved again.
Another step. Another slash.
The rust on the blade shimmered and peeled slightly, revealing glints of silver beneath.
Feng Mu fell back, this time in panic. His two lackeys rushed forward, drawing their short spears.
Ye Tian's eyes narrowed. In a blink, he stepped between them.
His sword hummed—this time louder.
Two flashes of silver light.
The spears fell to the ground, split cleanly in half.
The air grew still. The leaves above stopped swaying. For just a second, even the forest itself seemed to bow in silence.
Feng Mu stumbled back. "You're not a cripple… What are you?"
Ye Tian finally looked him in the eye.
"I'm the man who once split the heavens with this blade," he said coldly. "And now… I've returned."
The three fled, scrambling like insects.
Ye Tian exhaled slowly. He was trembling. His meridians were still damaged, and even this much had pushed his body near its limit.
But it was worth it.
He looked down at the blade.
Its rust had faded more. A faint silver edge shone through, gleaming like moonlight.
The sword was responding.
Not to brute strength.
But to will.
And Ye Tian's will was absolute.
He turned back toward the village.
There was no more hiding now. The path had begun.
And when the world remembered the name Ye Tian, they would tremble.