Chapter 9: Conquering the Ruins and the Search for the First Disciple
[Realm 1, Blade Clan Ruins]
Under the moonlight, the Blade Clan ruins resembled the skeletal remains of a colossal beast—silent, broken, whispering tales of their past glory.
Breaking this silence, a solitary shadow stumbled forward.
It was Lian Yu.
The battle against Xiao Long had left its mark on his body. A slow, persistent ache throbbed in his ribs, and the wound on his shoulder still wept. His legs trembled with every step. Drawing even a fraction of his spirit energy into his weakened body was like walking a tightrope—it had brought him victory, but at the cost of his physical self.
The dry taste of blood lingered on his lips, yet a strange calm resided within his spirit. News of Xiao Long's demise traveled faster than the wind, and a new whisper had emerged among the smaller clans oppressed by the Shadow Clan's tyranny: the Blade Clan's vengeance had returned!
Lian Yu reached the broken doorway of his clan's main hall, leaning against a familiar pillar to steady himself. Just then, an aged shadow, carrying a torch, rushed towards him. It was Uncle Hu.
"Master!" Uncle Hu's voice was laced with concern and fear. As the torchlight fell upon Lian Yu's wounded body, his face blanched. "By the heavens! Such injuries... what happened? Did they reach you?"
Lian Yu slowly raised his head. Fatigue clouded his eyes, yet in their depths, a cold spark gleamed. He spoke impassively, his voice hoarse and ragged, "Xiao Long is dead."
Three words.
Just three words, but they exploded like thunder.
Uncle Hu froze where he stood. The torch trembled in his hand. He felt as though he had misheard. The tyrant whose name made the entire region tremble, the leader of the Shadow Clan who had drowned their own clan in blood and tears... dead?
"He... how...?" Words barely escaped his aged lips.
"I killed him," Lian Yu stated, placing his broken sword on the ground. The clatter of the falling sword echoed in the silence. "The Shadow Clan is no more. Like a serpent without a head, they are now devouring each other."
At this, the dam within Uncle Hu, frozen for decades, burst. Tears streamed down his face—hot, salty tears. These were not merely tears of joy; they were years of pain, fear, and helplessness finally released. He trembled and sank to his knees. He wanted to grasp Lian Yu's feet, but Lian Yu stepped forward and placed a hand on his trembling shoulders.
"Master! You... you have avenged us! You have saved us all!" His voice was choked with sobs.
Lian Yu said nothing. He simply squeezed Uncle Hu's shoulder gently. His fist clenched. This is not vengeance, Uncle Hu, he thought to himself. This is merely the beginning of settling accounts.
"No one will cry anymore," Lian Yu said firmly. "Tears are for the weak. We have work to do."
Later, after Lian Yu had bandaged his wounds, he sat upon a high cliff, gazing at the moon.
Avenging the Blade Clan was merely one step. A necessary step, but still just one step.
His true enemy was not a petty, greedy clan leader like Xiao Long. His true enemy was the 'figure with the golden aura' and the powers behind him, who had shattered his glorious past life in an instant.
This time, I will not repeat the same mistake. I will not fight alone. I need power, resources, and above all... a foundation that cannot be shaken. I need a disciple.
His past life's experience had taught him that the most loyal companions were those whom the world had rejected. Those whom society had deemed useless and worthless. Because when you pull such a person from darkness into light, they become your shadow.
He called out to Uncle Hu, who was working among the ruins below.
"Uncle Hu, is there any child in the surrounding villages whom the cultivation world has completely rejected? Someone whom everyone considers 'useless'?"
Uncle Hu pondered for a moment. "Yes, Master. There's a boy in a nearby village, 'Ren.' From a very poor family. They say his meridians (energy channels) are so weak that he can never cultivate. Everyone taunts him and calls him 'Useless Ren'."
A faint smile touched Lian Yu's lips. Not weak meridians... but dormant Dragon Veins.
"He is the one," Lian Yu said. "Bring him to me."
Uncle Hu was startled. "Master, but he is... truly useless. He will be a burden to you."
"No one is useless, Uncle," Lian Yu said, looking at the moon. "One just needs the eye of a jeweler to recognize the hidden diamond in a stone. I seek a disciple chosen not by the world, but by me."
A few days later, Uncle Hu brought Ren.
Ren was indeed a thin, malnourished boy. His clothes were torn, and a deep, ingrained fear resided in his eyes. He looked at Lian Yu—a man who was calm, yet whose presence created a strange pressure in the air around him—and began to tremble with fright.
"Why... why have you called me?" Ren asked fearfully. He thought perhaps he had made a mistake and was about to be punished.
"You are here to become my disciple," Lian Yu stated flatly.
Ren heard this and laughed in disbelief. This laughter was not of joy, but of self-pity. "Me? Your disciple? I can't even sense a drop of Qi. The whole village knows I'm useless."
"You are not useless," Lian Yu said, his gaze fixed on Ren. This time, Ren saw not hatred or disdain in those eyes, but a strange curiosity. "You are simply a diamond that no one has yet polished."
With that, Lian Yu picked up his broken sword. He closed his eyes and activated a fragment of the 'Shadow Blade' technique.
Ren's eyes widened.
He saw a blue, translucent energy coil around the broken sword in Lian Yu's hand. The air grew cold. Then, Lian Yu swung the sword in the blink of an eye.
Swish!
There was no sound. But Ren saw a fine, deep line carved into a massive rock ten paces away, so clean and precise, as if someone had cut butter with a hot knife.
Ren's mouth hung open. He couldn't believe his eyes. This... this was the power of the gods!
"Do you... wish to learn this?" Lian Yu asked, his voice a proposition, a promise.
For Ren, this wasn't a question. It was a lifeline for a drowning man. Tears welled in his eyes after years, but this time they were not of fear, but of hope.
Without thinking, he nodded with all his might. "Yes!"
A genuine smile appeared on Lian Yu's face for the first time.
This was the true beginning of his journey. The first page of the story of a great master and his first disciple had just been turned.
This is the first piece I have placed on the board, Lian Yu thought to himself, looking at the trembling boy. Now, it's time to awaken the dormant 'Dragon Veins' within him. Though... in this process, he might just die first.