The morning sun stretched across the Jade Sword Mountains, spilling golden light over the ruined halls of the Heavenly Sword Sect. Mist swirled around the broken rooftops, and the faint hum of residual Sword Qi in the air seemed to grow stronger with each passing hour.
Zhou Yu stood before the fractured Spirit Field, a once-vibrant patch of land where the sect's disciples had cultivated spiritual herbs for centuries. Now, it was little more than cracked earth and weeds. Yet beneath the decay, he sensed faint veins of spiritual energy — weak, disjointed, but recoverable.
"This… this is where it begins," Zhou Yu whispered, kneeling to examine the soil. He extended his Qi, guiding it like water into the damaged spiritual veins. At first, the energy resisted him, splintering and recoiling. Zhou Yu's brow furrowed, but he did not give up. Slowly, gradually, the veins began to pulse in response, tiny sparks of light flickering along their paths.
Ling padded close, sniffing the soil curiously. Zhou Yu smiled. "We'll rebuild it together, Ling. Step by step."
After tending the Spirit Field, Zhou Yu turned his attention to the Forge Hall, where the sect's weapons and flying swords had once been crafted. The hall was partially collapsed, and broken anvils and tools were scattered across the floor. Dust hung in the air, and faint magical traces shimmered over the cracked stone floor.
Zhou Yu knelt beside a ruined workbench and examined a shard of Star-Essence Iron, the rare material he had recovered from the chest the previous day. He ran his fingers along its surface and felt the faint pulse of latent energy. Star-Essence Iron could hold spiritual energy like a conduit — the perfect material for reforging weapons or crafting flying swords.
"This… this could restore the sect's armory," Zhou Yu murmured. His eyes flicked to the remnants of a Flying Sword Array Plate on the floor. Though broken, he could feel the faint pattern of formation energy lingering in the stone. If he could repair it, even partially, the sect could begin producing weapons again.
As he worked, a sudden rustle came from the open entrance of the hall. Zhou Yu tensed, drawing his iron sword instinctively. From the shadows emerged a Glacier Python, a serpent whose scales shimmered with pale frost, its eyes glowing faintly with intelligence. It hissed, coiling and striking, leaving frost patterns in the air where it moved.
Zhou Yu's pulse quickened. He had never faced such a mystical beast before. Ling growled and lunged at the serpent, but Zhou Yu called it back. He needed to rely on his own skill — the first true test of his sword cultivation beyond minor threats.
Circulating Qi through his body, Zhou Yu felt the faint warmth of the Sword Spirit fragment stir within him. He focused, visualizing the sword techniques from the fragmented scroll, and moved with precision. The first strike was clumsy, his iron sword barely grazing the python's thick scales. Frost sprayed across the hall, and the serpent recoiled with a hiss.
He circled, drawing upon both body cultivation and Sword Qi. Each movement was deliberate, each step measured. The residual Sword Qi in the hall responded to him, reinforcing his strikes. The Glacier Python lunged again, but Zhou Yu anticipated it this time, sidestepping and delivering a controlled strike to its exposed flank.
The serpent let out a final hiss and retreated, slithering back into the forest outside. Zhou Yu dropped to one knee, panting, but exhilarated. His body trembled with both fatigue and the thrill of victory.
"This… this is only the beginning," he whispered, looking at Ling. The wolf padded forward, brushing against his side as if sharing the triumph. "We're getting stronger."
As the afternoon sun dipped toward the horizon, Zhou Yu returned to the central hall. He knelt at the cracked altar, arranging the relics — the fragmented Sword Spirit Scroll, Star-Essence Iron dust, and jade pendant — in a careful formation. Extending his senses, he reached out to the Sword Dao Stele once more.
A faint whisper stirred in response:
"The path has begun… but not all who watch are idle. Shadows move in the Eastern Sky Continent. The Scarlet Moon Demonic Sect grows restless. They will not ignore the stirrings of the Sword."
Zhou Yu's eyes narrowed. Though he did not fully understand the scale of the threat, he sensed that the world beyond the ruins was dangerous. Powerful sects, mystical beasts, and ancient mysteries all lay ahead.
Yet for the first time, he felt the weight of purpose, and the thrill of destiny. The Heavenly Sword Sect would rise again. And he, Zhou Yu, would stand at its center, facing whatever trials the Boundless Heaven Domain dared to throw at him.