Li Chen did not sleep that night.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the Black-Fanged Wolf collapsing, the clean, effortless line of death that should never have been possible. Worse still was the feeling afterward—the way the sword qi had rushed toward him like it had been waiting its entire existence to obey.
That was what terrified him most.
Power attracts attention.
And in the cultivation world, attention killed people.
When dawn arrived, a jade token at his waist suddenly grew hot.
Li Chen yelped and slapped at it, nearly throwing it away before realizing it was the trial token issued by the sect. A cold, emotionless voice echoed directly into his mind.
"Outer Disciple Li Chen. Trial complete. Report immediately to the Heavenly Sword Hall."
His legs gave out.
"…Complete?" he whispered. "I survived?"
He should have been relieved. Instead, dread pooled in his stomach.
The Heavenly Sword Hall was not a place outer disciples were summoned to. Ever.
Li Chen took three steps, hesitated, then took another three—each one heavier than the last. Every instinct screamed at him to flee the sect entirely, hide in some mortal city, change his name, and never touch a sword again.
Unfortunately, the jade token burned hotter when he tried to walk in the wrong direction.
"…Kidnapping," Li Chen muttered. "This is definitely kidnapping."
By the time he arrived, the massive hall doors were already open. Sword-shaped pillars lined the interior, each radiating ancient pressure. At the far end sat seven figures on elevated thrones, their auras restrained yet unfathomably deep.
The Seven Patriarchs of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Li Chen's knees buckled.
He dropped to the floor in a perfect kowtow, forehead pressed against the cold stone.
"Outer Disciple Li Chen greets the Patriarchs," he said quickly. "If I offended anyone, saw something I shouldn't have, or accidentally killed something important, I sincerely apologize."
Silence followed.
Then—
"Hahaha!"
A booming laugh shook the hall.
"So this is him?" one patriarch said, his eyes gleaming like sharpened steel. "The one who made the Sword Burial Forest bow."
Li Chen froze.
Bow? It bows now? Since when do forests bow?!
Another patriarch spoke, her voice calm yet sharp. "Supreme Sword Physique. Pure, untainted sword intent. And yet… his heart trembles like a frightened deer."
"Interesting," a third murmured.
The man seated at the center finally opened his eyes.
The Heavenly Sword Patriarch.
The moment their gazes met, Li Chen felt as if every secret thought he had ever had was laid bare.
"I don't want it," Li Chen blurted out.
The hall went silent.
"…What?" one patriarch said.
"I don't want power, or status, or destiny," Li Chen said desperately. "I just want to live. Quietly. Preferably far away from swords."
Several patriarchs stared at him as if he had just declared the Dao itself a joke.
Then the Heavenly Sword Patriarch smiled.
"A sword that fears death," he said softly. "Do you know what that means?"
Li Chen swallowed. "That I'm unqualified?"
"It means," the patriarch continued, "that your sword has something most lack."
The patriarch stood.
"Restraint."
With a wave of his hand, the pressure in the hall vanished. Li Chen gasped, nearly collapsing again.
"Li Chen," the patriarch said, his voice echoing like heaven's decree, "by unanimous decision, you are appointed Head Disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect."
Li Chen's vision went dark.
"No," he whispered.
"You will inherit the sect's true teachings," another patriarch said. "You will cultivate directly under us."
"You will be groomed as the next Patriarch," a third added.
Li Chen slammed his head into the floor.
"Please reconsider."
Laughter filled the hall.
The Heavenly Sword Patriarch stepped forward and placed a sword-shaped jade token before Li Chen.
"The Dao has already chosen," he said. "Whether you advance or retreat… the sword will follow."
Li Chen stared at the token like it was a death sentence.
Outside the hall, the sect buzzed with rumors.
A nobody had been chosen.
A supreme genius had awakened.
The future patriarch had appeared.
Li Chen picked up the token with trembling hands.
I wanted to hide, he thought weakly.
The sword hummed in response.
And for the first time since transmigrating, Li Chen realized a terrifying truth.
No matter how far he ran—
He could never outrun his destiny.