In a private courtyard of the General's Mansion in Yalan, the capital of the Lanyue Empire, a lavishly dressed boy of about fourteen or fifteen lay on a bed in a luxurious room. His eyes were somewhat vacant as he stared at the ceiling, which was engraved with all sorts of ornate patterns. Beneath him was a mattress made from the wool of four-horned antelopes from Vendia Snow Mountain, and he was covered with a quilt filled with the velvet of West Lake Black Swans. Every single furnishing in the room was priceless. Ling Xiao didn't know what the Imperial Palace was like, but 'from what I've read in the ancient texts, I doubt even it could be much more than this, right?'
At this moment, Ling Xiao's mind was anything but calm. 'This is too strange. To think I would inexplicably end up in this place. For a Shushan Sword Cultivator, even undergoing reincarnation after death would be far better than having my soul traverse to an unknown world and possess a half-dead person, wouldn't it?'
As if by some twist of fate, the original owner of this body was also named Ling Xiao. His father, Ling Tianxiao, was a General of the Lanyue Empire, stationed year-round on the shores of West Lake, bordering the other great empire on the Canglan Continent—the Zichuan Empire.
The two empires were relatively equal in comprehensive national strength, and their borders had been stable for years. Although minor skirmishes occasionally broke out, there had never been any major conflicts.
In truth, the Emperors of both nations understood perfectly well that they were not the only two empires on the continent. Four medium-sized empires were waiting at all times for them to make a mistake, giving them the chance to become the new dominant power on the continent.
Since there weren't many battles, General Ling Tianxiao occasionally had time during the year to return home and reunite with his wife and children. However, an incident that occurred a few days ago had nearly angered the enthusiastically returning Ling Tianxiao to death.
This was all because of the Ling Family's third young master, Ling Xiao. General Ling Tianxiao had four children in total—two sons and two daughters. Ling Xiao was the third child, known as the Third Young Master of the Ling Family. He had an older brother, Lingzhi, who was currently serving in the army under their father as the captain of the Tiger Roar Assault Team. Possessing the cultivation of a Tier Five Great Sword Master, he was considered exceptionally outstanding among the younger generation.
Ling Xiao's second older sister, Ling Su, was currently a lecturer of Continental History at the Imperial Academy. She enjoyed archaeology and often went out to explore historical ruins. She herself possessed the cultivation of a Tier Three Great Sword Master, was exceptionally beautiful, and, coupled with her excellent family background, had countless suitors at the Imperial Academy.
When it came to Ling Xiao, it seemed as if the Ling Family's luck had run out. When his constitution was tested as a child, it was discovered that he was a natural-born Celestial Vein Master. A so-called Celestial Vein Master was someone whose meridians could not be opened. No matter how hard they tried, they could only cultivate to the level of a Tier Six Sword Master.
For an ordinary person, reaching Tier Six Sword Master was already a high achievement. However, for a great family that possessed all sorts of sword techniques and cultivation methods, it was nothing at all. Moreover, the gap between a Sword Master and a Great Sword Master was by no means as simple as a single rank.
Ling Tianxiao didn't expect every one of his children to be so exceptional—as the saying goes, a dragon has nine sons, and each is different. Furthermore, unlike in other noble families, there was no infighting or scheming among his children; on the contrary, they were very united. However, this Ling Xiao was unruly by nature, causing him endless worry.
This time, he had just returned from the front lines, originally planning to enjoy a few days of family bliss with his wife and children. He never expected that right after he got back, he would hear that Ling Xiao had done something outrageous—he had molested his classmate from the Imperial Academy, who was also his fiancée since childhood, Xie Xiaoyan!
This was an absolutely massive scandal, especially for someone of Ling Tianxiao's status. It was even more unacceptable that his own son would do such a thing. Ling Tianxiao had a short and fiery temper, so upon seeing Ling Xiao, he lashed out in a rage without asking for any explanation. Only after seriously injuring his son with a single strike did he feel the pangs of heartache and regret.
In truth, no one could understand it. Even if Xie Xiaoyan had a reputation as a genius since childhood, even if she had already reached Tier Six Sword Master at the age of fourteen, and even if her Xie Family was one of the largest merchant groups in the Lanyue Empire, marrying into the General's Mansion was still a step up for her. Despite that punk Ling Xiao being a good-for-nothing, marrying into the General's Mansion and forging an alliance with the Ling Family would immediately elevate her family's status, allowing them to join the ranks of the Empire's first-rate families. What an incredible honor that would be!
Why would she resist so fiercely? Why?
Any other girl probably would have just gone along with it, half-resisting, half-consenting. After all, she was going to marry him sooner or later. Aside from his inability to achieve great heights in the Martial Dao, Ling Xiao was actually quite decent in other aspects. At the very least, he was extremely handsome.
What was even more baffling was Ling Xiao himself. Although he had a reputation as a spoiled brat since childhood, even the two maids by his side were still virgins. Why would he suddenly go and molest his own fiancée? Even if Xie Xiaoyan was a thousand times unwilling, wasn't she destined to marry you, Ling Xiao, and become your woman sooner or later? What was the rush?
But the facts were the facts. The scene of a disheveled and terrified Xie Xiaoyan, her face stained with tears, running out of Ling Xiao's luxurious dormitory was witnessed by hundreds of teachers and students at the school. As the campus belle of the Imperial Academy, Xie Xiaoyan instantly garnered everyone's sympathy.
As for Ling Xiao, that good-for-nothing who was born high and mighty simply because of his family background, he had already been the target of both jealousy and envy. Now that he had done something that disgraced the name of the nobility, he was met with everyone's scorn and contempt. It was no exaggeration to call him a cancer on the Imperial Academy. Many people were praying for the guy who had smeared his father, General Ling Tianxiao's, name to just hurry up and die, so everyone could have some peace and quiet.
And in fact, the original good-for-nothing Ling Xiao was indeed as dead as one could be. How could the frail-bodied Ling Xiao possibly withstand a blow from the enraged General Ling Tianxiao?
'I had gone to observe a senior from my sect undergo his Celestial Tribulation. Seeing the tribulation clouds in the sky gathering more and more densely, I concluded that this senior was most likely going to fail. Harboring the sordid idea of scavenging, I decided to get a little closer. Maybe I could even pick up a few magical artifacts. If so, I'd be rich.'
'Who would have thought that, somehow, that damn Celestial Tribulation would strike me instead? As a cultivator who had just passed the Golden Core Stage, how could I possibly survive a bolt from the Celestial Tribulation? I was instantly blasted to ashes. Fortunately, my soul was not extinguished. As a wisp of a spirit, I dazedly drifted to this world and possessed the body of someone with the same name as me.'
Moreover, by accessing the original owner's memories, Ling Xiao also learned that the so-called molestation never even happened. It was just a sinister plot cooked up by Xie Xiaoyan to get rid of him.
Actually, anyone who thought about it carefully could find the suspicious points. Ling Xiao was merely a Tier Five Sword Attendant, still messing around in the low-level classes of the Imperial Academy. It was frankly a bit embarrassing to even say it, but that was Ling Xiao's true strength. Xie Xiaoyan, on the other hand, was a Tier Six Sword Master. If she wanted to fight someone like Ling Xiao, it wouldn't even be an exaggeration to say she could take on a hundred of him!
A qualitative improvement cannot be replaced by quantity. The gap between a Sword Master and a Sword Attendant was already huge, not to mention the fact that there was a full seven-tier difference between the two of them!
So how could she have been left disheveled by Ling Xiao? If she had truly wanted to resist, even if she didn't want to hurt Ling Xiao, she could have at least run away without any problem. Why would she end up in such a pathetic state?
"Brother, you were truly unlucky. But don't you worry, I will definitely get revenge for you and clear your name! Just consider it my repayment for taking over your body." The Shushan Sword Cultivator, Ling Xiao, said as he searched the original owner's mind for concepts about this continent's Martial Artists. A cold smirk appeared on his lips. 'Swordsmanship, is it...?!'
The people of the Canglan Continent revered martial prowess, and the status of a Martial Artist was very high. There was no flashy Magic; the world revolved primarily around Swordsmanship. After tens of millions of years of development, Swordsmanship had been refined to its absolute peak.
A ranking system had also been established, divided into eleven levels in total: Sword Attendant, Sword Master, Great Sword Master, Mad Sword Master, Demon Swordsman, Demon Sword Master, Sword Sect, Sword Emperor, Sword Venerable, Sword Saint, and Sword God. Except for Sword Attendant, which was divided into nine tiers, every other level was divided into six tiers.
Based on the various sword techniques passed down through the ages, people gradually organized them into different cultivation techniques. Ranked from highest to lowest, they were divided into five levels: God, Saint, Celestial, Earth, and Human. Each level was further subdivided into three tiers: upper, middle, and lower.
Becoming a Great Sword Master was already an extraordinary achievement. To do so, one had to open all the meridians in their body, a process that required enduring immense pain and putting forth an effort unimaginable to ordinary people.
Upon reaching the level of Demon Swordsman, diligence alone was no longer enough; it required true talent. A Demon Swordsman could already wield the power of the elements, imbuing their weapon with it to gain immense destructive power in battle.
Take General Ling Tianxiao, a Tier Three Demon Swordsman, for example. He practiced his family's inherited sword technique, Hurricane Break, which was a wind-attribute, Heavenly Middle-level Technique. After cultivating to the Demon Swordsman stage, he could erupt a hurricane-like Sword Qi over three meters long from his sword in battle, allowing him to instantly kill almost any Martial Artist below the Demon Swordsman level.
Formidable martial strength, a calm mind, and a masterful application of various military strategies forged General Ling Tianxiao of the Lanyue Empire into the man he was today. Although he didn't have deep-seated roots and wasn't considered a top figure in the military, General Ling Tianxiao was still highly revered in the Lanyue Empire.
This showed that a Demon Swordsman already possessed a supreme status within an empire, to say nothing of a Demon Sword Master, who was a level above. The number of renowned Demon Sword Masters in the entire Lanyue Empire was not large.
Of course, this did not include the Tribute-level Guards within the Royal Family, the hidden supreme experts from the major aristocratic families, or those Cultivators who had withdrawn from worldly affairs.
It was said that the Sword Guild contained many mysterious, reclusive masters, some even at the Sword Saint Level. They were specifically responsible for conducting advancement tests for those at the Demon Sword Master level and above, but they rarely showed themselves, let alone participated in the various conflicts of the continent.
In summary, Demon Sword Masters were talents who were taken extremely seriously by every country on the continent.
Above the Demon Sword Master level were basically people of legend, who rarely appeared in the present day. Three hundred years ago, a stunningly brilliant Sword Saint named Yun Zilan had appeared on the continent like a fleeting flower. In just fifty short years, he had broken through to become a Sword Saint and roamed the continent undefeated.
However, he later vanished just as suddenly, leaving no trace behind, much like how he had first appeared before the world. Many speculated that Yun Zilan might have broken through the Sword Saint realm to become a Sword God, a true god who shattered the void and ascended. Of course, opinions varied, and no one truly knew what had become of the Sword Saint Yun Zilan.
--------------------
New book uploaded, please vote with recommendation tickets!