021 Sword Frenzy

[POV: Kang Wen]

The wind howled through the mountain passes as a lone figure streaked across the sky, standing atop a battered flying sword. His thick beard was matted with dried blood, and heavy dark bags hung beneath his eyes. The once-pristine robes of the Steel Sky Sect now hung in bloody tatters from his frame. No one who saw him in this state would have guessed his true identity: Kang Wen, the Sword Frenzy.

Kang Wen was a battle maniac at the Core Formation realm who had carved his name across countless battlefields. He had defeated master after master using nothing but his sword, scorning the spells and qi techniques that other cultivators relied upon for flight, sensing, or combat. This singular devotion had earned him a reputation as one of the closest living candidates to inherit the illustrious title of Sword Saint, the highest honor bestowed upon the strongest swordsman on the continent.

Yet here he was, fleeing like a wounded dog.

In his bloodstained hand, Kang Wen clutched the Steelmark. It was a palm-sized artifact that pulsed with a faint connection to the young master of the Steel Sky Sect. It was his only hope of tracking Xing Ning. The tragedy had begun two years ago, during their expedition into a newly discovered secret realm. What should have been a routine venture for treasures and opportunities had turned into a massacre. Ambushers had descended upon them without warning. The Sect Leader had fought alone with desperate ferocity, buying time for the others to escape. Kang Wen remembered throwing himself between the young master and the endless waves of enemies, his sword dancing in a whirlwind of steel. But there had been too many. In the chaos, Xing Ning had been separated from the group, vanishing into the turmoil of the collapsing realm.

Now, after years of searching, the Steelmark indicated that Xing Ning had remained relatively stationary for some time. He had likely found temporary safety. Kang Wen had no intention of letting that safety end. He needed to retrieve the young master and return to the Steel Sky Sect, which was still under siege. Every moment wasted here was another moment his brothers and sisters might be dying.

He had just crossed into the Serenity Lake Domain when sharp killing intent pierced the air from above.

“Stone Spire dogs,” Kang Wen growled under his breath. “Reckless fools, the lot of you!”

No one sane enough would dare to cross the barrier between domains.

It seemed the Stone Spire Sect was the exception.

A dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators descended on flying swords, their robes emblazoned with the jagged peak emblem of the Stone Spire Sect. They unleashed waves of sword qi, forcing Kang Wen to weave erratically through the sky. With a casual gesture of one hand, he sent his own sword dancing through the air in a deadly spiral.

“Sword Telekinesis!” he roared, pouring qi from his golden core into the technique. “Tempest Steel Sword Art: Soaring Crane Flash!”

The flying sword erupted with piercing sword intent, manifesting the graceful yet lethal image of a soaring crane. It flashed between the pursuers with blinding speed, severing throats and spraying arcs of blood across the clouds. Bodies tumbled from the sky one after another.

For a moment, Kang Wen allowed himself a grim smile of satisfaction until one figure burst forward with terrifying momentum, far surpassing the others.

A Core Formation expert!

It now made sense how they were able to pass through the barrier between domains, but that would’ve cost a lot of qi, which spoke of their recklessness.

The man kicked his own flying sword, launching it like a javelin straight at Kang Wen’s chest. With fluid grace, Kang Wen parried the incoming blade with the back of his hand and seized its hilt mid-flight. Before he could press the advantage, the attacker summoned a long spear from his storage ring and thrust forward with explosive force.

The borrowed sword shattered like glass under the spear’s impact. Kang Wen instantly activated Steel Shape, hardening his body to the toughness of tempered metal. Even so, the force hurled him downward like a meteor, smashing into a nearby hill and triggering a small landslide.

He spat a mouthful of blood, chest burning, and tried to recall his original sword with Sword Telekinesis. The weapon trembled in the distance, struggling to return. Kang Wen forced himself upright and leapt toward it, but the Core Formation attacker appeared beside him in an instant, using a high-grade movement technique that made true flight seem effortless.

“You are already injured, so stay down,” the man said coldly, delivering a vicious kick that sent Kang Wen crashing deep into the forest below.

Trees splintered and beasts scattered in panic as Kang Wen tumbled through the undergrowth. He groaned, forcing himself to his feet once more. Dust and debris rained down from the collapsing hill behind him. In the cultivation world, there was an old saying. A Body Tempering cultivator could easily bend steel. A Qi Condensation cultivator could easily kill a man. A Core Formation cultivator could easily flatten a hill. And a Nascent Soul cultivator could easily destroy a stronghold.

Kang Wen spat another glob of blood onto the dirt. His injuries were worse than he had let on.

The attacker landed gracefully a short distance away, spear resting casually on his shoulder. His eyes gleamed with the sharp pressure of dense spiritual energy, far thicker than one would expect from a Core Formation expert.

“Where’s the scion of the Steel Sky Sect?” the man demanded.

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Kang Wen wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and let out a low, appreciative chuckle despite the pain. “Not bad. That spear technique and movement art… truly impressive. I doubt even the Stone Spire Sect has many talents like you at such a young age. Who are you, boy? I’ve fought my share of their elders, but none moved with your skill.”

The young man’s lips curled into a proud smile. His spiritual pressure rippled outward, confirming Kang Wen’s suspicion. He could not be older than a hundred years.

“I am Xu Lei,” he declared, voice ringing with confidence and authority. “The scion of the Stone Spire Sect!”

Kang Wen’s eyes narrowed as he gripped the hilt of his recalled sword tighter, the Steelmark still warm in his other palm. “Is that so? Then it will be an incredible victory for my Sect if I take you down right now. Come, young man. Wet my sword for me.”

A voice suddenly called out from between the trees, laced with clear irritation.

“Godsfucking damn it! Can you lot take your fighting somewhere else?”

Both cultivators turned. Emerging from the dense foliage was a silver-haired man with long, elegant ears that marked him as something other than human. He carried a strange wooden staff topped with a glowing crystal and wore clothing unlike anything Kang Wen had ever seen. It was simple yet oddly well-made, with unfamiliar patterns. Kang Wen frowned deeply. He could not see through the stranger’s cultivation at all. The man’s presence was utterly tranquil, as calm and unassuming as that of a mere mortal. Yet Kang Wen had lived long enough to know that such tranquility could be the most dangerous mask of all. No sane person would casually stroll into the middle of a duel between two Core Formation experts.

Xu Lei’s expression darkened with arrogance. “Insolent fool! This is a matter between cultivators. Scram immediately if you value your worthless life. This forest will become a battlefield, and I have no patience for insects who wander into the path of true power.”

The stranger sighed heavily, clearly unimpressed. “I can’t. I have a responsibility to this forest now, and as long as I am here, I’d like the forest to have its peace so that the local wildlife can flourish.”

Only then did Kang Wen notice the small squirrel perched comfortably on the stranger’s shoulder. The creature chirped once, as if offering its own opinion.

The stranger glanced at the squirrel and nodded. “Oh, so that spear guy is the aggressor, you say?”

It looked as though the two were actually conversing. Kang Wen found the sight bizarre, almost surreal.