On the martial platform of the Xuantian Sword Sect's grand competition.
Yu Lanqing stood in her cyan robes, her sword-like brows slightly raised, her unpainted face devoid of expression.
With a flick of her slender hand, she unleashed another sword technique.
It forced the delicate-looking female cultivator in goose-yellow robes from the center of the platform to its edge.
Today, she held nothing back. Every strike was decisive, leaving her opponent with no chance to counter. The girl teetered on the brink of falling off the platform.
The outcome was beyond doubt.
Then, a sword light tore through the air from the elders' viewing platform above.
It shattered the protective barrier over the arena and pierced straight through Yu Lanqing's chest.
Right through her heart!
The entire sect erupted in shock.
Yu Lanqing herself looked down in disbelief at the wound.
This sword—she knew it all too well.
It was her master, the Longyuan Sword Sovereign's lifebound spiritual sword—the Lingtian Sword!
And the one who had summoned it was none other than the delicate female cultivator before her—her shimei, the second disciple under their master, Ji Fuyao.
A lifebound spiritual sword would only obey its wielder or someone who shared a deep, life-and-death bond with them. In other words, aside from the sword's owner, only their dao companion could command it.
Her master… and her shimei?
As blood gushed from her chest, Yu Lanqing found it impossible to deny the truth.
Her master and her shimei had long formed a life-and-death contract in secret. They were dao companions.
Dark robes swept past.
A figure descended onto the platform, but not a single glance was spared for the wounded disciple. Instead, gentle arms wrapped around the trembling girl at the edge.
"Shifu, Fuyao didn't mean to… I never thought I'd hurt shijie…"
"Shijie kept pressing me, and all I could think was that I couldn't lose, couldn't disappoint you. In my panic, I somehow called upon your Lingtian Sword to fight for me. I didn't mean to hurt shijie."
"It's not your fault. The Lingtian Sword is bound to protect you. Your shijie was too ruthless."
"Shifu, don't blame shijie either. She just wanted to win too much. You know how competitive she's always been…"
The barrier above had reformed the moment the man stepped onto the platform, sealing off the outside world.
The two embraced, neither sparing a thought for the eldest disciple—their shijie—bleeding out on the ground.
The agony came late, spreading through her body like wildfire. Yu Lanqing was numb with pain, but the absurdity of it all burned brighter.
They were the absurd ones.
But she was the fool.
The signs had been there all along!
When she first entered the sect, she had toiled for five years managing Lingxiao Peak before her master emerged from seclusion to formally accept her as his disciple.
Yet on that very day, he had taken one look at a girl during the entrance examinations and broken protocol to take her as his second disciple. What should have been her exclusive ceremony was split in half.
She trained relentlessly, yet her master rarely offered guidance. She handled the affairs of Lingxiao Peak's disciples with care, yet never received a word of praise. Meanwhile, every time he returned from travels, he brought gifts for her shimei.
Once, he returned with over a dozen treasures. Among them was a sword tassel embedded with defensive runes—one she particularly fancied. But her master had said they were all for her shimei. None for her.
Her shimei had comforted her, saying she was strong enough to not need external aids, so it was only right their master gave everything to the weaker disciple. She had believed it.
Later, when she forged her first sword bone, she rushed to share the news with her master—only to find him teaching her shimei how to fly on a sword, his eyes brimming with warmth.
Her shimei had stumbled off the sword in a panic, nearly twisting her ankle.
Pointing at her, she said, "Shifu, shijie is watching."
Her master had merely steadied the girl and replied,
"Pay her no mind. She's not your equal."
That was the first time Yu Lanqing truly felt disillusioned.
She had thought her master's indifference was meant to temper her resolve, to forge her into a stronger sword cultivator. And she had indeed become the top disciple of her generation through sheer effort.
But those words—"She's not your equal"—had cut deeper than any blade.
In her master's eyes, all her struggles, all her efforts, meant nothing.
She refused to accept it.
That was why, in this competition, she hadn't held back as she always had before, yielding to her shimei's pleas.
She fought with everything she had.
She wanted to prove to her master that she was no less than her shimei—no less than anyone!
But now…
How ridiculous. How laughable.
Blood pooled around her. Her vision blurred.
Yu Lanqing could feel her life slipping away.
At last, the embracing pair seemed to remember her existence.
She heard her shimei whisper, "Shifu… can shijie still be saved?"
"No."
A single, indifferent word sealed her fate.
"Her sword bone and spiritual roots were always meant for you. This merely hastens the process."
"Once you become the Xuantian Sword Sovereign, her sacrifice will not be in vain. She died as she should!"
In her final moments, her master's voice reached her ears.
Yu Lanqing finally understood everything.
Why her master, who had never shown her an ounce of affection, had taken her as his disciple in the first place.
She was nothing but a vessel—a gift prepared for his beloved.
Just like all the treasures he had collected for her shimei over the years.
The man she had once idolized, the one she had strived to surpass, was nothing but a shameless hypocrite.
She wouldn't let them have their way—not even in death!
Gathering the last of her strength, Yu Lanqing channeled her golden core. With a deafening explosion, flames engulfed her entirely.
The fire could not be quenched.
When the flames died, the platform was empty.
Not a single trace of Yu Lanqing's body remained.
***
The sun rose, painting the sky in hues of gold and crimson.
Today marked yet another grand disciple recruitment for the Xuantian Sword Sect, held once every five years.
Sunlight bathed the ten thousand steps leading to the Hall of Inquiry, dazzling the aspirants climbing toward their destiny.
This was the final trial.
The sect master and elders waited in the grand hall at the summit. But this year's batch was lackluster—nowhere near as promising as the last.
Just as their interest waned, an exuberant voice rang out.
"Great news!"
"Wonderful news!"
"The Longyuan Sword Sovereign has emerged from seclusion!"
The solemn hall erupted in excitement.
Sect Master Yunhai shot to his feet. "Longyuan is out?"
"This disciple saw it with his own eyes! Not only has the Sword Sovereign recovered from his injuries, but his cultivation has also advanced!"
"He said he would come to the hall after settling in to greet the sect master and elders."
Sect Master Yunhai couldn't suppress his grin.
"Excellent, truly excellent!"
"Where is that girl, Yu Lanqing?"
"Summon her at once! She hasn't even formally met Longyuan yet!"
The focus should have been on the aspirants enduring the trials below.
But with the news of the Sword Sovereign's return, all eyes turned to the silver-hairedpin-wearing woman standing before the hall—her expression cool, her demeanor detached.
This was Yu Lanqing, the most outstanding disciple from the recruitment five years prior.
A single metal spiritual root, with a purity of ninety-nine percent!
The same as the legendary Eastern Continent's number one swordmaster, the Longyuan Sword Sovereign, in his youth.
Even more impressive, she had topped the rankings in the ten-thousand-step trial—proof of both her talent and unshakable will.
Back then, several elders had fought to take her as their disciple. In the end, Sect Master Yunhai had intervened, placing her under the Longyuan Sword Sovereign's Lingxiao Peak until his seclusion ended for a formal ceremony.
None had objected. After all, the Longyuan Sword Sovereign was the undisputed pinnacle of Eastern sword dao—especially after the fall of the Moonflower Sword Sovereign. In all the Eastern Continent, only he bore the title of "Sword Sovereign."
Fifty years prior, he and the Moonflower Sword Sovereign had ventured into the Demon Abyss to repel the demonic invasion. There, he had suffered a hidden injury that worsened over time, forcing him into seclusion a decade ago.
In recent years, Yu Lanqing had risen to prominence within the sect.
Some disciples had even muttered enviously that with the Sword Sovereign perpetually in seclusion, Yu Lanqing's status as his disciple was in name only—she would never receive true guidance.
Now, those bitter thoughts turned to pure envy.
"Yu Lanqing is so lucky!"
"After today's ceremony, she'll be the Sword Sovereign's sole disciple. She'll inherit his legacy—her future is limitless!"
"Look! That's the Longyuan Sword Sovereign, just flew into the hall…"
"They'll call Yu Lanqing in any moment now."
The disciples outside whispered among themselves.
Sure enough, a voice called out—"Yu Lanqing."
But the woman named stood frozen, unmoving.
"Lanqing shimei?" A guiding disciple gently prompted.
Yu Lanqing didn't seem to hear.
The inferno before her eyes vanished, replaced by the grand, all-too-familiar hall.
Her mind cleared.
Yu Lanqing's eyes sharpened with realization.
She had returned!
To the very day she was to formally become the Longyuan Sword Sovereign's disciple!