Crackle! Crackle! Rumble!
'Huh! What is this noise?'
My sleep is interrupted by the sudden thundering voices. I ignore them and try to go back to sleep.
But suddenly I feel great pain in my stomach as if pierced by some sort of sharp object.
In pain, I open my eyes and see someone has stabbed a sword in my back.
'What the… damn it.'
I instinctively turn around and swing my hand.
The person who stabbed me quickly jumps back and creates a distance between us.
"As expected of a sword demon, you can even react in this situation."
I look at him and his figure is blurry. I can't see his facial features or other things.
The only visible thing is his height and the dozens of silver swords flying beside him.
'Huh! sword demon who… me…"
I don't understand why he is calling me a sword demon but I think he is misunderstanding something.
"I am not.."
As I try to explain, suddenly a red ribbon attacks me. I can sense the sharpness of the coming ribbon.
'Dangerous.'
I jump upwards to dodge. Then suddenly all the hairs in my body stand up. I look at the sky as if a thick lightning bolt is coming to strike me down.
For some reason, there is a sword in my right hand. The lightning bolt is too fast. I don't know what to do so in desperation I swing that sword at it.
Both lightning and the sword clash.
Argh!
Unable to withstand the force of lightning I smash into some sort of cliff.
"Huff huff! I survived."
I barely withstand the lightning strike at the cost of half of my body.
"Even after this you are still a living sword demon."
As I am breathing heavily I hear a female voice. I force my head to look at her but I can only see a blurred figure.
'She is the one who attacked me with the ribbon… but why are they attacking me and calling me sword demon?'
As I am thinking, four more blurry figures appear.
One of the figures looked at my miserable condition.
"Tsk! Still alive in the end we have to use it."
"If you are going to use it quickly the tribulation is about to end if we fail to kill him and let him get away it will be disastrous."
"I know… I know."
Then the figure takes something and stands in the west. Simultaneously the three figures each stand in a direction.
"Let's begin, Black Tortoise in the North."
"Azure Dragon in the East."
"White Tiger in the West."
"Vermilion Bird in the south."
As they recite the objects in their hand turn into four divine beasts flies in the air.
"Using the relics left by the ancestor we all call upon the Divine Sword."
After that, everything turns silent. The rumbling sky parts as a giant golden sword slowly falls towards me.
As the sword gets near me I can feel a terrifying pressure immobilising me.
'What is this… Since they want to kill me fuck everything.'
I clench my teeth so hard that blood begins to flow from my mouth.
'If cornered even a rabbit will fight.'
In my last desperate attempt, I move my body with sheer willpower. I know I am going to die but I don't want to die like that.
As my body finally gained some mobility suddenly something flashed in my mind.
Battle Art— Conquest of the Heavens.
I pour all the energy into my sword as it glows with a green light and swing it upwards.
Soon my green sword light collides with the giant sword falling from the sky as everything turns white.
"Did… did I die?"
As I examine the white space around me three pairs of wings appear in front of my eyes shining with a green light. As I unconsciously mutter.
"Six Wing Demon Sword."
The green light is blinding my eyes but I force them open to look at those magnificent wings.
"Tian Ming… Tian Ming…"
"Huh! What? Is someone calling me?"
"Tian Ming… wake up."
This time the voice sounds angry. Then suddenly I feel excruciating pain in my abdomen as my eyes open.
"Cough! What the…"
I abruptly wake up and clutch my stomach. Then I turn my eyes around to find Xi Liu Su with a clenched fist her face red with anger.
The pain is so intense I want to curse but I swallow those words as I see her face.
"What are you doing?" I ask.
Her anger Intensifies. "Tian Ming you idiot why are you still sleeping like a pig do you know how important today is?"
I pondered her words then it hit me today the Flying Sword Sect is coming to recruit.
"Aha!"
"Now you get it quickly get ready the cultivator has already begun to set the formation into place."
She urges me I sigh and get up to wash my face. Then I quickly change my clothes and wear a green robe complimenting my hair and eyes.
Then I exit my room and I see Xi Liu Su is standing beside grandpa Xi who is sitting on his chair wearing his bamboo hat.
I walk to them and politely bow to Grandpa Xi.
"Sigh, are you really going to walk onto the path of cultivation?" He says as a soft sigh leaves his lips.
"Of course ." Eyes of Xi Liu Su shine like a star "Becoming a cultivator, soaring through the sky and controlling my desting I have always dreamt of this."
Then she looks at Grandpa Xi. "Last year the cultivators were recruiting in a different city and you used it as an excuse. This time they are recruiting in our Maple City and you can't stop me."
Xi Yijian looks at his granddaughter and Xi Liu Su also looks back without flinching.
Seeing the determination of his granddaughter, Xi Yijian decided to take a step back.
He already knows that he can't control his granddaughter.
"Fine you win, do whatever you want, I won't stop you."
Xi Liu Su jumps in happiness and hugs her grandfather.
"Thank you, grandpa."
Xi Yijian shakes his head with a smile as he looks at his high-spirited granddaughter.
"But keep in mind the world of cultivation is not a good place. It is where the weak are prey to the strong. Always be careful of everyone."
"I know I know." Xi Liu Su says and pulls Tian Ming with her.
Sigh.
Xi Yijian sighs one more time and gets up from his seat.
I look at him and stop. Xi Liu Su's steps also come to an abrupt halt.
"Take these, both of you." He says as he hands us storage rings. "These rings contain all my inheritance."
"Grandpa you." Xi Liu Su says in alarm.
He shakes his head "Don't worry I am just leaving for a long journey."
We both took the storage ring and put it in our pockets.
"Now go and forge your paths. And Tian Ming doesn't let her be hurt by the darkness."
I look at him and nod my head.
"What do you mean grandpa? I am stronger than Tian Ming. It should be me who protects." Xi Liu Su fumes.
"Hahaha, my little granddaughter you don't know how deep the darkness is."
She pauses as grandpa Xi says that but before she can ask anything he urges us to go.
I give him a final bow to thank him for adopting and he only gives a slight smile and both of us leave for the plaza.
After Tian Ming and Xi Liu Su leave, the smile on Xi Yijian's face vanishes as great worry fills his heart.
He has known since Tian Ming was a six-year-old that a deep abyss like darkness dwells in the heart of Tian Ming. It is so dark that it can one day swallow the whole world.
Something he really wants to crush the seed of darkness before it can bloom. But he has raised him like his own grandson; the love in his heart stops him from doing so.
"Haa.. I don't know what the consequences of my selfishness will bring but I wish at least those two children would smile brightly in the future."
Xi Yijian also leaves the house and disappears amidst the crowd. Only leaving an empty house behind.
In the place of the main sector, the three disciples are carefully laying the formation on the ground.
The formation is called an energy-gathering array. It absorbs the raw energy of heaven and earth and purifies it.
The formation is essential. The bodies of mortals have clogged or closed spiritual pathways that can't absorb the raw heaven and earth energy.
The formation purified the energy to easily enter the body of a mortal and open the blocked path and open the lower energy centre.
The array requires a vast amount of material to build. Other than the core material everything else is funded by the city lord.
Since his son is also present here to become a cultivator.