Chapter 1 – Awakening

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read more at Nineheavens.org

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Chapter 1 – Awakening

He was a human.

He wanted to become a sword.

In the end, he became a sword as he wished.

Having lost all memories of being human.

* * *

I am a 'Divine Martial Sword.'

A sword possessing a spiritual consciousness and wielding wondrous divine powers – the greatest and strongest sword in the history of the martial world.

Since first awakening to consciousness a thousand years ago, most of the strongest warriors of each era – the Heavenly Demon, the Sword Emperor, the Evil Emperor, the Martial Immortal, the Blood God, and others – possessed me and conquered all under heaven.

For such a long time, I have walked the path of supremacy countless times.

The Greatest Sword of the Martial World, the Greatest Sword Under Heaven, the Greatest Sword of All Time… I have heard every praise until I grew tired of them.

And yet.

Clang- Crack…!

Why.

Clang- Crack, Crackle…!

Why are cracks forming on my body right now?

Clang- Crackle…!

Until now, no precious sword or famous sword could ever break me.

Crack- Crash!

Thud, thud thud, thud…

I was destroyed.

I, the supreme sovereign of all weapons under heaven, was destroyed before the blade of some nameless wanderer.

Into pieces, miserably.

Slash! Thud-

The sound of my owner's head… being severed… My consciousness is also… rapidly… fading.

"They called you a Divine Martial Sword unprecedented in history, but you are nothing special."

His voice sounds like a hallucination.

Everything around me… is dark.

So, this is… what death is.

Step, step.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, the spiritual consciousness of the Divine Martial Sword quietly dissipated, as if sinking into deep, endless darkness.

* * *

News spread quickly throughout the martial world.

It was about the sudden death of Sagong Woon, the Sect Master of the orthodox White Peak Sword Sect, known by his title White Gate Sword Gentleman.

During his lifetime, he was one of the renowned swordsmen of Hunan Province, so people wondered about the identity of his killer.

However.

The dead tell no tales, and all sorts of baseless rumors only bred speculation.

The martial artists of White Peak Sword Sect could not hide their grief.

Sagong Woon, the Sect Master who had been struggling to revive their fallen sect – once a prestigious orthodox martial arts school – had died, and with his death, they lost all hope for the future.

During the funeral held amidst this gloomy atmosphere.

To make matters worse, the first disciple whom Sagong Woon had cherished most while alive collapsed unconscious and fell into a vegetative state.

Bedridden, he did not regain consciousness afterward, and the mood within the sect sank even heavier.

Six months passed like that.

* * *

'Hmm…'

His body felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

From the top of his head to the tips of his toes, as if he were paper soaked in water.

The Divine Martial Sword was startled.

'No…!'

He had regained consciousness.

He, who should have been shattered and destroyed before the nameless wanderer's attack…

Moreover.

He felt as though he were lying still with his eyes closed on a soft bed, like a powerless invalid.

Swoosh-

Suddenly, a warm touch accompanied by a faint sound.

It was near his wrist.

Someone was taking his pulse.

'Taking my pulse?'

He felt puzzled.

He did not have a wrist like a human did, so why was he perceiving such a sensation?

The Divine Martial Sword soon flinched.

Not just a wrist, but head, chest, abdomen, legs… all those unfamiliar sensations awakened and became clearly imprinted upon him.

Even the breath going in and out.

That's right.

It was almost certainly a human body.

In other words, his spiritual consciousness was now dwelling within someone's body.

At that very moment.

"Senior Brother."

The one taking his pulse spoke.

'Senior Brother?'

The instant the Divine Martial Sword wondered about this, a splitting headache struck.

'Ugh…!'

Too many thoughts invaded his mind all at once.

An incomprehensible phenomenon.

Memories that were not his own were being forcibly injected into him.

'Cheol… Ryu-heun?'

Yes, these were Cheol Ryu-heun's memories.

A twenty-year-old young man, the first disciple of the owner who had met his end at the wanderer's hands.

He was certain.

This was definitely Cheol Ryu-heun's body.

All the various thoughts swirling in his mind now repeatedly confirmed this fact.

It was something that shouldn't be possible.

He, who had met his end along with his owner, had awakened through the body of the rising talent Cheol Ryu-heun.

"His pulse is normal. I wonder if he can hear me."

That voice… he recognized it.

It was Eul Sa-jeok, a young man the same age as Cheol Ryu-heun and his junior martial brother.

At that moment.

The throbbing headache subsided as if washed away.

Now he felt he could manage.

'Phew.'

But… Cheol Ryu-heun's final memory was quite bitter.

Not long after his owner had departed from this world, he had lost consciousness and collapsed, becoming a vegetative person unable to perceive anything.

His vision was completely dark.

The Divine Martial Sword first tried to open his eyes, but it wasn't as easy as he thought.

Probably because he had been lying bedridden as a vegetative person for so long.

He didn't know how many days he had spent in this state, but his body was severely lacking in vitality.

Suddenly.

The Divine Martial Sword sensed that a considerable amount of internal energy was accumulated in the Sea of Qi acupoint of his lower dantian.

'This is…'

It was one incomprehensible thing after another.

Cheol Ryu-heun clearly should not have been able to perform energy circulation, so why was there energy accumulated?

Accumulating energy without consciousness was impossible.

It was obvious.

If the mind wasn't awake first, no matter how intact the body was, it would be useless.

'Is this an effect of the reincarnation? Let me first use the subtle methods of Internal Energy Cultivation to improve my body's condition.'

The Divine Martial Sword immediately began circulating his energy.

According to the internal energy cultivation method of White Peak Sword Sect, the sect of his deceased owner.

Exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale…

As he regulated his breathing and began circulating energy, the lower dantian that had been stiff until now began to stir little by little.

His original true energy was awakening and stimulating his energy channels.

Following that, the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and Twelve Primary Meridians that had naturally become blocked due to the long bedridden life also opened refreshingly.

Then Eul Sa-jeok's words reached his ears again.

"Senior Brother, today I have prepared a special medicine for you as well."

Reaching into his money pouch, he soon pulled out a small pill.

"As always, please take this poison pill and lie there like you're dead, falling into a deep sleep. I will send you to the afterlife at the appropriate time. Please don't worry about the sect. I will manage it well on my own…"

Just as he brought the poison pill toward Cheol Ryu-heun's lips.

Grab!

A hand firmly seized his wrist.

"Stop right there."

A voice softly echoed through the inner chamber.

A look of disbelief spread across Eul Sa-jeok's face.

He had opened his eyes.

Cheol Ryu-heun had.

For six months – through spring, summer, and into autumn – he who had been no different from a corpse had regained consciousness.

"Se… Senior Brother…?"

Cheol Ryu-heun sat up while still gripping the other's wrist.

Their gazes quietly met.

With an indifferent expression, Cheol Ryu-heun said,

"So it was you? The one who made my perfectly fine body end up like this?"

The shocked Eul Sa-jeok momentarily lost his words.

In an instant, Cheol Ryu-heun's eyes turned cold.

"The moment I open my eyes, there's already one matter I need to deal with."

Flustered, Eul Sa-jeok tried to shake his arm hard to throw off Cheol Ryu-heun's grip.

Whoosh!

But.

'Ugh!'

A grip like a snare.

How could someone who had lived as a vegetative person and just now regained consciousness have such strong grip strength?

Thwack-!

With a dull sound, Eul Sa-jeok let out a scream.

"Gah!"

Crash-

He fell flat on his back, his face instantly covered in blood.

It was from the surprise headbutt.

His horribly twisted nose bone, and the nosebleed streaming down continuously…

Enraged, Eul Sa-jeok immediately reached for his waist.

An instinctive reaction.

But there was nothing there.

'Oh no!'

In his excitement, he had forgotten.

The fact that he had left his weapon – which he usually carried like an extension of himself – outside.

Smack!

Cheol Ryu-heun launched himself off the bed and approached swiftly, extending his foot.

Crack-!

He struck the same spot again.

"Argh!"

As Eul Sa-jeok clutched his broken nose and screamed again.

Thwack!

This time, Cheol Ryu-heun's left foot struck the side of his opponent's head.

A shock that rattled his brain.

Unable to withstand the dizziness, Eul Sa-jeok collapsed sideways with a thud.

That wasn't the end.

Thwack- Thwack-!

Under Cheol Ryu-heun's continuous kicks, Eul Sa-jeok's head snapped left and right.

'Gah…! How can someone who was lying there like a corpse be this fast…?'

"When the tail is long, it gets stepped on."

With Cheol Ryu-heun's words came a dull impact.

Thwack!

This time it was the abdomen.

Eul Sa-jeok's breath was completely cut off.

'Guhhh…!'

He was already having trouble breathing because of his broken nose, and now getting hit in the lower belly made him feel like dying.

Thwack, thwack, thwack-!

Feet struck his chest, belly, and sides in succession.

Eul Sa-jeok trembled violently from the excruciating pain.

The foul-smelling blood continuously irritated his throat, stirring up discomfort.

'Guh… Damn it! He's… circulating internal energy!'

He had been too defenseless from the start.

He never expected Cheol Ryu-heun's condition to improve overnight.

Not only had he suddenly regained consciousness, but he was even using internal energy… When he had checked his pulse earlier, there had been no signs of this at all.

Thwack!

Once again, a heavy impact assaulted his internal organs.

'Guh… Gak…!'

The moment Cheol Ryu-heun's right leg lifted high and came down rapidly.

Thwack- Crack!

It was the sound of Eul Sa-jeok's left ribs – two or so – breaking from the heel strike infused with internal power.

"Ugh, ugh… Aaargh!"

Even though just breathing was already difficult enough, the agonized screams came out just fine.

Cheol Ryu-heun pressed down firmly on his chest.

"Sagong Woon in the afterlife must be lamenting. All this time, he diligently taught someone like you as his disciple."

Battered and broken, Eul Sa-jeok wondered even through his pain.

'Guh… Wheeze… What is this? That way of speaking…'

It was unfamiliar.

Casually using his master's full name – could his personality have changed when he regained consciousness?

Cheol Ryu-heun paid no attention and removed his foot from his opponent's chest.

Swish.

Then he picked up the poison pill that had fallen on the floor nearby.

"Evidence secured."

Turning his head, he approached the display shelf and lifted something up.

Grab!

A sculpture the size of an adult's head – a toad carved from granite.

Seeing it, Eul Sa-jeok was seized by an ominous premonition.

'N-No way…'

Soon, Cheol Ryu-heun, holding the heavy toad sculpture with both hands, looked down and spoke.

"Is Sagong Woon's death also connected to you?"

"Guh… Se-Senior Brother… there's some misunder… First… please calm… down. Guhk…"

Suddenly, the sound of urgent footsteps passing through the corridor was heard.

Tap tap tap, tap tap tap-

Apparently, the disciples standing guard outside the residence had detected the commotion.

Sure enough.

Bang!

The lattice door of the inner chamber slid open, and two young men in their twenties wearing White Peak Sword Sect's distinctive attire stepped inside.

Simultaneously, short cries of shock burst out.

"Gasp! What?"

"Y-Young Sect Master!"

The Divine Martial Sword looked at the two and truly felt it.

This unbelievable reality of having reincarnated as Cheol Ryu-heun, the Young Sect Master of White Peak Sword Sect – a sect that had once flourished as a first-rate martial arts school before declining.

"Heh, Young Sect Master of White Peak Sword Sect…"

Murmuring as if reciting to himself, Cheol Ryu-heun dropped the toad sculpture with a passing smile.

Thud- Crack-!

The shin bone was completely shattered.

Eul Sa-jeok's piercing scream echoed throughout the compound.

"Gyaaaaaaah!"

Yet Cheol Ryu-heun, with an indifferent face, commanded the two disciples.

"Take out the trash."