Chapter 26: A Month
The knuckles of her fist palm became white as she tightened her grip. Sensing the change, a gleam flashed through Li Chen's eyes and he unsheathed his blade.
This time, he turned back and swung down. A vine was cut in half, rendering Ming Yue's sneak attack useless.
[You're indeed a snake.] He snarled, turned, and grabbed her sword. Her sword was just a 7-star, mortal-grade artifact. It couldn't slash through his immortal-grade gauntlet.
With widened eyes, Ming Yue tried retrieving her sword but Li Chen took one step closer, grabbed her wrist when she wanted to escape and pulled her.
Before Ming Yue could react, Li Chen spun her and threw her against the wall.
BAM—!
A scream pierced the air and her grunts rang softly. Walking toward her, Li Chen looked down.
[I should have killed you for that sneak attack but I don't want your sect chasing after me. Be sure to remind them not to act impulsively. You don't want to make me draw.]
Grinding her teeth, she glared at the departing man with hate but a word didn't suit his threat.
Why should she be afraid if he draws?
Without paying heed to Ming Yue's soft cries of pain, Li Chen leaped, circulating energy to be able to occasionally step on the surface of the pool.
Soaring through the air, he was about to grab the lotus when fog covered the area, transporting his consciousness to a cavern.
"This is the final test. Life is like a chessboard; the chessboard represents three thousand strands of worry. Cut them all off and you'll win the Sword Heart lotus."
A sonorous voice drifted from all sides and Li Chen discovered he was surrounded by strands.
Each represents a worry.
"By ridding yourself of worry, you will attain a clear heart. You'll be able to see with your heart and not depend on your eyes."
'Oh, so that's why he could still see me even when I was invisible.'
SHING—!
Swiftly, he cut 999 but his blade paused at the 1000th. Tears brimmed in his eyes as it turned red. His hand trembled because that was the string of his grief concerning his deceased parents.
He could still recall alighting his grandma's car and running towards his parents, who were placed on stretchers.
He kept calling out to his mother. His tiny voice echoed in his mind so much that Li Chen lowered his sword.
"You failed."
Those words didn't affect him a bit. Each strand carried along its experiences and emotions. Unfortunately, 1000 was his stop.
"I had a feeling you would surely fail."
Light shone from the top of the cavern and a man in white floated down till his feet touched the ground.
[...?]
Smiling softly, the man turned around. "The laws and experiences of two worlds bind your heart. The man I see is almost perfect but the one on the other side has countless worries holding him back."
[What will I gain by clearing my heart strings?]
"This is one of them." The man revealed what he meant by snapping his finger and his sword left its sheath.
It hovered beside him and suddenly whooshed about.
"Your heart is the soul of your sword. It should be clean."
[Since I failed, why am I still here?]
"Because for eight centuries, I have never seen anyone with over 3000 heart strings."
[What?!]
Li Chen followed the cultivator's eyes and saw a string gleaming softly. Just as he was about to see what worry it held, the cultivator held his shoulder.
"I would advise not to get close until you are sure of severing the one holding you back. You're unique. I'll let you have the sword heart, and be sure to extend my greetings to your master."
Stunned, Li Chen turned to the man. [Do you know him?]
"Of course. Who do you think obtained the sword heart six centuries ago?" Still smiling, the man vanished.
Li Chen woke up and found himself on dry ground with the sword heart lotus in his open palm.
'It's beautiful,' he commended inwardly. Assuming a lotus position, he placed the lotus before him and channeled his energy into it.
Time slowly passed and Li Chen fell into a trance. In the dream world, he was practicing with his sword, refining his skills and executing his techniques until he broke past his limits.
Unbeknownst to him, the Sword Heart lotus hovered around him and some petals disintegrated and entered his body!
****
A month later,
CRACK—!
The sound of an egg cracking came from within a man's body. His eyes opened for the first time in a month and as he stood, his bones and tendons made sounds.
It was akin to starting an old but colossal machine.
Ka Ka Ka
Removing his top, Li Chen's eyes gleamed. His skin shone like a diamond, which meant he had attained perfection in his body technique!
No sharp, mortal-grade weapon without energy could damage his skin!
'A perfect body! What more could a man ask for?'
Turning his head, he grabbed his sword and slashed downward. A gleaming radiance left the sword, leaving a deep, clean cut on the ground.
'3rd level sword intent! Good! This is fantastic!' he roared internally while facing the dark skies. Basking under the glow of the moon, he also examined his level.
'4-star immortal human cultivator already!'
Filled with joy, he walked into the pool behind him, took a bath, and left.
Standing before the mountain once again, Li Chen leaped over six meters, unsheathed his sword, and swung a couple times.
Spinning slowly, his robe fluttered as he landed and slid his sword back into the sheath.
Countless youths, both average and good-looking, gasped at the aura emanating from his beautifully written name.
"Li Chen? Isn't he the same man that went in over a month ago?!"
"That's him! He defeated the prodigies of the Purple Lotus sect and the Eternal Night sect. I saw Ming Yue leave with injuries!"
"Hey, you've been here since then and you haven't broken through the first level. What a disgrace!" Someone from the Eternal Night sect spat.
"You…!"
Unaware of the argument, Li Chen walked up to Old Li, who leaned against a tree, snoring. Shaking his head, Li Chen squatted, cut the grass, and was about to tickle the old man's ear when Old Li grabbed it and delivered a heavy knock on his head.
"You've got guts, Brat! Come here!" Old Li yelled as Li Chen fled, laughing.
People watching were stunned. Was that the same man who came out with overwhelming grandeur?
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