C2 The Talking Qian Yuan Sword

Ye Xiao shook his head vigorously, struggling to come to terms with the bizarre events that had unfolded. The overwhelming confusion and the unfamiliar world, memories, and even his own body left him questioning what he should do next.

He pushed the door open with a rigid motion and stepped outside.

Before him stretched a series of ancient buildings, spanning roughly ten acres. Interspersed among them were once-exquisite gardens, now overgrown with weeds. Despite their state of disrepair, the remnants of their former splendor were still discernible.

The numerous buildings stood eerily empty, devoid of any signs of life.

A few elderly servants crossed his path, addressing him respectfully as "Young Master." Ye Xiao could only manage a vacant nod in response, unable to muster a word.

Exiting the gate, he found the city bustling with noise, yet he felt like an outsider, disconnected from the commotion.

He roamed without purpose, sorting through the unfamiliar memories that filled his mind.

This place was known as the Chu Yuan Continent, and it was divided into five main regions: Zhongyuan State at the center, Xuanhai Province to the east, Hua Yunzhou to the south, Qiyue Prefecture to the west, and Wuyue State to the north.

Currently, Ye Xiao found himself in a small city within Zhongyuan State, aptly named Night City. The Ye Family, to which he belonged, had a storied history of battle honors, earning them the lordship of Night City. His father, Ye Pingnan, was the current City Lord. In a twist of fate, Ye Xiao shared his name with this body's original identity.

To Ye Xiao's astonishment, this world bore no resemblance to his previous life, where technology reigned supreme. Here, the focus was on cultivating one's vital energy—a practice that was the continent's singular pursuit.

Generations had given rise to countless methods of cultivating this origin energy, each with varying degrees of efficacy.

The Chu Yuan Continent had systematically categorized these cultivation techniques into four tiers—Human, Earth, Heaven, and God—each with three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

The level of one's battle qi cultivation technique was a critical determinant of their potential achievements. For instance, mastering an Earth Level Middle Rank technique would undoubtedly confer greater strength than a Human Level High Rank technique at the same tier.

In these memories, the practice of cultivating Essence had its own hierarchy of achievements, with only Primitive, Yuan Master, and King Yuan as known levels. Whether there were higher levels or not, or if it was simply a limitation of knowledge, there was no record. Each level was further subdivided into nine tiers.

A cultivator's strength was essentially determined by three factors.

First and foremost was one's own cultivation strength. For instance, if you only possessed the strength of a first-tier Primitive, then even if you practiced a Heaven Realm or the legendary God Realm cultivation technique, it would be nearly impossible to defeat a Yuan Master who practiced a Mortal Realm technique.

Next came the cultivation methods. When facing an opponent of the same level, having a higher-level technique could give you a significant advantage in combat.

The final factor was known as the 'Yuan Tactic'—a special method for harnessing Essence. Yuan Tactics also had their own rankings on the main path, corresponding to cultivation techniques and divided into Human, Earth, Sky, and Spirit levels.

Despite the countless Yuan Tactics available, most people could only learn those of the Mortal Realm. Higher-level tactics were exceedingly rare.

Ye Xiao shook his head to clear his thoughts. He realized he had wandered outside the city.

Beyond the city lay an expansive forest, filled with towering trees standing row upon row.

Ye Xiao let out a long sigh. In this strange new world, it seemed his own cultivation was the only source of security.

Without returning to the city, Ye Xiao strode into the forest and settled cross-legged on a massive stone, steadying his mind for cultivation.

The first layer of the 'Heaven and Earth Essence Art' focused on absorbing the essence of nature, refining one's body, and establishing a solid foundation for future cultivation.

To his delight, Ye Xiao found that the Essence of this world was vastly superior to that of his previous life, with a concentration dozens or even hundreds of times greater.

With the rate of cultivation in this environment, he could reach the pinnacle of his past life's achievements in just two or three years, perhaps even surpassing them.

But Ye Xiao's elation quickly turned to dismay. The meridians in his body were blocked, and the Essence he absorbed dissipated almost entirely, escaping back into the air around him.

Ye Chen suddenly recalled that in his previous life, the old man had been immersing his body in various medicinal concoctions from a young age. There were times when the old man had returned injured from his quest to procure the necessary herbs. Considering the old man's cultivation level, the difficulty he faced underscored the rarity of those herbs.

Now, not only was Ye Chen clueless about which medicinal herbs he needed, but even if he had known, his current abilities and status likely wouldn't allow him to acquire them.

A sense of desolation washed over Ye Chen. In his past life, an inability to cultivate wouldn't have led to ostracization or disdain. But in a world that revered martial prowess, being unable to cultivate condemned one to a life at the very bottom, to be derided as worthless by others.

Worthless! Ye Xiao gave a self-deprecating chuckle. The once-feared "Yama," a legend in the assassin world, had been reduced to a weakling, an object of ridicule.

His gaze turned distant, a mix of helplessness and determination in his eyes. His expression was icy as he clenched his teeth, his spirit unyielding.

"Hehe, kid, it seems like you could use some help right about now."

At the brink of despair, Ye Xiao's ears caught a mocking chuckle.

"Who's there?" Ye Xiao's expression shifted as he spun around, scanning the stillness of the surrounding woods. But there was no one to be seen.

"Heh heh, stop searching. I'm inside you right now."

When Ye Xiao thought he was hallucinating, the voice, still laced with mischief, echoed again.

"Inside my body?" Ye Xiao tensed, fighting off the eerie fear. "Where are you? Who are you?"

The idea of a voice emanating from his own body was unheard of, a phenomenon not encountered in either of his lifetimes.

"What do you want inside my body? Show yourself!"

This time, after Ye Xiao spoke, the voice fell silent for a moment, as if pondering its next words.

Finally, it spoke again, "Me? I am the Qian Yuan Sword. Yes, that's it—I am the Qian Yuan Sword." The voice itself seemed uncertain of its proclamation.

The Qian Yuan Sword? Ye Xiao's attention snapped to his right arm, where the mark of the Qian Yuan Sword glowed with a faint red light.

"How can you be the Qian Yuan Sword? A sword with consciousness? And it can talk? What in the world is going on?" Ye Xiao's mind was reeling.

The entity claiming to be the Qian Yuan Sword seemed bewildered by Ye Xiao's barrage of questions. It took a while before it responded, its voice tinged with embarrassment and annoyance. "Why can't I be the Qian Yuan Sword? Why can't I have consciousness? What's so odd about me speaking? I went to great lengths to rescue you. Was it just so you could bombard me with questions?" There was a clear undertone of irritation in its voice.

"Wait, did you really bring me here from my past life?" Ye Chen had his doubts before, but the situation still felt incredibly bizarre.

"Of course, it was I, the grand one, who saved you. Who else could it be?" A smug tone accompanied the words.

"And what about my master?" Ye Xiao suddenly remembered Ye Zhenshan.

"Your master? The one who faced the heavenly tribulation? I didn't pay much attention at the time, but given the circumstances, he likely perished in the tribulation. And you, do you have a death wish? Others would flee from a tribulation, yet you dared to get close? It's only because you were foolish enough that I, the grand one, could absorb some of the heavenly thunder's energy and regain a portion of my consciousness."

"Why didn't you save my master?" Ye Xiao demanded.

"Damn it, I had just awakened and absorbed a bit of energy. Saving you nearly drained me. If it weren't for your pure bloodline awakening my consciousness, I wouldn't have bothered with you, let alone anyone else. If I had, do you think your soul would have survived?" The voice was laden with extreme discontent.