Shuren had seen snow once before.
At the peak of Zhenren's Throat, the tallest mountain in the world. Said to be the vantage where you could see the Architect's Throne. From here, you could see both the Old World and New World. And yet, Shuren still couldn't see the true world.
At the peak, there was only a small tree blooming with golden fruits. And at its foot was a grave of flowers, lavender and luminous.
It was just conjecture, but that was the first thing Shuren thought. That the flowers represented the death of someone beautiful.
Very few could traverse on this mountain. Why? Because it forced all inhabitants of the world to climb it as mortals.
Any Immortal that stepped foot on Zhenren's Throat would see their Immortal powers sapped away. You could only exert the power of a mere Rank 5 at most.
Yet Shuren stood here, on the shoulders of his grandfather.
"One day, when you become a Grand Pathstrider, come back here. With the eyes of an Immortal, you will gain Insight and see the true face of the world." The Divine Sword Saint said, making sure his words, and this sight were carved into Shuren's mind.
The Old World. The New World. The Forlorn World. And the True World. Each embodied a layer of the entire world.
There was still many things to uncover in these lands between the ten rings.
The young Shuren saw a smaller mountain in the far west, where the Crestfell Continent lay. Half the size of Zhenren's Throat, yet it dwarfed anything else around it.
It was cleanly separated in two. He pointed a finger out in curiosity.
"Ah. I did that when I was twenty. Take a look when you get older," his grandfather said in a casual tone.
Shuren's eyes were glued to the mountain sundered in two. As if wanting to do the same himself.
"Do you know what it means to be a swordsman?"
There it was. The question his grandfather asked him over and over again.
But every single time, his grandfather would give a different answer to his own question. Yet, each different answer would ring true.
"Believe it or not, for being the most used weapon, The Path of the Sword has been one of the least tread upon. Most Pathstriders use the sword as a mere weapon, a tool for some other path. The mystical Phoenix Flame Pathstriders to the north have blade dancers, the stout heart Vearth Knights use broadswords to split the earth, the Void Sea Divers use curved blades to control the flow of water."
There was no breeze at the peak of Zhenren's Throat. Only the silent soliloquy of a swordsman.
"They use swords, yet they have paths of their own. The Sword Path itself is exceedingly rare. Like stepping on blades of metal, it is an arduous journey, with most of them dying an early death in battle."
A sword was held in his hand, raised to the sky. Shuren watched himself in the reflection of that blade. Steel and sharp, it held no grandeur. A blade that could be found in any corner of the world, amongst the weakest regions and the greatest realms.
"If you want to be a swordsman, then know the process of making a sword. Forging. Annealing. Grinding. Tempering. Polishing. Sharpening. Understand it, then the folklore of becoming the blade itself, told in the Forlorn, will come true."
Each answer was different. Yet it was all the same. The Divine Sword Saint's words held nothing but veracity.
"Remember it well, Shuren."
He sang an old saying from the Radiant Abyss.
"Mortals plan. Demons scheme. Immortals laugh while the Heaven reigns supreme."
"But the swordsman cuts it all down. With one swing."
***
Sword Forge Stance!
The first stance of the Sword Saint Style.
The process of forging a blade.
To burn one's body until it's reforged as the strongest sword!
His insides burned up, the sweat on his body turning into mist. Blood evaporated off his right palm, cauterising his torn skin.
It was hot. Just standing felt like he was walking on coal.
It was the backlash of using such a technique so early on.
The voracious devil stood in the distance, and though it had nothing but a face, Shuren could sense its curiosity.
As if it were wondering what this piece of meat was doing, cooking itself just for it.
There was no opportunity to probe for any attacks. No chance to wait around. He had only one minute.
And every second mattered.
For within sixty seconds, all the Qi in his body would be burnt up. Every vestige of power would be forged to hone his body until nothing was left.
Blood leaked from the corners of his eyes, as if molten oil was poured down them. But Shuren's eyes were wide open. To scour for any opening, any hint of weakness. He had to use everything he had.
Shuren leaned his entire body forward, slanting at a sharp angle. His toes curled inward, and all power was swarming around his legs.
He ran.
A trail of earth exploded behind each step.
Each swing of his arm was a blur.
A single line of Qi extended towards the ground.
He was the sword cutting towards the devil's neck.
Shuren forgot one thing.
A devil lulls you in a sense of control before biting its jaws deep into your neck.
The creature he had seen in the distance disappeared!
And what felt like dozens of sharp feelers gripped on to Shuren's forearm, rooting him on the spot.
A sense of dread ran throughout Shuren's body. Every muscle, every organ, every blood cell; all gave him one signal.
A raw, visceral sensation, like no other.
If this thing ate him, he would-
He's going to devour me!
"COME!"
The Ruyi Staff slammed into the devil's distracted face, giving Shuren one single opportunity to rip his arm away.
With the weight of a weapon in his hand, some semblance of sanity returned to Shuren.
Five seconds had passed.
He had 55 more left until he collapsed.
Shuren slammed his Ruyi Staff right into the devil's side. It didn't feel like smashing into meat. Nor that of metal. It was almost malleable, like he just battered a giant block of rubber.
And the eyes on its body hissed like a snake that had just been stepped. Each of them teared up, glaring at Shuren.
There was no logic to this creature. He could only batter it as many times as it could.
The devil's right arm shifted, forming into a thin whip covered with sharp feelers. It brushed past Shuren's forehead as he ducked.
It was like a thousand bugs bit into his forehead, pinching a tiny piece of meat to open up the forehead.
A slice formed on his head, eerily to the point that it would've cut apart his head to remove his brain if he didn't dodge in time.
Not even his Iron Grade Talisbody did much help here.
I can't afford to get hit! I have to sacrifice defending my vitals, in order to increase both speed and offence!
Shuren weaved between a few more blows, now far faster than before. If he was going to be destroyed with a single hit anyway, then absolute speed would be absolute defence.
He slammed, stabbed, and deflected over dozens of time, yet the devil had no signs of wear or tear.
So Shuren began to walk backwards. Towards the hill that led to a cliff side.
40 seconds left.
It almost felt like he was dealing against a playful child. Rather than going all in, it stopped for a moment to observe the attacks and moves of Shuren.
The dreaded feeling only continued to worsen.
Shuren stabbed his staff into the soil, leveraging the earth below to collapse and explode.
Clumps of dirt and clouds of debris exploded, shrouding both Shuren and the devil In the storm of earth.
Now!
Shuren held the staff in a stance of a spear man ready to pierce his opponent. He could not cut. He could not bruise. So the only option left was to concentrate as much damage as possible into a single point.
He aimed for the head.
Blitz Stride!
He had forgotten the pain he felt in his body. Every step felt like walking on magma, every movement like he was doused in fire. Burning his calves even more meant nothing now. Only the beat of adrenaline soared throughout his entire body. Yelling at him to fight. Yelling at him to survive.
Yelling at him to win.
Shuren let out a primal roar. A roar mixed with fear, rage, and anger. All melding together as he ripped out every remnant of power within him.
The staff stopped, as if it met an unbreakable wall.
A dark hand grabbed on one hand, stopping it in its place.
And with a single tug, it ripped the Ruyi Staff out of Shuren's hand.
What came next was didn't make sense. Shuren didn't even have time to react, fully expecting the devil to strike it back right away.
Instead, it played with the staff as if it were a new and shiny toy, spinning it around to see how it was used.
Shock. Indignation. Humiliation. Wrath. These emotions swirled inside of Shuren, with wrath almost taking over to make him attack.
But what was worse was the disappointment that coursed through his entire body.
Disappointment in himself.
I… I will not die here! Not to this demonic thing!
Think! There has to be something, a weakness! There is no being without one across the entire world! I need to figu-
His thoughts were cut off when his abdomen was slammed by the stab of his own staff.
The devil actually copied his own move with just a single look!
Shuren flew back towards the cliffside, kneeling over in pain.
15 seconds left.
He looked at his right hand, with all skin torn off his palm, only showing cauterised muscle. His forearm filled with the wounds from the sharp feelers of the devil.
His eyes widen.
Something clicked.
And Shuren held a bloodied grin, staring at the devil with a lunatic gaze.
He stood up once more, standing firm on the ground. He brought his right arm out, making sure his Qi roared around his arm as much as possible. Whatever Qi was left in his body, he dragged out every single drop of it. Until it was all concentrated around his arm.
Shuren laughed, waving at the devil. "Is that… All you got?! Scum fit to be stepped beneath my foot!"
The Ruyi Staff dropped to the ground. The devil moved its faceless head at Shuren, its mouth drooling. Liquid fell from its mouth, causing the grass beneath it to burn until it became a decayed and putrid purple mess.
Shuren didn't blink. He looked straight at his opponent.
Just mere trash.
The devil blinked into a shadow, reaching for Shuren's arm in less than a split second.
This time, its mouth was wide open to devour Shuren's arm.
"Good dog."
Shuren shoved his entire arm inside the devil's mouth.
It felt like stepping into an ocean of ravenous hunger. Dozens of vines wanting to tear his arm. Hundreds of carnivorous fish wanting to tear apart flesh. Thousands of bugs wanted to flay his skin.
Millions of eyes gazing into each crevice and corner of Shuren's body.
That didn't stop him.
No, it wouldn't.
The first technique taught to all Liu Clan swordsmen. Blade Surge. To use the sword as a conduit for their Qi, and let out a condensed slash of Qi.
It was the first step to understanding the aspect of Metal and Sword Qi.
Shuren had his arm in the guts of the devil.
His body was burning up in the Sword Forge Stance.
Then there was only one thing to do.
To use his body as a blade, cutting everything apart with a wave of his arm!
"Blade Surge!"