Early in the morning the artistic golden sun rose like a baby and began painting the dark black night into a bright blue sky. The glowing clouds gave a feeling of comfort especially when one was very close to them like the cultivators who stood atop the mountains of the gentle sword sect.

Li Dao was one of them, when he woke up rubbing the remnants of sleep from his eyes, he did what he does every morning when the next day comes: Look at his status.

[Li Dao(Nathan Salt)]

[Main Cultivation: 6th Layer of Body Reinforcement. {Li Dao: 05%}]

[Secondary Cultivation: 9th Layer of Body Reinforcement. {Ye Chun: 24%}]

[Cultivation Techniques: Sword Art Breaking the Red Sky (2,000/10,000), Tiger Fang Fang (3,550/10,000)]

[Mastery Points: 820]

Looking at his status was what made him feel fulfilled, as each day he got closer and closer to his goal. Trading your weak Qi for Ye Chun Qi.

If Li Dao fought Ye Chun at the moment, even though he had the sword technique that Yun Che took a while to get, he would lose badly. In addition to Ye Chun having the fate points next to him, he also has much denser Qi than usual from cultivating an ancient-era technique.

Comparing a cultivator with dense Qi to a cultivator with normal Qi is like comparing heaven and earth.

Taking a deep breath, Li dao prepared to talk to the sect master.

To break the bad mood and enjoy the end of the day, Li Dao decided to talk to Lin Zhange the next day. As the sect leader's residence was large, Li Dao took over a cultivation room and slept there.

Soon, he reached the exit of the room to leave the residence. He wasn't the only one present, Lin Zhange's disciple was sitting there waiting for something.

Li Dao felt that this was too much of a coincidence, so he swallowed a little nervously.

He broke the ice, "Can you tell me where the exit from this place is?"

Yan Ziyer, who was meditating, heard the question. She turned around and came face to face with Li Dao.

Many thoughts passed through his eyes and the most urgent was the desire to fight a mid-heaven genie.

Being called a genius since she started cultivating, Yan Ziyer became Lin Zhange's personal disciple and began cultivating both her master's cultivation manual and her sword technique.

Being a genius, she had tried her best and finally managed to raise her sword to the Manifestation Realm of the legendary Sword Intent.

That was something only a genius could do.

Even the legendary ancestor Hua Lin Chong, publicly recognized as the fastest saber in the middle sky, managed to reach the Manifestation Realm only as an adult.

But even though she was recognized as a genie, is in fact a genie, it took Yan Ziyer a long time to achieve the fluidity of his master's sword technique.

It came as a huge shock to her that someone not only managed to memorize and copy her moves that were very fast, but also do them as fluidly as she did.

The pride in her like a genie was screaming, yearning for a battle.

Yan Zier looked at Li Dao with a straight face and said, "Let's duel."

Li Dao raised his eyebrows in surprise and said, "So... was yesterday's murderous intent because of that? You want to fight me."

Yan Zier, still with the same serious face, pointed to the side and replied. "There's the exit, we can fight outside."

Li Dao turned to the wall where Yan Zier was pointing his finger and saw a door with an exit sign on top.

He looked at the sign for a good minute. So decided, he turned around and without saying anything, waved at Yan Zyer and started to leave that place.

Taking a deep breath and trying to keep his heart calm, Li dao walked through the door.

After a while, he found himself facing the front of the house again.

Unlike the old vision, this time Lin Zhangge was swinging his sword intensely over the big tree. A few meters in front of him, Hua Lin Chong was standing still as he faced her. 'Looks like he's teaching her again.'

Also shocked by Lin Zhange's swordplay, Li Dao completely forgot about Yan Zyer's challenge and rushed to stand by Hua Lin Chog's side as he was mesmerized by the sect leader's swordplay.

Unlike Yan Zyer's swordsmanship, which despite being fluid was inexperienced, Li Zhange's swordsmanship was so fast that Li Dao could barely keep up with his eyes!

And around the sword was a dark red aura that made it so menacing!

"That aura... What is it!?" he muttered.

"It's not an aura!" Hua Li Chong's dark voice startled Li Dao who quickly took his eyes off Lin Zhange to face him. "That is the realm of Manifestation."

As soon as he finished, Li Dao watched Hua Lin Chong clench her fist so tightly that her nails dug into her hands causing her to bleed.

"For her to have chosen slaughter intent over sword intent! Little Lin... You must have suffered." He closed his eyes as he didn't seem to want to accept the reality.

Li Dao was confused, from his experience of novels, he already knew about the legendary Sword Intent, even how it worked in this world, but it was the first time he had heard about the Slaughter's Intent.

"Slaughter Intent?" Confused, he asked Hua Lin Chong.

At that time, even Yan Zyer who was angry at Li dao ignoring her, had taken an interest in the conversation.

"The path to becoming a sword saint and being able to manifest sword intent is quite dangerous, any deviation is your sword path can go to a variation." Hua Li Chong watched Lin Zhange's sword guiltily. "Despite being extremely strong, Lin Zhange is still a woman, to have become the sect leader she must have killed many cultivators who doubted her strength."

Li Dao was understanding. Even in his old world, women were underrated, but he wouldn't have thought that in a world where strength ruled, that could still happen.

"She must have killed so many idiots that her path swerved to slaughter intent, a murderous intent whose only purpose is killing, that's one of the variations of sword intent."

As soon as he finished his explanation, he sighed. "Fortunately it's only in the middle of the Manifestation Realm, unlike the sword's intent that calms and focuses the user, the kill intent is something that corrodes the user's mind devouring everything and leaving only the will to slaughter, like... "

He hesitated for a few seconds, afraid to continue, luckily Li Dao already understood.

"Like Demon Qi." He also sighed deeply in regret.

Since he woke up, this was the most perfect swordsmanship he'd seen in person excluding the red man from his memories. 'It's a pity... So your path of the sword is already over. She may even train for the final stage of the Manifestation Realm, but more than that, she will be lost.'

"Master..." Li Dao watched the determined Yan Zyer as the lightsaber clenched his fist and bit his lower lip.

"Do you still want to fight?" He asked.

However, Yan Zyer shook his head. She turned her back on the pair and walked away with a serious expression. "I don't want to kill you and get out of my way."

"What!? This girl?" Li Dao was surprised by the girl's boldness. "Where are you going?"

"I have a tournament to attend now."

"Tournament?" He placed his hand on his chin and smiled, then he faced his new guard and ordered. "Hua Lin Chong, call your disciple and let's watch the tournament."

Hua Lin Chong surprised, stared at Li Dao for a few seconds before sighing and walking towards Lin Zhange. "Stop..."

[...]

Inside the elevator that led to the gentle sword sect that was further down the mountain, Hua Lin Chong and Lin Zhange were actively talking.

"Ha-ha, well don't worry master, I was also shocked when it happened but now I'm fine with it." Lin Zhange stared at his hands. "Even if I knew that killing those guys would happen, I would do it inside."

"If only I were here... I'm sorry Lin Zhange." When Hua Lin Chong ascended to the middle sky, it was a great shock to him, someone who had stood at the top of the lower sky had reached the bottom of a new world.

It was as if he had withdrawn his cultivation and ordered him to start all over again.

Losing her way of the sword was equivalent to losing her cultivation, she would be stagnant forever, and even if she doesn't regret it now, when her longevity is running out, she will surely regret what happened. "If only there was some way to get back on your way..."

Hua Lin Chong and Lin Zhange stood silently. However, many thoughts were running through their heads.

Li Dao then turned to Lin Zhange with a straight face and said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Yes young master."

"When you were on the path of sword intent, how much did you achieve?"

Lin Zhange placed his hand on his chin and pondered for a few seconds. "I had just reached the final stages of Manifestation, at the time I was 23 years old."

Both Hua Lin Chong and Li Dao were startled by the new statement.

Only a few younger ones with talents of defying the skies were able to use sword intent before age 30.

Even Hua Lin Chong made it after turning 36! This information only made Hua Lin Chong feel worse.

"Are you telling me that in two years you managed to reach the middle of the Slaughter Intent Manifestation Realm!?"

"Yea."

Li Dao silently looked at Lin Zhange as if she were a monster. 'What talent is this!? No wonder you are a disciple of Hua Lin Chong and are about to ascend!'

Silence fell over the elevator as the three had different thoughts.

Push!

Hua Lin Chong punched the wall in fury. He knew that Lin zhange was talented, in her entire life she has only met one person more talented than her, and that person is her master, Zheng Xiang.

As a master, he could not accept that his disciple's path had come to an end, if he blamed himself for it, he would probably become a heart demon that would make him stagnate in his cultivation and also not advance.

Lin Zhange looked at Hua Lin Chong's bloodied fist and became sad. "Master, don't worry, it's not your fault."

"How is it not my fault little Lin!? At that time I only thought about ascending and I totally forgot about my responsibilities as a master, if you had another master-"

"-NO!!" With his eyes closed, Lin Zhange shouted venting his trapped feelings.

She became a leader very early on, what she lacked was wisdom and experience, which she made up for with her talent and cultivation. Losing the one thing that made her feel special, she was desperate, but even in the darkness of despair, the light that kept her sane was knowing that her master had managed to fulfill her dream of ascending.

So she liked him too and accepted a disciple. After that, her days became better and peaceful, she watched Yan Zyer and saw herself in her, then taught him everything she knew.

However, the elders doubted her decision, so today's competition was the method she chose to get them to approve Yan Zyer as her disciple. Even though it didn't look like it, she was under a lot of pressure and seeing her master's frustration was the final straw.

"Master, I already told you that it's not your fault, and I was stupid and didn't take care of myself." She clasped her hands. "So don't make that face, I want to remember you as the amazing and admirable man you always were, I don't want to see that state of yours, I REFUSE!"

Hua Lin Chong widened her eyes as she stared at Lin Zhange. "Little Lin..." He stammered as the tears that had once threatened to fall were now wiped away by her hands.

Wiping his depressing look off his face, he placed his hands on Lin Zhange's shoulder who reflexively opened his eyes and was surprised by Hua Lin Chong's straight face. "Don't worry Little Lin, I swear I'll find a way even if I ask my master to help me."

Absorbing Hua Lin Chong's words, involuntary tears streamed down his face as a sincere smile formed on his lips. "Master, that way doesn't exist, so don't be sad if you don't find it."

And they stayed there, consoling themselves, until a voice woke them from the display of feelings.

"What if I said I have a way?"

The duo looked at Li Dao to stare at a devilish smile forming on his lips.

"I know a way, but what do I get in return?"