Shen Han fished once a day, as the fishing rod required time to reconnect with the energies of heaven and earth. Autumn had arrived, and the area around the Cliffside Pool was rather cold, yet Shen Han was unbothered. He had no intention of returning to the living quarters, preferring to sit in solitude to avoid friction with the others on the Isolated Island. He knew the other disciples were suffering, and he saw no reason to rub salt into their wounds.
As he had surmised, the disciples on the island felt even more agonizing pain once the light in the sky had faded. To them, they had been abandoned by their sects, scapegoats cast aside to bear the blame. They were to be confined to this island for ten years; and how many ten-year spans does a human have? For a mortal, sixty years is already a ripe old age. They were losing the best decade of their lives to this prison, and when they thought of the other disciples in the Martial Arts Alliance consuming Pills and practicing cultivation techniques, their hearts were filled with unbearable bitterness.
As Shen Han sat by the river, eyes gradually closing as he felt the Great Sword tempering his body from within, he heard footsteps. A young man emerged from the woods behind him, clutching a sword. The young man froze when he saw Shen Han sitting quietly by the water. He had grown tired of the other disciples’ constant clamor and had come to the edge of the island to train, never expecting someone to already be occupying the only clearing near the lake.
After a moment of thought, Zhao Wenlin approached and cupped his hands in a salute. "Friend, may I practice here? I will be quiet."
"Please, go ahead," Shen Han replied.
"Many thanks." Zhao Wenlin glanced at him twice before moving twenty paces away to begin practicing his sect’s unique techniques. He hailed from a fallen sect, and as its strongest disciple, he had refused to let anyone else shoulder the blame. He had come to the island alone, believing that even here, he could carve out his own destiny—there was no need to implicate the innocent. He did not consider himself weak despite the recent shift in the heavens; he was determined to keep training. The sword technique he practiced was from Tiance Manor, a signature art known to few, yet he performed it with astonishing fluidity.
He practiced for over three hours, his expression stern and focused. When dusk fell, he left, looking slightly winded. He offered a polite word to Shen Han on his way out, to which Shen Han gave a slight nod, remaining motionless in his spot.
The next morning, Zhao Wenlin returned to the spot right on time, only to be surprised to find Shen Han still there. Seeing the dew on Shen Han’s clothes, he wondered: had this young man really not moved for an entire day and night? Just sitting there fishing? Without any cultivation practice? It seemed too unbelievable. Zhao Wenlin remained puzzled, but he simply continued his own routine.
At that moment, Shen Han, who appeared to be quietly fishing, felt a jolt of surprise.
[Congratulations, you have received the inheritance of the Cliffside Pool!]
[You have obtained the Pill: "Sword Heart Pill!"]
"Does a Sword Heart Pill really exist in this world?" He had heard of the Ten Thousand Swords Return to One, but the Sword Heart Pill was merely a legend—said to have been painstakingly refined by a man with a resolute sword heart for his deceased wife, a pill that supposedly brought her back to life. But it was just a story; no one dared believe such a thing was real.
"The facts prove it exists."
Shen Han swallowed the pill without hesitation. He could consume any pill, no matter how high-grade, without fearing the risk of his body exploding. The Great Sword of the Ten Thousand Swords Return to One would absorb the medicinal power, diffuse it to his limit, and purge any impurities. He could even ingest poison without fear, unless it were potent enough to kill a Terrestrial Immortal.
As the legendary, heaven-defying Sword Heart Pill entered his body, his cultivation soared.
With the first breath, Shen Han reached the Innate First Tier, Blood Refining Realm!
By the second breath, his blood and energy reached the Blood Refining Realm Great Perfection.
The bottleneck shattered instantly. The True Qi produced by his perfected blood allowed him to reach the Innate Second Tier, Qi Condensation Realm.
Within ten breaths, he hit Qi Condensation Great Perfection. Before he could stop, he broke through again to the Innate Third Tier, Qi Sea Realm. His True Qi surged, forming a vast ocean within him. The effects of the Sword Heart Pill were immense; as Shen Han meditated, he could feel the ocean of energy growing visibly larger as the vaporized True Qi rained down upon it.
After a quarter of an hour, he reached the Qi Sea Realm Great Perfection. This was a level of strength already possessed by his older brother, a talent among his peers, yet here, it didn't last more than a few breaths. The Sword Heart Pill was terrifyingly powerful. It pushed Shen Han to breakthrough to the Innate Fourth Tier, Essence Condensation Realm. His internal sea of energy reached its limit, and it spontaneously underwent its first transformation—his True Qi transmuted into True Essence!
This transformation consumed nearly all the power of the Sword Heart Pill and lasted four full hours. By the time it finished, he had reached the Essence Condensation Realm Great Perfection.
Shen Han felt the warm, vast True Essence flowing through his body, bestowing him with formidable power. As he finally exhaled a long breath and clenched his fist, a sense of ease washed over him.
"So this is the power of the Sword Heart Pill combined with the Ten Thousand Swords Return to One? Truly remarkable."
Under normal circumstances, even if one were lucky enough to find such a pill, it would require strict cultivation techniques to avoid death by overexertion. But the Great Sword could refine it all. As Shen Han channeled his True Essence, the smoothness of the flow stunned him. Back when his talent was mediocre, practicing sword techniques felt like crawling painfully up a jagged mountain path; now, it was as vast and clear as the open sea.
"And this still isn't the limit of my potential. Just how powerful is the Ten Thousand Swords Return to One?"
To have reached the Essence Condensation Realm Great Perfection at his age was heaven-defying. Even within the powerful Martial Arts Alliance, he would be considered a prodigy.
...
Zhao Wenlin felt nothing from Shen Han. The archaic and restrained nature of the Great Sword made Shen Han seem no different from an ordinary person. He had seen Shen Han swallow a pill earlier, but he didn't know what it was. Now, having put down his sword, he approached Shen Han.
"Friend, I am Zhao Wenlin of Tiance Manor," he said, introducing himself.
Shen Han opened his eyes and turned to look at the earnest young man. "Greetings. Shen Han of Cangjian Villa."
Upon hearing his name, Zhao Wenlin exclaimed, "You are the young master of Cangjian Villa? Are you here to take the blame for your brother?" He knew Shen Han's brother but had never met Shen Han himself.
"This was my own decision," Shen Han replied. "It has nothing to do with my brother or anyone else."
"I admire your character," Zhao Wenlin said. "But spending your time fishing here is a waste. If you wish to cultivate, my Tiance Manor can provide techniques."
Shen Han thanked him. "You are kind, but my talent is mediocre. Ten years of confinement is enough for me."
Zhao Wenlin didn't press further. "Very well. But rest assured, if you need anything on this island, just ask!" He was confident, having reached the Qi Sea Realm Great Perfection and being only one step away from the fourth tier. He believed he could walk the righteous path without trouble. "I’m off. See you around."
Shen Han watched him leave, sword in hand. He couldn't help but admire the young man; regardless of anything else, the fact that he refused to implicate others and had come to face his confinement alone was commendable.
"He is too straightforward, though. He may run into trouble later."
Shen Han plucked a falling maple leaf from the air. With a flick of his finger, the leaf shot out, imbued with pure True Essence, embedding itself into the cliff face ten miles away. He could kill with a leaf.
"If he is ever in mortal danger, I shall help him once in the shadows. He’s a good man."