In the Marquis of Zhendong's household.
A winding path paved with bluestone twisted like a lively ribbon through a vibrant tapestry of blooming flowers.
Though spring had just begun, some blossoms couldn't wait to unfurl, vying for attention in a dazzling display. A gentle breeze carried their rich, fragrant scent, refreshing the senses.
Xia Qián and Cui Mengrou stopped abruptly, turning to Xia Chen with astonishment in their voices.
"You've broken through to the Eighth-Rank Realm?"
For anyone else, reaching the Eighth-Rank wouldn't even warrant a raised eyebrow from them.
The Eighth-Rank was decent—especially for Xia Chen, only seventeen this year, a genius by outsider standards.
But this was the Marquis's household, teeming with prodigies. Beyond the monstrous talents of the main line, even among the side branches of Xia Chen's generation, several gifted youths had emerged.
Eighth-Rank was hardly remarkable.
Yet the one who'd broken through was Xia Chen—and that was astonishing.
Especially to Xia Qián and Cui Mengrou, who knew Xia Chen's aptitude inside and out.
Over the years, though his birth parents sent no miraculous herbs or treasures from Donghuang, Xia Qián had provided plenty to temper Xia Chen's flesh and hone his physique.
But despite the household's vast resources, Xia Chen had only barely risen from unranked to the Ninth-Rank Body Refining Realm.
It left Xia Qián sighing—truly, a crippled martial physique lived up to its name.
And now, Xia Chen had reached the Eighth-Rank?
"These past few days, I felt something stirring. While training, I had a sudden epiphany and grasped something new from the Basic Blade Technique. My realm broke through almost unnoticed!"
Xia Chen spoke truthfully, though he omitted key details. He couldn't afford to stay too low-key anymore—he needed the household's resources to rise quickly.
"Show me!"
Xia Qián's face grew solemn, his mind buzzing with doubt. An epiphany from practicing the Basic Blade Technique?
Their household's Basic Blade Technique wasn't some lowly skill. It had been refined over 600 years, drawing inspiration from the royal family's strongest Ninth-Rank blade art, tailored perfectly for the Ninth-Rank Body Refining Realm.
It was the most effective way to temper the physique, named "Basic" because it suited Ninth-Rank martial warriors best.
This technique had long reached a point of perfection—untouchable, unimprovable. Even Xia Qián had trained with it in his youth.
And now, Xia Chen claimed to have gleaned something new from it?
As a young man, Xia Qián too had once dreamed of contributing to the family by enhancing this technique. But even at his current realm, he'd never dared try.
Not just him—neither Xia Chen's father, Xia Yuan, nor their father, the true lord of the household, Xia Chutian, had managed it.
"Get a blade!"
Xia Chen called to a nearby attendant.
"Use mine!"
Without a word, Xia Qián drew a long, pitch-black blade from his side, its chilling gleam striking the air.
The moment it emerged, Xia Chen's eyes seemed to catch a black flood dragon leaping from an abyss, its icy scales devouring the light—an illusion that vanished in a flash. The dark blade soon settled, but Xia Chen knew it was no trick. This was a divine weapon, forged in the blood of at least a Third-Rank great demon, its soul sealed within.
One of the household's treasures.
Xia Chen gripped the blade with both hands, feeling its weight sink into his arms. Even subdued, its heft was staggering. Back at Ninth-Rank, he could've barely lifted it, let alone swung it.
This blade was a test of his realm.
Seeing Xia Chen steady it with ease, Xia Qián nodded in approval.
The boy had truly reached the Eighth-Rank.
With that, Xia Qián felt a flicker of anticipation for this so-called epiphany.
Xia Chen clutched the dark blade, his eyes blazing with fervor. His flesh seemed to boil, wisps of qi and blood seeping through his body. Behind him, a crimson sun's silhouette rose.
"The energy in the air shifted slightly!"
Cui Mengrou's eyes sparkled. Born to the prestigious Cui family and trained as a sorcerer, she was keenly attuned to the world's energies.
A surge of primal yang qi flowed into Xia Chen, channeling into the dark blade in his hands.
"Shouyang Demon-Slaying Blade!"
With a thunderous shout, Xia Chen stood in the garden, yet seemed to face an army of thousands, a horde of demons. Back to the crowd, he slashed toward the abyss!
His momentum peaked, qi and blood surging, his spirit and vigor at their zenith. With one strike, the heavens and earth shifted.
…
Xia Qián watched as a fleeting crimson sun flashed in his palm. He caught the dazzling blade light with a single hand—though it didn't even nick his skin, joy surged within him, uncontainable.
"You've really improved the Basic Blade Technique?"
Though posed as a question, Xia Qián already believed. He'd seen it himself—while this art diverged wholly from the Basic Blade Technique, its essence remained the same.
An advanced evolution of it.
"Drawing Solar Essence, condensing an Aura of Slaughter—repelling all evil. A method to slay foes and temper flesh alike!"
Cui Mengrou pierced to the heart of the Shouyang Demon-Slaying Blade. To her, its combat potential was secondary. More crucially, it could commune with the heavens, harnessing Solar Essence to refine the body.
Could a crude martial warrior achieve that?
"This blade art blends martial warrior and sorcerer traits. Such a marvel exists in this world!"
Cui Mengrou's mind reeled.
Though no sorcerer, Xia Qián quickly grasped its significance. For the Ninth-Rank Body Refining Realm, Eighth-Rank Refining Essence Realm, even the Seventh-Rank Spirit Refining Realm, tempering flesh was paramount.
Martial warriors couldn't tap heavenly energy—relying on grueling effort or rare treasures. But this technique actively drew it forth, massively hastening progress from Ninth to Seventh Rank.
Xia Qián recognized its immense value.
"Keep your discovery secret. Don't share this art with outsiders."
Xia Qián spoke gravely, glancing at the attendants and maids nearby.
Fortunately, they were trusted kin—otherwise, blood might have spilled today…
"Would you offer this blade art to the family?"
"It's up to you, Uncle!"
Xia Chen didn't hesitate. He'd revealed it to secure his advancement.
The family had poured resources into him over the years—giving it freely wouldn't faze him.
"Good, Chen'er!Improving this technique is a great service to the family. I'll report your merit to the Merit Hall, inform the elders, and you may visit the Merit Building to choose another technique. As for your wish to seek a post outside, I'll arrange it for you."
Xia Qián's words rang firm. The family's 600-year prosperity rested on a robust merit system, never neglecting those who served it well.