Wandao 010
The morning mist had yet to dissipate. In the green woods, mist curled and lingered, and the scent of damp earth and pine needles interwove into a tranquil atmosphere. Within the valley, the trial battle had already ended. Wan Xiaochuan stood where he was, long sword in hand, lingering with residual light; traces of thunder leaked from the blade, and the wind's force had not yet faded.
Shadows shifted in the depths of the forest as if rendering a silent judgment. Xiang Chengdao stood in the distance, his gaze sharp as a blade, fixed on the spot where thunderous energy surged. His hand rested lightly on the sword at his waist, and his robe fluttered without wind—he was like a blade poised to be unsheathed.
The spirit beast had already fallen, its body covered with thunder-patterns like a web, its internal spiritual energy gradually collapsing. It was a Thunder-Patterned White-Hoofed Beast, not highly ranked on the Spirit Beast Register, but especially skilled in concealment and thunder escape. Its appearance not only indicated that someone had intruded into this land but also suggested that someone had used the beast to trigger a disturbance in the wind-thunder terrain.
Lin Qixian approached Wan Xiaochuan, frowning slightly. His voice was low:
"Xiaochuan, this spirit beast didn't show up by chance. There's a barrier beyond the Thunder Domain—ordinary cultivators can't enter. To send a spirit beast through it… this is no ordinary opponent."
Wan Xiaochuan slowly lowered his sword. Thunder still coiled around the blade. He took a deep breath and fixed his gaze on a figure slowly condensing from the mist ahead. A pale purple sword shadow emerged, like moonlight drifting in the wind. It was her—Renee.
She appeared once more, standing where mist and thunder converged. She wore a blue-purple sword dress embroidered with silver cranes, with a jade pendant at her waist. Her presence was graceful yet unyielding, elegant but imbued with a sense of chivalry. Her face was like a painting, her lips curved in a subtle smile—but a hint of mystery lay beneath it.
"Fancy seeing you again, Xiaochuan," she said, her tone laced with playful confidence.
Wan Xiaochuan blinked, stunned for a moment, then sheathed his sword and cupped his fist:
"You… how are you here? Are you the spirit within that sword?"
Renee lifted her brow slightly and walked closer. Her feet didn't touch the dust; the wind moved like lotus petals with her steps.
"Not entirely. Strictly speaking, I'm part of your sword… the moment you touched the mysterious stone, this bond was already fated."
The wind stirred the clouds. The sky above once again changed. Blue-silver lightning arcs gathered from all directions, thunder energy roiled in the center, and the pressure of the wind blanketed the entire mountainside. All was silent—save for the cry of wind and thunder.
Renee raised her hand. As she guided spiritual energy, Wan Xiaochuan's sword suddenly flew from its sheath, hovering in midair, spinning and ringing. Thunder patterns flared, and wind blades flowed like silk, orbiting the two of them as if sentient.
"This sword has formed a spiritual link with you—but it lacks a 'Heart Seal,'" Renee said. She brought her hands together, her fingers forming a soft-yet-firm seal. A flash of light appeared, and a sword formation rose from the ground beneath their feet.
"Wan Xiaochuan, will you form this pact with me? The name of this sword is—Wind and Thunder."
Her voice shimmered with light, every word falling into Xiaochuan's heart like a breeze stirring the surface of a still lake.
Wan Xiaochuan's heart trembled. A soul-forged sword bond—he had only ever read of such things in ancient texts. Now, fate had placed it before him. He inhaled deeply, bit his fingertip, and let a drop of blood fall onto the sword's core.
Boom—!
Wind and thunder exploded. The heavens shook. Lightning tore through the sky. The Wind and Thunder Sword quaked in the air, thunder patterns bursting forth like golden dragons and silver serpents, surging toward the heavens. All the surrounding trees bowed. The lightning lit up Wan Xiaochuan and Renee's figures, fusing within the radiant glow.
"Wind and Thunder in harmony, two hearts in unison—"
Renee chanted lowly. Her sword seal shifted again. The Wind and Thunder Sword began to orbit them, sometimes pausing at Wan Xiaochuan's chest, other times lingering in Renee's palm.
Xiaochuan felt his dantian churn like a rising tide. Spiritual energy surged, and both wind and thunder forces poured into his meridians, threatening to tear him apart. Yet the moment Renee's hand rested on his chest, a gentle sword will flow through him like water, quickly smoothing and clearing every channel.
"Can you hold on?" Renee's eyes shimmered with a smile—but behind it lay true concern.
"I can… no matter how hard it is, I must step upon the immortal path!"
Wan Xiaochuan gritted his teeth. Cold sweat poured down his brow.
One soul, one sword spirit—two hearts beating as one.
At that moment, the sword's light flared again, forming six beams in the sky. They were the six preliminary forms of the Wind and Thunder Sword Soul:
Gentle Wind and First Thunder,
Entwining Heart of Wind Dance and Thunder Bind,
Twin Shadows Breaking Bonds in Wind-Shocked Thunder, …
Renee whispered softly,
"This one… shall be born for you. Forged by us both—forever bound in wind and thunder."
From afar, Xiang Chengdao and Lin Qixian had already drawn near, startled by the strange phenomena—only to be blocked by a glowing barrier. Xiang Chengdao's expression was complex:
"A sword soul imprint… dual pact. This kid—his fortune defies all logic."
Lin Qixian's eyes lit up. Though he didn't fully understand, he exclaimed in excitement:
"So this… this is the birth of the Wind and Thunder Sword?!"
The light lasted for the time of half a stick of incense. Thunder faded. Wind blades calmed.
Finally, a brand-new sword fell into Wan Xiaochuan's hand. Its body shimmered in blue and silver, thunder serpents coiled upon it, wind patterns danced—this was the sword named: Wind and Thunder.
Renee's figure began to fade, but she left behind a smile.
"Remember, this is not only your sword—it is half of your heart."
Wan Xiaochuan looked down at the sword in his hand. It felt steady in his palm—and steady in his heart.
With Wind and Thunder now forged, destiny would no longer be the same.