The golden threads of Qi lingering in the air slowly faded into silence.
Ren Wei opened his eyes.
A storm had passed—no, he was the storm now.
His breath steadied, his pulse no longer trembled from strain but surged with strength. He felt it in his bones, his skin, his soul — like the world had peeled away a layer of weakness and left only the core behind.
He looked down at his hands. Every inch of flesh hummed with stability. No longer the fragile, Qi-starved body of a mortal scraping through the Refinement stages. Now, he had stepped into something greater.
"Foundation Establishment…" he muttered. "I've finally crossed it."
Then his expression cooled.
"But even a foundation… is still an ant in front of giants."
His mind turned to the duels ahead—the eyes watching from the shadows, and the half-immortal legends whispered in cold halls. He clenched his fists.
"No time to bask."
He summoned the system.
> Ding!
Opening Status Interface…
---
[Status Panel – Ren Wei]
• Name: Ren Wei
• Race: Human (Mortal)
• Age: 17
• Cultivation Realm: Foundation Establishment Realm – Level 1 (Early Grandmaster)
Techniques:
• Heaven-Flaying Vein Scripture
• Iron Blood Meditation
• Ash Vein Fang – Saber Technique
↳ Form 1: Ember Slash – Converts kinetic Qi into a searing arc.
↳ Form 2: Hollow Cinder Spiral – A spiraling slash that draws in enemy Qi, weakening their next attack and amplifying the next blow.
Physique:
• Ash-Wrought Core
↳ Converts 15% incoming fire damage into Qi
↳ Boosts Qi circulation under stress
↳ Passive Flame Resistance: Tier 1 (Ash Skin)
Weapon:
• Echo Fang – High Earth Grade Saber
↳ Adaptive weapon; devours elemental Qi and evolves in battle.
Main Quest: "Rise Without Shadow" – Stage 3 (Completed)
Objective: Reach Foundation Establishment Realm
Rewards:
• Hidden Dao Fragment Access
• Special Bloodline Detection
• Passive Ability Unlock: ???
• Foundation Pulse Stone (Stabilizes early breakthrough)
---
With narrowed eyes, Ren Wei touched the quest log for a deeper inspection.
> Expanding Main Quest Details...
---
Main Quest: "Rise Without Shadow" – Stage 3
Objective: Reach Foundation Establishment Realm
Status: Completed
Rewards:
• Hidden Dao Fragment Access (2 gathered — collect 10 to form a new Dao)
• Special Bloodline Detection → Immortal Emperor Bloodline Activated
• Passive Ability Unlock: ??? → Replaced with Boundless Swordsman
• Foundation Pulse Stone: Stabilizes early breakthroughs by harmonizing internal Qi flow
> Ding!
Due to Immortal Emperor Bloodline, your Psychic Trait has evolved.
Ren Wei blinked.
"Psychic… changed?" he whispered. "So that wasn't all?"
The air around him shifted—subtle, silent… but undeniable. Like a veil had been lifted from the edges of reality.
Perfectly intense, Sadig-sama. Here's Chapter 21: Boundless Swordsman – Part 2 written in proper novel format, directly here (no canvas), preserving your structure, tone, and pacing:
---
Ren Wei's body convulsed.
Without warning, a searing pain coursed through his skin—like thousands of razors etching their mark along every inch of his flesh. His breathing hitched. Cracks began to form along his skin, glowing faintly red, then healing over with a faint sheen—only for the cycle to repeat again.
"Argh…!" he gritted his teeth, immediately sitting cross-legged in lotus position, forcing his Qi to circulate.
The Ash-Wrought Core pulsed faintly. Steam hissed from his pores. For one hour, the process continued: flesh tearing, mending, Qi weaving its furious dance under his will.
When the skin ceased breaking, a brief silence filled the chamber.
Then the real agony began.
His organs twisted—not with force, but transformation. The pain wasn't just physical; it was existential. Like being rewritten from the inside out.
"Not again…" he whispered, collapsing forward before catching himself.
Desperately, he reached into his System storage.
> [Minor Recovery Elixir – Restores minor injuries and alleviates internal trauma.]
It looked like a simple pill, despite the name. He swallowed it without hesitation. The initial wave of pain ebbed, only to be replaced by something worse.
Crack.
His bones. Each one shattered, splintered, and reformed as if being reforged on a divine anvil.
He screamed—silent, feral, wordless. Blood trickled from his ears. Even with his past life's endurance, this wasn't pain—it was annihilation.
And then, as if through a distant fog, voices.
—"He's no match for us."
—"A failed ascension… pathetic."
—"Ren Wei, this is where your tale ends."
Whispers. Memories. Mockery. They came not from outside, but from deep within—the ghosts of his failure, the cruel chorus of the Four Great Families.
His hands curled into fists.
Not again.
His Qi surged wildly, resisting the fragmentation. His mind, nearly slipping, latched onto a single vow:
"I'll… rise… above all of you…"
And then—
Silence.
The process ended.
Ren Wei collapsed backward, breathing shallow, face pale. His body bore no wounds, but the sheer toll left him drifting between consciousness and dream. He barely noticed the chamber door sliding open.
"Ren Wei!"
Sheng Lian rushed in, a rare panic in her voice. The golden saber at her hip hummed slightly as if sensing her distress.
Ren Wei opened his eyes, just barely. Through blurred vision, he saw her face—serene and storming at once.
"…You came…" he muttered, then finally allowed himself to pass out.
Sheng Lian caught him before he hit the floor.