The mountain's roar had barely faded when Yan's chest still burned with the heat of the Supreme Sword's bond. His skin tingled as the first mark of the First Bloodstage Seal pulsed beneath his robes. The power was alive inside him—a beast waiting to be unleashed.
But the path was only beginning.
A voice echoed deep inside his mind. Not human. Not spirit. It was the mountain itself speaking through the sword's will.
"The Sword Pulse Realm awaits. Master your Sword Qi, or be consumed."
Yan swallowed hard. His body screamed in exhaustion, muscles trembling from the raw strain of the trial he had just survived. But his mind sharpened like a blade, burning with determination.
He gripped the Supreme Sword tighter, feeling the pulse of golden energy flow through its core and into his veins. The sword hummed with an ancient song only he could hear—a song of storms, thunder, and slashes that could rend worlds.
The ancient stone platform beneath him cracked open with a deep groan. Golden light spiraled upward, lifting Yan from the ground as if the mountain itself was pulling him into the sky. The world around him twisted and dissolved into a storm of sound and motion.
He was entering the Sword Pulse Realm—a realm forged from the very essence of Sword Qi. Here, every slash echoed like thunder, every strike shattered the silence like lightning splitting the sky.
The air around him screamed.
A violent storm erupted in every direction—wind tore at his training robes and whipped his hair into a wild frenzy, while lightning crackled through the churning black clouds above. The realm was alive with wild Sword Qi energy, shifting and snapping like a beast that refused to be tamed.
Before him, the ground split open like cracked glass. From the churning mist and raw energy emerged a colossal creature—the Pulse Serpent.
Its scales shimmered like polished steel, veins glowing with surging Sword Qi. Its eyes burned with fierce intelligence and an ancient fury, and its massive maw dripped with crackling energy. This was the Guardian of the Sword Pulse Realm, a creature born from raw sword energy, a test no cultivator had bested in centuries.
Yan's breath caught, but he planted his feet firmly on the broken stone. His muscles coiled like springs. His heart hammered in sync with the sword's pulse—the fiery rhythm of the Bloodstage seal beating inside him.
He knew what was coming.
The Pulse Serpent lunged with a thunderous roar, jaws snapping wide open, teeth crackling like thunderclaps aimed to crush Yan with a devastating bite charged with Sword Qi.
Clang!
The Supreme Sword met the serpent's attack mid-air with a shattering ring. Sparks exploded around them like fireworks on a battlefield. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the realm itself, shaking floating islands and stirring swirling clouds of golden dust.
Yan barely had time to recover before the serpent whipped its massive tail, a sweeping strike trailing with crackling golden energy.
He rolled sideways, narrowly avoiding the strike. Sweat poured down his face as he struggled to keep balance on the uneven ground. The Sword Qi trailing the tail's strike scorched the stone beneath his feet, leaving glowing runes carved in fiery trails.
This wasn't just a fight.
It was a war of wills—the serpent's raw Sword Qi crashing against Yan's growing control over his own.
Yan raised the Supreme Sword high and closed his eyes, feeling the power deep within. The First Bloodstage Seal burned hot on his chest, flooding warmth through his veins and lighting his spirit ablaze.
This is my chance, he thought.
Drawing in a deep breath, Yan pushed his focus deep into his dantian—the sacred core of all cultivation paths. Golden light blossomed within him, filling every meridian, every spirit vein.
Suddenly, a pulse of golden energy exploded outwards from his body—Sword Qi flowing freely for the first time in raw, untamed torrents.
The air around him shimmered as Yan released a Sword Pulse Slash—a brilliant crescent of golden energy slicing through the storm like a comet. The slash tore through the mist and clouds, cutting the Pulse Serpent's coiled form.
The colossal creature let out a furious roar, staggering back under the blow.
Yan didn't pause.
He surged forward with a primal yell, slashing again and again in a brutal dance. Each strike left blazing trails of Sword Qi, carving glowing runes into the very fabric of the realm's storm. The sword's golden energy roared with every swing, echoing like the clash of a thousand blades.
The battle raged on with thunderous sound.
The Pulse Serpent twisted and coiled with incredible speed, firing bursts of concentrated Sword Qi from its mouth—deadly bolts of lightning crackling through the air.
Yan leapt and spun, the Supreme Sword flashing like a comet as he dodged each blast.
In that fierce moment, something inside Yan broke open. The lines of his spirit veins burned white-hot as he felt the Sword Core Realm flicker on the edge of his grasp—the next realm waiting to be claimed.
With a roar born of desperation and raw power, Yan summoned every last ounce of his strength and will.
He charged the serpent, gathering all his Sword Qi into a single, devastating slash.
The world seemed to freeze as golden energy erupted from the sword, tearing through the storm and slicing the Pulse Serpent's scales from head to tail.
The beast let out a final, deafening roar and dissolved into sparks of light, scattered by the raging storm.
Yan collapsed to one knee, chest heaving, drenched in sweat and dust.
The storm around him slowly faded.
When the world returned to normal, Yan looked down and saw the golden mark on his chest now glowed brighter—alive.
The Second Bloodstage Seal had awakened.
A fierce fire burned in Yan's eyes. The Sword Pulse Realm had tested his heart, his soul, and his mastery of Sword Qi.
But he had passed.
The journey to become the Supreme Swordbearer had only just begun.
Behind the fading storm, the Supreme Sword hummed softly, waiting for its bearer's next move.
To be continued…