1 Just A Dream Right!?

"BOOM~~~!"

The sound of thunder as lightning flashes through the sky was the only sound prevalent, dominating all's vision, and then hearing. The sole overlord of the sky, disintegrating those who challenge it's authority; all except one man.

When the dark, void-like night sky is lit up by a shade of the flashing lightning, it is possible to catch sight of a lone figure, standing there, on a huge mountain, paying the dangers of the ever-dominating lightning no thought.

No one could see their face, but all knew who it was. A legend in the flesh. Someone who clawed their way up from the mud, the lower world, all the way here to the top, to the pinnacle.

Being at the top, the target of many's envy and admiration, being put on top of a pedestal was lonely. The one wish of the known, yet unknown figure was to go back to the beginning of their journey and to relive it for the fleeting excitement, suffering, sadness, anguish, and anger that it gave them, all over again.

The lone figure wished not to change what they did, nor did they have any regrets for what they did. They just wanted to not be alone for the eternity, such as it was now. Loneliness; that was all that the figure felt now.

—

In an isolated courtyard, the Sword Palace, Yushui Province, Zhanzheng Continent

"Gasp~~~!" a pale youth woke up, panting. His whole body was drenched in sweat and was shaking. His hands gripping the covers with a steel-like grip, he gradually calmed down.

This pale youth was Jian Jueshi. Although he was pale, his countenance was what would be called handsome. Jian Jueshi had long black hair and brown eyes resembling chocolate. While he wasn't of a stocky build, his body was very lean, ideal for being agile, yet strong.

"Phoo~~~," he lets out a deep breathe, clearing his mind, thinking back to the dream he had just woke up from.

'What was that dream? It was about a figure standing on a mountain of some kind with lightning flashing in the background. The only thing I felt during that dream was extreme loneliness. So much so that it felt so real.' Jian Jueshi thought, trying to figure out why he felt that way.

'Well, I'm sure it's just a dream. A figment of my imagination.' he thought rubbing his eyes, throwing the experience to the back of his head.

Looking outside, Jian Jueshi saw that the sky was a dark blue, signifying that morning was just around the corner.

'I guess I'll go train. There isn't really much I can do now,' he starts getting ready to train in his courtyard.

Grabbing a black training kimono, Jian Jueshi put it on and tied his hair into a ponytail so that it wouldn't interfere with his practice.

He grabbed his sword and walked outside. Ever since the Annual Cultivation Talent Awakening of his sect, Jian Jueshi has been the target of others ridicule and derision. The reason for that is because it was revealed that he had little to no talent for cultivating.

Wanting to prove to others that he isn't useless because of his talent, Jian Jueshi focused fully on training his swordsmanship, which is why he has been partaking in a hellish training schedule ever since to better himself.

Instead of cultivating Qi, he started cultivating the way of the sword, trying to achieve sword intent of the Mortal stage, so that he could combat his foes.

It is common knowledge that Sword Intent has eight separate stages with each stage having nine levels. Those stages are Mortal Stage, Earth Stage, Sky Stage, Divine Stage, Heavenly Stage, Celestial Stage, Godly Stage, and Pinnacle Stage.

It is rumored that there is a ninth stage, like all things in a full set, but alas, no one knows the name of that stage nor is it known if anyone has reached that level yet. One thing is for sure, though: whoever reaches that level will be peerless against other Sword Intent users, or so the rumors say.

Walking out into the middle of his courtyard, under the branches of a beautiful cherry blossom tree, Jian Jueshi began his hellish training.

The foundation of the way of the sword is always the basics. Even though he knew the basics, Jian Jueshi drilled them over and over, performing the eight different basic strikes thousands of times, not even stopping when his arms could barely hold the sword up. He wanted those strikes to be ingrained and engraved into his being, where he could perform them with a thought, doing so subconsciously.

Jian Jueshi continued to perform those strikes, being both focused and absentminded. He took no breaks as a testimony of his willpower and determination to become stronger.

His state of training lasted until the sun got ready to make its trip back down to let the night sky reign over all. By then, Jian Jueshi's arms couldn't even hold themselves up, much less his sword, and his whole body looked as though he had stood out in the rain that day.

Needless to say, the only thing on his mind was sleep. He was so tired that his consciousness drifted into the world of dreams as soon as his body hit the bed.

Jian Jueshi thought he would have a peaceful sleep and have a great dream. Except…..he didn't. He had the same dream again. The dream played out the same way as the first time.

—

After the dream ended again, Jian Jueshi woke up the same as the other night. Though this time, there were questions forming in his mind.

'What the hell!? Why did that same dream show up again!? And who the hell was that figure!? Urghhh! So many questions!' at this point, he was practically pulling his hair out.

Without any answers, it was useless to dwell on those questions, so pushing them to the back of his mind, Jian Jueshi got up, put his black training kimono on and went for a walk around the sect to clear his mind. But one thought lingered.

'It was just a dream right? Right!?'