Chapter Seven: A New Start

As the sun rose, roosters crow at the rising sun, and the beginning of a new day arrives. 

The frosted ravine stood a hundred meters away from the perpetrator that caused this damage.

The sun dimly shines on a blonde young man sleeping like the dead on the ground next to a tree. Reminiscent of a certain memory that he had carried preciously. 

"General... I finally... won." 

Time went by, and the boy soon woke up. Yellow amber eyes shooting open, but unlike the previous times there was no anguish hidden within those eyes.

"...Crap"

As Yanqing spoke, vapor resulting from the difference in temperature was shown directly. His eyes darted around only to find that everywhere other than the tree he leaned on was frozen.

There was also a gaping cavity filled with crystal-like ice. Which had not melted unlike the other ice which would defrost in around an hour. 

…

Well, on the bright side the sun's out. On the bad side there's a giant cavity that some old monster might find… 

There is something unique about the ice I produced last night, but it seems suspiciously familiar to me. It doesn't melt and has crystal-like properties from what I could observe. 

But regardless of this, I have regained some understanding of my situation. There's a decent chance that I am Yanqing, but also someone else. The truth is… I don't remember who I am anymore. Ever since the last memory of being inside "my room", nothing else followed. 

I tried recalling the Birthday that I had mentioned, but the memories turned up blank. Could I already be Mara Struck? It does explain some of the erratic actions I had taken in that battlefield and cave, but it doesn't explain why I'm still sane right now.

Could it be that one of the Aeons sent me here? If this is true then the highest probability lies in Lan and Aha. Luofu is a follower of Lan and there's a decent chance the Aeon would come to save one of its vassals. But, why would they send me away instead of someone important like Lady Fu Xuan or the General?

I cannot disregard the fact that it could be Aha due to the game-like settings of my System, but I cannot fully ignore that I may be inside a simulation right now. The emotions of sorrow, anguish, and elation were true. The joy I felt last night cannot be fake, but…

Regardless, I need to become stronger. Yanqing has potential, I have potential, and only by having strength could I determine the truth. 

Memories of Luofu and Xianzhou keep appearing in my mind, one by one, alongside foreign memories that do not match the timeline. My body reacts to 

the General, but everyone else seems to be less than a memory… 

At this point I'm probably just Yanqing with dementia or something. Living that long is painful and this could be mara. Oh god do I have mara? Another self-existential crisis fell upon me, but this time it was quickly relieved. 

"Pff, hahaha" Yet, with all this seriousness I can't help but laugh. Worrying constantly about what happened scares me, but I can't just stop. The General would probably smack me on the head if he saw this, never mind, he'd actually be sleeping during work again. 

It doesn't matter who I am right now, I'm just me. I am the future sword champion of Loufu! 

What matters right now is training. Though with the memories I currently have, it's kind of awkward. I could try to steal Han Li's bottle, but if that truly is his future/past Dao Fruit then I would be screwed beyond belief…

I will go my own path, the one that the General believes I can create. One of the first things I need to do is remember everything they did at the Artisan Commission… I need swords… 

…

"Pain… where are the sticks?" The boy lamented as he remembered his prized sword collection was gone, alongside the sword the general had gifted him. 

He sulked while remembering the poor swords, ah how his salary was used to create his massive collection… 

"I mean it was worth it, but damn." Yanqing spoke in a regretful tone, which had been picked up by a stranger nearby. 

In the Cultivation World of Tiannan, opportunities are sparse and far in between, and with the endangerment of demonic beasts in general the main competition lies between the human race.

Betrayal, plotting, and bloodshed are simply the cornerstones of this cruel and indifferent world. The greatest sin for another is to block one's path to immortality regardless of how small it is. 

There will always be fishermen, like the oriole in the dark waiting about for its prey. 

The moment the boy laid against the tree was the moment a rather light-skinned man striked. Spotting an opportunity he swiftly opened his storage bag and took out a piece of leather with words scribbled across them. Spiritual energy gathered around a simple fireball talisman which could easily obliterate any cultivator below the Great Qi Refining Circle. 

As the fireball launched in the direction of Yanqing, [Instinct] activated as he dashed out of the way. The fireball had left no tree behind, as the only remnant was of its ash. 

As the bodies of the two flickered across the forest, the two were at a standstill. Face to face with one another, Yanqing was able to determine the features of the man who attempted to murder him. 

The man had an average face and was wearing a simple Hanfu, gray in color, and without much accessories. The only part that stood out was a pouch on the side.

Normally in a situation where two cultivators, which could also be known as Daoists in this area, greet one another with respect and preparation. Yet, the two stood in silence observing one another's movements. 

Sneak attacks often determine the battle as whoever is able to gain the initiative would cause massive injury to their opponent, preventing them from doing the best they could–of course this only applied to lower tier cultivators.

A swift movement came from the man's arms as Spiritual Energy gathered around his fingers.

Seeing this movement, Yanqing wanted to finish the man off immediately, but he came to a pause as he decided whether or not to keep the man for information.

Yanqing soon felt an alarm from his [Instinct] as he dashed to the left side, barely dodging a bell-shaped object. There was dust everywhere due to the attack, but it also served as a cover for him. According to his calculations, the bell had to be at least several tons to obliterate the ground that he previously stood on. 

This strike would have pulverized the body of whoever stood there so the man lessened his alertness as he thought the battle was over much like his previous hunts.

Yet, the battle was not as one-sided as the man had thought as his vision soon changed. His head attempted to snap towards the location of the noise, only for his life to flash before his eyes as he felt his neck being dismembered.

Shuuuuuu

A sharp whistle piercing the wind appeared behind him, and without the ability to react the man had to reluctantly submit to his fate.

His head soon fell from his shoulders as his eyes were unwilling to face death so soon on his road to immortality. 

The eastern sword soon twisted and dismembered every limb from the man's body in order to guarantee the kill, which had been gruesome in its own right. 

The battle could have ended much sooner if Yanqing had simply decided to use his techniques, but due to his hesitation he may have fallen if not for his [Instinct]. 

If his hesitation were even a bit more, then he would have fallen before he even began his journey. 

Silence permeated the air as he stood behind a tree once more. This time, his eyes glistened with a tint of red as he observed his surroundings. 

An image of a bloody battlefield emerged once more in the eye of the young man, as sadness began to dwell within his pupils once more.

After the sound of wildlife returned, he swiftly grabbed anything he could grab and promptly left. Although he wanted to take the bell, it was something outside of his ability.

The young man thought that he should've puked or even cried at that gruesome scene, but it felt normal already. It wasn't something he wanted to become used to, but it seems that fate had other plans in store.

…

Moves: 

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[Cascading Laceration]: A dance of two swords and a human emerged in the glistening light of dusk as the sun set with a brilliant finish as the smaller blade was used to create a crescent slash reminiscent of the moon. 

Ice and frost fell from the sky in the form of a crescent, with each slash building on top of the previous one to create no opportunities for escape.

Swords merged with one another to create a much bigger crescent slash that fully embodied the crescent moon.

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[Darting Ironthorn]: A strike that sets an angle to guarantee accuracy before the blade begins to accelerate towards its victim. Can be controlled to hit elsewhere.

A swift and fast blade aided by the acceleration of gravity and altitude to create a devastating strike. 

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[Swallow's Pluvious Pursuit]: A move in which at least six blades are drawn out to create multiple projectiles, and each one of these projectiles acts as a threat and a barrier to allow the wielder to accelerate by ignoring air resistance.

A devastating strike uses the user's own spiritual control and wavelength of the swords to create a resonance that pierces with devastating force.

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