Chapter 18

### Reincarnated as the Sword Emperor of the Sword Family (18)

Bruno, having taken notice of Fabian's expression, cautiously stood up and approached Leonard with a vial of prepared medicine. Inside the vial was a liquid as red and glossy as pomegranate juice.

"Take it. You must swallow it all at once."

"This is...?"

"It's a miraculous elixir to awaken the Cardenas bloodline. It's precisely enough for one person, so you must not make any mistakes."

The moment Leonard touched the vial, he felt his blood grow hot. A distant, almost forgotten memory, the lineage etched in his body, yearned for this.

With a swift motion, he uncapped the vial, and an intoxicating fragrance, like that of incense, filled his nostrils. It was entirely different from the appearance of the liquid, which looked like blood.

*Gulp.*

The elixir flowed down Leonard's throat.

'It's hot.'

The vial had felt cold to the touch, but the contents became scorching hot as soon as they entered his body, as if they had caught fire. The sensation was like swallowing molten metal from a furnace!

However, Leonard neither struggled nor made a fuss. He closed his eyes, for it was most important to observe the changes happening within his body.

'It's not entering my stomach but merging with my blood in the meridians, heading towards my heart. The meridians through which the elixir passes are transforming in ways I've never seen before.'

It was similar to the effects described in the *Sinew Transformation and Bone Marrow Cleansing Sutra* of Shaolin, which one could see after reaching the pinnacle of its cultivation. Beyond the realm of strengthening muscles and bones, it involved toughening and fortifying the meridians. At that level, internal injuries became rare, and one could even repel attacks that penetrated the body.

This elixir had elevated a part of Leonard's meridians to such a realm, even if only slightly.

*Thump... Thump... Thump...!*

His heartbeat gradually intensified. At first, it was just a bit faster, but now it was so strong that it felt like it would burst through his ribs.

The elixir, which had gathered around his heart, was compressing the blood as if creating another heart. The result soon became apparent.

*One!*

The first blood pearl, a red mana core, formed and burned fiercely, as if it would scorch anything it touched. It was a core that controlled fire energy.

*Two!*

The second black mana core, formed in contrast to the red one, cooled his body. It was a core that controlled water energy.

Simultaneously, the formation of the mana cores accelerated.

*Three! Four!*

The third and fourth cores, which formed in quick succession, reinforced his body and multiplied his vitality. They were cores that controlled earth and wood energy, respectively.

Yellow and blue.

The next one was the last.

*Five!*

As the white core formed, Leonard's bones became as hard as steel, and a chilling wind swirled around him before dissipating. It was a core that controlled metal energy.

*Penta-Core (Penta-Core).*

Leonard accepted the result calmly, as he had known this would happen from the beginning.

'My heart and soul have already reached the realm of harmony, thanks to the *One-Element Five-Phases Divine Technique* I practiced in my past life. Therefore, the principle I embody must inevitably be the Five Elements.'

Even the 25 times greater consumption of cultivation resources compared to a single core was not a significant issue for Leonard, who could absorb natural energy.

*One-Element Five-Phases Divine Technique (一元五行神功).*

Handling five types of energy was as familiar as his own fingers, and he could amplify or combine two or three types using the principles of mutual generation and mutual inhibition.

The Five-Color Aura (五色罡氣) he had only partially achieved in his past life was a distant realm.

"Huuuuu..."

As Leonard savored the power, a magic circle appeared beneath his feet and emitted light. The magic circle had over ten identification stones for each attribute. Within seconds, it detected the attributes of the cores formed within Leonard's body.

*Flash!*

The lights lit up in the order of red, black, yellow, blue, and white. The faces of those who saw this became solemn.

"Your talent for the sword reaches the heavens, but you did not inherit the bloodline's talent. What a pity!"

Fabian murmured, speaking the thoughts of everyone present.

If a child who could wield a sword with his mind at the age of 14 had a single core, he would have become a monstrous existence at the rank of Captain before turning 30!

His voice was filled with regret.

He had even considered pleading with the seven knight orders to take Leonard as a disciple, but with the revelation of the Penta-Core, that became impossible.

"However, my words still stand. You have the qualifications for special treatment, so don't dwell on the number of cores."

"I will keep that in mind."

Fabian, who appreciated Leonard's composed attitude, said:

"I look forward to your growth in the Dragon Knight Order. Although I won't see you often, let me introduce myself. I am Fabian, the leader of the Dragon Knight Order."

"Yes, Sir Fabian."

"Go through the door over there."

Leonard bowed to Fabian and the others and left the room with the same expression as always. He didn't look like someone who was disheartened by the Penta-Core.

After the door closed, the adults began to murmur.

"...He must have been disappointed, but his ability to hide it is commendable. Does heaven never give everything?"

Bruno, unable to contain his curiosity, asked Fabian:

"Sir Fabian?"

"What is it?"

"I'm curious about what you meant by 'wielding a sword with the mind.'"

No one in the room truly understood the conversation between Fabian and Leonard, which made the boy's value even more evident.

"If you can understand that, you can become a Sword Master."

The first stage is to strengthen the body to wield a sword, and the second is to accumulate and control aura to manipulate a sword. Most swordsmen die at the second stage.

Bruno had reached the very edge of the second stage.

"To accumulate with the mind and refine with the body. What a fine saying."

Fabian couldn't summarize the third stage's insights any better. Whether one could wield a sword with the mind determined whether they could become a Sword Master.

Unable to shake off his regret, Fabian absentmindedly stroked the hilt of his sword.

'Great Ancestor Cardenas, is this what you wished for?'

Naturally, there was no answer to his question.

* * *

*Creak.*

The door was noisy, likely because it was rarely used.

After leaving the room where the *Blood Ceremony* was held, a knight waiting outside looked at Leonard. The knight wore armor with a hatchling emblem, indicating he was part of the Dragon Knight Order.

"Are you the first of this batch? It took quite a while. How many cores do you have?"

Leonard answered without hesitation.

"Penta."

"What?!"

The knight, who had intended to humble the child, was taken aback by the unexpected response. A genius who appeared once every ten years with a single core was rare, but a dullard with a Penta-Core was even rarer. He was concerned that he might have deeply hurt the young boy, who was already likely feeling dejected.

"Y-Yes. Don't be too disheartened. If you can graduate as the top of your class, your future is bright. There's no need to lose heart already."

"? Understood."

The knight, mistaking Leonard's calm demeanor for disappointment, cleared his throat and changed the subject.

"Come with me. Originally, your friends could have come with you, but your *Blood Ceremony* took longer, so they were sent ahead."

"Where are we going?"

"To a teleportation facility within the estate. The Arcadia Empire is too vast to reach your destination on time by vehicle alone."

They descended several floors and followed a path that trainees were not allowed to enter, eventually leaving the mansion. The indoor structure was so complex that only those familiar with it could navigate.

Descending another set of stairs, they found a carriage waiting as if it had been there to greet them.

"Get in. If you're hungry, you can eat this."

"...Thank you."

The knight, who had brought bread for Leonard's lunch, climbed into the driver's seat and took the reins.

'What a kind young man.'

Leonard, puzzled by the unexpected kindness, leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

*Whirr...*

A faint resonance, audible only to him, filled the air.

The five cores rotated in perfect harmony, drawing natural energy into his body. While not as efficient as a proper internal cultivation technique, the continuous circulation was a marvel. It might be because the mana cores were in sync with his blood flow.

'No, it's more than that.'

Leonard realized that despite the sudden appearance of these new organs, his body felt no discomfort.

'It feels like these organs were always meant to be here.'

He had no idea what the Cardenas bloodline entailed, and the more he thought about it, the more confused he became. However, he was not in a bad mood, as he had only gained from the experience.

Lost in thought, Leonard soon refocused and began to control the natural energy surrounding his body. This was the first time since his rebirth that he could perform *Qi Cultivation*, a practice more important than eating for martial artists.

*Inhale... Exhale...*

The interval between each breath grew longer, measured in minutes.

In sync with his breathing, the natural energy began to flow towards Leonard, being drawn in with each exhale.

If Fabian had been in the driver's seat, he would have been shocked. In this world, only those who had transcended the Master level could control natural energy with their will.

'The speed has tripled compared to before the cores were formed.'

Leonard's eyebrows twitched involuntarily.

Not only the speed of absorption but also the speed of movement within his body had increased by more than three times. On the positive side, his growth rate was three times faster, but on the negative side, the risk was also three times greater.

If his meridians hadn't been strengthened by the *Blood Ceremony*, he would have bled from the seven orifices before completing a single cycle of *Small Circulation*.

'But...'

The control ability he had reached the peak of in the *Fire Stage* had not declined even after crossing the *Three Paths Stage*.

If it had tripled, he could control it accordingly.

His brute-force solution was to precisely control the flow of energy, separating the five attributes of natural energy and guiding them to the cores without mixing.

The cores, which had glowed like the Five-Color Pearls, paused momentarily with the sudden influx of power but soon resumed their rotation with renewed vigor, like fish in water.

Right at that moment.

*If purity is the most important aspect of the Primordial, then balance is the most important aspect of the Five Elements. Imbalanced Five Elements are inherently weak.*

The words of a *Manifestation Stage* expert, Duan Mu Jin, flashed through his mind.

*Your Five Elements only formed a structure after entering the *Sword Qi Formation* stage, so the imbalance from the previous stage became a barrier to the next stage.*

The *Sword Qi Formation* stage referred to the ability to project energy from the body and form it into a sword shape. It was commonly known as the *First-Class* stage.

Even for a naturally talented person like Lian Wuxie, unifying the Five Elements was a limit. Gathering the five attributes uniformly was difficult, and creating a structure by harmonizing them was a feat only the greatest could achieve.

However, Duan Mu Jin had criticized the completion as too late, even for the *First-Class* stage.

'If I can unify the Five Elements at the very beginning of my cultivation, what would the achievement be like?'

Under Leonard's will, the five attributes surged.

*One-Element Five-Phases Divine Technique (一元五行神功)*

*Five-Elements Harmony Technique (五星造化訣) - Condensed (縮)*

According to his understanding from his past life, the Five Elements were not five basic substances but a concept that condensed five fundamental processes.

Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, Earth generates Metal, Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood.

Wood overcomes Earth, Earth overcomes Water, Water overcomes Fire, Fire overcomes Metal, Metal overcomes Wood.

Cycling in the positive direction represented the eternal principle that sustains the world, while cycling in the reverse direction represented the principle that disrupts it.

*According to ancient texts, when the Five Elements' energy sinks, it converges and condenses (行氣宎則縮).*

This proved that the Five Elements were ultimately one flow and one entity.

In response to Lian Wuxie's enlightenment, the five mana cores merged as if they were one.

*Flash!*

Leonard's eyes opened, emitting a five-colored light.

This was the *Unification* stage, which he had only reached in his past life at the *First-Class* level.

The Five Elements, now a single powerful stream, flowed through the *Eight Extraordinary Meridians*, achieving an efficiency that defied belief for a Penta-Core.

"—From here on."

Leonard was elated with the confidence that he could reach the *Manifestation Stage* and beyond in this life.

Unaware of the knight's puzzled expression from the driver's seat, a smile unconsciously spread across the boy's face.

New power, new martial arts, new land.

Anticipation for what awaited him in the place he was heading to made his heart race uncontrollably.