Chapter 7

**Whoosh!**

An arrow shot out like a bolt of lightning, striking a distant elk to the ground.

The elk let out a mournful cry, struggling to continue running. However, with the arrow wound, it bled profusely and soon fell to the ground, gasping its last breaths before dying.

**Rustle!**

The sound of leaves rustling, a young man dressed in animal skins emerged, stepping lightly on the dry leaves. He carried a quiver of arrows on his back and held a powerful bow in his hand. His face, still youthful, showed the excitement of finally capturing his prey.

To hunt this elk, the young man had lain motionless on the ground for an entire day, waiting for his prey.

Approaching the elk, the young man was about to pick up his prize when he suddenly heard the twang of a bowstring. He rolled backward, narrowly avoiding the fatal arrow.

**Thud!**

An arrow embedded in the ground, its feathers trembling.

At that moment, a group of galloping horses appeared in the distance. The horses were like dragons, and the riders were like fierce tigers. About twenty well-dressed Khitan people emerged, and at the center, surrounded by them, was a proud young man.

This Khitan youth was dressed in a fine coat made of superior fox fur. With a haughty expression, he said, "Savage, this elk is mine!"

The young man in animal skins felt a surge of anger but suppressed it, saying, "This is my prey!"

"Hmph!" the Khitan youth sneered, "You Jurchens are all slaves to us Khitans. What belongs to a slave naturally belongs to the master. This prey is mine!"

The young man in animal skins clenched his fists, making a creaking sound, wanting to charge forward but hesitated. Rash actions were easy, but the consequences would be endless.

In Liaodong, the Khitans were the rulers, and the Jurchens were their vassals. Offending the Khitans would bring trouble to his tribe.

To bring disaster over a single elk seemed unwise!

The young man in animal skins turned and walked away, fearing he could not control his anger.

"You Jurchens are indeed a bunch of women, all cowards!" the Khitan youth mocked, his face full of satisfaction.

The young man in animal skins paused, his face contorted, but he eventually walked away.

Amidst the wild laughter, the group of Khitans galloped away into the distance.

The young man in animal skins' stomach growled, signaling hunger. He felt his pockets, finding no more food, and walked home with a heavy heart.

...

Crossing layer upon layer of mountains, he finally returned home.

In the distance was a simple fence house, from which faint sounds of metalworking could be heard.

The young man in animal skins was named Dugu Kang. His family had been blacksmiths for generations. His ancestors came to Liaodong and joined the Wanyan tribe, becoming part of the Jurchen tribe.

The Dugu surname originated from the Liu surname, dating back to the Northern Wei Dynasty and the Northern Xianbei tribe. They were descendants of Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu. Liu Xiu's son, Liu Fu, had a descendant named Liu Jinbo, who served as the General of the Crossing of the Liao River. He was captured and imprisoned under Dushan Mountain. His descendants included the Chelishan Yu, who was the King of Guli and known as the Dugu tribe. By the time of his sixth-generation grandson, Luo Chen, they moved to Luoyang with Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty and became residents of Henan, adopting the name Dugu.

After Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang, he changed the Xianbei surname Dugu to the Han surname Liu, making it one of the major surnames of the time. The Dugu surname was prominent in the Henan and Gaoyang regions.

Notable figures from the Dugu family included Dugu Xin, Dugu Luo, Dugu Jialuo, Dugu Tuo, Dugu Zheng, Dugu Kai, Dugu Sheng, Dugu Zuansi, Dugu Ji, Dugu Xiude, Dugu Ji, and Dugu Yu.

Of course, the most famous was Empress Dugu, the empress of Emperor Wen of Sui.

According to the family tree, as his father said, they were of Xianbei descent.

However, the Xianbei had long since disappeared, either becoming Han or merging with other nomadic tribes. His father's claim could not be verified, as the family tree had been lost in the chaos of war.

Now, they lived in the Wanyan tribe, considering themselves Jurchens.

"Father, Mother! I'm back!"

Seeing his home, Dugu Kang immediately called out.

"Kang, you're back!" A woman emerged from the fence gate. She was about forty, her face filled with affection. "Are you hungry?"

"Mother, I'm hungry!"

"Child, come and eat!"

Mother brought out the food, which was simple wild vegetables and some meat.

Dugu Kang picked up the chopsticks and began to eat voraciously.

After eating, Dugu Kang went to the backyard. In the backyard, his father was hammering away, fully engrossed and not noticing his son's arrival.

After a long while, his father finished and said, "Kang, this is a gift from your father!"

"Gift?" Dugu Kang felt a slight excitement. The sword was finally completed.

His father took a long sword wrapped in animal skin from the side and handed it to him.

Dugu Kang took it, feeling its weight, about ten pounds. He slowly drew the sword from the animal skin, and a cold light flashed in the backyard. His skin tingled slightly, and his eyes narrowed in admiration. "What a fine sword! What a fine sword!"

The sword had no elaborate patterns or decorations, only unmatched sharpness and cutting power.

Holding the hilt, Dugu Kang smiled. "No wonder it's a divine weapon made from a meteorite, so sharp!"

"Unfortunately, only some of the edges melted. The core of the meteorite hasn't melted yet," his father sighed.

Dugu's ancestors had once obtained a meteorite from the sky, which was incredibly hard and difficult to melt, let alone forge into a weapon. It wasn't until his generation that a small piece of the meteorite was melted to forge this sword.

Even the edge of the meteorite was so sharp; if the core were forged, it would be an even more divine weapon.

Unfortunately, the core of the meteorite had never melted.

His father warned, "This sword is extremely sharp. Kang, don't disgrace such a divine weapon!"

Dugu Kang nodded. "I understand, Father!"

"What should we call this sword?" his father asked.

"This sword, with its green glow and unmatched sharpness, let's call it the Green Saber!" Dugu Kang said. "Green Saber, from today, you will follow me!"

Seeing his son's joy, his father smiled.

"Father, I'm going to practice swordsmanship on the back mountain!"

With that, Dugu Kang got up and walked to the back mountain, where he practiced.

...

The back mountain was a waterfall. Dugu Kang was accustomed to practicing his swordsmanship under the waterfall.

"Wind and Thunder Move!"

"Wind and Thunder Flash!"

"Wind and Thunder Kill!"

Under the waterfall, Dugu Kang wielded the Green Saber, performing these three techniques repeatedly, like lightning and thunder.

The sword light was like water, and the cold air was like frost.

As the sword moved, Dugu Kang felt a surge of heat in his body, his blood flowing, and his meridians filled with surging true qi. His bones made a series of crisp sounds, like the roar of tigers and the rumble of thunder.

In martial arts, this is called "Tiger and Leopard Roar"!

At this level, true qi had been cultivated into the bones, beginning to transform them.

"Roar!"

Dugu Kang let out a loud roar, feeling an incredible sense of comfort. His body made a series of crisp sounds, and his meridians, including the Ren and Du channels, were opened. True qi flowed rapidly through his body, like a roaring river.

For a moment, it seemed like an illusion, but Dugu Kang felt his mind become clearer.

Stopping the roar, Dugu Kang sheathed his sword and leaped back to the shore.

Examining his body, he noticed black impurities flowing out. These impurities were ugly and toxic, causing the grass and plants to turn black where they fell.

Subconsciously, Dugu Kang rubbed his face, and a layer of dead skin peeled off.

In the spring water, Dugu Kang washed himself thoroughly, and the impurities and dead skin gradually disappeared.

Looking at his reflection in the water, Dugu Kang noticed his skin had become much whiter, like that of a newborn baby.

It felt like a transformation, like a cocoon turning into a butterfly, or a mortal becoming a deity. Dugu Kang felt a qualitative change in his body, though he was unsure of the specifics.

"This must be the wonder of the Qi Cultivation Technique!"

Dugu Kang attributed this change to the Qi Cultivation Technique!

PS: This chapter tells the story of the Sword Demon, a timeless myth in martial arts novels.

Thank you to You Wu Hun Dun Cheng for the support and evaluation.

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