Chapter 1

From a distance, a majestic mountain peak, towering thousands of feet high and spanning dozens of miles, came into view. The mountain peak seemed to have been sliced off at the top, leaving a flat summit. Countless buildings were scattered from the base to the top, as if the entire mountain was draped in a magnificent cloak.

One Breath Sect, located in the southern part of Dongxuan Kingdom, was one of the three-star sects, boasting a thousand outer disciples and three hundred inner disciples.

In a small, unremarkable courtyard at the foot of the mountain, Jiang Chen practiced his sword skills as usual. His sword was simple and unadorned, each thrust precise and flawless, but to outsiders, it seemed too plain.

Once upon a time, Jiang Chen's sword was hailed as the sharpest in the outer sect, with no equal.

After practicing for a while, Jiang Chen sheathed his sword, pushed open the courtyard gate, closed it, and walked toward the middle of the mountain.

On the mountain path, Jiang Chen walked alone in silence, while maple leaves fell and danced in the wind.

A group of outer disciples walked down the path, passing by Jiang Chen.

"Did you see that? That's Jiang Chen, the most despicable person in the outer sect. For some herbs, he actually ambushed his best friend, trying to kill him to cover up his tracks."

"But I heard that Senior Brother Jiang Chen is one of the two most outstanding disciples in the outer sect of One Breath Sect in the past ten years, on par with Senior Brother Gu Qingsheng, known as the two great talents of the outer sect." This was said by a new outer disciple, who was puzzled.

"You've only been in One Breath Sect for a few days, so you don't know the ugly truth. I'll tell you all about it."

The voices gradually faded away, and a self-mocking smile appeared on Jiang Chen's face.

Gu Qingsheng, you really are something, twisting right and wrong at will.

So be it, I was blind, and it's only right.

Three years ago, he and Gu Qingsheng joined One Breath Sect together. At the time, they were both unremarkable, both at the third level of the Qi Sea realm. Since they both used swords, they gradually became good friends, often practicing sword techniques together.

Jiang Chen's sword was filled with sharpness and precision, each strike aiming for speed, ferocity, and accuracy.

Gu Qingsheng's sword was filled with elegance, so beautiful that it left one breathless.

Gold will always shine. Not only were their sword techniques outstanding, but their cultivation speed was also astonishing. At thirteen, they both advanced to the fifth level of the Qi Sea realm. At fourteen, they reached the seventh level, advancing two levels in a year, which shocked the entire outer sect of One Breath Sect. Even though they were not among the top ten disciples at the time, they were already known as the two great talents of the outer sect, with boundless potential.

However, in Jiang Chen's eyes, Gu Qingsheng's sword was indeed strong, but not a match for him. With full effort, he could defeat Gu Qingsheng in ten strikes. However, to save face, he never defeated him in public.

And Gu Qingsheng never admitted to being inferior to him in public.

A year ago, the two of them ventured into the one-star forbidden area, the Magic Forest, and discovered a rare two-star high-grade herb, the Seven-Heart Grass. One Seven-Heart Grass could be exchanged for a thousand contribution points, and that patch of Seven-Heart Grass had about dozens of plants, equivalent to tens of thousands of contribution points, a significant fortune for them at the time.

However, Jiang Chen never expected that Gu Qingsheng would ambush him, stabbing his seventh Qi Sea, reducing his cultivation to the sixth level of the Qi Sea realm and leaving him severely injured. But Gu Qingsheng didn't expect that, despite his sudden drop in cultivation and severe injuries, Jiang Chen still had the strength to counterattack, stabbing through Gu Qingsheng's body, though he failed to pierce his Qi Sea.

If that were all, Jiang Chen wouldn't have been so wronged.

Gu Qingsheng's ambush wasn't seen by anyone, but Jiang Chen's counterattack was witnessed by several outer disciples of One Breath Sect who happened to pass by.

With his seventh Qi Sea pierced, his true qi went berserk, and Jiang Chen fainted on the spot. In front of the several outer disciples, Gu Qingsheng couldn't kill him.

Next, the story of Jiang Chen ambushing his friend, trying to kill him to cover up his tracks and take the Seven-Heart Grass, spread like wildfire.

The detailed account was that they both discovered the Seven-Heart Grass, Jiang Chen tried to ambush Gu Qingsheng, but Gu Qingsheng sensed it in time. They fought for dozens of strikes, and in the end, Jiang Chen was defeated, with Gu Qingsheng piercing his seventh Qi Sea. Gu Qingsheng, remembering their friendship, felt regret and hesitation after severely injuring him, but Jiang Chen, being ruthless, stabbed the distracted Gu Qingsheng.

The truth was completely twisted.

In the following year, the severely injured Jiang Chen lay in bed for three months. Being pierced in the seventh Qi Sea was no small matter. If nothing unexpected happened, he would never be able to advance to the seventh level of the Qi Sea realm, let alone surpass it.

Gu Qingsheng, on the other hand, advanced to the ninth level of the Qi Sea realm and became the top disciple of the outer sect. If nothing unexpected happened, he would break through to the Flying Heaven realm next year at the age of sixteen, becoming an inner sect disciple of One Breath Sect.

One was despised by all, the other was radiant and full of potential.

From then on, their worlds were completely different.

Awakening from his faint memories, Jiang Chen had already arrived at the entrance of the Contribution Hall.

The Contribution Hall was where contribution points were exchanged.

Seeing that his contribution points on the recording crystal were down to the last thousand, Jiang Chen felt an even greater sense of urgency.

Contribution points were very important. They could be used to exchange for martial arts manuals, inferior spirit stones for cultivation, or elixirs and treasures. From the outer disciples to the inner sect elders, no one would ever have too many contribution points; the more, the better.

A thousand contribution points were not a lot.

In One Breath Sect, the lowest-grade Yellow-level sword technique required two hundred contribution points, the mid-grade Yellow-level sword technique required five hundred contribution points, and the high-grade Yellow-level sword technique required one thousand five hundred contribution points.

Of course, he didn't lack low-grade and mid-grade Yellow-level sword techniques. Before his seventh Qi Sea was pierced, he had learned ten low-grade Yellow-level sword techniques and four mid-grade Yellow-level sword techniques. Unlike Gu Qingsheng, he placed more emphasis on the basics. Although low-grade sword techniques had less killing power, they helped him understand the essence of swordsmanship. After all, even the most powerful sword techniques evolved from low-grade ones.

"Gu Qingsheng, with his character, must have exchanged for at least two high-grade Yellow-level sword techniques!"

Martial arts and sword techniques were divided into four levels: Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow. Each level had a significant difference. As the highest level of Yellow-level sword techniques, the high-grade Yellow-level sword techniques were far more profound than mid-grade ones. For example, One Breath Sect's famous Shadow Splitting Sword Technique, which could create a sword shadow with each strike, becoming stronger with more practice. Jiang Chen had once seen an outer sect elder of One Breath Sect use the Shadow Splitting Sword Technique, creating one real and one illusory sword shadow with each strike, both with equal killing power, almost like two people fighting simultaneously. It was impossible to react, let alone defend.

However, Jiang Chen didn't plan to exchange for high-grade Yellow-level sword techniques for now. The required contribution points were too many. What he needed now was the Illusion Crystal Grass.

"Bi Qing, look, it's Jiang Chen, whom you once admired so much."

Many outer disciples came to the Contribution Hall to exchange contribution points. Several outer sect female disciples looked at Jiang Chen and whispered to each other.

"Li Ling, don't say that. That was in the past. He's not worth my admiration now. With his seventh Qi Sea pierced, he will never advance beyond the sixth level of the Qi Sea realm. In the near future, I will surely break through to the Flying Heaven realm, and we will no longer be in the same world. In the outer sect, the only one I admire now is Gu Qingsheng. His sword technique is elegant and powerful, almost on par with inner sect disciples." The woman speaking had delicate features, lively eyes, and a proud demeanor like a peacock.

"Indeed, according to Gu Qingsheng's followers, his sword technique was originally slightly stronger than Jiang Chen's, but he didn't want to embarrass him in public."

"Gu Qingsheng is so kind, but how could he have known that Jiang Chen is a white-eyed wolf?"

Jiang Chen couldn't miss their whispers, but he was already used to being slandered. After all, what could he do if he didn't agree? In the end, he would still be the one to suffer. Sometimes, a lie repeated a thousand times becomes the truth. Without enough strength, trying to break this truth would only result in a bloody head.

"Illusion Crystal Grass, three hundred contribution points per plant. How many do you need?"

The Contribution Hall attendant asked Jiang Chen.

"Three."

Jiang Chen replied.

"Three plants, nine hundred contribution points. Here you go."

Nine hundred contribution points were deducted from Jiang Chen's account, and the attendant handed him three Illusion Crystal Grass plants.

Leaving the Contribution Hall, Jiang Chen took a deep breath and walked down the mountain.

...

In a small room, Jiang Chen, sitting on a cushion, was drenched in sweat, his expression fierce. Each time he took the Illusion Crystal Grass, it was a mental torment for him.

Illusion Crystal Grass was a two-star low-grade herb with strong hallucinogenic effects. Many hallucinogenic smokes in the martial world contained Illusion Crystal Grass. No normal person would choose to take it, but this was already the fourth time Jiang Chen had taken it.

Jiang Chen was not sick. He chose to take the Illusion Crystal Grass to cultivate a secret technique called the Void Sword Body Technique.

The Void Sword Body Technique was a mysterious secret technique that Jiang Chen had obtained since childhood. He had been cultivating it for seven years, but he still hadn't reached the first level. Despite this, the benefits were unimaginable. Without the Void Sword Body Technique, his strength at the same realm would be about the same as Gu Qingsheng's. With the Void Sword Body Technique, he could defeat Gu Qingsheng in ten strikes.

The Void Sword Body Technique was not just a martial art but a mental realm, or a mental sword path. With its help, Jiang Chen could unleash unimaginable killing power with ordinary sword techniques.

Using hallucinogenic plants to cultivate the Void Sword Body Technique started last year. In the Magic Forest, there were many hallucinogenic plants. Once, Jiang Chen inhaled some powder by mistake, and in the hallucination, the slow-progressing Void Sword Body Technique suddenly accelerated, like a fish in water. Since then, Jiang Chen began to try taking hallucinogenic plants to cultivate the Void Sword Body Technique. At first, he only dared to take one-star hallucinogenic plants, but gradually, their effects became less significant, so he switched to two-star low-grade hallucinogenic plants, the Illusion Crystal Grass.

The hallucinogenic components of the Illusion Crystal Grass were much more terrifying than those of one-star hallucinogenic plants. For other Qi Sea realm martial artists, the hallucinogenic effects of the Illusion Crystal Grass might be fatal.

Large drops of sweat fell, and Jiang Chen's face was pale, his expression constantly changing, sometimes angry, sometimes joyful, sometimes confused, sometimes furious, sometimes desperate, and sometimes calm, creating a very eerie scene.

The night outside the window gradually faded, and dawn arrived.

The hallucinogenic effects of the Illusion Crystal Grass were too strong. After five hours, Jiang Chen finally came out of the hallucination. The moment he opened his eyes, two illusory sword lights flashed in the room, bone-chillingly cold.

"Now my Void Sword Body Technique is much stronger than before. Although my cultivation hasn't advanced, my strength is at least several times greater than before."

The Void Sword Body Technique was Jiang Chen's trump card, a secret he would never reveal.

The world was vast, far beyond Jiang Chen's imagination. Currently, he only knew that the land they were on was called the Eastern Ring Continent, which was millions of miles long and wide. Such a vast continent naturally had many forces, and the strong were as numerous as stars in the sky, countless. In comparison, One Breath Sect was nothing. It was only a three-star force, not at the bottom among the many forces on the continent, but almost.

Besides human forces, the continent was also home to various fierce beasts. Some powerful beasts were terrifying, capable of destroying a super force on their own, such as the Death God Wolves in the Death Plains, the Nine-Headed Serpents in the Black Smoke Marsh, the Ten Thousand Poison Spider Kings in the Ten Thousand Poison Ridge, and the Frost Dragons in the Snow Domain. These were human no-go zones, with no return, and even top human experts were unwilling to provoke them.

Jiang Chen's goal was grand. One Breath Sect was just his starting point. He wouldn't stay here forever, and Gu Qingsheng's existence was just a small setback in his early life.

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