Remould the Glory of Sword Art

Dantian is the place for Derivation Cave Heaven.

When a Sword Cultivator enters the third realm, "Qi Control", they start to forge their Lifebound Flying Sword... and the next realm, "Cave Heaven," involves placing the Lifebound Flying Sword into the Dantian, creating a brand-new world.

That is where the term "Cave Heaven" comes from.

"Roar."

The sounds of thunder during a rainy night infiltrated the stone cave.

Accompanied by the clanging of Sword Qi, Xie Xuanyi slowly closed his eyes.

"Buzz!"

Chen Ke hovered above Xie Xuanyi's forehead, a speck of cold light filling the entire cave, sending tens of thousands of sword shadows rippling through the Purity Array.

The Sword Intent of Chen Ke gradually permeated into Xie Xuanyi's body.

Because of the Undying Spring.

The location of Xie Xuanyi's Dantian had become extraordinarily spacious.

A typical Qi Control realm cultivator's Dantian might only be one-tenth the size of his.

Logically speaking,

with such an expansive Dantian, forming a Cave Heaven should be much easier.

But the situation was exactly the opposite.

Within just a dozen breaths, Xie Xuanyi's complexion turned pale.

The reason Chen Ke's sword body was cracking was due to the excessively powerful residual Tao Rules from the "Dao Brush".

In recent days, Xie Xuanyi had been using his Lifebound Flying Sword to kill Yin creatures and refine evil spirits, effectively "wiping" the sword edge clean.

However, the cracks in the Flying Sword still harbored residual Tao Rules from Beihai Ling...

Sword Intent swept into the location of the Dantian.

The Tao Rules of Beihai Ling immediately began to spread!

Xie Xuanyi grimaced in pain but did not stop the influx of Sword Intent... He was well aware that the biggest challenge in reshaping the Sword Qi Cave Heaven lay here.

To help "Chen Ke" shed its cracks,

it was necessary to shatter the remnants of Tao Rules from Beihai Ling.

Other cultivators shape their Sword Qi Cave Heaven by familiarizing with their Lifebound object and gradually establishing a connection.

But he...

had already completed this step.

What he needed to do was work with "Chen Ke" to eliminate the residual Tao Rules left by the "Dao Brush"!

...

...

The Dao is long and everlasting.

Cultivators seek immortality.

And along the path to immortality, the greatest enemy is not others but oneself.

No one is perfect, saint or sage.

Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Qi Control, Cave Heaven, Yin God... these five major realms become increasingly challenging, and many cultivators face a great dilemma halfway through their journey.

Heart Demon.

Cultivation is not just a battle with the heavens but a battle with oneself.

And battling oneself means battling the Heart Demon.

Of course, there are rare "geniuses" and "freaks" who have a smooth sail from the start of their cultivation and do not encounter the so-called Heart Demon until they "die."

Such individuals are few and far between.

In his previous life, Xie Xuanyi was one of them.

Emerging from Da Sui Sword Palace, he defeated all peers across four realms, achieved Yin God in his twenties, and even rose to become the Sword Dao Leader.

How could such a person have a Heart Demon?

What or who could have left him with a Heart Demon?

But this life was different.

As the Sword Intent of "Chen Ke" pierced into his Dantian, Xie Xuanyi felt an endless chill.

He closed his eyes, and the storm and thunder within the cave vanished completely.

At this moment, it felt as though he was back in the coffin.

To be precise,

it was like the moment he fell into the North Sea.

When he opened his eyes again, Xie Xuanyi stood upon a silent lake.

He had searched the souls of many people.

And seen the Heart Lakes of many.

But this place was different from those Heart Lakes.

This was his own Heart Lake, pale as if encased in ice, almost rippleless and soundless.

It looked more like the Heart Lake of someone who had been dead for many years.

Xie Xuanyi stood still, watching from about thirty feet away the "Chen Ke" that was full of cracks, struggling continuously, yet bound by numerous Tao Rules.

"Because the Tao Rules of the 'Dao Brush' entered my body..."

"So, was I dragged into the Divine Soul Illusion Realm?"

Xie Xuanyi silently watched the scene before him.

"Or is it..."

"I forcibly condensed the Sword Qi Cave Heaven, which triggered a Heart Demon?"

The entire world was silent.

Until the appearance of a second figure.

The calm Heart Lake slowly rippled outwards, and out of the shadows a young, thin, pale figure slowly emerged.

The young man came beside Chen Ke.

He stood still.

And looked towards Xie Xuanyi.

The wind blew, and the Heart Lake reflected two almost identical young figures.

Same black clothes, same black hair.

Same handsome features.

But, the difference was that the current Xie Xuanyi appeared somewhat "younger" than his past self, with fewer murderous intents in his eyes and brows.

Heart Demon.

Seeing the familiar "self" slowly emerge across the Heart Lake,

Xie Xuanyi couldn't help but sigh deeply.

This was not unexpected.

Since waking up in Yuzhu Town, Xie Xuanyi's mind had always replayed the moment he fell into the North Sea—

The trip to Qing State, where he wore a mask to conceal his identity.

Out of guilt, he saved Jiang Huang but did not reveal the truth of the past.

In Beihai Ling, he denied Chu Man's dying request to see his true face one last time.

These fragments, these fleeting moments in the Heart Lake, always flashed before his eyes whenever he entered meditation.

From that moment on,

Xie Xuanyi knew that he had a "Heart Demon" in this life.

The very thing he least wanted to face,

was probably the "himself" that had died.

...

...

Two almost identical Xie Xuanyis stood upon the deathly still waters of Heart Lake.

Neither spoke nor broke the silence.

A breeze swept by.

Had Xie Xuanyi not noticed that his Divine Soul had already started cracking... this silence might have lasted even longer.

From the moment the Chen Ke Sword Intent entered the Dantian,

The condensation of the Sword Qi Cave Heaven had already quietly begun.

Entering the Cave Heaven Realm is usually achieved in one attempt, as there's no practice of "repeated trials."

If a cultivator fails to condense the Cave Heaven... a second attempt would be a hundred times more difficult.

Failed on the first trial means no harm done.

But a second failure could shatter the Dantian, and the challenger might not only fail to condense the Cave Heaven but may fall from the Qi-controlling Realm, even becoming lesser than a Qi Refining Master—a mere mortal.

At this moment, Xie Xuanyi knew.

That his "self" in the outside world was probably not in good condition.

Sword Intent entered the body, but the Cave Heaven was not yet opened.

If he could not overcome the Heart Demon in time, this attempt to open the Cave Heaven would likely end in failure!

Thus, Xie Xuanyi, looking at his self ten feet away, seriously asked, "Sorry, this is my first time seeing a Heart Demon… what should I do next?"

The Heart Demon is the greatest enemy.

When facing a Heart Demon, naturally... kill!

"Swoosh!"

Before Xie Xuanyi could finish speaking, the Heart Demon Xie Xuanyi took the initiative. He suddenly shifted from complete stillness to rapid motion, rapidly reaching out to grab the nearby Chen Ke. Two fingers slid over it, eliciting a thunderous roar.

A strand of Sword Qi surged out, cleaving the dead still Heart Lake in two.

Xie Xuanyi pressed down with one hand.

"Rumble!"

That strand of Sword Qi and the entire surface of Heart Lake were instantly smoothed out, as if the roaring thunder had never existed!

The Heart Demon Xie Xuanyi threw his hand up.

Wham!

The shattered Flying Sword, entwined by Tao Rules, suddenly flew out, arriving in front of Xie Xuanyi in a blink.

Xie Xuanyi clasped his hands together, pressing the blade between his palms.

Countless dark Sword Intents burst forth from the sword!

In just an instant, it vibrated dozens of times in the palm!

Xie Xuanyi's expression was extremely solemn.

This was his first encounter with a Heart Demon.

And it was the first time he truly understood the meaning of the phrase, "the cultivator's greatest enemy is oneself."

Standing before him now...

was himself from his first life, about to step into the Cave Heaven Realm!

The Sword Intent erupting from the Chen Ke sword was stubborn and solitary, filled with a dense murderous intent, and it almost instantly filled his entire body.

Back then, he was heavy-handed in his attacks.

Once he drew his sword, blood must be seen!

"Hiss..."

After resisting for a few breaths, Xie Xuanyi's hands bled from the shock, but after the flying sword drank blood, it did not become more frenzied but instead quieted down.

He forcibly eradicated the murderous thoughts on the Chen Ke flying sword using his powerful Divine Soul!

Then, he injected his own will into the flying sword!

The Heart Demon, Xie Xuanyi, was not the master of the Chen Ke.

He was!

The next moment, the thin and sharp figure in black clothes came close, and Xie Xuanyi was forced to release the flying sword to grapple with it. At seventeen or eighteen, he wanted to cultivate both the Sword Dao, so he refined both his soul and his body. Back then, he often stayed secluded on Lotus Peak for months, not only cultivating the Sword Dao but also studying the martial techniques left behind by the predecessors of the Sword Palace!

"Clang clang clang!"

Above the Heart Lake, a piercing, bone-chilling sound of metal clashing erupted.

Two figures in black collided, and two bodies which looked frail suddenly unleashed a terrifying destructive power like that of dragons and elephants.

For a moment, the entire Heart Lake was battered with continuous water spouts.

The two were evenly matched.

If it had not been for this meeting with the Heart Demon, Xie Xuanyi would not have known how strong he once was.

He had thought that, nourished by the Undying Spring, his body, nearing the Golden Body Realm, was much stronger than it had been back then.

But now he realized he was wrong.

Back then, his entire body was filled with an unstoppable killing intent, every move aimed at taking lives...

This fierce aura compensated for his physical shortcomings!

If it were the Heart Demon Xie Xuanyi participating in that battle at Beihai Ling,

perhaps the four Evil Cultivators of the South Border would have died quicker and more tragically!

"Boom!"

A real master's fight is actually decided in an instant, only those with extremely similar strengths would battle for hours.

And this battle,

lasted all night in the world of Heart Lake!

The fog was shattered, and the silent Heart Lake was slashed into countless broken mirrors by numerous Sword Intents!

Both figures were in bad shape.

The Heart Demon Xie Xuanyi, full of killing intent, relentlessly pushed forward with a desperate aggressive attack, launching attack after attack... but unfortunately, he suffered from his youth, losing almost every exchange. After fighting all night, his body was covered in wounds.

While Xie Xuanyi had the upper hand,

His situation was even worse.

The intensely sharp Chen Ke Sword Intent roamed about inside his body, and, as there was no Grotto Heaven opened, he had nowhere to release it, causing the pain in his Divine Soul to intensify.

In the end, as they fought with fists and kicks, neither could outdo the other.

Ultimately, it was their Divine Thoughts that fought for control over the Chen Ke, the flying sword changing masters several times.

Eventually,

Xie Xuanyi, enduring severe pain in his Divine Soul, finally seized control of the flying sword. The Tao Rules entwined around the Chen Ke flying sword were completely erased. In that instant, as the sword burst forth, it pierced through his youthful, spirited "self" from the foreheads, ending the life of the Heart Demon.

"Thud."

Xie Xuanyi knelt on one knee above Heart Lake.

He watched as the Heart Demon fell into the lake, kept sinking, and finally disappeared from sight,

just like watching his younger self fall into the North Sea.