Evil Venerable of the Sword Dao Chapter 3 - 3 003 Affectionate Sword Dao Lifeless Sword Dao

“‘Zhou Yan,’ is that a name you can utter so freely?”

Zhou Yan’s glare was as pointed as a sword’s tip, and as his eyes fixed on Zhou Xian, an imposing aura of authority radiated from him. He was not magnanimous enough to overlook such a slight; now that he possessed strength, he refused to endure any longer the ignominy of being trampled upon.

Underneath that sharp scrutiny, Zhou Xian felt a wave of inexplicable fear, instinctively shifting his gaze to avoid the intensity of Zhou Yan’s stare. He had a premonition that Zhou Yan was teetering on the brink of collapse, perhaps driven to desperation by his failure to achieve a breakthrough despite pushing his innate potential. Regardless, by absenting himself from the morning drills at the training grounds, Zhou Yan had already incurred the displeasure of the stern Preaching Elder, sealing his fate for difficult days ahead! As a recognized genius, why should he concern himself with such a worthless individual?

As Zhou Xian began to withdraw, he found a convenient pretext. Thus, as he spoke, a glint of a cold smile flickered in his eyes: “Indeed, yes, haha, you are my genius cousin. Let us see what remarkable abilities you possess! If you remain in this state a month from now, how will you dare to claim so many cultivation resources!”

With that, Zhou Xian offered a gesture of feigned innocence as he turned away with utter indifference. Yet, his sarcastic and derisive words struck Zhou Yan’s heart like daggers. He remained rooted to the spot, his right hand clenching the hilt of his shattered sword, his body emitting a slight tremor. Within him, it felt as if a fiery passion was igniting and surging.

An unfathomable nascent Sword Qi seemed to stir from its slumber at this precise moment, poised to unleash a fury capable of shaking the very heavens and earth! But he held himself in check, refraining from any action, allowing the silent Sword Qi to rage within. He understood that it was precisely due to his own lackluster progress that his Grandfather, the family patriarch, appeared somewhat partial towards him. This very favoritism bred intense hostility from other disciples who were denied access to superior resources, filling him with overwhelming guilt and a sense of unworthiness for his grandfather’s support. Could there be any other reason why he, at such a young age, would forsake fundamental necessities to exploit his potential, training amidst the turbulent currents of the Cold Ice Lake?

He was aware of his inherent talent and his unique, astonishing comprehension, yet he always felt as though an invisible shackle bound him, impeding complete understanding. Now, that restraint, like a crushing weight upon his spirit, had vanished. He swiftly mastered the family’s hereditary Bi Shui Lian Tian Swordsmanship to its eighth form in a single attempt—an unprecedented feat that even surpassed his own genius father, Zhou Wangchen! He had etched his name into the annals of the Zhou Family’s history! Therefore, now, with the certainty that his talent had finally blossomed, he exuded immense self-assurance.

…

“Preaching Elder, I offered him sincere counsel, yet he became overly arrogant, believing himself still to be a genius, and nearly resorted to violence! However, as a disciple of the family, I recalled the mandate to avoid disputes and thus retreated.”

As Zhou Yan drew nearer to the training grounds, Zhou Xian’s voice still echoed in the air. His brow furrowed, and a chilling coldness entered his gaze—such detestable and contemptible behavior indeed! Still simmering with displeasure, he overheard the Preaching Elder’s deep and solemn voice: “Hmmph, with your disposition, attaining this stage is quite commendable. As for that Zhou Yan, utterly useless and beyond hope, the family patriarch must be blind to believe he could be another Zhou Wangchen! He is merely mud that cannot adhere to any wall; in the future, you need not trouble yourself with him repeatedly. Focus on your own rigorous training and prove that the patriarch’s favoritism is nothing but a fallacy!”

As the Preaching Elder concluded his statement, his gaze suddenly fell upon Zhou Yan. That stare, reminiscent of two colossal bronze bells, gleamed with an unfathomable icy brilliance, as if a divine entity of the Sword Dao lay dormant within a profound abyss. Almost instinctively, Zhou Yan shuddered, his knees buckling, almost compelled to prostrate himself and confess his transgressions under that oppressive gaze. His nascent Sword Qi surged erratically, his dark hair erupted outwards with a resounding “boom,” his unruly locks flailing wildly, the unleashed invisible energy shattering the pressure of that look, and a palpable wave of Blood Qi rippled outwards.

He felt fundamentally transformed; though he still appeared frail, as insignificant as an ant in the grand tapestry of the world, the sheer force of his Blood Qi, the resilience that surged forth in that instant, made him stand as resolute as a War God.

“Hmph?”

The bearded elder’s deeply lined face registered a clear expression of surprise, his eyes betraying no concealment of their sheer astonishment.

“Elder, Grandfather, the family head’s judgment is not flawed!

“It is you self-righteous old goats who are!”

“Besides, I have already advanced to the First Layer of Sword Beginning; I am no longer required to attend training at the school grounds and can cultivate independently, which doesn’t break family rules, nor do I need to kneel and confess!”

Zhou Yan’s sharp gaze no longer held fear for the Preaching Elder, whose name alone could strike terror into hearts.

Despite the Preaching Elder’s impassive gaze, Zhou Yan felt his displeasure quite strongly!

In the past, such matters were commonplace; he hadn’t paid them much heed.

But now, armed with the insights and memories of a Grandmaster’s soul, he understood that while a man should kneel to Heaven, Earth, and his parents, beyond that, one must never bend for mere trifles!

To him, this was now an immense insult!

He possessed his own pride and dignity!

“You, with such spirit, indeed no longer need to enter the training ground!

However, excessively exploiting your potential, while it has granted you capability now, has ultimately ruined you!

You are not Zhou Wangchen after all…

Sigh, take care of yourself!”

The Preaching Elder scrutinized Zhou Yan for a few moments, delivering a rather ‘regretful’ evaluation.

Though Zhou Yan wasn’t favored, being a member of the family, the Preaching Elder merely lamented the waste of his excellent ‘comprehension’ talent.

Sensing a momentary tinge of desolation emanating from the Preaching Elder, Zhou Yan’s heart was slightly moved.

As harsh as his words were, establishing authority wasn’t incorrect; the family was beset by internal and external troubles, and if every disciple followed Zhou Yan’s example by exploiting their potential and ruining their cultivation foundations, it would pave a path to the Zhou Family’s destruction.

Suddenly realizing this, his fleeting displeasure dissipated.

Watching the Preaching Elder’s retreating figure, marked by visible aged desolation, he suddenly understood that the hopes he carried were more than just his own.

He also comprehended that the words directed at Zhou Xian were, in essence, meant to provoke him into striving harder… yet it appeared to the Preaching Elder that he had achieved breakthroughs through sheer desperation by exploiting his bodily potential…

If that were the case, his physical constitution and root bone would be completely destroyed, leaving him with nothing in the end, rendering any good talent or comprehension meaningless…

He stood there in silence, as if nailed to the spot, motionless.

At this moment, he wished to shout out loud that his breakthrough wasn’t from potential exhaustion but from… a natural culmination of his immense potential, achieving a Great Perfection breakthrough, and that he could even challenge opponents across a minor realm border in combat!

Yet… something like a thorn in his throat prevented him from uttering a single word.

He didn’t wish to see the extremely disappointed looks from his family and friends.

Still, the Preaching Elder’s disappointed eyes once again pierced his heart.

Besides the Preaching Elder, most of the clan disciples training on the grounds held looks of extreme disappointment, with the exception of a few like Zhou Xian, Zhou Cheng, and Zhou Shuangshuang, whose eyes displayed a mixture of schadenfreude and ridicule.

“Pity his misfortune, but angry at his failure to strive forward!”

This was the sentiment Zhou Yan keenly perceived with his heightened senses, a shuddering feeling that resonated deep within his very soul.

Furthermore, at that moment, he understood that he wasn’t being mocked by all as a ‘famed but incompetent’ ‘genius’ because most people still cared for him; like the Preaching Elder, they were merely pitying his misfortune and angry at his failure to strive.

He tightened his grip on the broken sword, all the blood in his body boiling.

But he offered no explanation; everything would become clear during the examination in one month.

By then, he would give them a surprise they couldn’t possibly anticipate!

…

A Short Sword danced elegantly, skillfully engraving a pitch-black iron block into a lifelike maiden’s statue.

The statue of the woman depicted only her back, strikingly reminiscent of that woman’s back in Zhou Yan’s memory.

The statue’s lines flowed like water, periodically casting a luminous spiritual glow.

Previously, Zhou Yan hadn’t understood the Bi Shui Lian Tian Swordsmanship, thus he couldn’t decipher the technique; now, he finally understood.

This was a state akin to the great perfection of Harmonizing Dao in swordsmanship.

The basic Bi Shui Lian Tian Swordsmanship, in this man’s hands, transformed into an endless confrontation between the Affectionate Sword Dao and the Heartless Sword Dao.

The Affectionate Sword Dao bestowed the statue with a sense of life, embodying endless love, extending indefinitely; while the Heartless Sword Dao imparted a profound resoluteness, a despairing destruction of all lost hope.

Hence, life and death, moment by moment, were enacted upon this statue until the black iron block transformed into a chaotic, useless hunk of scrap, at which point he ceased.

Wrinkles framed his eyes, each etched with the weight of a life's hardships and misfortunes. Save for occasional glints of profound-yet-dull eyes, as deep as the abyss, nothing else in this world bore witness to his existence.

Witnessing the once-orderly block of iron devolve into chaos under his hands, he let out a deep sigh, and a jar of wine materialized from thin air.

He tilted his head back, drinking deeply as if he were imbibing all the world's sorrows and difficulties.

This act of drinking caused the flush from his earlier carving endeavors on his pale face to shift into a stark, disturbing white hue, hinting that his time was perhaps drawing short.

Upon finishing the wine, his frail body trembling, he cast his gaze upon Zhou Yan for the very first time.

That solitary look of simple acknowledgment made Zhou Yan feel seen rather than overlooked; it felt akin to experiencing an entire cycle of reincarnation.

A single glance felt like ten thousand years.

Zhou Yan harbored a sense of apprehension.

His father, Zhou Wangchen—the undisputed most prodigious talent in the Zhou Family's history!

Yet, for reasons unknown, he was now entirely stripped of his cultivation ability, spending his days in the company of statues.

Drinking, carving, carving, drinking—nothing more.

And today marked the unique weekly chance to glean some knowledge from his father.

Prior to this day, he had never received any form of guidance from his father.

However, today, his finely tuned senses detected a fleeting, luminous spark within his father’s usually somber eyes.

“This sculpture is not ruined; it embodies two Sword Daos, specifically the ‘Affectionate Sword Dao’ and the ‘Lifeless Sword Dao.’ Observe them and select one to cultivate!”

Curiously, this father, who had fallen from grace, lightly tapped the void, and a statue as black as pitch suddenly manifested.

The statue still depicted the departing silhouette of a woman, her back hesitant, appearing poised to turn but never quite doing so, resonating with 'indecision'.