Chapter 469: If You Want to Wear the Crown, You Must Bear Its Weight!
[Ding! Detected that investment target Ye Liyou comprehended the first style of Sky Sword Nineteen Styles, 'Sword Shadow Breaking Dawn,' returning related comprehension and Sword Intent!]
[Ding! Detected that investment target Ye Liyou comprehended the second style of Sky Sword Nineteen Styles, 'Sharpness Appearing,' returning related comprehension and Sword Intent!]
[Ding! Detected that investment target Ye Liyou comprehended the third style of Sky Sword Nineteen Styles, 'Flash Strike,' returning related comprehension and Sword Intent!]
…
[Ding! Detected that investment target Ye Liyou comprehended the sixth style of Sky Sword Nineteen Styles, 'Azure Dragon Dividing the Sea,' returning related comprehension and Sword Intent!]
Perhaps it was grief sharpening into unyielding will. Perhaps it was the profound clarity of the secret manual, each stroke of Lin Xuanyan's brush a direct transmission from a master. Or perhaps it was simply her own overflowing, world-class talent, finally unshackled and unleashed.
For Ye Liyou, the world had dissolved into a singular point of focus. The rage, the sorrow, the burning shame of her past life—all of it became fuel. She didn't just read the words in the manual; she consumed them. Each character seemed to leap from the page, transforming into ethereal figures that danced in her mind's eye, demonstrating the esoteric principles of the Dao of the Sword with deadly accuracy.
Her consciousness soared. The first style, 'Sword Shadow Breaking Dawn,' was not a technique to be memorized but a truth to be realized. She felt the chill of the false dawn, the promise of light tearing through the deepest night, and her own sword intent sharpened into a needle-fine point capable of piercing any darkness. Then came the second, 'Sharpness Appearing,' a brutal, unapologetic declaration of power, where the sword's edge became an extension of her very soul. The third style, 'Flash Strike,' was a lesson in temporal distortion, bending a moment into an eternity of lethal possibility.
One after another, she devoured the foundational secrets of the Sword Palace's core legacy. These were techniques she had once only dreamed of, whispered legends within the sect that were reserved for the most favored disciples. Now, they were laying themselves bare before her, welcoming her into her grasp. She immersed herself completely, losing all track of time, her entire being thrumming with the profound hum of the sword.
She blazed through the first five styles with astonishing speed, but as she reached the sixth, 'Azure Dragon Dividing the Sea,' the momentum finally began to slow. The complexity of the technique was staggering. It wasn't just a move; it was a philosophy, a way of commanding energy that could cleave oceans and sunder mountains. The seventh style, 'Frost Condensing Sword,' was even more demanding, requiring a level of control that most Great Grandmasters would spend a decade attempting to master.
These were the techniques that separated the masters from the legends. By the eighth and ninth styles, the manual spoke of concepts that bordered on the divine, requiring not just diligent study but a spark of extraordinary, heaven-sent talent to even begin to grasp. Anything beyond that was the domain of gods among men—the sword of a Land Immortal.
Ye Liyou had cultivated for an entire night, her spirit honed to a razor's edge.
Meanwhile, Shen Anyu had also worked hard for an entire night.
The first rays of dawn painted the sky in hues of soft gold and pale rose. On the expansive balcony of his suite, Shen Anyu sat cross-legged, the cool morning air a stark contrast to the lingering warmth and faint, intoxicating scent of Liu Ruyan's perfume on his skin. He had finally, with considerable effort, disentangled himself from the demonic empress's embrace. Even in sleep, she was a possessive force of nature.
He took a deep, centering breath, his mind clearing as he watched the sun ascend. The System's notifications had been trickling in all night, a quiet indicator of Ye Liyou's ferocious progress. Now, it was time to collect his dividend. He closed his eyes and began to receive the returned comprehension.
It was not a gentle infusion. It was a deluge.
A torrent of pure, unadulterated Sword Intent slammed into his consciousness. It was cold, sharp, and utterly merciless. He felt Ye Liyou's grief, her rage, her burning resolve—all of it distilled into the lethal edge of these sword forms. The techniques themselves flooded his mind not as abstract concepts, but as fully formed muscle memory, as instinct.
'Sword Shadow Breaking Dawn' felt like a sliver of ice sliding into his soul, teaching him how to find the single fatal weakness in any defense. 'Sharpness Appearing' was a surge of raw, arrogant power, a roaring fire that blazed through his meridians, tempering them. 'Flash Strike' was a dizzying whisper, a secret of speed that made the world seem to slow to a crawl around him.
And then came 'Azure Dragon Dividing the Sea.' The comprehension for this style was a cataclysm. He felt the overwhelming power of a mythical beast rising from the depths, the sheer force required to part the very firmament. Wisp after wisp of razor-sharp Sword Intent, far more potent than what he possessed before, swirled and churned within his dantian, gathering into something denser, heavier, and infinitely more dangerous.
His eyes snapped open. They glinted with a light that wasn't there a moment before—a cold, piercing brilliance. Without conscious thought, he extended his right index and middle fingers. A flicker of silver light, no larger than a firefly, appeared at his fingertips. He casually flicked it forward.
The air didn't just move. It tore.
A sword light, ten feet long and impossibly thin, erupted from his hand. It screamed through the morning air with a sound like ripping silk, a sound that promised evisceration. It moved with the grace of a startled swan taking flight, yet carried the finality of a guillotine. It twisted nine times in mid-air, each turn a complex maneuver that defied physics, carving impossible angles through space before it descended upon a large, decorative rockery in the garden below.
There was no explosion. No crash.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then, a perfectly straight, hairline crack appeared on the massive stone. It spread silently, a web of dark lines bisecting the rockery with surgical precision. A moment later, the entire structure slid apart, its two halves falling to the ground with a soft, final thud, the cut surfaces as smooth as polished glass.
"Not bad," Shen Anyu murmured, a slow, satisfied smile spreading across his face. The investment return function was proving to be exponentially more valuable than the simple cash-back feature. He had no shortage of money; cash was a triviality.
But this… this was real power. The ability to receive comprehension, Sword Intent, cultivation base, vitality—this was the true path to invincibility. It was a shortcut that bypassed years, even decades, of painstaking effort.
A genuine, predatory smile touched his lips. 'Thank you, Long Hao,' he thought, a silent, mocking toast to the devoured protagonist. He found himself eagerly anticipating his next encounter with a System-wielder. The thought of hunting them down, tearing their golden finger from their soul, and absorbing its power to strengthen himself was a truly exhilarating prospect.
He currently had over nine million Destiny Points saved up, a formidable war chest. But he felt no urge to spend it on the lottery. Long Hao's sudden appearance had taught him a valuable lesson: one must always have enough capital on hand to seize an opportunity. The cost of devouring a System was immense, and he would not be caught unprepared again.
I need to increase the intensity of my investments, he mused, his mind already plotting. Of course, I'll start with the inner circle. The women and family members I can trust completely.
The plan began to form with sharp clarity. Even without this new function, he would have dedicated resources to strengthening his family and the women by his side. That was a given. But now, with the investment return, every pill he gave, every technique he shared, was not an expenditure but a deposit that would yield staggering returns. It was like adding wings to a tiger, a perfect cycle of ever-increasing power.
Just as he was mapping out his strategy, his focus shifted. A powerful aura, sharp and vibrant as a phoenix's cry, erupted from within the manor. Shen Anyu's smile widened, his eyes turning towards its source.
"Aunt has stabilized her cultivation."
His form blurred. In less than a blink, he had crossed the distance and stood before An Zhiyue's door. He pushed it open without ceremony and stepped inside.
The room was saturated with a potent, almost tangible energy. An Zhiyue stood in the center, her hands slightly raised, her face flushed with a mixture of awe and exhilaration. The air around her seemed to shimmer, and her phoenix eyes, usually sharp and commanding, were now filled with a radiant, unrestrained joy.
"Shen Anyu, I did it! I've stabilized my realm at Heavenly Human Unity!" she exclaimed, her voice thrumming with newfound power. She could feel it—a vast, surging ocean of Martial Dao True Essence contained within her body, a profound connection to the world around her that she had never experienced before. It was like she had been seeing the world in monochrome and could now perceive a billion brilliant colors.
To test her new strength, An Zhiyue casually struck out with her palm. A phantom image of a soaring phoenix blazed into existence around her arm. The majestic True Essence, so dense it was nearly corporeal, shot from her hand. It crossed the ten-meter distance to a patch of lawn outside her room in an instant.
BOOM!
The ground didn't just shake; it convulsed. The earth buckled as if struck by a meteor. When the dust settled, a massive crater had been blasted into the manicured lawn. It was a perfect, five-fingered palm print, easily ten feet deep, the soil at its edges scorched and vitrified by the sheer power of the impact.
A strike like that could effortlessly vaporize a main battle tank. And it was clear, from the casual way she had unleashed it, that this was nowhere near her full strength.
"Shen Anyu… thank you," An Zhiyue said, her voice thick with a gratitude so deep it was almost reverent. She turned to face him, her gaze intense. "Without your Heavenly Human Breakthrough Pill… without you standing guard for me… breaking through would have been a distant dream, fraught with peril."
"What's there to thank? We're family," Shen Anyu replied, his expression softening into a genuine, sincere smile. "Congratulations, Aunt. With you and grandfather, the An Family now has two Heavenly Human experts. Let's see the Gu Family try to claim they're the number one martial arts family in Yanxia now."
The Shen Family's power was primarily rooted in the formidable reach of their political and business influence. The An Family, in contrast, held immense sway within the military. Their only point of weakness had been in the martial arts world, where the Gu Family, with their two Heavenly Human masters, held a slight edge. That advantage was now gone. The Gu Family's patriarch, in particular, was a figure of international renown, a man called the strongest expert in Yanxia, whose power made even the Hall Master of the Martial God Hall tread carefully.
An Zhiyue chuckled, a sound full of new confidence. "We're close, but there's still a small deficiency. However," she added, her eyes twinkling as she looked at him, "if we add you into the equation, Shen Anyu, then we can truly contend with the Gu Family."
Shen Anyu just smiled, saying nothing. If he were added to the equation, it wouldn't be a 'contention.' The Gu Family would be forced to deliberate on the most dignified posture in which to surrender.
He walked over and placed a few jade bottles in her hand. "These are some Essence Nourishing Pills and Qi Nourishing Pills. They'll help you solidify your foundation. Consider it… an investment."
"Shen Anyu, as the General Instructor of the Yanxia Phoenix Special Forces, I have many duties," An Zhiyue said, her tone turning serious as she secured the pills. "I took this leave to cultivate, but I need to return to my team now." She paused, her phoenix eyes locking onto his. Her next words were a solemn vow. "If you ever need anything, just say the word. Even if I have to cross mountains of daggers or plunge into seas of fire, your Aunt will be there."
Shen Anyu smiled and nodded. He believed her. Absolutely. There wasn't a shred of falsehood in her promise. This was the same Aunt who, in his past life, had fought the protagonist Ye Yan to the death to protect him, a woman who had willingly laid down her life for him.
"Alright, I have to go."
"Aunt, why don't you have breakfast before you leave?" Shen Anyu asked, taking her wrist.
An Zhiyue smiled warmly, a hint of apology in her eyes. "There's no time. The base is waiting. We've received an urgent, high-priority mission." She gave his hand a squeeze, then waved and strode out, her back straight and her presence radiating an indomitable will.
Watching her determined figure disappear, Shen Anyu sighed softly to himself. 'He who wants to wear the crown must bear its weight. Being the Female War God of Yanxia is no easy task.'
Turning, he made his way to the restaurant in Jiangjing Manor. Liu Ruyan, Yang Luoluo, Ruan Lingshan, and Ye Linyuan were already seated, waiting for him to begin the meal.
A charming curve played on Shen Anyu's lips as he took his seat. He looked at the women around the table, his eyes twinkling with a hint of mischief.
"Today, a new friend is arriving," he announced with a grin. "I'll introduce her to you all; you'll definitely welcome her."
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]