Chapter 62: Nine Heavens Sword Scripture
Deep within the solitary confinement of Fei Wu Quarter, Su Tianhao slowly stirred awake, his golden eyes fluttering open like twin suns rising from the east.
"Aaaaaah!"
He let out a long, casual yawn before sitting upright on the bed—completely oblivious to the fact that his adversaries had already begun laying schemes against him.
Su Tianhao gazed out into the courtyard through the open door of his room—a door he'd completely forgotten to lock due to exhaustion from the night before.
"Yesterday completely reminded me of the brutality of the cultivation world," he muttered slowly, his brows furrowing. "If I hadn't resorted to deception, those patrons would have devoured me like starving wolves regardless of the consequences."
He paused, then continued as if speaking to himself—a habit of someone who had spent too many years with no one else to talk to.
"In this world, strength is what truly matters above all else. Only by constantly evolving and breaking past my limits can I uphold the legacy of my parents without needing to worry about threats."
His thoughts drifted to his father's soul fragment and the story Chenyuan had told him. After descending to the mortal realm, his father had ruled the entire world with pure tyrannical dominance for decades without equal—made possible entirely by overwhelming strength.
"I must get stronger." Su Tianhao clenched his fist with quiet, obsessive determination, his sharp golden eyes sweeping across the room.
His gaze paused.
Hanging majestically on the wall was a dark sword perfectly sheathed in its scabbard—a beautiful black scabbard with intricate silver patterns flowing across its surface like living water.
Shadowfang. The quasi-peak Mortal rank weapon he'd acquired from Master Huan's forge.
Su Tianhao's gaze lingered on the sword for a long moment, his thoughts flowing back to that fateful night when he'd witnessed Lu Ruyi facing the Berserk Bear with such grace and deadly precision.
"Looks like it's time I start seriously pursuing the sword dao."
---
Beneath the shadow of the ancient oak tree at the center of his small courtyard, a young man sat cross-legged in a perfect lotus position with a sheathed sword resting on his lap.
His expression was tranquil and completely focused, senses shut off from the world around him. Long black hair and azure robes fluttered gently in the morning breeze.
Su Tianhao.
He had long decided to seriously pursue the sword dao ever since his encounter with Lu Ruyi. But now, after the disturbing events at the tavern, that determination had solidified into something unshakable—like a mountain rooted deep in the earth.
'Right now, what I need is a proper sword technique to begin cultivating,' he thought, focusing intensively on his inherited memories.
His thoughts flowed freely like a clear stream, carrying him smoothly toward the countless sword techniques engraved within his mind. This was his most significant achievement after unlocking the second layer of his inherited memories—inherited knowledge flowing directly according to intent and will.
Sword techniques appeared with crystal clarity one after another in succession.
Moonlight Slash...
Dawnbreaker...
Starlight Thrust...
'All of these are powerful techniques... but none of them truly resonate with me.'
The moment that thought surfaced, all the sword techniques before him began disappearing one after another—vanishing into the void of his memories—until only a single technique remained, standing alone and deeply rooted in his consciousness.
Su Tianhao's brows tightened with surprise as he struggled to adjust to the unexpected change.
After taking a deep breath to center himself, he finally reached out mentally to probe this solitary technique. It was unlike anything he had witnessed before. And it resonated with him—but not in the way his dragon bloodline resonated with the Raging Dragon Fist. This was something warmer, more intimate, touching something deeper than cultivation or bloodline—the soul.
An inexplicable warmth spread through his heart simply from acknowledging this technique's existence.
His curiosity only grew stronger.
Without hesitation, Su Tianhao reached out mentally—and like water parting smoothly before a paddle, the technique revealed itself completely, as if welcoming him with open arms.
'Nine Heavens Sword Scripture.'
The name echoed in his mind like a declaration into a new realm of the Heavenly dao.
As the name settled in his consciousness, the world around him seemed to still completely. His breath quieted. His thoughts stilled. The profound weight of the technique pressed upon his very soul.
Suddenly, golden characters ignited brilliantly within his consciousness—each one etched with ancient sword intent that seemed to carry the weight of ages.
---
"Nine Heavens Sword Scripture"
An ancient sword scripture forged from tribulation, chaos, and eternal law. It is said that those who walk this Ninefold Path must sever all that binds them—from the physical to the divine.
The Scripture holds nine layers of sword dao ascension, each one more powerful and profound than the last.
To begin cultivating this scripture, one must first cultivate the heart and master the sword.
---
Su Tianhao stared at the glowing words in awe—but before he could probe any further into their meaning, everything changed.
His surroundings dissolved into ethereal mist. His consciousness was pulled forcefully into a realm of light and destiny beyond mortal understanding.
He found himself standing within an unfamiliar courtyard bathed in soft, silvery moonlight.
Delicate petals drifted gently through the night air like falling snow. A gentle breeze carried a faint, soothing fragrance that touched something deep in his memory. And beneath the luminous moonlight stood a strikingly beautiful woman in flowing silver robes—her features elegant and graceful, like a celestial maiden descended to the mortal realm.
Her hair was as white as fresh snow. Her eyes shimmered like the moon itself, sparkling with starlight that illuminated the eternal night. Her presence was ethereal and graceful—someone who truly didn't belong to this world.
Su Tianhao's heart trembled violently. An inexplicable warmth surged through him at the sight of this woman he had never encountered before in his life.
"Mother..."
The word came from his mouth subconsciously, barely above a whisper.
Although he possessed the inherited memories of both his parents, he had only unlocked the first two layers—able to peer into memories concerning martial arts and cultivation experience, but not yet able to see them clearly or visualize their faces and personal lives. He only knew what they knew, and even that was still only a fraction of the whole.
The woman slowly turned toward him with a soft smile on her elegant face—like someone who had been waiting patiently in anticipation for many years.
"I am Yuexin, the spiritual will left behind by your mother, Tian Yuexin." Her voice was calm, filled with inexplicable warmth and boundless maternal love.
But Su Tianhao wasn't smiling as one might expect. There was an unmistakable frown on his face—and a disappointment that burned deeply in his heart.
After unlocking the second layer of his memories, his knowledge of the cultivation world had naturally expanded, granting him a deeper understanding of its truth. Unlike the soul fragment his father had left behind, spiritual wills were fundamentally different. While soul fragments were capable of direct conversation and dialogue before dissipating, spiritual wills were only programmed messages or demonstrations attached to something or someone. Once they revealed themselves, they could only fulfill their intended purpose before disappearing forever.
In Su Tianhao's mother's case, she had attached her spiritual will to the Nine Heavens Sword Scripture before sealing it within his memories.
One might wonder why she hadn't simply left a soul fragment instead.
But Su Tianhao didn't blame her—because he possessed both wisdom and understanding. Unlike spiritual wills, which could be created and left behind by anyone who had reached the Martial King Realm, only True Immortals would be reckless enough to deliberately injure their own soul to create a soul fragment.
'Looks like I'll have to reach the Immortal Realm before I can have a real conversation with my mother,' he thought, a warm smile finally spreading across his features despite his initial disappointment. 'But this alone already shows they truly cared for me.'
After all, his father had been willing to shatter part of his own soul to create a soul fragment so he could speak with him directly. And the spiritual will his mother had left behind was no simple thing either. A spiritual will capable of drawing his consciousness into an entire unknown realm was truly mystical—and would have taken a significant toll on her when she created it. Ordinary spiritual wills couldn't affect the physical world whatsoever, much less conjure entire realms within consciousness.
"Tianhao... you've finally chosen the path of the sword."
Yuexin's voice carried motherly warmth—but beneath it lay unmistakable authority and the trace of an eternal will that transcended mortal understanding.
"This is the inheritance I left behind for you. It will only reveal itself when you are ready... and now, you are."
She stepped forward gracefully and raised one delicate finger. A soft silver light bloomed from her hand, flowing like moonlight over calm water. From it, a long slender sword slowly took shape—forged from pure lunar radiance, its blade shimmering with the quiet brilliance of a thousand moons.
"This technique is not meant for mere swordplay or flashy displays. It is the true Dao of the Sword—tempered by tribulation, refined through chaos, and reborn in nirvana. If you cannot grasp its weight and meaning... you will never reach its ultimate end."
She turned slightly, lifting her lunar sword into perfect position with movements that seemed to flow with the natural order of the universe itself.
"Watch carefully, Tianhao. I will show you what it means to begin walking the Ninefold Nirvanic Tribulation Sword Dao."
"Ninefold Nirvanic Tribulation Sword Dao?!"
The name thundered in his heart. "What in the heavens is that?!"
Even with all his vast inherited knowledge and experience, he had never encountered such a Sword Dao—one that proclaimed such an overwhelmingly domineering name.
'Just who are my parents, really?' he cried out inwardly, his mind reeling from the implications.