There are many blessings in this world. There are also many curses.

  But there is a specific kind of blessing which guarantees you the path of supremacy.

  A Heavenly Blessing.

  One endowed to you at birth by the arbitrator of the Heaven above.

  If a path is formed through the procession of life experiences, stumbling around in the dark while always striding forth.

  Then a Heavenly Blessing lights up your path with a golden road that extends into the horizon, eventually leading up to the firmament beyond the sky.

  Likewise, there is a specific kind of curse which guarantees you a shattered path to despair.

  A Cursed Anomaly.

  People who were born with all of their meridians completely crippled, to the point they had a physique impossible to cultivate with. Those who were gifted great power, but in return only a few years of life span.

  And those whose very body would break apart if they tried to cultivate a path against their nature.

  Liu Shuren had both.

  More precisely, he had been born with the Heavenly Blessing of the sword. As if gifted with the innate talent of the sword by his grandfather.

  Until five years ago, when he had been cursed with an anomaly which nullified his Heavenly Blessing.

  And after two years of trying everything possible with the help of the Liu Clan, his family had decided to exile themselves when the avaricious eyes of the elders aimed for Shuren’s knowledge of the Sword Saint’s Legacy.

  Shuren stood in front of his father, anticipating the next revelation.

  “So you’ve understood the first stance of the Sword Saint Legacy. It took a bit longer than expected, but I can now give you this.” His father threw out a letter, and Shuren caught it with ease.

  “This is?”

  “A letter that your grandfather left for you ahead of time. Read it when you’re training alone. And bring a sword.”

  “Remember, even if you can no longer use the Heavenly Blessing of the sword, that doesn’t mean it is gone forever. Overcome your Cursed Anomaly of blades, and you will regain even higher power. This has been the case for every other cursed being that has overcome their fate.”

  Shuren’s hand trembled when it held the letter, and the light of hope filled his eyes. “Then I will take my leave.”

  Shuren bowed, heading to leave. But right as he opened the door, his father called out to him.

  “Shuren. The solution isn’t guaranteed. Let me warn you that you shouldn’t stall your ascension to Path Foundation. You’ve been taking enough time as it is, and you’ll continue to fall behind your peers in the Granxian Continent. You must temper your ravenous obsession.”

  Shuren looked down at his feet. “I see. I will heed your words, honoured father.”

  Shuren left the Liu Manor to train once more.

  And his father slumped in his chair, letting out a weary sigh.

  “Forgive me, but you must continue to grow. If only I wasn’t so weak, we wouldn’t have fallen into this situation.” He looked at the red box by his side and opened it, containing a shard of a blade. “I must also take risks to regain my power. Just give me a bit more time, everyone.”

  It’s been a while since we last talked, Little Shu. Or should I call you Shuren now? You must be a man by now.

  Now that you’ve understood the process of forging your body, we can move on to the next step.

  Your Cursed Anomaly has warped your physique, but remember, misfortune likewise comes with fortune.

  Remember the core concept of your Cursed Anomaly. Whenever you try to wield the sword with the use of Qi, your body begins to solidify and grow blades from the inside out. I want you to combine this curse with the Sword Forge Stance. Try to endure as much as possible with the sword while maintaining the stance and find a way to burn and forge the blades protruding out of your body.

  There is a risk to this. Overdo it, and you will die. Or you will turn into a statue made of swords, with a mind of nothing but steel.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Shuren, if your voracious obsession with the sword still lingers, then put your body and soul on the line. But, if that obsession hinders you from progressing to Path Foundation, then forget about it. You can gain a second chance after Nascent Soul, when you become a Grand Pathstrider.

  One day, if you can overcome your Cursed Anomaly, you may regain your Heavenly Blessing and even improve it. But I want you to think about the nature of Heavenly Blessings.

  You were gifted with the innate talent of the sword. Without even touching a blade, you could understand any technique and control Sword Qi at will.

  Can the path of a true swordsman be attained if you are born with everything, without understanding it through the experiences and vicissitudes of life?

  When you are ready at the peak of Rank 2, go to the Crestfell Continent and find the mountain I split in two. That will be your next step.

  “It’s been a while since I had a lesson in the way of the sword.” Shuren read and absorbed every single word in the letter.

  “I once feared I wouldn’t be able to understand the Sword Forge Stance without a blade. Thankfully, it focused on mindset and attitude. Is this what grandfather warned about the Heavenly Blessing I once had? That the true path of a sword isn’t simply granted by talent, but earned?” Shuren carefully rolled the letter, placing it on the floor with his robes.

  He decided to practice in the woods behind the Liu Manor. Night had fallen, and with it came the silence of the world.

  There were two best times to train; in the early morning and late at night.

  When the world was asleep, Shuren felt more in tune with nature. Especially since he had lived in bustling cities for all his life, with little time spent in the wilderness.

  Once I reach Rank 2, I should take a vacation for a month or two. Training in the Kallas Jungles would be good.

  Wearing martial pants and a short-sleeve shirt, Shuren raised both fists above his waist. He opened his palms to look at his hands and clenched them once more.

  Shuren closed his eyes, churning and burning the Qi inside his body.

  Sword Forge Stance!

  He breathed a steaming mist of hot air.

  His body emanated slight wisps of Silver Qi.

  And Shuren felt like he was burning alive.

  What came next was to grab the sword on the grass. Shuren’s fingers trembled as he neared it.

  To think my body would instinctively fear to even grasp a blade…

  Shuren raised it up high to stare at it.

  He couldn’t take too long.

  With one thought, he did a horizontal slash while using Blade Surge.

  With Qi coursing from his body to the sword.

  A silver streak of light cut through a dozen trees, cleanly chopping them at once.

  Shuren teared up. But even his tears burnt into steam the moment they let out.

  “After five years, I finally managed to use a single sword techni-”

  The sword dropped to the ground.

  Dozens of small blades protruded from his chest, ripping through his shirt, and dyeing it red.

  He staggered around, focusing on the Sword Forge Stance, to see if he could control those blades in any way.

  Focus!

  The pain was excruciating. Not only was he burning alive, but at the same time he felt like he was being skewered.

  Very few could bear with this much pain at his age and level.

  Gradually, the jutting blades cracked and fell bit by bit.

  A churning sensation rose in his stomach.

  Shuren staggered, holding on to his throat as the urge to vomit took over every other control he had.

  And he retched out dozens of fragments of broken metal coming out of his throat.

  Blood and steel were all that was on his mind, and coming from his body. From the unbearable pain, Shuren fell to his knees.

  Unable to deal with the pain, he yelled in agony, and his Qi fell into such chaos that his Sword Forge Stance nullified itself.

  Usually Sword Forge Stance would last until all of his Qi was burnt up, yet the effects of his Cursed Anomaly caused it to wear off.

  After ten minutes of dealing with the pain, it had slowly subsided and Shuren stood up once more.

  His entire body was shaking, and even taking a step was a strenuous task.

  But he couldn’t forget the sensation.

  Even if it was the weakest, and most beginner level technique in the Liu Clan. And the pain almost made him want to smash his head open against a rock. Shuren held on to that ravenous obsession.

  He could only think back to the Blade Surge technique he pulled off with a sword.

  The night had just begun, and Shuren stood with unyielding conviction.

  And he only said one word.

  “Again.”

  Morning had come.

  And Shuren was lying on the grass. With blood all around him.

  With bloodshot eyes, he stared directly at the sky.

  “After all night… I couldn’t… Do it again…”

  It was as if the Cursed Anomaly was fighting back, ensuring Shuren could never bypass it to use a sword technique.

  Even Shuren knew training like this wasn’t sustainable. When he observed his inner body, he realised his cultivation level had slightly lowered!

  The world was trying its best to make sure he could never wield the sword!

  He still had to balance learning at the Seven Clouds Sect, complete missives for elders, and build up his reputation and influence. And continue to speed up his cultivation and break through to Rank 2 as soon as possible.

  If he kept trying to focus on pursuing the sword, the worst-case scenario wouldn’t even be death, it would be stagnation in his cultivation!

  Shuren used everything in his power to roll over, using his arm to give himself an anchor to get back up.

  Only to fall face down into the grass from the weakness in his body.

  “I… I can’t give up… Not now…”

  With a bloodied fist, he beat down on the ground.

  “Battle missives… I have to do more of those to hone my body… And I can’t slack off using my staff as well…”

  It was a continuous uphill battle.

  Shuren had entered the Seven Clouds Sect as an Inner Disciple, and had even gained the favour of an elder, and accomplished merits to increase his reputation.

  Yet his goals seemed to get further and further away.