Chapter 4: The sacred sword.

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: The sacred sword.

A week passed quietly.

Nothing particularly interesting happened within the Chen Family during those seven days. The younger members continued their cultivation and training as usual.

The elders handled their respective duties, while the ordinary members of the clan went about their daily lives as they always had.

It was worth mentioning that the Chen Family’s main source of income came from its medicinal gardens and the sale of spiritual plants to the city.

Most of the elders were either busy running errands in the medicinal gardens or handling the management and transportation of spiritual plants to the stores in the city.

Yet, beneath that peaceful surface, something had changed.

Somewhere at the back of the family grounds, where a waterfall descended from a rocky cliff and poured into a clear pool below, a familiar figure sat upon a large gray rock.

Chen Yuan.

His legs were crossed, and his hands rested casually upon his knees.

The sound of the crashing water behind him filled the surroundings, while the gentle mist produced by the waterfall drifted through the air.

Around the rock was a group of children sitting together.

Unlike the children from the inner clan, these children wore simpler clothes. The reason was due to the absence of spiritual roots, which meant they were bound to remain mortals for the rest of their lives.

They were members of the Chen Family’s outer clan.

The distinction between inner and outer members was something that existed within almost every cultivation family. Those who possessed spiritual roots were considered inner members, while those who did not were relegated to the outer clan.

Without spiritual roots, ordinary people had no chance of stepping onto the path of cultivation. At most, they could strengthen their bodies through martial techniques, but compared to true cultivators, it was as though a frog were standing next to an elephant.

As a result, the stronger members of the clan naturally received greater attention and resources. The weaker ones were often assigned miscellaneous tasks.

Managing the family’s fields.

Maintaining buildings.

Looking after ordinary businesses.

Handling various chores that the cultivators themselves had no interest in doing.

It was simply the way cultivation clans operated.

Especially, it was the way the world operated.

The strong were respected, while the weak were left behind with few options.

However, Chen Yuan never had that particular way of thinking.

After all, he had once been an outer clan member himself. It was merely because of luck and fate that he had managed to find a way to cultivate.

And this mindset was good for him.

Since the outer clan consisted of several thousand people, if the system truly relied on the belief of the Chen Family to increase the trust value, then ignoring those several thousand people would be foolish.

Because of that, Chen Yuan had spent the past week testing that assumption.

Every now and then, he would make his way toward the areas where the outer clan members lived. Sometimes, he would tell the children stories. At other times, he would secretly gauge their bodies.

Who knew? There could be a hidden gem anywhere in the world.

Other times, he would simply answer whatever questions the children had in their minds.

He never forced them to believe.

He didn’t need to.

Children were naturally curious. Once a story caught their attention, they would spread it themselves to others.

And that was precisely what Chen Yuan wanted.

At first, there had only been a handful of children listening to him. But after several days, the number had dramatically increased.

Today, more than twenty children had gathered around the waterfall.

Chen Yuan looked at their expectant expressions and continued speaking. His voice wasn’t loud, nor was it inaudible. Yet every child could hear his voice clearly as he narrated the story beneath the sound of the waterfall.

He didn’t tell the same story as before. Instead, he casually added another portion of Chen Feng’s supposed life story here and there.

He spoke about how the swordsman had once entered a dangerous region alone, how he had encountered cultivators along the way, and how he had relied upon nothing but his sword to overcome the difficulties.

"Who said you needed spiritual roots to cultivate?"

Chen Yuan’s voice wasn’t particularly loud, yet the moment those words left his mouth, the children around the waterfall fell completely silent.

Even the sound of the waterfall seemed distant for a brief moment.

Chen Yuan sat upon the gray rock, his gaze sweeping across the children before him.

"Those who believe that strength can only be achieved through spiritual roots are merely trash."

Several children widened their eyes.

Chen Yuan continued, his voice carrying an unusual weight as its meaning settled into the children’s hearts.

"Do you think Ancestor Chen Feng was born with a spiritual root?"

"No!"

"He didn’t possess some heaven-defying bloodline either!"

"He wasn’t born with a body blessed by the heavens. And he certainly didn’t believe his fate had already been decided from the moment he was born into this world."

Chen Yuan paused, his eyes settling on one of the younger boys sitting near the edge of the pool.

"You have no spiritual roots?"

The boy’s expression stiffened, and several other children subconsciously lowered their heads.

They had heard those words countless times before.

No spiritual roots.

Mortals.

Outer clan members.

Those labels had accompanied them since they were very young.

Chen Yuan looked at them calmly.

"So what?"

The boy slowly raised his head, and Chen Yuan continued.

"Does the absence of spiritual roots mean your arms cannot swing a sword?"

"No."

"Does it mean your legs cannot run?"

"No?"

"Does it mean your heart cannot become stronger?"

The children stared at him.

"No!"

The answer came from several voices at once, and Chen Yuan nodded at them.

"Exactly."

He leaned slightly forward, resting his elbows upon his knees.

"Ancestor Chen Feng once said something."

The children’s eyes immediately brightened. They knew what that tone indicated.

Whenever the Third Elder said those words, another saying from their mysterious ancestor would follow.

Chen Yuan looked toward the waterfall behind him and said, "The heavens may decide where you begin."

His gaze returned to the children.

"But they do not decide where you end."

The children remained silent as their expressions gradually changed. Some clenched their fists, while others felt their hearts beating faster and faster.

Chen Yuan continued.

"Spiritual roots are merely one path. But who told you that it is the only path?"

"Who told you that a mortal must remain a mortal for his entire life?"

"Who told you that because someone was born weaker than another person, he must forever remain beneath that person?"

His voice gradually became firmer.

"If the heavens close one road before you, then find another."

"If there is no road..."

Chen Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Then walk through the wilderness until your footsteps forge your own path!"

The children stared at him.

For some of them, these were merely lofty words that meant little. But for others, those words struck somewhere much deeper in their hearts.

They had grown up hearing that they were different, that they were ordinary, and that they could never achieve anything great in their lives.

Yet now, an Elder of the family was sitting before them and telling them that fate wasn’t something that had already been decided.

Chen Yuan wasn’t actually teaching them any profound cultivation methods. He didn’t even know whether these children without spiritual roots could truly reach the same heights as him.

But that wasn’t the point.

He simply didn’t believe that a person’s entire life should be decided by something they had been born with.

And perhaps neither did the fictional Ancestor Chen Feng.

"Remember this."

Chen Yuan’s voice became calm again.

"Never use your birth as an excuse for your weakness."

"The moment you stop moving forward to achieve greatness, that is the moment when you die while still being alive."

The children looked at one another, and then one of them suddenly clenched his tiny fists.

"I-I want to become stronger!"

Another child followed suit.

"Me too!"

"I will become stronger than anyone else!"

"I want to learn the sword!"

"I want to walk the martial path!"

The quiet atmosphere around the waterfall immediately became lively.

Chen Yuan looked at the excited children and couldn’t help but smile.

"Perhaps... they might truly be able to do it."

For these children, Chen Feng wasn’t merely an ancestor anymore.

Instead, he was an example of a mortal who had defied fate.

Someone who had supposedly walked beyond the boundaries that everyone else accepted as absolute.

"That’s enough for today."

Chen Yuan slowly stood up from the rock and dusted his robe.

"Go home."

"But—"

"No."

The children became disappointed, but Chen Yuan ignored their expressions with a chuckle.

"Another time."

He took a step forward, and his figure blurred before them. Before any of the children could react, the gray-robed old man had already vanished from the place.

Far away, Chen Yuan’s figure appeared on a quiet stone path within the family grounds.

For the past week, he had repeated the same process countless times.

Tell stories, let people listen, and allow the stories to spread.

The results, however, were somewhat strange.

The trust value had increased.

In fact, it had already reached over 5,000 trust values in a single week.

Roughly half of the required amount had already been completed. At this rate, another week might be enough for him to reach ten thousand.

But the story credibility hadn’t increased in the past week.

Not even by one percent.

He had initially assumed that the two values would increase together.

Apparently, that assumption had been wrong.

"Trust increases..."

He muttered quietly.

"But credibility doesn’t."

Chen Yuan slowed his steps.

"That means the system distinguishes between the two. The clan members can trust the existence of Chen Feng through the stories I tell, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re convinced that the stories are real."

Or perhaps there were other conditions he had overlooked.

Chen Yuan had been thinking about it for days.

Then, a possibility gradually formed in his mind.

"Not enough evidence?"

The first increase had happened in front of several children when he told the story. At the time, he had simply assumed it was their belief that caused the increase.

But now, perhaps there had been something else.

"Witnesses for the first increment, but evidence for further progress?"

Again, it was just an assumption.

And there was something in particular that he wanted to try.

"I suppose there is no harm in trying."

He immediately changed direction.

Rather than returning to his residence, Chen Yuan hurried toward the other direction.

To the ancestral grounds.

He moved quickly but didn’t attract much attention. After all, few people would question where one of the family’s elders was going.

The ancestral grounds were located farther away from the main family. The place was usually quiet, and there were few people here except during ceremonies.

Most of the time, it was only him who came here alone, reminiscing about the past and remembering his friends and family members who had sadly passed away before him.

Chen Yuan eventually reached the furthest section of the ancestral grounds.

His gaze swept across the surroundings, and he confirmed that nobody was there.

"Good."

He walked toward an ordinary-looking patch of rock concealed behind several old trees.

With a thought, his storage ring flashed, and an old sword appeared in his hand.

The sword appeared ancient. Its blade was slightly weathered, and its hilt had been deliberately made to appear old.

Chen Yuan had purchased this sword when he was younger. It wasn’t a genuine ancient weapon. It was simply a sword he had bought at random for an expensive price after being scammed by the shopkeeper.

Its true value was almost nonexistent.

But that wasn’t important.

Chen Yuan entered the hidden cave.

No one in the family knew about this place except him. He had originally created it simply as a secluded location to cultivate and store a few things.

But now, he might have discovered another purpose for this place.

He walked toward the deepest part of the cave.

There was a stone platform there, and Chen Yuan approached it, placing the sword upon it.

The old blade stood upright against the stone, illuminated faintly by the dim light entering through the cracks of the cave entrance.

He then took out a small carving tool.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Yuan proceeded to carve several words onto the stone beneath the sword.

They were quotes from his previous life that he remembered.

It was a saying that had once left a deep impression on him.

When he finished, Chen Yuan took several steps backward and examined his work.

"An ancient cave, old murals covering the walls, a weathered sword on the stone platform, and an imposing inscription beneath it."

It looked convincing enough.

At least for a child.

Chen Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

"Now I just need someone to see it."

And he knew exactly who was up for the job.

He left the cave, closed the entrance, and returned to the front section of the ancestral grounds.

Then he waited.

He didn’t have to wait long.

A few hours later, Chen Yuan stood beside an old tree near the entrance. His hands were folded behind his back, and his expression was calm.

His gaze was directed toward the sky, as though he were contemplating some profound matter.

From the outside, he looked completely detached from the world, like one of those mysterious old men from novels.

But inwardly, he was waiting.

Waiting for a certain someone to find him.

Until finally, a small head poked out from behind the wall of the ancestral grounds.

Chen Yuan’s eyes moved slightly.

The little girl looked around before her gaze landed on him. Her eyes immediately brightened.

"Third Elder."

Chen Yuan turned his head.

"Yue’er?"

Chen Yue’er stepped out from behind the wall, smiled, and ran toward him.

Chen Yuan looked at her approaching figure, secretly satisfied by her devotion so far.

Of all the younger members in the family, this girl had become the most dedicated listener of Chen Feng’s stories.

Almost every two days, she would somehow find him and ask question after question about the supposed ancestor.

He had already expected that she would eventually come looking for him again today.

"What are you doing here?"

Yue’er stopped in front of him.

"I was looking for you, Third Elder."

"I see."

She looked at him expectantly.

"Third Elder, can you tell me more about Ancestor Chen Feng?"

Chen Yuan remained silent for a moment. Instead of answering, a faint smile appeared on his face.

"You really are the most dedicated one among the younger generation when it comes to the family’s history."

Yue’er puffed out her chest proudly at the supposed compliment.

"Of course!"

Chen Yuan smiled and nodded before looking toward the ancestral grounds.

"Since you’re so interested..."

He turned back toward her.

"Let me show you something incredible."

Yue’er’s eyes widened.

"Something incredible?"

"Come with me."

Yue’er hurriedly followed, and the two passed through the ancestral hall and continued deeper into the grounds.

The farther they went, the quieter the surroundings became.

Eventually, the familiar buildings disappeared behind them. Only the old trees and weathered stone remained.

Yue’er looked around curiously.

She had never been here before in her entire life.

"Where are we going, Third Elder? This place is off-limits for me."

"You’ll see."

Chen Yuan continued guiding her, and after walking for some time, they finally arrived at the furthest point of the ancestral grounds.

There was nothing particularly strange here that stood out.

Just a rocky cliff surrounded by thick foliage and trees.

Chen Yuan stopped, scanned the place for a moment, and walked toward a large stone.

He placed his hand against it, and a faint ripple spread through the surrounding air.

Yue’er blinked.

"What was that?"

"An old formation."

Chen Yuan moved the stone slightly.

"It’s been a while since the last time I came here."

The moment the stone shifted, the air before them distorted.

A concealed entrance gradually appeared between the rocks.

Yue’er’s mouth fell open.

"There was a hidden cave here?"

Chen Yuan didn’t answer. He simply stepped inside as Yue’er hurriedly followed behind him.

Once inside, the temperature dropped slightly. The cave was surprisingly deeper than she had originally imagined.

Yue’er slowed her steps as her gaze drifted over the walls, illuminated by the dim spiritual light along them.

The light revealed old murals carved into the stone.

She stared at the drawings.

There were figures holding swords, mountains, rivers, and strange beasts.

Although the murals were crude and weathered, there was something strangely solemn about them.

"Third Elder..."

Yue’er’s voice became quieter.

"What are these?"

Chen Yuan glanced at the murals.

"These were left behind by the older generations. Our family’s history is not what it appears on the surface, child."

He deliberately kept his explanation vague.

"Come."

They continued deeper.

The cave gradually narrowed before eventually opening into a much larger chamber.

At the center stood an old platform.

And upon it, there was a sword.

Yue’er stopped, her eyes widening.

"That is?"

The sword stood silently against the stone platform. It was old, its blade had lost some of its original brilliance, and faint traces of age covered its surface.

Yet somehow, the moment she saw it, she felt that it was different from any ordinary sword.

She took a step forward.

"Could it be, Third Elder?"

Chen Yuan stood behind her, his expression remaining calm.

"This is the sword of Ancestor Chen Feng."

Yue’er’s eyes instantly lit up.

"Ancestor Chen Feng’s sword?!"

She immediately rushed toward the platform, but before she could get close, a hand caught the back of her collar and pulled her gently back.

Yue’er turned around in confusion.

"Third Elder."

Chen Yuan shook his head.

"No."

"But I just want to take a look at it."

"You can look."

His voice remained gentle but firm.

"But you cannot touch it."

"Why?"

"Because this sword is a sacred memorial of the ancestor."

Yue’er immediately stopped.

She looked toward the sword again, this time with even greater reverence.

Chen Yuan slowly walked beside her.

"This sword has been here for a very long time."

"Ancestor Chen Feng left it behind before he departed from the family."

Yue’er stared at the sword.

"He left it here?"

Chen Yuan nodded.

"Yes."

Yue’er hesitated.

"Does that mean he’s dead?"

"No."

Chen Yuan looked toward the ancient sword.

"Not necessarily."

His voice became slightly deeper.

"Leaving behind an item doesn’t mean the person who left it behind is dead, child."

"According to the records passed down by the older generations, Chen Feng left this sword here before leaving the family. He told the people of that generation that he would one day return."

Yue’er’s eyes widened.

"Ancestor Chen Feng will return?"

Chen Yuan smiled faintly.

"That is what the older generations said."

He looked at the sword for a few moments before continuing.

"Whether he returned or not is something nobody knows."

"But this sword remained, so the family preserved it, generation after generation, not as a weapon, but as a reminder that the Chen Family once had an Ancestor who refused to accept fate and struggled with the heavens."

Yue’er stood completely still.

Her eyes drifted toward the sword, then to the ancient murals surrounding the cave.

Her small hands slowly tightened around her doll.