Chapter 390 - 390: The Next Memories
Kent spent three good days meditating. This was something Dori told him to do to prepare him for what he was about to see in his memories.
It was also a way for him to save his already-attained memories before new ones came.
After he was done, he took out one of the three memory keys meant to help him retrieve memories of his past life as Jest, who was known as Lord Genesis.
He was the first person to have surpassed the Sword King stage and risen to the peak, becoming the first-ever Celestial Sword God.
Now, Kent wanted to know more about that life and learn from it.
The first set of memories was about his life from when he was born inside the slave mine. He saw his life progress through the years until he became old enough to scale the Doom Wall.
When he escaped and became a swordsman at the Genesis Light Sword Sect, he began to rise, and finally, he reached the stage where he was recognized as a powerhouse.
However, while he was at the Sword Saint stage and was hailed as a genius, he never wanted to remain there.
The strongest in the entire world was a Sword King, and that was the last stage for them. That was the stage believed to be the peak.
But Jest knew better.
He knew there was nothing like the peak, for one can keep rising, so he started chasing paths that would take him beyond his current stage and even push him past the Sword King stage.
After years, he realized there was no such way available in the entered world.
That was when he decided to create his own path.
The memory ended there, and Kent, now holding the next memory key, sighed.
He knew that if just a prelude to the real path could push his sword path to that stage, who knows what would become of him when he finally received the true memories of him taking a step to create the Genesis Sword Path?
“This should be good, then,” he said.
He pressed the key against his forehead, and it entered his mind.
Since he had already unlocked the Lord Genesis memories, he could now, as casually as he wanted, access the memories using the keys.
The moment he pressed the key against his forehead, the memories began to flow into his mind.
***
Jest spent 20 years travelling the world in search of a path that could elevate him beyond the Sword King stage.
However, even after meeting the infamous Mountain-Cleaving Sword King, the strongest in the entire world, he couldn’t find what he was looking for.
For a moment, he was disappointed.
That was when he made up his mind.
He knew that if he wanted to rise above that stage, he must create his own way. So, he took permission from his master and left the Genesis Light Sword Sect, travelling to the Sword Valley.
The Sword Valley is one of the most dangerous places left behind from the Primordial Era. It was one of the few remnants of that ancient time.
It was believed that during the Primordial Wars, two powerful swordsmen—rumoured to have risen beyond the Sword King stage—fought in that valley.
Some may call it a rumour, but most consider it a legend. The legend speaks of a legendary battle that lasted for 66 days straight before one of them fell.
However, to show respect to the one who fell, the victor stabbed his sword into the ground and never picked it up again.
Many say that had it not been for that battle, true swordsmen might have risen from the first era, the Primordial Era, as it was believed that these two were among the true swordsmen.
But since they fell, the sword was the only remnant left behind.
Perhaps it was magic, but the sword intent and qi used in that battle still linger in the air to this day.
It is said that all who venture into the valley have a high chance of attaining enlightenment and even going as far as obtaining a sword skill if they are lucky enough.
Skills used in that infamous battle were captured in the sword energy in the air, waiting for the lucky ones to come and learn.
Many rumours also suggest that the sword path used by the two swordsmen was captured within the sword that was stabbed into the ground.
So, all those who ventured there were not only after those sword skills but also the sword paths said to have been stored inside the sword stabbed into the ground.
However, nobody has ever gotten close to the sword, for it was never meant to be approached by the unworthy.
Naturally, Jest wanted to go there and see if the rumours were true. So he set off, and after a year of travelling, he arrived at the Sword Valley, where he was thrust into a world of danger.
The air was filled with the potent energy of the sword, and the remnants of previous sword attacks and echoes of those battles still lingered.
Powerful beasts also took refuge in that space, so Jest had to be extra careful not to fall prey to any of them.
Three years into his exploration, he encountered the first sword skill that wasn’t aiming for his life. Before this fateful encounter, all the sword moves he had encountered were deadly.
However, that was to be expected, considering this was a place where two swordsmen—believed to be beyond the Sword King stage—had fought.
Additionally, aside from the beasts, there were sword moves that could easily kill. However, the beneficial ones were reserved for those who shared a destiny with them.
The moment such a move was learned, it would transform into a dangerous sword technique capable of killing.
That was how Jest learned the Limitless Sword Arc Domain skill. It was a sword skill that, when used, would create a 100-meter domain of pure sword arcs fashion from sword intent and Qi.
Those caught within were destined to have a very bad day. Of course, it came at a cost, but Jest was happy to have learned such a sword move, and so he kept moving.
For five years, he wandered the Sword Valley, searching for the supposed sword stabbed into the ground, but he came out empty-handed.
Yet, his determination never wavered. So, for two more years, he continued his search. On one fateful day, he encountered a dangerous beast he knew he never had the strength to fight against, so he had to run.
Twelve hours—that’s how long he was chased. But in the end, he fell into a vortex pit, and with regret and failure in his eyes, he drowned in his sorrow.
“Welcome, slave,” a voice said.
Then he woke up.