The Dawn of the New World

"Shh, I want to check something!" Hao Xuan shushed the ox-man and concentrated on the connection he felt the moment he first took hold of the greatsword.

In his hands it wasn't just a chunk of metal molded in the shape of a blade but something much more intimate. There was a familiarity in every nook and cranny along the rough edges of the blade and the hilt felt warm to the touch as if it was alive.

He was the one gripping but it felt like it was the one holding onto him.

Hao Xuan cleared his mind and focused on the greatsword and as expected heard a sound in the back of his mind.

It sounded like songbirds chirping merrily at the break of dawn. He even felt the cold sensation of dewdrops rolling down his forearms as a vague image projected itself on his psyche.

And the very next moment the greatsword began to hum lightly, vibrating ever so gently.

"It's true, I kept my understanding of the sword dao from that lifetime, although not all of it remained as is," he muttered in no small amount of disbelief.

The things he was seeing and feeling could only be done by someone that had achieved great progress in understanding the heart of the blade.

There were Seven known realms of Weapon Dao.

First was "Resonance" where the practitioner learned a powerful weapon technique inside and out and begin their long journey on their own path.

The second was "Unison" where they would learn multiple techniques and integrate them into one, effectively creating their own version of it.

The third was "Luminescence" where they would be able to resonate with the weapon and learn to listen to its heart.

And right now this is exactly where Hao Xuan was, at the third realm of the Sword Dao, 'Luminescence'.

The things he felt and saw about dewdrops and the songbirds were what the greatsword had experienced while it was still an unrefined raw ore buried in the side of a mountain.

? 'I spent an entire lifetime trying to comprehend the blade and only managed to reach the third realm after nearly seventy years. Suffice to say, I wasn't very talented but...at least I remember it still.'

He was still so lost in thought that he didn't notice the three grunt creatures lunging at him from every direction. But that still didn't help them in any way because the moment he picked up movement from his front and sides his hands moved by themselves.

It was akin to swatting an annoying fly, an action so minuscule that it required no conscious thought to execute.

Curved at a 20-degree angle the blade slowly moved anti-clockwise before returning to rest followed soon after by the sound of the grunt's bodies hitting the ground.

A seemingly simple movement that no one other than Hao Xuan himself knew or even could see the truth behind.

With the immediate threat taken care of, he returned the blade to the stupefied ox-man to whom his actions were utterly nonsensical.

"I see you take great care of it but it still needs a lot more work. You should take it to a good blacksmith and etch out the true form hidden underneath all that roughness."

"I- Wha-Who are you?" barely managing to stitch together a sentence the ox-man inquired while inspecting his blade but by the time he looked up there was no one there.

He looked over towards the bodies of the grunts to make sure it had really happened and took in a long breath after seeing their half dissolved corpses.

Hao Xuan came and went like a ghost so it was understandable.

After dealing with them he moved along the edge of the inner wall before silently jumping on top of it to get a better view of what was happening outside.

And just like the constant shouts, screams and battle cries indicated it was a total mess.

The cultivators and demihuman guards were fighting shoulder to shoulder trying to keep the sea of claws, talons, and other barbed appendages from entering the city although it looked like they were slowly losing ground.

He noticed several familiar figures on the front lines like Hazel and Fulke fighting alongside Princess Inara.

There were also a few he didn't recognize that stood out amongst them like Rhisiat.

He had transformed himself partially into a beast by becoming one with his soulbond, the Great Mastiff.

He was now over 3 meters in height and both his hands looked like giant claws. Wreaths of red flame surrounded his fists and every time he threw a punch it would send the flames rolling forward for several meters.

He was basically the only one keeping the neverending tide of grunts from overrunning the others.

Unfortunately, even Hao Xuan could tell that he was running out of spiritual energy. Not only were his movements getting slower but the flame was less and less effective.

And it didn't help that the giant creatures he was fighting were immune to the fires burning effects.

😉