Heaven's Blade: Chronicle of the Silent Spirit

The streets of Tian Dou Ling bustled with life beneath a sky of silver clouds. Long Wei, dressed in fresh traveling robes, stepped through the city gates for the first time. His gaze swept over towering pagodas, bright market stalls, and banners fluttering in the breeze.

For a boy who had only known the quiet of Qinglan Village, Tian Dou Ling felt like a world reborn.

He wandered slowly, eyes wide as he passed rows of merchants calling out their wares—jade trinkets, silk garments, gleaming weapons, and fragrant foods sizzling on iron stoves. Laughter mixed with the clink of coins and the distant echo of bells from the temple tower.

Yet his true goal stood beyond all this noise: Tiān Lóng Wǔ Yuàn Academy, the famed martial school spoken of in his mother's quiet stories.

As he walked, following painted signboards toward the academy district, Long Wei's steps slowed. From the corner of his eye, he caught sudden movement—a man in dark clothing sprinting from a jewelry stall. In his hand glittered a pearl necklace, and behind him, a group of city guards gave chase, shouting commands.

The thief rushed directly toward Long Wei.

Instinctively, Long Wei tried to step aside. But in the next instant, everything changed.

The thief grabbed a small girl from the roadside—no more than six years old—and pressed a thin dagger to her neck.

"Back off!" the thief shouted, voice hoarse with desperation. "One more step, and she dies!"

The guards halted immediately. Bows lowered. Spears trembled in the air. None dared to risk the child's life.

Long Wei's heart pounded in his chest. His breath caught as a sharp pain bloomed behind his eyes—a pulse of searing light, as if something deep within him stirred.

Memories—no, shadows of memories—flashed through his mind. Blood. Fire. A woman's voice crying his name in anguish. His body swayed slightly from the force of it.

He didn't know what these visions meant. They didn't even feel like his own.

At that moment, a faint glow lit up against his chest.

Long Wei's hand moved instinctively to touch it—his pendant. The necklace his mother had given him, which always rested against his skin.

But now, it blazed with silver-blue light.

Before he could think, his body moved. His feet left the ground as if guided by an unseen force. His arms and legs acted on reflex—no, something deeper than reflex.

One moment, he stood frozen. The next, he was between the thief and the child.

The air split with a sharp crack as Long Wei's palm struck the man's wrist. The dagger fell to the ground.

Gasps echoed from the crowd.

In one smooth motion, Long Wei swept the child behind him and turned to face the thief. But before the thief could recover, a sudden wind swept through the street.

Long Wei felt weightlessness. The pendant's light enveloped him completely—pulling him away, like a river's current sweeping its rider.

The next thing he knew, he was falling.

His body tumbled into a pile of straw mats stacked in an alleyway. His breath caught as he hit the ground, vision swirling with disorientation.

The pendant's light faded. His mind cleared, but his memory of the last few seconds remained hazy.

Around him, the marketplace erupted into confusion. Guards rushed to secure the thief, who now lay unconscious, struck down by some invisible force.

"What happened just now?" a soldier murmured. "That girl—she's safe… but how?"

Another elder man, tall with silver-streaked hair and a dignified bearing, approached. His robes marked him as someone of importance. His eyes narrowed as he questioned the guards about the incident.

Hearing their report, he frowned. "A boy appeared… and vanished?"

Trusting his instincts, the elder followed the lingering spiritual aura through the city's streets. It wasn't long before he found the source.

There, amidst scattered straw mats, lay Long Wei—unconscious but breathing.

The elder knelt beside him, placing two fingers against Long Wei's wrist. His brows furrowed deeper.

"This boy…" he whispered. "His body is overflowing with spiritual energy—unstable, but… natural. Not forced. What power guides him?"

Recognizing danger if left unattended, the elder lifted Long Wei carefully and carried him to the place he had intended to visit next anyway: Tiān Lóng Wǔ Yuàn Academy.

There, Long Wei was placed in a quiet chamber with soft bedding and herbal medicines prepared.

For hours, Long Wei slept. His breathing steadied.

By morning, sunlight streamed through the wooden blinds, painting golden stripes across the floor.

Long Wei's eyes opened slowly. His first instinct was to touch his neck—searching for the familiar pendant.

It was gone.

Panic flickered in his heart. He sat up quickly, eyes scanning the unfamiliar room. His thoughts raced.

That's right… I fell… where am I now?

At that moment, the door slid open.

The elder stepped inside, carrying a cup of tea. His presence radiated calm authority.

"You're awake," the elder said. "Good."

Long Wei didn't answer at first. He kept looking around, his voice finally breaking through:

"Have you seen… a necklace? I always wore it around my neck. A pendant my mother gave me."

The elder set the tea down gently. "I carried you here myself. From the time I found you until now, there was nothing around your neck."

Long Wei's heart sank. He pressed a hand to his chest, as if hoping to feel the pendant return.

But it was gone.

Only now did fragments of memory flash back to him—the pendant glowing… protecting him… and then vanishing in a burst of light.

"I see…" he whispered, voice tightening.

Though a small ache settled in his heart, Long Wei's face slowly steadied.

No use mourning now. What's done is done.

Looking up, Long Wei asked quietly, "Where… exactly am I?"

The elder smiled faintly. "You're in Tiān Lóng Wǔ Yuàn Academy. And I am Shen Yuxiu, Fifth Elder of the Academy."

At those words, Long Wei's eyes widened.

Quickly, he slid from the bed, kneeling with both hands clasped before him.

"My deepest respects, Elder Shen! My name is Long Wei, son of Qinglan Village's matriarch. I give you my sincerest greetings."

Shen Yuxiu raised a hand gently.

"There's no need for such formality now. Rest first. Your journey is only beginning."

Long Wei bowed again, determination flickering in his gaze despite the lingering ache where his pendant once lay.

Even without it…

His first step as a martial cultivator had already begun.