the blade that cuts fate
The wind was howling on the edge of the Blackspire Mountains as Li Tian stood before the shattered cliff, his eyes reflecting the storm clouds above. His robe, torn at the sleeves from the earlier battle, fluttered like a war banner. Below him, the jagged ravine hissed with the scent of sulfur, as if the earth itself held its breath in anticipation.
Behind him, the path back to the sect had already vanished—collapsed by the earlier ambush. Before him, only uncertainty, and the next step on the path his system had revealed.
[Ding! New Quest: Awaken the Blade of Ancestral Fate]
Objective: Claim the Skybreaker Blade hidden in the Forgotten Vault.
Time Limit: 3 days
Reward: +3 to all stats, Unique Skill – Echo Severance
Li Tian's gaze hardened. A hidden vault? The system had spoken of it once before in passing—during his first week of rebirth—but back then, he'd been too weak, too hunted, to seek it out. Now, with his Qi surging like thunder through his veins, it was time.
And yet, something gnawed at him.
"Three days…" he muttered, leaping off the cliff edge without hesitation. "So be it."
The descent was not without peril. Fiery winds licked at him from the sides of the ravine. Strange beast cries echoed up the walls like the shrieking of long-dead cultivators. But Li Tian remained unfazed. His internal Qi flowed like a river of blades, cutting through minor threats without a flick of his hand.
As he touched down on the cracked earth at the bottom, he sensed it—a pulse. Faint, rhythmic. Not like a heartbeat, but like a call.
The vault is calling.
He followed it, deeper into the shadow-choked paths, until he came upon a narrow fissure between two massive boulders. At first glance, it looked natural, but as he stepped closer, he saw the faint runes etched into the stone—ancient, almost erased by time.
The system's voice chimed again.
[Vault Access Identified: Initiate Soul Recognition?]
"Yes," he answered, breath steady.
A wave of invisible energy surged through him. For a moment, it felt as if every cell in his body was being unraveled, examined, and rewritten. Then, the fissure split wider—unnaturally—and a stairwell of obsidian descended into the darkness.
Inside, silence reigned.
Li Tian's footsteps echoed in unnatural rhythm, and each step seemed to press against his chest with invisible weight. Finally, the corridor opened into a circular chamber lined with weapons—spears, swords, scythes, all mounted with reverence. And in the center, upon a jagged pedestal, lay it:
The Skybreaker Blade.
It was enormous—its hilt blackened as if forged from shadow, its blade a silver so pure it almost hurt to look at. And it was humming. Not with sound, but with presence. The moment Li Tian stepped closer, he heard the echo of thousands of voices.
War cries. Prayers. Screams. Victory chants.
He reached for it.
[Warning: The Skybreaker Blade tests all who seek to wield it.]
[Begin Trial?]
Without hesitation: "Begin."
Suddenly, the chamber vanished.
Li Tian found himself standing in a vast, cracked arena under a blood-red sky. Across from him stood… himself. Or rather, a version of himself—cold, ruthless, eyes gleaming with madness. This was not just a doppelgänger.
This was what he could become—if he let vengeance consume him.
The system's voice was quiet now, as if even it dared not interrupt the confrontation.
His double stepped forward, smiling with cruel mirth.
"You think you deserve power because you were betrayed?" the other Li Tian spat. "You're weak. You still mourn. You still hesitate."
Li Tian drew his sword.
"I know pain," he said quietly. "But I don't run from it. I rise because of it."
The clash was instant.
The twin wielded shadows that coiled like snakes, while Li Tian met him with piercing light drawn from his rebirth Qi. Each strike threatened to rip apart the ground beneath them. The arena shook with every blow. Minutes passed. Then hours. Then time ceased to exist altogether.
Until finally, panting, bleeding from the lip, Li Tian saw his moment.
He remembered his master's words from his first life: "A sword is not just steel. It is will."
And his will had been forged twice over.
With one final burst of Qi, he let go of all hesitation and drove his blade straight through his twin's chest.
The false Li Tian shattered into golden dust.
The arena faded. He stood once again in the vault.
Before him, the Skybreaker Blade rose of its own accord and floated toward him.
[Trial Passed: You have claimed the Skybreaker Blade.]
[You have gained Unique Skill – Echo Severance]
[All Stats +3]
He gripped the hilt.
And the moment he did, he saw glimpses of the future—fleeting flashes.
A battlefield soaked in fire. A tower collapsing in golden light. A girl crying his name. A throne made of bone.
Then it was gone.
The blade dimmed, now merely steel in his hand. But Li Tian knew: this sword would be the instrument of his fate. And perhaps… the key to reshaping it.
Back outside the vault, he found the ravine eerily quiet. Too quiet.
Then came the voice.
"Well done, brother."
Li Tian froze.
A figure stepped out from behind a jagged stone. Robed in obsidian, face half-covered, but the voice—he would never forget it.
Li Feng.
His elder brother.
The one who had betrayed him.
His blood boiled.
"I should kill you," Li Tian growled.
Li Feng chuckled. "You could try. But you've just awakened your first true weapon. The world's a bigger place than you remember. And if you truly want revenge… you'll need more than steel."
He disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke, leaving behind a scroll.
Li Tian opened it.
[Main Quest Updated: The Twelve Thrones Await]
Objective: Journey to the Central Continent. Defy the Thronebearers. Rewrite fate.]
His eyes narrowed.
Twelve Thrones. Central Continent. New enemies… or new victims?
Either way, he would carve his path with the blade that now slept at his side.
Somewhere Else…
A girl stood at the edge of a cliff, eyes closed, feeling the wind.
"Did you feel that?" she whispered.
Her master nodded. "Skybreaker has awakened. The Rebirth System's wielder lives."
The girl opened her eyes. Silver. Cold.
"Then the world will burn."