Death… and me

The wave of extreme hunger began to rise, and Chu Yang carefully waited in anticipation. Indeed, shortly after, the faint, dim Nine Tribulations Sword within his Dantian once again caused him to feel extremely hungry…

The feeling made Chu Yang feel like a baby who could no longer tolerate his hunger and was wildly flailing about and crying and screaming for some milk. It made Chu Yang break out in sweat. He really did not know where such a feeling of hunger came from.

When his thoughts came into contact with that feeling, the Nine Tribulations Sword gave off a weak resistance and curiosity, like a baby looking at itself with big, naive eyes. The baby's gaze was filled with desire, ignorance, and expectations…

Out of nowhere, Chu Yang felt a brief wave of affection rise within him, and he gently directed his thoughts over to embrace it… In response, the silhouette of the sword slightly resisted, but then let down its guard completely.

Upon contact with his thoughts, Chu Yang also realised where the feeling of hunger came from!

That was not exactly the Nine Tribulations Sword. Technically speaking, that would be the Nine Tribulations Sword's Soul, or Awareness!

When Chu Yang had performed the final technique, piercing the Nine Tribulations Sword into his own chest, blood from his heart had spurted out and stimulated the Sword's Soul. That kick-started the first phase of the Nine Tribulations Sword's greatest secret …

Meanwhile, it was the stimulated Sword's Soul which somehow brought him back to when he was still a youth!

The final technique of the Nine Tribulations Sword was actually a forbidden technique. Not just to die together with the enemy – to actually first kill himself before killing the enemy! Only someone who was completely determined to exterminate his enemy would be able to do such a thing!

What Chu Yang did not know was that the final technique would reveal the mysteries of the Nine Tribulations Sword!

All the previous Masters of the Nine Tribulations Sword had simply followed the Path of Sword Cultivation during their practice. This would never help them gain the Nine Tribulations Sword's approval! This was because they had lowered the sword to a mere practice tool … what could they gain from that?

A sword was, naturally, emotionless. As such, most of the previous Masters had simply chosen the Path of the Emotionless Sword! And that was also why all of them had been mere "Slaves to the Sword"! This included Chu Yang in his previous life – merely a Slave to the Sword; Slave to the Sword!

It was the sword that was utilising its master, and the other way around!

However, Chu Yang had actually performed the final technique "With the blood that runs through my heart, ten thousand tribulations will collapse!"

None of all the other Masters of the Nine Tribulations Sword had dared to use that technique! As such, after their death, whether natural or unnatural, the Nine Tribulations Sword would automatically shatter, returning to its broken state and scattering across the continents. It would silently await its true Master, and look forward to the very day when it would display the very peak of its brilliance, and unveil its true divine destiny…

That was why Chu Yang's desperate performance of the final technique had completely activated the Sword's Soul which now resided in his Dantian. And from that moment onwards, the godly sword, ranked first in the Continent of the Nine Heavens, had truly found its Master!

This was also why it had easily accepted Chu Yang.

It could be said that except for the Nine Tribulations Sword's creator, Chu Yang was the first Master of the Nine Tribulations Sword!

The true Master of the Nine Tribulations Sword.

This was what was meant by surviving in the face of death!

From that moment, Chu Yang knew without a doubt that he would embark on a completely different path from in his previous life!

Now, the Sword's Soul was like a baby hysterically wailing, just waiting to be put to bed. It was calling for the various fragments of the Nine Tribulations Sword, and longing for nourishment from the spiritual energies of the Heavens and Earth! By creating an extreme hunger in Chu Yang, it was pushing him to seek out the remaining fragments of the Nine Tribulations Sword! As for finding the necessary nourishment for the Nine Tribulations Sword…

Chu Yang direction all of his concentration into his Dantian. Then, using his deep concentration, he embraced the faint, dim Sword's Soul, whole-heartedly focused on pacifying it…

After a while, as if it had sensed Chu Yang's sincerity, the Sword's Soul gradually began to calm down. Although it remained a little stubborn, it no longer gave off that intense feeling of hunger…

Like a child who could not get his or her favourite toy, but was old enough to not throw a tantrum, the Sword's Soul just pouted and held back its tears, and looked at Chu Yang with slight grievance…

The Soul of the Nine Tribulations Sword was really rather like an adorable, little kid.

A brief sense of sympathy welled up from within Chu Yang, the feeling actually grew into a slight sense of shame, slowly growing within his heart…

Chu Yang controlled his excitement and exhaled deeply. He opened his eyes and saw Shi Qian Shan looking at him. He could spot a hint of excitement within Shi Qian Shan's eyes. Shi Qian Shan probably thought that Chu Yang was acting strangely due to his injuries. And when he saw that Chu Yang was opening his eyes, he suppressed this excitement, and instead, with a concerned voice, said, "Younger Martial Brother Chu, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that… just now, I suddenly felt like farting, but… however, since Senior Martial Brother, you were directly behind me, I was embarrassed, and it was rather exhausting restraining it…" Chu Yang said in a serious tone and gave Shi Qian Shan a vaguely meaningful look.

"Ahhhh…" Shi Qian Shan's facial expression changed, and in a slightly embarrassed manner, he said, "That… that must have been uncomfortable right…" At that moment, he did not know whether to tell Chu Yang to just fart or… to tell him to just continue holding it in…

Ah, either way, both options would not help him keep up his act…

Meanwhile, listening on the sidelines, Tan Tan also began laughing. However, feeling that it was an inappropriate time for laughter, he did not dare to laugh out loud. His attempt at restraining his laughter, coupled with his unique voice, resulted in a sound which actually, really, sounded like a normal fart…

Shi Qian Shan felt nauseated and almost vomited.

Chu Yang smiled in his heart. He could feel his own attitude and mentality begin to change, and he was no longer the Chu Yang of his previous life…

He had been given the chance to make amends for all his regrets. Naturally, his personality mellowed, and he became someone who was driven but not easily provoked.

In his previous life, he had only obtained the Sword Point of the Nine Tribulations Sword four years after the current moment. Moreover, in his past life, he had not known that the Nine Tribulations Sword actually possessed a Soul!

Treading carefully towards the houses in the Purple Bamboo Forest, it seemed as if Chu Yang's mindset was changing with every step that he took, transforming as he approached his destination. With each and every step that Chu Yang took, as he approached the house that had once only existed in his memories, he could feel his soul tremble. And then, it was replaced by a new feeling; his heart actually gradually began to fill with longing.

Inside that house was his own Teacher! The person whom he had admired and looked up to the most throughout his entire life!

Ever since he had returned to when he was sixteen, he was already no longer the Poisonous Sword Revered Martial Artist! At that moment, he was simply Chu Yang, a mere youth – a frail and delicate one!

On that continent, there were countless people who could kill him in his current powerless state! If he had still thought of himself as the Revered Martial Expert which he had previously been, he would probably quickly die due to an overestimation of his own capabilities, relative to his mindset …

Chu Yang knew that a Revered Martial Artist would enjoy great prestige in the Three Lower Heavens. However, in the Three Middle Heavens, there would still be instances when a Revered Martial Artist would have to proceed carefully. As for the Three Higher Heavens, if a Revered Martial Artist decided to go there…

He or she would be nothing!

Only by erasing from his memory his past glories in his previous life and beginning anew, one step at a time, pressing onward towards the peak could he achieve his goals! For now, that would be to become the Eldest Martial Brother of all the Inner Quarters Disciples of Beyond The Heavens Sect as soon as possible, and then entering the Seven Shades Congregation Grounds and obtaining the first fragment of the Nine Tribulations Sword!

His new life was starting to look a lot more exciting than his previous life!

The three halted at the same time, for they had already arrived at the Purple Bamboo Garden. While looking at the few houses that had once only existed in his mind, Chu Yang was overwhelmed with intense emotion, which poured from his eyes. He unwittingly stopped moving and stood still. He found that he could only feel emotions within his heart surge forth like an unstoppable tide. For a moment, Chu Yang had actually been unable to contain his emotions!