Volume 1, Chapter 2: Sword Pupils, the Young Sword God

With the experience of his past life and his extremely high comprehension, Chen Xuanting took only a single day to master the first volume of the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Art.

Chen Xuanting left his room, intending to search for prey to devour. Only in this way could he rapidly raise his cultivation and leave the mortal realm.

Upon leaving the courtyard, he came across several disciples of the Chen family conversing on a covered bridge not far away.

"Chen Fuyao and Chen Xiao are fighting! Go and see!"

"Why are the two of them fighting?"

"You don't know yet? Chen Xuanting's woman, Liu Ruyan, was snatched by Chen Xiao, who even went to his door to humiliate him. Chen Fuyao is fighting Chen Xiao for Chen Xuanting's sake."

"A good snatch! That bastard Chen Xuanting is not worthy of Liu Ruyan at all. He's just a toad lusting after swan meat. Without the Liu family, he's worse than a dog. It's a pity that a stunner like Liu Ruyan has fallen into Chen Xiao's hands now. If I could just have a taste of her, I'd willingly give up ten years of my life."

Just as they were gossiping about Chen Xuanting, a sudden chill swept over them from behind. They turned around to see Chen Xuanting walking toward them with a cold expression.

The group did not fear him when they saw him. After all, Chen Xuanting was born of a concubine. Usually, he would endure any verbal humiliation silently without daring to utter a word. Naturally, they held him in contempt.

"Go on. Why have you stopped talking?"

Chen Xuanting stared coldly at them, his gaze like that of a venomous serpent ready to devour its prey. The group was startled by his icy, vicious glare.

"So what if I say it? You lowborn bastard, do you actually dare to lay a hand on me? Do you even have the guts?"

Chen Feng, the grandson of the Third Elder, provoked Chen Xuanting.

Chen Xuanting was no longer the patient, submissive man of the past. Without a word of nonsense, he struck Chen Feng's chest with a palm strike, sending him flying. Chen Feng crashed to the ground, spitting blood.

"Chen Xuanting, you lowborn bastard, how dare you strike me!"

Chen Feng glared at Chen Xuanting, never expecting that he would actually dare to attack him.

"Didn't you say I lacked the guts? I have more than enough guts now."

Chen Xuanting stepped on Chen Feng's chest. With a slight exertion of force, a sickening crack echoed as several ribs snapped. Cold sweat drenched Chen Feng's forehead from the excruciating pain.

"Chen Xuanting, my elder brother won't let you get away with this!"

Chen Xuanting pressed down even harder with his foot.

The others were terrified by Chen Xuanting's ruthlessness. How could the man who usually lived with his tail between his legs act so viciously? Had he lost his mind?

"From now on, whenever you see me, you will address me as the Eldest Young Master. Whoever dares to gossip behind my back or call me a bastard again, I will rip out their tongue and feed it to the dogs."

Chen Xuanting flashed a sinister smile that sent a shiver down their spines.

Chen Xuanting lifted his foot and walked away. He was no longer the weak, submissive Chen Xuanting of the past who allowed himself to be bullied. If it weren't for his reservations about being within the Chen family estate, it wouldn't have ended with a mere beating—he would have killed them outright.

The others quickly helped Chen Feng up.

"How did Chen Xuanting become like a completely different person? His eyes were so terrifying."

"The woman he loved, Liu Ruyan, was taken by Chen Xiao. Since he can't do anything to Chen Xiao, he can only take out his anger on Chen Feng."

"That lowborn bastard dared to injure me! When my elder brother returns, I will make him pay!" Chen Feng glared at Chen Xuanting's retreating back with venomous hatred.

Chen Xuanting arrived at the martial arts arena.

The martial arts arena was the place where the disciples of the Chen family usually trained and sparred. Many Chen family disciples had gathered there.

On the dueling platform, Chen Fuyao and Chen Xiao were locked in a fierce battle.

Looking at Chen Fuyao, Chen Xuanting discovered that he had already cultivated a rudimentary sword intent. This surprised him greatly. For someone at the Sixth Stage of the Martial Dao to comprehend even a rudimentary sword intent showed an exceptionally high talent for the sword.

He grew interested in this younger brother of his and released his divine sense to inspect Chen Fuyao's constitution.

To establish a foundation in the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Art, one needed to devour someone with a special constitution.

Chen Fuyao was executing the Gale Sword Technique, a high-grade Yellow-rank technique. His strikes were lightning-fast, like a howling gale. Having comprehended rudimentary sword intent, his sword qi formed a hurricane that swept toward Chen Xiao.

"Chen Fuyao, you wish to defeat me to avenge your brother? Wishful thinking! I am the number one genius of the Chen family's younger generation. No one can defeat me!"

The Mountain-Cleaving Sword Technique executed by Chen Xiao was incredibly fierce and domineering, possessing the power to split mountains and shatter boulders. With a single strike of his sword, he tore through the hurricane.

Chen Fuyao's eyes locked onto Chen Xiao's swordplay, quickly spotting a flaw. He thrust his sword forward, catching Chen Xiao completely off guard. Unable to dodge in time, Chen Xiao was wounded by the strike.

The moment Chen Fuyao exposed the flaw in Chen Xiao's swordplay, his eyes caught Chen Xuanting's attention. His divine sense detected a profound sword intent hidden within Chen Fuyao's eyes.

Innate Sword Intent.

The Sword Pupils!

Chen Xuanting was shocked to his core.

The Sword Pupils were a legendary divine constitution, rarely seen even once in a million years. He only knew that the ancient Sword God possessed the Sword Pupils.

At the thought of the Sword God, Chen Xuanting immediately associated it with the Imperial Chen Clan.

The Sword God, the Chen family, the Sword Pupils.

From these three clues, Chen Xuanting could confirm that he had reversed time and space to arrive in the ancient era of a million years ago. This was a golden age where geniuses emerged in multitudes, an era that not only produced many Great Emperors who shook the ages but also saw individuals ascending to godhood.

What an opportunity!

A truly monumental, heaven-sent opportunity.

The Sword Pupils were extremely miraculous. Before the owner broke through to the Spirit-Communing Realm and awakened their innate divine abilities, they could be seized and transplanted into someone else.

He would have those Sword Pupils, no matter what.

A flash of greed crossed the depths of Chen Xuanting's eyes, and his gaze toward Chen Fuyao grew even more fervent.

"The Second Young Master actually defeated Chen Xiao! Chen Xiao is at the Seventh Stage of the Martial Dao!"

"It seems the position of the Chen family's Young Master will surely belong to the Second Young Master."

These words grated harshly on Chen Xiao's ears.

Just a few days ago, he had been in high spirits, declaring to the world that the position of Young Master was rightfully his, and many had flocked to curry favor with him. He had never expected to lose today to Chen Fuyao, who was a minor realm lower than him. He was utterly unreconciled to this.

"Chen Xiao, did you think defeating my elder brother would allow you to take the position of family head? As long as I am here, it is nothing but a pipe dream. If you dare to cause trouble for my brother again, I will not show you any mercy."

Chen Fuyao did not humiliate Chen Xiao further. After issuing his warning, he took his sword and left the platform.

Nursing his injuries, Chen Xiao struggled to his feet, staring at Chen Fuyao with eyes full of venomous resentment.

*The position of Young Master is mine. Whoever dares to snatch it from me must die!*

"Brother."

Spotting Chen Xuanting in the crowd, Chen Fuyao walked over to him. "Brother, I have avenged you. No one will take the position of Young Master from you."

He had never once thought of competing with his brother for the position.

"Brother, how are your injuries?"

"Just a minor injury. It's no longer a problem."

If it were the former Chen Xuanting, he would have rejected Chen Fuyao's kindness and might have even accused him of meddling. But the current Chen Xuanting was a scheming, old demon. He would never show his emotions on his face, let alone reveal the greed in his heart.

As for the position of the Chen family's Young Master, he did not care for it at all. He stared into Chen Fuyao's eyes, liking what he saw more and more.

Chen Fuyao said, "Brother, I heard your meridians were damaged. I will ask Father for a Meridian-Reforming Pill to restore them."

He offered his brother absolute sincerity, utterly unaware that his brother was plotting to steal his eyes.

"Fuyao, I misunderstood you in the past and repeatedly rejected your kindness. It was my fault. Please don't blame me."

"How could I? As long as you don't misunderstand me, it's fine. My ambitions lie elsewhere. The position of the Chen family's Young Master belongs to you, and no one can take it away."

The two brothers resolved their past grievances. Chen Xuanting wore a warm, sincere smile. No one could have guessed how malicious a demonic heart lay hidden beneath that sincere expression.

After exchanging a few more words, Chen Xuanting mounted a horse and left the Chen family estate.

To raise his cultivation in a short time, his only option was to devour the cultivation of others. Jinling City was under the control of the Chen family. To avoid drawing their attention, he had to leave the city.

Chen Fuyao was indeed a good brother. To help his elder brother recover his damaged meridians as soon as possible, he went to find their father to ask for the Meridian-Reforming Pill.

"Father, Brother's meridians are damaged and he needs a Meridian-Reforming Pill. I hope you can grant him one."

"Fuyao, the Meridian-Reforming Pill is incredibly precious and worth a fortune. Although I am the head of the family, I cannot spend such a massive sum to purchase one for your brother."

"Father, I know you don't like Brother, which is why you refuse to buy the pill for him. He is your son too. Why do you dislike him so much? Is it simply because he is born of a concubine?"

Chen Fuyao had heard rumors regarding his brother's birth, but in his eyes, there was no difference between legitimate and illegitimate status.

Chen Lan replied, "Xuanting's mother was my personal maidservant, but she drugged me. In my anger, I expelled her from the Chen family. She became pregnant from that incident, and after giving birth to Xuanting, she sent him to the family. I disliked his mother, so I dislike him as well."

"Father, it was his mother who made a mistake, not my brother. I want him to be the Young Master of the Chen family."

"You don't want to be the Young Master?"

"My ambitions do not lie here. With my talent, I will surely be accepted into a great sect. I want to pursue the higher realms of the sword."

Chen Fuyao was extremely passionate about the way of the sword, wishing only to pursue its highest peaks.

Chen Lan was highly satisfied with Fuyao's heart of a strong cultivator. This was indeed his worthy son. Mortal fame and fortune were not worth mentioning in the face of immortality.

"The position of Young Master is not yours to give away as you please. If Xuanting wants to become the Young Master, he must rely on himself. As for the Meridian-Reforming Pill you mentioned, I will consider it. However, you must train diligently and strive to break through to the Seventh Stage of the Martial Dao, the Meridian-Opening Realm, as soon as possible. That is the threshold for entering a sect."

"Father, I will definitely break through to the Meridian-Opening Realm as soon as possible."

Chen Fuyao was highly confident in his own talent.