Rebirth of the Celestial Swordmaster

Chapter 10: The Final Trial

Lin Xiao stood motionless, his breath steady as he stared at the ethereal figure before him. The spirit of the Martial Saint hovered above the temple floor, his piercing gaze filled with an ageless wisdom.

"You have passed the first two trials," the saint’s voice echoed, ancient and powerful. "But strength alone does not make a true cultivator. Will you prove your soul is worthy?"

Lin Xiao’s fists tightened. “I will.”

The spirit raised a hand.

The world around Lin Xiao vanished.

Darkness. Silence.

Then—

A battlefield.

Lin Xiao gasped as he found himself surrounded by flames and corpses. A vast war had taken place here, bodies of fallen cultivators littering the ground, their weapons broken beside them.

It felt real.

A voice whispered behind him.

"Lin Xiao."

He turned—and his breath caught.

A figure stood before him. It was himself.

But this Lin Xiao was different—his eyes were colder, his aura suffocating with unrestrained power. A version of himself who had abandoned everything for strength.

"This is what you will become," the doppelgänger said, voice devoid of emotion. "If you follow the path of vengeance, you will lose everything. Your humanity. Your purpose. Is that the power you seek?"

Lin Xiao felt the weight of the question.

He had always walked the path of strength, of survival. But at what cost?

He clenched his fists. “I will become strong—but I will not lose myself.”

His doppelgänger smirked. "Then prove it."

The illusion attacked.

Lin Xiao barely had time to react.

His other self moved with terrifying speed, a perfect mirror of his own techniques—but stronger.

A dagger strike. A palm technique. A spinning kick infused with Qi.

Lin Xiao dodged, blocked, countered—but every attack he made was matched flawlessly.

This wasn’t just a battle of strength.

This was a battle of resolve.

Who was he?

As their blades clashed, Lin Xiao suddenly understood.

His past life. His current struggles. His thirst for power.

He wasn’t fighting to escape death.

He was fighting to forge his own destiny.

His aura flared. His Qi condensed.

Lin Xiao changed his rhythm, abandoning predictable attacks, moving not as a reflection—but as himself.

His blade found an opening—

And pierced his doppelgänger’s heart.

The illusion shattered.

Lin Xiao gasped as he returned to the real world, sweat dripping from his brow. The Martial Saint’s spirit was still there, watching.

"You have passed," the saint said, his voice carrying a rare approval. "You have proven your soul is unyielding."

A surge of power filled the chamber.

The saint extended his hand—and a golden flame formed in his palm.

"Take my legacy. But remember: power is a blade that cuts both ways."

Lin Xiao stepped forward, his hand trembling slightly as he touched the flame.

The moment he did—

His Qi ignited.

An ocean of martial knowledge flooded his mind, techniques long lost to time engraving themselves into his soul. His meridians trembled as a new, profound cultivation method merged with his being.

Lin Xiao gritted his teeth as his power surged—

And then—

Silence.

When he opened his eyes, the saint was gone.

Only the golden flame remained—now resting within him.

Lin Xiao stood alone in the chamber, his heart still racing.

He had done it.

He had obtained an ancient inheritance.

But as he turned toward the temple entrance, his expression darkened.

Outside, he could sense them.

The Blood Moon Sect. The Scarlet Fang Mercenaries. Others who had followed him into the valley.

They were waiting for him.

Lin Xiao smirked.

Good.

Let them come.

He had the power now.

And he was ready to show the world why they should fear him.