Others cultivate immortality with spiritual roots. Xie Xingchen cultivates immortality with a sword that knows how to “reason.”
The orphaned son of a general, he descends from the immortal mountains to search for his younger sister, only to find an ancient divine sword at the bottom of a river: Carve a Mark on the Boat to Seek the Sword. This sword has a peculiar temperament: anything it “marks” will inevitably be struck by its next blow, even if ten years and a thousand miles lie between them.
And so he
Obtains a token from the Marquis of Zhenbei and saves a city while posing as a scholar;
Forms a bond of goodwill with the Hall of the Informed and rescues the master of Listening Rain Tower from internal strife;
Takes his sword of karma into the imperial court, slays the powerful and the cultivators, contends with princes, and helps a wise ruler ascend the throne.
Once his blood feud is avenged and he has no more attachments in the mortal world, he unleashes one final strike atop the imperial city
Not to kill anyone, but to sever his last karmic tie to this world.
As the sword falls, the pinnacle of martial arts crumbles, and the gate to true immortality swings open.
The assembled court looks up and sees a figure in blue robes riding a crane into the distance, with only the ring of a sword echoing through heaven and earth:
“Carving a mark on the boat is my name; seeking the sword is my path. My karma is settled today. I’m off to attain immortality.”
All the myriad bonds of this world are no more than the final wisp of dust he must sever on his path to immortality.
The plot is very interesting. I have watched it too many times and the plot routines are all similar. This plot is not cliché and interesting.