Lin Yan, an orphan from Shattered Sword Valley, can hear the whispers of sword remains. He follows the late Valley Master’s teachings, making “protection” the heart of his sword. The Primordial Sword Principle shattered ten thousand years ago, its fragments hidden among the ordinary lives of the human world. When the Sword-Seizing Sect raids the valley, the old master gives his life to protect Lin Yan, helping him awaken his natal sword, “Heartkeeper.”
Carrying the belief that “the sword exists to protect,” Lin Yan ventures into the world. He meets Su Li, the legitimate heir of the Sword Realm, who believes in “heartlessness,” and shakes her conviction through his efforts to protect the people. He also befriends Lao Shi, a reclusive swordsmith whose scabbard bears the design “Peace.” Lao Shi reveals the truth: “A sword that cannot protect anyone is nothing but scrap iron.”
When faced with Xuanjizi, who seeks to monopolize the Sword Principle in the name of “heartlessness,” Lin Yan raises his sword in the midst of peril. Its ringing resounds through heaven and earth: “I have a sword that can protect one person, guard an entire city, and defy mountains and rivers!” This strike dispels every illusion and gathers the sparks of the mortal realm, ultimately reforging the Sword Principle in the human world: the sword follows the heart and protects what the heart holds dear. The fiercest swordfire burns in the warmth of the heart; at the end of the sword’s path lies the light of countless homes.
