The Sword Song of Layered Worlds

Chapter 1: Sword Shadows in the Cold Pool

Frosty winds swept scraps of snow against the cliffs of the Kampas Plateau. Below the snowline of Divine Sword Mountain, wisps of white mist rose from the Zhulong Pool, like gauzy curtains over a Lingnan water town at dawn. Shen Yanzhi stood by the pool, holding half of a rusty sword. The moment his fingertips touched the deep-red crystal set in its guard, a sharp sting shot up the back of his neck. It was the seventh time today he had felt it, as though someone were repeatedly pricking the same patch of skin with an ice needle.