We Sword Cultivators Would Rather Break Than Bend

Xie Zheng died in the year he thought he was lucky. Forced onto the sacrificial altar, he found that the ancient Fengyu Zither, which had recognized him as its master, was instead binding the spiritual meridians throughout his body.

His master, who once brought down countless stars to form a splendid celestial chart so Xie Zheng could comprehend the Formation-Breaking Melody, said gently, "The divine tree is the foundation of our sect. Only your blood can breathe new life into it and ensure our sect's glory. Do you understand?"

His senior brother, who once stirred up a sky full of dancing blossoms that transformed into ever-changing sword lights so Xie Zheng could practice the Ancient Sword Melody, looked through Xie Zheng as if seeing someone else's shadow and said with a soft laugh, "Do you know? The Fengyu Zither was originally the younger junior brother's life-bound weapon. It chose you, which means the younger junior brother chose you too..."

His second-youngest senior brother, who had once promised to travel the land with him, fighting demons and vanquishing monsters hand in hand, and who had vowed to help him master the Demon-Suppressing Melody while chanting Buddhist verses, had nothing but cold, bloody intent in his eyes. "If I can bring the younger junior brother back to life, I'm willing to spend the rest of my life atoning. I'm sorry."

And his fiance, whose heart had once been in tune with his and who had shared the tender feelings he discovered in the Spring Awakening Melody, gently stroked his face, his eyes full of regret. "It's a pity this face doesn't look like his at all. If it looked a little more like him, it would be perfect, though your face..."

Xie Zheng: Thanks so much, all of you. You've really mastered this body-double trope.

When he opened his eyes again, a hundred years had passed.

The zither in his arms no longer belonged to someone else. Now he held a sword that belonged only to him.

**

Ning Weizhi had been suppressed by the divine tree in the depths of the earth's ley lines for nearly ten thousand years. He was waiting for his soul to wear away with time and be completely absorbed by the ley lines, until he vanished from the world for good.

Then the Demon God Ning Weizhi would cease to exist.

He couldn't remember when it began, but the divine tree's roots were gradually stained with blood. Its scent slowly roused him from his slumber beneath the earth.

Then one day, the divine tree suddenly went mad, the ley lines were torn apart, and he was free once more.

Ning Weizhi: Seriously? I was all ready to die, and now you pull this on me?

His fragmentary soul fell into the body of a shabby young man. Half-dead, he saw a red-robed sword cultivator carrying a wooden sword cleave in two the monster that had nearly torn him apart.

The red-robed youth's smile was so dazzlingly genuine that he almost blinded Ning Weizhi.

The youth reached out to him. "Are you all right?"

Looking at those pale fingers still stained with blood, Ning Weizhi felt his heart skip from its tranquil rhythm and thought, No, he's not all right. This is serious.

Love at first sight? This was definitely going to be a big problem.

**

"May I ask your name?"

"My name is Xie Jue, a sword cultivator named Xie Jue."

[Unbreakable and unyielding, appears sunny but is actually ruthless, a true sword cultivator who refuses to believe in fate, the shou

&

Ragged and half-dead, looks like he can't fight but is actually even more ruthless, a true lovesick Demon God, the gong]

Theme: Fearlessly transcend the limits imposed by convention and become a better version of yourself.