The Ancient Monster Living in My Sword

In the mortal realm of the cultivation world, Lin Fengyuan, a member of a branch family of the Lin clan in Qingzhou, was born with shattered spiritual roots. Branded as useless trash by his clansmen since childhood, he has endured cold stares and bullying. At the clan tournament, he is brutally beaten by the prodigy Lin Tianjiao in public. Refusing to kneel and surrender even at death's door, he hides in the ancestral shrine late at night, weeping before his parents' portraits. By chance, he awakens "Ni"—a fragmented soul that has slumbered for ten thousand years inside an ancient sword on the altar. He also learns that he possesses the Spirit-Devouring Dao Body, a forbidden constitution that can devour all forms of spiritual energy to accelerate cultivation, yet is rejected by the Heavenly Dao—every past bearer has died young. Lin Fengyuan takes Ni as his master and undergoes his first spirit-devouring marrow cleansing in the shrine, sending his cultivation soaring. The disturbance alerts the Lin family's Golden Core ancestor.

To avoid disaster, Ni flees Qingzhou with Lin Fengyuan on a flying sword, officially launching his cultivation journey. Passing through Black Wind Ridge, they meet Old Demon Han, a rogue cultivator who owes a life debt to Lin Fengyuan's father, Lin Yuanshan. He secretly teaches the young man the survival rules of the cultivation world and basic cultivation skills. To seek a proper cultivation path, Lin Fengyuan travels to the Azure Cloud Sect for its entrance trial. Keeping a low profile as a rogue cultivator, he still defeats a Foundation Establishment opponent while only at the Qi Refining realm in the first round, drawing the attention of outer-sect elder Liu Yuanxiu. In the second trial at Black Wind Valley, he is targeted by inner-sect disciple Zhao Yuanting, who forces him off the Soul-Breaking Cliff. With the ancient sword and Ni's help, he barely survives and is rescued by Su Wanqing, a passing inner-sect disciple—who senses his secret but chooses to keep it to herself.