Chapter 94: Abandoning the Sword
Ji Juechen's memories ended at this point, but the experiences that followed did not stop.
At age 24, Ji Juechen was diligently cultivating his sword techniques at the academy. He felt something wasn't quite right, as if he had forgotten something.
An exchange student arrived at the academy, grasping an extremely powerful momentum. Ji Juechen felt that as long as he fought him, his sword would become even stronger.
On an arena stage, Ji Juechen and Huo Yuhao stood facing each other. After a few exchanges, he was defeated.
However, a blessing in disguise occurred as both he and Huo Yuhao entered deep meditation, allowing him to once again refine his sword techniques.
Three days after entering deep meditation, Ji Juechen slowly woke up, but the scene gave him a profound sense of absurdity.
Huo Yuhao shouldn't be that weak, and his own views on the sword were also wrong. Where exactly was the problem?
Jing Ziyan looked at Ji Juechen with some worry. Ever since the sparring match with Huo Yuhao, Ji Juechen was always dazed, and she didn't know what he was thinking about.
Fragments of memories constantly flashed through his mind, but they were quickly neutralized by the dream, making everything seem reasonable again.
Ji Juechen continued his daily life of sparring and competing with others, focusing entirely on cultivating his sword, and his investigation into the strange feeling lessened significantly.
At age 25, Huo Yuhao left. Before leaving, he extended an invitation to Ji Juechen, hoping he would join the Tang Sect.
Ji Juechen subconsciously asked back, "Isn't it the Spirit Pagoda?" His words were followed by a long silence.
Huo Yuhao looked at Ji Juechen strangely, feeling curious about the name Spirit Pagoda.
Ji Juechen fell into deep thought again. This Huo Yuhao was not right; his eyes lacked a sense of unyielding Martial Soul and held a hint of hatred instead.
Ji Juechen didn't know where the feeling came from, but he just felt that Huo Yuhao shouldn't be like this.
At age 26, the continental war broke out. Countless people rushed to the battlefield one after another. Ji Juechen did not like war and did not go to the battlefield.
Countless soul engineers saw it as a great Opportunity to make a name for themselves, but Ji Juechen was not interested; he only loved his sword.
After the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy unsuccessfully invited him to join the Soul Engineer Legion several times, he received a letter of dismissal.
Ji Juechen had no choice but to set out with Jing Ziyan toward Shrek City, planning to see what the Tang Sect was all about.
However, war was happening everywhere. It was no easy task to travel from the Sun Moon Empire to Shrek City. He and Jing Ziyan had a difficult time avoiding the flames of war.
At age 27, Ji Juechen's luck was poor. He and Jing Ziyan were intercepted on their way to the border.
The soldiers guarding the pass rejected his and Jing Ziyan's application to leave the country. Genius Soul Masters were not allowed to leave the Sun Moon Empire during wartime.
Ji Juechen didn't know yet that Mingde Hall had modified his information. Because he was unwilling to participate in the war, he was prohibited from leaving the country.
Jing Ziyan wanted to ask him to sneak across the border, but Ji Juechen refused. The border's defensive spirit tools were fully active during wartime, making it very difficult for them to leave.
Ji Juechen returned once more to the courtyard where he had lived for a long time, looking at everything in the yard with a blank expression.
Jing Ziyan sat beside him, not knowing how to comfort him. She knew how difficult Ji Juechen's journey had been.
Ji Juechen looked at a low-quality scarecrow in the courtyard, which he had used for sword practice as a child. Memories of his father woke up in his mind again, and he took out the Extra-Terran Meteorite Iron to practice his sword.
He was unwilling to go to the battlefield and did not wish to use it to enhance his reputation. His father never returned, and he did not want anyone else's father to die because of him.
Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan continued to live in this courtyard. Their relationship became increasingly close, and Ji Juechen's single-minded devotion to the sword seemed to loosen slightly.
Under the constant daily cultivation, Ji Juechen's cultivation speed slowly decreased. There were no suitable opponents and no resources to consume.
He seemed to be getting further and further from his dream, but looking at Jing Ziyan, who had always taken care of him, it didn't seem that important anymore.
At age 28, Ji Juechen achieved a Breakthrough to Soul Saint. The harsh environment had slowed his cultivation speed significantly, but he didn't care that much anymore.
Every day he went out to help some low-level Soul Masters hunt for souls to earn some income, using what remained after cultivation to pay people for sparring matches.
In the same year, Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan fell in love. They became husband and wife and settled down completely in this small town.
Ji Juechen's greatest love was no longer the sword, but had instead become his wife, and perhaps in the future, his child.
His comprehension of the sword nearly reached a standstill. He slowly let go of that obsession with the sword; this kind of life was also good.
At age 29, this was the happiest year for Ji Juechen. His child was about to be born, and Jing Ziyan was about to become a mother. Both of their faces were filled with happy smiles.
Ji Juechen seemed to have become the father from his memories. He made a sword out of wood in advance, intending to use it as a gift for the child's birth.
The valiant Jing Ziyan was not much like his mother; she was still carefree, running around every day and doing as she pleased, relying on the powerful physical quality of a Soul Master.
An irrepressible smile began to appear on Ji Juechen's usually calm face as he watched Jing Ziyan's noisy antics without saying a word.
At age 30, Ji Juechen's child was born—it was a girl. His ice-like expression completely vanished, a smile was often on his face, and he gradually began to speak more.
However, Evil Soul Masters were becoming increasingly powerful in the Sun Moon Empire. Turmoil began to appear in towns and villages everywhere, and they even ran rampant within the Capital City.
On a dark night, Ji Nianjian went missing. Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan searched for their daughter frantically.
Until they saw a black-robed person wearing a mask holding their daughter, Ji Juechen quickly thought of those Evil Soul Masters who were causing trouble everywhere.
He stepped forward to block for Jing Ziyan. Seven Soul Rings appeared, his Spirit Avatar was activated, and he charged fiercely at the masked person.
"He he he he he he," a low laugh came as nine Soul Rings emerged from the black-robed person. Ji Juechen's Spirit Avatar was broken in a single blow.
Ji Juechen still refused to give up and used the Extra-Terran Meteorite Iron to attack forcefully, but after just two strikes, the Masked Douluo completely snapped the Extra-Terran Meteorite Iron.
Ji Juechen spat out a mouthful of blood. His damaged Martial Soul made him unable to use it again. His arms were quickly broken by the Masked Douluo, and his legs were pinned to the ground.
Jing Ziyan was entangled by the Masked Douluo's subordinates. Seeing the situation, she also used her Spirit Avatar to rush toward Ji Juechen, wanting to save him.
Watching the Masked Douluo's ninth Soul skills light up, Ji Juechen roared desperately for the first time. His face became distorted, and he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Go! Ziyan, go! Don't worry about me, just go!"
Jing Ziyan was hit head-on by the ninth Soul skills. She seemed to have overestimated her strength, or perhaps for her only two relatives, she had already put life and death aside.
Jing Ziyan was dead. Her body lay silently before Ji Juechen's eyes, motionless.
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