THE LAST WARRIOR REVENGE

The Blood Sword Legacy

Three years passed quickly. Arga had mastered all the techniques and internal energy that Barata had taught him. Barata’s training had been grueling, but Arga graduated after completing the final stage — the third stage.

Arga remembered the beginning of his training. Barata had told him to chop wood, fetch water, and search for precious stones. Barata said those gems could channel internal energy, and they were extremely valuable. One red stone could be worth hundreds of taels of gold.

The first stage lasted a year: Arga had to cut one thousand pieces of wood, each exactly the same size. That exercise was about balance, and Arga succeeded perfectly.

He also learned to carry water quickly, even while running. That practice strengthened his arm, shoulder, and leg muscles — the foundation for stable stances in combat. Everything had to be strong.

The purpose of these drills was to toughen Arga’s body; during a fight, muscular strength and endurance would keep him standing even when utterly exhausted.

When he searched for precious stones on the steep cliff, he eventually learned to leap from one ledge to another without fear of slipping. That showed he had finally mastered his bodily balance. Although he often fell and was injured at the start, his persistence paid off and he controlled his balance.

In truth, Barata had just used the excuse that he couldn’t reach the gem himself. In reality, the old man had once leaped to grab a stone eight meters away with a single bound — which made Arga even more eager to learn the old man’s art of lightness.

After a year of physical training and mastering cutting and leaping, Arga moved on to the second stage: learning the techniques.

He practiced many techniques — empty-hand moves and sword forms. In this phase, Arga had to work hard to memorize his teacher’s rapid sequences because Barata hoped to sharpen Arga’s memory.

If you can read a technique once and master it, which enemy could stand against you?

To make matters harder, Barata gave him only a wooden sword to train with, not the steel blade Arga had hoped for. And Barata assigned him a task that seemed impossible: cut a piece of wood using a wooden sword.

“That’s impossible, master,” Arga protested.

Barata smiled, then struck his pupil’s head with a piece of wood he was carrying. Arga cried out in pain and immediately bore a bump.

He had lost count of the bumps he’d gotten while studying under the old man. Almost every day brought another one.

“In the martial world, the impossible often becomes possible. Watch closely!” Barata said.

The old man placed a log the size of an arm on supports. With a single motion...

Crack!

The log split in two. Miraculously, Barata’s wooden sword did not break or chip.

Arga gaped in disbelief. He could not fathom how that smaller wooden blade had cut through a log the size of an arm.

“Do you believe now? Your task is to reach the point where you can cut wood with a wooden sword,” Barata said.

“How can you do it, master? Is there a trick?” Arga asked.

“No trick. I simply believed what I held was not wood but a sword. That’s all,” said Barata.

Arga fell silent. From then on he trained diligently. He tried thousands of times and kept failing. It wasn’t the log that broke but his wooden swords; he snapped them one after another. He infuriated his teacher repeatedly by destroying countless practice swords — all of which Barata had made himself. It was no wonder the old man grew angry.

Barata also trained Arga’s mind to believe in what he intended. If one’s suggestion could make something real, turning wood into a sword would not be difficult — but the process took time.

So Barata advised Arga to meditate and cultivate that mental power.

Arga frequently meditated by a small river beneath a great tree. After a year of intense practice, he finally succeeded: he broke a log with his wooden sword.

He smiled with satisfaction.

Barata smiled proudly. With sword and empty-hand techniques mastered and mental power developed, Barata began teaching Arga inner energy.

This training was not easy. But because Arga had learned to focus his mind, he grasped the inner arts more quickly. Within a year, he had to be able to shatter a large stone with his bare hands — a task that had once seemed impossible. Yet Barata had demonstrated it: with a single strike the old man’s hand had pulverized the rock.

“The principle is the same as when you practiced cutting wood with a wooden sword. Combine the force from within your abdomen with the power of your mind. Believe you can break the stone with your fist, and you will reach perfection,” Barata explained.

Encouraged, Arga trained day and night. Scenes of the Golden Step Sect’s destruction flashed before him — the image became his motivation to become a great warrior.

Finally, after a year of inner-energy training, Arga shattered the massive stone with a single punch.

His fists, though scarred from training, had become iron. He could even bend an iron shield with his hands.

Then came the day Barata told him the truth about the destruction of the Golden Step Sect. Over the three years of Arga’s training, Barata had gathered information about the massacre. He had collected enough terrifying news to reveal the whole story to Arga — the last warrior of that sect.

Barata also decided to pass down a sword he had long kept buried in the ground, sealed in an iron chest. He had dug it up that day after it lay hidden for decades.

“This is my Blood Sword, which I will bequeath to you. Be wise in its use, for once you begin killing with it, you may never stop,” Barata said as he handed over the wooden chest containing a blade adorned with a red gem at the hilt.

“About the clan that masterminded the Golden Step Sect’s destruction — did you know who they were from the start?” Arga asked as he sheathed the sword.

Barata nodded.

“Your enemy is no ordinary foe. I was shocked when I learned the truth, but to prevent you from being overwhelmed by my answer, you must dig for the news yourself — start from the lowest rung: the sects that aided in the Golden Step Sect’s eradication,” Barata advised.

“Which sect is that? I’ll go there and find out the truth,” Arga declared passionately.

“That sect is the Red Frog Sect. From there you will learn who took part in the events of three years ago,” Barata said.

“Why didn’t you just tell me who was involved in the slaughter?” Arga asked, a little disappointed. Barata gazed at his pupil for a moment.

“You would be confused by my answer. That’s why you must seek it yourself — so you better understand your foes. You can then time your moves and, as you travel, harden yourself when you learn who your true enemies are,” Barata replied.

Arga nodded in understanding, his eyes fixed on the red-sheathed sword in his hand.

“Red Frog Sect... I will level them to the ground!” he said, his gaze burning with resolve.