The Secret of The Demonic Artifact

"Wind Sword Slash!" exclaimed an 8-year-old boy, encouraging himself amid sword practice.

He trains in a mini bamboo forest behind the Wudang Sect.

The little boy was named Eadric Rong.

The mini bamboo forest is part of the territory of the Wudang Sect, one of the strongest sects in the Wriston Kingdom.

Since this morning, Eadric Rong had been engrossed in practicing the sword technique known as the Nine Steps of the Wind Sword, a basic technique that all disciples in the Wudang Sect must master. However, Eadric Rong's physical condition was pitiful.

Since childhood, he never had any power in his body. Eadric Rong was born without the Pearl Core, the energy-gathering source at the center of the human body that is necessary for anyone who wants to pursue the path of cultivation and martial arts.

Without the Pearl Core, even if he had practiced the sword for a thousand years, all those moves would only have looked beautiful but would have been powerless.

Eadric Rong can be said to have been born with a congenital disability and was destined to be an ordinary person for the rest of his life.

By now, the sun was overhead. Sweat had drenched Eadric Rong's body, yet he had not stopped training.

"I have to keep trying. Even if I don't have pure air, at least practicing swordplay like this will have benefits later on!" thought Eadric Rong with determination.

Suddenly, a voice interrupted his training. "You're wasting your time practicing that kind of sword training. You'll only be wasting time swinging your sword, consuming the sect's resources while your body produces no pure air! Your movements are beautiful but meaningless!"

Eadric Rong was startled. He didn't want to look back to find out who was speaking. Without looking, he knew it must be Malakai Yan's voice. Malakai Yan was the only child of the deputy leader of the Wudang Sect, older than Eadric Rong.

Despite being 11 years old, he loved to bully Eadric Rong. In addition to the abuse and ridicule he had been subjected to, Eadric Rong had also been beaten to a pulp several times by Malakai Yan, all because of his inability to gather pure air while practicing martial arts.

Continuing to swing his sword in beautiful movements, Eadric Rong pretended not to care. "Hey, Eadric Rong, are you deaf? I've called you several times, but you pretend not to listen!" shouted Malakai Yan angrily. At this moment, Malakai Yan was sitting on the numerous rocky boulders at the back of the sect.

The Wudang Sect is located in Wudang Mountain, a mountain range on the Western side of the Wriston Kingdom. Seeing the unconcerned Eadric Rong practicing swordplay down there, an 8-year-old girl named Judith Tang heated Malakai Yan.

"Alright, Big Brother Wei, why don't you hit him? This Eadric Rong has no shame, still insisting on practicing swordplay when he doesn't have a Pearl Core. All the sect's resources are just going to waste!"

At that moment, Malakai Yan jumped off the rock he was sitting on, now about ten steps away from where Eadric Rong was practicing the sword. The swishing sound of the wooden sword could still be heard as Eadric Rong swung the wooden sword.

"Alright, let's beat him up as usual!" Another little boy's voice joined in, following the crowd. His name was Teddy Huo, and he was 10 years old. Malakai Yan, Judith Tang, and Teddy Huo were three friends. They loved to bully Eadric Rong.

As Eadric Rong continued to engage in sword practice, there was a sudden whistle, followed by a fist attack from Malakai Yan. "Fool! I'm still insisting on practicing martial arts! Today, I'll break your hand!"

According to the Swallow Striking Technique, Malakai Yan appeared to leap beautifully in a body-lightening motion. His hands formed a fist called the Lightning Fist. Although he was still young, Malakai Yan's fists were already capable of crushing goat-sized rocks.

"Feel the blow!" shouted Judith Tang without pity when she saw Malakai Yan's body flashing with the sound of fists like running water. "He's dead, at least maimed for life!" hissed Teddy Huo with sparkling eyes.

For some reason, this group of three children hated Eadric Rong so much. Eadric Rong had never done anything wrong to them—the desire to oppress the weak seeped into the children's souls.

The principle may have influenced this in the Kingdom of Wriston: "Stay strong and mighty, for the strong will oppress the weak!"

As the four pairs of eyes waited for Eadric Rong to be knocked down by Malakai Yan's Lightning Fist, suddenly, something strange happened. Eadric Rong spun the wooden sword in his hand with an agile and highly nimble movement. The sound of the sword squeaked as if it possessed the power of pure air.

"This - this... how did it happen? Isn't he unable to gather pure air?" cried Judith Tang and Teddy Huo simultaneously.

However, something interesting happened to Malakai Yan. When the tip of Eadric Rong's sword turned, magically like the style of a swordplay expert, Eadric Rong shifted the direction of the wooden blade. Suddenly, the sword's movement locked onto Malakai Yan's chest.

"Wretch! How can he be this strong?" Malakai Yan complained softly.

Boxing and swords are two different techniques. Fists rely on short distances, while swords from longer distances. Of course, before the Lightning Fist struck Eadric Rong, the tip of the wooden sword had first stabbed into Malakai Yan's chest.

Boom!

Malakai Yan was pushed back and fell, rolling over from losing balance. Judith Tang and Teddy Huo were wide-eyed in disbelief. "Could it be that this Eadric Rong has the movement speed of a swordsman who has practiced for decades?"

Continued