The Sword Goddess Killed Me, So I Came Back For Revenge

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

Adrian heard every word from inside the room. He slowly pushed himself up, held onto the door frame, and stepped outside. His body was so weak that he could barely stand, but his eyes were steady as he looked at the Eighth Young Master.

“There is no need to force us out later,” Adrian said in a calm voice. “We will leave now.”

Cora quickly turned around and rushed to support him.

“Adrian, why did you get out of bed? It’s cold outside. Please go back inside.”

Adrian gently pushed her hand away and looked at his mother.

“Mother, we don’t need to beg anyone. Let’s just leave.” 

“Alright.” Cora said, not arguing  with him. 

She supported Adrian carefully and walked out of the Inner Courtyard. None of the other servants followed them. Only the thin servant who had been pushed down earlier looked at them with some pity, but even he did not dare to step forward.

The SeventhYoung Master stood in the courtyard with his six guards behind him, watching the mother and son leave with a cold smile on his face.

Adrian walked slowly, each step taking a lot of effort. His body was still weak, and the cold made his chest tighten, but he did not complain. He only held onto his mother’s arm and kept moving forward.

Cora kept glancing at him with worry.

“Adrian, are you alright? We can rest for a moment if you need to.”

“I’m fine, Mother,” he replied softly. “Don’t worry about me.”

Adrian remained calm. This body was weak, and this clan looked down on them, but none of that mattered. Five hundred years ago he had been betrayed and killed by the person he trusted the most. Compared to that, being forced out of a courtyard was nothing.

He looked up at the dark sky for a moment.

Liora was now the Sect Master of the strongest sect on the continent. She stood at the peak while he was starting from the very bottom again. That was fine.

He would climb back up, step by step and when the time came, he would make sure the people who looked down on him, and the woman who killed him, all paid the price.

Everyone could see that Cora and the Tenth Young Master had completely lost their standing. From now on, it would be very hard for them to gain any ground inside the Vale Clan.

The servants who used to work in the Inner Courtyard now wisely chose to stay behind. All of them wanted to please the new masters of the main line. None of them followed Cora and Adrian out into the cold night.

The Outer Courtyard was the place where disfavored members of the clan were sent. It stood far from the main buildings. Fallen leaves covered the ground in thick layers, the walls were cracked, and the roofs looked like they had not been repaired for a long time. It was clear that no one had lived here for years.

A chilly wind blew through the empty courtyard and made the air even colder. Adrian sat on a cold stone bench, wrapped in a thin blanket that did little to keep the cold away. Even so, his body still shivered. This physical body was far too weak.

“Only by cultivating can I make this body stronger,” Adrian thought to himself. “Even if I am a young master of the Vale Clan, as long as I stay this weak, I will always be at the mercy of others.”

Five hundred years had passed and Adrian still did not fully understand why fate had placed him inside this body. But since he had been reborn here, he had two clear reasons to become strong.

The first was revenge. One day he would stand in front of Liora again,  the woman who had killed him and now ruled as the Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect, the strongest sect on the continent. He would make her pay for everything she had done.

The second reason was the woman sitting not far from him. Cora had taken care of him with real care these past few days. She worried about him, protected him, and stayed by his side even when everyone else turned away. 

In his previous life, he had never known his mother's love. Now that he had been given this chance, he did not want to see her suffer because of his weakness.

The insults and cold treatment they had received today happened for one reason, he was too weak to resist. He could not control his own fate. Even the courtyard they lived in had been taken away by force.

If he wanted respect from others, and if he wanted to give his mother a peaceful and comfortable life, he had to become a true martial artist and prove his strength in this world.

To become a martial artist, the first and most important step was to open the Divine Martial Mark.

The Divine Martial Mark was the special qualification given to humans so they could cultivate true martial energy. Only those who successfully opened the mark could step onto the real path of cultivation. 

Without it, a person could train their body for a lifetime and still remain ordinary. They would never be able to become one of the strong.

Adrian was already sixteen years old, yet the Divine Martial Mark inside this body had never opened. At this age, most people with talent would have already opened their mark years earlier. 

Missing the best period for awakening made future progress much harder. Even if the mark opened later, the foundation would usually be weaker than those who succeeded at a younger age.

This was the real reason the Seventh Young Master stood so far above him.

They were both young masters of the Vale Clan. In blood, they should have been equal. But the Seventh Young Master had opened his Divine Martial Mark when he was only ten years old. 

From that moment, his path became completely different. He received better resources, better teachers, and the respect of the entire clan. That single difference in talent and timing was enough for him to look down on Adrian and drive both mother and son out of the Inner Courtyard without any fear of consequences.

Adrian sat in silence and felt the cold wind against his face. His current body was weak, sickly, and far behind. But the soul inside it was not the same as before.

In his previous life, he had already walked a long path of cultivation. He understood the principles of energy, the importance of foundation, and the many methods that could help a person awaken their potential. 

This body had not opened its Divine Martial Mark yet, but that did not mean it was completely hopeless.

He closed his eyes and carefully examined the condition of the body once more. The meridians were narrow and blocked in several places. The dantian was almost empty. The life force was weak. Yet deep inside, there was still a faint spark that had not completely died.

“If this body can still live, then there is still a chance,” Adrian thought.

Cora walked over and sat beside him. She carefully adjusted the blanket around his shoulders, her face full of worry.

“The wind is too strong. You should go inside and rest. Tomorrow we can clean the rooms properly.”

Adrian opened his eyes and looked at her. “Mother, I’m fine. You should also rest. The next few days will not be easy.”

Cora forced a small smile, but her eyes were still heavy with concern. She had lived in this clan long enough to know how cruel it could be to those who had fallen out of favor. Without strength or support, life in the Outer Courtyard would be full of hardship.

Adrian slowly stood up. His legs trembled slightly, but he forced them to stay steady. He looked around the dark and empty courtyard one more time.

He was now only at the earliest stage of the Celadon Realm. His body was weak and his foundation poor, but he still had hope.

As long as he could open the Divine Martial Mark, he would be able to cultivate the Nine Heavens Scripture again. That scripture was the supreme technique his father had practiced in his previous life. Apart from his father, only Adrian had ever received the complete method.

Even though he had already missed the best age for cultivation, the scripture was powerful enough to help him catch up with the geniuses who started earlier. With it, he could still become a strong martial artist once more.

Tomorrow was the annual sacrificial ceremony of the Vale Clan. That was the only chance left for him. If the heavens and the ancestral spirits approved, the Divine Martial Mark might finally open inside this body.

Adrian clenched his fists under the thin blanket. He was eager. After five hundred years, this was the first real step he could take toward reclaiming his strength.

Cora finished tidying the small, dusty room and walked over to him. She sat on the edge of the hard wooden bed. 

“Adrian, you should rest early. Tomorrow you still have to attend the sacrificial ceremony.”

Adrian looked at her and nodded. “Mother, don’t worry. I will definitely open the Divine Martial Mark tomorrow.”