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

Chapter 3

Cora gave Adrian a soft smile, although deep inside she still felt sad. Adrian was already sixteen years old. At that age, most people who could open the Divine Martial Mark had already done so years ago. 

After sixteen, the chance became extremely small. Yet as a mother, she still had to encourage her child and give him confidence. She could not let him lose heart before he even tried

Adrian lay down on the hard bed  and stared at the cracked ceiling for a long time. 

In his mind, the image of Liora standing above him five hundred years ago appeared once more. 

He will open the Divine Martial Mark tomorrow and will begin cultivating the Nine Heavens Scripture again. He would climb out of this Outer Courtyard, step by step, until no one in the Vale Clan dared to look down on him or his mother.

And far beyond this small clan, in the highest halls of the Heavenly Sword Sect, the woman who once killed him would one day learn that the person she left for dead had returned.

Adrian’s current home was the Vale Clan, a mid-level cultivation clan located in the eastern region of the continent. The clan lived under the shadow of the Heavenly Sword Sect and sent disciples and resources to the great sect every year. 

Adrian’s identity in this life was the tenth young master of the Vale Clan, born from a side wife and long regarded as a burden.

Cora stayed beside the bed for a while longer, watching her son with worry. She reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair from his forehead.

“Sleep well,” she whispered. “Tomorrow will be an important day.”

Cora smiled again, though her eyes still carried a heavy sadness. She stood up, blew out the small oil lamp, and left the room so he could rest.

In the darkness, Adrian remained awake for a long time. The Outer Courtyard was quiet except for the sound of the night wind moving through the broken windows and the fallen leaves outside.

He placed one hand over his forehead, where the Divine Martial Mark should appear if the ceremony succeeded.

“Tomorrow,” he whispered to himself.

If the mark opened, everything would begin to change. He would cultivate the Nine Heavens Scripture, rebuild this weak body, and start the long road back to the peak.

If it failed… he would still find another way. He had already returned from death once. He would not give up so easily.

To open the Divine Martial Mark, a person needed the approval of the heavens. People called this approval the divine authorization of martial power.

During the sacrificial ceremony, a bridge of heaven and earth would appear. It connected the divine realm above with the mortal world below. After receiving the offerings, the heavens would grant the Divine Martial Mark to a few gifted individuals. Only then could those people truly step onto the path of cultivation.

The earlier someone received the mark, the greater their potential usually became.

In Adrian’s previous life, he had opened the Divine Martial Mark while still inside his mother’s womb. That made him a true born genius. In this life, he was already sixteen years old and the mark still had not appeared. In the eyes of most people, that meant the heavens had already abandoned him.

Even if he attended the sacrificial ceremony tomorrow, the chance of receiving the Divine Martial Mark was almost zero.

Adrian could not sleep. He sat up on the hard wooden bed and took out a small white crystal from inside his clothes. The crystal was shaped like a pure piece of jade. It had a clear three-dimensional center and not a single impurity could be seen inside it. The surface felt cool against his fingers.

He stared at the white crystal for a long time.

This stone had been a gift from his father in his previous life. On the day Adrian turned ten, his father had placed it in his hand and told him to keep it close at all times. Adrian had never known what the crystal truly was. He only knew that it felt important, so he had always carried it with him.

Somehow, after five hundred years and after waking up in a completely different body, the white crystal was still with him.

Adrian tightened his grip on the stone.

The fact that he had been able to cross five hundred years and return to life might have something to do with this mysterious crystal. He did not understand how it worked, but deep inside he felt a quiet connection between the stone and his rebirth.

He closed his eyes and the image of his father appeared clearly in his mind. A tall and powerful man with calm eyes and a calm presence. In that previous life, his father had been one of the strongest figures of their era. He had taught Adrian many things and had given him the complete Nine Heavens Scripture.

Now, five hundred years later, Adrian wondered if his father was still alive somewhere in this changed world.

“I do not need the heavens to favor me the same way they did before,” he said quietly to himself. “I only need one opportunity.”

Early the next morning, the entire area around the Vale Clan was covered in snow. White blanketed the roofs, the stone paths, and the many halls and pavilions of the clan grounds. Everything looked like it had been wrapped in a thick layer of pure white. It was the coldest day of the year.

Martial artists from all over the clan and the nearby towns had already gathered outside the Ancestral Shrine. Under the leadership of the Clan Leader and the high elders, they prepared to offer sacrifices to the heavens and the ancestors. 

The ancient altar outside the shrine was built from huge stones. On and around it, tens of thousands of livestock had been tied up, cows, sheep, and pigs. There were also many fierce and powerful beasts, all chained so they could not escape.

The annual sacrificial ceremony of the Vale Clan was about to begin. Young disciples, outer members, and children from side branches all stood waiting, hoping the heavens would grant them the Divine Martial Mark today.

Adrian stood among the crowd with Cora beside him, the white crystal still with him. 

Today would decide the first step of his new path.

Civilian disciples, outer elders, martial artists, young masters, young ladies, and countless teenagers and young girls stood waiting. Even some babies still in swaddling clothes had been brought by their families. Everyone hoped that today the heavens would grant them the Divine Martial Mark and open the door to true cultivation.

This was not only happening at the main grounds of the Vale Clan. Across all the branch families and towns under the clan’s influence, the same kind of sacrificial ceremony was being held. It was a clan-wide event that took place once a year.

Adrian stood among the crowd with Cora beside him. His face was pale from the cold, and his body still looked frail under the thick clothes she had forced him to wear. Many eyes turned toward them. Some people whispered at them, while others simply looked at him with open disdain.

The Seventh Young Master walked over with a rude smile on his face.

“Tenth Brother, you are already sixteen years old. Even if you take part in the sacrificial ceremony, it is impossible for you to obtain the Divine Martial Mark. Why come here and disgrace yourself?”

The Eighth Young Master stood right beside him. His expression was cold as he looked Adrian up and down.

“It is a pity that Father gave birth to a waste like you. Sixteen years old and you still have not opened the Divine Martial Mark. You have completely disgraced the face of the clan. What are you still doing living in this world? Why don’t you just die? This world would be much better without you.”

The cruel words hung in the cold air. Several people nearby heard them clearly. Some lowered their heads, while others looked away. In the Vale Clan, strength decided everything. The weak had no place to stand, and today that truth was shown without any mercy.

Cora’s hands tightened around Adrian’s arm. Her face turned pale, but she did not dare to speak back. She only pulled her son a little closer, as if her body could shield him from the words.

Adrian remained quiet. He did not argue back and  did not lower his head. He simply looked straight ahead at the ancient altar and the rising smoke from the early offerings. 

In his heart, the insults meant very little. He had already died once, and a few sharp words from two brothers who only knew how to bully the weak could not shake him.