Unrivaled Swordmaster

Author: Edward Harper

Chapter 1 Redemption

Words : 3003 Updated : Oct 9th, 2023

In the expansive Skyblaze Empire, Comarsh State was one of the thirty-six states. Located in Portbridge Province within Comarsh State, the prestigious Su Mansion held significant influence. "The young master has returned!" The announcement echoed throughout the mansion. People filled the area inside and outside the Su Mansion, mostly maids and servants, along with some core members of the Su family. They all watched a young man dressed in black walk into the mansion, escorted by guards. "Is that really Owen Su? How dare he come back?" "He's the reason the Su family declined these past years!" "He's a disgrace to the Su family..." The maids, servants, and even the core members of the Su family looked at Owen with anger and resentment. The Su family was once a top-tier noble house in the Skyblaze Empire. They had a powerful elder in the Nirvana Realm and many strong warriors under their command. But a few years ago, their elder suffered a grave injury and was near death. Before he died, the elder arranged a marriage alliance with the royal family of the Skyblaze Empire. The plan was that Owen, the young Master and the most talented member of the Su family, would win a duel against a genius from the Situ family. If he won, Owen would marry Princess Margaret, becoming a prince consort, and the Su family would be protected by the royal family, securing their status and power. However, on the day of the duel, Owen didn't show up. He ran away without a fight. If Owen had tried his best and lost, the Su family would have accepted the defeat without blaming him. But running away and causing the family to lose the royal marriage alliance, leading to their decline, made him the family's scapegoat. Even King Edward was angry and ordered Owen to be imprisoned in Valdemoro Prison for three years as punishment. Now, the three years are up, and Owen has been released, returning to the Su family. "Owen!" A young man from the crowd, a core member of the Su family, stepped forward and blocked Owen's path, shouting, "You traitor, coward, how dare you come back!" "James Su?" Owen recognized the person blocking him. James was his cousin, two years younger. James once looked up to Owen, following him everywhere, but now... "Mr. James, the head of the family has ordered that no one should stop Mr. Owen from returning home," the guard escorting Owen said coldly. James gritted his teeth, glared at Owen with hatred, then turned and left with a snort. The guards led Owen to a quiet courtyard in the mansion. "Mr. Owen, this is the courtyard the head of the family has arranged for you. He also said that unless you have something important, it's best not to leave this courtyard," the guard informed. "Dad doesn't want to see me?" Owen asked. The guard shook his head and left. Owen stood there, clenching his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms. "Even my dad can't forgive me?" he thought bitterly. But he understood that running away was a disgrace. And causing the Su family's decline made it even worse. No one knew that his running away wasn't due to cowardice but because he had no other choice. His bloodline had awakened the day before the duel, catching him completely off guard. In this martial world, strength is respected. But besides regular warriors, some people have special powers called Awakers, who control a unique force called bloodline power. Awakers are born with exceptional talent, but they are no different from ordinary people before their bloodline awakens. The awakening can happen unexpectedly, causing intense pain and commotion. Owen's bloodline awakened without warning the day before his duel with the Situ family genius. The pain was unbearable, and the awakening process was dramatic, forcing him to flee into the wilderness and bury himself in the sand, struggling in agony for three days and nights. By the time the Su family found him, the duel was already over. Owen couldn't explain himself afterward because the bloodline he awakened was extraordinary. Bloodlines are ranked by grade. A Third-grade or Second-grade Bloodline makes someone a prodigy, appearing only once in millions. A First-grade Bloodline is even rarer, with perhaps only twenty in the entire Eastone region at any time. A Divine Bloodline, occurring once in a thousand years, is even more exceptional. Owen's bloodline, however, was above even the divine grade: the Supreme Bloodline, the rarest and most legendary bloodline, never seen before in Eastone's history. Owen knew that revealing his bloodline would bring unimaginable consequences to himself and the Su family. So, he kept silent, bearing the family's misunderstanding and spending three years in Valdemoro Prison. Despite the family's decline, Owen's existence brought them endless potential. ... At dusk, Owen stood in the courtyard with his eyes closed, holding a sword. Nearby, a woman in red named Sherry looked at Owen intently. Sherry had grown up with Owen as his maid and was deeply loyal to him. Upon learning of Owen's return to the Su family, she immediately came back to serve him. "It's been a long time since I've seen you practice your sword skills," Sherry said, her eyes filled with excitement and anticipation. Owen was once the most talented young member of the Su family, especially skilled in swordsmanship. Even at fifteen, three years ago, his skills surpassed many of the family's Misthaven Realm swordmasters. Watching Owen practice was an honor for Sherry. Suddenly, Owen moved. His sword flashed like snowflakes in the air, incredibly fast. "Drifting Snow Technique," Sherry said. This sword technique was one of the more advanced skills in the Su family's arsenal, known for its speed and mysterious nature. Its most powerful move, the 'Snowveil Style,' involved building momentum with each strike, making each sword thrust faster than the last. A Master could unleash nine consecutive strikes. "Here comes the Snowveil Style," Sherry thought, watching intently. Owen moved gracefully, his sword piercing the air with lightning speed. He unleashed seven strikes in quick succession, followed by an eighth and ninth strike. The sequence was smooth and uninterrupted. "He's mastered the ninth strike," Sherry thought with joy, but then her expression changed in shock. Owen continued beyond the ninth strike, seamlessly delivering a tenth, eleventh, and twelfth strike. Finally, he unleashed a thirteenth strike, so powerful it caused a sonic boom. Owen then stopped, his form steady. Sherry was stunned. "The Snowveil Style should only go up to nine strikes. How did he reach thirteen?" Owen, however, remained calm. He was always a swordsmanship genius, and since awakening the Supreme Bloodline, his talents and understanding had grown immensely, granting him unique abilities. Even in Valdemoro Prison, he hadn't stopped thinking about sword techniques, pushing his skills beyond the recorded limits. "Master, do you need a change of clothes?" Sherry offered. "No need," Owen replied, waving her off. "Let's take a walk. It's been three years since I left." "Master, the family head instructed you to stay in the courtyard unless necessary," Sherry reminded him. "He'll have to tell me that himself," Owen smiled and left the courtyard. As Owen walked through the Su Mansion, he noticed the oppressive atmosphere. "The family has changed a lot in these three years," Owen thought, his gaze cold. The Su family has declined since the death of the Su family elder and the missed marriage alliance with the royal family. The Situ family, with whom the Su family had longstanding grudges, took advantage of their weakness, pushing the Su family from a top noble house to a second-rate family barely surviving in one province. Even now, the Situ family wasn't satisfied and secretly supported another family in Severmere Province, the Pang family, to oppose the Su family, aiming to wipe them out completely. Within the Su family, internal strife worsened the situation. With the elder gone, many of the Su family's retainers left, leaving behind a faction led by Reg Zhao, a Void Breaking Realm warrior. This faction, independent from the Su family, competed for resources and power, threatening to take over completely. "What's this?" Owen arrived at a training ground where a crowd was gathered, watching two people sparring. One voice taunted, "James Su, just because you've broken through doesn't mean you can beat me! What a joke!" Owen recognized the voice and looked closer. One of the fighters was James, the young man who had confronted him earlier. The other was Vic Zhao, the son of Reg Zhao, leader of the faction threatening the Su family. "Vic Zhao," Owen's expression hardened. The Zhao family wasn't part of the core Su family but descended from retainers. Vic was the younger son of Reg Zhao, whose faction had become a scourge within the Su family. "For the Su family to rise again, the first obstacle I must remove is the Zhao family," Owen thought, his eyes cold and determined. Owen knew that the Su family's downfall was partly due to him. But he was determined to lead them back to greatness, to become the top family in the Skyblaze Empire and all of Eastone. The Zhao family would be the first stepping stone on his path to redemption.

Unrivaled Swordmaster

Chapter 1 Redemption

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