Chapter 1
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This chapter is edited by chuchu. Thank you for your contribution!
Chapter 1: Young Yun Xi
Yun Xi had a dream.
In the dream, a young girl stood guard at the entrance between heaven and earth, coldly staring ahead.
Three strands of icy blue hair stood upright on her forehead, while her slender braided hair hung behind her. Her cuffs were inlaid with steel-blue gems, and a double-edged sword sheath, adorned with a pendant, hung from her waist. She exuded an icy-cold and distant aura.
She was in the process of sliding her huge blue-slanted sword back into its sheath.
The sword made her slender body appear even more delicate. The blade seemed to radiate a cold, silvery-white aura. Even the sword hilt, which was already over half a meter long, had an intimidating presence.
The hilt and the edge of the blade seemed to share a central point of connection—a circular compass. In the center of the compass, there was a huge keyhole, suggesting that something was sealed there.
“Who are you?”
“Why do you always appear in my dreams?”
“…”
The young girl appeared to open her mouth, as though about to say something to Yun Xi.
Unfortunately, Yun Xi could not understand her words, as they were not in the language of the White Lotus Sword Domain.
Of course, the language of the White Lotus Sword Domain was different from other languages, and though it was strange, it was pleasant to hear.
Yun Xi stretched out his hands, seemingly attempting to touch the young girl who had been appearing in his dreams.
“Shuffle!” In an instant, Yun Xi’s consciousness began to fade, leaving only a piece of blue light from the double-edged sword.
“You… do not have the qualifications to open this gate…” She closed her eyes as she killed another unknown spirit.
****
“Oh, my god!” Yun Xi rolled out of bed, only to brutally hit his head against a dresser. A group of golden stars began to orbit around his head.
That dream again! As he began to knead his swollen temples, Yun Xi felt even more helpless.
As the saying goes, “What you read is what you dream,” but Yun Xi swore that he had never seen such a huge blue double-edged sword before, nor the beautiful young lady.
Such a special young lady—if he had met her even once, it would have been impossible to forget her.
Her face and cold expression… Even though it was just a dream, it left Yun Xi with an extremely deep impression.
Unfortunately, at the end of each dream, Yun Xi was hacked to death. Luckily, it was just a dream.
“Forget it. That kind of girl… it would be impossible for me to come into contact with her.” Yun Xi stretched out his arms comfortably and opened the window.
The old window creaked as it opened. The early spring sunshine flooded the narrow room, dispelling the lingering humidity.
“Good morning, world!”
Yun Xi clasped his hands together and looked out the window, only to see that the morning market was already bustling.
“Happy birthday, Yun Xi.”
Today, Yun Xi turned 16. It was truly a day worth celebrating.
In the White Lotus Sword Domain, the age of 16 marked the beginning of youth, while age 18 signified adulthood.
Though he couldn’t drink, he had already been accepted into the community, could work as an employee, and could also have an independent identity and choose his career.
Of course, those of noble birth had already chosen the path for their future careers long ago. They displayed their talent by the age of 12 and received the best education and teachers. Starting from the basics, they quickly surpassed others, and that gap only grew larger over time.
Ordinary children, unless they were peerless talents, would never be able to compete against the nobility. This was the harsh truth of society.
The Sword Palace in the White Lotus Sword Domain was composed of 90% nobility, while the remaining 10% consisted of ordinary children.
One could not blame the sword palace’s partiality, as the gap between the two was simply too large.
Although all the sword palaces began to recruit disciples at the age of 16, the exam was generally fair. Only the most outstanding among the many ordinary geniuses would have a chance to be chosen by a sword palace.
Of course, such matters had no bearing on Yun Xi.
Since he did not wish to follow the way of the sword, it was highly unlikely he would attend the sword palace exam. His career had nothing to do with swords.
“Well, let’s prepare for today’s practice.”
He was not a swordsman, so there was no need to concern himself with the sword palace exams. Yun Xi’s life was simple and happy, filled with ordinary expectations.
His art was not the art of fencing but rather the art of making bread.
Yes, he was just an ordinary young man from an ordinary family. He wasn’t going to become a talented hero.
He was born into a humble baker’s family, raised with ordinary parenting. He had inherited his family’s bakery and was preparing to become the next owner of the store—this was Yun Xi’s life goal.
His parents had been in their fifties when they had him. Yun Xi grew up listening to the neighbors’ jokes about how he wasn’t born to his parents but was supposedly picked up from a garbage heap.
Of course, he had long known this was just an adult’s way of joking—“A crane sent you to our home.” When he first heard those rumors, his nose had begun to run.
As far as Yun Xi was concerned, they were the most adorable couple in the world.
Now, the couple was traveling the world, confident that the store would run smoothly under his care.
Making bread was an art, and Yun Xi’s handmade bread had quite the reputation. The demand for it was so high that it often outstripped supply, as he had long surpassed his parents in skill.
Impressed by how amazing Yun Xi had become, his parents passed the family bakery down to him and gave him full control of it while they went off to enjoy a golden wedding honeymoon.
Today was Yun Xi’s 16th birthday, and he was the only one in the village with a 3rd-ranked Bread Evaluation. People from major cities would even come to try and buy his family’s bakery for ten times its value.
Yun Xi refused because he loved this village, its roads, its stream, and this ordinary bread shop.
The world was vast, with tens of millions of divine domains across the universe, but this was the only home for him. He wanted to spend his life here.
This was Yun Xi’s family store, Yun Xi’s most beloved home.
Unsurprisingly, he could spend his entire life here. Perhaps, as a newlywed, he would cross the star bridge to explore the other side of the Sword Domain. But he would eventually return, live out the rest of his days here with his other half.
This future wasn’t far away. Yun Xi already dreamed of spending his life with the girl of his dreams.
With the warmth of his hands, he began to knead the dough. After calculating the perfect ratio of flour, sugar, and a good egg, he placed it into the oven. The fresh bread, taken from the oven in the early morning, was neatly arranged on Yun Xi’s counter.
“Three croissants coming up!”
“Five pineapple breads.”
“Ten carrot meals.”
Yun Xi’s bread shop had only been open for a quarter of an hour, but his handmade bread sold out quickly. The only thing left was the cheap white bread.
Sitting behind the nearly empty counter, Yun Xi smiled contentedly.
For a baker, nothing was more rewarding than having his customers love his bread.
As a 3rd-ranked baker, although his position was not as prestigious as that of even the lowest-ranked swordsman in the sword palace, in a small village like this, his talent was considered the rarest of the century.
Many believed Yun Xi could make history by becoming the first person to obtain a 4th-ranked position.
“Little Xi, bread!” A crisp, bell-like voice and cheerful footsteps filled the quiet shop.
The person who entered was a girl close to Yun Xi’s age. Her long ponytail swayed as she walked, exuding an air of youthful energy.
She wore a simple cyan sword at her waist and had black, moon-like eyelashes framing her warm, black eyes.
Breathing heavily from strenuous exercise, her naturally small lips were pursed, and her bent figure was graceful. When she smiled, her expression was like a sparkling crescent moon.
“Hua Huo, do you want butter bread?”
Yun Xi skillfully took out the freshly baked butter bread he had meticulously made. It was always snapped up by customers as soon as it appeared on the counter.
Like feeding a puppy, he tossed the bread to his childhood sweetheart.
Hua Huo tiptoed to bite into the bread Yun Xi had thrown; the two shared over a decade of mutual understanding.
“I love you, Little Xi! Remember to increase the physical strength of the Rye Bread at noon for me!” Enjoying the tribute Yun Xi had given her, Hua Huo ran out of the small bakery like the wind.
Her hurried comings and goings were just like her temperament—always loud and full of energy.
A summer storm would be a fitting description for this girl. Like Yun Xi, she was also a child prodigy that everyone was proud of.
Hua Huo had moved to the village ten years ago. It was said that she came from a lineage of the Knight God’s Domain. She was the first genius to ever become a 3rd-ranked swordsman before the age of 16, a historic feat.
Being a 3rd-ranked swordsman was worlds apart from Yun Xi’s 3rd rank because this was the White Lotus Domain—a Sword Domain among countless divine realms.
It didn’t matter which sword domain you came from or the sword skills you practiced; only those who had left behind a united sword path or formed their own sword spirit earned the utmost respect in a sword domain.
For a senior swordsman, becoming the Divine Sword God, a transcendent figure above all others, was everything. This godly swordsman was called a “Sky Sword” and dominated supreme, unmatched in their swordsmanship.
From nameless trainees to official soldiers of the 1st Rank, to elite soldiers and even officers of the 2nd Rank, they represented the highest standards in the White Lotus Sword Domain.
The 3rd-ranked Hua Huo was already treading an extraordinary path—truly deserving of being called the village’s first expert.
And at the same time, she was Yun Xi’s first love.