The Sword Emperor Transmigrates

If one had to sum up Ancestor Cardenas’s swordsmanship in a single word, it would be “perfection.”

Her blade traced arcs and cut in all directions, embodying the extreme of the Eight Principles of Yong. Every move—thrust, slash, cleave, sever, push, deflect, parry, and carve—was frighteningly refined. Each time Leonard engaged the Ancestor, the supposedly flawless sword techniques he had so proudly polished revealed hidden flaws, forcing him to retreat.

After only thirty exchanges, Leonard found himself nearly ten paces back when the Ancestor spoke up.

“Your swordsmanship is unique. Pure offense and pure defense… A balanced harmony of attack and defense, and a seamless blend—freely transitioning between the four stances based on the user. Impressive.”

Ancestor Cardenas had effortlessly analyzed the structure of Leonard’s One Origin Five Elements Sword Art, gesturing casually with her blade, clearly intrigued.

“This time, I’ll only block and evade. Go ahead. Attack me.”

How many could act so casually in a duel against a Demigod Tier warrior, of which only ten existed in this world? Yet Leonard felt no indignation, nor was he discouraged. He drew several more blades from his subspace pouch. Given that he had failed with conceptual martial arts, he was determined to change his approach.

Counting the four swords controlled by Sword Manipulation and the one gripped in his hand, Leonard now wielded five blades, ready to attempt the Five Swords Style, something he had never fully mastered back at the Transcendence Tier.

“Telekinetic control, huh? That kind of technique was around in my era too,” Ancestor Cardenas murmured with a rather unimpressed expression, steadying her sword in a middle stance.

The stillness was so profound that it felt like the space around them had been preserved. Leonard felt like he was challenging an iron wall with a wooden branch.

Five Elements Style, One Sword Style

Black Tortoise Extra Form: Dragontail Sword

One of the swords hovering behind Leonard emanated the aura of the Black Tortoise Qi and shot forward in a swift, subtle arc. It was a probing move meant to slightly disrupt her stance—an attempt that would be great if it succeeded, but not devastating if it failed.

The blade shot forward in a long, serpentine arc, veiling its presence as it closed in on Ancestor Cardenas. Leonard knew no blind spot would appear, regardless of angle—any attack would inevitably become a head-on clash.

If it won’t work anyway, there’s no reason to resort to cheap tricks, Leonard thought, well aware that Ancestor Cardenas understood his direct approach.

She gave a faint smile as she brushed the oncoming sword aside. The parry was little more than a light touch—an elegant technique derived from the Eight Principles of Yong, one that symbolized pillaging, as it allowed the user to cleverly redirect the opponent’s force and use it for themselves.

Clang!

The redirected Dragontail Sword missed its mark, slipping past Ancestor Cardenas’ guard as though covering an opening that had never existed.

Five Elements Style, Three Sword Style

Yellow Dragon Fourth Form: Cliff-Cutting Claw

At the same time, Leonard suddenly changed tactics, making a bold, decisive move. The gap between them wasn’t just in status and power—their martial arts were also worlds apart.

Since neither strategy nor psychological tricks worked, Leonard opted to plunge them both into chaos, a gamble to break the inevitable path to defeat. Three ferocious streaks of golden sword energy crashed down like dragon claws, carving into the ground before the Ancestor, sending up dust and soil as they cut in from three directions.

With three strikes, Leonard forced Ancestor Cardenas to parry with a single sword. Even someone of her caliber, who consistently used basic techniques instead of conceptual martial arts, would find it difficult to respond.

As one who had reached the Deification Tier through swordsmanship, Ancestor Cardenas could read Leonard’s emotions through his blade. She burst into laughter and took a single step forward, directly into the heart of the Cliff-Cutting Claw. Rather than appearing reckless, she radiated an air of total control.

A clear ringing sound followed as her sword moved in a graceful circle, neatly cutting through each incoming slash with a single, flawless arc centered on herself. Three shards of broken steel clattered to the ground just as Leonard prepared his final attack.

Western God Style

Cutter of All Things

Sky and Clouds Piercer

Second Strike: Sky Splitting Cross Slash

This was Leonard’s ultimate technique, the strongest form of conceptual martial arts he could muster. He unleashed a dual Sky Splitting Cross Slash, crossing both strikes for over twice the power—a force that could shake even Ancestor Cardenas’s inner world.

In that split second, Leonard felt certain he had finally landed a blow, but just then, the Ancestor raised her sword to shoulder height. With one clean, vertical slash, she split Leonard’s Sky Splitting Cross Slash down its center, neutralizing it instantly.

Then, calmly restoring her sword to her side, she asked, “How is it? Do you understand now?”

“Yes,” Leonard replied with a soft chuckle, finally grasping what she had been trying to teach him. “I see now... I was too caught up in the illusions of conceptual martial techniques.”

Leonard possessed incredible potential, with not four but five unique traits, including the Dragon God Style. He had always believed that fully leveraging these strengths was the true path to the Deification Tier.

However, the wisdom of Ancestor Cardenas had made him realize how his obsession with his conceptual martial arts was holding him back. As the fresh enlightenment took roots in his mind, Leonard raised his sword once more, determined to test his newfound insight.

“May I request one more round?”

“By all means.”

With no hesitation, Ancestor Cardenas took her stance, her sword cutting downward. Every movement—from her forward step to the precise timing and angle of her downward stroke—was flawless. Even if her slash was split into a thousand steps, there would be no openings.

At her level, the Ancestor didn’t even need to look for any openings or weaknesses in her opponent.

To overpower an opponent with my own strength, I have to surpass them to at least have a shot at victory.

This opportunity of a lifetime had thrown Leonard into the realm of absolute skill, where there was no room for luck or chance. So, Leonard sharpened his focus, just like Ancestor Cardenas. He brought his sword upward in a direct clash with her Deification Tier strike, refusing to defend or evade.

CLANG!

The clash rang out like the toll of a massive bell, and Leonard staggered back, finally dropping to his knees. He gasped, releasing the breath he had been holding, and a few drops of blood splattered onto the ground.

Leonard had suffered internal injuries just from a single clash due to the disparity in the refinement of their swordsmanship. However, his expression was brighter than before.

“Looks like you’ve finally gotten the hang of it,” Ancestor Cardenas remarked with a nod, watching Leonard struggle back to his feet.

Indeed, Leonard finally understood why his conceptual martial arts had failed to affect her—they never had a chance of succeeding in the first place.

Conceptual martial arts don’t necessarily have to rely on unique traits.

Everyone held an image of themselves in their mind, but it was never the full picture of who they really were. Similarly, the Qi of the Four Symbols and the Golden Dragon Qi represented aspects of Leonard’s Mindscape but not its entirety. His body and mind were heavily imprinted with their forms through endless training with the One Origin Five Elements Cultivation Method, but that was only one side of his skill.

Each of Ancestor Cardenas’s strikes embodied the pure concept of cutting. She wasn’t summoning her strength through any particular unique trait; she was manifesting it from sheer will. It was a level of mastery that didn’t require anything beyond her intent—a power to slice through anything in the realm of concepts itself.

While Leonard could attempt to respond with his conceptual martial arts, the sheer clarity of the Ancestor’s intent had overpowered even his Sky Splitting Cross Slash in a single blow.

That last exchange had taught him something profound.

“It’s not wrong to use unique traits or the intense manifestations of your Mindscape,” Ancestor Cardenas explained, lowering her sword to illustrate the lesson while Leonard caught his breath.

“In the world of conceptual combat,” she went on, “the type and quality of one’s abilities have their role. But relying solely on such unique traits will make you forget your origin. Remember—our beginning and our essence come from the sword itself. Do not forget that you are a swordsman. The cut and the thrust are the foundation, the true starting point of your strength.”

“To show you what I mean...”

With that, she swung her sword horizontally. The blade instantly cut through space, emerging close to Leonard’s neck only to vanish back into space. She hadn’t used any of her unique traits to achieve this; it was simply a strike that cleaved through both space and time.

Leonard, whose heightened reflexes from the Azure Dragon Qi should’ve allowed him to respond even to lightning, was left a half-step behind. He could feel the cold sweat creeping down his back.

...If she had meant to kill me, my head would’ve been gone.

Only now could he grasp the immense difference between himself and this Deification Tier opponent. His ultimate moves were mere ordinary attacks compared to the strikes of a True God being.

If Yggdrasil had possessed her own combat abilities, the subjugation operation would have been impossible to begin with.

“Good! Well, not bad for a first attempt! Let’s take a break?” Ancestor Cardenas proposed with a smile.

Leonard’s face showed his surprise as he asked, “But don’t we lack time? I can endure a bit more if needed.”

“Huh? Oh, don’t worry. I’ve accelerated time in this space almost by a hundredfold, so we still have nearly half a day left. No need to rush.”

“...Is that even possible?”

“Of course, if you can project your intent and Mindscape to affect reality itself. If I were at full power, I could maintain this space almost endlessly, so this is nothing to be amazed about,” the Ancestor explained as she made herself comfortable on the grass, closing her eyes with a lazy yawn.

The vast space, scarred from their intense duel, had somehow transformed into a lush green field. It was clear Ancestor Cardenas wasn’t one for formality or solemnity.

She lay back, almost drifting to sleep, muttering, “Come to think of it, I haven’t told Declan yet... that I’m nearing my limit. No one else knows, right?”

“...What?” Leonard was taken aback.

“No one knows. Although I’m at the Deification Tier, I’m a fragmented soul, so the fact that I’m here at all, defying the causality of the world’s laws, is already remarkable. To have survived a thousand years is more than enough. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if I disappeared tomorrow.”

The Ancestor went on, confidently explaining that she wouldn’t be able to wield the Golden Dragon Knights as the final ultimate weapon for much longer. For the Cardenas family, this was earth-shattering news, as it meant they would no longer have a way to counter the whims of True God beings like herself.

Leonard stood speechless, reeling from the revelation, but Ancestor Cardenas wasted no time delivering yet another surprise.

“Once I’m gone, the Golden Dragon Knights will be freed of my influence. But with their nature, they might not be able to integrate with the modern Cardenas family, so…”

She lifted her head and looked Leonard in the eye. “How about you become the commander of the Golden Dragon Order?”

“...”

Leonard could hardly believe his ears. He had never even conceived that something like that might be asked of him.