[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage":3,"chapter-re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-577":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},148382,246,"Chapter 576: The Weapon of War and Survival","re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-577",577,"\u003Cp>CH576 The Weapon of War and Survival\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Alex arrived within the trial space, he found himself standing in a black void of complete emptiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Confused, all he could do was wait for the familiar voice of the Heaven and the Earth that usually announced the nature of the trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, he did not have to wait long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice echoed almost immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Heaven and the Earth is an unending battlefield— a poisonous jar into which all denizens are thrown and forced to compete against one another. A vast struggle, a ceaseless competition, where only the strong —usually those without fatal weaknesses— can survive and prevail.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To become a Legatee of the Heaven and the Earth is to accept the reality of this lifelong battle which has shaped the Heaven and the Earth, as well as all its denizens.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To become a Legatee of the Heaven and the Earth is to be willing to compete within this lifelong struggle.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To become a Legatee of the Heaven and the Earth is to shed all weaknesses in order to survive and prevail within this eternal battlefield.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"O ye who seek the Legacy of the Heaven and the Earth... shatter your weakness and stand amongst the Strong!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The final declaration reverberated across the void.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, numerous figures materialised before Alex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Towering energy avatars appeared in the darkness, each one possessing indistinct facial features yet clearly defined forms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every avatar held a different weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sword. Spear. Halberd. Hammer. Axe. Bow. Knife. Staff. Whip. Baton...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The avatars towered over Alex, each radiating a powerful aura that seemed inseparable from the weapon they wielded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear that every one of them had dedicated their entire lives to mastering their chosen weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even standing still, the way they held their weapons conveyed a terrifying level of proficiency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each of them gave off the unmistakable impression that, with their chosen weapon in hand, they were unrivalled beneath the heavens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, all at once, the avatars raised their weapons and pointed them toward Alex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hum—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A crushing pressure burst forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The force from the weapons struck both Alex’s body and mind simultaneously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Weapon Intents!’ Alex realised instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reacting on instinct, he gathered his Spiritual Force and resisted the various weapon intents attempting to invade his being, pushing back against them with everything he could muster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was obvious that these faceless individuals were not even exerting their full strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even so, Alex felt as though he were on the verge of collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, he managed to push back the oppressive force of the weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well... almost all of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All except one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex dropped to one knee as this final weapon intent continued to press down upon him, relentlessly suppressing his body and spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other weapon intents withdrew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their avatars retreated silently, leaving behind only the one whose weapon intent Alex had failed to repel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now only that towering avatar remained in the void with the Legatee candidate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through sheer stubbornness and iron will, Alex endured the suppression for a little longer and forced himself to look up at the gigantic figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a glint flashed within the avatar’s indistinct eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The glint flared into a brilliant light that flooded Alex’s vision, blinding him and forcing him to shut his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, Alex felt a gust of wind brush across his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air felt fresh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But noticeably thinner than what he was accustomed to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, he opened his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He found himself standing atop a picturesque mountain peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The place carried a similar immortal ambience to the Heaven–Earth Concordance Stele Mountain, where they were currently undergoing the trials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet it was also... different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex stood upon a lone peak within a vast mountain range of jagged summits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each mountain rose like a blade thrust defiantly toward the heavens, their sharp peaks piercing the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the peak beneath Alex’s feet was the sole exception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the others, it did not end in a natural summit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, it formed an impossibly perfectly level plateau.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked less like a natural formation and more like the remnant scar left behind by a legendary strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As though some ancient Sword Immortal had once cleaved the crown from the mountain with a single, unimaginable slash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the centre of this clearly artificial plateau stood an ancient sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was embedded deep into the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weapon itself looked old and unassuming —almost plain— yet it carried an indescribable weight of presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps that was why Alex had instinctively formed such an impression of the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a phantom appeared beside the sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’No...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex corrected himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’That’s no phantom.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex stared into the eyes of the burly yet athletic middle-aged man before him and immediately realised something. He was dressed in a sleeveless training garb reminiscent to those of the East from Alex’s previous life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was no phantom like the ones he had encountered in the earlier trials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind those eyes was a clear mind, a distinct will... and perhaps even a soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Welcome to my Sword-Cut Peak, Legacy Seeker,\" the man said calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man reached out and grasped the sword embedded in the earth, pulling it free in a single effortless motion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the scene, Alex suddenly felt a strange illusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It simply felt right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As though the sword had always been meant to rest in that hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that hand had always been meant to wrap around the sword’s grip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man and the weapon seemed perfectly suited to one another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’No...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex corrected himself inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’The man and the sword are not merely suited to each other... they are truly one.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex clasped his hands together respectfully and offered the middle-aged man a small bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"May I be granted the honour of knowing Your Excellency’s name?\" he asked politely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And would Your Excellency please enlighten me as to what I am expected to do?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My name is irrelevant,\" the man replied, shaking his head slightly. \"I am merely a fragment of a bygone era.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, as though recalling something, he paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief moment, he changed his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You may refer to me simply as the Sword Emperor,\" he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For in my lifetime, there was none between the Heaven and the Earth who could match me with a sword in hand.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex’s eyes flashed subtly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He seemed to grasp what was happening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he held his tongue and waited patiently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sword Emperor continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are here because your weakness has been identified.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He waved his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sword materialised in the air above his palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With another casual motion, the sword shot forward and embedded itself into the ground directly before Alex’s feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Among the origin weapons, your weakness lies with the sword,\" the Sword Emperor said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This trial exists to remove that weakness and turn you into a competent swordsman.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pick up the sword.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The command was plain and direct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am not a swordsman,\" he said calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And I have no intention of becoming one. I see no reason to pick up a sword.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No reason to pick up a sword...?\" the Sword Emperor repeated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haha...!!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly burst into loud laughter, as though Alex had just told the greatest joke in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex’s brows furrowed even deeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Sword Emperor finally stopped laughing, the amusement in his eyes vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze turned cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he spoke again, his voice seemed to echo not only in Alex’s ears, but directly within his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Between the Heaven and the Earth lies an unforgiving crucible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A battlefield of kill or be killed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A never-ending war of survival and death.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In this furnace of war, countless weapons have been forged and taken up by warriors.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yet without dispute —without even the shadow of a doubt— the sword stands as the king of all weapons.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you know why?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without waiting for Alex’s response, the Sword Emperor continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because the sword is the only true armament of war and killing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It has but one purpose.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It exists for one reason alone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And in that purpose, it reigns supreme.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"War... and killing!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sword Emperor’s gaze became unbearably heavy as it pressed down upon Alex’s shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are a seeker of the Legacy of the Heaven and the Earth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Competition. Battle. War.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"These will become your Fate and your Fortune.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No matter what path you choose to walk, you will never truly escape the sword.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The sword is the symbol of war.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The symbol of power.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And the symbol of survival.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the oppressive gaze vanished like a mirage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now a choice stands before you. When the time inevitably comes for you to take up a sword...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Will you do so then — when you do not know how to wield it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Or will you do so now — when you still have the opportunity to learn?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The choice is yours, Seeker.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the Sword Emperor presented it as a choice, the air around him carried a pressure eerily similar to that of Jared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if the middle-aged man before him truly possessed the same immovable will as that middle-aged bulwark...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex realised something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no real choice here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not truly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he bent down and picked up the weapon he had never intended to wield — the weapon he had never imagined he would need.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Let’s get this over with.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>",1583,"2026-05-29T03:49:40.181Z","2026-06-01T04:29:07.188Z",1,"novelbin.me","0e22ae0801b368d8ffdee35aec68fa63cb1e5773db1b8fb7bed5e0069c4c807c","re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-578","re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-576",692,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fre-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-cover.jpg"]