Some unknown time in the past, she awakened from a deep slumber only to find she had no memories of her past—only her name and the fact that she used to be a human soul. Somehow, she had also become the spirit of a powerful Celestial Sword from the previous Ancient Era, called the "Heavenly Phoenix Sword."
She found herself sealed within the sword, unable to communicate with its wielder. Her strength depended on the cultivation of the person who wielded her, and the only way to unseal her was for the wielder to break the seal with their own strength.
Unfortunately, no wielder ever lived long enough to reach such strength. After observing a few owners of the sword, she lost most of her hope and returned to slumber. About a year later, she was jolted awake by a monstrous sword intent that shocked her to the core.
Among the previous owners of the sword, a few had been sword cultivators, but their willpower paled compared to this incredible will.
With this strong sword will also came a blood contract that signified a new owner. That in itself didn't surprise her, as there had been multiple owners in the past. What did surprise her, however, was that this new owner was able to sense her presence within the sword.
After some time, he successfully broke the restriction that confined her to the sword. As soon as this happened, she eagerly materialized to thank the person responsible.
To her astonishment, she found a young boy who appeared to be 16 or 17 years old. He was tall and good-looking, though not strikingly handsome. His presence was like a ray of sunshine that seemed to brighten everything around him. His eyes were sharp, and his aura radiated strength. Although her memories were gone, she retained some common sense.
She had a rough idea of the strength required to break the seal, which only heightened her shock that her benefactor—the new owner of the sword—was this young boy.
She was well aware of her own beauty, yet all she saw in his eyes was admiration, mixed with a hint of embarrassment. She smiled slightly at his reaction.
The boy gave her the brightest smile, extended his hand, and said, "My name is Ryan. It looks like we're stuck with each other. My dream is to move freely across the Starry Sky and have a grand adventure."
He paused briefly, blushing as he continued, "I have another dream too, but that's a secret for now. What do you say? Will you join me on this quest?"
She was mildly impressed by his lofty dream and could sense his genuine intentions. Amused by his blush, she also felt a warmth in her heart when he asked her that question. Now that the blood contract was established, he didn't really need her consent to wield the sword's power.
Unlike her previous wielders, there was something captivating about this boy that fascinated her. Anticipation filled her as she nodded with a small smile. "I will support you by being a loyal sword spirit as long as you don't mistreat me."
He frowned slightly and shook his head. "I want you to be my partner, not just a sword spirit."
Her eyes widened, and a bright smile appeared on her face. She nodded and replied, "My name is Rose. From today, I will be your partner and your sword."
Thus began the adventures of Rose and Ryan across the vast starry sky, a journey filled with joy, laughter, anger, betrayal, and finally, guilt.
As her memories flashed before her, she kept her eyes closed, her face contorted in pain.
Before her loomed the giant vortex that marked the entrance to the "Abandoned Galaxy."
She opened her eyes and murmured, "Please wait for me, Ryan. I will make this right. I'll make it all right."
She turned slightly, gazing into space with a sad smile and teary eyes. "You still won't give up, huh? What did I do to deserve such love?"
She looked forward toward the vortex, her expression becoming steely and resolute. She knew there was no going back. She turned back into a sword and, without hesitation, plunged into the vortex.
When she next awoke, she found herself in a forest. She was embedded in a rock cave beside a small lake. Sensing the laws of this place, she realized she was on a mortal planet and retained only a sliver of her immortal essence. Her spirit had been gravely injured by the space-time turbulence of the vortex.
As she absorbed the native essence of this planet, she discovered that two distinct energies permeated the entire world. Although foreign to her own essence, they were enough to slowly begin her healing process under this planet's natural laws.
A chilling realization hit her like a bucket of Frozen Immortal Dew: it would take thousands of years to even partially heal her spirit using this world's laws.
Nonetheless, she had no choice. Her immortal essence and flame aura would deter anyone with malicious intentions from approaching the sword.
Months passed, but her recovery was infinitesimal. During this time, both humans and monsters learned the hard way that this lake was off-limits. She annihilated anyone who showed even a hint of greed. She couldn't afford to let them expose her, so she had no choice but to silence them.
One day, she heard voices by the lake. Unlike previous intruders, this voice sounded different. Extending her senses, she saw a familiar scene in the cultivation world.
A young girl, around 14 or 15 years old, lay on the shore as a massive snake approached her from about 30 meters away.
The girl sobbed, "Why? Why do I have to suffer like this? I can't. I just can't endure it anymore. It's unfair. It's so unfair..."
Her cries were heartbreaking. The world had never been fair; the cultivation world was a place where the strong preyed on the weak. Rose had seen countless scenes like this, enough to grow indifferent to them. Yet this time, she felt anything but indifferent. If she could have materialized, she would have rushed out of the sword.
Inside the sword, her consciousness trembled with agitation as she watched the girl. Tears formed in her eyes as she whispered, "I found it. I finally found it. Ryan, the universe hasn't given up on us. I finally found the missing part of my soul."
The odds of such an encounter were astronomical. Wasn't this why she had risked everything to be here? Wasn't this what she had been seeking all her life? Wasn't this why she had been deceived by that woman? And why she had done something unforgivable to the man she deeply loved?
Since becoming an immortal spirit, she'd realized her soul was incomplete. That was why she was stuck at the peak of the immortal realm and unable to become a divine sword.
When that woman told her that the missing part of her soul was in this galaxy, she finally found hope amidst her despair. To find it on a random life planet was truly a heaven-sent opportunity.
Her excitement turned to fury as she saw the snake nearing the girl. How dare an insignificant reptile stand in her way? She sent a sliver of her All-Consuming Flame sword intent, burning the snake to nothingness.
Unable to contain her impatience, she called out to the girl with her spiritual sense. Watching the struggling child, she murmured, "Get up, little girl. If you're truly part of me, you won't fall to mere exhaustion. Draw on every last bit of your will and come to me. Today marks the beginning of our future."
As if hearing her, the girl crawled towards the sword. Rose's excitement grew with each step. When the girl finally touched the sword, Rose immediately began the process of merging their souls.
To avoid overwhelming the girl, she started by merging their consciousnesses, intending to fully integrate her soul once she understood this world's laws and progression of strength.
After some time, the merging was complete, and Rose took full possession of the girl's body. The young girl opened her eyes and, in a cold voice, said, "It looks like you've had a difficult life. But now, we're finally together. Don't worry; I'll repay everyone who wronged us."
Although she appeared the same outwardly, her aura had transformed. Even without cultivation, her eyes carried the weight of countless battles, giving her an unnatural sense of authority for a 14-year-old.
She took a deep breath and, after a moment, the oppressive aura vanished. To an outsider, she would have seemed like any ordinary girl.
Analyzing her new body, Rose smiled wryly. In her memories, this girl had been crippled and abandoned in the forest. Before that, her talent hadn't met Rose's standards.
But none of that mattered, because Rose had a plan to recover her strength. She'd learned that "Martial Root" and "Mage Root" were foundational to cultivation on this planet.
Smiling at the "Heavenly Phoenix Sword" in her hand, she said, "There are still so many questions, but I'm beginning to understand why I was bound to you. I also understand why that technique can only be practiced by someone with no spiritual root."
She meditated briefly to prepare for the next step. It would be painful, but her will had been tempered by countless battles. This was her one chance to be free and discover herself, and her one chance to go back to him.