Wu Chen bowed politely to the warrior across the lake, 'Greetings, Shandian Spirit! I thank you for your guidance through the caverns and hope that I may return to my clan with the Lightning Sword once again in my possession.'

'You have changed. You are broken.' The spirit warrior repeated Shandian's message from before, only this time it was spoken loud and clear. The rigid voice echoed loudly off the cavern's stone walls.

The young man swallowed and nodded curtly, 'You are not wrong. However, both darkness and light exist in all things in one form or another. I am young and allowed that darkness to overwhelm me for a moment. Mistakes are inevitable while mastering the dao. I have learned from my misstep and am making a conscious effort to control that part of me. Errors such as mine are all part of the natural path toward the dao.'

'It is good that you are willing to admit to your mistakes and correct them. However, the darkness is still not fully under your control. It would be irresponsible of me to allow myself to fall into the hands of one capable of such destruction.' The spirit warrior stated succinctly.

Was that a rejection? Wu Chen began to panic. What was he going to tell his clan? He couldn't go back without the blade. He had to find a way...and fast.

Lu Yong glanced at Wu Chen and could feel the shame and frustration emanating from him. While he sympathized with his ward, this was not the time to wallow in self-pity. He needed to make a firm stance and get his confidence back.

'Ah Chen, pay no attention to the words of a creature of such limited intelligence. This spirit is privy to only a very insignificant portion of the dao. It cannot possibly understand the full scope of knowledge necessary to reach a level of higher understanding. Therefore, it is like a frog in a well. It only sees a narrow view of possibilities rather than the entire picture. Far too little to even attempt to make such a decisive judgment against you.'

He glared at his ward and growled, 'After all you have seen and experienced, are you going to let a mere sword spirit decide that the course of your journey toward the dao is right or wrong? Since when does a sword spirit have the right to dictate to its proven master?'

'But this is not just any spirit. It is the spirit of my Wu Clan's ancestral sword, Ah Yong! It is no simple being! It has always chosen its master.' Wu Chen argued, his eyes flashing in anger. He didn't understand why Lu Yong couldn't see the difficulty he was facing.

'Tch!' Lu Yong crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his ward, 'You told me yourself that once Shandian chooses a master, it creates a bond with its master's soul for the life of that soul. You were the master of this sword 300 years ago, and with the rebirth of that same soul, its ownership has never changed. You have always been its master, so what need for further testing or choosing? It already made its choice centuries ago. Now, its only purpose should be to serve, not to question.'

The Elder's lips rose in a disdainful sneer as he looked across the lake to the waiting warrior, 'What right does it now have to judge you after hiding here for 300 years while you endured hardships so dark that you still have nightmares in your new life? Has it advanced in its cultivation? Has it honed its blade on the blood of its enemies? No. It hid itself and lazily rusted in an underground cave like a grubworm!'

Wu Chen's soul trembled at the words of his Guardian. This was Shandian he was insulting! A sword created by a cultivator who had become a god. A sword forged as a gift to the first Wu Clan Leader for creating their clan and teaching the Way of the Sword. A sword of such power and might it could kill a god! Just thinking about its strength and potential made him feel insignificant. Maybe the sword was right, and he wasn't ready.

Lu Yong turned his icy gaze back on his ward, and he could almost hear the doubtful thoughts he was battling with. To wake him up, he shouted, 'Do you still dare to doubt yourself and your right to the blade? You are its chosen master, faults and all! Darkness and all! Injury and all! Stop overthinking and get over there and pick up the damn sword that has always been yours and that you have fought so hard to retrieve! Our families await our return, and their need may be great.'

Startled out of his spiraling thoughts by Lu Yong's vehemence and absolute conviction, Wu Chen realized that his Guardian was right. He retained the soul of his previous life, meaning he was already the master of this sword. It had no right to deny him ownership nor to judge him in any way. Its only purpose was to obey its master.

And Wu Chen was its master!

He took a deep breath and cast aside all his doubts. They had no place here. He had been called by the sword and had traveled long and through great danger to answer that call. It was right that he should take it now.

Feeling much more confident, and with a grim look of determination, Wu Chen began filling Xiao Lei and pointed its glowing tip at the spirit warrior across the water, 'I am your legitimate master already. I did not come here to be judged by a being of limited knowledge nor to be tested for what is already rightfully mine.'

As he spoke, Wu Chen's words grew louder, and his stance firm. His eyes took on the cold look of a cultivator aware of his strength and not afraid to use it. He was the one willing to sacrifice for the man he loved. He was the one who took down a god. He was the one who defeated a spirit bear alone. He was the one who protected those who were unable to protect themselves. He was the one chosen by the gods to complete a fate so important that even a living technique agreed to his control.

Shandian belonged to him, and he'd be damned if he'd leave these caverns without it.

Lu Yong watched with a broad smile as Wu Chen shook off the shackles of shame he had dragged for days now and returned to being the proud cultivator he loved and respected. The Test of Darkness was never easy, but the strength gained if you made it through was immeasurable.

With swords drawn and his glittering eyes on the warrior, Wu Chen made a request of his Guardian, 'Ah Yong, would you create a bridge of ice for me, please? It is time to collect my sword.'

'En!' Lu Yong answered and began a set of seals meant to bridge the lake.

Slowly, a sheet of ice formed from Wu Chen's position to the island shore. Once the shimmering connection was complete, Wu Chen stepped firmly onto the slippery path. His steps were sure and swift. Never once did he slip on the smooth surface. His head was held high, and his swords glinted in the sunlight filtering down from the ceiling far above. He had learned to accept his darkness, and with that newfound strength, he had every intention of taking back his sword.

Lu Yong waited on the original shore with an expectant smile on his face. It was not his place to interfere in this battle. It was now up to Wu Chen to take his sword back and complete his clan quest. He looked forward to seeing his lover's blades in action once again.

When he reached the island, Wu Chen ignored the warrior and headed straight for the copse of trees in the center of the island where the call of the sword was originating from.

With an intimidating battle cry, the warrior drew his sword and sent a powerful flare the color of molten silver toward Wu Chen.

As the silver flare rapidly approached from behind, Wu Chen spun and sent a return flare of bright gold from Xiao Lei. It ate through the warrior's flare and continued on, still filled with enough lightning qi to deal significant damage.

The warrior winked out of sight, avoiding the golden flare, and appeared on the path before Wu Chen. He swung his sword in an attack meant to surprise his foe.

However, Wu Chen was prepared and caught the sword with his longsword. Grinning into the glowing eyes of the spirit warrior, Wu Chen began to fight in earnest.

The ringing of steel on steel echoed through the cavernous space. One sword would always be at a disadvantage against a practiced wielder of dual swords. So, while the sword talents of the spirit warrior were impressive, they stood little chance against a swordsman of Wu Chen's abilities.

First blood went to Wu Chen when he leapt over the head of the warrior and opened a wide slash across his back right between the steel plates. The wound did not actually bleed. Instead, it left a ragged slash of darkness across his skin. Shrugging off the injury, the warrior spun and prevented the follow-up lunge from Xiao Lei.

Wu Chen spun as well and ran his longsword up the exposed side of the warrior's arm, creating another dark gash. However, his sword scraped against the armor when the spirit turned to retaliate, causing a deep nick in the blade.

The battle continued in this vein for a short while, and the more injuries the spirit warrior got, the weaker he became. Wu Chen was unaffected by the few injuries he received since they were mostly shallow flesh wounds. As the rightful master of the sword, the damage the spirit was allowed to inflict on him was minimal, so they neither slowed him down nor lessened the fierceness of his attacks.

Eventually, the spirit warrior could not retain its physical form any longer. He raised his hands and jumped back from the battle as a mental message was sent to Wu Chen.

'Forgive this servant for its doubts and arrogance, master. It is Shandian's honor to be able to serve you once again!' Shandian stated as the spirit warrior bowed his respect and broke into jagged pieces before disappearing entirely.

Wu Chen walked right through the dissipating warrior and wove his way through the trees toward the sword's call. Just past the trees, a familiar sight awaited him.

For years, Wu Chen had dreamed of a silver sword hidden in a cavern far to the east. In the center of a clearing in a strange underground world, his dreams finally became a reality.

Before him, a shimmering silver sword etched in ancient runes floated over a black boulder. The elegant grip was wrapped in extremely rare phoenix leather, and the entire sword glowed with a silvery light. A luxurious scabbard of the same strong phoenix leather was propped against the dark boulder with finely etched depictions of lightning all along its length. The sharp scent of ozone permeated the air.

Shandian. The Lightning Blade.

Wu Chen reached a hand toward the hovering longsword and gave a single firm command, 'Come!'

The sword emitted a slightly stronger glow for a moment and then flew into his hand. The aura of the blade infused his whole body with a surge of qi before settling into a warm hum of power that felt comfortably familiar to his soul. He held the sword up and examined the runes. He had hoped that being the master of the sword would grant him the ability to read those runes, but this was not the case.

'Do not worry, master.' Shandian assured him mentally, 'I will teach you all there is to know about the powers I provide and the secrets of the sword once your soul is healed. It should be easier this time as your soul remembers even if your conscious self does not.'

'Thank you, Shandian. I look forward to your instruction.' Wu Chen said, a wide smile lighting his face as he admired his treasure.

Lu Yong had followed his ward after the spirit's defeat, and he now bent down and reverently picked up the scabbard he hadn't seen in centuries. The last time had been on the battlefield where it had lain forgotten in the dust still attached to Wu Chen's broken swordbelt.

He ran his hands along the finely crafted piece while he used his qi to gently remove the accumulated dust to expose the workmanship. Once again pristine, he presented it with a large smile of his own, 'Here. You will need this to contain the aura of your sword.'

Wu Chen accepted the scabbard and stood proudly beside his satisfied Guardian and admired it for a moment. Suddenly, he reached his arms out, being careful with the shimmering sword, and pulled Lu Yong into a crushing hug. He wrapped his arms around the Elder's neck and burrowed his head into his chest.

'Hey!' Shouted Lu Yong, who was blindsided by his ward. With a low 'humm!', he returned his tight embrace and buried his face in his neck, inhaling his scent deeply.

'What's this for then? Not that I'm complaining.' Lu Yong mumbled against his skin with a smile.

'Thank you for encouraging me, Ah Yong, and for believing in me even when I did not believe in myself.' Wu Chen muttered against Lu Yong's strong chest.

Lu Yong chuckled and kissed the top of his ward's head gently, 'I will always love you, and I will always believe in you, Ah Chen. That is how love should be. There is no need for thanks between us.'

They enjoyed the embrace for a little while, reveling in Wu Chen's success. Then, Lu Yong helped him switch the old longsword scabbard for his new one, and they rested the battered weapon still in its scabbard against the black boulder in silent thanks for all it had done to help them. It seemed fitting.

They took the time to refill their waterskins from the fresh lake and ate a quick meal of jerky. It did little to fill them up, but it gave them the energy to keep going without their stomachs growling the entire way.

Wu Chen glanced around the strange underground forest and sighed in regret, 'I really wish we could take the time to explore this area thoroughly. I can smell such a wide variety of herbs here, and there are pockets of power suggesting some of these flowers are cultivation resources as well.'

'We could do a little exploring if you'd like, Ah Chen.' Offered Lu Yong with an indulgent smile.

The young man shook his head and stood up, taking one last look at the treasures all around them, 'No. That could take days. With so much bad blood between the clans and sects right now, it is better that I return quickly and see what I can do to lighten my father's burdens.'

Lu Yong stood up and placed a light kiss on Wu Chen's forehead, proud that his Ah Chen was so filial, 'It is a good choice. Let us begin then.' He said and led the way to the ice bridge he'd created.

As they made their way back across the bridge, Wu Chen held the grip of his new sword now resting in the scabbard on his hip and asked, 'Shandian, can you light the pathway back to the surface for us please, and try to keep it at a comfortable walking speed this time?'

'Yes, master.' Shandian answered respectfully.

A new glowing light appeared just in front of Lu Yong, and the two men once again followed it through the natural doorway and back into the unwelcoming dark of the Serpent Mountain passage.

When they finally exited the great cavern exhausted and travel weary, the world was on fire!