Chapter 2
It was warm, pulsing, alive.
My Sword Heart.
Pure sword intent still clung to it—the very essence Julian had personally guided and forged for me.
I remembered the day it was created—the agony so intense I thought I was dying. Julian held me close, whispering over and over, "Claire, just hold on.
"With this Sword Heart, your path to immortality will be clear.
"I'll always be with you."
Back then, I thought those were the most beautiful words I'd ever heard.
But now, looking back, it was nothing but the cruelest curse.
Blood poured from my chest, soaking my white robes and spattering across the hem of Julian's pristine ones.
His face shifted.
His hand shook as he gripped his sword.
"Claire! What are you doing?"
"What am I doing?"
I laughed. Blood came with every laugh.
"Isn't this what you wanted? The Sword Heart?
"Here. Take it!"
With the last bit of strength I had, I slammed the mangled, bloody heart right at Julian's eternally indifferent face.
It hit him, then slipped off limply, hit the ground, and rolled through the dirt.
Julian stood frozen, my blood smeared across his face, looking a complete mess.
Sylvia's scream was especially shrill. "Claire! How could you... how could you do this to yourself?"
I stared at her, blood pouring from my lips.
"Shut up.
"Watching you play the victim makes me sick."
Everyone was dumbstruck by my actions.
The elders who had been urging me to be generous just moments ago now looked ashen-faced, completely speechless.
My life was slipping away fast.
My vision started to darken, and I could barely stay on my feet.
I saw Julian finally come to his senses. He dropped his sword and rushed toward me frantically.
"Claire!" His voice cracked with fear.
Julian lunged forward, trying to pull me into his arms.
But I used the last bit of my strength to jerk away from him.
"Don't touch me with your filthy hands."
I stared at him, saying each word slowly. "Julian Stone, from this day on, we're finished for good.
"I'm outta here! I'm done with this damn immortal world."
The moment I finished, a cold mechanical voice rang out inside my head.
[Host's will to live detected as zero. All ties to the cultivation world severed.]
[The Heartless Escape system is now officially activated.]
[Severing all karmic bonds. Remaking host's body.]
[Next stop: the Mortal Realm.]
A blinding white light swallowed me whole.
The last thing I saw was Julian's face, contorted with sheer terror.
He reached for me, screaming something I couldn't hear.
But I couldn't hear him anymore.
Whatever.
From now on, we were nothing to each other.
When my Sword Heart vanished, the ward protecting Evercrest Sect collapsed with it.
Demons flooded in. Chaos erupted.
Those disciples who once called me selfish paid the price—many died, and even more were left battered and broken.
That was when it hit them: the one they had driven away had been the only thing standing between them and ruin.
When I came to, I was flat on a rough wooden bed.
The wound on my chest had vanished, replaced by the slow, steady thump of a heart.
A mortal heart.
[System prompt: Host has successfully left the cultivation world and arrived in the Mortal Realm—Apricot Blossom Village.]
[All former cultivation physique, spiritual roots, and Sword Heart have been stripped away.]
[Compensation: one healthy human body and 300 dollars to get you started.]
[Enjoy your new life.]
After the mechanical voice faded away, the world fell completely silent.
I lifted my hands, staring at them—clean, but now utterly devoid of any trace of spiritual energy.
I tried to sense my core, but it was completely empty.
The chest that once held the legendary sword heart now had nothing but an ordinary human heart, beating quietly inside.
I... I really was just a mortal now.
I sat up, taking in the small room around me.
Just a table, a chair, a bed, and a cabinet. About as simple as it got.
Outside the window, roosters crowed, dogs barked, and kids laughed and played.
The room was filled with the lively, comforting atmosphere.
I got up and opened the window. Sunlight hit my face. A breeze carried the smell of earth and wildflowers.
It was nothing like the perpetual chill atop Evercrest Sect.
Suddenly, I felt like crying.
Not for my lost cultivation. Not for the Sword Heart carved out of my chest.
I was crying for... freedom.
No more waking before dawn to train, just to earn a half-hearted compliment from Julian.
No more overthinking every glance he threw my way.
No more spending endless nights tossing and turning, tormented by visions of him and Sylvia together.
No more loving him.
Finally, I could live for myself.
With 300 dollars from the system, I rented a small yard in the village and opened a little pottage house.
Life was ordinary, but steady—and for once, safe.
Those memories—of the immortal realm, of Julian—I deliberately kept them sealed.
I thought our lives would never cross paths again.