Although Meng Fan had earned a tidy sum of spirit stones from Liu Yanping, he had spent every last one of them on medicinal pills, leaving him completely penniless.
He washed up, went to the mess hall to eat, and upon returning began polishing long swords.
After wiping down forty long swords, only one contained malevolent Qi.
Using his Divine Sword Dao to refine the malevolent Qi, Meng Fan learned a mediocre sword technique called the "Leaf-Slicing Sword Technique," which was not worth mentioning.
This sword technique was far inferior to the "Blue Sea Rising Tides Sword" he had learned from Liu Yanping, so Meng Fan naturally didn't pay it much mind.
True to his usual habits, Senior Brother Luo slept until the sun was high in the sky before lazily waking up and stepping out of his room.
Meng Fan had been waiting for him for a long time and quickly brought out the Copper Mountain Sword.
Seeing the Copper Mountain Sword broken into two pieces, Senior Brother Luo couldn't hide his astonishment.
"What is the meaning of this? You just picked this sword last night, and you've already broken it?"
Chapter 22: The Hongqi Sword Recognizes Its Master, Combat Power Soars
If you were to say that Meng Fan went out to fight someone and broke his sword in the process, that might be understandable.
But you took the sword just last night, never even left the premises, and didn't do a single thing with it, yet you still managed to break it.
That was simply absurd!
Meng Fan explained with a hint of awkwardness, "Actually, Senior Brother Luo, this Copper Mountain Sword wasn't broken by me—it was broken by the Hongqi Sword."
Hearing Meng Fan's words, Senior Brother Luo finally noticed the Hongqi Sword on Meng Fan.
The...
The Hongqi Sword?!
Senior Brother Luo's eyes widened in shock, and he stared in utter disbelief at Meng Fan and the Hongqi Sword.
Meng Fan continued to explain, "Yesterday I chose the Copper Mountain Sword, but when I woke up this morning, I found that it had been broken by the Hongqi Sword. Moreover, the Hongqi Sword wants to follow me and become my personal sword."
Senior Brother Luo's eyes grew wider and wider, because what Meng Fan was saying sounded increasingly unbelievable.
The crucial point was that while it sounded completely implausible, Senior Brother Luo could tell that Meng Fan was not lying.
He remained silent for quite a long time before finally calming his racing thoughts.
The Hongqi Sword—this was a spiritual sword with exceptionally heavy malevolent Qi, and among all the swords on the first floor of the Sword Pavilion, it was undoubtedly at the very top.
Many of the sword weapons on the second floor of the Sword Pavilion might not even compare to the Hongqi Sword.
Most importantly, this Hongqi Sword had even looked down on him, yet it had actually taken a fancy to this punk Meng Fan?
Although Senior Brother Luo had always thought quite well of Meng Fan, at this moment he was still thoroughly shocked by the boy.
However, so as not to lose face in front of Meng Fan, he forced himself to calm down and said with a feigned casualness, "The Hongqi Sword is extraordinary. The fact that it chose you proves that you're quite capable. Keep it up!"
That final word of encouragement sounded rather out of place, and he awkwardly patted Meng Fan on the shoulder.
Meng Fan asked with cautious hesitation, "Then... Senior Brother Luo, since the Copper Mountain Sword is damaged, do I need to pay compensation?"
This was what he cared about most, and the exact reason why he had waited all morning for Senior Brother Luo.
Senior Brother Luo rolled his eyes and said, "Didn't I already tell you yesterday? You can use any sword in the Sword Pavilion as you please. If you break one, don't worry about it—no compensation needed. Just toss the Copper Mountain Sword into the recycling room!"
"That's a relief." A smile broke out across Meng Fan's face as he let out a thorough sigh of relief.
If he were an outer disciple, an incident like this would require him to hand over ten spirit stones in penalty.
Right now, he certainly didn't have ten spirit stones.
He couldn't possibly go fleece Liu Yanping again, could he?
Besides, Liu Yanping wouldn't necessarily let him fleece her a second time!
Senior Brother Luo glanced at the Hongqi Sword strapped to Meng Fan, a trace of envy hidden deep within his eyes.
Yet he hid it so well that Meng Fan failed to notice.
In truth, although this Senior Brother Luo looked unfathomably weathered, with white eyebrows and hair, and exuded an overwhelming aura of high status like some formidable expert—
When stripped of the facade, he was merely a veteran sword-guarding disciple of the Sword Pavilion, with a status equivalent to that of an inner disciple.
Three years ago, he had been nothing more than an ordinary outer disciple!
Therefore, spiritual swords like the Hongqi Sword were something he naturally coveted, yet he had been unable to subdue it himself.
And yet, the Hongqi Sword had actually taken the initiative to follow Meng Fan!
This was, frankly, a bit of a blow to his ego.
Nevertheless, it also proved that his initial judgment had been correct: Meng Fan was indeed exceptionally suited to be a sword-guarding disciple, even more so than himself.
"Don't go out today, kid. I'm heading out to buy some wine; you can go out and fool around tomorrow," Senior Brother Luo casually said to Meng Fan before leaving the Sword Pavilion.
Meng Fan watched Senior Brother Luo's receding figure with a hint of puzzlement.
Why was Senior Brother Luo in such a rush to leave today?
"He was crushed by you." After Senior Brother Luo left, a beam of red light emanated from the Hongqi Sword, and Hongqi's phantom materialized in front of Meng Fan.
"Crushed?" Meng Fan asked with a surprised expression.
"He wanted me to be his personal sword before, but I refused. I looked down on him."
Hearing Hongqi's words, Meng Fan smiled, suddenly understanding.
The Hongqi Sword was unwilling to follow Senior Brother Luo, yet willing to follow him instead—naturally, Senior Brother Luo's pride had taken a hit.
"Actually, Senior Brother Luo is a really good person," Meng Fan remarked offhandedly.
"What good is being a good person? What I want is someone who can help me take revenge, and he clearly holds no hope of that!"
Meng Fan gave a wry smile. What a mercenary wom—
Ahem, female sword.
Hongqi continued, "Every time I talk to you, I have to manifest out of the sword; it's too tiring. Bite your finger, squeeze out a drop of fresh blood, and let it fall onto the blade."
Meng Fan followed suit. He drew the Hongqi Sword and let a single drop of fresh blood fall onto the edge.
The next second, the blood directly melted into the blade.
"Blood-binding recognition—such a clichéd method actually exists in reality? So if a complete stranger drops blood onto the blade, will you recognize them as your master too?" Meng Fan asked out of curiosity.
Hongqi's phantom had already returned into the sword, but the next instant, her crisp voice echoed directly in Meng Fan's mind.
"Heh, if it someone I despise, and they dared to actively drip blood onto my blade, I'd suck them dry and kill them on the spot, let alone recognize them as master!"
Was this the miraculous operation after a blood-binding recognition?
Hongqi's voice could actually resound directly within his own mind.
A spiritual sword was truly worthy of the name; it was indeed immensely miraculous!
"Right, since you're a spiritual sword after all, do you have any ultimate moves? What kind of buffs or assistance can you provide me?" Meng Fan asked the Hongqi Sword.
"Of course I have ultimate moves, but you shouldn't use them lightly," Hongqi's voice resounded in Meng Fan's mind.
"Alright, why don't you introduce them first?"
"The Hongqi Sword possesses the effect of [Charm]. As long as you channel your True Qi into the Hongqi Sword, I can cast [Charm] on the enemy. At that moment, the enemy will lose their wits, becoming completely at your mercy, allowing you to easily kill them!"
"Since you said not to use it lightly, that implies the restrictions must be huge, right?"
"Indeed, because this [Charm] not only consumes your True Qi, but also depletes my accumulated power. After using Charm once, I need at least three days of rest to build up my power again!"
In other words, this [Charm] was an ultimate skill, and its cooldown period was a full three days.
"Then what is the upper limit of this Charm? I mean, what is the highest realm of martial artist it can effectively work on?" Meng Fan asked, feeling somewhat helpless.
"Though I am strong, you are far too weak. With your paltry amount of True Qi, even if you unleash it at full strength, the impact on martial artists in the True Martial Realm will be limited. However, for those in the Qi Refinement Realm—even at the Qi Refinement Peak—they can be easily charmed and immobilized."
Meng Fan nodded, having understood the situation.
Although Hongqi's tone was full of disdain, this was already immensely powerful.
It meant that a Qi Refinement 1st Layer martial artist like himself could effortlessly slaughter a martial artist at the peak of the 9th Layer of Qi Refinement.
That was simply preposterous!
Of course, this move could only be used once every three days, making it a true trump card.
It could not be deployed unless absolutely necessary!
"Not bad, you're even stronger than I imagined," Meng Fan said with a satisfied smile.
A spiritual sword was indeed a spiritual sword, far too formidable compared to ordinary mortal swords.
Chapter 23: Top Ten Inner Disciples, Coveting the Spiritual Sword
Because Senior Brother Luo had gone out to buy wine, Meng Fan had to stay behind and guard the Sword Pavilion today.
However, foot traffic in the Sword Pavilion was very low; it was already a good day if a single disciple came by to claim or exchange a sword.
In the afternoon, sitting in his chair, he mentally rehearsed the sword techniques he had seen earlier in the Martial Arts Hall.
Meng Fan made a rough calculation: he had learned more than forty sword techniques in the Martial Arts Hall alone.
However, such a miscellaneous and chaotic style of learning was actually somewhat superficial.
It lacked the sheer destructive power of techniques like "Ultimate Sword-Drawing Technique" and "Mountain-Splitting" when executed by his own hands.
Nor did Meng Fan have the energy to intensively cultivate so many sword techniques; he was merely deducing and synthesizing them in an effort to create his own unique "Myriad Swords Return to Sect."
Once the Myriad Swords Return to Sect was successfully forged into a complete sword technique one day, it would surely shake the entire Shushan Sword Sect.
No, it would astonish the entire world!
Unfortunately, this could not be accomplished overnight; it was a heavy responsibility and a long road ahead.
Twilight gradually descended, and a whole day was about to slip away.
Senior Brother Luo still hadn't returned. Meng Fan didn't rush to close the doors; he thought he would wait for Senior Brother Luo to come back first.
Instead of Senior Brother Luo, however, he ended up waiting for another disciple.
"I'm here to exchange a sword." A young man wearing the attire of an inner disciple walked through the front doors of the Sword Pavilion and spoke directly to Meng Fan.
Meng Fan nodded and pulled out a register.
"Sign in. Are you claiming a sword or exchanging one?"
"Exchanging!" The young man took the register and wrote down his name.
[Dugu Ming]
A double-barreled surname—quite rare.
Yet Meng Fan didn't pay it much mind, as he had never heard this name before.
In truth, Meng Fan's world was far removed from the inner disciples; previously, he had practically never interacted with a single one of them.
Oh, aside from that girl Li Xuerou!
This little girl had entered the Shushan Sword Sect on the very same day as him, starting out as a miscellaneous laborer, yet by the time she became an inner disciple, Meng Fan was still just a miscellaneous laborer.
Comparing people could really make one die of frustration!
Although Meng Fan envied Li Xuerou, he had never felt any jealousy toward her; after all, in his heart, this girl was as dear to him as a younger sister.
"Your sword is completely undamaged. Are you certain you want to exchange it? Exchanging a sword costs ten spirit stones, you know."
Meng Fan glanced at the personal sword in Dugu Ming's hand and offered a reminder.
Dugu Ming cast a surprised look at Meng Fan and said, "My sword hasn't even been unsheathed, yet you can tell it's completely undamaged. The sword-guarding disciples of the Sword Pavilion certainly have some skill!"
Meng Fan smiled and said nothing.
If he didn't even have this little bit of skill, how could he serve as a sword-guarding disciple?
Dugu Ming took out ten spirit stones and placed them on the table alongside his personal sword.
Then he walked into the first floor of the Sword Pavilion and began selecting a sword.
Meng Fan picked up Dugu Ming's discarded sword.
[Sword Name: Longbing]
At the same time, a surge of malevolent Qi poured into Meng Fan's body.
His Divine Sword Dao activated, refining the malevolent Qi.
This malevolent Qi was not particularly fierce, so refining it was not difficult.
Following that, Meng Fan experienced the "memories" of the Longbing Sword—specifically, Dugu Ming's memories of practicing swordsmanship.
A moment later, Meng Fan opened his eyes and returned to normal.
He had learned a sword technique consisting of only a single move, yet that single move could adapt to ten thousand variations.
"Facing-Wind Sword Slash"
It carried a distinct flavor of breaking ten thousand spells with a single sword.
Meng Fan could sense that once this sword technique was cultivated to the extreme, it was entirely capable of giving birth to Sword Intent!
In form, this sword technique bore some resemblance to [Mountain-Splitting], but in truth, its power was slightly inferior to it.
Therefore, to Meng Fan, this sword technique was dispensable and of little consequence, so he didn't give it another thought.
Next, he drew the Longbing Sword from its scabbard, allowing a wisp of sword essence to flow into his body.
Yet, this sword was in perfect condition without any damage whatsoever—why on earth would Dugu Ming want to exchange it?
Under these circumstances, the only explanation was that he felt the Longbing Sword wasn't strong enough and wanted to trade it for a more powerful one.
Could it be that he wanted to swap for a spiritual sword?
Meng Fan looked at Dugu Ming's retreating back and fell into deep thought.
A spiritual sword was not something so easily claimed!
Unless the spiritual sword was willing to follow you of its own accord, trying to forcibly subdue one was not a matter of whether it was difficult or not; one risked danger, or even mortal peril, if things went wrong.
Meng Fan's guess was spot on: this Dugu Ming truly intended to exchange for a spiritual sword!
As one of the top ten ranked inner disciples of the Shushan Sword Sect, he believed he was now worthy of possessing a spiritual sword.
Under Meng Fan's watchful gaze, Dugu Ming wandered around several rows of wooden racks on the first floor of the Sword Pavilion.
In the end, he chose a long sword with a pitch-black scabbard.
[Chiyue]
This was a sword Meng Fan remembered.
Back when Meng Fan first entered the Sword Pavilion, this very sword had erupted with sword radiance to intimidate him.
At that time, Meng Fan had been given a fright!
Later on, Senior Brother Luo told him that everyone who entered the Sword Pavilion would be provoked by that Chiyue Sword.
This sword could be said to be the most vicious and perverse weapon on the first floor of the Sword Pavilion!
Trying to subdue such a sword was undoubtedly the most difficult task.
In a certain sense, sword spirits were actually very similar to humans—they possessed distinct personalities.
Take Hongqi, for instance: she clearly understood the situation, showing herself to be both clever and rational.
Chiyue, however, was like a madman—extraordinarily unhinged—and dealing with it was clearly far less straightforward than dealing with Hongqi.
Of all the swords Dugu Ming could have chosen, why did he have to pick Chiyue? This was undoubtedly asking for trouble!
The moment this fellow placed his hand on the Chiyue Sword, the weapon suddenly erupted with boundless malevolent Qi.
Spiritual swords possessed consciousness, so it was well aware of Dugu Ming's intentions.
This human wanted to subdue it and take it as his personal sword.
In Chiyue's eyes, this was a provocation and an insult.
Not just anyone was qualified to become its master!
Therefore, Chiyue was filled with malice toward Dugu Ming. The very second Dugu Ming touched it, it unleashed a terrifying offensive.
The boundless malevolent Qi instantly condensed into a sheet of black mist, enveloping Dugu Ming in a split second.
Trapped within the black mist, Dugu Ming's face turned pale as he circulated the True Qi inside his body, desperately fighting to fend off the malevolent Qi.
Clearly, he was finding it extremely taxing!
Not everyone was like Meng Fan, who could effortlessly refine malevolent Qi.
For an ordinary person facing such terrifying malevolent Qi, it was a narrow escape with nine deaths and one life!
Just as Dugu Ming was struggling with all his might against the sword's malevolent Qi, the Chiyue Sword once again burst forth with a captivating radiance.
A pitch-black sword Qi pierced straight out from the Chiyue Sword, slashing directly toward Dugu Ming.
Meng Fan's expression shifted. Intuition told him that if this sword Qi landed, Dugu Ming would most likely die!
Alas, even if Dugu Ming were truly slain, he lacked the capability to rescue him.
An inner disciple in the True Martial Realm—was that someone he could possibly save?
In this situation, running over would simply be feeding another head to the enemy!
"Are you spiritual swords all this terrifying?" Meng Fan furrowed his brow and muttered under his breath.
He knew that Hongqi could hear his voice.
Sure enough, Hongqi's voice sounded in Meng Fan's mind.
"What did you expect? Spiritual swords aren't something just anyone has the ability to command! Chiyue is inherently the most vicious and perverse spiritual sword, and it even shows tendencies of transforming into a demonic sword. Only martial artists in the Xiantian Realm have the capability to subdue it. This Dugu Ming choosing the Chiyue Sword is sheer arrogance beyond his capabilities; if he weren't inside the Sword Pavilion, he'd be dead meat today!"
Chapter 24: How About This Servant Warms Your Bed?
Meng Fan had no idea what a demonic sword actually was.
Yet just hearing those two words was enough for him to roughly guess how terrifying a demonic sword must be.
Without a doubt, it was definitely stronger than a normal spiritual sword!
"You said that if he weren't inside the Sword Pavilion, he'd be dead today. Does that mean inside the Sword Pavilion, he can't die?" Meng Fan asked with a hint of curiosity.
From Meng Fan's perspective, Dugu Ming's current predicament was already a definite death sentence.
The kid was one hundred percent going to be tortured to death by the Chiyue Sword!
The next second, Hongqi's voice echoed in Meng Fan's mind.
"Inside the Sword Pavilion, you aren't the only person here. Just because you can't save him doesn't mean someone else can't."
Hearing Hongqi's words, Meng Fan finally remembered that there was still someone living upstairs in the Sword Pavilion.
Yet he had never laid eyes on the bigwig upstairs.
Senior Brother Luo had never taken him upstairs, and he certainly wouldn't dare go up there on his own initiative!
Just as Dugu Ming looked as though he was about to be sliced in two by the Chiyue Sword, Meng Fan felt a massive pressure bearing down from directly above his head.
He faintly sensed an aura emerging from the second floor of the Sword Pavilion, suppressing the Chiyue Sword.
As for what kind of aura it was, however, he remained completely clueless.
Regardless of what it was, it was undoubtedly the bigwig from the second floor of the Sword Pavilion making a move.
Dugu Ming was truly fortunate; had he encountered such a situation outside, he would already be a corpse by now.
With the appearance of that aura, the Chiyue Sword instantly grew well-behaved.
It slowly retreated to a corner and remained motionless, the malevolent Qi on its blade dissipating entirely.
Dugu Ming collapsed onto the floor, taking heavy, ragged breaths.
Just moments ago, he had been only a single step away from death, truly experiencing the terror that death brings.
"It seems I overestimated my own abilities." After a long while, he stumbled to his feet, letting out a helpless sigh.
He didn't try to select another sword; instead, he picked up his original personal sword and spirit stones from the table, turned around, and walked out of the Sword Pavilion.
Call this fellow reckless, and reckless he certainly was.
Yet when it came to knowing when to quit, he was excessively pragmatic!
Though he couldn't handle the Chiyue Sword, picking a sword stronger than the Longbing Sword shouldn't have been difficult at all.
Meng Fan shook his head and stopped paying attention to Dugu Ming.
"You need to watch out for this fellow!" Hongqi's voice suddenly chimed in Meng Fan's mind.
"Huh?" Meng Fan was slightly startled. "What do you mean by that?"
"Although he didn't speak with you, right before leaving, he cast a sideways glance at you without arousing suspicion. His gaze was full of gloom and dread, and even carried a faint trace of murderous intent."
Hearing Hongqi's words, Meng Fan was taken aback.
He had been busy tidying up the register just then, so he hadn't noticed Dugu Ming glancing at him before his departure.
"Do you have persecution mania? I have no grievances or grudges with him; how could he possibly hold murderous intent toward me?" Meng Fan felt that Hongqi was overthinking things.
"Because of jealousy. I'm hanging on you so blatantly, practically making a public announcement that I'm your personal sword. And this Dugu Ming looked at me with extremely fervent eyes! He's an inner disciple and didn't even manage to acquire a spiritual sword, yet you—a mere 1st Layer Qi Refinement sword-guarding disciple—actually possess a spiritual sword. How could he not be jealous? Still, he has deep psychological defenses and didn't reveal these emotions right in front of you, but I caught it!"