Meng Fan frowned and asked, "The outer disciple assessment hasn't started yet. Why has the ranking been updated?"
The disciple named Liu Wei replied, "One of the senior brothers has fallen. I was ranked fifty-first before, so I naturally moved up to fiftieth."
Hearing this, a trace of surprise appeared in Meng Fan's eyes. He hadn't expected such a twist.
Still, it made complete sense and was entirely reasonable.
"Very well. You may freely choose one sword from the first floor of the Sword Pavilion. However, some swords are extremely terrifying. If you covet a sword beyond your capability to control, you may suffer a backlash!"
This was a mandatory procedure; every disciple who came to claim a sword had to be given this warning.
"I understand," Liu Wei nodded, then stepped into the Sword Pavilion to choose a sword.
A moment later, Liu Wei picked up a sword and swung it around in the hall to see how it felt.
*Whirling Wind and Swaying Willow Sword*.
Meng Fan had heard of this sword technique, but as a former handyman disciple, he had never had access to it.
Yet upon seeing Liu Wei practice the form, he instinctively guessed that this was the Whirling Wind and Swaying Willow Sword.
He could even see through the flaws and defects in Liu Wei's swordplay.
It was utterly absurd!
He had never studied this sword technique before, yet at a single glance, he could spot its shortcomings.
He even subconsciously used his finger as a sword, traced a random arc, and actually corrected the defects in Liu Wei's swordplay.
Based on this alone, who would ever dare call Meng Fan a trash Spiritual Root?
In the main hall of the Sword Pavilion, Liu Wei frowned.
Because while wielding the sword, he kept feeling a lack of smoothness, yet he couldn't figure out where the problem lay.
Those ranked in the top fifty among outer disciples only had a single chance to claim a sword for free.
Wanting to swap swords required turning in three Spirit Stones.
Therefore, Liu Wei was quite cautious during his first sword selection!
"Not satisfied?" Meng Fan said to Liu Wei.
Liu Wei nodded and said, "I tried picking several swords just now and thought this one suited me best, but while wielding it, I felt some discomfort. I just can't figure out where the issue is."
Meng Fan glanced at Liu Wei and smiled with a chuckle. "Actually, your arms aren't the same length. Your right arm is half an inch shorter than your left, so you should use a slightly longer sword.
"Moreover, your grip on the sword is different from ordinary people; you like to let your pinky finger slip off the hilt and press against the pommel.
"Therefore, you are suited for swords with shorter hilts.
"This sword suits you better!"
Meng Fan took a sword down from the wooden rack, casually unsheathed it, and glanced at it.
The reason for unsheathing it was to capture the trace of aura within the blade, which could help nourish his cultivation with a warm current.
He hadn't wiped this sword clean yet, so he naturally couldn't let it go to waste!
Only after the aura inside the blade surged into his body did Meng Fan toss the sword over to Liu Wei.
Liu Wei caught the sword and gave it a tentative swing.
Instantly, surprise bloomed across his face.
Meng Fan's choice was spot on; this sword truly suited him.
After practicing his sword technique once more with this sword, Liu Wei was completely satisfied.
He solemnly cupped his fists and bowed to Meng Fan, saying, "Thank you, Senior Brother!"
In truth, he didn't know whether Meng Fan was a junior or senior brother.
But this title of "Senior Brother" was a mark of respect.
He was thoroughly convinced!
"Think nothing of it. One must not linger in the Sword Pavilion. Since you've chosen your weapon, register and take your leave," Meng Fan said calmly to Liu Wei.
Liu Wei hurriedly registered, then hugged his beloved precious sword and left happily.
Senior Brother Luo appeared before Meng Fan, carrying a wine gourd, and looked at him with surprise. "Kid, your eye for this and your insight are quite something!"
Meng Fan smiled shyly. "Senior Brother flatters me."
Senior Brother Luo shook his head. "It's not flattery; it's genuine praise. It's a waste for someone like you to be stuck in the Sword Pavilion. You were meant to achieve great things."
Meng Fan quickly said, "Actually, I feel the Sword Pavilion suits me very well."
"Fair enough. If you can endure and grind it out in the Sword Pavilion, your achievements will be even higher than if you were outside!" Senior Brother Luo patted Meng Fan's shoulder and said, "Cultivate diligently. Once you reach the 5th Layer of Qi Refinement, I will take you to meet Old Lin."
"I will certainly work hard," Meng Fan nodded, looking earnest.
Then he stared at the wine gourd in Senior Brother Luo's hand for a few moments and asked somewhat doubtfully, "Senior Brother, isn't this the wine gourd from my room?"
Senior Brother Luo rolled his eyes at Meng Fan and complained with dissatisfaction, "You have the nerve to ask! I parted with it in agony and gave you a whole gourd of wine, and you didn't even drink it. The wine aroma was about to dissipate—what a terrible waste!"
"Uh, my alcohol tolerance is a bit low, so I only took a sip."
Hearing that Meng Fan had only taken a sip, Senior Brother Luo didn't mind and continued drinking straight from the wine gourd.
"Such immortal brew, yet you don't know how to enjoy it. How boring."
After expressing his disdain for Meng Fan, Senior Brother Luo walked out of the Sword Pavilion's main gates, off to God knows where to carouse again.
To be honest, Meng Fan envied Senior Brother Luo a little.
Ever since he came to the Sword Pavilion, he hadn't stepped outside even once.
When Senior Brother Luo returned this time, he had to ask if he himself was allowed to go out.
All afternoon, Meng Fan continued wiping swords.
Only after polishing forty swords did he stop.
Aside from that Black Wind Sword, the subsequent swords carried no sword malevolence, which made Meng Fan breathe a sigh of relief.
The malevolence of the Black Wind Sword had damaged his vitality somewhat, and he still hadn't fully recovered.
As the sun set, Senior Brother Luo returned right at closing time for the Sword Pavilion.
Just like last time, he reeked of alcohol and had a wine gourd tucked at his waist.
It seemed this Senior Brother Luo was an absolute wine fanatic.
That made things easy. If he ever needed Senior Brother Luo's help in the future, getting some good wine would make negotiating a breeze.
That night, Meng Fan continued practicing the *Spirit Wind Mysterious Technique*.
Having polished so many swords during the day and absorbed so much aura, a warm current appeared in his lower abdomen once again during cultivation.
Relying on these warm currents, Meng Fan believed he would soon reach the 2nd Layer of Qi Refinement.
This time, he kept at it until the sky grew faintly bright before the warm current was completely exhausted.
Just like usual, Meng Fan rose early in the morning.
And just like usual, Senior Brother Luo didn't emerge from his room, bleary-eyed, until the sun was high in the sky.
"Kid, you don't need to be so diligent. Even if you sleep until the afternoon, nobody cares," Senior Brother Luo said with a yawn.
Meng Fan said rather awkwardly, "What if a disciple comes to claim a sword in the morning?"
Senior Brother Luo waved it off dismissively. "Then let them wait. They can claim their sword whenever we open our doors.
"The rule of the Sword Pavilion is to close on the dot every sunset.
"As for opening time, it completely depends on our mood!"
Hearing Senior Brother Luo's words, Meng Fan gained a new perspective on the Sword Pavilion.
"Alright, Senior Brother Luo, I have a question. I don't know if I should ask."
"Ask!" Senior Brother Luo looked entirely unconcerned, always maintaining a lazy demeanor.
"Senior Brother Luo, if I have business to attend to, can I leave the Sword Pavilion for a bit?" Meng Fan asked somewhat diffidently.
After all, he had only arrived at the Sword Pavilion a few days ago.
It felt like a newly hired employee at a company already thinking about skipping work to slack off.
Yet Senior Brother Luo replied with total nonchalance, "Of course you can, as long as you return before the Sword Pavilion closes. If I'm inside the Sword Pavilion, you can just walk right out; if I'm not here, just remember to close the Sword Pavilion doors before you leave!"
Hearing this, Meng Fan was slightly dazed.
Could he really be this casual?
It completely exceeded his imagination.
Meng Fan continued asking, "Senior Brother Luo, outer disciples of the Shushan Sword Sect are allowed to cultivate in the Merit Hall for one hour every day. As a sword-guarding disciple of the Sword Pavilion, my status is equivalent to an outer disciple. Am I also allowed to go cultivate in the Merit Hall for an hour?"
"Of course. Since you've just entered the Qi Refinement Realm, you really should go cultivate more in the Merit Hall," Senior Brother Luo told Meng Fan.
A place like the Merit Hall was obviously useless to someone like Senior Brother Luo.
If Meng Fan hadn't brought it up, he would have forgotten such a place even existed.
The Merit Hall was equipped with a small gathering spirit array.
However, this place was generally only useful for disciples in the Qi Refinement Realm.
Moreover, once someone surpassed the 6th Layer of Qi Refinement, the effects became virtually negligible.
"Then, Senior Brother Luo, may I step out now and check out the Merit Hall?" Meng Fan asked cheekily.
Senior Brother Luo smiled. "Go ahead. I have no plans to leave the Sword Pavilion today anyway."
Stepping out of the Sword Pavilion's gates, Meng Fan felt a sense of refreshing clarity.
Having been cooped up inside the Sword Pavilion for several days, stepping outside made even the air feel fresher.
Soon, he arrived at the Shushan Sword Sect's Merit Hall.
The Merit Hall was vast, easily accommodating over a thousand disciples.
Yet a small spirit-gathering array shared among a thousand disciples was actually quite a tasteless chicken rib.
That was why figures like Senior Brother Luo had long forgotten about such a place.
But for a martial artist like Meng Fan who had just stepped into the 1st Layer of Qi Refinement, the Merit Hall could still be considered a treasured ground.
Meng Fan pulled out his sword-guarding disciple token, registered, and entered the Merit Hall.
He found a spot, sat cross-legged on the ground, and began to cultivate.
A moment later, he frowned.
Because the warm current in his lower abdomen had already been exhausted last night.
Now he was just practicing dry cultivation; even inside the Merit Hall, it yielded no effect.
He could barely sense the operation of the *Spirit Wind Mysterious Technique*, and the cultivation speed was virtually identical to practicing in his Sword Pavilion room without any warm current—there was no improvement at all.
"With this time, I'd be better off polishing a few more long swords and accumulating more warm currents."
Meng Fan had lost interest in the Merit Hall. Without a doubt, he had no intention of coming back tomorrow.
For other outer disciples, boosting their cultivation speed just a tiny bit in the Merit Hall was better than nothing.
But for Meng Fan, it truly amounted to a waste of time.
Meng Fan stood up, ready to leave the Merit Hall, unwilling to waste another second.
Only to run into an acquaintance.
Well, not exactly an acquaintance—they had only met once.
Yang Shi!
Ranked forty-first among the outer disciples.
For this guy to still be coming to the Merit Hall to cultivate proved he hadn't yet reached the 6th Layer of Qi Refinement.
Once they reached the 6th Layer of Qi Refinement, disciples generally stopped coming to the Merit Hall.
Meng Fan now had a rough understanding of the outer disciples.
The top fifty outer disciples hadn't even reached the 6th Layer of Qi Refinement; frankly, they weren't all that impressive.
Previously, Meng Fan felt outer disciples were lofty and stood an unbridgeable chasm apart from handyman disciples like them.
Yet looking at it now, outer disciples were nothing special after all!
When Meng Fan spotted Yang Shi, Yang Shi spotted Meng Fan as well.
Enemies truly do cross paths on narrow roads!
Yang Shi stared coldly at Meng Fan, a savage grin plastered across his face.
Back at the Sword Pavilion, with Senior Brother Luo present, he hadn't dared do anything to Meng Fan.
Now, having arrived at the Merit Hall—this wasn't the Sword Pavilion—it was the perfect time for him to teach Meng Fan a lesson.
"Meng Fan, I didn't expect you to have the courage to walk out of the Sword Pavilion. I couldn't do anything to you there, but here it's a different story."
The guy walked up to Meng Fan, looking down at him with an arrogant expression.
Meng Fan smiled, glanced at Yang Shi, and casually asked, "What do you want?"
"What do I want? That depends on your attitude. Either you return the Black Flame Sword to me, or today you won't be walking out of the Merit Hall in one piece."
"I don't believe you'd dare make a move against me inside the Merit Hall," Meng Fan said offhandedly.
The Merit Hall was not a place where people could just cause trouble.
Yang Shi sneered. "I'll wait for you outside, unless you hide inside the Merit Hall and never come out."
Hiding at the entrance?
This move was just like kindergartners throwing out threats: "Don't leave after school today, wait for me at the school gates!"
Meng Fan glanced at Yang Shi without paying him much mind.
Although this Yang Shi was ranked in the top fifty among outer disciples, honestly speaking, Meng Fan didn't fear this kind of trash.
Unsurprisingly, this Yang Shi was at the 5th Layer of Qi Refinement.
The 5th Layer of Qi Refinement was theoretically much stronger than the 1st Layer.
But that strength only lay in True Qi; it didn't mean his swordsmanship and practical combat ability were necessarily high.
To put it plainly, strong True Qi meant high stamina and high attack power.
However, Meng Fan believed his swordsmanship could crush his opponent. If he could suppress his opponent in a single stroke, the opponent's stamina would become meaningless.
As for high attack power—if he found the opponent's blind spot, the opponent wouldn't be able to hit him at all.
Of course, that assumed the opponent wasn't overwhelmingly powerful to an inescapable degree.
If they reached the 7th and 8th Layers of Qi Refinement, True Qi became incomparably tyrannical in such cases, and even the most mediocre sword moves could crush you with brute force.
By then, no matter how flashy your maneuvers, you could only take a beating.
Yet Yang Shi clearly hadn't reached that level, so Meng Fan felt he could toy with him a bit!
Yang Shi left the Merit Hall and waited for Meng Fan outside.
Meng Fan followed closely behind and left as well. He had already been planning to depart, so he wasn't going to change his plans on account of Yang Shi.
The moment Yang Shi came out, he saw Meng Fan following him right out of the Merit Hall.
A trace of surprise crossed his face.
In his mind, Meng Fan would definitely be hiding inside the Merit Hall, too cowardly to come out.
"You've got some nerve, kid!" Yang Shi looked at Meng Fan and said chillingly, "I'll give you one last chance. As long as you return the Black Flame Sword to me, I'll let bygones be bygones and stop troubling you."
Meng Fan shook his head. "The Black Flame Sword has already been reclaimed by the Sword Pavilion. If you want to claim a new sword, prepare ten Spirit Stones."
Outside the Merit Hall was a martial practice arena.
Yang Shi grabbed a wooden sword from the weapon rack in the arena, pointed it at Meng Fan, and said, "Since that's how it is, don't blame me for bullying you. You'll pay the price today."
Meng Fan also grabbed a wooden sword from the rack.
These were the most ordinary wooden swords, blunt blades without any edge, entirely devoid of lethal force.
The Shushan Sword Sect's swords were basically all kept in the Sword Pavilion.
Even new weapons forged by the Artifact Refining Hall were sent straight to the Sword Pavilion.
If disciples wanted to acquire swords, they had no choice but to fetch them from the Sword Pavilion.
This Yang Shi was quite pathetic too; after losing the Black Flame Sword, he didn't even have a personal weapon left.
So right now, if he wanted to teach Meng Fan a lesson, he could only use the ubiquitous wooden swords of the arena.
In truth, if he gritted his teeth, he could scrape together ten Spirit Stones, but handing over ten Spirit Stones just like that felt like an absolute ripoff!
The more he thought about it, the more he hated Meng Fan.
Disciples frequently sparred in the practice arena, so the confrontation between Meng Fan and Yang Shi didn't draw much outside attention.
*Clang—*
Yang Shi unsheathed his sword.
Though it was a wooden sword, a hint of murderous intent faintly emanated from his hands.
Looking at the wooden sword in his grip, he grew more infuriated the longer he looked—he clearly could have possessed a proper, formal sword!
It was all Meng Fan's fault!
He charged at Meng Fan in a flash, flicked his long sword, and spun it into a blooming sword flower.
Meng Fan sneered.
Flashy and useless!
Yang Shi didn't take Meng Fan seriously at all, so when executing his strike, he even showed off a meaningless sword flower purely for looks and flair!
Consequently, in Meng Fan's eyes, Yang Shi's opening stance was riddled with flaws.
Meng Fan drew his sword, striking later yet arriving first.
The flat of his blade smacked against Yang Shi's wrist, directly knocking the wooden sword out of Yang Shi's grip.
Then he flashed sideways, dodging past Yang Shi's body.
He raised his foot.
And kicked fiercely into Yang Shi's flank.
*Crack!* A crisp snapping sound echoed.
At least three of this fellow Yang Shi's ribs were broken.
Like cutting dry weeds and smashing rotten wood!
Effortless!
Meng Fan didn't even mobilize the True Qi in his body. Although his reserve of True Qi was tiny, once mobilized, it could at least double or even triple his attack power.
Of course, it would only last for a single strike.
After that single strike, his True Qi would be completely exhausted.
Yang Shi was kicked tumbling to the ground. He looked up at Meng Fan in sheer shock and disbelief.
How could this handyman disciple possibly be so strong?
Yang Fei had told him before that Meng Fan was formidable, but he hadn't taken it to heart.
A handyman disciple? What did they amount to?
As it turned out, Meng Fan's strength far exceeded his imagination.
In their brief exchange just now, the opponent had seen right through him and completely controlled the rhythm of the battle.
This insight, this experience—it was enough to drive him to despair.
A handyman disciple?
This was even more terrifying than an inner disciple.
He could sense that Meng Fan's cultivation base was inferior to his own, lagging far behind.
Yet this combat power completely threw him a street length away.
Absurd!
"Yield?" Meng Fan stepped forward, planting his foot right on Yang Shi's face.
This was naked, unadulterated humiliation.
Yang Shi instantly flew into a rage, his body's True Qi erupting and forcefully knocking Meng Fan's foot away.
It even forced Meng Fan to take two steps back!
"You're courting death——!" Yang Shi roared. Having lost his sword, in his fury, he threw bare-handed punches straight at Meng Fan.
Meng Fan executed the unfamiliar *Startled Swan Step*, dodging past Yang Shi's fists.
*Clang!*
With a flick of his left hand, the wooden sword was unsheathed once more.
The tip of the blade rested right against Yang Shi's throat.
Though it was a blunt, unsharpened wooden sword, if Meng Fan exerted a bit more force, he could easily crush Yang Shi's windpipe.
"Your swordsmanship and your combat awareness are both far too poor. You've got nothing but cultivation realm."
Under normal circumstances, had Meng Fan said such a thing, Yang Shi would certainly have scoffed with disdain.
But right now, with a sword pressed against his throat, he couldn't afford to ignore it!
His throat trembled, then he swallowed hard and said cautiously, "I yield."
These were true words.
He truly yielded.