Upon hearing Meng Fan’s words, Liu Yanping immediately responded, “Money is not an issue; I can sponsor you.”

Meng Fan’s first reaction to this wasn’t excitement or thrill, but caution.

Pies don’t fall from the sky.

Liu Yanping’s eagerness to help him surely had an ulterior motive.

So, furrowing his brows, Meng Fan asked, “Why do you want to help me?”

Liu Yanping smiled and said, “I help you because I seek something in return. After all, a hundred Spirit Stones is no small sum.”

“What do you want?” Meng Fan inquired.

Liu Yanping cut straight to the point, “I want you to share with me the insights you gain from the Sword God Stele!”

This left Meng Fan somewhat bemused.

It reminded him of his primary school days when he’d pay to copy someone else’s homework.

“Aren’t you afraid that I won’t gain any insights, or that I might deceive you and keep secrets from you?” Meng Fan said helplessly.

“Not afraid!” Liu Yanping declared with conviction.

“Why?” Meng Fan himself didn’t have that much confidence.

He couldn’t fathom why Liu Yanping trusted him so much.

“Because you lack Spirit Stones. If you want to earn more from me, you can’t lie to me!” Liu Yanping explained.

That’s the confidence of a Rich Woman!

And Meng Fan found himself agreeing with her.

Indeed, if he wanted to get Spirit Stones from her, he couldn’t afford to deceive her.

Even if he did deceive her, he would have to ensure she felt she got her money’s worth.

Thinking it over, she wasn’t at a loss at all.

The logic was simple!

Meng Fan suddenly saw Liu Yanping in a new light. He had previously thought of her as a naive rich girl, only good at squandering wealth.

Now it seemed that every time she spent money, it wasn’t a losing deal.

“Alright, I agree,” Meng Fan told Liu Yanping directly.

It was a win-win situation; there was no reason for him to refuse.

“Then I’ll wait for you at the Training Hall tomorrow and take you to the Sword God Temple,” Liu Yanping said.

“Okay!” Meng Fan agreed.

Afterward, Meng Fan returned to the Sword Pavilion, just in time to close the pavilion’s gate—it was nearly closing time.

“Senior Disciple Luo, have you heard of the Sword God Stele in the Sword God Temple?” After tidying up, Meng Fan asked Senior Disciple Luo.

“The Sword God Stele? Heh, where did you hear about that? It’s way beyond your reach. It costs a hundred Spirit Stones for a single session of insight. Don’t even think about it,” Senior Disciple Luo said offhandedly.

“Have you ever gained insight from the Sword God Stele?” Meng Fan continued.

“No, if I had a hundred Spirit Stones, why would I waste them on that when I could do something better?

Kid, stop daydreaming!

Indeed, some have gained profound insights from the Sword God Stele, even mastering powerful Sword Techniques, but those are rare exceptions.

Most disciples of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect gain nothing from the Sword God Stele, just squandering a hundred Spirit Stones for nothing.

Even if you really had a hundred Spirit Stones, I wouldn’t recommend you try to gain insight from that thing!”

Hearing Senior Disciple Luo’s words, Meng Fan understood a bit better.

It seemed the Sword God Stele wasn’t as easy to comprehend as he had imagined, and Liu Yanping was just too naive.

After all, a hundred Spirit Stones didn’t mean much to Liu Yanping; she could afford to waste them.

But for someone like Senior Disciple Luo, it was an unaffordable luxury!

Meng Fan said to Senior Disciple Luo, “I’m planning to gain insight from the Sword God Stele tomorrow, without spending any Spirit Stones.”

“Huh?” Senior Disciple Luo looked confused.

Meng Fan explained, “It’s Sister Liu who wants to sponsor me to gain insight from the Sword God Stele, so I don’t have to spend my own Spirit Stones.”

He didn’t want to hide this from Senior Disciple Luo.

Since he was destined to rise within the Sword Pavilion, it couldn’t be kept secret forever.

Better to prepare Senior Disciple Luo in advance than to let him be shocked and unable to accept it later.

After all, Meng Fan and Senior Disciple Luo lived and worked together; it was inevitable that some extraordinary aspects would show!

If Meng Fan displayed any exceptional abilities in the future, he could attribute them to insights from the Sword God Stele.

Senior Disciple Luo, envious, looked at Meng Fan.

“Being handsome sure has its perks. If I had your looks, I’d also cling to the thighs of a Rich Woman like Liu Yanping!”

Senior Disciple Luo thought Liu Yanping was sponsoring Meng Fan because she was smitten with his good looks, captivated by his handsome face.

In reality, Liu Yanping valued Meng Fan’s enlightenment!

But Meng Fan didn’t bother to explain this, or rather, he deliberately chose not to clarify, letting Senior Disciple Luo harbor this misunderstanding.

If any outrageous events occurred later, he wouldn’t need to come up with excuses; Senior Disciple Luo would likely imagine them himself.

This would save Meng Fan a lot of trouble!

That night, Meng Fan returned to his room and began his cultivation.

Now he was indulging in luxury, holding a Spirit Stone in his palm to absorb its energy, swallowing a Qi Gathering Pill, and feeling the Essence of the Sword emanating from his lower abdomen.

This cultivation speed was even superior to those with Excellent Spiritual Roots!

“Hong Qi, have you heard of the Sword God Stele?” Meng Fan asked Hong Qi during his cultivation.

“No,” Hong Qi’s voice echoed in Meng Fan’s mind.

“The previous master of the Hong Qi Sword wasn’t a disciple of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.

After his demise, the Hong Qi Sword was fortuitously collected by the Sword Pavilion of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.

Since arriving at Shu Mountain, the Hong Qi Sword has never left the Sword Pavilion; in fact, you are the first master of the Hong Qi Sword within the Shu Mountain Sword Sect!”

Meng Fan nodded, signaling his understanding.

It seemed Hong Qi knew very little about Shu Mountain; his hope of finding a living fossil was dashed.

The next day, after cleaning the long sword, Meng Fan arrived at the Training Hall and met Liu Yanping as agreed.

“Do you want to watch others practice swordplay here for a while, or shall we go straight to the Sword God Temple?” Liu Yanping, knowing Meng Fan’s habit of watching others practice, asked.

Initially, she didn’t understand why Meng Fan liked watching others practice swordplay.

But ever since she witnessed Meng Fan’s terrifying enlightenment, she completely understood.

For a prodigy like Meng Fan, merely watching others wield their swords could allow him to grasp the essence of their Sword Techniques, which was truly astonishing.

“Let’s go straight to the Sword God Temple; no need to waste time,” Meng Fan told Liu Yanping.

Truth be told, he was quite curious about the Sword God Temple and the Sword God Stele.

After all, these were legendary treasures of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.

Liu Yanping led Meng Fan away from the Training Hall, heading towards the Sword God Temple.

On the way, Meng Fan suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He saw a towering structure surrounded by a terrifying aura, its exterior bound by iron chains and plastered with countless talismans.

The sight was spectacular and awe-inspiring!

This was Meng Fan’s first visit to this area and his first encounter with the tower.

When Meng Fan was a Menial Disciple, he had no access to this region.

Even after becoming a Guarding Sword Disciple of the Sword Pavilion, he had never ventured near here.

“What’s wrong?” Liu Yanping, seeing Meng Fan halt, asked curiously.

Then she noticed Meng Fan staring at the tower to the right and couldn’t help but smile.

“First time seeing the Demon Locking Tower?”

Meng Fan immediately turned to Liu Yanping, full of surprise.

“Is this the legendary Demon Locking Tower?”

Meng Fan had certainly heard of the Demon Locking Tower.

It was said to suppress the passage connecting the Demon Realm to the Human Realm, and that the tower imprisoned numerous ferocious and terrifying demons!

Liu Yanping said to Meng Fan, “The interior of the Demon Locking Tower is indeed terrifying, but the outside is safe, so you don’t need to worry.”

She thought Meng Fan was frightened and reassured him.

Meng Fan exclaimed, “Rumor has it that beneath the Demon Locking Tower lies the passage from the Demon Realm to the Human Realm.

Although the passage is sealed, occasionally some escapees appear at the bottom of the tower.

And the powerful cultivators of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect often enter the Demon Locking Tower to clear out these escapees, slaying demons and exterminating evil!”

Liu Yanping glanced at Meng Fan.

“That’s not a rumor, it’s the truth. However, only Elders at their level of cultivation are qualified to enter the Demon Locking Tower to slay demons and exterminate evil. If a disciple were to enter, it would be a death sentence!”

“I wonder when I’ll have such an opportunity,” Meng Fan thought wistfully.

Slaying demons and Sword Flight were the ultimate dreams of every sword cultivator.

Liu Yanping rolled her eyes, suppressing the urge to tease Meng Fan, then said, “Once you gain enough insight from the Sword God Stele, perhaps you’ll have your chance in the future.”

Entering the Demon Locking Tower to exterminate evil was a privilege reserved for Elders.

One would need to reach at least the “Nascent Soul” Realm, or even condense a Sword Spirit, to have the capability.

Meng Fan, a mere Qi Refining Level Two, was far from ready.

But given Meng Fan’s frightening enlightenment, it wasn’t impossible in the future; Liu Yanping did hold him in high regard.

Meng Fan took one last look at the Demon Locking Tower, suppressed the longing in his heart, and said to Liu Yanping, “Sister Liu, let’s go. We’ll head to the Sword God Temple first.”

Moments later, under Liu Yanping’s guidance, Meng Fan arrived at the Sword God Temple.

Despite its grandiose name, the Sword God Temple was actually a simple and unadorned hall.

In the center of the hall stood a massive stele.

The stele was seven to eight meters tall, almost reaching the ceiling of the Sword God Temple.

Its four sides were incredibly smooth, devoid of any inscriptions or patterns, appearing quite ordinary.

But sometimes, the most ordinary-looking things contain the most astonishing secrets!

The Sword God Stele was one such object.

“The Sword God Stele can accommodate up to ten people for simultaneous contemplation. Currently, there are only two, so you can go ahead and begin,” Liu Yanping told Meng Fan.

Although the Sword God Stele was mystical, its high fee meant it was rare for ten people to contemplate it at once.

In fact, sometimes there wasn’t even a single person!

“Just me?” Meng Fan asked Liu Yanping.

“Of course, if I joined you, that would be two hundred Spirit Stones. Although I have some savings, a hundred Spirit Stones is not something to be wasted so casually!”

In Liu Yanping’s view, spending a hundred Spirit Stones to contemplate the Sword God Stele was sheer waste.

She had already contemplated it and, despite gaining a little, the meager benefits were not worth a hundred Spirit Stones!