Meng Fan nodded but did not respond.

After this battle, Meng Fan was eager to advance to the True Martial Realm as soon as possible.

He had recognized his weakness: his spiritual power was extremely frail. Even a feeble little fox could charm him, trapping him in an illusion.

If his spiritual power were strong enough, he wouldn’t have been affected at all!

Once a cultivator reaches the True Martial Realm, they can practice visualization techniques to enhance their spiritual power until they develop Divine Sense.

The next step would be to cultivate a Sword Soul, making him impervious to such evil spirits and demons.

Elder Lin then emerged from the shadows.

With a wave of his hand, he gathered some branches and leaves and started a fire.

He snapped off a branch and skewered a fox heart, roasting it over the flames.

After it was cooked, Elder Lin tossed it to Meng Fan.

“Eat it.”

Meng Fan frowned; he had eaten duck, chicken, pig, and even beef hearts, but never a fox heart.

Seeing Meng Fan’s reluctance, Elder Lin explained, “Actually, it tastes quite good, and it’s very nourishing. Just like the Purple Thunder Pig contains Thunder Essence, the heart of this bewitching fox has special effects. Eating it can enhance your spiritual power a bit. It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing.”

Upon hearing this, Meng Fan hesitated no longer and swallowed the fox heart.

He had just been concerned about his weak spiritual power, and now here was something that could enhance it. Why not eat it?

Elder Lin hadn’t lied; it did taste good.

It was just missing some cumin and chili powder.

After eating, Meng Fan didn’t feel a significant increase in his spiritual power.

Of course, it might be because his spiritual power was too weak and he hadn’t practiced visualization techniques, so he couldn’t detect any change.

Three days…

Seven days…

Ten days…

One month…

It took a full month for Meng Fan to achieve his goal of hunting a hundred Purple Thunder Pigs.

At the same time, he had absorbed a hundred strands of Thunder Essence.

Now, the strength of his True Qi had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining.

He could even advance to the True Martial Realm whenever he wished, as he knew from guiding Liu Yanping that cultivating a Sword Technique to the point of Sword Rhyme could lead to a breakthrough to the True Martial Realm.

Meng Fan had not only mastered Sword Rhyme but also Sword Intent in more than one technique.

For him, breaking through to the True Martial Realm was as easy as flipping his hand!

But Elder Lin stopped him, advising against the breakthrough.

“Your True Qi has increased too rapidly over the past month, posing a risk of an unstable foundation. You need to slow down before breaking through to the True Martial Realm!”

Meng Fan nodded at Elder Lin’s words.

In these matters, Elder Lin’s experience was certainly richer than his own, and following Elder Lin’s advice was no problem.

“This past month, not only has your cultivation level increased, but your combat experience has also grown significantly. The hard work was worth it.”

“However, an unstable foundation is something to be cautious about; it needs to be polished.”

“Now let’s return to the Shu Mountain Sword Sect. I have a way to address the potential issues caused by your rapid increase in True Qi!”

…

Seven days later, Meng Fan followed Elder Lin back to the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.

Returning to the sect, Meng Fan felt as if he had undergone a transformation.

In just over a month, he had advanced from the fourth to the ninth level of Qi Refining, which was quite fantastical.

It had to be said, following Elder Lin was truly—exhilarating!

Back at the Sword Pavilion, Senior Disciple Luo stared at Meng Fan, his face full of shock.

He noticed the change in Meng Fan’s cultivation level!

Advancing five minor realms in a month was outrageous, wasn’t it?

Even though he knew Elder Lin must have helped, it still felt surreal.

Too exaggerated!

“Junior Disciple Meng, at this rate, you’ll be outstripping me in a year,” Senior Disciple Luo said to Meng Fan with a wry smile.

Meng Fan could only offer an awkward yet polite smile in return.

Honestly, it was a certainty, without a doubt.

“After wasting a month, rest well tonight. Come find me tomorrow at the Dragon Hour,” Elder Lin told Meng Fan.

Spending a month in the Heavenly Heart Mountains, Meng Fan sometimes lived like a wild man. Describing it as “wasting” was not at all inappropriate.

Upon returning, Meng Fan took a long bath and then had a proper meal in the dining hall.

That night, back in his room, Meng Fan didn’t dare to cultivate. He feared that he might lose control and break through to the True Martial Realm.

Elder Lin had his reasons for not allowing the breakthrough, and Meng Fan trusted him completely.

Moreover, Meng Fan felt that he had cultivated too quickly and that there might be hidden dangers.

Elder Lin said he had a way to help him eliminate these dangers, but what could it be?

That night, Meng Fan slept soundly in his bed.

The next day, at the Dragon Hour, he arrived early on the second floor of the Sword Pavilion, eager to learn Elder Lin’s method for eliminating the risks.

“Master, you mentioned that my True Qi increased too quickly, posing a risk of an unstable foundation. You also said you had a way to eliminate this danger. What is it?” Meng Fan asked impatiently.

Elder Lin chuckled, “You really can’t keep calm, can you?”

Meng Fan sheepishly smiled, his expression extremely shy.

Of course, it was an act!

“Because your True Qi has risen too swiftly, your control over it may become increasingly erratic, which is the risk of an unstable foundation.”

“To eliminate this danger, it’s actually quite simple: you just need to improve your control over your True Qi.”

“I have a Sword Art that is perfect for your current situation.”

Hearing this, Meng Fan eagerly asked, “What Sword Art?”

“Sword Driving Art!” Elder Lin revealed.

Sword Driving Art?

Meng Fan had heard of Sword Flight, but he had never heard of Sword Driving Art.

Elder Lin noticed the confusion on Meng Fan’s face, smiled, and explained, “You once asked me about Sword Flight.”

“Sword Flight is a technique within Sword Flight Art, and it’s a very advanced one that requires profound cultivation to master.”

“Sword Driving Art can be considered a simplified version of Sword Flight Art. If you can master Sword Driving Art to perfection, then later practicing Sword Flight Art will be much more effective and come naturally.”

“Most importantly, Sword Driving Art is the best for enhancing your control over True Qi right now.”

Elder Lin then began to teach Meng Fan the Sword Driving Art.

In fact, despite Elder Lin’s grand description, Sword Driving Art was quite simple in essence: it involved using True Qi to control a longsword from a distance.

It sounded impressive, but in reality, it was rather superfluous.

For instance, if Meng Fan wielded a longsword and struck with a force of 10, then using Sword Driving Art to control the longsword might only yield a force of 1, or at most 2!

In terms of combat effectiveness…

It had virtually no practical combat capability, purely for show.