"Master, please don't abandon me!" Hong Qi's face showed a trace of despair as she pleaded with Meng Fan.
She had always worried that as Meng Fan grew stronger, she would gradually become unworthy of him and unable to keep up with his power.
Sooner or later, Meng Fan would surely replace her with another sword!
But she never expected that day to come so soon.
She had thought that she would only need to worry about this when Meng Fan reached the Condensation Pill Realm.
After all, as a Spiritual Sword, she was more than sufficient for a cultivator of the Heavenly Origin Realm.
Unfortunately, Meng Fan was no ordinary cultivator of that realm.
With this thought, despair filled Hong Qi's heart!
If Meng Fan abandoned her, she might never have the chance to seek her revenge in this lifetime.
Meng Fan stared blankly at Hong Qi's apparition, his face showing a hint of astonishment.
But he quickly understood what she was worried about and knew what the young lady was fretting over.
He couldn't help but chuckle, "You silly girl, what nonsense are you thinking about?"
"Eh?" Seeing Meng Fan's expression and hearing his words, Hong Qi was completely bewildered, not understanding his meaning.
If Hong Qi had a physical form and not just an apparition, Meng Fan would have flicked her on the forehead.
Flicked until it turned red and swollen!
Meng Fan said with a slight irritation, "Do you really see me as such an ungrateful person who abandons others after using them?"
He had genuinely been caught off guard, not expecting the young lady to think he would abandon her!
His anger was real, not feigned.
After all, being misunderstood was indeed frustrating!
"So you just said that I can't keep up with your pace anymore?" Hong Qi said, her voice trembling with grievance and a touch of sadness.
Meng Fan replied helplessly, "I hadn't finished speaking, what's the rush? What I meant was, you can't keep up with my pace, so it's time for you to become stronger!"
Become stronger?
Hearing this word, Hong Qi was genuinely surprised.
She was just the spirit of a sword, how could she become stronger?
The Hong Qi Sword could indeed become stronger, but Meng Fan wasn't a swordsmith, so how could he enhance the Hong Qi Sword?
"Master, have you thought of a way to strengthen the Hong Qi Sword? Or are you planning to find a swordsmith to reforge and enhance it?"
When she spoke of reforging the Hong Qi Sword, her voice quivered slightly.
Meng Fan could clearly hear the fear in her tone!
"What's wrong?"
Meng Fan quickly asked, his voice tinged with concern.
Hong Qi cautiously said, "Master, the Hong Qi Sword cannot be reforged. If it is, I might be annihilated, and a new sword spirit could emerge."
"Alright, you can rest assured, that will absolutely not happen," Meng Fan said with conviction.
He hadn't known about this before, as he wasn't a swordsmith.
The thought of Hong Qi being annihilated was something Meng Fan couldn't bear!
To him, Hong Qi was not just any ordinary sword spirit; she was a living person.
In fact, Hong Qi was originally human.
She became a sword spirit after her soul was sealed within the sword during a Sword Sacrifice.
She was different from those naturally formed sword spirits!
Poor Hong Qi, she had always been living cautiously and in constant fear.
To put Hong Qi's mind at ease and free her from fear, Meng Fan didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "What I meant earlier was to make the Hong Qi Sword my personal Law Sword. You're thinking too much!"
Personal Law Sword?
Even as an apparition, Hong Qi's eyes widened in shock.
She understood the significance of a personal Law Sword!
But the key issue was, the Hong Qi Sword was simply not worthy.
With Meng Fan's excellence, he could easily find a Law Sword or even hope to obtain a Dao Sword as his personal Law Sword.
The Hong Qi Sword was just a Spiritual Sword, far from worthy of Meng Fan, the gap was too great!
Even though a personal Law Sword is closely linked to its master and can grow stronger with them, it's always better to start with the highest quality.
Hong Qi quickly said, "Master, with your abilities, the Hong Qi Sword is simply not worthy to be your personal Law Sword."
With that, Hong Qi was essentially belittling herself.
She wasn't playing coy; she truly felt that way.
Meng Fan shook his head and said, "You're wrong. In my heart, no other sword is worthy to be my personal Law Sword, only the Hong Qi Sword is!"
The Hong Qi Sword was the first sword he obtained after entering the Sword Pavilion.
No, to be precise, it was the first sword he had since entering Shu Mountain!
For Meng Fan, the Hong Qi Sword held special significance.
Originally, the Spiritual Sword did not disdain him, a mere Qi Refining novice, and was willing to acknowledge him as its master.
Now, Meng Fan naturally wouldn't disdain the Hong Qi Sword!
"But…" Hong Qi, with a furrowed brow, tried to say something but was interrupted by Meng Fan.
"There are no buts. Do you want to be abandoned by me? Don't you want to seek revenge? Missing this chance to become stronger might mean you'll never get another one!"
Meng Fan spoke the truth; this was the only chance to become his personal Law Sword.
Once he chose another Sword Weapon as his personal Law Sword, the Hong Qi Sword would never have another opportunity.
"I'm afraid I'll hold you back," the Hong Qi Sword said tentatively.
A mighty Spiritual Sword, yet so insecure at heart!
Of course, it was mainly because Meng Fan was too strong, strong enough to make one feel inferior.
Others might not understand Meng Fan's strength, but Hong Qi, who was always by his side, could be considered the "person" who understood him best.
She sincerely felt that a Spiritual Sword was simply not worthy to be Meng Fan's personal Law Sword.
Even if that Spiritual Sword was herself!
Meng Fan said with a smile, "If I could be held back by you, then you should be proud. You might lack confidence in yourself, but you should never lack confidence in me!"
Whether it was an illusion or not, Hong Qi thought she saw a hint of indulgence in Meng Fan's eyes.
Ah, it must be an illusion; she wasn't a pet.
"Thank you, Master!" Hong Qi's apparition knelt before Meng Fan, overwhelmed with gratitude.
At this point, any further refusal would seem too pretentious, even hypocritical.
After all, becoming Meng Fan's personal Law Sword was to her advantage, not Meng Fan's!
Meng Fan shook his head and said, "There's no need for this in front of me. Kneel to the heavens, the earth, and your parents. Although I am your master, you don't need to kneel to me!"
Truth be told, Meng Fan really disliked the act of kneeling; after all, his soul was from Earth.
"Once the Hong Qi Sword becomes my personal Law Sword and is nurtured by me, it will grow increasingly stronger. In the long run, it won't be weaker than a Law Sword or even a Dao Sword."
Meng Fan said with a smile, "So Hong Qi, in the future, you will be my closest combat partner."
Then there was another thought that Meng Fan didn't voice.
He wanted… to revive Hong Qi!
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan