Meng Fan carefully observed the ethereal figure of Hong Qi, noting that it had become much more solid.
He opened his mouth and asked, "During this period, you've absorbed quite a bit of the Essence of the Sword. How do you feel now? Is there any sign of transitioning from a spiritual form to a soul form?"
Hong Qi was a sword spirit, a spiritual entity.
When her spiritual form became strong enough, there was hope for her to evolve into a soul form.
From being a sword spirit to becoming a sword soul.
Although there was only a one-word difference between "spirit" and "soul," the distinction was vast!
A spirit was ethereal and uncertain, merely a consciousness residing within a sword weapon.
Once the sword weapon was destroyed, the spirit would inevitably dissipate into nothingness.
But a soul form was entirely different. Once it was cultivated, it became an independent entity, completely detached from the sword.
Even if the sword weapon was destroyed, the sword soul could survive and find a new vessel.
And this vessel was not limited to just sword weapons.
Hong Qi was originally a human who transformed into a sword spirit after a sword sacrifice.
Once she cultivated a soul form, there was hope for her to become human again. Although it was an extremely difficult task, it was at least a possibility!
Meng Fan helped Hong Qi cultivate a soul form with the intention of reviving her.
However, he had never told Hong Qi about this intention.
Because telling her might only lead to disappointment.
So, it was better to wait until he was confident before saying anything.
"Master, the Essence of the Sword indeed helps me refine my spiritual form. Refining it to the extreme can indeed transform it into a soul form.
However, I am still far from achieving a soul form. I need to absorb the Essence of the Sword from at least a thousand spiritual swords."
Hong Qi said somewhat embarrassedly.
A thousand spiritual swords were not the same as a thousand ordinary swords; the difficulty was imaginable.
Meng Fan, however, smiled and said, "As long as there's hope, that's good. A thousand spiritual swords are nothing. It won't take long."
The number of spiritual swords in the Sword Pavilion definitely exceeded a thousand.
Moreover, Meng Fan had inherited over a hundred spiritual swords from the Sword Immortal of Alchemy.
Meng Fan had not yet absorbed the Essence of the Sword from these spiritual swords.
So, it wasn't difficult for Hong Qi to cultivate a soul form. The real challenge was how to revive her and reconstruct a physical body.
To be honest, Meng Fan had never heard of a method to reconstruct a physical body.
It was likely a technique of the immortals!
So, the idea of reviving Hong Qi was a long-term goal…
After chatting with Hong Qi for a while and understanding her current state, Meng Fan let her return to her cultivation.
As for the Hong Qi Sword, after absorbing so much Essence of the Sword, it was getting closer to the level of a Law Sword.
As Meng Fan's personal Law Sword, it naturally couldn't be of low quality!
Meng Fan believed that even if Hong Qi hadn't yet cultivated a soul form, the Hong Qi Sword would definitely become a Law Sword.
"Actually, besides Hong Qi and the Hong Qi Sword, my body has also undergone subtle changes after absorbing so much Essence of the Sword." Meng Fan looked at his palm and murmured to himself.
He had a faint feeling that he was not far from achieving the Innate Sword Physique that Hong Qi had mentioned before.
In this world, many people possessed spiritual roots.
But those with special physiques were extremely rare!
Meng Fan was on the verge of cultivating a special physique.
Once he achieved the Innate Sword Physique, Meng Fan would undergo a remarkable transformation.
By then, even his Mixed Spiritual Root wouldn't hold him back.
"Fan'er, come up here."
At that moment, Meng Fan suddenly heard Elder Lin's voice coming from the second floor of the Sword Pavilion.
Elder Lin rarely called for Meng Fan, so Meng Fan was a bit surprised to hear the summons.
He didn't hesitate and quickly went up to the second floor of the Sword Pavilion.
"Master, you called for me?" Meng Fan stood before Elder Lin.
Elder Lin nodded and said to Meng Fan, "I need your help with something."
Meng Fan quickly replied, "Master, there's no need to talk about helping or not. Just tell me what you need."
"I have an old friend's son who will be coming to the Sword Pavilion in the next few days. I need you to take care of him and look after him," Elder Lin said.
"Don't worry, Master. I'll take good care of him. But who is this old friend's son of yours?"
Since he was to take care of him, Meng Fan naturally wanted to know more about the person.
"His name is Wu Tian, a disciple of the Buddhist sect. He has been cultivating at the Vajra Temple.
However, he recently broke a precept and was expelled from the Vajra Temple, becoming an abandoned disciple.
He has nowhere to go now, so his father arranged for him to come here to cultivate for a while."
Hearing Elder Lin's words, Meng Fan was a bit puzzled.
Having nowhere to go didn't mean he should be sent to the Sword Pavilion, right?
The Shu Mountain Sword Sect and the Buddhist Vajra Temple didn't seem to have any connection.
There was no reason for him to cultivate at the Sword Pavilion.
Moreover, why were so many people being expelled from their sects recently?
First, Lin Jian and Lu Xiaoyun were expelled from the Shu Mountain Sword Sect, and now this Wu Tian was expelled from the Vajra Temple.
But since Elder Lin had already spoken, Meng Fan wouldn't ask further and would just follow the instructions.
"I understand, Master. Don't worry."
Elder Lin shook his head and said, "No, you don't understand. I haven't finished speaking."
"Uh, please continue, Master." Meng Fan smiled awkwardly.
"When I say take care of him, I don't mean in the usual sense!"
"Huh?"
"When Wu Tian arrives, I want you to teach him a lesson and curb his arrogance."
Meng Fan immediately smiled wryly, realizing what Elder Lin meant by "taking care."
"Master, if he's your old friend's son, why do you want to teach him a lesson?"
"He's been possessed by a demon. He needs someone to wake him up, and it's best if that person is of a lower realm than him."
Hearing Elder Lin's words, Meng Fan began to understand the situation.
So, it was simply about teaching Wu Tian a lesson.
"Master, what realm is this abandoned disciple Wu Tian from the Vajra Temple?" Meng Fan asked.
Elder Lin smiled and said, "Don't worry, he's also in the Heavenly Origin Realm. His cultivation level isn't much higher than yours. I believe he won't be your match."
Meng Fan nodded.
Heavenly Origin Realm, then it's fine.
To be honest, Meng Fan was a bit arrogant. In his eyes, no one in the Heavenly Origin Realm was his match.
And in fact, that seemed to be true!
Elder Lin looked at Meng Fan and gave one last reminder.
"Teach him a lesson, but don't injure or cripple him, and definitely don't kill him!"
In Elder Lin's view, his disciple was indeed terrifying. He was genuinely afraid that Meng Fan might accidentally kill his old friend's son.
"Don't worry, Master. I know what to do."
***
Meng Fan originally thought that the abandoned disciple Wu Tian would arrive at the Sword Pavilion in a couple of days.
But the next day, as soon as he opened the door of the Sword Pavilion, he saw a shiny bald head standing outside.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan