For Meng Fan, once he stepped into the Heavenly Origin Realm, his Divine Sense would naturally form.
Thanks to his practice of Fu Xi's visualization techniques, his mental strength had long reached the level of the Heavenly Origin Realm.
If it weren't for the barrier of his current realm, he would have already cultivated his Divine Sense by now!
Therefore, when others reached the Heavenly Origin Realm, they might need to spend a large amount of Spirit Stones to buy a Heavenly Spirit Pill in hopes of cultivating their Divine Sense.
Meng Fan could save that expense.
Once he cultivated his Divine Sense, he could strive to go further and cultivate his Divine Soul.
With a Divine Soul, Meng Fan could take his Sword Technique to the next summit.
Then, many of his Sword Techniques could be elevated from Sword Momentum to the level of Sword Soul!
His future was a broad and smooth path.
In the following days, Meng Fan spent all his time in the Sword Pavilion.
Apart from occasionally wiping his saber, he devoted the rest of his time to arduous cultivation.
***
One night, after depleting the Essence of the Sword within him, Meng Fan left his room to continue polishing his saber.
Cultivating the Pure Yang Thunder Cultivation Scripture and the Spirit Wind Profound Art could rely on the petals of the lotus flower, but the True Scripture of Scarlet Blood required the Essence of the Sword.
For Meng Fan, it was essential that the Essence of the Sword within him never ran out; he would replenish it as soon as it was depleted.
Sometimes Meng Fan couldn't help but wonder, if he absorbed the Essence of the Sword from all the Sword Weapons in the Sword Pavilion, where would he go when the time came?
By then, he would probably have to leave the Shu Mountain Sword Sect to seek other Sword Weapons.
After all, for him, the Essence of the Sword was something he couldn't stop!
However, Meng Fan didn't need to worry about this for the time being, as at his current pace, the Essence of the Sword in so many sabers in the Sword Pavilion would be enough to last him for several years.
On the first floor of the Sword Pavilion, Meng Fan casually picked a saber and began to absorb its Essence of the Sword.
[Sword Name: Compassionate Heart]
This was a Spiritual Sword, and when Meng Fan touched it, a Sword Wraith surged into his body.
Then, he closed his eyes, and a memory appeared in his mind.
***
A young woman, twenty-eight years of age, was gracefully dancing with the Compassionate Heart Sword in hand.
She was dancing with the sword, not practicing Sword Technique!
She was a courtesan from a high-class brothel, skilled in the arts but not selling her body.
Courtesans from such establishments were often masters of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, though most excelled in only one.
A single skill could make one renowned everywhere!
This girl, named Lian'er, had a unique talent for sword dancing, which was extremely beautiful and pleasing to the eye.
Many talented men and women visited the brothel just to witness Lian'er's sword dance.
But men, especially those who frequented brothels, what true gentlemen could they be?
No matter how refined they appeared on the surface, they couldn't hide their lecherous nature.
Once, a man, drunk, tried to force Lian'er to sell both her art and her body!
Naturally, Lian'er resisted desperately, vowing to never submit.
She didn't die, but the drunken man was stabbed to death by Lian'er's sword.
Although at that time the Compassionate Heart Sword was just a blunt, unsharpened sword meant for dancing, even an unsharpened sword has a somewhat sharp tip.
In a burst of potential, Lian'er managed to thrust the Compassionate Heart Sword into the man's heart, killing him on the spot!
Then, taking advantage of the fact that no one had discovered the incident, she disguised herself and secretly fled the brothel.
Next, she was chased by the brothel's enforcers, determined to capture her and bring her back.
Lian'er, with no experience in fleeing, was quickly caught up by the brothel's enforcers.
Carrying only a blunt, unsharpened sword and with some foundation in sword dancing, how could she possibly stand against those enforcers?
At the critical moment, a clichéd plot unfolded as expected.
A hero came to the rescue!
The person who saved her happened to be a disciple of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.
Meng Fan looked closely and was somewhat surprised.
Although this Shu Mountain disciple was very young, he bore a striking resemblance to Elder Wang of the Scripture Pavilion.
It was almost certain that he was Elder Wang in his younger days!
It was common for young Shu Mountain disciples to venture out for experience and wander the world.
Heroic rescues, though clichéd, were not uncommon; in fact, they happened quite frequently!
Let's be honest, those Shu Mountain disciples out on adventures, especially the male disciples, how could they not help a beauty in distress?
On the contrary, if it were a man in trouble, they might not bother to intervene!
The following plot progressed naturally, with Lian'er falling for the young Elder Wang at first sight.
How does the saying go?
Saved by an ugly man, she would say she owes a great debt of gratitude and vow to repay it in the next life as a cow or horse…
Saved by a handsome man, she would say she's eternally grateful and willing to offer herself in return…
Elder Wang's youthful looks were already a tenth as handsome as Meng Fan, a true and dashing young gentleman.
It was only natural for Lian'er to offer herself to him.
And as the saying goes, even heroes find it hard to resist the charms of a beautiful woman. Thus, Elder Wang fell into the tender trap and did not return to the Shu Mountain Sword Sect for a long time, living with Lian'er in the secular world.
They secluded themselves in a small mountain village, working from dawn till dusk, living a blissful life.
Before long, Lian'er became pregnant.
Elder Wang was overjoyed and decided not to return to the Shu Mountain Sword Sect, choosing instead to live an ordinary life with Lian'er.
However, six months into Lian'er's pregnancy, Elder Wang went hunting in the mountains, hoping to catch a wild chicken to nourish her.
That very day!
A group of black-clothed people stormed into the village, slaughtering dozens of people, each with their hearts gouged out.
Lian'er, six months pregnant, was no exception!
When Elder Wang returned and saw the corpses throughout the village, he was filled with shock and rage.
Especially when he came home and saw Lian'er's body lying on the ground, his soul seemed to be ripped away.
He held Lian'er's body and wept until his voice was hoarse and he could no longer make a sound.
The next day, Elder Wang buried everyone in the village, including Lian'er.
Meng Fan's emotions were complex as he witnessed this scene in the memory.
He truly had not expected that the amiable Elder Wang had such a tragic past.
After the funeral, Elder Wang left the village with Lian'er's Compassionate Heart Sword.
He swore to avenge Lian'er with her own Compassionate Heart Sword!
Day after day, year after year, Elder Wang despaired.
He didn't even know who the murderer was, let alone have any leads to investigate for revenge.
Years later, a disheartened Elder Wang returned to the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.
The Compassionate Heart Sword became Elder Wang's personal saber.
In Elder Wang's hands, this ordinary sword was gradually tempered into a Spiritual Sword.
Many years passed, and Elder Wang gave up the sword for the pen, sealing the Compassionate Heart Sword in the Sword Pavilion and taking his place in the Scripture Pavilion.
He felt that as long as he couldn't avenge Lian'er, he didn't deserve to touch the Compassionate Heart Sword again.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan