Moments later, Meng Fan's brows furrowed.
There was a restriction on the jade bracelet, and only by breaking this restriction could the bracelet be opened.
After all, Meng Fan had only recently developed his Divine Sense, which was still rather weak.
Breaking through this restriction was not going to be easy.
"Phew~~~~~" Meng Fan let out a long breath.
His Divine Sense was completely depleted, and he hadn't even managed to break one percent of the restriction.
Even if he were to persist without sleep or sustenance, continuously using his Divine Sense to break the restriction and then immediately restoring it once depleted.
Such a cycle, he estimated, would take three days and nights!
This was no exaggeration, considering Meng Fan had only just developed his Divine Sense. If he had been cultivating it for several years, or even achieved a Divine Soul, he could break the restriction in an instant.
"Heh, three days and nights it is then. I've got plenty of time on my hands," Meng Fan said with a hint of determination on his face.
Having started on this task, he couldn't just give up halfway. What did three days and nights matter?
It was a perfect opportunity to temper his newly developed Divine Sense!
Meng Fan, known for his strong execution, immediately sat cross-legged on the bed to restore his Divine Sense.
Although his Divine Sense was weak and could be depleted in a moment.
Restoring it took him a full hour.
It felt like a losing deal, not a bargain at all!
But there was no choice, Meng Fan had decided to take the loss and push through.
After restoring his Divine Sense, Meng Fan continued to work on breaking the restriction on the jade bracelet.
Soon, his Divine Sense was depleted once again.
However, he had managed to create a tiny crack in the bracelet's restriction.
About one percent progress!
To completely break the restriction, Meng Fan needed to put in ninety-nine percent more effort.
It sounded complicated, but it was actually not difficult, just time-consuming.
***
Just as Meng Fan was preparing to meditate and restore his Divine Sense again, the phantom of Hong Qi suddenly emerged from the Hong Qi Sword.
"Master, I've succeeded!" The young lady rushed towards Meng Fan with immense joy, but since she had no physical form, she passed right through him.
Meng Fan stood up, surprised, and looked at Hong Qi, wondering why she was suddenly so excited.
"What have you succeeded in?" he asked.
"The Soul Condensation Art, I can cultivate it now, I've succeeded," Hong Qi said excitedly, a look of elation Meng Fan had never seen before.
Indeed, it was an exciting development.
Meng Fan was happy for Hong Qi, but he was also curious.
"Didn't you just say you couldn't cultivate it, that the Soul Condensation Art wasn't suitable for you? How come you can suddenly cultivate it now?"
Hong Qi floated down from Meng Fan's bed, still excited and not calm.
She said with an excited tone, "I really couldn't cultivate it outside, the Soul Condensation Art had no effect on me. But just now, after entering the Hong Qi Sword, I tried again unwillingly and succeeded in cultivating it."
Meng Fan realized that Hong Qi could only cultivate within the Hong Qi Sword, relying on it as a medium.
Once outside, she was unable to cultivate.
This was indeed a drawback, but the benefits outweighed the disadvantages, at least better than not being able to cultivate at all!
And Meng Fan believed that once Hong Qi became a Sword Spirit and condensed a soul body, she could cultivate independently of the Hong Qi Sword.
"This is great news, congratulations!" Meng Fan said with a smile.
It was indeed good news, and now Meng Fan wouldn't need to find a cultivation method for Hong Qi anymore.
After all, such things were hard to come by!
"Thank you, Master, if it weren't for you…"
Meng Fan waved his hand, interrupting Hong Qi, "Let's skip the formalities. If you really want to thank me, just focus on cultivating and becoming stronger."
The stronger Hong Qi became, the more help she would be to him, which was undeniable.
After all, a personal Law Sword had a significant impact on a sword cultivator!
Moments later, the excited Hong Qi returned to the Hong Qi Sword.
Meng Fan continued to sit on the bed, restoring his Divine Sense.
As for Xiao Qing, she remained curled up in a corner of the room, unobtrusive, looking weak, pitiful, and helpless.
But in fact, Xiao Qing was the strongest in the Sword Pavilion, aside from Elder Lin.
Even Meng Fan, who had just broken through to the Heavenly Origin Realm, might not be a match for Xiao Qing in terms of strength.
Because Xiao Qing was just one step away from reaching the boss-level entity realm!
Compared to human cultivators, it was equivalent to being just one step away from the Condensation Pill Realm, akin to the peak of the Heavenly Origin.
Meng Fan was strong, but with his cultivation at the first level of the Heavenly Origin Realm, he might not be a match for the peak of the Heavenly Origin.
After all, there were eight minor realms in between.
However, once Meng Fan took the time to comprehend the Sword God Stele for ten days and nights, and then got a Law Sword from Elder Lin.
Then, even the peak of the Heavenly Origin Realm wouldn't be a concern for him.
Under those circumstances, Meng Fan might truly be able to challenge beyond his level!
Using the Heavenly Origin Realm to challenge the Condensing Elixir Realm!
Then, for the entire night, Meng Fan didn't leave the Sword Pavilion, focusing all his energy on the jade bracelet.
Consuming Divine Sense, restoring Divine Sense, in a continuous cycle.
***
The next day, Meng Fan put away the jade bracelet.
The progress for the night was decent; he had managed to break about one-tenth of the bracelet's restriction.
At morning, as usual, Meng Fan went to the second floor of the Sword Pavilion to see Elder Lin.
"Master, I've broken through to the Heavenly Origin Realm," Meng Fan said with a smile to Elder Lin, his tone carrying a hint of pride.
In just over a year, he had gone from a Qi Cultivation Realm novice to the Heavenly Origin Realm.
This speed of cultivation was definitely beyond Elder Lin's imagination.
In fact, even Meng Fan himself was somewhat surprised, although he knew he would become stronger with Sword Dao Transcendence, the rapid pace of his cultivation was unexpected.
In this year, he had encountered many opportunities.
Most of these opportunities were given to him by Elder Lin!
Master for a day, father for life.
Meng Fan would never forget Elder Lin's kindness!
"I sensed it long ago," Elder Lin said, not too pleased.
"Master, you seem to be in a bad mood today?" Meng Fan asked, somewhat puzzled.
It wasn't just seeming; it was clear that Elder Lin was in a bad mood.
But Meng Fan hadn't expected that Elder Lin's mood was due to him.
He had turned the Hong Qi Sword into his personal Law Sword, which Elder Lin thought was too hasty and impetuous.
"It's nothing," Elder Lin shook his head.
Although he was somewhat displeased, he wouldn't reprimand Meng Fan over such a trifle.
After all, it was Meng Fan's own affair, and he had the right to decide for himself.
"Master, you said before that once I stepped into the Heavenly Origin Realm, you would help me subdue a Law Sword. Now that I have entered the Heavenly Origin Realm…" Meng Fan said, feigning shyness.
Upon hearing this, Elder Lin's irritation flared up.
Bringing up the very thing he shouldn't!
You still have the nerve to mention a Law Sword?
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan