Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
Although Meng Fan couldn't muster Sword Momentum, through the Mountain Splitting Sword Momentum, he grasped a sword technique of his own.
He named this technique "Mountain Splitting."
When executing "Mountain Splitting," he could unleash a force that made the heavy seem light.
The same strength, when channeled through this technique, could explode three to four times over.
It was nothing short of preposterous!
What mattered most was that as Meng Fan's cultivation level and realm advanced, This sword technique "Mountain Splitting" would eventually evolve into Sword Momentum "Mountain Splitting."
A satisfied smile spread across Meng Fan's face.
In fact, the "Mountain Splitting" sword technique he had comprehended was quite significant to him.
Because it was a real increase in hard power!
Once he executed this sword strike, Meng Fan's attack power could easily rival that of a martial artist at the third level of Qi Refining.
Despite relying on his talent and mastery of sword techniques, allowing Meng Fan to fight above his level with ease, that was, after all, a kind of shortcut, not real hard power!
The "Mountain Splitting" technique compensated for Meng Fan's lack of hard power.
***
After practicing with the sword, Meng Fan began to wipe his long sword with satisfaction.
He had hastily returned the Bronze Mountain Sword to the wooden rack last night and hadn't had the chance to wipe it clean.
Most importantly, he hadn't absorbed the Sword Essence.
This was the "elixir" that could enhance his cultivation speed, not a drop to waste.
Meng Fan drew the Bronze Mountain Sword, and instantly a thread of Sword Essence flowed into his body.
Then he began to wipe the Bronze Mountain Sword, and after finishing, he continued to clean the other long swords.
Senior Disciple Luo had not yet risen, and with nothing else to do and feeling awkward about leaving the Sword Pavilion directly, Meng Fan found nothing else to do but wipe the swords.
An hour later, Meng Fan had finished wiping all forty long swords.
It was hard to say whether it was good or bad luck.
None of these forty long swords contained a Sword Wraith!
In fact, Meng Fan's chances of encountering Sword Wraiths were already quite high; another person might have been on their last breath after so many encounters, nearly dead.
But Meng Fan was still full of vigor!
Bored, Meng Fan began to practice in his mind the sword techniques he had seen in the Training Hall the day before.
A hodgepodge of sword techniques, dozens of them.
Most of them, he didn't even know their names.
But that didn't hinder him from learning these techniques.
Sword Dao Transcendence, a supreme talent, was terrifyingly powerful.
On the path of the sword, Meng Fan was a natural-born Sword Seed, the future Sword Supreme!
So even if he just watched someone perform a set of sword techniques, he could thoroughly learn and master it.
It was nothing short of monstrous.
"However, these sword techniques are mixed and chaotic. Having seen so many, there's no need to truly cultivate them," Meng Fan muttered to himself.
He had seen dozens of sword techniques in one day and could even master them if he tried.
But whether it was sword techniques or anything else, there was a principle—greed overextends one's capabilities!
Meng Fan had the ability to be greedy and barely the capacity to digest it all.
But these sword techniques were meaningless to him!
Or to put it bluntly, Meng Fan looked down on these techniques.
The reason he watched so many was to broaden his horizons, harboring his own ambition.
He wanted to integrate the strengths of various schools and create his own sword technique.
If it were anyone else, such a thought would be laughable, a pipe dream.
Because this was something only a grandmaster of the sword path could aspire to, only they could entertain such thoughts!
Although Meng Fan was not a sword path grandmaster, he had Sword Dao Transcendence, and thus the qualification.
Every sword technique he watched, he could master and grasp its essence.
"When I have enough accumulation, I will create my own sword technique!" Meng Fan murmured to himself.
Although it was far from fruition, Meng Fan had already thought of a name for this sword technique.
"Myriad Swords Returning to me"
The name of this technique might seem plagiarized, but Meng Fan believed that once he created it, it would not disgrace these four characters!
With this beautiful thought, he continued to practice and deduce the sword techniques he had seen the day before in his mind.
He didn't practice these techniques in reality, but in his mind, because he feared that if he executed so many sword techniques, Senior Disciple Luo would discover him and he wouldn't be able to explain.
And even if he could deceive Senior Disciple Luo, there were still unknown big shots upstairs in the Sword Pavilion who would surely notice his performance.
Although Meng Fan had been performing excellently since joining the Sword Pavilion, his excellence had not exceeded a certain limit and was not considered monstrous.
So when it was time to conceal his abilities, he still needed to hide them!
***
Half an hour later, Senior Disciple Luo got up and came out of his room.
Seeing Meng Fan sitting cross-legged on the ground, he expressed surprise, "You lad, instead of meditating in your room, what are you doing in the hall?"
Meng Fan stood up and replied, "I got up early to wipe the long swords, and after finishing, I had nothing to do, so I continued to meditate."
Senior Disciple Luo chuckled, "You lad, after being tormented so miserably last night, I didn't expect you to bounce back so energetically today. It seems I wasn't wrong about you; maybe you really can adapt to being a Guarding Sword Disciple of the Sword Pavilion!"
Senior Disciple Luo had actually felt the astonishing malevolent aura erupting from the Bronze Mountain Sword last night.
He thought Meng Fan would have been tormented by the aura, at least bedridden today, but surprisingly, Meng Fan was still spirited.
A little Qi Refining fellow with such remarkable willpower and endurance was indeed impressive!
"However, although you have the talent to be a Guarding Sword Disciple, your body must keep up, especially your cultivation level, which must not fall behind. You need to improve it," Senior Disciple Luo glanced at Meng Fan.
Then he went back to his room, took out three Spirit Stones, and handed them to Meng Fan.
Meng Fan was surprised and a bit puzzled as he looked at Senior Disciple Luo.
Senior Disciple Luo explained, "Guarding Sword Disciples receive a subsidy of three Spirit Stones each month. Although it's not yet time for the subsidy, you lad need to catch up with your cultivation resources, so consider these three Spirit Stones a loan from me. When the subsidy comes, you can pay me back!"
Meng Fan didn't hesitate, gratefully accepting the Spirit Stones, "Thank you, Senior Disciple Luo."
"Don't thank me, helping you is helping myself. After all, if you were to die, I'd have to clean these swords myself," Senior Disciple Luo shook his head.
Meng Fan looked at the three Spirit Stones in his hand, filled with emotion.
Before, he had never owned a complete Spirit Stone.
Now, he suddenly had three!
Happiness had come too suddenly.
"These three Spirit Stones, you'd better go to the Pill Pavilion and buy some Qi Gathering Pills to improve your cultivation level. Although your constitution is good, having withstood the invasion of the Sword Wraith several times, your cultivation level is really too low. You must hurry to improve it, otherwise, you'll eventually run into trouble in the Sword Pavilion!"
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Disciple Luo. I understand."
***
The doors of the Sword Pavilion opened, and after speaking with Senior Luo, Meng Fan left the Sword Pavilion.
He planned to visit the Pill Pavilion first.
Senior Disciple Luo was right; he indeed needed to improve his cultivation level as soon as possible because his cultivation was too weak.
Sword Dao Transcendence was strong, but not omnipotent.
If one day, while cleaning the long swords, he encountered one that seemed ordinary but was actually terrifying, then Meng Fan might very well crash!
Meng Fan arrived at the Pill Pavilion.
The Pill Pavilion was the place where the Shu Mountain Sword Sect sold pills, backed by the Pill Refining Hall.
The only pill suitable for a Qi Refining newbie like Meng Fan was the Qi Gathering Pill.
One Spirit Stone for ten Qi Gathering Pills.
Meng Fan bought twenty Qi Gathering Pills in one go.
With the remaining Spirit Stone, he bought ten Body Tempering Pills.
As the name suggests, Body Tempering Pills were used for tempering the body.
Meng Fan had Sword Dao Transcendence, so there was nothing to say about his enlightenment.
But his constitution was not strong, and he hadn't cultivated any body tempering techniques, so it was necessary to buy some Body Tempering Pills to temper his body.
In fact, compared to Body Tempering Pills, Meng Fan would have preferred to directly obtain a body tempering technique, but he had no such opportunity.
"Take it slow!" Meng Fan muttered to himself, then left the Pill Pavilion with the pills.
***
After leaving the Pill Pavilion, Meng Fan returned to the Training Hall.
Observing sword techniques at the Training Hall was the most important way for him to perfect his self-created sword technique "Myriad Swords Returning to the Sect."
After arriving at the Training Hall, Meng Fan, like the day before, found a corner and squatted down.
He didn't spar or exchange pointers with anyone, just silently watched others practice the sword.
There were some in the Training Hall like Meng Fan who only watched and didn't practice; they were observing masters who practiced the same sword techniques as them.
They hoped to learn from the masters' sword techniques, identify their own shortcomings, and improve.
But someone like Meng Fan, who indiscriminately watched any sword technique, was truly unique.
"What a coincidence, seeing you here again."
While Meng Fan was intently watching the Shu Mountain Sword Sect disciples practice their sword techniques, a somewhat familiar voice reached his ears.
He tilted his head slightly and saw a face he barely recognized.
Liu Yanping, the girl from the day before who had wrongly accused Meng Fan of spying on her.