Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
He's only a few years older than me?
Meng Fan was truly shocked by this statement!
At the tender age of nineteen, Meng Fan couldn't believe his eyes. Senior Disciple Luo, with his head full of white hair and a face lined with wrinkles, looked like an old man, yet he claimed to be just a few years older?
What was going on here?
"When I entered the Sword Pavilion three years ago, I was just an ordinary Outer Sect Disciple, and I was only twenty-five years old," Senior Disciple Luo said, twirling a strand of white hair at his temple with a sigh.
Twenty-five years old three years ago? Wasn't that saying Senior Disciple Luo was now only twenty-eight, not even thirty?
How had he aged into an old man's appearance?
"Senior Brother, you…" Meng Fan hesitated to ask.
He didn't finish his question, as it was akin to probing into someone's painful past.
But Senior Disciple Luo seemed to understand Meng Fan's query and responded with a wry smile, "Why do I look like a old man? It's all because of guarding the swords in the Sword Pavilion!
Inside the Sword Pavilion, the newly forged sword weapons are fine since they haven't been tainted with any malevolent aura.
But those swords that have been through countless battles and drunk the blood of many, once their masters die and they are returned to the Sword Pavilion, how could they possibly rest in peace?
Once their malevolent aura erupts, it's us, the Guarding Sword Disciples, who are the unlucky ones.
That's also why I asked if you had offended someone, to end up being assigned here."
Senior Disciple Luo let out a sigh, his face a picture of helplessness,"Being a Guarding Sword Disciple is truly suffering!"
He patted Meng Fan's shoulder, offering some comfort.
After all, they were comrades in misfortune.
"Thank you, Senior Disciple Luo, for teaching me all this," Meng Fan expressed his gratitude.
Senior Disciple Luo waved his hand dismissively, "The last Guarding Sword Disciple who came here couldn't last more than three months and left just a few days ago. I hope you can hold out a bit longer!"
Meng Fan felt helpless. Others might be able to leave, but he was stuck here after being duped by Steward Wang.
But then again, he had no quarrel with Steward Wang, so why would he set him up?
This was something he needed to investigate thoroughly!
In the following time, Senior Disciple Luo introduced Meng Fan to the Sword Pavilion and the duties and rules of being a Guarding Sword Disciple.
***
Soon, the sun set in the west.
Senior Disciple Luo closed the great doors of the Sword Pavilion and said to Meng Fan, "Every day at this time, the Sword Pavilion closes, and no one is received. It's the rule of the Sword Pavilion, and even the Clan Master cannot change that!"
Of course, that was easier said than done.
If the Clan Master really did come, who would dare to stop him?
After closing the doors of the Sword Pavilion, Senior Disciple Luo led Meng Fan to a small room.
"This will be your living quarters. The previous Guarding Sword Disciple didn't stay long, but everything inside has been cleaned up. You can move right in."
Meng Fan glanced around the room. It was small but clean and tidy.
Of course, there wasn't much to mess up.
The room contained only a bed, a table, and a stool.
The bedding on the bed was new, which was considerate.
"Thank you, Senior Disciple Luo!"
"No need for thanks. I live next door. If you have any problems, come directly to me."
With that, Senior Disciple Luo returned to his own room, leaving Meng Fan to himself.
As night fell, which would be around seven o'clock in the evening on Earth, Meng Fan naturally felt no urge to sleep.
He stepped out of his room and entered the grand hall on the first floor of the Sword Pavilion.
Rows of wooden racks held rows of sword weapons, each exuding a chilling presence.
From now on, he would have to deal with these swords.
Having time-traveled to this world, Meng Fan had barely had two full days to truly engage with this world of cultivation.
Not to mention, within the Shu Mountain Sword Sect, he didn't even have a sword of his own.
Meng Fan casually picked up an unremarkable long sword, ready to get a feel for it.
He didn't dare to touch those swords that looked powerful, fearing he couldn't handle them, so he chose an inconspicuous one.
The moment Meng Fan touched the sword, he wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but a piece of information suddenly appeared in his mind.
[Sword name: Azure Fish.]
[Weight: three jin and two liang, blade length: three chi and one cun.]
（Peter Pan's tip: chi, a unit of length (=1/3 metre), cun, a unit of length (=1/3 decimetre)）
[Forged from Mysterious Iron, fired with Pure Source Wood, crafted with a hundred-refinement forging technique over three days and three nights.]
Upon touching a sword, he could receive some information about it.
This must be a small perk from his talent, Sword Dao Transcendence.
However, this information didn't have much practical use.
The ability of the talent Sword Dao Transcendence was far more than this!
"Clang—"
Meng Fan drew the Azure Fish Sword.
The moment he unsheathed the Azure Fish Sword, an almost invisible breath entered his body and flowed into his meridians.
Meng Fan's brow furrowed slightly.
He seemed to sense something but couldn't quite grasp what it was.
A strange feeling!
What had entered his body?
Meng Fan placed the Azure Fish back on the rack and picked up another sword.
The moment he touched this sword, another piece of information appeared in his mind.
[Sword name: White Feather.]
[Weight: one jin and seven liang, blade length: two chi and six cun.]
[Carved from Flying Feather Wood using the Thread-Controlling Carving Technique, soaked in the blood of a Blood Jade Beast for seven days and seven nights until completion.]
This was a Wooden Sword, not forged by fire but purely carved.
Yet, this simple Wooden Sword was more powerful than the Mysterious Iron Sword Azure Fish he had just handled.
Unexpectedly, a surge of malevolent aura erupted from the Flying Feather Sword in Meng Fan's hand.
The Azure Fish Sword was a brand-new sword weapon without any bloodshed or malevolent aura.
But this Flying Feather Sword had been returned to the Sword Pavilion after its previous owner died in battle.
The sword had been soaked in blood countless times, and especially after the fall of its master, the malevolent aura within it was even more intense.
The moment Meng Fan touched the sword, the malevolent aura erupted, beginning to backlash against him!
If it were a cultivator with high cultivation level, they could easily suppress this malevolent aura.
But Meng Fan's cultivation level was almost non-existent; he had no way to deal with this surge of malevolence!
Once the Sword Wraith entered his body, Meng Fan would be lucky to survive with half his life intact.
He was too weak!
Just as Meng Fan was anxious and somewhat desperate, his talent, Sword Dao Transcendence, finally showed its power!
The Sword Wraith that had rushed into his body dissipated into nothingness.
As the Sword Wraith vanished, an image of a woman in white appeared in Meng Fan's mind.
The woman, wielding the Flying Feather Sword, performed an elegant sword dance.
Her Sword Technique was graceful, and her steps were as stunning as a startled swan.
[Flying Feather Sword Technique]
[Surprising Swan Steps]
After the Sword Wraith dissipated, Meng Fan saw the "memory" left in the sword and learned two Martial Arts.
With the boost from the talent Sword Dao Transcendence, Meng Fan's mastery of the Flying Feather Sword Technique was even more proficient and polished than that of the woman in white.
However, he only learned the basics of the Surprising Swan Steps.
Because the talent Sword Dao Transcendence only enhanced his Sword Technique.
Thus, although Meng Fan saw two Martial Arts through the "Sword Wraith Memory" of the White Feather Sword, only the Sword Technique was instantly mastered, and directly at that.
"But this is enough!"