Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
A Sword Wraith surged from the Dark Wind Sword towards Meng Fan.
The moment the Sword Wraith burrowed into Meng Fan's body, he shuddered violently.
An unprecedented agony spread within him, even bringing a sensation of suffocation.
This Sword Wraith from the Dark Wind Sword was stronger and more terrifying than any he had encountered before!
Sword Dao Transcendence activated, beginning the refinement of the Sword Wraith from the Dark Wind Sword.
But this time, the process was much more arduous.
Meng Fan's body felt as if it were being bitten by countless ants, causing him to tremble and convulse uncontrollably.
Simultaneously, an image appeared in Meng Fan's mind.
***
On a cliff, a man in green robes pointed his sword at a woman in white.
The woman looked at the man with a desolate expression, tears streaming down her face.
"Li Qingyun, can you truly be so heartless? I am your wife, and I carry your child."
The man's face was a mix of emotions, seemingly reluctant, but he quickly regained his indifference.
He said coldly, "Qiu Er, I'm sorry. I hope in your next life, you won't meet me again."
The woman named Qiu Er touched her belly.
"Li Qingyun, do it. I don't believe you can be so heartless as to kill your own wife and child!"
"I must do this. I must master the Supreme Heartless Sword. For this sword technique, I have already sacrificed too much."
Qiu Er retorted angrily, "What have you sacrificed? Is a sword technique that important?"
"Qiu Er, actually, there's something I've always lied to you about. The murderer who annihilated my Li Clan wasn't the notorious Blood Demon from the martial world."
As Li Qingyun spoke, he sighed deeply, his face a picture of complexity.
Hearing his words, an unbelievable thought surfaced in Qiu Er's mind.
She looked at Li Qingyun with horror, as if staring at a demon crawling out from hell!
"It seems you've guessed it. The Li Clan was destroyed by my own hands.
I annihilated my own clan to master the Supreme Heartless Sword, so I could become the Clan Master of the Limitless Sword Sect.
Unfortunately, I still haven't mastered the technique.
Because I'm not heartless enough!
Because you are still alive! "
Li Qingyun's words shattered Qiu Er's last bit of faith.
At that moment, she felt as if her soul had been drained, leaving her a walking corpse.
The man she deeply loved turned out to be such a terrifying devil; her love was nothing but a joke.
Could someone who annihilated his own clan still be considered human?
There is no greater devil in this world!
She slowly closed her eyes, feeling that death was her only release, her true destiny.
Even if she could survive, what would be the point?
Alas, the child in her womb, born or unborn, was destined for tragedy.
A flash of sword light bloomed on the cliff.
This was the Supreme Heartless Sword that Li Qingyun had longed for!
At that moment, a wild, unrestrained smile appeared on Li Qingyun's face.
The Supreme Heartless Sword.
He had mastered it.
As he struck with the sword, it signified his success.
The blade mercilessly pierced Qiu Er's heart.
A blossom of blood unfurled on her white dress.
Tragically beautiful!
Exquisite!
Like the legendary Manjusaka, the red flowers of the other shore.
"I've succeeded," Li Qingyun said with a twisted, satisfied grin.
He gently pushed Qiu Er's body.
Her corpse fell from the cliff.
He had succeeded.
Qiu Er was dead.
The last shred of humanity in Li Qingyun was completely buried.
***
On the first floor of the Sword Pavilion.
Meng Fan shuddered.
He collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, his body trembling.
Pain, violence, indifference, madness, heartlessness…
A whirlwind of emotions clashed in his mind, causing him a splitting headache and utter despair.
Senior Disciple Luo, who had just gotten up and walked out of his room, saw Meng Fan sitting on the ground with a sword and shook his head with a wry smile, not surprised at all.
It was common for Guarding Sword Disciples in the Sword Pavilion to experience such states while polishing swords.
He had gone through the same ordeal!
In fact, Meng Fan was handling it better than he had when he first joined the Sword Pavilion, where he had been tormented to the brink of death.
To Senior Disciple Luo, Meng Fan's situation was a minor scene, so he didn't take it to heart.
Meng Fan, sitting on the ground, took a while to recover a bit of his strength.
He staggered to his feet, wiped the Dark Wind Sword clean, and returned it to the rack.
As he drew the sword, as expected, a breath flowed into his body.
These breaths were the "warm currents" that appeared during his cultivation, greatly aiding his practice.
That's why Meng Fan was so diligent in polishing the swords, increasing from twenty a day to forty!
Senior Disciple Luo didn't spare Meng Fan another glance and went to wash up with a focused mind.
Meng Fan didn't continue polishing swords but instead pulled up a stool to sit and rest.
The Sword Wraith from the Dark Wind Sword had a profound impact on him, even more terrifying than the previous White Night Sword.
In fact, if an ordinary Menial Disciple were to serve as a Guarding Sword Disciple in the Sword Pavilion, the Sword Wraiths from the first few times would at most injure them.
But the Sword Wraith from the Dark Wind Sword Wraith have killed an ordinary Menial Disciple!
If Meng Fan didn't have Sword Dao Transcendence, he would likely be a corpse by now.
Even with Sword Dao Transcendence, Meng Fan was severely weakened and had suffered some internal injuries.
It was indeed terrifying!
The Supreme Heartless Sword.
It wasn't the Dark Wind Sword that was terrifying, but the Supreme Heartless Sword technique.
To sever all ties and annihilate one's own clan, to personally kill one's wife and child.
How could such a vicious sword technique exist in the world?
In truth, it's not the sword technique that's the most vicious, but the human heart!
The sword technique itself isn't scary.
It's the person who cultivates the technique with a ruthless heart that is truly terrifying!
Meng Fan sat on the stool, taking deep breaths, still not completely calm.
Li Qingyun, Limitless Sword Sect.
In the memory he had just witnessed, Qiu Er had mentioned these two terms.
And both were renowned throughout the world.
The Limitless Sword Sect, like the Shu Mountain Sword Sect, was a famous sword sect on the Righteous Path.
And Li Qingyun was the Clan Master of the Limitless Sword Sect.
With such a deranged person as Clan Master, could the Limitless Sword Sect truly be worthy of the title "Righteous Path"?
A sarcastic smile tugged at Meng Fan's lips, a subconscious sneer, a mockery.
This must be what they call hypocrisy, right?
To be honest, Meng Fan felt a surge of anger from the Sword Wraith Memory.
He had the impulse to slay Li Qingyun with a single sword strike!
It wasn't meddling; he had genuinely experienced that scene.
The empathy was profound!
Unfortunately, he lacked the power.
Li Qingyun, as the Clan Master of the Limitless Sword Sect, was no weaker than the master of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.
In front of Li Qingyun, Meng Fan was nothing more than an ant.
But that was only for now!
Given a Sexagenary Cycle, Meng Fan was confident he could surpass Li Qingyun.
（Peter Pan's tip: An ancient Chinese way of keeping track of time, in cycles of sixty years）
Meng Fan, sitting on the stool, looked at the Dark Wind Sword and couldn't help but feel amazed.
The Sword Pavilion of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect, famed for collecting famous swords from all over the world, did not disappoint.
Even the lowest level of the Sword Pavilion had some great figures' former sabers.
Although these were the sabers from when these figures were weaker and they had switched to higher-grade Sword Weapons as they grew stronger, the fact that these weapons were collected here proved the terror of the Shu Mountain Sword Pavilion!
"Supreme Heartless Sword," Meng Fan murmured to himself.
After refining the Sword Wraith of the Dark Wind and witnessing that memory, Meng Fan naturally gained something.
He had acquired a sliver of the Supreme Heartless Sword Intent.
Although it was just a sliver and not the complete Sword Intent, it was the most important "seed."
The Supreme Heartless Sword was not a set of Sword Techniques, but Sword Intent.
It was formless and shapeless!
Truly profound sword techniques have no moves, only Sword Intent.
Those who could cultivate Sword Intent were absolute chosen ones on the path of the sword.
If Meng Fan were to cultivate the Supreme Heartless Sword, he could definitely cultivate the Supreme Heartless Sword Intent!
Meng Fan was an orphan with no family.
He didn't even have the opportunity to be heartless.
For him, there was only one way to truly cultivate the Supreme Heartless Sword Intent.
That was to fall in love with someone and then personally slay that loved one.
In doing so, the Sword Intent would be instantly realized!
But would Meng Fan do such a thing?
Of course not.
Not even TV dramas dare to play out such a plot, and scriptwriters don't dare to write such melodramatic tragedies, so how could Meng Fan possibly do it?
Is there any pleasure in torturing oneself?
With Sword Dao Transcendence, Meng Fan would certainly not lack Sword Intent in the future; there was no need to torture himself like that.
"However, suffering so much this time wasn't entirely without gain," Meng Fan smiled, his eyes somewhat excited.
Although he didn't plan to cultivate the seed of the Supreme Heartless Sword Intent or allow it to bloom and bear fruit, he could use this seed to unleash a burst of Supreme Heartless Sword Intent for an attack.
If he chose this path, then this "Sword Intent seed" would become a one-time attack weapon.
It might seem like a loss, but for Meng Fan, who had no intention of cultivating the Supreme Heartless Sword, this was indeed the most suitable method!
"I have a sword that can be invincible among Outer Sect Disciples," Meng Fan thought proudly.
Even if he unleashed this Sword Intent, perhaps even the Inner Sect Disciples of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect would not be his match.
"This Sword Pavilion is truly my Fortunate Place!"
Meng Fan had only been in the Sword Pavilion for three days, but in these short three days, he had truly undergone a transformation.
***
After Meng Fan resting for over an hour, a disciple walked into the Sword Pavilion.
Meng Fan had regained some strength and stood up, asking the incoming disciple:
"What brings you to the Sword Pavilion?"
The disciple hurriedly saluted Meng Fan and said, "Outer Sect Disciple Liu Wei, newly ranked fiftieth among Outer Sect Disciples, here to claim a sword."
Ordinary disciples were extremely respectful towards the Sword Pavilion.
So upon arriving at the Sword Pavilion, they were polite to everyone, and they dared not offend Guarding Sword Disciples like Meng Fan.
Meng Fan frowned and asked, "The Outer Sect Disciple assessment hasn't started yet, how could the rankings have been updated?"
The disciple named Liu Wei explained, "A Senior Brother has fallen, and I was previously ranked fifty-first, moving up to fiftieth by default."
Hearing this, Meng Fan showed a hint of surprise; he hadn't expected such a maneuver.
But it made sense, and it was reasonable.
"Alright, on the first floor of the Sword Pavilion, you may choose any Sword Weapon. However, some Sword Weapons are extremely dangerous, and if you covet a Sword Weapon beyond your ability to control, you may be backfired upon!"
This was a necessary procedure; every disciple who came to claim a sword needed to be reminded of this.
"I understand," Liu Wei nodded, then entered the Sword Pavilion to select a sword.