Flying Sword Novice

The next morning, Lin Fan emerged from his cave dwelling feeling refreshed.

But as soon as he stepped outside, he witnessed a rather absurd scene.

It was the dead of winter, and the mist had yet to dissipate. A young girl with a slightly cold, pretty face stood tall, her sword drawn and pointed at a handsome man not far away.

The man was attractive, with well-defined features, but at this moment, he trembled as he spoke, "Fairy, I just came out for some fresh air, I had no other intentions, you must believe me..."

Feng Ling's tone was chilly. "It's only been a few days since I last gave you the Infatuation Pill, and you're already causing trouble, aren't you?"

"Do you still think you're the Heir of Prince Guangling, throwing your weight around at the foot of the mountain?"

"And you could have easily fled down the mountain, yet you deliberately ran upwards... what are you trying to do?"

The location on the mountain was where the inner disciple Shi Tao's cave dwelling was situated. Normally, even formal disciples couldn't approach it casually without his summons.

The Heir of Prince Guangling's face turned pale, and he stammered, "Fairy, you've truly misunderstood. I just wanted to take a walk. I'll go back right now."

However, as soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly bolted in the opposite direction.

He was fast, clearly possessing some cultivation foundation.

In just a moment, the Heir of Prince Guangling had sprinted over a hundred meters.

Feng Ling's pretty face darkened. She had initially considered sparing him, but it seemed she couldn't afford to be soft-hearted.

Sensing Feng Ling's murderous intent, the Heir of Prince Guangling sped up even further, shouting as he ran, "There... spy..."

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a pebble streaked through the air, hitting the Heir of Prince Guangling precisely between the eyebrows.

His eyes went black, and before he could utter the last syllable of his word, his head exploded, blood splattering everywhere!

Feng Ling froze, then turned to look behind her. Lin Fan was walking out slowly.

Their eyes met, and the atmosphere grew heavy.

Lin Fan spoke first, "Sister Feng, you don't mind if I kill your cauldron, do you?"

Feng Ling stared at Lin Fan, her expression complex.

Since the Heir of Prince Guangling had been assigned to her cave dwelling, she hadn't done anything out of line. She had even treated him well, providing him with good food and drink.

In the past few days, seeing his improved behavior, she hadn't given him the Infatuation Pill. Yet, the better she treated him, the more he betrayed her.

If Lin Fan hadn't intervened just now, preventing the Heir of Prince Guangling from shouting the last word, the consequences could have been dire.

"Why did you help me?" Feng Ling asked.

"Didn't you help me too?" Lin Fan smiled faintly.

In the cold wind, the young man's smile was clear and pure, just as Feng Ling had first seen him.

Feng Ling's heart warmed, but she let out a soft snort. "I didn't ask you to meddle."

"Since you killed my cauldron, why don't you come to my cave dwelling and we can dual cultivate?"

After speaking, she glanced sideways at Lin Fan, eagerly awaiting his reply.

Since Lin Fan had helped her today, she was willing to give him a chance, a chance to live!

"Sister Feng, you are very beautiful, but it's too troublesome."

"Let's maintain some distance." Lin Fan politely declined.

"Including today, you've rejected me twice. I hope you won't regret it." Feng Ling seemed to have expected Lin Fan's answer and said softly, "Actually, your nature isn't bad."

Without waiting for Lin Fan's reaction, she dragged the Heir of Prince Guangling's corpse and walked back to her cave dwelling.

Watching her tall, graceful figure, Lin Fan sighed softly and then headed towards the second floor of the Hidden Scripture Pavilion.

If she weren't a spy from another sect, he certainly wouldn't have refused Feng Ling's invitation to dual cultivate.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.

This was the heartless Blood Demon Sect. If Feng Ling's identity as a spy were exposed, and Lin Fan was too close to her, he would easily be implicated.

He didn't want to have his soul searched or be dissected.

Here, staying alive was more important than anything!

The second floor of the Hidden Scripture Pavilion.

Lin Fan was engrossed in copying rune patterns.

Besides him, Wang Biao had also come here voluntarily. Unlike Lin Fan, Wang Biao's purpose for being here was to curry favor with Zhao Wang, hoping the latter would help him find a new cauldron.

Lin Fan had just finished copying a few rune patterns and was about to take a break when he heard Wang Biao and Zhao Wang talking.

Wang Biao was massaging Zhao Wang's shoulders, saying cautiously, "Brother Zhao, the cauldron in my cave dwelling is on its last legs."

"She can't keep up with my cultivation at all. Can you arrange another beautiful woman for me?"

"Preferably one of the sons or female relatives of the various feudal lords."

Zhao Wang frowned, sneering, "Junior Brother Wang, it's not that I won't arrange one for you. The sons and relatives of the feudal lords are much better than ordinary cauldrons."

"Although you are a formal disciple, your aptitude isn't great. Wasting too many cauldrons might not help you improve much."

"Just make do with what you have."

Wang Biao was persistent, pleading in a low voice, "Brother Zhao, I'm begging you, just arrange one more."

"Besides, isn't changing cauldrons something we formal disciples are entitled to?"

Slap!

Suddenly, Zhao Wang slapped Wang Biao across the face, drawing blood.

"How many times have I told you, you should call me Senior Brother here, not Brother Zhao!"

Zhao Wang stood up abruptly, walked in front of Wang Biao, and said coldly, "You're already incredibly lucky to become a formal disciple. Now you have the nerve to ask me for a cauldron? You think you're worthy?"

As he spoke, still feeling resentful, he stepped on Wang Biao's face.

"You have no aptitude, no ability. If you knew what was good for you, you'd learn from Junior Brother Lin how to conduct yourself!"

"Scram."

He kicked Wang Biao away.

Wang Biao clutched his face, furious, but forced a smile, saying obsequiously, "I'm going, I'm going right now."

"Ungrateful fool."

Zhao Wang snorted coldly.

Immediately after, he put on a different face and approached Lin Fan enthusiastically, asking, "Junior Brother Lin, are the two cauldrons in your cave dwelling enough? If not, Senior Brother can arrange two more for you."

Lin Fan was taken aback, but still smiled, "I appreciate Senior Brother's kindness. I'll apply for more if I need them in the future."

"Good."

Zhao Wang nodded.

If Wang Biao saw this, he would probably die of anger.

Lin Fan was actually doing quite well here.

Zhao Wang's enthusiasm towards Lin Fan wasn't just because he valued his potential with talismans, but also because Lin Fan knew how to behave.

Lin Fan was still helping him copy rune patterns every day. Just this alone made him far better than disciples like Wang Biao who only knew how to take.

After staying on the second floor of the Hidden Scripture Pavilion for a while, Zhao Wang made an excuse about an emergency and left.

The second floor was empty again, with only Lin Fan remaining.

A few hours later, Lin Fan finished copying his quota for the day. He didn't rush back to his cave dwelling, but after confirming no one was around, he took out the secret manual he had obtained from the spy of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect.

Lin Fan carefully read through the "Sword Control Technique."

"This is an extremely potent method for controlling flying swords to kill."

"It uses Internal Breath to manipulate the flying sword from a distance. The more robust the Internal Breath, the greater the flying sword's lethality."

Lin Fan's eyes lit up.

Soon, with a thought, he began to communicate with the Panel.

[Do you wish to consume fifty years of lifespan to pre-emptively advance "Sword Control Technique" to Novice?]

Lin Fan said without hesitation, "Agree to pre-emptively advance."

Instantly, some comprehension of the "Sword Control Technique" flooded into Lin Fan's mind.

At the same time, an image materialized out of thin air. A youth resembling Lin Fan was holding a sharp sword and slowly practicing.

The youth's sword moves were swift and fluid. As his Internal Breath erupted, the sword he held suddenly flew out of his hand!

The flying sword trembled, but under the youth's control, its cold gleam gradually radiated outwards, eventually becoming as agile and sharp as a swimming fish.

Lin Fan's mind was captivated. He subconsciously took out the Azure Gavel Sword and began to practice, mimicking the youth's movements.

His movements went from slow to fast, his stances becoming increasingly fluid. Finally, as his Internal Breath erupted, the Azure Gavel Sword flew out of his hand.

Lin Fan felt as if he were flying a kite, with his Internal Breath as the string guiding it. Under his control, the flying sword moved up and down, its cold gleam flashing.

Although it wasn't as skilled as the flying sword demonstrated by the man from the Flowing Cloud Sect, it already possessed a hint of the flying sword's power.

When the Azure Gavel Sword returned to his hand, Lin Fan felt as if he had woken from a dream.

He eagerly summoned the Panel to check his own changes.

[Name: Lin Fan]
[Lifespan: 1335]

[Talent: Pre-emptive Dao Fruit]

[Realm: Meridian Condensing Realm (Third Grade)]

[Cultivation Methods: Intermediate Demonic Arts (Proficient), Blood Gathering Art (Minor Accomplishment), Talisman Secret Tome (Perfection), Sword Control Technique (Novice)]

"With the Sword Control Technique, I essentially have another trump card for survival."

Lin Fan's face showed satisfaction.

With the help of his Panel and Pre-emptive Dao Fruit, he wasn't worried about dabbling in too many things without mastering any. The more skills he had, the better.