Beginning Swordflight

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

But as soon as he stepped outside, he saw an absurd scene.

It was the dead of winter, and the fog had yet to disperse. A pretty-faced young woman stood tall, her expression slightly cold, sword drawn and pointed at a handsome man some distance away.

The man was handsome, with sharply defined features, but at that moment he said in a trembling voice, "Fairy, I only came out for some fresh air. I had no other intentions. You have to believe me..."

Feng Ling said coldly, "It's only been a few days since I stopped giving you Infatuation Pills, and you've already started acting up, is that it?"

"Do you still think you're the Heir of Prince Guangling who once threw his weight around at the foot of the mountain?"

"Besides, you could have fled down the mountain, but you deliberately ran uphill instead... What are you trying to do?"

The upper mountain was where the cave abode of the inner sect Senior Brother Shi Tao was located. Normally, without his summons, even Formal Disciples were forbidden to approach it at will.

The Heir of Prince Guangling's face paled as he explained in a quavering voice, "Fairy, you really misunderstood. I only wanted to come out for a walk. I'll go back right now."

However, the moment he finished speaking, he suddenly sprinted in the opposite direction.

He was extremely fast, clearly possessing a certain foundation in cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, the Heir of Prince Guangling had dashed more than a hundred meters away.

Feng Ling's pretty face darkened. She had originally intended to spare his life, but now it seemed she had truly been too softhearted.

Perhaps sensing that Feng Ling had developed murderous intent, the Heir of Prince Guangling sped up even more. As he ran, he shouted, "There's... a spy..."

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a pebble sliced through the air and struck the Heir of Prince Guangling squarely between the brows.

His vision went black. Before he could finish uttering the word "spy," his head suddenly exploded, and blood splashed across the ground!

Feng Ling froze, then turned around to look behind her. Lin Fan slowly walked out.

The two exchanged glances, and the atmosphere grew heavy.

Lin Fan spoke first. "Sister Feng, you don't mind that I killed your cauldron, do you?"

Feng Ling stared at Lin Fan, her expression extremely complicated.

Ever since the Heir of Prince Guangling had been assigned to her cave abode, she had never done anything improper. She had even treated him to the finest food and drink.

Over the past few days, seeing that he had behaved well, she had not given him any Infatuation Pills. Yet the more kindly she treated him, the more he repaid her with betrayal.

If Lin Fan had not acted just now and stopped the Heir of Prince Guangling from shouting the final word, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

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

"Didn't you help me before as well?" Lin Fan replied with a faint smile.

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

Warmth spread through Feng Ling's heart, but she merely gave a soft snort. "I didn't ask you to meddle in my affairs."

"Since you killed my cauldron, why don't you come to my cave abode and practice Dual Cultivation with me?"

After saying this, she cast a sidelong glance at Lin Fan, anticipation in her heart.

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

"Sister Feng, you're very beautiful, but you're too troublesome."

"We'd better keep our distance."

Lin Fan rejected her outright.

"Counting today, you've rejected me twice. I hope you won't regret it."

As if she had expected Lin Fan to answer this way, Feng Ling said quietly, "Actually, you're not bad by nature."

Before Lin Fan could react, she dragged the Heir of Prince Guangling's corpse step by step back to her cave abode.

Watching her tall, graceful back, Lin Fan let out a soft sigh before heading toward the Hidden Scripture Pavilion Second Floor.

If she had not been an undercover spy from an outside sect, he naturally would not have rejected Feng Ling's invitation to practice Dual Cultivation.

Unfortunately, things had not gone as he wished.

This was the utterly heartless Blood Demon Sect. Once Feng Ling's identity as an outside-sect spy was exposed, Lin Fan would easily be implicated if he grew too close to her.

He did not want to have his soul searched, much less be dissected.

Here, staying alive mattered more than anything!

Hidden Scripture Pavilion Second Floor.

Lin Fan sat with his head lowered, silently copying Rune Patterns.

Besides him, Wang Biao had also taken the initiative to come here.

Unlike Lin Fan, Wang Biao had come here to curry favor with Zhao Wang, hoping that Zhao Wang would replace his current cauldron with a new one.

Lin Fan had just finished copying several Rune Patterns and was preparing to rest for a while when he heard Wang Biao and Zhao Wang talking.

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

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

"Preferably the offspring or female family members of several Feudal Princes."

Zhao Wang frowned and gave a derisive laugh. "Junior Brother Wang, it's not that I don't want to arrange one for you. The offspring and family members of several Feudal Princes are considerably better than ordinary cauldrons."

"Although you're a Formal Disciple, your aptitude is mediocre. Even if you squandered too many cauldrons, you might not improve much."

"Make do with what you have."

Unwilling to give up, Wang Biao begged humbly, "Brother Zhao, I'm begging you. Just arrange one more for me."

"Besides, replacing cauldrons isn't also something we Formal Disciples deserve?"

Smack!

Suddenly, Zhao Wang backhanded him across the face, sending Wang Biao stumbling with his entire face covered in blood.

"How many times have I told you? You're supposed to call me Senior Brother here, not Brother Zhao!"

Zhao Wang rose abruptly and came before Wang Biao, saying coldly, "The fact that you became a Formal Disciple already means your ancestors' graves were smoking incense. And now you still want me to find you a cauldron? Who do you think you are?"

As he spoke, still dissatisfied, he stepped directly on Wang Biao's face.

"You have neither aptitude nor ability. If you had any sense, you'd learn from Junior Brother Lin how to conduct yourself!"

"Get lost."

He kicked Wang Biao flying.

Wang Biao covered his face, furious, but he still forced a smile and said obsequiously, "I'll get lost. I'll leave at once."

"Such ingratitude."

Zhao Wang snorted coldly.

Immediately afterward, he changed his expression and approached Lin Fan warmly, asking proactively, "Junior Brother Lin, are the two cauldrons in your cave abode enough? If they aren't, Senior Brother can arrange two more for you."

Lin Fan froze, but still smiled. "I appreciate Senior Brother's kindness. If I need them in the future, I'll apply to Senior Brother."

"Good."

Zhao Wang nodded.

If Wang Biao had seen this scene, he probably would have been furious to death.

Lin Fan was indeed doing quite well here.

Zhao Wang's warmth toward Lin Fan was not merely because he valued Lin Fan's potential in talismans. It was also because Lin Fan knew how to conduct himself.

Even now, Lin Fan still helped him copy Rune Patterns every day. On that point alone, he was far better than disciples like Wang Biao, who knew only how to take.

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

The empty second floor was once again left with only Lin Fan.

Several hours later, Lin Fan finished his workload for the day. He did not hurry back to his cave abode. Instead, after confirming that no one was nearby, he took out the secret manual he had obtained from the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect's undercover spy.

Lin Fan began reading "Sword Control Technique" with great concentration.

"This is an exceedingly formidable method of killing with a sword."

"It uses Internal Breath to control a flying sword from afar. The more vigorous the Internal Breath, the greater the flying sword's killing power."

Lin Fan's eyes lit up.

Soon, his thoughts stirred, and he began communicating with the panel.

Would you like to consume fifty years of lifespan to pre-emptively advance "Sword Control Technique" to Beginner?

Lin Fan answered without hesitation, "I agree to pre-emptive advancement."

Very soon, some comprehension of "Sword Control Technique" surged into Lin Fan's mind from thin air.

At the same time, an image emerged out of nowhere. A young man resembling Lin Fan held a sharp sword and began practicing slowly.

The young man's sword movements were swift and his actions extremely fluid. As his Internal Breath erupted, the sharp sword he had been holding suddenly flew from his hand!

The flying sword trembled unsteadily, but under the young man's control, cold radiance gradually burst forth in all directions. In the end, it moved with the agility and nimbleness of a swimming fish.

Lin Fan's mind yearned toward it. Almost subconsciously, he took out the Azure Gavel Sword and began practicing according to the young man's movements.

His motions grew from slow to fast, and his techniques became increasingly fluid. Finally, as his Internal Breath erupted, the Azure Gavel Sword flew from his hand.

Lin Fan had the feeling that he was flying a kite. His Internal Breath was the thread pulling the kite along. Under his control, the flying sword rose and fell, cold radiance flashing in all directions.

Although it was not as practiced as the flying sword wielded by that man from the Flowing Cloud Sect, it had already begun to display a trace of the flying sword's might.

Only when the Azure Gavel Sword flew back into his hand did Lin Fan awaken as if from a dream.

He eagerly summoned the panel and examined the changes within himself.

Name: Lin Fan

Lifespan: 1335

Talent: Pre-emptive Dao Fruit

Realm: Meridian Condensing Realm (Third Grade)

Techniques: Intermediate Demon Art (Mastery), Blood Gathering Art (Minor Achievement), Talisman Secret Tome (Perfection), Sword Control Technique (Beginner)

"With Sword Control Technique, I have another trump card for preserving my life."

Lin Fan's face revealed a satisfied expression.

With the help of the panel and the Pre-emptive Dao Fruit, he did not need to worry about being broad but shallow. The more methods he had, the better.