Chapter 32 – Second floor of Sword Pavilion, Elder Lin
Chapter 32 – Second floor of Sword Pavilion, Elder Lin
To the second floor?
Upon hearing Senior Disciple Luo's words, Meng Fan turned around abruptly, a look of surprise on his face as he gazed at Senior Disciple Luo.
The second floor of the Sword Pavilion was a place he had long yearned for, yet he had never mustered the courage to set foot there.
Moreover, he felt that being new to the sect, he wasn't qualified to ascend to the second floor.
He had been waiting for Senior Disciple Luo to take the initiative to bring him up there, and now the moment had finally arrived.
"What are we going to do on the second floor?" Meng Fan couldn't help but ask curiously.
Senior Disciple Luo had never mentioned taking him to the second floor before, so what was the reason this time? And what were they going to do there?
Senior Disciple Luo said, "It's time to introduce you to Elder Lin. Given that you could withstand the malevolent aura of the Spiritual Sword, I'm sure Elder Lin would be quite interested in you."
Hearing this, a hint of anticipation appeared on Meng Fan's face.
He had heard about the mysterious Elder Lin many times from Senior Disciple Luo.
To be honest, he was really curious about what kind of person Elder Lin was.
Meng Fan spoke with a hint of caution, "Elder Lin hasn't mentioned wanting to see me. Wouldn't it be presumptuous to meet him so directly?"
Seeing Meng Fan's nervous look, Senior Disciple Luo couldn't help but chuckle.
"Don't worry, Elder Lin is very good-natured and extremely amiable," he said casually.
Meng Fan nodded and stopped overthinking it.
"There's still an hour left before the Sword Pavilion closes. I'll take you to see Elder Lin after it closes. You've just been struck by the malevolent aura of the Demon Sword; go rest for a bit," Senior Disciple Luo said considerately.
Meng Fan didn't try to act tough and returned to his room to meditate and recuperate.
At the same time, he practiced the newly learned "Seven Absolute Demon Swords" in his mind.
The Seven Absolute Demon Swords were even more powerful than Meng Fan had imagined!
All the sword techniques he had encountered before paled in comparison to this one.
Even the formidable "Supreme Heartless Sword" or "Mountain Splitting Sword" were far inferior to the "Seven Absolute Demon Swords."
Meng Fan even had a feeling that the Seven Absolute Demon Swords were touching upon the essence of the Sword Spirit.
Sword Spirit, Sword Soul - these were high-level sword techniques related to the level of the Primordial Spirit.
However, the Seven Absolute Demon Swords were somewhat deviant.
They had fallen into the path of demons!
Seven Absolute Demon Swords, Demon Swords - these were sword techniques belonging to the demonic path.
But Meng Fan didn't shy away from them. The demonic path was also a path, and he felt he could study it.
After all, the Primordial Dao encompasses everything and does not exclude the demonic path!
However, as Meng Fan practiced the Seven Absolute Demon Swords in his mind, he still felt something was off.
The Seven Absolute Demon Swords were indeed terrifying, with immense power.
But using them would plunge one into a "demonic" state, with an uncontrollable surge of killing intent.
It was very likely to harm the innocent!
Even just practicing the technique in his mind, without actually using it, Meng Fan could feel his mind filled with endless killing intent, wanting to destroy everything around him.
"Worthy of being called Demon Swords!" Meng Fan stopped practicing in his mind and opened his eyes.
His eyes were tinged red, still swirling with killing intent.
"No wonder the Sword Demon of the Ghost Shadow Demon Sect is rumored to be terrifying and indiscriminate in killing. Cultivating this sword technique to the extreme, it's very likely he's gone mad and truly become a demon."
"But the power of this sword technique is indeed strong!"
Meng Fan shook his head, no longer dwelling on these thoughts.
After an hour of recuperation, he felt much better, and the stabbing pain in his mind had subsided.
When it was time for the Sword Pavilion to close, Senior Disciple Luo came to Meng Fan's room and said, "Junior Disciple Meng, let's go. I'll take you to meet Elder Lin."
Meng Fan hurriedly left his room, feeling a little excited.
He followed behind Senior Disciple Luo and stepped onto the staircase leading to the second floor of the Sword Pavilion.
He had seen these stairs every day but had never set foot on them.
Soon, Meng Fan reached the second floor of the Sword Pavilion.
The space on the second floor was slightly smaller than on the first, but not by much.
Like the first floor, the second floor also had rows of wooden racks with swords on each rack.
However, all the swords on the second floor were Spiritual Swords.
Although there were also Spiritual Swords on the first floor, they were rare, whereas the second floor didn't have a single Ordinary Sword.
Meng Fan looked at the dazzling array of Spiritual Swords and was somewhat shocked.
If he could absorb all the Sword Wraiths from these swords, how much foundation would he accumulate?
And if he could also absorb the Essence of the Sword from each one, what realm could he reach?
Most importantly, there were still the third, fourth, and fifth floors of the Sword Pavilion!!!
Thinking of this, Meng Fan's heart grew hot with anticipation.
Without a doubt, the Sword Pavilion was truly a Fortunate Place for him!
In the southern corner of the second floor of the Sword Pavilion, an old man sat on a meditation cushion, seemingly resting with his eyes closed.
This was a true elder, unlike Senior Disciple Luo who was not.
"Elder Lin, this is the new Guarding Sword Disciple of the Sword Pavilion. He has performed exceptionally well since his arrival, so I brought him to meet you," Senior Disciple Luo said as he approached Elder Lin and gave a respectful bow.
Meng Fan quickly followed suit, bowing and discreetly sizing up the old man.
The Sword Pavilion's esteemed status was largely due to the presence of this elder.
Clearly, this elder was a formidable being.
Elder Lin slowly opened his eyes, and in the moment he did, Meng Fan thought he saw a sword.
Or rather, it seemed as if Elder Lin had transformed into a sword.
The human form gave Meng Fan the impression of a sharp blade!
【Unity of Man and Sword】
This thought popped into Meng Fan's mind.
If it were the Meng Fan from before he comprehended the Sword God Stele, he wouldn't have been able to discern this at all, not even with the talent of Sword Dao Transcendence.
Because Sword Dao Transcendence was just an extraordinary talent, it didn't increase Meng Fan's experience.
But comprehending the Sword God Stele had given Meng Fan much more "experience" on the path of the sword!
Unity of Man and Sword was not a realm but a state.
Many people practice the sword all their lives, even reaching extremely profound realms, yet they cannot enter this state.
Without a doubt, Elder Lin was strong!
Meng Fan immediately felt a deep respect for this unfamiliar Elder Lin.
People naturally respect the strong.
Elder Lin glanced at Meng Fan and smiled.
"You're quite good."
His tone was kind, and his eyes showed satisfaction as he looked at Meng Fan.
Clearly, although Meng Fan had not met him during this time, Elder Lin had certainly been paying attention to him.
Hearing Elder Lin's first words of praise, Senior Disciple Luo couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. He had been in the Sword Pavilion for many years and had never received such praise from Elder Lin.
Not only had he not received praise, but he often saw a hint of disappointment in Elder Lin's eyes.
He, as a Named Disciple, indeed could not satisfy Elder Lin.
"I've met Elder Lin. I am the new Guarding Sword Disciple of the Sword Pavilion, Meng Fan," Meng Fan introduced himself again.
Elder Lin nodded, indicating that he remembered the name.
Then he scrutinized Meng Fan carefully for a moment.
"What is your wish?" After a moment, Elder Lin asked Meng Fan.
Meng Fan was a bit stunned; he hadn't expected Elder Lin's first question to be so enigmatic.
It reminded him of a variety show he had seen on Earth in his previous life.
Those mentors would ask the contestants, "What is your dream?"
Wishes and dreams seemed to have no difference, right?
Why did it feel like he was about to be enticed with grand promises?
...
After a moment, Meng Fan looked at Elder Lin somewhat awkwardly, unable to come up with an answer.
"Uh, Elder Lin, I haven't thought of any wishes for myself yet."
Elder Lin chuckled, stood up, and patted Meng Fan's shoulder.
"No rush, take your time. There's plenty of it."
Meng Fan was truly baffled; Elder Lin seemed a bit odd.
At least communicating with Elder Lin was somewhat awkward.
To be frank, if Meng Fan's and Elder Lin's roles were reversed, Meng Fan would definitely slap Elder Lin in the face and spit out three words: "Speak human language!"
Unfortunately, that was just wishful thinking.
The reality was that Meng Fan obediently said to Elder Lin, "Disciple is dull and did not understand Elder Lin's meaning."
Elder Lin first glanced at Senior Disciple Luo, then looked back at Meng Fan.
"I've always wanted to take a direct disciple. I considered Xiao Luo before, but he's disappointing, far from meeting the mark."
Elder Lin said to Meng Fan, "Actually, from the first day you entered the Sword Pavilion, I've been watching you. At first, I was disappointed, thinking you were even worse than Xiao Luo. But during this time, you've given me quite a few surprises!"
Meng Fan's heart stirred slightly. Could it be that Elder Lin wanted to take him as a direct disciple?
That would be a meteoric rise!
Menial Disciple, Outer Sect Disciple, Inner Sect Disciple, and the Sect Master's direct disciple were the levels of disciples in the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.
Although Meng Fan didn't know who Elder Lin was, since Elder Lin presided over the Sword Pavilion, his status couldn't be much lower than the Sect Master's.
Becoming Elder Lin's direct disciple would definitely elevate his status above that of an Inner Sect Disciple!
"Master above, please accept your disciple's bow." Meng Fan, as a time traveler and a modern person, naturally had a thick skin.
As soon as Elder Lin showed a hint of this intention, he climbed up the ladder and knelt in front of Elder Lin to kowtow.
"You're quite clever, but I haven't finished speaking yet," Elder Lin said with a smile.
"Master, please instruct me!" Meng Fan said earnestly.
Senior Disciple Luo, standing to the side, watched Meng Fan in stunned silence.
Having spent so much time with Meng Fan, he had never realized that Meng Fan could be so shameless.
He had previously thought this kid was quite honest, a real honest person.
Now it seemed he had been mistaken.
Indeed, whether male or female, those who are good-looking tend to have a bit of a dirty heart!
At the same time, Senior Disciple Luo felt a bit envious of Meng Fan. If he had been as shameless in the beginning, perhaps it wouldn't have been impossible for him to become Elder Lin's direct disciple.
What a pity, he was the real honest person!
Elder Lin looked at Meng Fan, and although his eyes showed satisfaction, he said sternly, "To become my disciple, you must pass an assessment!"