C2 Sword Pavilion

"You, you, you! Just you wait!" Liu Rongwei's face drained of color.

He meant business!

With that realization, Liu Rongwei lost all pretense of bravado, terrified to the core. He spat out a harsh threat and scrambled away from Fu Chengyang as fast as he could.

Watching him flee, Fu Chengyang turned to Lu Xingyao with a softened expression and offered, "Are you okay? Would you like to join me for the class? You can sit by my side."

He was astonished to discover that the girl, who seemed like an ordinary orphan, was in fact the reincarnation of an extraordinary Immortal Lord. Beyond her impeccable talents, her immense fortune alone was captivating.

Becoming her dao companion would mean an ascent to glory, reaching the pinnacle of life.

Yet, his looks were just passable, hardly what one would call stunning. Could there be more to it?

Puzzled, yet pleased by the increasing fondness he felt for Lu Xingyao, Fu Chengyang smiled warmly and gently tidied her disheveled hair.

There was no better time than the present to make a good impression.

"Alright..." Lu Xingyao shivered slightly, but didn't pull away. She followed Fu Chengyang into the classroom.

...

An hour later, the morning class concluded.

"Ah Yao," he had taken to calling her affectionately, "I need to step out for a bit. You head back first."

Fu Chengyang, recalling the secret tome, hastily excused himself, eager to beat anyone else to it, and made a beeline for the back mountain.

Shortly after, he dismounted from his sword and began searching for the peculiar pink stone.

Despite a thorough search, he came up empty-handed. Frowning, Fu Chengyang pressed on until he accidentally kicked something.

Looking down, he couldn't believe his luck!

Beneath a shattered rock, a pink corner peeked out.

Truly the daughter of fate! A mere twenty points of favor had brought him such fortune!

Fu Chengyang, who had never won even a small lottery in his past life, was thrilled. He eagerly crouched down, cleared away the stones, and there it was—the worn Five Spirits Mantra!

Clutching the Five Spirits Mantra, he didn't bother returning but instead sat down right there, cross-legged, and began to pore over the ancient text.

The ancient manual was unassuming in appearance, crafted from a material whose origin was a mystery. Despite its age, it was remarkably durable and resistant to decay. The script within seemed to flow with an inherent understanding of the Dao, and as he perused its pages, Fu Chengyang found his internal Genuine Qi moving involuntarily along the paths described in the book.

"This technique is impressive—truly befitting a protagonist!" Fu Chengyang's eyes shone with excitement.

His cultivation level was such that when he reached the section on the Golden Core, he felt overwhelmed with dizziness and had to stop reading.

Having glimpsed the profound secrets within, Fu Chengyang did not hesitate; he closed his eyes and began to cultivate.

Several days passed, and then a thunderous noise erupted. A vortex of Spiritual Qi spontaneously formed in the back mountain, with Fu Chengyang at its epicenter. The rich Spiritual Qi furiously poured into his body, cleansing and expanding his meridians.

Moments later...

He advanced through the eighth and ninth levels of Foundation Establishment, reached Great Perfection, and achieved Golden Core! His cultivation level rocketed uncontrollably, finally coming to a halt in the middle stage of the Golden Core Realm.

Fu Chengyang's eyes snapped open as the dense Spiritual Qi, nearly solidifying into droplets, dissipated around him. He could feel the flawless Golden Core within and couldn't suppress a satisfied smile.

"What a formidable cultivation technique," Fu Chengyang muttered, expelling a mouthful of stagnant blood in praise.

It had shattered the barrier that had confined him for three years in one fell swoop! Moreover, his once mediocre talent had soared, and as he circulated his Qi, the flow of spiritual energy quickened by more than thirty percent!

Sensing the immense power within, Fu Chengyang wasted no more time. He closed his eyes once again and began to solidify his foundation.

The disturbance he had caused would have undoubtedly alerted the entire Outer Sect. Once his cultivation was secure, Fu Chengyang called forth his flying sword and departed.

Shortly after his departure, a figure in a courtyard looked heavenward, feeling a sudden constriction in his chest as if something precious had been lost.

Meanwhile, Fu Chengyang halted his flying sword atop a mountain peak. According to the rules of the Swiftbreaker Sect, disciples from either the Outer Sect or the Inner Sect were entitled to enter the Sword Pavilion and select a spiritual sword once they reached a certain level of cultivation.

At the Sword Pavilion, Fu Chengyang greeted the elder with a respectful bow. This man, Lu Duanping, was the elder of the Sword Pavilion and the one who had set him on the path to immortality. Both emotionally and rationally, Fu Chengyang felt a deep sense of gratitude toward him.

"Chengyang?" The elder expressed mild surprise upon recognizing the man before him. "I never expected you to have reached the Golden Core Realm. Well done!"

"Thank you for your kind words, Elder. I must admit, I feel somewhat embarrassed. My talents are modest, and it took me over a decade in the Great Wilderness to forge my Golden Core," Fu Chengyang replied.

The elder stroked his beard and nodded with a knowing smile. "Well, that's all in the past now. Come in," he said.

As he spoke, the Sword Pavilion's doors opened smoothly, as if by magic. Fu Chengyang bowed once more and proceeded inside. Just before he left, a sense of curiosity about the elder's life story struck him.

A line of text accompanied by a voice slowly unfolded before him:

Name: Lu Duanping

Realm: Soul Formation

Destiny Pattern: Exceptional (Red)

Life Threads: Ten Lifetimes of Virtue (Blue), Mastery in Pill Dao (Red)

...

Pill Dao Mastery: Adept in alchemy, with an increased success rate in pill refinement.

Ten Lifetimes of Virtue: Reincarnated after ten virtuous lives, he is charitable and kind-hearted, seldom encountering disaster. Good and evil will find their balance, making it easier for him to receive repayment from others.

Indeed, this was a prestigious sect! Even a guardian of the Sword Pavilion possessed the cultivation of Soul Formation!

Yet, what captured Fu Chengyang's attention most was a recent pivotal event:

He had guided a disciple with five spiritual roots to extract the Heavensfall Blade from a boulder in the southwest corner of the Sword Pavilion. After the disciple successfully awakened the sword spirit and altered his destiny, a bond was formed. Ten years later, this bond would save him during the Demon Clan's invasion.

The Demon Clan's invasion? These four words caught Fu Chengyang's eye first, followed by the Heavensfall Blade. The Demon Clan had launched an invasion a millennium ago, and now, after all this time, they were on the brink of another.

Sigh... Let it go. Fu Chengyang shelved his concerns, ready to face challenges as they came. After all, such matters were not for an Outer Sect disciple to fret over.

And to think, the mythical Heavensfall Blade was right there in the Sword Pavilion!

A gleam of excitement shone in Fu Chengyang's eyes. He was resolute in seizing this chance!

The moment he entered the Sword Pavilion, a message resonated in his ear: "The swords within the Sword Pavilion possess spirits. Do not attempt to coerce them!"

"Understood!"

​