68: Inherited for thousands of years?

Mo Fan could take the token to find Liu Jian's Junior Brother, Li Xinghe.

This way, it would save a lot of trouble.

Unfortunately, Liu Jian's current situation was unknown.

Mo Fan naturally didn't dare to contact the person he introduced lightly.

If something went wrong, there would be no medicine for regret.

Of course, if his strength were sufficient, he wouldn't need to consider so much.

So, in the final analysis, he still needed to improve his strength as soon as possible.

Alchemy was merely a backup method for Mo Fan to earn Spirit Stones.

While thinking, Mo Fan followed Wen Buyan through the Outer Sect Magic Array, heading towards a towering, upright peak not far away.

At this, Mo Fan couldn't help but feel puzzled.

At the same time, Wen Buyan took the initiative to explain:

"The Sword Pavilion is quite special. It belongs to neither the Outer Sect nor the Inner Sect; it is an independent entity."

"Its location is precisely on the Hidden Sword Peak, not far from the boundary of the Outer Sect."

"I see," Mo Fan understood.

After a pause, Wen Buyan continued to explain:

"Although the Sword Pavilion doesn't belong to the Outer Sect or the Inner Sect, if one can become a Sword Pavilion Disciple, they can enjoy Inner Sect treatment."

Hearing this, Mo Fan's eyes lit up, and he asked calmly:

"I wonder how many Spirit Stones an Inner Sect Disciple receives as a monthly stipend?"

Wen Buyan smiled and didn't mind, saying directly, "Fifty stones, five times that of us Outer Sect Disciples."

"Fifty stones?" Mo Fan felt a strange sense of anticipation.

Wen Buyan seemed to see what Mo Fan was thinking and shook his head:

"If Senior Brother Mo wants to become a Sword Pavilion Disciple, then your wish might fall through."

Mo Fan looked at him in confusion.

Wen Buyan explained, "To become a Sword Pavilion Disciple, one must pass the Sword Pavilion's assessment."

"And the Sword Pavilion's assessment is exceptionally difficult; very few people can pass it."

After a pause, Wen Buyan continued:

"As far as I know, the Sword Pavilion's Legacy has lasted for thousands of years, two or three thousand years earlier than the Spiritual Qi Recovery."

"But over all these years, the number of Sword Pavilion Disciples in each generation has never exceeded double digits."

Having said this, Wen Buyu glanced at the peak piercing the clouds not far away and continued:

"In recent years, the Sword Pavilion has withered even more severely. Now, there are only two Disciples in total."

Mo Fan: "?"

Hearing Wen Buyan's words, Mo Fan was momentarily stunned.

Although he had heard of the Sword Pavilion.

But his understanding of it was limited to the four words "Sword Dao Holy Land."

But he never expected that the current Sword Dao Holy Land would actually have only two people.

The requirements for the Sword Pavilion to recruit Disciples were actually so outrageous.

Yuxu Academy has tens of thousands of Disciples, and at its peak, it even exceeded a hundred thousand.

But Sword Pavilion Disciples have always been in the mere single digits.

Now it's even more ridiculous; there are only two people left in total.

The difficulty of passing the Sword Pavilion assessment is evident.

"This is too difficult, isn't it?" Mo Fan felt a strange worry for Xu Jing.

This girl had her heart set on the Sword Pavilion.

If she didn't pass the assessment, how big of a blow would that be?

Wen Buyan seemed to have guessed what Mo Fan was thinking and smiled as he explained:

"Master told me that Junior Sister Xu has extraordinary talent in the path of the Sword Dao and is highly likely to pass the Sword Pavilion assessment."

Hearing this, Mo Fan breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Xu Jing's originally tense body also relaxed a bit.

Wen Buyan thought for a moment and continued to explain:

"In addition, once you become a Sword Pavilion Disciple, you need to guard the swords in the Sword Pavilion year-round and cannot easily descend the mountain without permission."

Mo Fan: "?"

Hearing this, Mo Fan immediately dismissed the idea of becoming a Sword Pavilion Disciple.

If he had to stay in the Sword Pavilion all the time, how would he earn Spirit Stones?

Relying only on the academy's stipend, who knows how long it would take to grow.

The three continued forward. All of them had cultivation, so their speed was fast, reaching over forty kilometers per hour.

Half an hour later, Wen Buyan stopped at the foot of a peak shrouded in mist.

He pointed to the peak ahead and said with a smile:

"Look closely at this peak in front of you. Doesn't it look like a long sword?"

Hearing this, Mo Fan looked up and immediately saw a strange peak that was thick in the middle, thin on the sides, and somewhat pointed at the top.

"It really does look like a sword," Mo Fan nodded.

"Haha, this is Hidden Sword Peak; we've arrived."

"Following the mountain path, at our pace, it will only take a little over two hours to reach the summit."

"The Sword Pavilion is right at the top of Hidden Sword Peak."

As he spoke, Wen Buyan identified the direction and eventually found a hidden mountain path, leading Mo Fan and the other up.

Hidden Sword Peak was very steep, piercing straight into the clouds as if the sky and earth met. Its height was unknown, and its mere Aura was awe-inspiring.

But the winding mountain path made it less difficult to climb than imagined.

The three went all the way up, passing through thick layers of clouds, and reached the summit in just over two hours.

Upon reaching the summit, the view opened up.

An old and quaint pavilion came into view.

The pavilion looked quite old; the bricks on the walls were somewhat damaged and peeling, giving the whole structure a sense of decay.

It had seven floors in total, nearly fifty meters high, with a small section shrouded in mist, appearing somewhat ethereal and mysterious.

In front of the pavilion.

Stood a spotless Blue Stone Stele.

On the stele, two large characters were carved in a style as vigorous as flying Dragons and dancing Phoenixes: Sword Pavilion.

The moment he saw those two characters, Mo Fan was captivated.

However, he was soon stunned; his eyes stung, his ears roared, his head spun, his consciousness blurred, and his legs trembled, nearly causing him to collapse to the ground.

"Wake up, wake up!"

Feeling a few heavy pats on his back, Mo Fan slowly regained consciousness, his forehead covered in cold sweat, feeling some palpitations.

"Are... are you okay?" Xu Jing asked with a look of concern.

Mo Fan shook his head: "I'm fine."

Only then did Wen Buyan react and hurriedly said:

"I forgot to tell you just now, whatever you do, don't stare at the stone stele. It's carved with supreme Sword Intent, and those without a foundation in the Sword Dao can easily run into trouble if they look at it—"

Hearing this, Xu Jing's expression turned cold, and an incredibly frigid Aura instantly erupted from her body.

She turned to look at Wen Buyan, her expression sharp, and questioned coldly: "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Sor... sorry..." Wen Buyan was startled by Xu Jing in this state.

He only felt cold all over, his body trembling.

At this moment, Xu Jing was like a sharp sword about to be unsheathed.

Wen Buyan had no doubt that if his answer did not satisfy the girl before him, she would strike at him without hesitation.

"It's nothing, just a bit dizzy. I'll be fine after a moment." Mo Fan waved his hand, indicating he didn't have much of a problem.

Seeing this, Xu Jing breathed a sigh of relief, restrained her Aura, and stood silently by Mo Fan's side.

Wen Buyan scratched his head awkwardly and explained, "Actually, this stone stele is the first trial of the Sword Pavilion's assessment."

"Only those who do not lose themselves before the stone stele are qualified for the subsequent assessments."

Smiling, Wen Buyan continued to explain, "I came to take the test two years ago. At that time, I fainted as soon as I saw the stone stele."

"Since then, whenever I come to the Sword Pavilion, I don't dare to look directly at the stele."

Mo Fan nodded; he had indeed noticed that Wen Buyan's gaze had been trying to avoid the stele as much as possible.

Just then, the previously tightly closed doors of the Sword Pavilion opened with a creak.

A cold, clear voice drifted out from inside the Sword Pavilion.

"Come in. You two are qualified to enter the pavilion and participate in the Sword Pavilion assessment."