Shen Fu walked beside Liu Xilan, occasionally bringing up matters of martial arts cultivation.
Her words naturally hinted that she hoped Liu Xilan could help her enter the Ninth Grade of the martial path.
"Little sister, itâs true that the path of martial arts requires external assistance, but ultimately, one still needs to study diligently and cultivate with a serene mind.
As your elder sister, I can give you some pointers, but itâs hard to directly help you improve."
Liu Xilanâs words were already quite clear.
Yet Shen Fu still pouted slightly, clearly unhappy.
"Sister Liu, you were able to help Shen Han ascend to the Ninth Grade, why canât you help me too....."
"When did I ever help him ascend to the Ninth Grade?"
Liu Xilan was a bit confused, as she had only learned today that Shen Han had ascended to the Ninth Grade.
How had it become that she helped him ascend in Shen Fuâs words?
"We all know that the first time Sister Liu came to Yunâan City, Shen Han consumed a Bone Tempering Pillâitâs because Sister Liu gave him a mysterious pill, thatâs how he got through it..."
Liu Xilan felt a little helpless. She had explained many times that the pill was just to alleviate some pain and had no other effects.
Yet it seems others were unwilling to believe it.
"And afterwards, Shen Han picked up some leftover medicinal dregs used by others to make a medicinal bath, and he suddenly advanced to the Ninth Grade.
If Sister Liu hadnât given him that pill before, how could he have succeeded in advancing with such a medicinal bath?"
Shen Fuâs small mouth pouted high, showing her displeasure.
But Liu Xilan only heard about Shen Han picking up othersâ used medicinal dregs.
Her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she looked at Shen Fu.
"The Shen Family is a dignified Family of Generals and Marquis, yet for a junior of the family to need a medicinal bath, they still have to pick up used medicinal dregs from others.
Is it just because Shen Han was granted a marriage to Jinyu by the Imperial Family that he is treated this way?"
Hearing Liu Xilanâs somewhat displeased tone, Shen Fu quietly lowered her head.
"This can only be blamed on Shen Han himself...
Who told his birth mother to disgrace our Shen Family, and the Old Dowager doesnât like him, thereâs nothing we can do..."
Liu Xilan stopped speaking, feeling a bit unsettled inside.
Luckily she wasnât born in such a mansion, if she had fallen into such a predicament, her mindset might not remain clear.
Liu Xilan declined Shen Fuâs invitation and did not rest at the Shen Mansion that night.
Instead, she went to the Yunâan Tavern by herself.
On an autumn night, she raised her head to see the bright moon.
Liu Xilan sat alone under the eaves, thinking about all the things Shen Fu said today.
Using those medicinal dregs discarded by others after concocting a medicinal bath.
Relying on these concocted medicinal baths, Shen Han actually advanced to the Ninth Grade.
Liu Xilan felt injustice for Shen Han, and at the same time was a bit amazed at Shen Hanâs talent.
Configuring a medicinal bath requires strict proportioning and concoction.
Apart from those doctors and alchemists, others wouldnât dare concoct a medicinal bath willy-nilly.
Otherwise, if something went wrong with the bath, not only would they fail to advance, but their body would be a mess.
But Shen Han managed to advance to the Ninth Grade with those leftover medicinal dregs.
Perhaps even heaven wants to help him.
In the east courtyard of the Shen Mansion.
Shen Han sat by the bed, holding that manual, leafing through it.
Soon, small white characters appeared on the manual.
[Extremely difficult to comprehend scripture]
During this time, Shen Han had already gained much understanding of his abilities.
The white phrasings usually indicated basic attributes.
After extracting them, the attributes of the item wouldnât change much.
Shen Han had already prepared a [simple and easy to learn] phrasing early on.
After extracting the white phrasing, he immediately applied the [simple and easy to learn] phrasing.
Upon reopening the swordsmanship manual, everything changed.
Shen Han held a pen in his hand, continuously recording the contents.
After all, he had to return the swordsmanship manual to Senior Sister Liu tomorrow, and it had to be in its original state.
This swordsmanship greatly differed from the Sunset Sword Formulas.
The Sunset Sword Formulas emphasized power and stability.
Whereas this swordsmanship taught a kind of sword intent, referred to in the manual as Misty Sword Intent.
At its core, it was a fusion of the virtual and the real.
With a casual wave, it unleashed over a hundred swords.
Over a hundred swords, yet mixed between virtual and real swords.
If the opponent couldnât discern them, they would have to face the power of a hundred swords.
If one of the hundred were real, dealing with the defense alone would be exhausting enough for the opponent.
Reading these scriptures, Shen Han lost all sleepiness.
This Misty Sword Intent was clearly created for confronting enemies.
As long as the opponent couldnât see through the mixture of reality and semblance, defeat was almost inevitable.
Shen Han became engrossed, even practicing in his mind.
Holding a long sword, with the misty intent, he resisted the Celestial Dao Sword Momentum in his mind.
The celestial sword momentum that entered his mind was also indeed mysterious, not only allowing visualization but also letting him engage in sword combat with it.
Though it didnât feel long, the crowing of roosters already sounded from outside the courtyard.
Shen Han sorted out his notes, returning the original [extremely difficult to comprehend] phrasing once more.
It seemed Liu Xilan had given Shen Han sufficient time to comprehend, as she didnât arrive at the courtyard until noon.
Her jade-like hands carried a food box she had brought from Yunâan Tavern.
She also understood why the first time at Yunâan Tavern, Shen Han had taken so many leftovers back.
The Shen Family was really too harsh on him.
Seeing Liu Xilan arrive, Shen Han immediately handed the manual back to her.
Without waiting for her to ask, he also brought out the annotations he had written down the night before.
"If I havenât comprehended it incorrectly, the core of this swordsmanship is a special sword intent.
The essence of this sword intent lies in the virtual and real, and the book names it as Misty Sword Intent..."
Senior Sister Liu was kind enough to lend him such top-notch scripture to read for a night, so naturally, he couldnât let her down.
And from the mention of virtual and real, Liu Xilan was already somewhat excited.
She could understand part of itâthe concept of virtual and real she had some comprehension of, but it was extremely difficult to delve deeper.
Shen Han managed to discern the virtual and real sword intent in one night and even wrote so many annotations.
Liu Xilan didnât understand how such a talented family descendant could be so squandered by the Shen Family.
It had been a long time since autumn set in, and the weather was getting cooler and cooler.
Yet the young man in front of her was still wearing a single-layer garment, and beneath the sleeve, there was even a hint of floral fabric.
Clearly cloth meant for womenâs clothing.
Thinking of this, Liu Xilan took out a silver ingot from her person.
"If you need a medicinal bath in the future, donât pick up those used medicinal dregs anymore..."
Shen Han was stunned for a moment, not expecting Senior Sister Liu to also know about this.
"Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister Liu, but Iâm actually fine, itâs not a big issue."
"Once I return to Xiaoyao Peak today, Iâll recommend to the Sword Immortal Elders to nominate you to join our Xiaoyao Peak.
If youâre able to, you wonât have to stay at this Shen Family any longer."
Upon hearing this, Shen Han quickly saluted and expressed his gratitude to Liu Xilan.
If he could leave the Shen Family Mansion, not to mention the future improvements, at least he would be much safer.
After all, Xiaoyao Peak is a Sword Cultivation Holy Land, and becoming a disciple there, the Shen Family would probably not dare to target him with those despicable methods anymore.
"Thereâs also something elseâitâs a gift from a senior at Xiaoyao Peak in gratitude for resolving his confusion with âMountain and River Body Refining Skill.â He wishes to gift you a sword."
Saying this, a long sword appeared in Liu Xilanâs hand.
The scabbard glinted with a cold light.
As Shen Han looked at the long sword, small purple characters appeared.
[Extremely sharp long sword]
Just from the phrasing alone, one could see the excellent quality of this long sword.
"The rules of the Shen Mansion dictate that without the permission of the elders, no one can privately possess a weapon.
Accepting this long sword todayâif the elders find out, it might be placed in the armory by the afternoon..."
Shen Han showed a gentle smile.
"Please relay my thanks to that senior for the gift, but currently I really canât accept it."
Upon hearing Shen Hanâs words, Liu Xilan understood that he spoke the truth.
The Old Dowager Shenâs treatment of Shen Han was so unfair that such rules were lax for others but strictly enforced for him.
This sword gifted to Shen Han could easily end up in someone elseâs hands soon.
"In that case, Iâll safeguard it for a while. When the time is right, Iâll give you the sword."