Letting out a sigh of relief, Xia Fan looked behind him, searching for something.
When he saw the snake's body split cleanly in half, a twisted smile appeared on his lips.
'That damned thing is dead… too bad it didn't die by my hand.'
A faint regret rose in his heart for not taking revenge personally, but it quickly faded.
He didn't care anymore. The creature was dead, and that was all that mattered.
'A medieval sword?'
After letting go of his complaints, Xia Fan's gaze fell upon the sword lying beside the snake's corpse.
It had a silver blade about thirty centimeters long, tinged with purple from the coagulated blood. The hilt was wrapped in leather.
Xia Fan was fascinated. For a young man from the modern era, finding a relic from ancient times was thrilling.
Unable to hold back his curiosity, he walked toward it.
When he got close, he crouched and carefully grasped the sword's hilt with his left hand.
[You held Shen Qingyao's sword for the first time! Unique gesture reward activated.]
[Congratulations to the host! You have obtained the Lightning Sword Manual.]
'That counts as a unique gesture?'
In his head, only intimate gestures should trigger rewards. He never thought that touching objects would work too.
"Interesting."
Xia Fan's interest grew. His system was far more mysterious than it appeared.
"Lightning Sword Manual?"
He muttered, heart pounding and hands trembling—both anxious and cautious at the same time.
There were people around him. He wasn't stupid enough to repeat the same mistake twice—especially without need.
He wasn't in danger of dying, so why rush?
Calming his nerves, Xia Fan stood up, still holding the sword.
Shen Qingyao, who had been behind him, started walking closer.
"Do you know how to use a sword?" she asked as she approached.
Xia Fan shook his head. "Not at all. I'm just curious. They say swordsmen have the strongest attacks."
He explained, then slashed the air with the sword. Nothing happened—just a mortal playing with a weapon.
[Shen Qingyao's interest increased by +2]
"????"
Xia Fan immediately looked at her and saw her smiling.
"You're funny." Amused by Xia Fan's movements, she soon stopped laughing and adopted a serious tone.
"Swordsmen truly are strong, but they're limited. Without their swords, they lose everything. That's why a sword cultivator must never abandon their blade—not even for a second."
"But you abandoned yours."
Xia Fan noticed she wasn't carrying a sword—hers was in his hand.
"I'm special," she replied simply.
Leaving Xia Fan with a strange look.
'Special? Are you kidding me? What does she mean by that?'
A series of doubts filled his mind, and he decided to check her status.
To his surprise, a screen appeared above her.
[Status Panel]
Name: Shen Qingyao
Age: 20
Interest: 7/100
Cultivation: Spiritual Sea Realm (Mid-Stage)
Hobbies: Sword practice, discussing the Dao of the Sword.
Traits: Kind, but once she draws her sword, she becomes a lunatic who only thinks about cutting everything.
____
'And her talent?' Xia Fan still didn't understand what "special" meant and rolled his eyes.
"Immortal fairy, why are you special?"
He couldn't hold back his curiosity anymore and gathered the courage to ask.
"Well…" Shen Qingyao placed her hands behind her back. "In this world, there are people born with special physiques. You, for example—you were born with a physique I can't identify, one that gives you an immortal-like appearance… And I…"
She paused, then raised her right hand toward the sky.
In the next moment, thousands of swords appeared above her, forming an enormous array.
"I can store multiple weapons within my special physique."
When she finished speaking, all the swords descended upon her body.
From Xia Fan's perspective, it looked like a rain of blades falling upon her, and yet, as they touched her skin, they vanished.
'This is way too unrealistic.'
He thought silently, occasionally rubbing his eyes.
"Immortal fairy, are you sure it's okay to tell me this? Isn't it supposed to be a secret?"
Xia Fan stopped admiring the scene and spoke cautiously. Shen Qingyao had revealed too much—and that alone was suspicious.
'What is she planning?'
He went on alert, watching Shen Qingyao's lips curve into a soft smile.
"It's not a secret. And even if it were, would you tell anyone?"
"Well, we're strangers," Xia Fan replied honestly, not even trying to come up with an excuse.
[Shen Qingyao's interest increased by +1]
'Knew it! When talking to this woman, it's best not to act fake.'
He laughed inwardly. Based on his knowledge from novels, true sword cultivators followed the Dao of the Sword—they hated lies and hypocrisy.
"Thank you for your honesty. It's rare to find sincere people in this world. Especially coming from a mortal... Aren't you afraid I might kill you for being disrespectful?" Shen Qingyao's gaze turned cold.
Xia Fan felt a chill run through his body. Swallowing hard, he said in a heavy voice:
"The immortal fairy wouldn't do that. You were the one who revealed it first. If you killed me, your Dao heart would become unstable, corrupted by inner demons."
He paused, swallowing again before continuing:
"Besides, I'm special too. Even as a mortal, the immortal fairy would never forget my face—it's rare to find another like me in this world."
[Shen Qingyao's interest increased by +10]
[Interest level surpassed ten! Talent draw initiated.]
[Congratulations to the host! You've gained Sword Insights.]
Hearing that string of electronic notifications, Xia Fan couldn't help but smile discreetly.
Shen Qingyao, on the other hand, could no longer hold back her laughter.
"Hahaha! As I thought, you're hilarious! But you're right—it would indeed be hard to forget someone as handsome as you."
'This woman's lost it.'
Xia Fan took a few steps back, wanting to keep his distance from this lunatic.
"Why are you moving away?" Shen Qingyao blinked.
"I-I…" He stammered, trying to come up with an excuse. But before he could think of one, a hand pulled him back.
Shen Qingyao, holding him, drew a sword identical to the one Xia Fan was holding.
"I'm in a good mood. I'll teach you the basics of swordsmanship. Do you accept?"
Xia Fan wanted to refuse—he had a bad feeling about this.
He felt like he was about to experience the second hell since arriving in this world.
'But if I refuse, I'll stay weak trash. Since I don't have a cultivation technique yet, it'd be smart to learn how to wield a sword. That'll help me understand the manual faster. With the sword insights I gained, I'll learn more quickly.'
With no other choice, Xia Fan reluctantly said:
"Yes…"