Xia Fan accepted the proposal, telling himself that everything would be fine.
"Relax, boy, I'll teach you well…" Shen Qingyao released her hands and then asked,
"What's your name? Mine is Shen Qingyao."
"Xia Fan."
After hearing his name, Shen Qingyao gave him a strange look.
"Such a common name, for someone so handsome," she teased.
Xia Fan shrugged, unfazed by her playful tone.
"I guess I was given this name to prove that even the ordinary can reach the extraordinary?"
He made up the line, but he truly hoped to make it real.
On Earth, he had no ambition—he really was an average fan—but after transmigrating, he had found a new resolve.
He desired to cultivate and grow stronger.
To prove to himself that even the ordinary could dream big.
[Shen Qingyao's interest increased by +1]
"Good ambition!"
Shen Qingyao praised him, then gestured for Xia Fan to step back.
Obeying, he took two steps away.
"Attack me," she said. "I want to see how much you know about wielding a sword."
'Nothing.'
Xia Fan had never held a real weapon before—unless fighting that snake counted. Did it even count?
He mused to himself and shook his head. Now wasn't the time.
"Shen Qingyao, I've never used a sword before. Forgive my clumsy moves."
He warned her, then dashed forward. As he approached, he swung his blade toward hers, trying to knock it away.
Receiving his attack, Shen Qingyao merely tilted her blade upward slightly.
Clang!
The two blades collided, sending out sparks.
Xia Fan came out worse—his hand trembled from the impact, causing him to drop the weapon and lose the first round.
'As expected, I lost. This is even more humiliating than I thought it'd be.'
He hung his head, inwardly blaming himself.
"You're terrible," Shen Qingyao said bluntly—not holding back in the slightest.
Xia Fan glared at her.
'Why rub salt into the wound?'
He wanted a rematch—in his imagination, at least, he could see himself turning the tables.
Of course, that was only in his imagination. Even if he fought her a thousand times, reality wouldn't change.
"I guess that's what happens when your experience is practically zero?" Xia Fan shrugged again, pretending not to care.
Shen Qingyao nodded in agreement. "Xia Fan, you've got a point. But if you want to learn swordsmanship, treat your sword as an extension of your arm or leg."
She pointed at his limbs, then continued in a colder tone, "When you're attacking, never abandon your sword. If this were a real battle, you would've died the moment you let go."
She warned him seriously, trying to make him understand.
"I see. Thank you for the advice—I'll remember that," Xia Fan nodded.
She was right. Dropping the sword mid-fight was reckless.
'If I had fought the snake while holding a weapon, could I have killed it?'
The thought struck him like thunder—but he dismissed it right away.
The snake was enormous! If he had fought it head-on, it would've swallowed his weapon—and him—in one go.
His earlier tactic had worked because he dodged its attacks and countered at the right moments.
'I get it… my Dao isn't direct confrontation. It's trickery and deception. Straight exchanges don't suit me.'
Xia Fan came to understand his own style.
"Shen Qingyao, can I attack you with killing intent?"
"??"
Shen Qingyao blinked, confused, and paid closer attention to Xia Fan.
When she looked into his eyes, she saw a vast, lonely ocean—carrying an aura that was cold and detached from the world.
"T-this boy…" She sensed that Xia Fan was extremely dangerous. Not out of malice, but because of the sheer solitude that disconnected him from everything around him.
[Shen Qingyao's interest increased by +3]
[Interest level surpassed twenty! Talent draw initiated.]
[Congratulations to the host! You have obtained Shen Qingyao's combat knowledge.]
'This woman's a masochist? Why does her interest go up when I say I'm going to kill her?'
Xia Fan found Shen Qingyao completely abnormal—not even remotely normal.
'At least I got her knowledge out of it! System, send it into my mind.'
After giving the command, Xia Fan suddenly felt as though he had been born holding a sword, mastering it through countless battles against humans, beasts, and life-and-death duels.
He now carried the experience of a veteran.
'Shen Qingyao might be weird… but she's given me a lot—a manual, a pill, and now her knowledge.'
Xia Fan felt grateful, even developing a faint affection for her—something close to friendship, though still far from it.
Someone like him would take a long time to truly see anyone as close.
Shen Qingyao, completely unaware of what went through Xia Fan's mind, sighed softly in pity.
"Then come at me to kill, Xia Fan," she said, curious to see his transformation.
Xia Fan wanted to see it too.
"I'm coming," he said, charging forward without further talk.
This time, he didn't swing his sword immediately. He kept it lowered at his waist.
Even when facing Shen Qingyao, he didn't lift it. The only thing that moved was his free hand.
Clenching it into a fist, he struck straight toward her heart.
Shen Qingyao simply dropped her arm and caught his fist with ease.
Neutralizing the hold, Xia Fan twisted his arm downward and raised the sword in his other hand.
His plan was to slash at her neck while she was distracted, holding his arm.
But he underestimated her. Shen Qingyao calmly crouched down, still gripping his arm tightly.
"What—?"
Before he could react, Xia Fan was thrown to the ground with brutal force.
Acting on instinct, he curved the sword beneath himself and stabbed it into the dirt before hitting the ground.
Gripping the hilt tightly, he steadied his body, saving himself from a full crash—but ended up eating some dirt in the process.
That didn't matter right now.
And as if that wasn't enough, Xia Fan looked to the side and saw a slender leg above him.
Before he could react, he was kicked like a ball—flying several meters away, dragging his sword along with him.
Two meters later, he crashed to a stop, covered in dust. His clothes—already torn from the snake fight—were now shredded completely, revealing fresh cuts across his back.
'I've been humiliated a second time.'