The black iron plaque was the most mysterious item among all the spoils.
Mo Fan vaguely felt it might be another stroke of fortune for him.
The immediate challenge was figuring out how to unlock the secrets of this black iron plaque.
No matter how he examined it, he found nothing unusual. It looked like an ordinary iron plaque, not like a magical artifact, more like a decorative trinket.
But if it was truly worthless, would that Great Perfection Qi Refining cultivator have kept it in his storage bag?
Mo Fan frowned, then an idea struck him. He murmured, “A magical artifact… right, could this thing be refined like one?”
With that thought, he began refining the black iron plaque using the method for refining artifacts.
“It works!”
Seeing his demonic energy seep into the plaque, a glint flashed in Mo Fan’s eyes.
He was thrilled, realizing he’d guessed correctly!
But the next moment, his vision blurred, and he found himself in a strange place.
Everything around was a vast expanse of white, with nothing else in sight.
Where was this?
Mo Fan was stunned, unsure why he was here.
“Demon!”
Suddenly, a cold voice boomed above him, like thunder, making his ears ring.
Looking up, he saw an inverted mountain hanging in the sky, and a wisp of sword qi shot out from it.
“What?!”
In an instant, Mo Fan’s hair stood on end, a strong sense of crisis gripping him.
He realized the sword qi was aimed at him, growing larger in the air. By the time it reached him, it was as massive as a mountain, like a sword piercing the heavens!
“Pfft!”
Mo Fan’s eyes snapped open, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Ah!”
He cried out in pain, clutching his head.
In that moment, it felt as if a sword had stabbed into his mind, the agony unbearable.
Buzz—
At that moment, the golden coin in his mind trembled slightly, emitting a golden light that rippled through his consciousness.
Where the light passed, the sword qi vanished!
Soon, the excruciating pain faded.
Mo Fan lay on the ground, curled up, hands gripping his head, gasping heavily.
In that instant, he’d felt death itself, a terror greater than any he’d faced before!
“What the hell was that?!”
Mo Fan gritted his teeth, taking deep breaths to calm his fear and unease.
He shook his dizzy head, still feeling a slight headache, realizing he’d likely suffered a mental attack.
Though the golden coin had helped, his spirit remained drained.
Slowly, Mo Fan got up from the ground and sat cross-legged again.
“Master, what’s wrong?!”
Pig Lord burst in from outside the cave, looking worriedly at Mo Fan.
He’d heard a piercing scream and thought something had happened to his master.
“It’s nothing, just my cultivation aggravating my wounds. Go on out!”
Mo Fan spoke calmly.
“Yes!” Pig Lord nodded, then added, “Master, you just fought a tough battle. Don’t rush to cultivate, rest a bit first!”
“I know,” Mo Fan nodded, surprised that this fellow actually cared about him.
“By the way, Master, I just noticed there are lots of fish in the spring pool outside. Should I catch some to roast for a drink?” Pig Lord asked.
“You can swim?” Mo Fan asked curiously.
“Er… no.”
“Then why even mention it? Get out!”
“Right away!”
After Pig Lord left, Mo Fan looked at the black iron plaque again, his eyes filled with uncertainty.
This plaque was too bizarre, harboring such terrifying sword qi.
“No, not sword qi—sword intent!”
Mo Fan suddenly realized, understanding something.
If it was sword qi, it shouldn’t have harmed his spirit, since qi is tangible and the spirit is not!
But sword intent was different. To Mo Fan, sword intent was a form of mental energy, capable of harming the spirit, which made sense.
“If it’s sword intent, is it just one wisp or endless?”
“If it’s just one, it should’ve been used up. But if it’s endless, this plaque is extraordinary…”
Mo Fan muttered, closing his eyes to sense the lingering pain in his mind.
He needed to verify something!
Sure enough, as he focused on the pain, he saw that heaven-piercing sword intent coming at him again.
But this time, there was no pain, just a fleeting moment of perception.
The process was too brief, like a shooting star, gone before he could grasp anything.
When he exited this state, the pain in his mind was gone.
“As I thought… it confirms my theory…”
“But I need to test it further!”
Mo Fan’s eyes flashed as he looked at the plaque again, took a deep breath, and resumed the refining process.
Buzz—
Once more, he entered the plaque’s space.
He immediately looked up, seeing the inverted mountain still floating hazily in the sky.
“Demon!”
Suddenly, another thunderous roar shook the heavens, and a wisp of sword intent shot from the inverted mountain toward Mo Fan!
Facing the massive, transparent sword intent, Mo Fan’s expression shifted again.
He had no time to think before the sword intent shattered him!
“Pfft!”
Mo Fan’s eyes opened, another mouthful of blood spilling out, his mind wracked with tearing pain. But as the golden coin’s light flashed, the pain vanished, leaving only a faint trace.
This time, Mo Fan didn’t scream, and his face showed no fear, only joy.
“As I suspected, this plaque isn’t a magical artifact, and the sword intent isn’t meant to harm!”
“If I’m right, this plaque is a test. The sword intent isn’t for hurting but a gift, meant to help comprehend the will of this sword!”
Mo Fan muttered, his eyes growing brighter.
He closed his eyes again, trying to sense the lingering sword intent in his mind, but still gained nothing.
“Too short… If I could repeat it enough times, it might work, but I feel like vomiting… Have I overtaxed my spirit?”
Mo Fan gave a bitter smile, abandoning the idea of further comprehending the sword intent for now and storing the plaque away.
“I wonder where that guy got this thing. Without the golden coin’s protection, I’d probably have died under that terrifying sword intent, right?”
Mo Fan mused. Though the plaque wasn’t meant to harm, if one’s cultivation was insufficient, the so-called gift could become a death sentence.
“That guy carried such a treasure for so long without dying. He was no ordinary cultivator. Shame he died by my hand, or I could’ve gotten some answers.
Still, this battle showed me the strange techniques of human cultivators and my own shortcomings in combat… I should reflect and prepare to avoid the same mistakes next time.”
Lost in thought, Mo Fan closed his eyes, reviewing everything that happened in today’s battles…
