SWNOVELXO Chapter 155: Honorary Disciple
Chapter 155: Honorary Disciple
After leaving the teahouse across from the Lichun Brothel, Xu Lian went straight to the center of First Street where the Spiritual Tree stood and found the White Fox, the Quarry Patrol Inspector-now the Town Guard Commander.
Xu Lian explained the situation with the Sword Pavilion’s Sword Seeker and asked, “Is this trustworthy?”
The intelligent eyes of the white fox looked at him, “You have received the Sword of Destruction?”
“…” Xu Lian had no choice but to explain the matter of Jiang Xianyu and the Thirteen Clans.
After listening, the white fox said, “No one would dare to impersonate a Sword Seeker of the Sword Pavilion. If they did, the Sword Pavilion would hunt them down relentlessly, sparing no effort. This is common knowledge, so there’s no problem with credibility.
The guardian, the sword attendant, and the two sword disciples assigned by the Sword Pavilion to the honorary disciple will indeed do their utmost to help the honorary disciple. There’s never been a case of betrayal, so it’s not a problem.
As for whether or not you should become an honorary disciple of the Sword Pavilion, that’s up to you.”
Xu Lian said, “What does the Town Guard Commander think? I know very little about the Sword Pavilion and I am not sure how to decide. I ask the Town Guard Commander to make this decision for me.”
The white fox thought for a moment, “Ever since the Sword Emperor passed away, the Sword Pavilion has been searching for a suitable successor. Anyone who possesses a famous sword can become an honorary disciple.
Almost any honorary disciple can safely grow and achieve great things under the protection of the Sword Pavilion. At the very least, they can become a powerful figure, and it’s extremely rare for them to fall unexpectedly.
However, there’s a strange phenomenon: even though the honorary disciples of the Sword Pavilion have reached great heights throughout the generations, they always seem to fall one or two steps short of mastering the sword path and never become the new Sword Emperor.”
Xu Lian was puzzled, “So, you’re saying the Sword Pavilion’s method of nurturing talent is flawed?”
The white fox nodded, “Exactly. The Sword Pavilion has recruited many famous swordsmen over the generations, but not a single one has mastered the sword path. This shows that their training mechanism doesn’t work.”
Xu Lian roughly understood.
Becoming an honorary disciple of the Sword Pavilion would guarantee a high floor – at the very least, he could become a powerful figure!
However, the ceiling would be limited; he wouldn’t be able to master the sword path.
He asked, “Why is that?”
The white fox explained, “The prevailing theory among the top forces is that the Sword Pavilion protects its honorary disciples too well. This lack of life-and-death trials means that they miss out on crucial insights, making it difficult for them to reach the pinnacle of cultivation.”
Too well protected… Xu Lian was inwardly pleased. Wasn’t this exactly what he wanted?
Other honorary disciples might find it difficult to reach the top because their cultivation was too safe, because there were no life-and-death trials.
But he didn’t have this limitation. He didn’t need life and death trials – all he needed were progression points and materials…
The white fox gave him a deep look, “If your goal is to become a top-level powerhouse, then it is fine to become an honorary disciple of the Sword Pavilion.
But if your goal is to attain the Dao and become a supreme being, then the protection mechanism of the Sword Pavilion will become a shackle, hindering your insights and preventing you from taking that crucial final step.
There are gains and losses. It’s up to you to decide. I can’t make that decision for you.”
Xu Lian’s heart stirred and he clasped his hands with a smile, “My goal is to become a top-tier powerhouse and protect the Town Guard Commander on your path to supremacy. I choose to become an honorary student of the Sword Pavilion!”
The white fox fell silent.
It seemed to be moved by his words…
After a long pause, the white fox indifferently said, “There is no need to sacrifice your future just to protect me. When I reach that level, there will naturally be others to protect me. I won’t need you for that.”
“…” Xu Lian was speechless. “Actually, it’s not entirely about protecting the Town Guard Commander. I don’t have any big ambitions. A modest life is enough for me. If I can become a top-tier power in the future, that would be more than I could ever ask for… I’ve never even thought about the highest position.”
The white fox said, “I can see that.”
“…” This time, Xu Lian was completely at a loss.
The white fox waved its paw, signaling that the conversation was over.
Xu Lian had no choice but to take his leave.
After leaving the Spirit Tree, Xu Lian went to Residence no 4, where Xiao Xixi lived and where Jiang Yunyan also lived.
Xu Lian found Jiang Yunyan and immediately began to give her “extra attention,” working to increase her favorability.
As expected, her potential was excellent, and the results were evident. Jiang Yunyan’s favorability rose from 75/100 to 80/100.
Xu Lian then brought up the issue of the Sword Pavilion’s Sword Seeker. Since the Sword of Destruction was the lifebound weapon of the founding ancestor of the Jiang family, it was only right to seek the opinion of the Jiang family.
Contrary to his expectations, he thought that Jiang Yunyan might show some resistance, but instead, she was pleasantly surprised. “An honorary disciple of the Sword Pavilion? This means that you’ve at least reached the level of a top tier powerhouse! This is great news.”
Xu Lian understood. Jiang Yunyan was not as ambitious as the White Fox, who was solely focused on attaining the Dao and had no interest in just becoming a top tier powerhouse.
Xu Lian asked, “Will the Jiang family and the Thirteen Clans agree?”
Jiang Yunyan replied, “Of course they’ll agree! Since the passing of the first few generations of ancestors in the Thirteen Clans, each generation has declined, and the clans have gradually fallen into oblivion. It’s been a long time since a powerful figure has appeared. Having a powerful person as a son-in-law in the future would bring hope for the clan’s revival. Why wouldn’t they agree?”
After spending some more intimate time with Jiang Yunyan, Xu Lian left Residence no 4 and returned to the teahouse across from the Lichun Brothel.
Chen Fei asked, “Have you made a decision?”
Xu Lian replied, “I have decided. I’m willing to become an honorary disciple of the Sword Pavilion.”
Chen Fei smiled, “Good. I’ll notify the Sword Pavilion right away. The guardian, the sword attendant, and the two sword disciples will arrive in Pingyang County soon.”
He took out the sword-shaped token, cast a secret seal on it, and the token lit up.
Then he said, “The holder of the Sword of Destruction has agreed to become an honorary disciple,” and put the token away.
The two of them chatted with each other while drinking tea.
Xu Lian learned more about the Sword Pavilion from Chen Fei.
The Sword Pavilion was located at the Sword Emperor’s Mausoleum, which served as its sacred ground.
Unlike other top-tier powers that expanded their territories, competed for cultivation resources, and engaged in overt and covert struggles, the Sword Pavilion had always maintained a small area around the Sword Emperor’s Mausoleum. It had never expanded and had never participated in the power struggles between the major powers, firmly positioning itself as a neutral faction.
Perhaps it wasn’t that the Sword Pavilion didn’t want to expand, but it lacked the strength to do so… After all, since the death of the Sword Emperor, the Sword Pavilion had not produced a supreme being who had mastered the sword path, and thus lacked the power to compete for dominance.
Although the Sword Pavilion had no supreme beings who had mastered the sword path, it had no shortage of top-tier powerhouses who were “halfway” or “nearly” there. Therefore, no force dared to look down on the Sword Pavilion, and no one thought of annexing it. The Sword Pavilion had remained stable among the top-tier powers, standing firm in this chaotic world.
This was largely due to the Sword Pavilion’s training mechanism. By forming “cooperation agreements” with famous swordsmen all over the world, making an enemy of the Sword Pavilion meant making an enemy of all those swordsmen. Any power would have to carefully consider the consequences.
At present, the Sword Pavilion had dozens of honorary disciples among the younger generation, all of them talented people from all over the world, each of them wielding a famous sword. The number of honorary disciples might increase in the future as they competed for the Sword Emperor’s inheritance and the position of the new Sword Emperor.
Chen Fei said, “Among the dozens of honorary disciples of the younger generation of the Sword Pavilion, Brother Xu’s cultivation level and the Sword of Destruction you hold are among the stronger ones.”
Xu Lian was slightly surprised when he noticed Chen Fei’s choice of words – “among the stronger ones”, not “the strongest”. This meant that among the dozens of honorary disciples, there were quite a few whose cultivation levels and famous swords were not inferior to his and the Sword of Destruction.
Thinking about it, it made sense. The world was vast, and his Transformation Strength 8th Stage was not yet at the pinnacle. As for the Sword of Destruction, although it was a rare and famous sword, it was not unique.