The entire outer square fell into an eerie silence.
Dozens of outer sect disciples stood frozen, their eyes bulging as they stared at the cleanly sliced locust tree and the shattered bluestone slab on the ground. Some of them had their mouths hanging open so wide they could almost fit an egg.
Only a moment ago, they had been mocking Chen Fan as a useless mortal who would never touch cultivation in his entire life.
Now…
A single casual swing from this same mortal had cut through a century-old tree and split a solid stone slab in half.
It was simply inconceivable.
"I must be seeing things…"
"That's impossible! He's just a handyman with no spiritual roots!"
"How could a mortal unleash such terrifying sword qi?!"
Muttered exclamations finally broke the silence. The disciples looked at Chen Fan as if he were some kind of monster. Their previous contempt and ridicule were gone, replaced by shock, confusion, and even a trace of fear.
Chen Fan himself was still in a daze.
He stared blankly at his own hand, then at the broom he had been holding earlier. The residual feeling of sword intent lingered in his muscles, as if he had been practicing swordsmanship for a hundred years instead of just glancing at a basic technique.
"So that's what it's like…"
He finally began to understand the strange talent he had been born with.
It wasn't that he was smart.
It wasn't luck.
He possessed Eternal Supreme Insight — an ability that allowed him to instantly comprehend, perfect, and even evolve any technique, skill, or truth with just one glance.
The useless Falling Dust Sword had turned into a god-tier art in an instant.
A mortal body that should have been unable to sense spiritual energy at all had awakened a hidden Chaos Root.
For the first time in his life, Chen Fan truly realized: he was not ordinary.
He was a hidden monster.
Before he could sort out his thoughts, a deep, imposing voice boomed from the edge of the square.
"Quiet."
The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an invisible pressure that silenced everyone in an instant.
An elder in a gray linen robe walked over slowly. His beard was white as snow, his eyes deep and calm, and his every step exuded the aura of a high-level cultivator. He was Elder Mu, the person in charge of the entire outer sect — someone even the outer sect disciples dared not disrespect.
When he saw the split tree and shattered stone, his eyebrows lifted slightly.
"Who did this?"
His gaze swept across the crowd.
All the disciples lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes. Eventually, someone tremblingly pointed at Chen Fan.
"E-Elder… it was him. The handyman, Chen Fan."
Elder Mu's gaze landed on Chen Fan.
He looked the young man up and down — simple linen clothes, a worn bamboo broom in his hand, a faint dust stain on his cheek. He looked exactly like an ordinary, inconspicuous handyman.
There was no powerful aura.
No fluctuations of spiritual energy.
No glow of spiritual roots.
Just an ordinary mortal.
Yet he was the one who had unleashed that kind of sword qi?
Elder Mu's expression turned serious. He stepped forward and placed a finger gently on Chen Fan's wrist.
A wisp of gentle spiritual energy slipped into Chen Fan's body, carefully examining his meridians, bones, and roots.
The next moment, Elder Mu's eyes widened in disbelief.
"No spiritual roots… completely ordinary meridians… not even the tiniest trace of energy cultivation…"
He was even more shocked than the disciples.
A true mortal, with no foundation in cultivation, had sliced a tree in half with a casual swing?
That defied all common sense in the cultivation world.
"Boy," Elder Mu asked in a deep voice, "how did you do that?"
Chen Fan scratched his head, not knowing how to explain. He couldn't exactly tell someone about his Eternal Supreme Insight.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to tell a half-truth.
"I… I don't know, Elder. I was watching them practice the sword technique, and I felt like I understood it. Then I moved my hand a little, and that's what happened."
"Just by watching?" Elder Mu's voice rose.
The surrounding disciples were also stunned.
They had practiced Falling Dust Sword for months, some even for years, and could barely gather a wisp of weak sword qi. But this mortal had mastered it to such a horrifying level just by watching?
What kind of monster was he?!
Elder Mu stared at Chen Fan for a long time, his eyes flickering with uncertainty and amazement.
In his hundreds of years of cultivation, he had seen geniuses with heavenly spiritual roots, monsters with ancient sacred bloodlines, and prodigies who could comprehend techniques overnight…
But he had never seen someone like Chen Fan.
A mortal with no roots, no talent, no background… who could master a sword technique to its peak with just one glance.
This was no longer genius.
This was defiance against the heavens.
"Come with me," Elder Mu said after a long silence.
He didn't yell, didn't interrogate, didn't expel him. He simply turned and walked toward the deeper parts of the outer sect.
Chen Fan hesitated for a moment, then followed.
He didn't know what the elder planned to do, but he wasn't afraid.
After all, even if something went wrong, with his insight, he could probably figure out a way to protect himself.
The other disciples watched Chen Fan's back as he left, their eyes filled with complicated emotions — envy, shock, admiration, and a trace of lingering fear.
The handyman who they had mocked as trash had now become someone even Elder Mu took seriously.
The world felt like it had been turned upside down.
Elder Mu led Chen Fan to a quiet bamboo forest deep in the outer sect. A small wooden hut sat hidden among the bamboo, a peaceful little place far from the noise of the main square.
"Sit," Elder Mu said, pointing to a stone bench.
Chen Fan sat down obediently, still looking like an honest, ordinary young man.
Elder Mu poured him a cup of light bamboo tea, then stared at him and asked, "Do you know what path you've stepped into today?"
Chen Fan shook his head.
"To ordinary people, cultivation is a path to immortality. To cultivators, it is a road of competition, seizing fortune, and fighting for destiny. Geniuses are respected, mortals are eliminated. That is the rule of this world."
Elder Mu's voice was calm.
"But you… you are a mortal who has crossed the line without even starting to walk on the path. Do you understand what that means?"
Chen Fan thought for a moment, then said honestly, "It means I can learn things very quickly."
Elder Mu was momentarily stunned, then let out a soft laugh.
"Indeed. You learn too quickly. So quickly that it defies logic."
He paused, then asked in a serious tone, "Chen Fan, do you want to formally cultivate?"
This was a question that would have made any mortal weep with joy.
To be personally asked by an outer sect elder if he wanted to cultivate — it was a blessing that countless people could never even dream of.
But Chen Fan hesitated.
He thought of the tiring-looking daily training of the outer disciples.
He thought of the competition and conflicts between them.
He thought of how he just wanted a quiet life with food to eat and a place to sleep.
After a few seconds, he replied in a low voice, "I… I just want to keep being a handyman. It's pretty good."
Elder Mu was completely dumbfounded.
He had imagined countless reactions — excitement, eagerness, tears, even suspicion… but he had never expected this.
A once-in-a-millennium genius who could comprehend the sword with a glance… just wanted to keep sweeping floors?
Was he dreaming?
"Are you serious?" Elder Mu asked, his voice stiff.
Chen Fan nodded earnestly.
"Elder, I'm used to sweeping floors and doing chores. I don't really want to fight or compete. I just want to live a peaceful life."
He really meant it.
He didn't care about being a powerful immortal.
He didn't care about shocking the entire sect.
He didn't care about dominating the cultivation world.
He just wanted to be low-key, relaxed, and free.
Elder Mu stared at Chen Fan for a long time, as if trying to see through his soul. Eventually, he let out a long sigh.
He had seen all kinds of people in his life — greedy ones, ambitious ones, arrogant ones, desperate ones… but never someone as unfazed as Chen Fan.
"Fine," Elder Mu finally said. "You can continue staying in the handyman quarters. No one will bully you or make things difficult for you anymore."
A hint of relief appeared in Chen Fan's eyes.
"But," Elder Mu added, his tone turning serious, "you must promise me one thing — do not casually expose your ability in front of others unless your life is in danger."
He knew better than anyone else how terrifying Chen Fan's talent was.
Once word got out that a mortal could master divine techniques with a glance, forces from all over the world would come flocking — some to recruit him, some to kidnap him, and some to kill him before he grew stronger.
Keeping a low profile was the safest path for Chen Fan.
"I understand," Chen Fan nodded.
"Good." Elder Mu waved his hand. "Go back. From today on, you may observe any cultivation techniques in the outer sect. You may even borrow basic manuals from the scripture pavilion."
This was an enormous privilege.
Ordinary handymen weren't even allowed to approach the scripture pavilion. But Chen Fan was given permission to observe and borrow at will.
Chen Fan's eyes lit up a little.
That wasn't because he wanted to become powerful.
It was just… watching others practice was fun.
"Thank you, Elder," he said sincerely.
On his way back to the handyman quarters, Chen Fan's mind was still filled with the mysteries of his own talent.
He tried recalling the Falling Dust Sword moves.
As soon as the thought appeared, the complete evolved version of Eternal Falling Dust Sword appeared clearly in his mind, along with the profound truth of Mortal Emperor Sword Intent.
It was as if he had trained it for a hundred years.
"Interesting," Chen Fan mumbled to himself.
He then thought about the basic fist techniques he had seen the disciples practice a few days ago.
In the next second —
[Ding!]
[You have recalled the Basic Fist Art demonstration.]
[Eternal Supreme Insight activated!]
[Basic Fist Art has evolved into — Eternal Profound Fist!]
[You have obtained Profound Fist Intent (Initial Stage)!]
Chen Fan froze for a moment, then smiled.
Learning things really was too easy.
He didn't need to meditate.
He didn't need to train hard.
He didn't need to compete for resources.
He just needed to look.
Just by watching, he could become stronger than anyone else.
When Chen Fan returned to the handyman quarters, the other handymen who had previously bullied him and stolen his food all lowered their heads and avoided his gaze.
The news of what had happened in the square had already spread.
No one dared to treat him like a useless mortal anymore.
Chen Fan didn't pay them any mind. He picked up his broom and continued sweeping the floor, just as he had done every day before.
The setting sun dyed the sky orange.
The bamboo leaves rustled gently in the wind.
Somewhere in the distance, a disciple was practicing a movement technique.
Chen Fan glanced over casually.
In that instant, the movement technique's true meaning was engraved into his soul.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
Being a handyman wasn't so bad after all.
Quiet, peaceful, and… getting stronger by the day without anyone noticing.
This was the kind of life he liked.
Little did he know…
While he was content with his quiet handyman life, waves were already stirring within Azure Cloud Sect.
And his legend was only just beginning.