Teaching

Passing by Caishikou Execution Grounds, Lu Wangchuan noticed the authorities were beheading members of the Black Lotus Society.

With a single thunk of the broadsword, a head rolled to the ground.

The onlookers pointed and gossiped, clapping and cheering excitedly every time a head was lopped off.

"Well done!"

"Kill all these traitors."

Lu Wangchuan watched the scene, unsure what to say and unwilling to offer any commentary.

These people had nothing to do with him—he'd better hurry and attend to his own important matters.

Only by growing stronger himself could he ensure such a fate never befell him one day.

Just then, a violent explosion suddenly erupted from Caishikou. Countless onlooking sheep were blown into the air, and one bloody lamb leg landed right in front of Lu Wangchuan.

"Thunderclap Bomb?!"

This had to be the classic prison rescue scene.

Lu Wangchuan turned and walked straight away. Time to scram, time to flee—survival came first.

After purchasing the materials, Lu Wangchuan quickly returned home to brew the Spirit Elixir. With the recipe in hand, as long as the proportions were properly adjusted, the brewing was quite easy.

Soon, a pot of thick Spirit Elixir was effortlessly completed. It looked a bit like sesame paste—not exactly elegant, but far better than the dung-like Body Strengthening Soup.

Lu Wangchuan ladled out a bowl to taste it. The flavor was acceptable, slightly bitter, but it went down smoothly without scratching the throat like the Body Strengthening Soup did.

He downed the bowl of Spirit Elixir in one gulp, and instantly felt a scorching energy churning in his stomach.

"Good stuff!"

The Source Opening Realm had already forged his physique to be extremely strong. Drinking Body Strengthening Soup was like plain water to an ordinary person—barely any effect—but the Spirit Elixir provoked such a strong reaction, proving it contained far more nourishment than the Body Strengthening Soup.

Still, the silver spent was considerable. Lu Wangchuan calculated: if a batch of Body Strengthening Soup cost a few hundred coppers to brew, the Spirit Elixir required one and a half taels of silver—several times the price!

Lu Wangchuan could only console himself that wealth was an external possession, while the cultivation he gained was his own.

After drinking it, he quickly sat down cross-legged to cultivate. The four-layer Dao Embryo Breathing Method circulated, and his inner qi surged rapidly. It took a full three minor cycles to completely refine one bowl of Spirit Elixir—slower than the Body Strengthening Soup, but with greater gains.

By the time he had refined the entire pot of Spirit Elixir, ten days had passed. His blood energy had surged by nearly three hundred points, reaching 1,279 points.

The immense gains put Lu Wangchuan in a fine mood.

Just then, Xiao Yue's voice came from the courtyard.

"Young master, time to eat."

Lu Wangchuan rose and left the Training Room. A chill wind hit his face, and heavy goose-feather snow drifted down from the sky, coating the ground with a layer of frost.

"It's snowing."

"Young master, today is also the Winter Solstice."

"So soon? It's already the Winter Solstice?"

Lu Wangchuan couldn't help but sigh. A whole year had passed since he crossed over.

A year ago, he was still a green youth who hadn't formally stepped onto the martial path. Now, he had become a master of the Source Opening Realm.

He had Instructor Lu to thank for that—the Eight Section Brocade he taught, and the Body Strengthening Soup recipe he later provided, which gave him a great start.

"What good food did you make today?"

"Well, I made Shrimp Dumplings, plus Sesame Tangyuan and Peanut Tangyuan, and I even fried some Sugar Cakes."

Xiao Yue counted them off on her fingers.

Lu Wangchuan spoke up:

"Prepare some dumplings and tangyuan for me. I'm going out."

"Oh, I'll get it right away."

Xiao Yue packed the dumplings and tangyuan into a food box. Lu Wangchuan picked it up, then stopped by the best restaurant in Jianghai City for a few dishes and two jugs of fine wine before heading to Instructor Lu Xianyuan's residence at the Martial Hall.

The streets were nearly empty. Because of the prison rescue incident, Jianghai City, which had just been reopened, was once again under lockdown.

But none of this had anything to do with Lu Wangchuan.

"Instructor Lu, are you in?"

Lu Wangchuan arrived at the small courtyard in front of Lu Xianyuan's home and knocked on the door. A faint voice came from inside.

"The door's unlocked. Come in."

He pushed the door open and saw Lu Xianyuan had moved his armchair under the eaves, covered himself with a thin blanket, and was resting with his eyes closed.

"What brings you here?"

"Instructor, today is the Winter Solstice. Your disciple has brought some wine and dishes."

Lu Xianyuan cracked his eyes open slightly, glanced at the food box in his hand, then nodded.

"Set it on the table."

Lu Wangchuan placed the food box on the table. Just then, Lu Xianyuan suddenly asked out of the blue:

"Which layer did you break through to?"

Lu Wangchuan thought he was asking about the Eight Section Brocade, so he casually answered a level.

"To answer your instruction, I've already broken through the sixth layer."

"With your talent and diligence, the Eight Section Brocade should have broken through the seventh layer long ago. I'm asking about your cultivation."

Exposed on the spot, Lu Wangchuan couldn't help but feel a bit awkward.

But he also finally realized that the other party truly seemed unable to see through his cultivation.

Normally, a higher-level martial artist could see through a lower-level one's cultivation. It seemed the Light Screen really had the property of blocking others from seeing through his cultivation.

"Your disciple's cultivation has just broken through to Blood Solidification."

"Bullshit! Your Eight Section Brocade has already reached Great Perfection, and with the Body Strengthening Soup to assist, how could you only be at the Blood Solidification Realm?

Nine months ago, you single-handedly killed Li Yuan and his men—your cultivation was no lower than Blood Solidification. Six months ago, you escaped from the Moon Gazing Pavilion alive—your cultivation couldn't have been lower than the Tendons and Membranes Realm!"

Lu Wangchuan was stunned, then awkwardly smiled apologetically. It seemed he'd have to calculate his lies more carefully in the future. Even if the other party couldn't see through his cultivation, they could still guess from actual feats.

Lu Xianyuan casually tossed him a book.

"Mountain Splitting Fist is only a common level technique. It's fine for getting started in martial arts, but when you encounter an expert using a higher-grade technique, it won't hold up at all. From now on, practice this extraordinary-level technique instead."

Lu Wangchuan glanced at it and saw four large characters clearly written on the title page: 'Limitless Sword Dao.'

His heart leaped. It was actually an extraordinary-level combat technique. This technique was priceless—stronger than even the Speed Heart Art auctioned off back then, or even the Heavenly Dipper Eight Steps!

It was something only true immortal sect martial artists could touch!

It couldn't be bought in the Mortal World at all!

Quick-witted, Lu Wangchuan immediately bowed in thanks.

"Thank you, Master, for bestowing this technique upon me."

"Don't misunderstand. I never take disciples. I just don't want to eat your meal for free. Get lost."

Lu Xianyuan directly issued an order to leave. Lu Wangchuan was quite regretful that he couldn't take this expert as his master, but he knew not to be too greedy. One meal in exchange for an extraordinary-level sword technique was already a huge win.

So he tactfully cupped his hands in a salute and withdrew from the Martial Hall.

"Your disciple takes his leave."

Watching Lu Wangchuan's retreating back, Lu Xianyuan's eyes flickered a few times.

"This kid has outstanding talent, trains diligently, and has a sharp mind. He knows how to hide his edge even at such a young age. I just wonder how far he'll go in the future."