Martial Ancestor, Martial Venerable

Lu Ming slowly turned around, his robes fluttering as if caught by a nonexistent wind.

"Wuji Sect?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Yuan's heart tightened. Sect disciples were no easy opponents. Nevertheless, he feigned contempt and said, "Haha, another sect disciple who doesn't know their place. Not long ago, an Inner Sect disciple from the eighth-rank Nine Tripod Sect took on a mission and came after me, only to be kicked into a pulp by me."

"In recent days, an Inner Sect disciple from the seventh-rank Nine Heavens Sect, also foolishly seeking death, met the same fate at my hands."

He seemed to be boasting about his achievements, but in reality, he was trying to disrupt the opponent's state of mind.

This tactic was particularly effective against young sect disciples who hadn't experienced much of the world. Just like the Nine Tripod Sect disciple, who immediately became flustered after hearing his words.

As a result, he made numerous mistakes during the fight and was easily killed.

However, the person before him was different. Although Lu Ming's expression couldn't be seen, Yu Yuan could sense his calmness.

It wasn't just ordinary calmness; it was like a tranquil lake on the surface, concealing a surging killing intent beneath.

It sent shivers down his spine.

Lu Ming was indeed unfazed. When he was at the eighth layer of inner energy, he dared to confront martial artists in the True Qi Realm. At the ninth layer, he had even slain two True Qi Realm martial artists consecutively.

Was he afraid of death?

Perhaps he might hesitate if he asked himself that when alone, but when facing enemies, he always displayed an extraordinary calmness.

He didn't know why, but it was just like that.

Therefore, without any further words, he drew his saber.

Swish!

This time, even the saber light and his figure disappeared together.

Yu Yuan's expression changed drastically upon seeing this. He instinctively shielded the woman in his arms, then circulated his true energy to its fullest, not knowing where to attack, and retreated with all his might.

It was like a gentle breeze passing by. He only felt a cold sensation on his neck, followed by an extremely sharp cutting feeling that rampaged within his body.

Squelch, squelch!

The sound of a blade cutting through paper echoed.

In just an instant, he lost all strength and collapsed powerlessly.

Before dying, his peripheral vision could still see the enemy standing behind him, holding his long saber as if he hadn't moved at all.

He couldn't understand why the opponent was so fast.

The sect disciples he encountered before were never like this.

"Ah..."

Suddenly splashed by a warm liquid, the abducted woman screamed in fright. The old man who had witnessed the entire scene rushed over.

"Thank you, Young Hero Lu, for your timely intervention."

He quickly bowed.

"Father."

Seemingly finding her support, the woman threw herself into the old man's arms and burst into tears.

The old man quickly comforted her a few times, then urged, "Quickly, kneel and thank Young Hero Lu for saving your life."

The woman sobbed and complied, but Lu Ming stopped her. "No need. I was merely carrying out a sect mission."

As he spoke, he waved his hand and collected Yu Yuan's corpse, then prepared to leave.

However, the old man stopped him. "Young Hero, please wait. Although this was a trivial matter for you, Young Hero Lu, it is a great kindness to my Liu family that cannot go unrewarded. You have traveled a long way; at least allow me to host you as a local."

"Yes, Young Hero Lu."

At this moment, the Meiling Twin Swords also walked over. They bowed and said, "We are the Meiling Twin Swords, Qi Shaobin and Jiang Mulan. We pay our respects to Young Hero."

"Greetings to both of you."

Lu Ming cupped his fists in return, then said, "There's no need for hospitality. Everyone, perhaps we'll meet again if fate allows."

With that, he tapped his toes and shot backward. After retreating a certain distance, he abruptly turned and strode forward, gradually disappearing from the long street.

"What incredible Qinggong! As expected of an Inner Sect disciple from a seventh-rank sect."

Qi Shaobin of the Meiling Twin Swords exclaimed, then said with great envy.

Compared to them, who were rogue cultivators, these sect disciples enjoyed resources and martial arts that were truly enviable.

But there was nothing they could do; their innate talent was ordinary, and they were only in the Early True Qi Realm even at over thirty years old.

"It's more than just Qinggong. Both of us are in the Early True Qi Realm, and Yu Yuan, who we couldn't even defeat in one move, was also defeated by him in one move. The gap is truly immense."

Jiang Mulan, the female swordswoman, sighed.

"Father, I will definitely work hard to learn martial arts from now on."

The woman, who had almost been abducted, was still somewhat shaken. Looking at Lu Ming's departing figure, she suddenly spoke.

The old man immediately said with relief, "After this ordeal, you've finally come to understand. I've told you long ago that in this world, weakness is a sin."

"Look, even a random bandit can't control their own destiny."

"Those things you like, like chess, calligraphy, painting, and music – once you're strong enough, won't you be able to enjoy them however you want?"

He immediately launched into a lecture, "It's not too late if you can understand this now."

The woman lowered her head, realizing she had been too naive before.

"Congratulations to Old Patriarch Liu for having a successor. Actually, Miss Liu is naturally intelligent; if she practices diligently, her achievements will surely be considerable."

The Meiling Twin Swords beside him congratulated her immediately.

"I wouldn't dare speak of achievements. I just hope she can protect herself in the future," the elder waved his hand, then formally bowed. "Thank you both for your assistance just now. Our Liu family will certainly spread word of your righteous deed."

"Not at all, not at all."

While they outwardly appeared indifferent, they were inwardly quite pleased.

What was the point of helping righteously if not to gain fame?

"You two were implicated just now. Please, come back to my manor and recuperate for a few days," the elder invited again.

"Then we'll be imposing."

Following this, the group headed towards the manor. As Miss Liu walked, she couldn't help but glance back in the direction Lu Ming had departed.

That figure, holding a long saber, wearing a bamboo hat, standing gracefully, left a deep impression on her.

Thinking this, she suddenly felt a strong urge to paint him.

The only pity was that his appearance, hidden behind the black veil, was somewhat blurry.

After leaving, Lu Ming arrived at a restaurant at the end of the street called Fuyun Tower.

He went there, retrieved his horse, nodded to the restaurant owner, and galloped away.

The owner of Fuyun Tower was once an Inner Sect disciple of the Wuji Sect. Due to a long period without breakthroughs, he regretfully left and returned to his hometown.

However, he hadn't completely severed ties with the Wuji Sect and served as the sect's informant in the area.

Various intelligence would be relayed back, and naturally, he would receive compensation.

The reason Lu Ming could find Yu Yuan so quickly was precisely this.

And there were many individuals like the owner of Fuyun Tower throughout the Zhao Kingdom, and even in neighboring countries.

The vastness of a sect wasn't solely comprised of those within its mountain gates.

Without overthinking, Lu Ming began to take stock of his spoils while riding his horse.

Generally, desperate characters like Yu Yuan would carry their valuables with them, so his haul this time wouldn't be low.

Of course, such desperadoes living on the edge also believed in enjoying life to the fullest and typically spent money lavishly.

He could only hope Yu Yuan had left more behind.

With an excited heart, he immediately began searching the corpse.

First, he checked the fingers, finding no storage ring. Then, he conducted a thorough search, eventually discovering it on a necklace around the neck.

It turned out the other party had made it into a pendant.

He took it out and began to examine its contents.

He found that the space within this storage ring was slightly smaller than his, but it was still quite valuable.

Next were the items inside. Aside from some clothes and other miscellaneous items, there weren't many useful things.

First was the money: over 130,000 taels in silver notes and over 20,000 taels in gold notes.

To his pleasant surprise, there were also thirty-six and a half low-grade Origin Stones. The half-stone was likely one the other party had used for cultivation.

After inventorying, he transferred everything into his own storage ring.

Next were the martial arts. Inside, there was a leg technique the other party had used and a palm technique. However, he didn't find any inner energy cultivation methods.

The leg technique was named [Whirlwind Sweeping Leaf Leg], rated Human-grade High Stage.

The palm technique was slightly higher, Human-grade Peak Stage, named [Great Demon Punishing Palm].

"I didn't expect Yu Yuan to be cultivating the Demon Punishing Palm technique while engaging in murder and arson. I wonder if, with such a state of mind, he has managed to master this palm technique."

Lu Ming felt a bit speechless upon seeing the name [Great Demon Punishing Palm].

He then became conflicted. With both a palm technique and a leg technique, should he learn them? He understood the principle of "greed for too much leads to ruin."

However, he quickly made a decision. "Greed for too much leads to ruin" was for others, who might scatter their focus by learning too many things.

But he possessed the Jade Pendant; there were no martial arts in the world he couldn't understand. Naturally, he had no such problem.

Moreover, he was determined to reach the pinnacle of martial arts. He couldn't rely solely on saber techniques, fist techniques, etc., to become a Saber Venerable or Fist Ancestor.

Instead, he aimed to become a Martial Ancestor and Martial Venerable.

Therefore, he would naturally learn any martial arts he had the opportunity to.

Collecting his thoughts, Lu Ming first put away the two martial arts manuals, then looked at the remaining items.