Second Trial

What remained were pills. One bottle contained Qi Recovery Pills for the True Qi Realm, capable of instantly replenishing the true qi within one's dantian.

There were quite a few in this bottle—more than a dozen.

Next came some healing pills, with only the last bottle being somewhat special.

This bottle held only a single pill. It was blood-red, and after studying it for a long while, Lu Ming finally confirmed that it was a widely circulated Berserk Pill.

After taking it, it could stimulate the body's potential and instantly raise one's strength by an entire level.

However, it would only last for less than half an hour, and afterward, the user would be left extremely weakened.

It could be said that at a critical moment, this was a life-saving pill.

Unfortunately, Lu Ming had acted too quickly. His opponent had not had the chance to take it at all.

After carefully putting everything away, Lu Ming set off at full speed and finally returned to the sect at noon the next day.

After returning the horse, he headed toward the Mission Hall.

Just as he was about to submit his mission, a commotion broke out.

"Look! Senior Brother Feng Chao, who accepted the five-star, two-star mission, is back!"

Lu Ming looked over at the sound and indeed saw a blood-covered youth with a cold gaze stride into the hall.

"Do you think Senior Brother Feng Chao succeeded in his mission?"

"Whether he succeeded or not, the fact that he returned alive after facing the Yanshan Bandits is already remarkable."

"..."

As everyone chattered away, Feng Chao seemed not to hear them. Yet as he passed a man holding a folding fan, he suddenly paused and said coldly,

"At the Inner Sect Grand Competition a year from now, I will definitely surpass you."

The man with the folding fan paused, then smiled and nodded. "I'll be waiting."

Then he walked away.

"That was Senior Brother Wei Yu, ranked eighth." Someone recognized the man with the folding fan.

"Just like the rumors say, he is as gentle as jade." Spring shone in the eyes of several female disciples.

"Don't let his appearance fool you. When he makes a move, he shows no mercy. Outside the sect, who knew how many people had died beneath that iron fan of his?"

The male disciple beside them spoke with a trace of jealousy in his voice.

"Hmph, those were all wicked scoundrels who deserved to die."

Having accidentally overheard the argument, Lu Ming helplessly stopped listening. But then another cry of surprise rang out. After verification, Feng Chao had indeed completed the mission.

In other words, relying on his strength alone, he had single-handedly wiped out one Late True Qi Realm bandit, several Early and Mid True Qi Realm bandits, and no fewer than twenty Inner Qi Realm bandits.

Such strength could not be underestimated.

Lu Ming weighed whether he himself could accomplish such a feat. If he added the rudimentary form of Saber Intent and went all out, he should be able to do it as well.

But if he raised Iron Elephant Art to the second stage, it would be safer and much easier.

After all, he had heard that this bandit group possessed powerful bows and heavy crossbows.

Even those in the Late True Qi Realm did not dare ignore such things.

Amid the crowd's cries of amazement, Feng Chao left once more, while Lu Ming continued to submit his mission.

"Not bad. A single slash killed him—clean and decisive."

Looking at Yu Yuan's corpse that Lu Ming had produced, the elder responsible for verification and registration compared it with the portrait as he praised him.

Lu Ming had not allowed the saber qi from Soul Chasing Style to burst out of Yu Yuan's body, lest it dirty his storage ring. Instead, he had let it sweep through Yu Yuan's insides.

Thus, Yu Yuan's corpse appeared to have only one wound and was remarkably intact.

"Your mission is complete. Here is your reward. Count it."

"Thank you, Elder."

Lu Ming accepted it without counting, directly putting it into his storage pouch. After all, the sect would not stoop so low as to shortchange him over such a small amount.

With the reward and the spoils from this trip, Lu Ming was well-off again.

So he was not in a hurry to accept another mission. Instead, he planned to buy Spiritual Medicine and raise Iron Elephant Art to the second stage first.

"It's you. You came back after completing the mission?"

As he walked outside the hall, he happened to run into that disciple from last time, the one who had said he "couldn't handle it."

"That's right."

Lu Ming nodded.

"I really couldn't tell. You hadn't even reached the peak of the Early True Qi Realm, yet you managed to kill Yu Yuan so quickly."

"You Feng, ranked five hundred and sixty-first in the Inner Sect. What is your name?"

One truly could not judge a person by appearance. Lu Ming had not expected the man before him to rank even higher than Chu Yunxiao.

He cupped his hands as well. "Lu Ming, ranked one thousand and first in the Inner Sect."

At present, he was fifth from last, with only the four people who had passed the assessment alongside him behind him.

Of course, some people had surely passed the assessment during this period as well; he simply had not checked.

"So low?"

You Feng was startled again. Logically speaking, someone capable of killing a Peak Early True Qi Realm cultivator should not have ranked so low.

Then realization dawned on him, and he asked, "You're a disciple who only recently passed the assessment, aren't you?"

Lu Ming nodded. "I passed it not long ago."

"Then you're truly bold. You dared accept a mission so soon. Seeing you makes me think of the Inner Sect's Senior Disciple Brother."

"He was the same. Not long after entering the Inner Sect, he began crazily accepting missions."

You Feng said.

"Senior Disciple Brother?"

The title was somewhat unfamiliar to him.

"It's the one ranked first in the Inner Sect. Below the core disciples, he is the boss, so everyone calls him Senior Disciple Brother."

The two chatted as they walked.

Lu Ming then learned about this Senior Disciple Brother. His name was Chi Xuan, and he mainly cultivated swordsmanship.

It was said that his swordsmanship had reached an unfathomable, godlike realm. It clearly seemed slow, yet people found themselves unable to guard against it.

Many people had fought him, only to lose to him in baffling fashion.

Some elders had even commented that he was highly likely to comprehend Sword Intent.

"Slow on the surface, fast in truth?"

Since he had never seen it himself, Lu Ming could not make heads or tails of it.

"Alright, let's leave it at that for today. If there are missions that require a team in the future, I'll call you."

After chatting for quite some time, You Feng took his leave.

"Then see you next time."

After parting with him, Lu Ming headed toward the Spiritual Medicine Pavilion.

In the blink of an eye, another half month passed.

In the courtyard, Cui Bai confirmed once more, "Are you sure you want me to circulate my true qi and punch you?"

"I'm sure."

Lu Ming nodded with utmost seriousness, planted his feet in a horse stance, and bared his chest.

"Then here I come."

Seeing this, Cui Bai did not hesitate. He circulated his true qi and punched Lu Ming in the chest. Of course, afraid that he might fail to control his strength, he only dared use thirty percent of his power.

Bang!

A dull thud rang out. Lu Ming's body did not budge in the slightest, and a rebounding force suddenly surged from his skin, knocking Cui Bai backward.

"Hiss, your Iron Elephant Art really is extraordinary."

Cui Bai steadied himself and rubbed his slightly numb hand.

After sensing the condition within his body, Lu Ming said again, "Add a little more strength."

"Again?" Cui Bai froze, then said, "Fine. This time, I'll use fifty percent."

Another punch came. This time, Lu Ming's body swayed slightly, but he was still unharmed.

Then came seventy percent strength, until finally Cui Bai used his full power. Lu Ming merely staggered back several steps and suffered no injury to his internal organs.

"You really are a freak. Even the force of my full-power punch can't break through your protective true qi. This Iron Elephant Art is indeed extraordinary."

Cui Bai's arm had gone completely numb.

Lu Ming straightened his robes and said, "Once your cultivation rises, I won't be able to withstand it anymore."

He was indeed not lying. By his estimate, although he had cultivated Iron Elephant Art to the second stage, he could at most withstand attacks from the Mid True Qi Realm.

If he wanted to withstand the Late True Qi Realm, he would need to cultivate it to the third stage—the realm where dragon and tiger converged, and inner and outer became one.

"That's still freakish enough."

After spending so much time with Lu Ming, Cui Bai had already grown numb to his cultivation speed.

They had clearly entered the Inner Sect together, yet Lu Ming was already able to take on missions, while Cui Bai had not even fully mastered the two martial arts techniques he had obtained from the Wuji Mountain Range.

"Don't be anxious. Take it slowly."

Lu Ming offered a word of comfort.

Cui Bai smiled. "I figured that out long ago. If I compare myself to you, I'm afraid I'll be angered to death sooner or later. So I'll follow my own pace."

"That's for the best." Lu Ming smiled as well. Since Cui Bai could be so open-minded, there should be no great obstacle to his growth in strength.

After all, his state of mind was clear and unblocked.

Afterward, Cui Bai took his leave to cultivate on his own, while Lu Ming began practicing the leg technique and palm technique he had just acquired.