Heavenly Saber Art

On the official road leading to Shuofeng City, Lu Ming walked slowly. The two books had already been hidden by him and wouldn't be retrieved anytime soon.

However, he wouldn't need them in the short term anyway. The martial arts manuals had already been engraved into his mind through the Jade Pendant, so having the original copies wasn't important.

As for the other book, since it didn't trigger the Jade Pendant, he guessed it was just an ordinary book.

He wouldn't feel too heartbroken if it were lost.

So after hiding them, he didn't think about them anymore. Instead, he frequently reviewed the contents the Jade Pendant had infused into his mind.

This was the name of the cultivation technique. The accompanying saber art was naturally called the Heavenly Saber Saber Art, which had nine killing moves known as the Heavenly Saber Nine Forms.

This was a complementary technique that came with internal energy moves. According to its description, its grade was Earth-grade initial level, and it could allow one to cultivate up to the peak of the Gangqi Realm.

Inner Qi Realm, True Qi Realm, Gangqi Realm – these were the first three realms listed for human martial artists in the Heavenly Saber Art.

According to the cultivation technique's content, the Inner Qi Realm was a process of refining essence into Qi. Through cultivation, the body's vital essence, Qi, and blood were condensed into Inner Qi and stored in the dantian.

Then, once the Inner Qi grew strong enough, one could enter the True Qi Realm.

True Qi was refined and compressed from Inner Qi. In other words, the cultivation process in the True Qi Realm was the process of refining and compressing Inner Qi.

After Inner Qi was compressed and refined to a certain extent, one could enter the Gangqi Realm.

Gang Qi was naturally refined and compressed from True Qi, its quality and quantity being a level higher than True Qi.

Therefore, the cultivation process in the Gangqi Realm was the process of refining and compressing True Qi.

The realm beyond that was also briefly mentioned in the Heavenly Saber Art, called the Gangyuan Realm.

Although there were no specific cultivation processes, Lu Ming speculated it was likely the same as before, involving the compression and refinement of Gang Qi.

He just didn't know to what extent it needed to be compressed and refined.

However, he didn't dwell on it too much, as it was still very far from him.

He looked ahead again. Next, Lu Ming refocused his thoughts on the words "Earth-grade initial level."

Combining this with the original owner's memories, he roughly understood that martial arts manuals in this world were divided into Heaven, Earth, and Human grades, with twelve stages in total.

The higher the grade, the rarer and more valuable the manual.

Ordinary martial artists basically cultivated Human-grade initial and intermediate techniques. Having a Human-grade High Stage technique was already considered a sign of some influence.

Beyond that, Human-grade Peak Stage techniques were only commonly learned within major powers.

From this, one could imagine how precious his Earth-grade technique was. If news of it spread, it would surely cause a bloody storm, and he would undoubtedly be utterly annihilated.

Back then, the original owner had seen several groups of people in Shuofeng City fighting fiercely over a Human-grade High Stage technique.

In the end, several lives were lost.

The information above was overheard from the discussions of the onlookers.

"It seems I need to be even more careful and cautious, and absolutely must not reveal this technique."

Another gust of cold wind blew. Lu Ming retracted his thoughts and tightened his thin clothes. He glanced ahead. After a period of trekking, the outline of the city ahead had become clearer.

But he knew it wasn't close yet. He understood the saying "running towards a mountain is like riding a dead horse."

He glanced at the sky again, feeling there was still enough time. He decided to stop and rest, replenishing some energy.

After all, his body was still very weak. He had been traveling for so long, relying entirely on his willpower to keep going.

He stuffed a handful of grass roots into his mouth and bent down to rub his slightly swollen legs. Just then, he suddenly heard a rumbling sound from behind him, as if something was rushing towards him at high speed, followed by a hearty shout of "Giddy up!"

It was a carriage.

Lu Ming glanced back and quickly retreated to the side of the road.

"Whoa!"

In a blink, a carriage pulled by two tall horses passed him. The driver was burly, and the carriage was luxurious. Through the open window, he saw an exquisite face.

It was a young lady looking out the window, and their eyes naturally met.

The moment their gazes crossed, Lu Ming quickly lowered his head, avoiding eye contact.

This carriage clearly wasn't something an ordinary family could own, so the person inside was naturally not simple. If he offended them, even the kind ones might be okay, but a spoiled one could easily beat him up, and his current frail body couldn't withstand even three punches or kicks.

A hurricane passes, only the grass remains.

So, when one is weak, it's okay to lower one's head. There's no shame in it.

Soon, the sound of hooves and wheels gradually faded. Lu Ming raised his head again and sighed, intending to continue his journey. However, as he turned, he saw that the carriage hadn't gone far but had stopped ahead.

"What's going on? Did I still offend them?"

Lu Ming muttered, quickly thinking of a plan. He glanced around and found the terrain flat and the view open, meaning he would be caught if he tried to escape.

His mind raced. He felt that if he didn't want to beg for mercy, the best option now was to lie down and pretend to be unconscious.

If the conditions allowed, it would be even better to roll around in some dirt, making it impossible for them to approach him.

Perhaps then, the other party would lose interest in him.

However, before he could act, his head darkened. He couldn't help but look up and saw a huge figure descending like Mount Tai pressing down, stopping a step in front of him.

It was the burly driver. After landing lightly, he threw a bundle at Lu Ming without a word.

"Little beggar, this is a gift from my Miss for you."

His voice boomed like thunder.

"Here..."

Lu Ming hadn't even processed what was happening before the burly figure leaped away like a roc spreading its wings.

Lu Ming watched, his face full of envy. He wished he could be so grand and powerful.

Soon, the carriage started moving again, heading towards the city.

"This... I've met a kind person."

Only after the carriage had completely disappeared from view did Lu Ming retract his gaze and turn to the bundle in his arms, quickly opening it to look.

Inside, he found a set of clothes. He touched them; though the style looked ordinary, the fabric was extremely soft and smooth, clearly not something an ordinary person could afford.

Then there were ten taels of silver and several pieces of pastry.

Seeing these items, Lu Ming was a little surprised by their generosity, but he quickly realized that these things probably meant nothing to the giver.

However, they were extremely precious to him. With these items, his starting difficulties would be greatly reduced.

Originally, he had planned to enter the city, avoid the beggar who controlled the original owner, and find some work.

The former would be very difficult, as the city had no shortage of beggars, and it would be hard to evade their surveillance.

But he had also thought of many ways to deal with it.

The latter would also be difficult; after all, who would hire him, a skinny beggar with little strength?

He hadn't thought of a good solution for this either, deciding to take it one step at a time.

But things were different now.

With the clothes, he could change his appearance, making him less likely to be noticed. And even if he was discovered, he could bluff his way through, as the fabric of his clothes was no ordinary material.

And with these ten taels of silver, he could completely sustain himself and get his life on track.

Therefore, this bundle held immense significance for him.

"Thank you. If we ever meet again by chance, I will surely repay this kindness."

Lu Ming thanked them again in his heart. After firmly memorizing the other person's appearance, he began to eat the pastries in small bites while looking for a puddle of water.

He planned to wash his messy hair before changing clothes and entering the city.

Soon, he spotted a puddle reflecting the sunlight and hurried towards it.