Inner Qi First Layer

Back on the main road, Lu Ming had changed completely.

His original tattered, worn-out cloth shirt was replaced with a set of black martial arts attire that fit him surprisingly well.

He had initially thought the clothes in the bundle belonged to the burly driver, and given that man's size, he expected them to be much too large.

Now, they fit perfectly, which puzzled him slightly. He didn't dwell on it, merely speculating that there might have been another young boy of similar build inside the carriage.

As for his feet, his grass sandals, riddled with holes, were now a pair of boots with white soles and black uppers.

His hair was simply tied back with a cloth band.

His face had been washed clean. Although he still looked quite thin, his demeanor was entirely different from before, a world of difference.

He believed that even if he walked past the beggars he knew from his previous life, they would hardly recognize him.

This would save him a lot of trouble and deepen his gratitude towards the owner of the carriage.

"Then, let's start my new life."

Lu Ming adjusted his clothes again, held his head high, and strode quickly towards Shuofeng City.

The closer he got to the city, the more people he encountered. These were all martial artists, some moving with incredible speed, others using Qinggong, leaping and bounding as they traveled.

"Swish!"

Suddenly, a sound of air being cut through rang out. Lu Ming only saw a black blur flash past him.

This startled him, and he quickly looked ahead, realizing it was a plump figure dressed in yellow.

The figure revealed itself, paused for just a moment, and then became an afterimage once more, disappearing. When it reappeared, it was already a dozen meters further away.

It was like a teleportation.

Within a few breaths, the figure had completely vanished from sight.

"Such powerful Qinggong. As expected of a martial arts world, it's a bit terrifying."

Lu Ming felt both envious and a little panicked. In front of these people, he felt like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, completely insecure.

This made his desire to practice martial arts even more urgent.

"No, I need to get into the city quickly and settle down."

According to his memories, Shuofeng City had simple rules, but it was crowded. With caution, he could avoid many dangers.

It was unlike the wilderness, which had no rules at all. If he encountered someone who didn't like him, they could kill him on the spot, and there would be nowhere to seek justice.

Just like a moment ago, if that plump figure had malicious intent towards him, he would be dead.

With this in mind, Lu Ming continued to move forward, maintaining a low profile and a fast pace.

Finally, after another hour of trekking, he reached the vicinity of the city gates. Looking at the tall and majestic city walls, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Without stopping, he continued towards the city gates.

The city gates were wide, with only a sparse number of people entering and exiting. The City Lord's Mansion soldiers guarding the entrance didn't even need to maintain order.

Lu Ming knew a little about why this was the case.

This was the north gate, facing an area of little value, so not many people usually passed through.

In contrast, the south gate was the complete opposite. Whether it was day or night, the number of people entering and exiting there was exceptionally high.

Sometimes it was even crowded.

The reason for this was simple: the south gate directly faced the Shuofeng Mountain Range. For ordinary people, it was a dangerous forbidden zone, but for some martial artists, it was a treasure trove.

Spiritual Medicine, Demonic Beasts, and other resources were targets for them to acquire wealth.

Many martial artists even used it as a place for training.

Therefore, even the deep mountains were lively.

However, having more people also had its advantages, making it easier to blend in and enter the city.

Here, there were too few people, and Lu Ming feared encountering any unexpected trouble.

Fortunately, the soldiers seemed accustomed to their laxity and didn't cause any incidents.

Thus, he finally entered the city.

Looking at the streets, which were both unfamiliar and familiar, Lu Ming had no time to wander aimlessly.

His goal was clear: find a cheap place to rent. As a beggar, his past self had begged throughout the city and naturally knew where to find affordable housing.

However, it was already late in the day, and even if he found a landlord, it wouldn't be convenient to rent.

So, he planned to stay at the cheapest inn he remembered for the night.

"Huh, the person I just passed... I feel like I've seen them somewhere before."

As he crossed another street, a beggar by the roadside suddenly stopped, looked back curiously, and saw a figure disappear into the crowd.

"You beg for food every day and see a lot of people. What's so strange about seeing someone again?"

Beside him, another beggar nudged him and urged, "Let's go. If we're late handing over our earnings today, Skin-Peeler won't go easy on us."

"That's right."

The beggar who had been confused earlier nodded, then sighed and said:

"When will this life ever end? We can't get enough to eat or wear every day, and we still get skinned alive. If this goes on, we'll eventually collapse."

"Who's to say otherwise."

Another beggar also sighed. After a moment of silence, he suddenly said:

"It's a shame I haven't seen Lu Ming for two days. Otherwise, we could rob him of some things to make our lives a little easier."

"Don't count on it. He hasn't gotten anything for days, and that Skin-Peeler beat him severely. I reckon he's already frozen to death in some corner of the city."

On the other side, Lu Ming naturally knew he had encountered acquaintances. They were fellow beggars controlled by members of the Beggar's Gang, and they held quite a bit of animosity towards the original owner.

However, he didn't show any emotion and walked past them calmly.

It wasn't time for revenge yet.

Lu Ming carefully made his way to the remote inn from his memories. He spent three taels of silver to successfully check in, which included dinner and hot water.

He was now soaking in a tub of hot water, feeling a wave of comfort wash over him.

He had never imagined that a hot bath could be so enjoyable. He soaked for a full fifteen minutes until the water cooled down before reaching for a towel to scrub himself.

Earlier, at the water pit outside the city, he hadn't dared to wash his body entirely with cold water. He had only washed his hair and then used the cloth bundle to wipe his face and neck clean.

The rest of his body was still dirty.

So now, after soaking and scrubbing, the hot water in the tub had turned pitch black.

"The innkeeper will be astonished tomorrow."

After getting dressed and looking at the black water in the bathtub, Lu Ming gave a wry smile. He didn't dwell on it any further and went to the table to eat dinner.

The inn's meals could be ordered à la carte, allowing him to order whatever he wanted.

The complimentary meal was rather simple, consisting of only two steamed buns and a plate of pickled vegetables with a hint of oil.

However, Lu Ming ate it with great relish.

He hadn't eaten a proper meal in a long time.

In a whirlwind of eating, Lu Ming finished quickly, letting out a satisfied burp. A wave of drowsiness then washed over him. He was certain he could fall asleep the moment he lay down, and sleep soundly.

But he forced himself to resist. Ever since entering the city and seeing the martial artists everywhere, he could no longer suppress his desire to cultivate quickly.

So, he decided to try cultivating the Heavenly Saber Art in his mind.

He quickly walked to the bed and sat down cross-legged. Lu Ming hurriedly brought up the internal energy cultivation method of the Heavenly Saber Art.

Thanks to the infusion from the Jade Pendant, he had completely understood this technique. In fact, he might even understand some of the finer details better than the owner of the stone coffin.

This was the effect of the Jade Pendant, equivalent to maxing out his comprehension. From now on, any divine technique or secret manual, once infused, would be instantly understood upon reading.

As for learning it instantly, that still depended on his physical aptitude. Now, he just needed his body to learn it.

Getting back to the matter at hand, after reading the cultivation method, Lu Ming attempted to circulate the internal energy realm part of it.

According to the technique, he quickly entered a state of concentration, and his consciousness gradually sank in.

After an unknown amount of time, a warmth suddenly appeared in his lower abdomen, followed by a slight itching sensation.

"It's done already?"

When the sensation subsided, Lu Ming opened his eyes, somewhat incredulous.

If his senses were correct, he had just completed the process of "drawing Qi into the body" described in the Heavenly Saber Art.

This meant he had officially stepped onto the threshold of martial arts, entering the Inner Qi First Layer realm.

This was hard for him to believe. According to the cultivation method, the speed of drawing Qi into the body to some extent determined one's martial arts aptitude.

Although he didn't know the specific standard, the fact that he succeeded in just a moment indicated that his aptitude was exceptionally high.

Combined with the Jade Pendant, he now had the makings of an unparalleled genius.

"Continue."

Suppressing his excitement, Lu Ming circulated the cultivation method again. After confirming the existence of the airflow within his body, he decided to continue cultivating to strengthen his internal Qi.

However, this time, after only meditating for a short while, he was forced to stop.

It turned out that a sudden hunger pang had struck his stomach.

He had just eaten, yet he was starving so quickly. After thinking about it, he could understand why.

Martial arts cultivation was a process of refining essence into Qi. Where did essence and Qi come from? Naturally, from the outside world, primarily from food.

This showed that martial arts cultivation was not something the poor could afford.

After all, "poverty breeds scholars, wealth breeds warriors."

The hunger grew more intense. Lu Ming dared not continue cultivating, as it would forcibly draw upon the existing essence and Qi within his body, further weakening his already frail physique.

He found the few remaining pastries from earlier and ate them until the hunger gradually subsided.

Then, unable to stay awake any longer, he fell into a deep sleep.