Bone Structure Fusion!

Liu Jinwen and Lu Changfeng's father had been close friends.

In his early years, Lu Changfeng's father had also held a clerical post at the Inner City yamen. The two had known each other for decades.

They regarded one another as intimate friends.

It was precisely because of this that, after the Lu Clan fell on hard times, Lu Changfeng received some care from Liu Jinwen. He had managed to keep his small courtyard, where he could live in peace and study.

When Liu Jinwen saw Lu Changfeng, he strode over and patted him on the shoulder.

"Good lad, I haven't seen you for a few months, and you've grown a whole size! In a few days, you'll be as tall as me!"

"Practicing Martial Arts is good. These damned days are getting harder and harder! I'm afraid I won't always be able to look after you properly!"

Liu Jinwen was also a Martial Artist at Blood Tempering Second Heaven, so naturally he could tell that Lu Changfeng had already achieved Blood Tempering Success. He felt deeply moved.

But he was even more gratified.

"Uncle Wen, have you been well lately? Did you come to see your nephew because you had some instructions?" Lu Changfeng asked.

"I'm well. It's nothing. I happened to be handling a case in the Outer City, so I stopped by to see how you were doing at the martial arts school."

"Now that I see you're doing well, I can rest easy."

Lu Changfeng's heart stirred. Liu Jinwen worked in the Inner City and was also a Martial Artist. Perhaps he knew where to obtain some Swordsmanship.

He asked, "Uncle Wen, my cultivation at the martial arts school is going well. The Head of the Martial Arts School has already taken me on as a Personal Disciple. But lately, I've wanted to practice the sword, and I'm troubled by the lack of a sword technique."

"Swordsmanship? Why aren't you practicing palm techniques with Manager Zhang? What sword technique are you learning?"

Clearly, Liu Jinwen had also heard of Zhang Desheng of Changle Martial Arts School.

Liu Jinwen paused, then changed tack. "Still, you're a lucky boy. I really do have a sword technique on hand."

"Its rank isn't high, but it'll be enough to keep you practicing for quite a while."

Liu Jinwen took a booklet from his waist and handed it over.

Liu Jinwen himself practiced a saber technique supplied by the Fengcheng County Yamen. He had happened to acquire this sword technique while pursuing a fugitive on one occasion.

After reading it, he had found it somewhat beneficial to the improvement of his saber technique. But switching to Swordsmanship would plainly take more time than he had.

He had originally intended to find an opportunity to sell this sword technique. That was how he dealt with the Martial Arts he had seized while handling cases in the past.

He would split the proceeds with his subordinates.

Now that Lu Changfeng wanted a sword technique, he simply gave it to him.

Liu Jinwen had no descendants of his own and had long regarded Lu Changfeng as one of his younger relatives.

A mere sword technique was nothing.

"Thank you, Uncle! Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Lu Changfeng thanked him and, without putting on airs, accepted the booklet Liu Jinwen handed over.

The cover bore the four large words [Gale Sword Technique]. Lu Changfeng flipped through it roughly and saw that it was a sword technique focused on drawing the sword quickly.

It suited Lu Changfeng perfectly.

"All right. A Personal Disciple, huh? Heh, perhaps you'll amount to far more than your uncle someday. Cultivate properly at the martial arts school. The Outer City hasn't been peaceful lately, so go out less. Uncle Wen is heading back to the Inner City now."

"I'll come see you next time."

Liu Jinwen turned and left. A group of constables was waiting for him by the roadside in the distance.

Faintly, Lu Changfeng heard Liu Jinwen bragging to his subordinate constables that his nephew was a Personal Disciple of Changle Martial Arts School.

Lu Changfeng watched Liu Jinwen leave before returning to the martial arts school.

Back at the Training Ground, Lu Changfeng found a Bintie Longsword on the Weapon Rack to one side. Squatting openly in a corner, he began reading [Gale Sword Technique].

Unlike Blood Tempering Cultivation Techniques, Martial Arts Cultivation Techniques emphasized talent for comprehension.

Without sufficient talent for a Martial Art, one's progress in cultivation would be exceedingly slow.

At this moment, the Mid-grade Talent [Swordsmanship] that Lu Changfeng had just copied came into play.

After reading through the Basic Twenty-Eight Forms of the Gale Sword Technique once, Lu Changfeng already had a general grasp of them.

After reading them a second time, he had memorized everything.

Holding the Bintie Longsword, Lu Changfeng began his first run-through.

It was still somewhat awkward on his first attempt.

After practicing three times, he was already wielding the longsword with convincing form.

When Second Senior Brother Zhou Feng passed by, he clicked his tongue in amazement, thinking that Fourth Junior Brother had apparently practiced this sword technique before.

In his view, Lu Changfeng must have been practicing this sword technique for a long time.

Thus, Lu Changfeng slightly extended his daily cultivation time to practice [Gale Sword Technique].

Though he only added one more shichen of training, the progress of [Gale Sword Technique] still soared under the boost of his talent.

He entered the technique in five days. After one month, Lu Changfeng had already cultivated [Gale Sword Technique] to Minor Accomplishment.

For an ordinary Martial Artist, taking one year and a half to enter a Martial Art—especially Swordsmanship, the hardest to learn—was entirely normal.

Practicing from childhood for seven or eight years before reaching Minor Accomplishment through a fortunate stroke of fate was common.

The Minor Accomplishment Sword Technique greatly increased Lu Changfeng's strength. He could not defeat Second Senior Brother Zhou Feng at Blood Tempering Fourth Level.

But against Third Senior Brother Liu Ye at Blood Tempering Third Level, Lu Changfeng could already hold out for a long time. In truth, Lu Changfeng had not even used his full strength.

If he did use his full strength, Lu Changfeng was confident he could defeat Third Senior Brother Liu Ye.

However, though Third Senior Brother Liu Ye had joined the martial arts school, he usually spent more time tending to the family business. Often, ten days or half a month would pass before he appeared, and he did not regularly cultivate at the martial arts school.

Otherwise, with his talent and financial resources, he should have broken through to Blood Tempering Fourth Level long ago.

Clearly, Liu Ye's ambitions did not lie on the martial path.

After one spar with Lu Changfeng ended in a draw, Liu Ye sighed in reflection and appeared at the martial arts school even less often.

As they were in the same martial arts school, Master Zhang Desheng also learned that Lu Changfeng was practicing Swordsmanship.

Lu Changfeng explained where the sword technique had come from, and Zhang Desheng asked no further questions.

He too assumed that Lu Changfeng had been practicing Swordsmanship for a long time.

He merely praised Lu Changfeng's good talent for the sword and told him to keep it up, but not to neglect the proper path of Blood Tempering. It would be best to complete Blood Tempering Sixth Level and enter the Muscle Tendon Realm before turning thirty.

Otherwise, it would become more difficult to enter after the age of thirty.

Thus, immersed in cultivation as his strength rapidly increased, time flew by. In the blink of an eye, another forty-nine days had passed.

That day, Lu Changfeng was pondering how to copy a better Bone Structure.

After all, he was already fifteen. With Grade A Lower talent, he had no great confidence that he could enter the Muscle Tendon Realm before thirty.

As he pondered this on the Training Ground, Master Zhang Desheng unusually came to the Training Ground to watch his disciples practice Martial Arts.

The elderly Zhang Desheng had grown much more kindly in temperament. Whenever he offered guidance, he looked just like a next-door grandfather who happened to be a little taller than usual.

Lu Changfeng suddenly noticed Zhang Desheng's Grade A Lower Bone Structure on the Copy Interface.

The interface then gave a prompt:

Copy?

"I already have a Grade A Lower Bone Structure. What use is copying another one?"

The interface prompted:

The copying effect remains valid. Two Grade A Lower Bone Structures can be fused into one Grade A Mid Bone Structure. Four Grade A Mid Bone Structures can be fused into one Grade A Upper Bone Structure, and so on.

"It can be used like this?"

Lu Changfeng no longer hesitated. He walked to his master's side, stretched out his hand, and gently began kneading Zhang Desheng's back. "Master, you've worked hard!"

Though Zhang Desheng was startled, he happily accepted it.

Copy?

"Copy my master's Bone Structure for me!"

Copy Success! Two Grade A Lower Bone Structures detected. Fuse?

"Fuse!"

Fusion successful! You have obtained a Grade A Mid Bone Structure!

Lu Changfeng once again felt his body transforming. The circulation of Qi and Blood within him and his blood-producing organs both became more active.