Going to Settle the Score

Since he had only arrived in this world a short time ago and hadn't experienced the outside world, Lu Ming was unsure of his aptitude's true level, hence his question.

"It's hard to say for sure."

Old Man Zhao pondered for a moment, then said seriously:

"I know your physical condition from before. If it hadn't been so weak, you probably would have broken through to the Second Layer of Inner Qi in just a day or two."

"Judging by this speed, your aptitude is excellent, you're a genius."

Lu Ming nodded, this aligned with his own deductions.

"But don't get arrogant or complacent."

Old Man Zhao then changed his tone, "A fast cultivation speed in the early stages doesn't mean much. This world is full of geniuses. Some of them are incredibly brilliant in their early stages, and cultivation and breakthroughs are as simple as eating and drinking."

"However," he paused here, looking at Lu Ming with a clear warning in his eyes, "After reaching a certain stage, they suddenly stagnate. Some find it impossible to advance further, while others fade into obscurity. While there are various reasons for this, it shows that geniuses aren't always geniuses."

"Or rather, they are only geniuses for a certain stage. How far they can go takes a long time to determine."

After hearing Old Man Zhao's words, Lu Ming's heart trembled, sensing a hint of ruthlessness. Geniuses emerge in droves, like a hundred boats racing. Cultivating martial arts isn't just about competing with oneself, but also with others.

The difficulty involved was imaginable.

However, he quickly became resolute. He feared competition the least.

"Thank you for your reminder, old sir. I've taken it to heart."

Calming his mind, he quickly replied.

As if sensing the change in Lu Ming's mindset, Old Man Zhao nodded with satisfaction. "Alright, go read your books."

"Yes."

Lu Ming quickly retreated into the study.

In the afternoon, Lu Ming's fatigue gradually dissipated as he continued reading. After enjoying another meat-filled lunch at Old Man Zhao's place, he returned to his own courtyard.

He was going to continue cultivating.

First, he would thoroughly master the basic saber techniques, and then he planned to formally practice the first three forms of the Heavenly Saber Technique.

These three forms were Gale Style, Rain Style, and Skyward Slash.

Gale Style was a thrusting strike, emphasizing speed and swiftness.

Rain Style was a series of rapid slashes, emphasizing a dense and continuous flow of saber energy, like pouring rain. It could be used for both offense and defense.

Skyward Slash was a concentrated strike using all of one's strength after the rapid slashes of Raindrop Style.

Leaping into the air, it was a downward chop from above.

These three forms were sequential, naturally incorporating various footwork, body movements, and basic saber techniques in between.

Lu Ming carefully recalled the details of the saber techniques and then went to the center of the courtyard to begin practicing.

For convenience, he imagined an enemy directly in front of him that he needed to attack.

He first assumed a stance, legs spread apart, with the wooden saber held horizontally in front of him, one hand gripping the hilt and the other resting on the blade.

His gaze was sharp, observing the enemy's every move.

Hah!

Without wasting time, with a light shout, Lu Ming pushed off his right leg and stepped forward, suddenly lunging.

This was Gale Style, a move that also served as a probe.

He imagined this thrusting strike being blocked and immediately followed up with the second form, Rain Pō Style.

Now, a series of shouts echoed through the small courtyard. The rapid slashes of Rain-Splashing Style emphasized swiftness and urgency, combined with body movements, targeting the enemy from all directions with continuous downward chops, diagonal slashes, upward chops, and waist-level cuts.

Each saber strike was meant to be lethal, forcing the opponent to struggle to defend and reveal an opening.

Then, naturally, he would seize the opening and execute the third form, Skyward Slash.

In the small courtyard, Lu Ming let out another loud shout, suddenly leaping into the air, then switching to a two-handed grip on the saber and bringing it down.

Thus, the three forms were completed.

Leaning on his saber, Lu Ming knelt on one knee, slightly out of breath. The reason was that the second form, Rain Splashing Style, didn't specify a number of slashes; as long as one had enough strength, they could continue slashing.

He had just performed over twenty slashes.

Furthermore, this was his first practice session, mainly for familiarizing himself with the forms. He hadn't incorporated Inner Qi, which caused his stamina to deplete rapidly.

Panting, Lu Ming didn't rush into the second round. Instead, he rested while summarizing the areas where his practice had been lacking.

Overall, it was due to one unpracticed movement that caused many of his saber strikes to be inaccurate.

This was easy to solve; more practice was needed.

Having identified the problem, Lu Ming began his second practice, then his third...

Until several days had passed.

After many days of practice, including the basic saber techniques, Lu Ming became increasingly proficient, even reaching a point where he handled them with ease.

Gale Style!

In the small courtyard, Lu Ming once again demonstrated the Heavenly Saber Technique, this time circulating his Inner Qi to assist.

With the cooperation of his Inner Qi, his body immediately became light and agile. As he pushed off with his right foot, he shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, his wooden saber thrusting out with extreme speed.

At this moment, a wooden board half a finger thick stood several meters in front of him. As his wooden saber struck, a "bang" sounded, and the wooden board was immediately pierced by the wooden saber, creating a large hole.

It was pierced, not shattered, which indicated that the force of his thrust was perfectly controlled.

Without pausing, he immediately flipped the wooden saber in his hand, turning the blade upward, and flicked it upwards. The wooden board immediately had a slit cut into it.

Then, using the momentum from the upward flick, his body leaped into the air. He then switched to gripping the saber with both hands and brought it down in a chop.

"Bang!"

Instantly, the board split in response, and his wooden saber also broke.

"Not bad."

Looking at his handiwork, Lu Ming was very satisfied. Although the saber broke, it also proved that his saber technique had been mastered.

Furthermore, he would need to get a real saber next.

As for how he would get one, he had already made up his mind.

"It's time to settle the score."

Lu Ming threw down the broken saber and looked towards the layered buildings across the ditch. He planned to find the beggar who had controlled the original owner as a slave and get revenge.

He would also get some money to buy a saber.

As for his strength, he wasn't worried. As far as he knew, that beggar's cultivation was only at the First Layer of Inner Qi, and his moves were limited to a few stances of the Grass-Parting Staff Technique.

The beggar had often bragged about this in front of the other beggars he controlled.

Therefore, with Lu Ming's current strength, he was completely capable of defeating him.

Moreover, he was confident that he would break through to the Third Layer of Inner Qi tonight.

Yes, as his physical condition continued to recover, his cultivation speed could no longer be suppressed.

Coupled with the fact that he had also practiced the Heavenly Saber Art to the fifth layer, the speed at which he refined Inner Qi had further increased.

Therefore, breaking through again in just a few days was only natural.

With his decision made, Lu Ming finished his dinner early and entered his cultivation.

This breakthrough was still very smooth, as if there were no bottlenecks. He naturally became a Martial Artist at the Third Layer of Inner Qi.

Lu Ming was not too surprised by this result. After feeling his deepened Inner Qi, he simply went to sleep.

In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived. He didn't rush to carry out yesterday's decision but continued to cultivate as usual.

However, there was one more thing to do: sharpen his saber.

He found a chopping knife. It was a bit short, and due to long disuse, it was covered in rust.

However, being short had its advantages, such as being easy to conceal.

As for the rust, it could be polished away.

After sharpening the saber, Lu Ming, to be on the safe side, practiced his saber techniques with this short saber. He needed to familiarize himself with this weapon as quickly as possible to avoid any mishaps.

By the time he was completely familiar with it, it was close to dusk, which was the time he had chosen to strike.

So, he quickly hid the short saber in his sleeve and walked out.