Muscle Relaxing Ointment

Finally, Lu Ming bought the long saber in his hand for fifty-five taels. He didn't rush back but instead went to a herbal medicine shop.

He needed to buy some ointment to relieve muscle soreness.

To settle his grudges as quickly as possible, he had increased his daily saber practice sessions, which had caused his body to ache all over, and it hadn't eased up yet.

This had to be taken seriously, or it would lead to hidden injuries that would erupt later.

"Indeed, wealth is for the rich and martial arts for the poor."

Soon, Lu Ming walked out of a pharmacy with a pained expression. The pharmacy he found had a wide selection of ointments, pills, and other items specifically for martial artists.

But the prices were outrageously expensive.

Still, he had no choice but to buy. Considering his symptoms, he gritted his teeth and bought the cheapest bottle of Muscle Relaxing Ointment in the store, which cost him a full fifty taels.

The over one hundred and ten taels of silver he had just obtained were almost gone in the blink of an eye.

This was the reason for his heartache.

"Yo, young Lu is back, and carrying a saber. Where did you get the money to buy that?"

It was completely dark outside. Old Man Zhao was still lying in the courtyard, seemingly waiting specifically for him to return.

Lu Ming thought for a moment and asked, "Old man, be honest, have you been following me?"

He knew Old Man Zhao was no ordinary person. He suspected he was far beyond the Nei Qi Realm or Zhen Qi Realm, possibly even in the Gang Qi Realm, just like that inner sect elder from the Seventh Grade sect.

If such a master were following him, he would absolutely not be able to detect it.

"Following you?" Old Man Zhao snorted lightly, then pointed to the bronze basin on the table.

Lu Ming was confused. "What do you mean?"

Old Man Zhao grinned:

"It means there's water in there. Look at yourself and see which side of your face is clean. Do you think I have so much free time to care about what you're doing?"

Lu Ming's face darkened. Old Man Zhao continued:

"However, I can smell a hint of blood. What, did you go kill someone?"

He looked curious.

Hearing this, Lu Ming pondered. Given his current relationship with Old Man Zhao, there seemed to be no need to hide anything anymore.

Besides, he felt that apart from his background, Old Man Zhao was absolutely well-informed about his situation.

Including the Heavenly Saber Art, since he practiced saber techniques in the courtyard every day.

So, he told him everything.

As for how he, an illiterate person, could cultivate Inner Qi, he vaguely explained that the manual had pictures, and he somehow managed to cultivate it by trying to meditate.

In any case, the secret of the Jade Pendant was absolutely not to be revealed, not even to a future wife.

The stakes were too high; who knew what incredibly powerful beings might be interested.

"I didn't expect you were just a penniless little beggar before. You've got quite the lucky streak to have received the inheritance of Old Man Heavenly Saber."

As expected, Old Man Zhao was only surprised by Lu Ming's background and sighed.

Lu Ming thought, Lucky streak, my ass. The original owner is long gone.

After a silent retort, he asked curiously, "Old man, do you know of Old Man Heavenly Saber?"

"Of course, I do."

Old Man Zhao nodded, stroking his beard. "Old Man Heavenly Saber was a master of the saber, famous throughout the entire Zhao Kingdom. His cultivation was in the early Gang Qi Realm, and his Heavenly Saber Technique was extremely sharp and domineering."

"He appeared in Shuofeng City over a decade ago. I didn't expect he was looking for a burial ground."

"And fate is ironic, leading you to encounter him. When you first started practicing the saber technique a few days ago, I recognized it."

Lu Ming inwardly acknowledged that the other party had known for a long time and asked, "Then, do you need to see this cultivation technique?"

"That's thoughtful of you, but no need."

Old Man Zhao waved his hand with a smile. "The cultivation technique I practice is no worse than the Heavenly Saber Art. I don't need it."

Hearing this, Lu Ming's eyes darted around. "Then, compared to Old Man Heavenly Saber, who is more powerful?"

"Heh heh..."

Old Man Zhao pointed a finger at Lu Ming. "You're trying to trick me, kid. If it were that easy to get information from me, wouldn't my old age have been lived in vain?"

Lu Ming gave a wry smile. "If you don't want to say, then don't. You reclusive masters always love to be mysterious."

This time, Old Man Zhao didn't refute the term "reclusive master." Instead, he said, "When the time comes, you'll naturally know."

Lu Ming knew very well that "when the time comes" meant when the other party decided.

However, he didn't dwell on it. After chatting for a few more sentences, he returned to his courtyard with his saber.

Back in his small courtyard, Lu Ming first boiled a full bucket of hot water and took a comfortable bath.

After his bath, it was time for his daily, unmissable Inner Qi cultivation.

It wasn't until over an hour later that he finished his practice and concluded his session. After this cultivation, the Inner Qi in his dantian had grown by another segment.

This time, he wasn't in a rush to sleep. Instead, he stripped naked and took out the Muscle Relaxing Ointment he had bought earlier.

The Muscle Relaxing Ointment had the consistency of fish oil and emitted a faint, pleasant aroma.

He had already confirmed with Old Man Zhao that he hadn't bought the wrong thing, so he confidently applied it all over his body.

After applying it, a cool sensation soon spread through him, bringing him a wave of comfort.

"As expected of a fifty tael medicine, the effect is obvious, but there's just too little of it."

After applying it all over his body once, Lu Ming noticed that more than half of the ointment in the bottle was gone. The remaining amount would only be enough for three more applications at most.

At this rate of consumption, an ordinary household couldn't possibly afford it.

"The path of martial arts is long and arduous."

With a sigh, he drifted off to sleep.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, Lu Ming woke up to find that the soreness in his body had completely disappeared. He couldn't help but marvel once again at the effectiveness of the Muscle Relaxing Ointment.

The money had been well spent.

With the soreness gone, he could now practice his saber techniques better.

Furthermore, relying on the Muscle Relaxing Ointment, he decided to push his body's flexibility to its limits. After all, saber techniques are rigid, but a person is fluid.

When fighting an opponent, one must adapt to the situation; he wouldn't be a dullard.

Therefore, his body's flexibility was extremely important.

He also pondered whether he could deliver a saber strike from an unbelievable angle.

This would achieve the effect of catching the opponent off guard.

Thus, in the days that followed, Lu Ming immersed himself in diligent training, and he didn't forget to read books to broaden his knowledge.

This knowledge might save his life at some point in the future, so he couldn't afford to underestimate it.

Gale Style!

Rain Pounce Style!

In the blink of an eye, more than twenty days had passed since he had settled his past grievances. In the small courtyard, Lu Ming, holding the long saber he had bought, was practicing the Heavenly Saber Technique.

The entire courtyard was filled with flashing saber light and imposing energy.

As for Lu Ming himself, empowered by the Heavenly Saber's Inner Qi, only streaks of afterimages could be seen.

Slash!

Suddenly, Lu Ming's figure materialized. He was in a two-handed saber stance, poised to strike downwards from the sky. This was the third stance of the Heavenly Saber Technique, Skyward Slash.

His target this time was a wooden post, which was directly split in half from top to bottom.

There was no pause in the middle of the strike.

"No, I've already reached the limit of these three stances. There's no further room for improvement. It's time to head to the Shuofeng Mountain Range to hone my practical combat skills."

Despite the significant results before him, Lu Ming wasn't entirely satisfied.

Over the past twenty days, his progress in martial arts had been nothing short of miraculous.

Firstly, his cultivation technique had already reached the highest level of the Inner Qi Realm, the sixth layer. The Inner Qi within his body now circulated in a Lesser Heavenly Cycle, greatly increasing the speed at which he refined Inner Qi.

Secondly, his realm had also broken through rapidly. He was now a Martial Artist at the fifth level of the Inner Qi Realm.

Lastly, his martial skills. The first three stances of the Heavenly Saber Technique were already incredibly proficient. In addition, he had also mastered the Lightness Skill he obtained, the Soaring Cloud Skill, to a level commensurate with his cultivation realm.

At his current fifth level of Inner Qi, he could leap up to nine meters high and cover a horizontal distance of fifteen meters in a single jump.

It could be said that apart from his cultivation realm, his current strength had reached its peak.

Moreover, he was running out of supplies and urgently needed to earn money.

Therefore, the Shuofeng Mountain Range naturally became his first choice.