Inner Qi Sixth Layer

A "crackling" sound came from the dense bushes, and a giant lizard, over two meters long with bright red skin, revealed itself.

"Red Rock Lizard. Judging by its aura, it should be a level one early-stage Demonic Beast."

Thanks to Old Man Zhao's collection of books, Lu Ming quickly identified the species of the Demonic Beast he encountered.

Generally speaking, a level one Demonic Beast is equivalent to a human Martial Artist in the Nei Qi Realm, a level two is equivalent to the Zhen Qi Realm, and so on.

And early-stage level one is equivalent to layers one to three of the Nei Qi Realm.

"Excellent, I'll test my blade on you today."

Encountering a suitable opponent, Lu Ming's hand was already on his saber's hilt. Although he was somewhat excited, he remained extremely cautious.

This was only the second time he had faced a living creature; the first was during that matter of settling a grudge.

Since it was an assassination, it didn't really showcase anything.

But now, his opponent was a Demonic Beast, with tough skin and thick flesh, and lacking intelligence, it was fearless of death.

Therefore, it deserved to be treated with solemnity.

As if on cue, upon seeing Lu Ming, the Red Rock Lizard already regarded him as prey. It bared its fangs and lunged at him first.

Its massive body, over two meters long, was still mid-air when a foul wind carrying a fishy stench assaulted Lu Ming's face.

Lu Ming, however, was unhurried. With a sidestep, he dodged the lunge.

Then, his saber smoothly unsheathed, he thrust towards the Red Rock Lizard's eyes.

Attacking the enemy's weakness, he chose the most vulnerable part of the giant lizard.

Bang!

However, the saber strike did not succeed. It turned out that at the critical moment, the Red Rock Lizard closed its eyes, its tough eyelids blocking the thrust.

"Truly gifted. Even its eyelids are this tough!"

His attack unsuccessful, Lu Ming was not disappointed. He activated the Soaring Cloud Skill, leaping back.

Roar!

The Red Rock Lizard, however, was relentless. Seemingly enraged, it turned after landing and lunged again.

"Here we go again!"

Lu Ming, as expected, easily dodged. Then, he unleashed the first stance of the Heavenly Saber Technique, Gale Style.

This stance specifically pursued speed, capable of both slashes and thrusts, swift as a gale.

Thus, this time, the Red Rock Lizard didn't even have time to blink before the saber smoothly pierced through its skull.

Swish!

Even after a successful strike, Lu Ming quickly created distance.

His objective was naturally to prevent the Red Rock Lizard from retaliating wildly in its death throes. It was better to stay clear.

"As expected, practicing saber techniques on a living creature is completely different from practicing on a wooden post."

After a while, the Red Rock Lizard finally ceased all movement.

This meant Lu Ming had dealt with his opponent, but he felt no great joy. The recent exchange had made him realize his shortcomings.

If he had used Gale Style for his first strike, he would have instantly killed the opponent, without needing so much effort.

Of course, probing was also necessary. The choice between the two required careful discernment.

After a moment of self-reflection, Lu Ming seemed to have found the direction for improving his saber techniques. He then put the thought aside and walked to the Red Rock Lizard's corpse.

This Red Rock Lizard must have weighed several hundred pounds. He couldn't possibly carry it all.

Otherwise, he wouldn't need to go through trials anymore.

So, referencing the information in his mind, he began collecting valuable items from the Red Rock Lizard.

First, he cut open its belly in search of the Demonic Beast's Demonic Core.

Demonic Cores could be used for alchemy and artifact forging, with endless applications and considerable value.

However, they were not easy to obtain.

Generally, they could only be condensed within Demonic Beasts of level two and above.

Of course, there were exceptions, so he decided to try his luck.

Unfortunately, his luck wasn't great, so he began collecting other materials.

The Red Rock Lizard didn't have many valuable parts. Only its hide was of significant value, which could be used to craft protective gear.

Lu Ming first took the hide, then some other items. After he had dealt with most of it, a large pile remained.

"If only I had a Storage Ring. I wonder when I'll be able to afford one."

Lu Ming had suffered greatly from poverty. Seeing the pile of items left on the ground pained him immensely.

Thus, he thought of the Storage Ring he had read about in books.

But he didn't have one now, so he could only reluctantly abandon the rest.

Advancing again, Lu Ming soon encountered a second opponent. It was a mid-stage Level 1 Demonic Wolf, incredibly fast. Coupled with its small size, it would dart out from hiding to attack amidst the dense trees.

It was extremely difficult to deal with.

Fortunately, the Heavenly Saber Technique was a saber art focused on speed, and its accompanying footwork and movement techniques were extremely agile and versatile, excelling at maneuvering within small spaces.

Therefore, the dense forest was not an obstacle.

With the enhancement of Inner Qi from the Heavenly Saber Art, Lu Ming's speed surpassed even that of the Demonic Wolf.

Everywhere in the forest, afterimages and saber light could be seen.

Relying on his speed, Lu Ming calmly dealt with the Demonic Wolf's attacks. As time went on, his combat skills also steadily improved.

He learned to use his eyesight and speed to strike preemptively, intercepting attacks and then launching counter-offensives.

After dozens of such exchanges, the Demonic Wolf was cut in half by him.

"Onward!"

Without delay, after collecting the materials, Lu Ming continued deeper into the mountain range to find more opponents.

As time passed, the sun began to set. Sensing the increasing darkness in the forest, Lu Ming finally stopped.

After more than half a day of fighting, he was not only starving but also his Inner Qi was nearly depleted.

So, he decided to call it a day and find a place to spend the night.

The jungle at night was even more dangerous, so he needed to find a place that offered shelter from all sides. While there was still some light, he quickly began searching.

His luck was good; he soon found a small stone cave a few square meters in size. After checking that no Demonic Beasts were hiding inside, he piled up a lot of firewood and started a fire.

The purpose was naturally to drive away small creatures like poisonous insects and snakes.

After some burning, Lu Ming finally felt safe enough to settle in.

A moment later, he came out again to sprinkle insect and beast repellent powder. After finishing, he sat by the campfire and ate his dry rations and roasted meat.

A quarter of an hour later.

Full and satisfied, Lu Ming began circulating his cultivation technique, cultivating and restoring his Inner Qi.

Thanks to the extraordinary nature of the Heavenly Saber Art, in just half an hour, he had refilled his dantian. Moreover, his Inner Qi had increased compared to before.

"I didn't expect that after a series of battles, I would directly reach the peak of the fifth level of the Nei Qi Realm."

Finding the answer, Lu Ming was somewhat surprised. He had only broken through to the fifth level of Nei Qi a few days ago, and now he had advanced further.

This speed was like riding a rocket.

Without overthinking, he quickly continued to cultivate, hoping to break through to the sixth level of Nei Qi tonight.

The night passed uneventfully. In a blink of an eye, it was the next morning.

Lu Ming woke up from his sleep. As expected, he had successfully broken through again last night, reaching the sixth level of Nei Qi Realm.

His Inner Qi naturally increased significantly again, allowing him to fight for longer periods.

So, without delay, after eating his dry rations, he picked up his saber and continued to search for Demonic Beasts to fight.

Another day passed like this. Lu Ming had been in the Shuofeng Mountain Range for almost three days. Seeing that the cloth bag was almost full, he reluctantly stopped.

During this period, he had killed over twenty Demonic Beasts, including several late-stage Level 1 Demonic Beasts equivalent to the eighth or ninth level of the Nei Qi Realm.

Although the hunting was difficult, and he even sustained some injuries, he ultimately killed them all.

He had also encountered a Level 2 Demonic Beast, but fortunately, he discovered it early and quickly used the Soaring Cloud Skill to escape, emerging unharmed.

In short, this trip had been incredibly fruitful. Not to mention the materials that were almost overflowing, his strength had also significantly improved.

After days of tempering, he had mastered extremely profound practical combat skills.

First and foremost was his eyesight; he found his perception to be extremely sharp, often allowing him to anticipate enemy moves and strike preemptively.

As a result, his saber techniques had become more concise and fierce, entering a new level.

It could be said that his only weakness so far was his lack of hand-to-hand combat skills.

Since Martial Artists in the Nei Qi Realm could not project their Qi externally, they naturally could not form saber energy. Therefore, after losing his long saber, his combat power would be greatly diminished.

The injuries he sustained now were a result of this. At that time, his long saber got stuck inside a Demonic Beast. Fortunately, he decisively abandoned his saber and retreated.

Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

This highlighted the importance of hand-to-hand combat skills.

Without further thought, Lu Ming cleaved the attacking Green Vine Snake in half with a single strike, deciding to end this training expedition. Otherwise, no matter how good the loot, he wouldn't be able to carry it.

So, without further delay, he hoisted the cloth bag onto his shoulder and started walking back.

However, at this moment, he was suddenly stopped by two people.