Martial Ancestor, Martial Venerable

Lu Ming slowly turned around, his robes fluttering as if caught by a nonexistent wind.

"Wuji Sect?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Yuan's heart skipped a beat. Disciples from those sects were troublesome. Nevertheless, he feigned contempt and said, "Haha, another one of you suicidal sect disciples. A while back, an Inner Sect Disciple from the eighth-grade Nine Tripod Sect took on a mission and came looking for me. In the end, I kicked him into a pulp with just a few moves."

"In the last few days, an Inner Sect Disciple from the seventh-grade Nine Heavens Sect, also not knowing his place, met the same fate at my hands."

He seemed to be boasting about his achievements, but in reality, he was trying to disrupt the other party's state of mind.

This tactic was especially effective against those young disciples who hadn't experienced much of the world. For example, the Nine Tripod Sect disciple had immediately panicked after hearing this.

As a result, during the fight, he made numerous mistakes and was easily killed by Yu Yuan.

However, the person in front of him was different. Although Lu Ming's expression couldn't be seen, Yu Yuan could sense his calmness.

It wasn't just ordinary calmness; it was like a tranquil lake on the surface, yet harboring surging killing intent beneath.

It sent a shiver down his spine.

Lu Ming was indeed unfazed. When he was at the eighth layer of Inner Qi, he dared to confront Martial Artists in the Zhen Qi Realm. At the ninth layer, he had even killed two Zhen Qi Realm Martial Artists consecutively.

Was he afraid of death?

Perhaps he might hesitate if he asked himself this question when he was alone. But when facing enemies, he always displayed an extraordinary calmness.

He didn't know why, but it was just like that.

Therefore, without any further words, he drew his saber.

Swish!

This time, even the saber light and the figure vanished together.

Yu Yuan's expression changed drastically. He instinctively shielded the woman in his arms, then circulated his True Qi with all his might, attacking nowhere in particular as he retreated with all his strength.

It felt like a gentle breeze had passed, and he suddenly felt a chill on his neck, followed by an extremely sharp cutting sensation that roamed wildly within his body.

Sputter, sputter!

Sounds like a blade cutting through paper echoed.

In just an instant, he lost all strength and collapsed powerlessly.

Before he died, his peripheral vision caught sight of his enemy standing behind him, holding his saber as if he hadn't moved at all.

He couldn't understand why the opponent was so fast.

The sect disciples he had encountered before were never like this.

"Ah..."

Suddenly splashed by something warm, the kidnapped woman screamed in fright. The old man who had witnessed the entire ordeal had already rushed over.

"Thank you, Young Hero Lu, for your timely intervention."

He quickly bowed.

"Father."

Seemingly finding her support, the woman threw herself into the old man's arms and began to cry.

The old man comforted her a few times before urging, "Quickly kneel and thank Young Hero Lu for saving your life."

The woman sobbed and did as she was told, but Lu Ming stopped her. "No need. I was just fulfilling a sect mission."

Saying this, he waved his hand and collected Yu Yuan's corpse, then prepared to leave.

But the old man stopped him. "Young Hero, please wait. While this may have been a simple act for you, it is a great kindness to my Liu family, and we cannot repay it without showing our gratitude. Young Hero, you have traveled far; at least allow me to host you."

"Yes, Young Hero Lu."

At this moment, the Plum Ridge Twin Swords also walked over. They bowed and said, "Plum Ridge Twin Swords, Qi Shaobin and Jiang Mulan, greet Young Hero."

"Greetings to both of you."

Lu Ming cupped his fists in return, then said, "There's no need for hospitality. Everyone, perhaps we'll meet again if fate allows."

With that, he tapped his toes and shot backward. After covering some distance, he abruptly turned and strode forward, gradually disappearing down the long street.

"What impressive Lightness Skill! As expected of an Inner Sect Disciple from a seventh-grade sect."

Qi Shaobin, one of the Plum Ridge Twin Swords, exclaimed in admiration, then added with great envy.

Compared to rogue cultivators like themselves, these sect disciples truly enjoyed enviable resources and martial arts.

But there was nothing they could do; their talent was ordinary. At over thirty years old, they were only at the early stage of the Zhen Qi Realm.

"It's more than just Lightness Skill. Both of us are at the early stage of the Zhen Qi Realm, yet Yu Yuan, who we couldn't defeat in one move, was also defeated by the opponent in a single move. The gap between us is truly immense,"

Jiang Mulan, the female swordswoman, sighed.

"Father, I will definitely work hard to learn martial arts from now on."

The woman, who had almost been abducted, was still shaken. Looking at the receding figure of Lu Ming, she suddenly spoke.

The old man immediately said with relief, "After this ordeal, you've finally come to understand. I've told you long ago that in this world, weakness is a sin."

"You see, even a random bandit can't control their own destiny."

"Those things you like, like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, once you're strong enough, won't you be able to do whatever you want?"

He immediately launched into a lecture, "It's not too late for you to understand now."

The woman lowered her head, realizing she had been too naive before.

"Congratulations to Old Patriarch Liu for having a successor. Actually, Miss Liu is naturally intelligent. If she practices diligently, her achievements will surely be considerable."

The Plum Ridge Twin Swords beside them congratulated her immediately.

"I wouldn't dare speak of achievements. I just hope she can protect herself in the future."

The old man waved his hand, then formally bowed, "Thank you both for your help just now. Our Liu family will certainly publicize the heroic deeds of you two heroes in the future."

"Not at all, not at all."

While the two acted nonchalant, they were inwardly quite pleased.

Why else would they help righteously? Wasn't it all for fame?

"Since you two were implicated, please come back to our manor and recuperate for a few days," the old man invited again.

"Then we'll be imposing on you."

Afterward, the group headed towards the manor. As Miss Liu walked, she couldn't help but glance back in the direction Lu Ming had departed.

The figure standing gracefully, holding a long saber and wearing a bamboo hat, left a deep impression on her.

Thinking of this, she suddenly felt a strong urge to paint him.

The only pity was that his face, hidden behind the black veil, was somewhat blurry.

After Lu Ming left, he arrived at a restaurant at the end of the street named Fuyun Tower.

He arrived there, retrieved his horse, nodded to the restaurant owner, and galloped away.

The owner of Fuyun Tower was once an Inner Sect Disciple of the Wuji Sect. Due to his inability to achieve a breakthrough for a long time, he regretfully left and returned to his hometown.

However, he hadn't completely severed ties with the Wuji Sect and served as the sect's informant in the area.

Various intelligence would be relayed back, and of course, he would receive compensation.

The reason Lu Ming was able to find Yu Yuan so quickly was precisely this.

And there were many individuals like the owner of Fuyun Tower throughout the Zhao Kingdom, and even in neighboring countries.

The vastness of a sect wasn't solely comprised of those within its mountain gates.

Without overthinking, Lu Ming began to take stock of his spoils while riding his horse.

Generally, desperate individuals like Yu Yuan would carry their valuables with them, so his haul this time was bound to be substantial.

Of course, those living a life on the edge, like this desperate criminal, also believed in enjoying themselves promptly and tended to spend lavishly.

He could only hope that Yu Yuan had left more behind.

With a racing heart, he immediately began searching the corpse.

First, he checked the fingers, finding no Storage Ring. Then, he conducted a thorough search and finally discovered it on the necklace around the neck.

It turned out the other party had fashioned it into a pendant.

He took it out and began to examine its contents.

He found that the space within this Storage Ring was slightly smaller than his, but it was still quite valuable.

Next were the items inside. Besides some clothes and other miscellaneous items, there weren't many useful things.

First was the money: a total of over 130,000 taels in silver notes and over 20,000 taels in gold notes.

To his pleasant surprise, there were also thirty-six and a half Low-grade Yuan Stones. The half-stone was likely something the other party had used in their cultivation.

After tallying everything, he transferred it all into his own Storage Ring.

Next were the martial arts. Inside, there was a leg technique that the other party had used and a palm technique. However, no Inner Cultivation method was found.

The leg technique was named [Whirlwind Sweeping Leaves Leg], and its grade was Human-grade, high stage.

The palm technique was slightly higher in grade, Human-grade, peak stage, named [Great Demon Execution Palm].

"I didn't expect Yu Yuan to be cultivating the Demon Execution Palm technique while engaging in murder and arson. I wonder if, with such a mindset, he had already mastered this palm technique."

Lu Ming felt a bit speechless upon seeing the name [Great Demon Execution Palm].

He then became conflicted. With both a palm technique and a leg technique, should he learn them? He understood the principle of not biting off more than one could chew.

However, he quickly made a decision. "Not biting off more than one can chew" was for others, who might get distracted by learning too many things.

But he possessed the Jade Pendant, which allowed him to understand any martial art in the world. Naturally, he had no such problem.

Moreover, he was determined to reach the pinnacle of martial arts. Therefore, he couldn't rely solely on saber techniques, fist techniques, and the like, becoming merely a Saber Venerable or Fist Ancestor.

Instead, he aimed to become a Martial Ancestor and Martial Venerable.

Thus, any martial art he had the opportunity to learn, he would naturally learn.

Putting his thoughts aside, Lu Ming first put away the two martial arts manuals, then looked at the remaining items.