Heavenly Saber Art

On the official road leading to Shuofeng City, Lu Ming walked slowly. He had already hidden the two books, and no one would come to retrieve them anytime soon.

Besides, he wouldn't need them in the short term anyway. The martial arts manuals had already been engraved into his mind through the jade pendant, so having the original copies didn't matter.

As for the other book, since it hadn't triggered the jade pendant, he deduced it was just an ordinary book.

He wouldn't feel too heartbroken even if it were lost.

So after hiding them, he didn't think about them anymore. Instead, he frequently reviewed the contents the jade pendant had imparted into his mind.

[Heavenly Saber Art]

This was the name of the cultivation technique. The accompanying saber technique was naturally called the Heavenly Saber Technique, which contained nine killing moves known as the [Nine Heavenly Saber Forms].

This was a complementary technique that included both internal energy cultivation and combat forms. According to its description, its grade was Earth-grade, initial stage, and it could allow one to cultivate up to the peak of the Gang Qi Realm.

Nei Qi Realm, Zhen Qi Realm, Gang Qi Realm – these were the first three stages for human martial artists listed in the [Heavenly Saber Art].

According to the cultivation method, the Nei Qi Realm was a process of refining essence into Qi. Through cultivation, one would condense the body's vital essence, blood, and Qi into internal Qi and store it in the Dantian.

Then, once the internal Qi grew to a certain extent, one could enter the Zhen Qi Realm.

True Qi was refined and compressed from internal Qi. In other words, the cultivation process of the Zhen Qi Realm was the refinement and compression of internal Qi.

After the internal Qi was compressed and refined to a certain degree, one could enter the Gang Qi Realm.

Gang Qi was naturally refined and compressed from True Qi, and its quality and quantity were a level higher than True Qi.

Therefore, the cultivation process of the Gang Qi Realm was the refinement and compression of True Qi.

The next realm was also briefly mentioned in the [Heavenly Saber Art] – it was called the Gang Yuan Realm.

Although there was no specific cultivation process described, Lu Ming speculated it was likely similar to the previous stages, involving the compression and refinement of Gang Qi.

He just didn't know to what extent it needed to be compressed and refined.

However, he didn't dwell on it too much, as it was still a long way off for him.

He looked ahead again, then focused his thoughts on the words "Earth-grade, initial stage."

Combining this with the original owner's memories, he had a rough understanding that martial arts manuals in this world were divided into Heaven, Earth, and Human grades, with twelve stages in total.

The higher the grade, the rarer and more valuable the manual.

Ordinary martial artists primarily practiced Human-grade, initial and middle-stage techniques. Possessing a Human-grade, high-stage manual was already considered a sign of some influence.

Human-grade, peak-stage techniques were commonly learned only within major powers.

From this, he could imagine how precious his Earth-grade technique was. If news of it spread, it would surely cause a bloody storm, and he would be utterly annihilated.

He recalled that the original owner had witnessed several groups in Shuofeng City fighting fiercely over a Human-grade, high-stage manual, resulting in several deaths.

This information was overheard from the discussions of the onlookers.

"It seems I need to be even more careful and cautious. I absolutely cannot expose this technique."

Another gust of cold wind blew. Lu Ming withdrew his thoughts, tightened his thin clothes, and looked ahead. After traveling for some time, the outline of the city ahead had become clearer.

But he knew he wasn't close yet; he understood the saying "running towards a mountain can kill a horse."

Glancing at the sky, he felt he had enough time and decided to stop and rest to replenish his energy.

After all, his current body was still very weak. He had been relying solely on his willpower to keep going after such a long journey.

He popped a handful of grass roots into his mouth and bent down to rub his aching legs. Just then, he suddenly heard a rumbling sound behind him, as if something was approaching rapidly, followed by a hearty shout of "Giddy up!"

It was a carriage.

Lu Ming glanced back and quickly retreated to the side of the road.

"Giddy up!"

In a blink, a carriage pulled by two tall horses sped past him. The driver was burly, and the carriage was luxurious. Through the open window, he caught a glimpse of a delicate face.

It was a young girl, looking out the window, and their eyes naturally met.

The moment their gazes locked, Lu Ming quickly lowered his head, avoiding eye contact.

This carriage was clearly not something an ordinary family could afford, and its occupant's identity was undoubtedly significant. If he offended them, even the kindest person might react poorly, and a spoiled one could easily beat him, something his current frail body couldn't withstand.

A hurricane passes, only the grass remains.

So, when one is weak, it's not shameful to lower one's head.

Soon, the sound of hooves and wheels gradually faded into the distance. Lu Ming finally raised his head again, sighed, and prepared to continue his journey. However, as he turned, he saw that the carriage had not gone far but had stopped ahead.

"What's going on? Did I still offend them?"

Lu Ming muttered, quickly thinking of a plan. He glanced around, finding the terrain flat and the view open, meaning he'd be easily caught if he tried to escape.

His mind raced. He thought the best course of action would be to beg for mercy or lie down and pretend to be dead.

If the situation allowed, rolling in a pile of dirt would be even better, making it impossible for them to approach him. Perhaps they would lose interest in bothering him.

But before he could act, his head suddenly darkened. He looked up to see a massive figure descending like Mount Tai pressing down, stopping a step in front of him.

The burly man driving the carriage landed lightly and, without a word, tossed a bundle to him.

"Little beggar, this is a gift from my young lady for you."

His voice boomed like thunder.

"Here..."

Lu Ming hadn't even reacted when the sturdy figure leaped away again, like a roc spreading its wings.

Lu Ming watched, full of envy. He wished he could be so high-flying.

Soon, the carriage started moving again, heading towards the city.

"This... I've met a good person."

Only after the carriage had completely disappeared from view did Lu Ming withdraw his gaze and turn it to the bundle in his arms. He quickly opened it to look.

Inside, he found a set of clothes. He touched them; though the style looked ordinary, the fabric was extremely soft and smooth, clearly something not affordable for common folk.

Then there were ten taels of silver and several pieces of pastry.

Seeing these items, Lu Ming was somewhat surprised by the other party's generosity, but he quickly realized these things might be nothing to them.

However, they were incredibly precious to him. With these, his starting difficulties would be greatly reduced.

He had originally planned to enter the city, find a job, and simultaneously evade the beggar who controlled his original body.

The former was not easy, as beggars were plentiful in the city, making it hard to avoid their surveillance.

Yet, he had also thought of many ways to deal with it.

The latter was also difficult. Who would hire a scrawny beggar with barely any strength?

He hadn't come up with a good solution for this either, deciding to take it one step at a time.

But now, things were different.

With the clothes, he could change his appearance, making him less conspicuous. Even if discovered, he could leverage the situation, as the fabric of his clothes was clearly not ordinary.

And with these ten taels of silver, he could sustain himself and get his life on track.

Therefore, this bundle held immense significance for him.

"Thank you. If we ever meet again, I will surely repay this kindness."

Lu Ming silently thanked them again. After firmly remembering the other person's appearance, he began to eat the pastries in small bites while searching for a puddle of water.

He planned to wash his messy hair and then change clothes before entering the city.

Soon, he spotted a puddle reflecting the sunlight and hurried towards it.