Borrowing Momentum

"I didn't expect your Sect Master to come. We're lucky this time."

Once the surroundings quieted down again, Jiang Ruoshui breathed a sigh of relief. That had been a close call.

Lu Ming didn't retract his long saber. Instead, he remained vigilant, scanning their surroundings. "Let's get out of here first. Giddy up!"

With that, he pulled on the reins and charged out ahead.

Jiang Ruoshui quickly followed, understanding what he was worried about.

They rode at full speed until dawn, and only when they encountered no further danger did they relax.

"At the next intersection, we'll go our separate ways. Thank you for your kindness last night."

"Whoa!"

In the blink of an eye, they reached the intersection, and the two stopped.

"No need to thank me. We'll meet again."

Lu Ming cupped his hands together on his horse.

"See you next time." Jiang Ruoshui returned the gesture, then pulled on her reins and galloped away.

However, after riding a short distance, she turned back.

"Wait a moment," she called out.

Lu Ming, who was about to leave as well, stopped in confusion. "Miss Jiang, is there something else?"

Jiang Ruoshui hesitated for a moment. "Most people I've met are usually very protective of their lives. I'm very curious, why did you let me go first last night?"

Lu Ming was taken aback. What kind of question was that?

He replied casually, "If you had stayed, it would have just meant one more dead person."

"It seems you are a kind person."

Immediately, Jiang Ruoshui looked deeply at Lu Ming. "But I've heard that kind people often don't live long. Why do you choose to be that kind of person?"

Lu Ming laughed heartily. "I wouldn't dare say I'm kind, I can only say I act with a clear conscience. If you must have an answer... Whoa!"

As he spoke, he reined in his horse, circling twice. He pondered for a moment during this time before replying:

"Once, when I was barely clothed and starving, a person gave me ten taels of silver, a set of clothes, and some pastries."

"While these things aren't much to me now, they were incredibly precious to me back then."

"That's why I will forever remember that kindness."

"Giddy up!"

With that, he rode off into the distance, leaving only the lingering echo of "We'll meet again if fate allows" in the air.

"So that's how it is. Interesting."

Jiang Ruoshui's lips curved slightly. She hadn't expected to receive such an answer. In truth, she had only wanted to remind him that being too kind wasn't good.

After all, this was a world where the strong preyed on the weak, much like her own family...

She hadn't expected him to not only know this but to have thought even further ahead.

Several days later, Lu Ming returned to the Wuji Sect. After returning the horse, he headed to the Mission Hall to submit his mission.

On the way, he happened to overhear news that Sect Master Li Ansheng had returned severely injured after fighting Xiao Zan.

"I never thought that notorious bandit who roamed several countries was actually a remnant of the Demonic Cult."

"Yeah. The sect received word this time, and the Sect Master personally went out. If it weren't for more Demonic Cult remnants suddenly appearing to rescue him, Xiao Zan would be dead by now."

"Why can't this Demonic Cult ever be eradicated? They're rising from the ashes again."

"You don't understand. They possess martial arts. As long as there are people who want to become stronger, they can never be completely wiped out."

"Sigh, that's true. Back then, the Demonic Cult was a sixth-rank power, spanning several countries and once flourishing. I heard their Sect Master was a Sea Transformation Realm expert, and they had several Vice Sect Masters in the Gang Yuan Realm."

"That was in the past. Now, they might not even have a few in the Gang Qi Realm. But for them to cause such a stir again, they must be quite large in scale now."

"We'll have to be more careful on our missions from now on."

Lu Ming absorbed this information. The books Old Man Zhao had given him didn't contain much information about the Demonic Cult.

This was truly eye-opening for him.

He hadn't expected the Demonic Cult to have been so powerful in the past, even having Sea Transformation Realm experts.

As far as he knew, the strongest person in the Wuji Sect was only in the Gang Yuan Realm, and even then, he was a Grand Elder who rarely appeared in public.

If the Demonic Cult from that era had attacked, they definitely wouldn't have been able to resist.

Fortunately, they were now destroyed.

Without further thought, Lu Ming quickened his pace to the Mission Hall. The Elder in charge of registration looked at him again with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

He had also heard about Xiao Zan's appearance and was certain it was related to his disciple.

I can't believe the other party managed to complete the mission under these circumstances.

Then again, with the Sect Master nearby, it makes sense.

It wasn't until he finished reading the very detailed letter of recommendation from Old Patriarch Liu that he understood the specific reasons behind everything.

He hadn't expected Lu Ming to possess such strategic thinking; it was truly rare.

Therefore, he praised him highly, "You've done well. This is your reward; keep it safe."

"Thank you, Elder."

Lu Ming expressed his gratitude, put away the item, and planned to return. This time, he intended to thoroughly consolidate his previous learning.

He didn't encounter anyone he knew along the way; everyone must have been very busy.

What was strange, however, was that Cui Bai was also absent.

"Could he have gone on a mission?"

He didn't think much of it and walked straight into his courtyard. First, he took a good wash to get rid of his fatigue.

Then, he began cultivating his internal energy, as he could already feel signs of a breakthrough.

After hanging the "Closed-Door Cultivation" sign outside his door, he completely immersed himself in cultivation.

Several days passed in a flash. With the help of Origin Stones, the True Qi within Lu Ming's body finally reached saturation.

Concurrently, his internal cultivation technique, the Heavenly Saber Art, had reached the eighth level, and another stream of Saber Qi was generated within him.

However, he didn't have time to deal with it now; he was fully focused on breaking through his cultivation realm.

After another half a day, with continuous impact, a sound like an egg cracking open echoed from within his body.

Simultaneously, the pure Origin Energy from the Origin Stone in his hand, along with wisps of Origin Energy drifting in the air, surged madly into his body.

His body was now like a funnel, and it only stopped when it became distended.

Then, calm returned.

"Finally, a breakthrough."

Lu Ming tossed the Origin Stone, now reduced to a waste stone, aside. He stood up, feeling an indescribable lightness.

He quickly sensed the situation in his Dantian and found that the crimson True Qi within had more than doubled.

It could be considered a significant increase in his power.

Next, he saw two more refined streams of airflow within the crimson True Qi, possessing a sharp cutting sensation.

These were the Saber Qi generated from his cultivation breakthrough.

Two streams, essentially two life-saving skills.

"Next, I should consolidate my Martial Skills."

With the help of the Jade Pendant, Lu Ming had cultivated all his Martial Skills to their peak. However, it seemed there was still room for advancement.

After much thought, he suspected the existence of something akin to Saber Intent.

Just like You Feng said, the Senior Disciple Brother's inexplicable swordsmanship.

He had been somewhat unclear about it before, but after witnessing Lan Wuying's Lightness Skill, it seemed to carry a different meaning.

He fell into deep thought, and after a while, his eyes suddenly lit up.

He thought of the word "Momentum".

Water has its momentum, and wind has its momentum. Moving against the current slows you down, while going with it speeds you up; the wind is naturally the same.

With this realization, Lu Ming immediately leaped into the courtyard to comprehend the momentum of the wind.

He had an intuition that if he could understand this, his movement speed would greatly improve.

Another six days passed. Lu Ming stood motionless in the courtyard until a leaf, carried by the wind, landed on his forehead. Only then did his eyes regain focus.

Then, he moved. Without any apparent effort, his body floated out lightly, drifting seemingly without a trajectory.

It appeared chaotic but possessed a unique aesthetic.

It wasn't until he focused his gaze on a leaf that he realized he was moving in the direction of the wind.

He landed only when the wind stopped.

"Is this borrowing momentum?"

Within a few days, Lu Ming had comprehended this concept, which was to borrow the momentum of the wind.

Don't assume this cannot be used when there is no wind. When fighting an opponent, he could borrow momentum as long as their moves generated wind.

Now, he felt his movement techniques and Lightness Skill had advanced significantly, and his saber techniques had as well.

After all, his saber techniques relied on speed.

"I'll leave it at this for now."

Lu Ming stopped. He felt he had only grasped the surface and could still improve, but it wouldn't be possible in a short time.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. He went to open it.