First Layer of Inner Qi

Back on the main road, Lu Ming looked completely different.

His tattered, drafty cloth shirt had been replaced with a black, fitted martial arts uniform that fit surprisingly well.

He had initially thought the clothes in the bundle belonged to the carriage driver, and given the man's size, he expected them to be much too large.

Now, they fit perfectly, which puzzled him slightly. He didn't dwell on it, however, merely guessing that there must have been a young boy of similar build to him in the carriage as well.

As for his feet, his worn-out straw sandals were now a pair of black boots with white soles.

His hair was simply tied back with a cloth band.

His face had been washed clean. Though he still looked quite gaunt, his demeanor was vastly improved, a world of difference from before.

He believed that even if he walked past the beggars he used to know, they would hardly recognize him.

This would save him a lot of trouble and deepen his gratitude towards the owner of the carriage.

"Alright, let's start this new life."

Lu Ming adjusted his clothes again, puffed out his chest, and strode quickly towards Shuofeng City.

The closer he got to the city, the more people he encountered. They were all Martial Artists, some moving with incredible speed, while others utilized Lightness Skills, leaping and bounding along the road.

"Swish!"

Suddenly, a whistling sound cut through the air. Lu Ming only saw a black blur flash past him.

It startled him, and he quickly looked ahead, realizing it was a plump figure in yellow clothing.

The figure revealed itself, paused for just a moment, and then vanished into a blur again. When it reappeared, it was already over a dozen meters away.

It was like a teleportation.

Within a few breaths, the figure had completely disappeared from sight.

"What an incredible Lightness Skill. This martial world is truly terrifying."

Lu Ming felt both envious and a little panicked. In front of these people, he felt like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, completely insecure.

This only made his desire to practice martial arts more urgent.

"No, I need to get into the city quickly and settle down."

According to his memories, Shuofeng City had simple rules, but with so many people, caution could help him avoid many dangers.

Unlike the wilderness, where there were no rules at all. If someone took a dislike to him, they could kill him with a casual blow, and there would be nowhere to seek justice.

Just like a moment ago, if that plump figure had malicious intent towards him, he would have been finished.

This made Lu Ming proceed even more cautiously and quickly.

Finally, after another hour of travel, he reached the vicinity of the city gates. Seeing the tall, imposing city walls, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Without stopping, he continued towards the gate.

The city gate was wide, with only a sparse trickle of people entering and exiting. The City Lord's Mansion guards standing nearby didn't even need to maintain order.

Lu Ming knew a little about why this was the case.

This was the north gate, facing an area of little value, so not many people passed through regularly.

In contrast, the south gate was the complete opposite. Whether day or night, it was always crowded with people.

Sometimes it was even packed.

The reason was simple: the south gate directly faced the Shuofeng Mountain Range. For ordinary people, it was a dangerous forbidden zone, but for some Martial Artists, it was a treasure trove.

Spiritual Medicine, Demonic Beasts, and other resources were their targets for wealth.

Many Martial Artists even used it as a place for training.

So, even the deep mountains were lively.

However, crowds also had their advantages, making it easier to blend in and enter the city.

Here, with too few people, Lu Ming feared something might go wrong.

Fortunately, the guards seemed accustomed to their lax duty and caused no trouble.

Thus, he finally entered the city.

Looking at the streets, which were both familiar and unfamiliar, Lu Ming had no time to wander.

His goal was clear: find a cheap place to rent. As a beggar who had roamed the entire city, the original owner naturally knew where to find affordable housing.

However, it was already late in the day, and even if he found a landlord, it wouldn't be convenient to rent.

So, he decided to stay at the cheapest inn he remembered for the night.

"Huh, that person I just passed... I think I've seen them somewhere before."

As he passed through another street, a beggar by the roadside suddenly stopped, looked back curiously, and saw a figure disappear into the crowd.

"You beg for food every day and see a lot of people. What's so strange about seeing someone again?"

Beside him, another beggar nudged him, urging him on.

"Let's go, if we're late handing things in today, those skinners won't go easy on us."

"That's true."

The beggar who had been confused earlier nodded, then sighed and said:

"When will this life ever end? We can't even eat or dress warmly every day, and we still get fleeced. If this keeps up, we won't last much longer."

"You can say that again."

Another beggar also sighed, and after a moment of silence, suddenly said:

"It's a shame we haven't seen Lu Ming for two days. Otherwise, if we robbed him of something, it would make our lives a bit easier."

"Don't count on it. He hasn't managed to get anything for days, and those skinners beat him badly. I reckon he's probably frozen to death in some corner of the city by now."

On the other side, Lu Ming naturally knew he had encountered acquaintances. They were fellow beggars controlled by the Beggars' Sect, and they held quite a bit of animosity towards his original body.

However, he didn't show any emotion and walked past them calmly.

It wasn't time for revenge yet.

He carefully made his way to the secluded inn from his memories. Lu Ming paid three qian of silver and successfully checked in, which included dinner and hot water.

Now, he was soaking in a tub of hot water, feeling a wave of comfort wash over him.

He had never imagined a hot bath could be so enjoyable. He soaked for a full fifteen minutes until the water cooled down before grabbing a towel to scrub himself.

Earlier, at the water pit outside the city, he hadn't dared to wash his body completely with cold water. He had only washed his hair and then used the cloth bundle to clean his face and neck.

The rest of his body was still dirty.

So now, after soaking and scrubbing, the hot water in the tub had turned pitch black.

"The innkeeper will surely be shocked tomorrow."

After getting dressed and looking at the black water in the tub, Lu Ming gave a wry smile. He then stopped bothering about it and went to the table to eat dinner.

The inn's meals could be ordered à la carte; you could order whatever you wanted.

The complimentary meal was much simpler, consisting of only two steamed buns and a plate of salted vegetables with a bit of oil.

However, Lu Ming still ate with great relish.

He hadn't eaten a proper meal in a long time.

With a whirlwind of eating, Lu Ming finished quickly, letting out a satisfied burp. A wave of fatigue then washed over him. He was confident he could fall asleep right then and there, and sleep very soundly.

But he forced himself to resist. Ever since entering the city and seeing the Martial Artists everywhere, he could no longer suppress his desire to cultivate quickly.

So, he wanted to try practicing the [Heavenly Saber Art] in his mind.

He quickly went to the bed and sat down cross-legged. Lu Ming hurriedly brought up the internal cultivation method of the [Heavenly Saber Art].

After being infused by the jade pendant, he had completely understood this technique. In fact, he understood some of the details even better than the owner of the stone coffin.

This was the jade pendant's effect, equivalent to maxing out his comprehension. From now on, no matter what divine techniques or secret manuals were infused, he would understand them at a glance.

As for learning it instantly, that still depended on his physical aptitude. Now, he just needed his body to learn it.

Getting back to the matter at hand, after reading the cultivation method, Lu Ming attempted to circulate the Inner Qi realm part of it.

According to the technique, he quickly entered a state, and his consciousness gradually sank in.

After an unknown amount of time, a warmth suddenly came from his abdomen, followed by a slight itching sensation.

"It's done already?"

When the strange sensation disappeared, Lu Ming opened his eyes, somewhat incredulously.

If his senses were correct, he had just completed the process of drawing Qi into his body as described in the [Heavenly Saber Art].

This meant he had officially stepped onto the threshold of martial arts, entering the First Layer of Inner Qi realm.

This was hard for him to believe. According to the technique, the speed of drawing Qi into the body determined one's martial arts aptitude to some extent.

Although he didn't know the specific standard, the fact that he succeeded in just a moment indicated that his aptitude was extremely high.

Combined with the jade pendant, he now had the makings of a peerless genius.

"Continue."

Suppressing his excitement, Lu Ming circulated the technique again. After confirming that the airflow within his body was real, he decided to continue cultivating to strengthen his Inner Qi.

However, this time, after only meditating for a short while, he was forced to withdraw.

It turned out that a sudden hunger had struck his stomach.

He had just eaten, yet he was starving so quickly. After some thought, he could understand the reason.

Martial arts cultivation was a process of refining essence into Qi, and where did essence and Qi come from? Naturally, from the external world, and most importantly, from food.

This showed that martial arts cultivation was not something the poor could afford.

After all, poverty favored literature, while wealth favored martial arts.

The hunger grew more intense. Lu Ming dared not continue cultivating, as it would forcibly extract the existing essence and Qi from his body, further weakening his already frail body.

He found the few remaining pastries from earlier and ate them. Only after finishing them did the hunger gradually subside.

He could no longer hold on and fell into a deep sleep.