50 Breakthrough

50. Breakthrough

Li Yuan arrived at Nameless Pavilion and studied the martial art manual for a while. As he put it down, he glanced at Lord Li, who was reclining in his lounge chair.

After all this time, Lord Li's injuries still showed no signs of recovery. His stats remained "135(200)~145(210)."

What kind of injury had Lord Li suffered?

"Have you run into a problem?" Lord Li suddenly asked.

Li Yuan feigned casualness. "Teacher, it's nothing. It's just that, on my way here, I heard the servants say there'd been another disappearance on the island. This time, several Outer Sect Disciples from the Blood Saber Sect vanished.

"A large ship has docked in the South City Dock District. It seems the sect's Black Face Elder has arrived."

"Mhm." Lord Li nodded calmly, then said, "Let them do as they please. You focus on your studies. As long as you leave before dusk every day, you'll be fine."

Then he added, "All these disappearances happened after nightfall. Clearly, nothing will happen during the day."

Seeing that he did not wish to say more, Li Yuan answered, "Yes."

Lord Li continued, "Xi Yan and the others told me about you. They said you're good in every way, except that you refuse to accept their service."

Li Yuan paused. "They belong to you, Teacher."

Lord Li waved him off. "They aren't my wives or concubines, nor are they your martial aunts.

"They're merely maids. Some were given to me by others, and some I bought myself.

"I've already instructed them to serve you properly, so stop resisting. Some herbs need to be kneaded into the body repeatedly by hand.

"After your daily cultivation, your acupoints are open. That is precisely the time to nourish your body with medicinal herbs.

"This concerns how quickly you can break through and enter the ranks. Do not refuse.

"Besides, martial artists possess abundant blood and vigor, and must vent them regularly. Indulge yourself and forget attachment. Do not leave yourself burdened by ties, lest they hinder your cultivation.

"As your teacher, I will not interfere in your household affairs. But under my roof, if you fancy any of the maids, then have your way with her."

That day, Li Yuan was nearing the end of his training.

Steam rose from his body. His fitted training clothes clung to muscles like piled stone, displaying his exceptionally strong physique.

At the side room, the alluring and seductive beautiful woman instructed the maids to prepare a bath barrel and hot water, while her eyes roamed hungrily over the young man's body.

The first form of the Spring and Autumn Saber—Spring Thunder.

This was a ninth-rank skill, practiced alongside the cultivation art.

With a single saber strike, it mobilized the blood throughout the body. Hidden within the blade was the explosive roar of spring thunder, along with the incomparably fierce force to cleave apart bitter winter.

This strike was simply a downward chop from overhead while gripping the hilt, straightforward yet violent.

When executed with a general's long-handled saber, it was even more powerful than when performed with a saber worn at the waist.

Li Yuan had tossed aside the saber originally issued by the Blood Saber Sect and was instead using a long saber from the weapon rack.

Hiss!!

The air tore like silk, letting out a piercing, serpentine shriek. At the very end, when the blade cut through empty air, there came a faint explosion.

The dust beneath the saber scattered like birds and beasts startled by thunder, splashing up in two surging waves.

Li Yuan froze in his stance, one hand gripping the hilt as he maintained the chopping motion. He pondered its mysteries before slowly withdrawing the saber.

These days, his focused training and repeated strikes had begun to let him grasp something.

"Young Master~~ Young Master~~~"

The beautiful woman's call came from afar.

Li Yuan turned around and saw packets of herbs floating amid rising steam, giving off a medicinal fragrance that soothed the mind.

Beside the bath barrel, the beautiful woman stretched out her snow-white hand and stirred the hot water. At the same time, she tilted her head and smiled at Li Yuan. "The temperature is just right. Please enter the bath, Young Master."

This time, Li Yuan did not say anything like, "Aunt Yan, I can do it myself."

He spread his arms and allowed the beautiful woman to remove his clothes and untie his sash before stepping into the hot water.

The beautiful woman in the red dress had a captivating figure. After watching the young man enter the bath, she actually reached out to loosen her own robes. Before long, only her close-fitting undergarments remained.

She stepped up the wooden stairs, the short hem of her undergarment fluttering like grass in the wind and revealing glimpses of her thighs and hips. She dipped her toes into the water, then entered the bath barrel as well. Cupping the herbs floating on the surface, she pressed them against the young man's body and gently kneaded them in.

"Young Master, does it feel good?"

"Not bad."

"Young Master, why aren't you calling me Aunt Yan today? Hehehe." The beautiful woman teased him with her words.

But the young man did not respond.

He let her serve him as he looked up at the Cyan Cloud darkening in the distance and the fresh green buds on the branches.

He enjoyed the comfort, emptied his mind, and temporarily suppressed his fear of the unknown. His nose was filled with the refreshing fragrance of medicinal herbs and the scent of a woman.

He needed to adapt to this world as quickly as possible.

When everyone else was muddied, why insist on remaining pure alone?

It was nothing more than mortal dust.

Nothing more than greed, anger, obsession, hatred, love, evil, and desire.

Nothing more than a decadent feast amid a chaotic age.

He was neither a monk who had renounced the world nor a palace eunuch. Why should he hide from the seven emotions and six desires of mortal life?

That night, Li Yuan slept with Yan Niangzi in his arms.

The pillow talk between husband and wife never stopped before they fell asleep.

"Husband, several women from the shantytown came to visit today.

"They all brought gifts and said they were neighbors.

"There was Madam Boss from HengWu Tavern. She said she was your friend, and that she felt terribly guilty for not visiting after you moved here.

"That Madam Boss came with Steward Wu's wife from the tavern. They chatted with me for a long time and gave me plenty of wine, tea leaves, pastries, and fruit.

"Madam Boss from Brocade Embroidery Cloth Shop also came by last night. She brought the booklet of dress designs again and had me choose clothes I liked, saying she was afraid they might make them ugly.

"There were also some other women I didn't know. They invited me to drink tea and eat fruit with them in the afternoon, but I refused.

"Husband, you really are amazing now."

Yan Niangzi's voice was full of pride and joy.

She was no fool. She knew that only because her man had risen in status were so many people rushing to curry favor with them.

Madam Boss from HengWu Tavern had once been the superior of Aunt Wang's husband's superior, someone utterly beyond Yan Niangzi's reach. Yet now she had come carrying tea leaves and wine, wearing a smile as she sought her out.

What woman would not like a capable man?

Li Yuan fell silent for a moment, then told Yan Niangzi about martial artists and cultivation.

Yan Niangzi was instantly stunned.

The little shack was quiet in the darkness.

After a long while, Yan Niangzi softly said, "We haven't formally bowed to Heaven and Earth yet, anyway."

Li Yuan said, "We'll do it tomorrow morning. We won't invite anyone. We'll bow to Heaven and Earth at home."

Yan Niangzi could not help laughing. She lifted a hand and wrapped it around her man, whispering, "Then let's buy some pretty maids too. I was wrong before. I always wanted to keep you all to myself, but that would only bind you.

"Now that I can live like this, now that I have a man like you, I'm already content."

Li Yuan said, "I'm sorry, Sister Yan."

"You don't need to apologize. I understand. And the fact that you told me all this already moves me greatly." Yan Yu spoke softly. Her fingers wandered around Li Yuan's waist as she pressed her cheek against his chest and murmured, "You must cultivate well. You must break through to the sixth rank that even your master couldn't reach, become someone even more formidable, and live for a very, very long time."

"How is your cultivation art progressing?"

Yan Yu was silent for a while before softly saying, "It's alright."

Then, not wanting to talk about that, she entwined herself around Li Yuan.

The night was ignited once more.

When morning came, Li Yuan checked and found that his Spare Points were still seven. They had not decreased.

He was even more moved. He held his wife and lingered with her a while longer before finally getting up.

Three days later.

Near dusk.

After a medicinal bath, Li Yuan suddenly felt his heart skip a beat. A strange sense of enlightenment emerged. Both his cultivation art and saber technique seemed to have made the progress he had been anticipating at that very moment.

He glanced at the panel. The information had changed.

The "Cultivation Art" section had gained Soul Exhalation Art, ninth rank (1/100);

The "Skills" section had gained Spring and Autumn Saber, ninth rank—Spring Thunder (Beginner) (1/10).

That night, he returned home and sat alone in the backyard.

He glanced at his current Spare Points.

There were as many as 324 points.

Then it's time to add points. According to Teacher, once a cultivation art reaches the ninth-rank limit, it produces Shadow Blood.

The new Shadow Blood replaces the old Shadow Blood, which means the Willow Return Technique will disappear.

It'll hurt a little in the process, but... I can endure it.

Li Yuan glanced at the wet towel beside him. If it hurt later, he would bite the towel. That was better than crying out and embarrassing himself before Yan Yu.

Add points!

He looked at the "++" after Soul Exhalation Art, ninth rank (1/100), and directly tapped it once.

The "++" meant directly adding points to the maximum value of the current state.

At once, memories of diligent training emerged.

Day after day, he practiced the ninth-rank stage of the Soul Exhalation Art, finally reaching its end after a year.

Then came the result.

He felt as though his abdomen had suddenly caught fire.

But the burning was only warm. It did not hurt.

He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. The fiery current spread outward from his abdomen, then became like a scorching fish swimming through his body.

Wherever it passed, his limbs and bones felt utterly relaxed. The corresponding parts of his body also seemed to be strengthened, giving him an explosive sense of power. Yet after the hot current moved on, that sensation of strength faded away.

Beyond the feeling of strengthening, there was also a nourishing sensation. The heat was nurturing his body, making his overall strength even greater.

He had experienced this feeling once before. It was the sign of completing ninth-rank cultivation.

Next should be the Shadow Blood Exchange.

Li Yuan took a deep breath and began waiting for the subsequent strange change.

New blood replacing old blood.

A person could possess only one type of blood and one type of bone.

Yet after a long time, he felt no changes whatsoever.

Two streams of heat were darting through his body.

He looked at the panel again, and Li Yuan was completely stunned.

The "Cultivation Art" section clearly displayed: Willow Return Technique (100/100), Soul Exhalation Art, ninth rank (100/100).

Then he checked his overall stats.

Originally, without any weapon, his stats had been "9~10," but now they had become "9~20."