Breakthrough to Ninth-Rank Martial Artist!

After Fan Tao explained everything, Lu Feng had gained a fair understanding of Zhou Yongsi and Li Muyuan.

Then Lu Feng let Fan Tao rest on his own while he began cultivating in his room.

Before long, it was noon. By then, his Peiyuan Gong proficiency had reached 490 points.

With just ten more points, Peiyuan Gong would advance from Greater Completion to Perfection.

According to Lu Feng's calculations, once Peiyuan Gong reached Perfection, his Martial Realm would rise straight to Ninth-Rank Martial Artist.

Hmm, if I break through to Ninth-Rank Martial Artist, there won't be many people in Qinglu County who can threaten me. Lu Feng thought to himself.

Of the Martial Master Realm experts in Qinglu County, the only ones he knew of were County Magistrate Wang Lichuan and County Lieutenant Li Muyuan.

But neither of them was his enemy, so he didn't need to worry about them for now.

As for his uncle's family and the Caobang Gang, they could no longer threaten him. The only person who could still pose a threat was County Assistant Zhou Yongsi.

He wasn't afraid of Zhou Yongsi in a one-on-one fight, but the man came from a Noble Family in the commandery city. His family surely had Martial Master Realm experts.

So, it was best not to worsen their conflict just yet, lest the other side tear off the mask and try to kill him outright.

Alas, it seems I'll have to keep a low profile for a while. Lu Feng sighed inwardly.

Just then, Yamen Runner Xiao Wang arrived at his door again, carrying a food box.

Seeing him, Lu Feng stopped cultivating. First things first—he needed to fill his stomach.

A quarter of an hour later, the dishes on the table had been completely devoured, and Yamen Runner Xiao Wang arrived right on time to clear them away.

Once Xiao Wang had left, Lu Feng immediately closed his eyes and resumed cultivating Peiyuan Gong.

[You complete one cycle of Peiyuan Gong; proficiency +1]

[You complete one cycle of Peiyuan Gong; proficiency +1]

...

As he completed the tenth cycle of Peiyuan Gong, Lu Feng suddenly felt the Internal Force within his body begin to surge wildly.

At the same time, two special notifications appeared on the panel.

[Your Peiyuan Gong proficiency has reached 500. Its proficiency level has advanced from Greater Completion to Perfection]

[Your Martial Realm has successfully advanced to Ninth-Rank Martial Artist]

At that moment, Lu Feng's awareness was entirely focused on his body. He didn't notice the notifications on the panel at all.

Feeling the Internal Force coursing through him, he was both shocked and delighted.

He was shocked that his Internal Force was flowing through his body without his control, but delighted that it was growing stronger and stronger as it flowed.

The Internal Force continued circulating for half an hour before it gradually came to a stop.

Once his body returned to normal, he slowly opened his eyes. He was drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked through.

He took off his top, walked over to the Iron Man Post, and thrust out a palm.

With a thud, the Iron Man Post gave a muffled clang. A deep palm print had appeared where he'd struck it.

"Hmm, my Internal Force must be over three thousand catties now."

When he'd been a Seventh-Rank Martial Artist, he'd tested his Internal Force with Lu Yan. Back then, he'd had around fifteen hundred catties.

Later, after advancing to Eighth-Rank Martial Artist, his Internal Force had reached two thousand catties. But this time, his breakthrough to Ninth-Rank Martial Artist had added a full thousand catties. His Internal Force was now on par with a First-Rank Martial Master's.

According to what Lu Yan had told him, an ordinary Sixth-Rank Martial Artist had around a thousand catties of Internal Force, a Seventh-Rank Martial Artist around twelve hundred, an Eighth-Rank Martial Artist fifteen hundred, and a Ninth-Rank Martial Artist two thousand.

Upon breaking through to First-Rank Martial Master, one's Internal Force would increase to three thousand catties.

His Martial Realm was still only Ninth-Rank Martial Artist, yet his Internal Force was already comparable to that of a First-Rank Martial Master.

The main reason for this was naturally the Peiyuan Gong and Cloud-Dispelling Palm he had cultivated.

He'd brought both martial arts to Perfection while still in the Martial Artist Realm. Ordinary Martial Artists couldn't manage that, and even Martial Master Realm experts would struggle to do the same.

After taking a moment to feel the changes in his body, Lu Feng summoned the Proficiency Panel with a thought.

[Name: Lu Feng]

[Age: 19/50]

[Realm: Ninth-Rank Martial Artist]

[Cultivation Method: Peiyuan Gong (Mid-Grade, Upper-Tier, Perfection 0/1000)]

[Martial Skill: Cloud-Dispelling Palm (High-Grade, Lower-Tier, Perfection 265/1000)]

Looking at his Martial Realm on the panel, he wore an expression that said just as he'd expected.

Then he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Now that I've advanced to Ninth-Rank Martial Artist, I meet County Magistrate's requirements. So which martial art should I cultivate next?"

After a little thought, he decided that his Martial Realm was still too low. If he ran into a Martial Master Realm expert, he might not be able to protect himself.

If he wanted to make himself invincible, he had to break through to Martial Master Realm as quickly as possible.

"Hmm, then I'll cultivate Cloud-Dispelling Palm first!"

He chose Cloud-Dispelling Palm because he'd already accumulated more than two hundred proficiency points in it.

Compared to Peiyuan Gong, Cloud-Dispelling Palm would be quicker to advance.

Furthermore, after advancing to Ninth-Rank Martial Artist and reaching Perfection in Peiyuan Gong, he had much more Internal Force than before. He could now unleash Cloud-Dispelling Palm a hundred times in succession.

With the help of Exotic Beast Meat, his Internal Force also recovered much faster than before.

So cultivating Cloud-Dispelling Palm was the best choice!

Having made up his mind, Lu Feng first asked Fan Tao to fetch him a new uniform to change into, then began practicing Cloud-Dispelling Palm in his room.

[You use Cloud-Dispelling Palm once; proficiency +1]

[You use Cloud-Dispelling Palm once; proficiency +1]

...

Cloud-Dispelling Palm's power was now completely different from before.

A single palm strike could shatter stone and split a stele.

But just as he was focused on practicing Cloud-Dispelling Palm, someone suddenly knocked on his door.

"Knock, knock, knock! Captain Lu, County Magistrate asks me to invite you to the study for a meeting!"

The voice outside clearly belonged to Yamen Runner Xiao Wang. Lu Feng stopped practicing and replied, "All right, I'll be right there."

He straightened his clothes, picked up his saber, and followed Xiao Wang to County Magistrate's study.

As soon as he entered the room, he saw that several officials from the County Yamen and the three captains had already arrived.

Lu Feng cupped his hands in salute, then went straight to stand beside Captain Fang.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, County Magistrate Wang Lichuan began, "Now that everyone is here, let's get started."

At that, Strategist Wang Jun, standing behind the County Magistrate, continued, "Honorable officials, our county has just received a notice from the Imperial Court. It says that two hundred thousand Northern Wei troops have gathered at Yingmen Pass. Although the enemy army hasn't launched an attack, they've sent many spies across the border. The authorities have ordered us to strengthen our inspections and defenses, in case those enemy spies try to cause trouble."

At these words, everyone present except County Magistrate Wang Lichuan looked stunned.

Lu Feng, standing at the very back, was also taken aback by the news.

A moment later, County Lieutenant Li Muyuan, seated to one side, suddenly spoke. "County Magistrate, if this is true, then Qinglu County is in trouble!"