The Second Leg Dao Divine Ability, Earth-Splitting!

"Sweet Dew Powder's effects were incredible!"

In the courtyard, Lu Ming stepped out of a medicinal barrel. Looking at the inky-black medicine and smelling its pungent herbal reek, he nevertheless felt utterly refreshed.

After training for three hours today, he had originally been exhausted from head to toe. Yet after soaking in the barrel, he had nearly recovered completely.

As expected of the Li Family's secretly handed-down training medicine!

With this great medicine's aid, he could train for a full six hours a day.

This was basically the limit. Any longer, and he would not be able to endure it—not just physically, but mentally as well.

[Leg Dao Divine Ability evolving (958/1000)...]

Lu Ming dried himself and changed into a gray training uniform. He always wore gray when training; otherwise, white uniforms got dirty too easily.

Seeing that his Leg Dao experience had reached 958, he felt greatly invigorated.

Four days had already passed since he returned that day.

With Sweet Dew Powder, each day of cultivating the Cloud-Stepping Technique granted him a full 180 points of Leg Dao experience. By today, he was already closing in on the threshold of 1,000.

He could still train for another three hours today. In other words, he could evolve his second Leg Dao Divine Ability today!

His spirits soaring, he immediately continued training.

[Leg Dao Divine Ability evolving (962/1000)...]

[Leg Dao Divine Ability evolving (966/1000)...]

[Evolving...]

[Leg Dao Divine Ability evolving (1002/1000)...]

[Evolution complete!]

[Obtained Leg Dao Divine Ability: Earth-Splitting.]

[Earth-Splitting]: Great strength born in the feet, splitting earth and claiming territory.

[Leg Dao Divine Abilities]: Godly Movement (Initial Completion), Earth-Splitting (Initial Completion).

Earth-Splitting!

After completing his final round of the Cloud-Stepping Technique, Lu Ming saw that he had obtained the Earth-Splitting Divine Ability. At once, he sensed a powerful force faintly gathering in his feet.

He had a feeling that the earth within three zhang of him was faintly under his control.

With a mere light stamp, he could split the earth beneath his feet, like a man-made earthquake!

Lu Ming's eyes lit up. He had not expected such a powerful Divine Ability.

One had to know that he was only at Skin Refining. Forget him—even someone at Flesh Refining, even Major Completion Flesh Refining, could not possibly crack the ground with a single step.

Though he could currently only split the ground within three zhang, that was because his cultivation was too low. As his cultivation rose, Earth-Splitting's power would also increase.

Looking at the ground beneath his feet, Lu Ming's feet itched with impatience. He could not resist wanting to give it a stomp and see the results.

But in the end, he held himself back.

If he made a huge crack in the Military Service Bureau's courtyard, he would have no idea how to explain it to Wei Jinlin.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

As Lu Ming was regretting it, he suddenly heard a knock at the door. His heart stirred, and he hurried over to open it. Sure enough, Wei Jinlin had arrived, and he immediately welcomed him into the courtyard.

These past few days, because Lu Ming cultivated the Cloud-Stepping Technique rather than the Nine Palaces Palm cultivated by the others, Wei Jinlin had not forced him to go train at the Martial Arts Arena every morning.

And after so many days of bitter practice, his Cloud-Stepping Technique had finally reached the entry level.

Thus, he could finally justifiably ask to learn other martial arts. That was why he had invited Wei Jinlin over.

"Eight days, and you finally reached the entry level?" Wei Jinlin's expression did not change after watching his demonstration.

Lu Ming asked, "Master Wei, was that fast or slow?"

Wei Jinlin said, "Though the Cloud-Stepping Technique is a first-rate movement art, it is the sort that is easy to learn but hard to master. Reaching the entry level is not difficult.

"You already had the foundation of Grass Gliding at the entry level, yet it still took you eight days to enter the Cloud-Stepping Technique. This talent is not outstanding."

Lu Ming thought to himself that while his cultivation talent ranked above average among this batch of Military Service Bureau disciples, it still appeared mediocre among the people Wei Jinlin had seen.

He was not discouraged. He possessed the Divine Ability Panel, an ability no one else had. If his cultivation talent was ordinary, then he would make up for it through diligence.

One day, he would grind his way into a Divine Lord of Myriad Daos!

Seizing the opportunity, he said, "I feel the same way, so I'd like to ask Master Wei to teach me another martial art."

Upon hearing this, Wei Jinlin looked at him silently.

Lu Ming hurriedly handed him a heavy cloth bag and said with a smile, "I understand, I understand. I need to pay more, right? Here are three hundred taels of silver. Please teach me, Master Wei!"

Wei Jinlin weighed the money bag in his hand, accepted it without ceremony, and nodded.

"Do you want to learn a finger technique or a palm technique?"

Lu Ming asked tentatively, "Could I... learn both?"

Wei Jinlin frowned. Last time, he had already told Lu Ming that greedily cramming too much into one's mouth led to indigestion. He had not expected him to say this again.

He was about to rebuke him when the words reached his lips and suddenly stopped.

He thought that Lu Ming's persistence might simply be in his nature.

Lu Ming had previously learned the Nine Palace Living Stakes, the Bone-Unraveling Technique, finger techniques, Grass Gliding, and the Cloud-Stepping Technique. In just over a month, he had learned so much, and all of it had reached the entry level.

Now he wanted to learn another palm technique, as well as a deeper finger technique.

Could this perhaps be his talent as well?

Could it be that this boy actually possessed the talent to cultivate the Formless Divine Art?

The Formless Divine Art was a special martial art. To learn it, one needed to cover the vast majority of different kinds of martial arts.

Wei Jinlin's heart stirred slightly. If this batch of Military Service Bureau disciples could produce such a disciple, it would bring him some benefit as well.

But in the end, he calmed down. It was still far too early to speak of such things.

After pondering for a moment, he said,

"Very well. I will first teach you a second-rate finger technique: Cloud-Piercing Finger!

"If you can reach Major Completion Skin Refining within seven days—by the time your military service is halfway through—I can teach you a palm technique as well."

No matter what, even a seedling suited to cultivating the Formless Divine Art needed sufficient cultivation talent. Reaching Major Completion Skin Refining in a month and a half was the minimum requirement.

Lu Ming was both startled and delighted upon hearing this. He had merely tried to bargain for it casually, yet Wei Jinlin had actually agreed.

He could not help asking suspiciously, "Master Wei, why are you suddenly being so generous? Could it be that you want an excuse to punish me? If I fail to meet the requirement, will you throw me out of the Military Service Bureau? Is Master Wei also afraid of that expelled Lingyun Sect disciple?"

Over the past few days, the matter of the Li Family Bank had gradually become clear. Red Cloud County was about to open a new bank called Chongyun Bank.

The bank's owner was actually an expelled disciple of the Lingyun Sect.

This man's name was Zhou Zhen. He had once been a martial arts genius from Red Cloud County and entered the Third-Rate Sect, Lingyun Sect, to cultivate.

But after reaching middle age, he had been unable to make a breakthrough for a long time. Only then had he left the sect, calling himself an expelled disciple of Lingyun Sect. He had come here to establish a bank, supposedly to retire in peace.

Though Lingyun Sect was only a Third-Rate Sect, even so, in past years, few people from Red Cloud County had been able to join it.

Third-rate did not mean bottom-rate. Beyond the third-rate sects were many small sects that did not even qualify for a rank; those were the true bottom-rate sects.

Those able to enter Lingyun Sect already counted as genius martial artists in Red Cloud County.

After Zhou Zhen returned from learning his arts, his cultivation had reached the peak of Red Cloud County. Even the heads of the three great Lineages could not compare to him.

Thus, the moment he revealed that he intended to return and open a bank, the Chen and Shen Families, along with many powerful local forces, rushed to curry favor with him. They first crushed the Li Family Bank and presented it as a meeting gift.

As the man who had turned the tide for the Li Family in the arena battle, Lu Ming had often been approached recently. People urged him to visit Zhou Zhen as soon as possible and apologize of his own accord. Otherwise, once Zhou Zhen grew angry, it would be too late for regrets.

Hearing Lu Ming's speculation, Wei Jinlin knitted his brows and rebuked him.

"Utter nonsense. If you do not wish to learn, then I will be spared the trouble."

Lu Ming laughed awkwardly. "I want to learn, I want to learn."

Wei Jinlin snorted coldly and taught him the Cloud-Piercing Finger technique. After giving him a few pointers, he turned and left.

Lu Ming saw him out, then returned and shut the courtyard gate. He thought to himself that Wei Jinlin seemed to think quite highly of him. Otherwise, he could have simply refused; he would not have set such a test.

Remembering how Wei Jinlin had previously said that even if Lu Ming broke a wooden plaque, he would have to pay for it himself, Lu Ming secretly delighted that three hundred taels of silver could now buy him two second-rate martial arts, complete with instruction and guidance.

In the end, Wei Jinlin had still seen his peerless talent.

As for Zhou Zhen, he was not actually worried. Earlier, he had merely been joking with Wei Jinlin.

Before Zhou Zhen arrived, he had made a grand display and had those families bring down the Li Family Bank. But after arriving, since he intended to develop here for the long term, he would instead not act too overbearingly.

What was more, Lu Ming had only fought an arena battle. Given Zhou Zhen's status, he would not fuss over such a matter. Perhaps he did not even know about it.

But the Li Family's situation was indeed extremely awkward now. Li Youning still had not returned to the Military Service Bureau, and no one knew what fate awaited the Li Family.

They could only rely on themselves.

"Cloud-Piercing Finger!"

Lu Ming had originally planned to stop by the Public Kitchen for dinner, but for some reason, the mealtime had been delayed today.

He could only return to the courtyard to cultivate. In the dusk, he recalled the second-rate finger technique Wei Jinlin had just taught him, anticipation stirring in his heart.

After the arena battle, Qin Zhonghai of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion had exchanged a second-rate movement art, Water Gliding, for his Grass Gliding.

However, the bonus from a second-rate movement art was certainly inferior to that of a first-rate one. And since his Cloud-Stepping Technique had not yet entered the entry level at the time, cultivating Water Gliding would have granted even less Leg Dao experience.

Therefore, he had not cultivated Water Gliding yet.

This left him still uncertain whether the experience bonus granted by second-rate martial arts was truly as he had imagined.

Now that Wei Jinlin had just taught him the Cloud-Piercing Finger, it was the perfect time to become familiar with it.

So, he would strike while the iron was hot and cultivate the Cloud-Piercing Finger, while also seeing the bonus effect of second-rate martial arts!