"Senior Sister Feng?"
Under everyone's astonished gazes, Feng Qingzhu walked up to Lu Ming.
Lu Ming's heart stirred. This woman had been asked by Li Youning to look after him a little. Though she herself had never shown him a friendly face, perhaps she might be willing to protect him because of that?
Lu Ming cupped his hands. "Senior Sister Feng..."
Feng Qingzhu said, "I can spar with you. Increasing your combat experience can strengthen your martial will and improve your resistance to pressure."
Hearing this, Lu Ming felt slightly disappointed. So it was merely a spar.
Still, Feng Qingzhu had no friendship with him. For her to step forward and help him at a time like this was already exceedingly rare.
If sparring could improve his resistance to pressure, that meant he could endure longer in the Iron Stake Area.
For example, if he had originally lasted half an hour, then after improving, he could last an hour. That was equivalent to doubling his cultivation time!
Though it could not compare to the three hours of a Flesh Refining martial artist, it was still much better than before.
This had fallen into his lap for free. He could not ask for too much.
Lu Ming immediately expressed his solemn thanks. Feng Qingzhu's expression did not change. The emerald bamboo in her hand suddenly turned into a streak of green light and shot toward him, seeming both solid and illusory as it targeted the vital points all over his body.
She was starting just like that?
Lu Ming's gaze sharpened. Feng Qingzhu had struck without warning, and her entire aura suddenly intensified. Her eyes were fierce, and the emerald bamboo in her hand seemed capable of piercing straight through him at any moment.
Remembering how Feng Qingzhu had instantly killed that Flesh Refining assassin within two moves, Lu Ming's heart tightened. He did not dare be careless and immediately used Smooth Ascent to the Clouds to retreat rapidly.
Yet Feng Qingzhu moved with her bamboo, light and swift. The emerald bamboo in her hand firmly locked onto the vital points of his chest and abdomen, its terrifying pressure following him like a shadow!
Lu Ming was hard-pressed on every side, surrounded by danger. He nearly believed that Feng Qingzhu truly intended to kill him.
But that never happened. Whenever he was about to be struck, the emerald bamboo would always shift slightly and graze past him.
Even so, the ferocious might contained within that little piece of emerald bamboo made his heart quiver.
Feng Qingzhu's strength was formidable even among Flesh Refining martial artists!
Then Lu Ming suddenly came to a realization. This suffocating pressure of life and death was somewhat similar to the aura pressure of the Iron-Scaled Python Demon. No wonder Feng Qingzhu had said sparring would help improve resistance to pressure.
Though he cultivated diligently, he truly lacked combat experience. His spirits immediately lifted, and he gradually calmed down, cherishing this rare opportunity as he exchanged move for move with Feng Qingzhu.
"Eh? These Eighteen Green Bamboo Forms... carry a hint of an acupoint technique!"
Experiencing Feng Qingzhu's staff technique firsthand, Lu Ming's heart soon stirred. He noticed that the emerald bamboo in her hand frequently threatened the body's vital points and faintly possessed the trait of moving along with one's qi and blood.
This martial art appeared to be a staff technique, but its core might actually be an acupoint technique!
A spark of heat rose in Lu Ming's heart.
If he could learn the Eighteen Green Bamboo Forms, then once Cloud-Piercing Finger reached entry level, his acupoint experience could undergo another meteoric rise!
"Take this!" Feng Qingzhu suddenly spoke. Her sharp gaze swept toward Lu Ming as the emerald bamboo in her hand abruptly descended, striking his shoulder.
Hiss!
Lu Ming felt searing pain erupt from his shoulder and sucked in a cold breath. Seeing the emerald bamboo continue to thrust at him again and again, he hurriedly focused his mind and dodged left and right.
Feng Qingzhu snorted inwardly. He was still getting distracted during a spar. It was just like when he had first started practicing martial arts and tried to cultivate numerous techniques at once—his attention scattered, which displeased her.
If Li Youning had not helped her once and repeatedly asked her before leaving to look after this man, she would not have stepped in to guide him.
Even so, sparring and offering guidance were already her limit. Asking her to protect him was impossible.
After roughly a quarter of an hour, Feng Qingzhu suddenly withdrew her hand and said:
"That will be all for today."
Without waiting for Lu Ming's reply, she turned and left.
Seeing this, Lu Ming thought to himself, It seems learning the Eighteen Green Bamboo Forms will not be easy!
He temporarily suppressed these stray thoughts and carefully reflected on his spar with Feng Qingzhu. Though his body felt exhausted, he sensed that his essence, qi, and spirit had faintly improved.
Their earlier entry into the Iron Stake Area had merely been a test and did not count as one of today's cultivation opportunities.
After resting for a while, Lu Ming could not wait to enter the Iron Stake Area. He repeatedly struck the fifth stake with the Nine Palaces Palm.
[Palming Path Divine Ability is being evolved...] [Palming Path Divine Ability is being evolved (30/100)...]
Seeing that his Palm Dao experience had risen by another 5 points, Lu Ming secretly nodded. Then he suddenly realized that although his body was weary, he could still endure beneath the pressure of the Iron-Scaled Python Demon.
Joy rose in his heart. Sparring really was effective!
His Palm Dao experience had already increased by 10 points today. He switched to Cloud-Piercing Finger and continued cultivating.
Wei Jinlin had said that any martial art could be used in the Iron Stake Area, so he could practice Cloud-Piercing Finger here as well.
Of course, striking the iron stakes with his fingers hurt a little more. Lu Ming gritted his teeth slightly and endured the pain as he cultivated.
After all, he had Sweet Dew Powder. Such minor injuries were nothing!
[Acupoint Divine Ability is being evolved (2396/10000)...] [Acupoint Divine Ability is being evolved (2400/10000)...]
As Lu Ming enjoyed the rise in his acupoint experience while improving his qi, blood, and cultivation, the others who had secretly been watching him also had their eyes light up.
"It actually works! I watched Lu Ming earlier. He only lasted about half an hour before, but now he can endure even longer!"
"Martial will... So if one's martial will is strong enough, one can resist the pressure of demons and monsters!"
"We cannot obtain the protection of Flesh Refining martial artists, but we can imitate Lu Ming and spar with others to temper our martial will!"
For a time, everyone began seeking out Flesh Refining martial artists and requesting sparring guidance.
However, with so many Skin Refining Major Completion martial artists present and only sixteen Flesh Refining martial artists, even if they coveted the benefits offered, they could not possibly guide and spar with everyone one by one.
The disciples who failed to secure sparring sessions with Flesh Refining martial artists had their eyes flicker. They paired up in twos and formed sparring groups with other Skin Refining Major Completion martial artists, helping one another.
Naturally, the results were worse than sparring with Flesh Refining martial artists. After all, the pressure exerted by martial artists of the same rank was comparatively weaker.
But something was better than nothing. As long as they could gain even a little more cultivation time, it was worth pursuing.
They did not dare hope for Demon Meat, but gaining a little more cultivation time and improving their cultivation results was still good.
"Lu Ming really did extend his cultivation time. It is true. That brat actually received guidance from Senior Sister Feng." Not far away, Chen Jinyang said in surprise.
Beside him stood a young man with handsome features. His bearing and imposing aura surpassed Chen Jinyang's by a notch. He was the Chen Family's genius of this class, Chen Feng!
Earlier in the Iron Stake Area, he had gone the farthest, reaching the sixteenth stake. He faintly held the position of first place in this year's Military Service Bureau.
After hearing Chen Jinyang's words, he did not even glance at Lu Ming and said:
"He is still at Skin Refining Major Completion. He is destined to achieve nothing great.
"Junior Sister Feng is proud and aloof, not skilled at socializing. Previously, only Li Youning could exchange a few words with her. Li Youning must have asked her to look after Lu Ming, so there is nothing strange about it.
"There is no need to pay attention to this person. My opponents are only the few Flesh Refining martial artists."
As he spoke, his gaze flickered, and he suddenly walked toward Liu Yiyi.
Watching his back, Chen Jinyang silently grumbled, He is even younger than me, yet he speaks with such old-fashioned gravity, as if he has already become a Lineage elder.
Unfortunately, barring any accidents, Chen Feng truly might become this year's first place. He had a chance to enter a Third-Rate Sect, and his future was boundless!
As for himself, he was still at Skin Refining Major Completion. He truly was unlikely to achieve anything great.
At the Martial Arts Arena, many people had already begun sparring. Shouts and battle cries rose and fell one after another.
Liu Yiyi looked at Feng Qingzhu, who had come over after sparring with Lu Ming, and sighed in relief. "Qingzhu, it is good that you knew your limits and merely sparred with him.
"If you had chosen to protect him, Shen Changfeng might have been displeased. He himself is one thing, but I hear Senior Zhou thinks very highly of Shen Changfeng. Senior Zhou cannot be offended."
Feng Qingzhu glanced at her. "I remember Youning also asked you."
Liu Yiyi did not care. "My Liu Family gave him a full thirty Qi-Enhancing Pills. That is already more than enough repayment.
"He is the one who is arrogant and fails to appreciate kindness, even recklessly offending the Shen Family. Who can save him?
"I advise you to stay away from him. Giving him such pointers today was already enough to fulfill the duty of friendship."
As they spoke, Chen Feng walked over with a smile. "Junior Sister Liu, Junior Sister Feng, since sparring can improve one's resistance to the pressure of demons and monsters, why not try sparring with each other? We can improve together and strive to obtain Red Tokens sooner."
Feng Qingzhu shook her head. "No need."
She turned around and walked away.
Liu Yiyi's eyes brightened slightly. Looking at the handsome Chen Feng, she said softly, "Senior Brother is first in this class, with extraordinary strength. You have great hope of joining a Ranked Sect in the Grand Examination. It would be Yiyi's greatest honor to spar with you."
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