Blade Light, Incident

After Lu Yuan practiced the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique two more times, his progress neared perfection.

Once the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique reaches perfection, it will be possible to manifest a blade aura, and the commotion will surely be significant. I had better save this final practice for after I return this afternoon!

Lu Yuan thought to himself, then followed the crowd toward the dining hall.

Sure enough, the dining hall was stocked with all sorts of meat—beef, pork, chicken, duck, and fish—along with eggs of every variety.

As for rice, flour, and steamed buns, there was as much as one could possibly want.

With his identification badge, he could take as much as he liked, provided he didn't waste it or take it away.

Back at Song Academy, although he could receive a free serving of meat at noon, it was at most half a catty of pork, plus a few eggs.

Here, not only was the meat unlimited, but he could eat his fill at all three meals a day.

However, after Lu Yuan finished a hearty meal, he discovered that even the beef seemed far less effective for him than it had been before.

He feared that even if he ate another meal tonight, it would be difficult to fully recover.

Immediately, Lu Yuan rose and walked toward the outer hall.

"Shopkeeper, may I claim the Essence-Replenishing Soup this time?"

Lu Yuan asked the shopkeeper directly.

"Both the Essence-Replenishing Soup and the Qi-Replenishing Soup are worth three taels, so naturally, you may!"

The shopkeeper smiled and nodded.

He promptly registered Lu Yuan and then handed him a packet of medicinal herbs for the Essence-Replenishing Soup.

"Many thanks!"

After taking the herbs, Lu Yuan walked straight out of Guangchun Hall.

Upon returning home, he had Madam Yang set the Essence-Replenishing Soup to boil, then went straight into the courtyard.

"Hum, hum, hum..."

Lu Yuan began to execute the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique once more; not only were his movements fluid and seamless, but each strike was faster than the last.

By the end, the trajectory of the blade was impossible to track, and the sharp whistling of wind echoed incessantly.

Faintly, it even seemed as though a white, flickering aura of energy was pulsing at the tip of the blade.

"Shhh!"

Lu Yuan slashed his blade directly into a stone block, not only cleaving it in two but leaving the cut surface as smooth as a mirror.

"Blade aura—it is done!"

Lu Yuan stood with his blade in hand, unable to suppress a smile.

In less than a month since he first touched the path of martial arts, he had not only successfully stepped into the Hidden Energy realm but had also cultivated the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique to perfection, successfully manifesting a blade aura.

One must realize that even Master Song, who had been immersed in this Wind-Breaking Blade Technique for over a decade, had yet to reach perfection, let alone manifest a blade aura. Yet, he had achieved it in a mere ten days or so.

Surely, even those top-tier geniuses from noble clans with exceptional natural talent could do no better, right?

Blade aura was the manifestation of a blade technique pushed to its absolute limit, a special realm that countless blade practitioners dreamed of reaching.

Before stepping into it, one only knew of its power to injure ranked martial artists; after stepping into it, one realized it was even stronger—an unstoppable force.

Lu Yuan carefully contemplated the terrifying power unleashed by his strike just now, feeling that even if he were to face an average Transformation Energy expert, he could easily slay them with a single blow.

Although manifesting the blade aura consumed a great deal of blood-qi, and with his current limit, he could only manifest it three times at most, three times was more than enough for a life-or-death struggle.

Moreover, with the Five Animals Fist now perfected, his blood-qi limit would continue to increase rapidly.

"Now, even looking at the entirety of Qinghe County, I have enough to protect myself!"

Lu Yuan smiled lightly, appearing increasingly composed.

If he could also bring the Flick Finger Technique to perfection, he might even be able to challenge a veteran expert like Master Song, a true master of Transformation Energy.

Of course, despite his significant increase in strength, he remained committed to being steady and low-key.

He knew that now was not the time to be reckless.

With his current strength, he might be considered an expert in Qinghe County, but if he were placed in the broader Anyang Prefecture and faced those true geniuses of the great clans, he would likely still fall short.

In short, his strength was not yet enough; he had to keep practicing!

[Wind-Breaking Blade Technique: Perfected (Limit Not Broken: 1%)]

Lu Yuan glanced once more at the ancient scroll in his mind. Like the Five Animals Fist, the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique had reached perfection, and the proficiency status had changed to "Limit Not Broken."

Even if he continued to practice, there would likely be no further changes.

Clearly, whether it was the Five Animals Fist or this Wind-Breaking Blade Technique, breaking the limit would require meeting other conditions or reaching some sort of catalyst.

As for what specific conditions or catalysts were needed, Lu Yuan had yet to figure it out.

He did not dwell on it too much; since the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique no longer required practice, he could devote his time and blood-qi to cultivating the Flick Finger Technique.

"Pop... pop... pop..."

Sitting in the courtyard, Lu Yuan grabbed a handful of small pebbles and began to practice the Flick Finger Technique.

As one small pebble after another drilled into the mud, the proficiency of the Flick Finger Technique rose rapidly.

[Flick Finger Technique Minor Accomplishment (781/1000)]

[Flick Finger Technique Minor Accomplishment (897/1000)]

After cultivating the Flick Finger Technique to Major Accomplishment, Lu Yuan downed the already brewed Essence-Replenishing Soup in one gulp.

Instantly, he could feel his physical stamina recovering at a rapid pace.

After resting for a mere two and a half hours, Lu Yuan's stamina had basically returned to its peak state.

This was the effect of the medicinal soup; not only was it more effective than ordinary meat, but it also restored strength much faster.

It was just a pity that this single portion of Essence-Replenishing Soup could only be taken for three days, which amounted to one tael of silver per day.

Although he still had ten taels of silver left on him, he could only afford to buy three portions of Essence-Replenishing Soup at most, which was only enough to sustain him for ten days.

Unless he could earn thirty taels of silver a month, he would barely be able to afford one dose of Essence-Replenishing Soup daily. If he factored in the Qi-Replenishing Soup, that cost would double, and adding in large quantities of meat would make it a bottomless pit.

Unfortunately, his current income was far from enough to support him in entering a state of extreme-consumption cultivation.

If not for the financial support from the Zhou Family, he would likely still be limited to practicing once a day, maintaining the slowest possible progress.

"Martial arts is truly just burning money!"

Thinking of this, Lu Yuan couldn't help but sigh inwardly, then began practicing the Five Animals Fist once more.

After this session of cultivation ended, he could clearly feel that the blood and qi within his body had increased by at least ten percent.

At this rate, he estimated that it would likely take no more than a month for him to perform his third blood and qi tempering, allowing him to charge toward the Transformation Jin level.

Not only that, but after finishing this cultivation, he did not feel as exhausted as before; even without the rapid recovery of stamina, he could still maintain a normal state.

Clearly, the residual medicinal power of the Essence-Replenishing Soup was still taking effect.

"Bang!"

Just at that moment, the courtyard gate was suddenly shoved open, and several men strode in.

Without exception, these men all had a black tiger head mark on the backs of their hands.

"Has it come to light?"

Lu Yuan's expression remained unchanged, appearing extremely calm.

Although less than a month had passed, he was no longer that ordinary martial artist who needed to rely on lime powder to kill two Black Tiger Gang thugs; he was now a true Dark Jin expert capable of manifesting blade qi!