Planning, Auction

The next day, the snow had stopped.

After returning from Guangchun Hall, Lu Yuan first cleared the courtyard, then helped Madam Yang clean the entire house.

Next came hanging the peach wood charms and preparing the offerings for the ancestral rites.

Once everything was finished, Lu Yuan went back into the courtyard to practice the Five Animals Fist.

Although he had already reached the Transformation Jin stage, continuing to practice the Five Animals Fist still allowed him to nourish and temper his qi and blood.

Moreover, until he found a new internal cultivation technique, he had no choice but to practice this Five Animals Fist.

After drinking a dose of Essence-Replenishing Soup and Qi-Replenishing Soup as usual, Lu Yuan began to practice the Blazing Sun Sword Technique with all his might.

[Blazing Sun Sword Technique: Minor Accomplishment (123/5000)]

Although Lu Yuan had not practiced the Blazing Sun Sword Technique much in recent days, it was still easy for him to reach the Minor Accomplishment level.

Furthermore, each time he practiced now, he could gain about five hundred points of proficiency.

Even though the proficiency cap had reached five thousand, he only needed to practice about ten more times.

Even if he could only practice five times a day, two days would be enough.

As time passed, the proficiency of the Blazing Sun Sword Technique grew steadily.

Of course, it was not just the change in proficiency; his insight and understanding of the Blazing Sun Sword Technique were also deepening.

During this period, Lu Yuan practiced the Five Animals Fist twice more.

Although after breaking through to the Transformation Jin stage, the supplementary effects of heavy meats like tiger, deer, and bear, as well as ordinary medicinal soups like the Qi-Replenishing Soup and Essence-Replenishing Soup, seemed to have diminished significantly, he could still eat three portions of heavy meat a day and drink one dose of each soup, which was just enough to support his schedule of three training sessions per day.

As for the Century-Old Blood Ginseng, he planned to save it for when he attempted to enter the Ranked stages.

"Bang... bang... bang..."

The sound of firecrackers rang out intermittently from every corner of the city.

The air was filled with the pungent scent of gunpowder and the smell of low-quality incense.

After the ancestral rites were over, Lu Yuan changed into a clean cotton robe and sat down at the table filled with dishes.

Having stepped into the Transformation Jin stage, he no longer felt the slightest chill even when wearing a single layer of clothing.

Coupled with the fact that the weather was no longer as cold as before, there was naturally no need to wear those heavy padded jackets.

Even Madam Yang and Little Nannan had changed into lighter cotton clothes and trousers.

Lu Yuan now had a massive fortune of over fifteen hundred taels on him, so he naturally would not treat Madam Yang and Little Nannan poorly.

At the very least, he ensured they had the best when it came to food and clothing.

After the black market auction tonight, if there was any money left, he would move to a better house.

"Brother... the chicken leg is so delicious... you eat too..."

Little Nannan, wearing a tiger-head hat, held a chicken leg in her hand, her mouth covered in grease, and smiled at Lu Yuan with her round, blinking eyes.

The little girl was only seven years old this year, right at the age for growing. Because of long-term malnutrition, she had appeared quite thin and small, but after these days of nourishment, she had finally recovered completely.

Not only was her complexion rosy, but her height had also visibly increased quite a bit.

"Alright, Brother will eat, Nannan should eat more too!"

Lu Yuan smiled, then picked up a chicken leg for both himself and Little Nannan.

Madam Yang sat to the side, looking at the siblings, and could not help but reveal a faint smile.

"A-Yuan, after today, you will be seventeen. You haven't discussed marriage yet, nor have you left any descendants for the Lu family. As for the Martial Examination... if it is too dangerous, why not just forget about it?"

After pondering for a moment, Madam Yang suddenly turned to look at Lu Yuan and said with some hesitation, "You have achieved success in martial arts now; even without an official title, you can find a decent job. After the New Year, Mother will find you a good match, and we can just live our lives peacefully."

She had heard that the Martial Examination was not only difficult but also dangerous.

"Don't worry, I have a sense of proportion. If it really doesn't work out, I'll just treat it as joining in the fun and seeing the world!"

Lu Yuan smiled and said.

In this man-eating world, there was no such thing as peace.

Without sufficiently powerful strength, so-called peace was nothing more than a bubble that would burst at a single touch.

Although he had already entered the Transformation Jin stage, in front of truly Ranked martial artists, he was likely still no different from an ant that could be easily crushed.

Even if he became a Ranked martial artist, it did not mean he could rest easy from then on.

Only by passing as a Martial Scholar could he go to the Prefecture Martial Academy, come into contact with higher levels of martial arts, and grow faster, allowing himself to stand higher and go further.

"If you can think that way, then that is naturally excellent!"

Madam Yang nodded with a smile and said no more.

Lu Yuan continued to tease Little Nannan while savoring the many delicacies on the table.

As for his plans going forward, he actually had a good idea of what to do.

He had to ensure at least five practice sessions of the Blazing Sun Sword Technique per day, striving to complete it before the Martial Examination began.

When the time comes, relying on the Blazing Sun Sword Qi, his offensive capabilities will surely far exceed those of an average Hua Jin martial artist; it would be no exaggeration to even call him invincible below the Ranked level.

But this is not enough; those true geniuses from the noble families have likely already reached the Ranked level.

If he is lucky enough to find an internal cultivation method at tonight's Black Market Auction that can assist him in reaching the Ranked level, then with the help of that Century-Old Blood Ginseng, he will have every hope of breaking through before the Martial Examination.

By then, even if he truly encounters a Ranked genius from a noble family, he will have nothing to fear.

After eating and drinking his fill, Lu Yuan took advantage of the night and walked briskly toward the black market.

After paying the two-hundred-wen entry fee once again, he stepped directly into the courtyard.

Just like last time, he casually bought a black cloak and a mask, concealing his entire person.

However, this time he specifically avoided the ox-head mask.

It wasn't that he had any particular taboos, he just felt that being an "ox-head" sounded a bit strange.

Following the crowd, Lu Yuan soon arrived at the hall where the auction was being held.

In his hand was a wooden plaque with a number on it: three hundred and twenty-nine.

In the black market, names don't matter, gender doesn't matter, and origins don't matter; the only things that matter are money, or things even more valuable than money.

As long as he has enough silver, he can take away anything from the auction with this number 329 wooden plaque.

Of course, Lu Yuan only came to this auction today for one thing.

That is, to secure the special cultivation method appearing as the grand finale.

He also hopes that this special cultivation method is an internal practice superior to the Five Animals Fist.

Even if the Five Animals Fist is cultivated to perfection, it can only ever allow him to reach the Hua Jin level; it cannot truly allow him to become Ranked.

And if he wants to step into a higher level, he must cultivate a better, new internal technique.

Before long, the entire hall was filled with people.

Even the private rooms on the second floor were bustling with heads.

"Clang!"

With the sound of a gong, a middle-aged man dressed in purple robes walked onto the high platform at the front.

"Everyone, there are many good things today, but how much you can take away depends on your own abilities!"

The man in the purple robe swept his gaze over the audience with a smile, then continued: "Without further ado, the first item for auction today is a large three-courtyard residence, starting bid, three hundred taels!"

As his voice fell, many people began to bid one after another.

Lu Yuan, however, closed his eyes to rest, sitting quietly in his seat.