The next day, the snow had stopped.
After returning from Guangchun Hall, Lu Yuan first cleared out the yard, then helped Madam Yang clean the whole house.
Next came hanging peachwood charms and preparing the offerings for the ancestral rites.
When everything was done, Lu Yuan went out into the yard and practiced the Five Animals Fist once.
Although he had already reached the Transformation Realm, practicing the Five Animals Fist still nourished and tempered his qi and blood.
Besides, until he found a new internal cultivation method, this was the only fist technique he could practice.
After drinking a dose of Essence-Replenishing Soup and Qi-Replenishing Soup as usual, Lu Yuan began practicing the Blazing Sun Sword Technique with all his might.
[Blazing Sun Sword Technique: Minor Mastery (123/5000)]
Though Lu Yuan hadn't practiced the Blazing Sun Sword Technique much in recent days, he had still reached the minor mastery stage with ease.
Moreover, each time he practiced now, he gained around five hundred proficiency points.
Though the proficiency cap had risen to five thousand, he only needed to practice another ten or so times.
Even if he could practice only five times a day, two days would be enough.
As time passed, his proficiency in the Blazing Sun Sword Technique steadily increased.
Of course, it wasn't only his proficiency that changed. His insight and understanding of the Blazing Sun Sword Technique deepened as well.
During that time, Lu Yuan practiced the Five Animals Fist twice more.
Though after reaching the Transformation Realm, the benefits of both hearty meats like tiger, deer, and bear and ordinary medicinal soups like Qi-Replenishing Soup and Essence-Replenishing Soup seemed to have diminished considerably, he could now eat three portions of hearty meat a day and drink another dose of each soup. That was just enough to support his pace of training three times a day.
As for the Century-Old Blood Ginseng, he planned to save it for when he attempted to enter the ranks of the martial arts.
"Bang... bang... bang..."
The sound of firecrackers rang out intermittently from every corner of the city.
The air was thick with the pungent smell of gunpowder and the scent of cheap incense.
After the ancestral rites, Lu Yuan changed into a clean cotton robe and sat at a table laden with dishes.
After entering the Transformation Realm, he no longer felt the slightest chill, even in a single layer of clothing.
The weather was no longer as cold as before, either, so there was no need to wear those heavy padded coats.
Madam Yang and Little Nannan had also changed into lighter padded clothes and trousers.
Lu Yuan now had a fortune of more than fifteen hundred taels, so he naturally wouldn't stint on Madam Yang and Little Nannan.
At the very least, he did his best to give them the best food, clothes, and daily necessities.
Once the Black Market Auction ended tonight, if he still had enough money left, he would find them a better house.
"Big brother... the drumstick is so tasty... you eat some too..."
Little Nannan, wearing a tiger-head hat, held a drumstick in her hand and ate with grease all over her mouth. She blinked her round eyes at Lu Yuan and smiled.
The little girl was only seven, right at the age when she was growing. She had been rather small and thin from prolonged malnutrition, but after being cared for these past days, she had finally recovered completely.
Not only were her cheeks rosy, but she had visibly grown taller as well.
"Okay, big brother will eat. Nannan, you eat plenty too!"
Lu Yuan smiled, then put a drumstick on his own plate and one on Little Nannan's.
Madam Yang sat to the side, watching the siblings. A faint smile appeared on her face.
"Ah Yuan, after today, you'll be seventeen. You still haven't been betrothed, and you haven't left the Lu family an heir. As for the Martial Examination... if it's too dangerous, why not give it up?"
After a brief pause, Madam Yang turned to Lu Yuan and said hesitantly, "You've already made good progress in martial arts. Even without any titles, you can still find a decent job. After the new year, Mother can find you a good match, and then our family can live a peaceful life together."
She had heard that the Martial Examination was not only difficult, but dangerous as well.
"Don't worry, I know my limits. If nothing else, I'll just go for the experience and see what it's like!"
Lu Yuan smiled as he spoke.
In this world that devoured people, what could truly be called peace?
Without enough strength, any so-called peace was just a bubble that burst at the slightest touch.
Though he had now reached the Transformation Realm, before a true ranked martial artist, he was probably no different from an ant that could be crushed with ease.
And even becoming a ranked martial artist didn't mean he could rest easy from then on.
Only by passing the Martial Examination and becoming a Martial Scholar could he go to the Prefecture Martial Academy and encounter higher levels of martial arts. Only then could he grow faster, stand higher, and go farther.
"If you can think of it that way, then that's wonderful!"
Madam Yang smiled and nodded, saying no more.
Lu Yuan continued teasing Little Nannan as he savored the many delicious dishes on the table.
He already had a clear idea of what he needed to do next.
He had to make sure to practice the Blazing Sun Sword Technique at least five times a day and try to master it before the Martial Examination began.
By then, with the Blazing Sun Sword Qi, his offensive power would surely far exceed that of an ordinary martial artist in the Transformation Realm. He might even be invincible beneath the ranks of the ranked martial artists.
But that still wasn't enough. The true geniuses from the great clans had probably already become ranked martial artists.
If he was lucky enough to find an internal cultivation method at tonight's Black Market Auction that could help him enter the ranks, then with the Century-Old Blood Ginseng, he would have every chance of breaking through before the Martial Examination.
By then, even if he encountered a ranked genius from a great clan, he wouldn't fear them in the slightest.
After eating his fill, Lu Yuan headed straight for the Black Market under cover of night.
After paying the two hundred copper coins entry fee again, he went into the courtyard.
As before, he casually bought a black cloak and a mask, concealing himself from head to toe.
This time, though, he deliberately avoided the ox-head mask.
It wasn't that he had any particular taboo. He just thought "ox-headed man" sounded a little odd.
Following the crowd, Lu Yuan soon arrived at the hall where the auction was being held.
He now had a wooden bidder's tag bearing the number 329 in his hand.
At the Black Market, names didn't matter, gender didn't matter, and one's origins didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was money—or something harder than money.
As long as he had enough silver, he could use this bidder's tag, number 329, to take home anything at the auction.
Of course, Lu Yuan had come to the auction today for only one thing.
He wanted to claim the special cultivation method that would appear as the final lot.
He hoped even more that this special cultivation method would be a better internal training technique than the Five Animals Fist.
Even if he mastered the Five Animals Fist, it could only take him to the Transformation Realm. It couldn't truly let him enter the ranks of the martial arts.
To reach a higher level, he needed to practice a better internal technique.
Before long, the entire hall was packed.
Even the private rooms on the second floor were teeming with people.
"Clang!"
At the sound of a gong, a middle-aged man in a purple robe stepped onto the raised platform at the front.
"Everyone, we've got plenty of good things today. How many you can take home depends on your own abilities!"
The purple-robed man smiled as he surveyed the crowd, then continued, "Enough talk. Today's first lot is a large residence with three courtyards, starting at three hundred taels!"
As soon as he finished speaking, many people began bidding.
Lu Yuan simply sat there with his eyes closed, resting.
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