The crimson sword aura shot from his sword and pierced straight through the boulder ahead in the blink of an eye.
He could even see that the cross-section had been charred black.
"The destructive power of the Blazing Sun Sword Qi really is far greater than that of sword light."
Lu Yuan lowered his sword, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
Most importantly, sword qi could strike enemies from a hundred paces away, and its power was even more terrifying than Flick Finger Technique combined with Iron Pellets.
With the Blazing Sun Sword Qi as a trump card, he could calmly face even a Ninth Grade powerhouse who had truly mastered Iron Skin—and might even have a real chance of defeating one despite the difference in rank.
Aside from the Blazing Sun Sword Technique, over the past ten days Lu Yuan had also truly begun cultivating the Skin Refining Chapter of the Five Elements Vajra Body.
[Five Elements Vajra Body Skin Refining Chapter: Beginner (111/5000)]
Along with the progress recorded on the Ancient Scroll, a thread of inner force had also emerged in the dantian within Lu Yuan's body.
The birth of this inner force marked the fact that, from that moment on, he had truly entered the ranks. He was now a Ninth Grade Skin Refining Realm martial artist.
Next, he only had to keep using his inner force to temper the skin all over his body until it became as tough as iron.
Only after entering the ranks did Lu Yuan finally understand why Master Song had once said, "Those who haven't entered the ranks are nothing but ants."
The gap between those who had entered the ranks and those who hadn't was like the distance between heaven and earth.
The key lay in inner force.
The wonders of inner force far surpassed those of qi and blood.
First, inner force tempered and nourished the body far more efficiently than qi and blood.
Second, inner force could strengthen one's constitution and replenish one's vitality, so there was basically no need to worry about one's qi and blood declining.
It could also be said that once martial artists entered the ranks, the notion of a golden age no longer applied to them.
Even after turning thirty, they could continue to steadily improve their cultivation and strength.
Most importantly, when inner force was used to drive techniques, the resulting power was greater than that of qi and blood. The saber light and sword light it produced were especially destructive—several times more powerful, at the very least.
In short, once martial artists acquired inner force, they underwent a leap forward in every respect.
Calling it a qualitative transformation would be no exaggeration.
"Even across all of Qinghe County, I should now count as one of the rare top experts."
Lu Yuan stood with his sword in hand, a sharp glint in his eyes.
Of course, he knew full well that beyond Qinghe County, in the vast world of martial arts, entering the ranks was only the beginning.
Above the Ninth Grade Skin Refining Realm was the Eighth Grade Flesh Refining Realm.
And above Eighth Grade came Seventh Rank, Sixth Rank, and all the way up to First Rank.
Even within the Skin Refining Realm alone, there were considerable differences in strength.
A few days earlier, while chatting in the back courtyard of Guangchun Hall, Huang Hui had mentioned several details about the Ninth Grade Skin Refining Realm.
"For ordinary Ninth Grade martial artists, skin as tough as iron may be the ultimate goal of this realm. Once they achieve Iron Skin, they can immediately attempt to break into the Eighth Grade Flesh Refining Realm. But for true geniuses, that's only the beginning. They can keep progressing toward Bronze Skin, and even Gold Skin!"
"But without exceptional natural talent, abundant resources, and even precious medicines to help, Bronze Skin may be within reach, but Gold Skin will remain an unattainable dream!"
Huang Hui had also warned Lu Yuan that once he entered the ranks, he mustn't blindly pursue Gold Skin.
Gold Skin was far tougher than Iron Skin and Bronze Skin, but achieving it required enormous resources and consumed a great deal of time and energy.
Cultivation was ultimately the foundation of a martial artist. No matter how formidable Gold Skin was, it could hardly make up for the gap in cultivation.
While he pursued Gold Skin, others might have already broken into the Eighth Grade Flesh Refining Realm—or even advanced beyond Eighth Grade.
Put simply, if one didn't have exceptional natural talent or sufficient resources to help, then after entering the Ninth Grade, one only needed to achieve Iron Skin before attempting to break into the Eighth Grade.
If one had exceptional natural talent, ample resources, and even precious medicines to help, then one could try to pursue Bronze Skin, or even Gold Skin.
The choice ultimately came down to personal priorities.
Of course, Lu Yuan didn't need to choose.
He could have both Gold Skin and a higher cultivation realm.
Although the proficiency cap of the Five Elements Vajra Body Skin Refining Chapter had risen straight to five thousand upon reaching the beginner level, he could still cultivate it to minor mastery in a short time.
At minor mastery, he would achieve Iron Skin.
By the same logic, at major mastery he would achieve Bronze Skin, and at perfection, Gold Skin.
Cultivating the Skin Refining Chapter of the Five Elements Vajra Body and condensing inner force consumed far more than practicing Transformation Realm techniques. But with Rejuvenation Pills and Blood-Qi Pills to help, he could still manage at least three training sessions a day.
On top of that, he had already perfected the Blazing Sun Sword Technique. Now he could devote all his time and energy to tempering his skin.
After taking a Rejuvenation Pill and a Blood-Qi Pill, Lu Yuan resumed cultivating.
He could clearly sense the thread of inner force in his dantian beginning to flow through the skin all over his body. Every inch felt as though it were being repeatedly hammered and tempered.
His skin trembled faintly, as if giving off a soft hum.
With every circuit the inner force made, Lu Yuan could feel that the skin all over his body had undergone a tangible change.
It was nearly two hours later before he finally stopped.
[Five Elements Vajra Body Skin Refining Chapter: Beginner (317/5000)]
After that session, his proficiency had increased by nearly two hundred.
He also noticed that his body was soaked in sweat, with small amounts of black matter mixed in. They were likely impurities expelled as his skin was tempered.
But tempering his skin consumed inner force, while condensing inner force required a large amount of qi and blood. Even with Blood-Qi Pills to help, it still felt difficult to keep up.
After resting briefly, Lu Yuan placed a slice of Blood Ginseng in his mouth and resumed cultivating.
For the next few days, Lu Yuan spent most of his time cultivating at home.
As his progress steadily increased, the Five Elements Vajra Body Skin Refining Chapter was nearing minor mastery, and Iron Skin was within reach.
Even so, Lu Yuan had no intention of showing off.
Only by keeping a few more trump cards hidden could he feel a little more secure.
He had just one thought now: achieve Iron Skin as soon as possible, then try to achieve Bronze Skin or even Gold Skin before the Martial Examination.
The following morning.
Lu Yuan returned to Guangchun Hall.
The moment he stepped into the back courtyard, nearly everyone who had been training stopped what they were doing in unison.
They not only made way for him to take the best spot, but some even clasped their fists and greeted him as "Master Lu."
Lu Yuan was very young—seventeen, even a few years younger than they were—but in their eyes, he was already a senior more formidable than Master Huang.
Zhang Feng was especially quick, rushing to the dining hall to fetch him a generous portion of meat.
Chen Zheng, Wang Chao, and the others eagerly competed to bring him tea and water.
Even Shopkeeper Yu personally brought him Qi-Replenishing Soup and Essence-Replenishing Soup.
That was human nature: when you were strong, everyone around you was a good person.
"Lu Yuan, would you like to make a fortune?"
Just as Lu Yuan was about to leave, Master Huang approached with a broad smile.
"Master Huang, please tell me more!"
Lu Yuan's eyes lit up, and he answered with a smile.
Although the Zhou Family now provided most of his cultivation resources, and he still had more than half of his Century-Old Blood Ginseng left, he still needed money—and the more, the better.
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