Situ Yiyun didn't take Lu Jing'an's words to heart.
For several days in a row, Lu Jing'an had given him the same reminder.
Situ Yiyun was already used to it.
Lu Jing'an could tell that Situ Yiyun hadn't taken his warning seriously.
But Lu Jing'an wasn't in a hurry.
It was enough that he'd given him a heads-up.
When he really did lose later,
the system wouldn't be able to find fault with him.
Once Lu Jing'an was in position,
his opening move was still Oriole Probes the Crop.
Situ Yiyun responded mechanically.
Only this time,
the instant Lu Jing'an's palm touched Situ Yiyun,
it seemed to stretch out of nowhere.
Like a venomous snake darting out its tongue,
it shot straight
toward Situ Yiyun's throat,
precise and unerring.
The sudden change gave Situ Yiyun a tremendous shock.
Disaster struck in an instant!
Situ Yiyun's hair stood on end. He tightened his core, then sprang backward with all his might.
But Lu Jing'an's next move, Slap Palm, was already coming down in a fierce chop.
This strike
was worlds apart from before!
His arm swept down like a steel whip tearing through the air.
It even cracked with a sharp, explosive report.
It was more than twice as fast!
If it landed squarely, it might not shatter his skull, but it would surely make all seven orifices bleed.
Situ Yiyun was horrified.
He'd thought he'd retreated far enough.
But the next moment,
he realized he was wrong again.
Lu Jing'an's arm really did seem to stretch out of nowhere.
That slap slammed straight toward his head.
Situ Yiyun hurriedly raised an arm to block.
The blow ultimately landed on his arm.
Smack!
His forearm felt as though it had been savagely lashed by an iron whip.
A searing, stinging pain spread through it.
Before he could catch his breath,
Lu Jing'an's attacks came pouring down like a torrential rain.
The essence of Tongbei Fist
was being brought to life in his hands.
Cold, springing, crisp, and fast—every move exploited his reach to strike at close range.
Cracking sounds like a whip's tip splitting the air rang out one after another, snapping without pause.
Situ Yiyun had lost the initiative from the very first move.
Now he was driven into a corner, with nowhere left to retreat.
He clenched his teeth, about to unleash his blood and qi!
Then he felt a chill at his throat.
Lu Jing'an's fingertip had stopped half an inch from it.
A needle-like coldness stung his skin.
Situ Yiyun's Adam's apple bobbed. He swallowed with difficulty, then said hoarsely:
"Young Master Lu, I'm beaten."
This time, he was thoroughly convinced by his defeat.
[You have successfully defeated Situ Yiyun. Obtained Affix: Combat Supremacy (White)]
Seeing that he'd gotten the affix,
Lu Jing'an slowly withdrew his hand.
A warm smile appeared on his face as he said, "It's all thanks to Director Situ's excellent teaching."
Hearing Lu Jing'an's polite reply,
Situ Yiyun could only find it bitterly ironic.
Had he really taught him well?
He had taught New Martial Arts.
But Lu Jing'an had defeated him with genuine Ancient Martial Arts.
What did that have to do with his teaching?
Chen Heqing had been watching from the side, completely stunned.
Only when he heard the two of them speaking did he snap out of it.
"Excellent! Young Master Lu fought beautifully!" Chen Heqing exclaimed with a hearty laugh, clapping his hands in praise.
"This is the true power of my Ancient Martial Arts Tongbei Fist!"
"New Martial Arts is nothing but a clown!"
This time, Situ Yiyun didn't argue.
Not because he'd lost,
but because Lu Jing'an had indeed displayed the long-buried sharpness of Ancient Martial Arts.
Still, it wasn't enough to shake Situ Yiyun's convictions.
He had watched Lu Jing'an's training with his own eyes.
A dedicated Medical Cultivator was always on hand to prepare medicinal baths.
The herbs used in the baths were all top of the line.
The herbs in a single tub could feed an ordinary family for ten years.
And Lu Jing'an soaked in such a bath three times a day.
On top of that, he had two seniors from the martial arts world, himself and Chen Heqing, as sparring partners.
And the unfathomably powerful Martial Cultivator Chen Xuan was there to guide him.
Excluding Chen Xuan's expenses,
Lu Jing'an spent at least four hundred silver dollars a day.
Of course, Situ Yiyun admitted
that Lu Jing'an's talent was astonishing.
But Lu Jing'an wasn't the only one with good talent.
How many others had training conditions like his?
Lu Jing'an didn't care about the dispute between New Martial Arts and Ancient Martial Arts.
All that mattered was getting the affix.
Afterward, Lu Jing'an got to experience the power of Combat Supremacy
on Chen Heqing.
With the boost from the Combat Supremacy affix,
Lu Jing'an's speed and efficiency in attacking both improved dramatically.
Using the very same set of Tongbei Fist,
Lu Jing'an somehow made it feel twice as fast.
He even cut out many useless feints.
Even when Chen Heqing used the strength of the Second Blood Transformation,
Lu Jing'an kept him pinned down from start to finish.
In the end, Chen Heqing could only admit defeat.
"Young Master Lu's talent truly is a rare sight in this world."
Chen Heqing meant every word.
He had watched Lu Jing'an advance by leaps and bounds each day.
He'd also been involved firsthand.
He was the most qualified to speak.
After supper,
Lu Jing'an still personally saw the two men to the mansion gates.
This time, however, Chen Heqing and Situ Yiyun exchanged a glance before cupping their hands together.
"Young Master Lu, we've passed on all we can. We won't trouble you again tomorrow."
Lu Jing'an didn't try to make them stay.
He simply nodded with a smile and ordered his servants to present them with double their fee.
Chen Heqing and Situ Yiyun knew perfectly well
that if they stayed any longer,
they might really end up being beaten to the point of serious injury and losing face.
Saying their farewells now let them preserve each other's dignity.
After seeing them off, Lu Jing'an neither went out to beat people up tonight
nor visited the pleasure quarters.
He had something even more important to do today.
Break through!
After repeatedly breaking through with Tongbei Fist,
Lu Jing'an was now just one step away from the Second Blood Transformation.
Lu Jing'an had Cui Jieyi prepare a medicinal bath.
This time, he didn't ask Cui Jieyi to leave.
Instead, he had her wait nearby, ready to add more herbs if there weren't enough or the medicinal effect proved insufficient.
Standing in the Standing Stake inside the enormous wooden tub,
Lu Jing'an circulated his blood and qi through his body again and again.
When it reached a certain critical point,
Lu Jing'an clearly felt resistance in its circulation.
The moment that resistance appeared,
the effect of Extraordinary Physique activated.
The barrier melted away silently, like thin ice in boiling water.
Lu Jing'an's Standing Stake advanced from Beginner to Minor Accomplishment.
Immediately afterward, tiny bubbles began rising from the medicinal bath in the tub.
This was the sign of the Second Blood Transformation: Blood Boiling.
The sign of the First Blood Transformation was Blood Surge.
The second transformation was Blood Boiling.
Boiling blood and qi could provide Lu Jing'an with more true qi and greater strength.
After breaking through in a single stroke,
Lu Jing'an brought up his Attribute Panel to see how his body had changed.
[Name: Lu Jing'an] [Attack: 11] [Defense: 11] [Agility: 5] [Spirit: 8] [Energy Points: 4] [Techniques: Standing Stake (Minor Accomplishment) (Attack +3+3, Defense +3+3, Spirit +3+3), Tongbei Fist (Great Accomplishment) (Attack +8+10)] [Affixes: Clear as Fire (Green), Extraordinary Physique (Green) (Attack +2, Defense +2), Fist Master (Red) (Fist Technique +10), Karma Sound-Tracing (White), Ghost Shadow Lost Track (Orange) (Agility +3), Combat Supremacy (White)]
"My base attributes have each increased by four points, thanks to the breakthrough in my stance training and the affixes."
"If I used Tongbei Fist, my total attack power would reach 29 points!"
An attack power of 29 might not seem very high.
But it corresponded to arm strength of over a thousand jin.
Lu Jing'an had tried using combat power points to assess Situ Yiyun and Chen Heqing.
Both Situ Yiyun and Chen Heqing were Martial Cultivators who had passed the Blood Barrier.
According to Lu Jing'an's assessment,
their combat power was only around 30.
About the same as Lu Jing'an's current combat power, in fact.
Of course, once they actually fought,
unless Lu Jing'an could win within five seconds,
he would undoubtedly lose if the fight lasted any longer.
After all, real combat power wasn't just about attack.
There was also defense, mental strength, stamina, combat skills, and so on...
That said,
with his Second Blood Transformation,
Lu Jing'an's combat power was already on par with Martial Cultivators who had broken through the Blood Barrier.
That was already an extraordinary achievement.
Lu Jing'an was very satisfied with what he had gained overall today.
Not only had he obtained a red Affix, he had also successfully acquired an Affix from Situ Yiyun.
At the same time, his cultivation had reached the Second Blood Transformation.
His strength had changed beyond recognition compared to before.
This gave Lu Jing'an even more confidence about delivering a grand gift to the Li Family.
Besides, he felt that the matter of the assassination attempt against him deserved an explanation and a conclusion.
Night deepened. Moonlight washed over the courtyard, stretching his shadow long and thin.
Lu Jing'an pushed open the window.
He gazed toward a place in the city.
The corner of his mouth curved into a cold, almost imperceptible smile.
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