Lu Jing'an truly hadn't expected the Battle-Hardened affix to be this effective.
It was no exaggeration to say it gave him an extra life.
Next, Lu Jing'an turned his attention to the Combat Supremacy affix.
After looking through its description, he found that it was more or less what he'd expected.
The effect was the same, but all the values had increased significantly.
"At least it's a green affix. It wasn't a waste."
But just as Lu Jing'an equipped the new Combat Supremacy affix, he noticed something.
The plus signs that had been gray beside all the affixes—
The ones beside the two Combat Supremacy affixes had lit up.
Seeing this, Lu Jing'an immediately understood.
He selected the two plus signs without hesitation.
A new prompt appeared.
[Upgrade affix level. Required Energy Points: 3. Upgrade?]
"So it wasn't that I didn't have enough Energy Points to upgrade an affix. I need another affix to upgrade it."
Ever since he'd obtained Energy Points, the plus signs beside the affixes had remained gray.
Lu Jing'an had always assumed he didn't have enough Energy Points.
Now he finally understood. He needed another affix of the same type.
"It's like using one Century-Old Ginseng to upgrade another Century-Old Ginseng."
"But after the upgrade, the effects won't simply add up to one plus one equals two."
Without giving it much more thought, Lu Jing'an chose to upgrade.
As soon as Lu Jing'an confirmed the upgrade, he saw the two Combat Supremacy affixes enter the Striving Furnace.
Then a prompt appeared.
[Upgrading. Estimated completion time: 1 hour]
"Now that's my Striving Furnace."
Lu Jing'an patted the illusory Bagua Furnace in praise.
The Striving Furnace trembled lightly in response.
An hour passed quickly.
[Upgrade Complete]!
[Combat Supremacy] (Orange)
A new affix appeared.
It had gone from green to orange.
Lu Jing'an checked the new affix's description.
Every stat had doubled compared to when it was green.
His force generation efficiency reached 150%, his attack speed increased by 150%, and his ability to break through an opponent's guard reached 100%.
If Lu Jing'an equipped a Combat Supremacy affix of this level and faced Lawrence again,
he probably wouldn't need ten moves. Two or three would be enough to finish Lawrence.
The affix granted a crushing advantage that no one at the same level could possibly possess.
And the surprises kept coming.
He soon noticed that the plus sign beside the orange affix was still lit.
"Can it be upgraded again?"
His gaze swept over the list of affixes.
The plus sign beside the other orange affix, Ghost Shadow Lost Track, was shining just as brightly.
"So, in addition to upgrading the same type, I can also fuse and combine affixes?"
The Striving Furnace kept bringing Lu Jing'an more and more surprises.
"I'm actually looking forward to fusing two orange affixes."
Lu Jing'an selected the plus signs beside both affixes.
[Upgrade affix level. Required Energy Points: 5. Upgrade?]
[Yes]
After selecting [Yes], Lu Jing'an felt anticipation building within him.
[Upgrading. Estimated completion time: 6 hours]
Six hours meant it would be daylight by the time it finished.
Lu Jing'an didn't wait around.
Instead, he went back to bed.
While Lu Jing'an slept soundly, many people in Yinshan County couldn't close their eyes that night.
The Lin Family had been wiped out to the last man.
The Qian Family had been left without a soul alive.
In a single day, the two great families that had dominated Yinshan County for years had collapsed.
Officially, the blame fell on Nine-Fingered Yama.
But in Yinshan County, anyone with ears knew the truth as clearly as day.
They all saw it, but no one dared say it.
The Lin and Qian families' bloody fate was right there for all to see.
Whoever spoke up would be next.
Those who had previously put their money on the Lin Family now felt as if they were sitting on pins and needles, walking on eggshells.
Betting on the Lin Family meant offending the Lu Family.
Now that the house had fallen, would the Lu Family's blade be the next to fall on their necks?
No one knew, and that uncertainty was the most agonizing part.
From the afternoon until late at night, visitors nearly wore down the threshold of the Lu Mansion.
They sent over five or six rounds of calling cards.
But Lu Huaiqian refused to see any of them.
He merely said, "The case is serious, and I have no time to spare."
The more he turned them away, the more anxious the people outside became.
How could they not know Lu Huaiqian was sending them a warning?
But with the knife at their throats, what choice did they have?
All they could do was keep sending in ever more humble calling cards.
While some were consumed by anxiety, others were basking in their good fortune.
Situ Yiyun and Chen Heqing, for instance.
These two martial arts school directors had made an astonishingly well-timed bet.
With one move, they'd climbed to the highest branch of Yinshan County's rising power.
From now on, among the Ancient Martial Arts schools on Martial Arts Hall Street, Chen Heqing would call the shots.
And among the various Martial Arts Arenas, Situ Yiyun would be the only voice that mattered.
The world was full of strange turns. These two old rivals, once at each other's throats over students and their differing ideals, were now sharing drinks at the same table.
"Master Chen."
Situ Yiyun's face was flushed with good cheer as he raised his cup.
"From now on, with the Lu Family behind us, you and I won't have to fight tooth and nail over petty matters like food and rent anymore. Why don't we let bygones be bygones?"
Chen Heqing's expression remained stern, but the sharpness between his brows had softened considerably.
He took a sip of wine and replied in a low voice, "As long as you, Director Situ, keep your hands off my Martial Arts Hall Street, I'll be perfectly happy to enjoy the peace."
He wasn't warm, but it was a world apart from how they used to meet like sworn enemies.
When all was said and done, most of their past conflicts had stemmed from the struggle to survive.
Now that their livelihoods were secure, many of their old grudges had eased.
Situ Yiyun laughed heartily. "Don't worry, Master Chen. Even if you invited me to Martial Arts Hall Street, I'd think twice before going!"
Their wine cups clinked lightly, and they drained them.
The stern look on Chen Heqing's face softened ever so slightly.
After setting down his cup, Situ Yiyun leaned forward a little.
He lowered his voice, a trace of gravity passing through his eyes.
"Master Chen, let me speak frankly. Young Master Lu killed that foreign envoy today. I'm afraid there'll be serious repercussions, won't there?"
Chen Heqing glanced at him and snorted. "What, Director Situ? You've only practiced New Martial Arts for a few days, and it's already softened the backbone our ancestors left us? He was a barbarian from a foreign land. So what if he was killed?"
He paused and set his cup down on the table, his voice turning even deeper.
"Besides, was that foreigner killed by Young Master Lu? It was Nine-Fingered Yama who did it. You, me, and everyone else in Yinshan County all saw that clearly."
Situ Yiyun froze for a moment, then suddenly understood. He slapped his palm and burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Listen to me, running my mouth like that! I deserve a penalty. Three cups, coming right up!"
The next day, as dawn broke, Lu Jing'an rose right on time. A thin mist hung over the courtyard.
He strode steadily into the yard.
Lowering his shoulders and elbows, he settled into his stance.
Although he'd obtained a red affix, he dared not slack off in his cultivation.
The path of a Martial Cultivator was like rowing upstream.
Li Zhaolin was no more than a pebble underfoot.
Kicking him aside still left a long road ahead.
His stance settled, and his fists began to whistle through the air.
His blood and energy flowed with each move, circulating through his body.
As he neared the end of his routine, the Striving Furnace in his sea of consciousness trembled lightly.
[Upgrade Complete]!
Lu Jing'an immediately focused his mind within.
He saw the light in the furnace draw inward as a completely new affix floated quietly inside.
Red light flowed around it, faintly revealing mysterious patterns, and its aura was utterly different.
[Ghost Shadow Instant Kill] (Red)!
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