Comprehensive Improvement

First came the insights and experience regarding the various Blade-Breaking Eight Styles, coursing through his mind as if he had practiced them for countless years.

One day, a sudden epiphany struck, and he grasped a higher-level technique—one that was more powerful and easier to master.

The Five-Tiger Array-Breaking Blade was the new technique Lu Yuan had comprehended.

It consisted of only five forms, yet possessed a multitude of variations, each more fierce and aggressive than the last.

The moment the blade technique was mastered, Lu Yuan's arms underwent a transformation; they felt as if they had been wielding blades for decades, becoming both more powerful and nimble.

High-difficulty maneuvers that were previously impossible for him to execute could now be performed with ease.

[Technique: Five-Tiger Array-Breaking Blade (1209/10000 Great Success)]

Next came the changes to his body, as his cultivation began to break through toward the Bone-Forging Realm.

Divine substance pulsed throughout his entire body.

Even his bones began to undergo a metamorphosis, growing tougher upon their original foundation.

If he could look within himself, he would see that his bones had turned a paler shade.

They were transforming into the color of jade.

His physical strength increased, his blood and qi grew more formidable, and as he sat in place, his muscles and bones surged with power.

[Tiger-Subduing Stance Bone-Forging (192/1000 Minor Success)]

As expected, with the reinforcement of the Golden Bell Cover, his bones had been steadily improving during this period, allowing him to reach Minor Success immediately upon breaking through.

Lu Yuan calculated in his mind.

Following that, the Golden Bell Cover began to change; it was as if he had practiced body-tempering techniques for countless years before suddenly experiencing a flash of insight.

The Golden Bell Cover mutated in tandem.

The next moment, his overall defensive capabilities surged, as if his entire body had turned to steel; not only his skin, but his bones and internal organs were also fortified.

Iron-Bone Golden Bell Cover became the name of the technique after its advancement.

"Clang!"

When he slammed his arms together, they emitted the sound of clashing metal.

A pale golden light flickered and vanished.

Lu Yuan believed that with his current defense, those of the same realm could not break through it at all; perhaps only a master of the Tendon-Refining Realm wielding a weapon might pose a slight threat.

[Iron-Bone Golden Bell Cover (7190/10000 Great Success)]

With the foundation of the Golden Bell Cover, the Iron-Bone Golden Bell Cover reached Great Success immediately.

Then, insights into the Wolf-Chasing Archery emerged in his mind, and the strength in his arms, chest, and abdomen reached its peak.

The muscles of his upper body became more compact, and thick calluses appeared on his fingers.

[Wolf-Chasing Archery (910/50000 Entering the Momentum)]

The moment the numbers appeared in his mind, a phantom of a giant wolf seemed to manifest behind Lu Yuan before vanishing in a flash.

From this moment on, his archery had ascended to a new level.

Ever since the Great Yong introduced crossbows, few people practiced archery; even when they did, it was usually for large-scale volley fire.

After all, compared to internal cultivation techniques, the lethality of arrows was quite limited.

Very few reached Great Success, let alone Entering the Momentum.

Once the archery technique reached the stage of Entering the Momentum, the Arrowhead Formation began to evolve; military formations were a mandatory subject for every commanding general.

A large part of the reason so many people sought out masters was to learn these military formations.

These secrets were almost entirely monopolized by military clans, refined over generations, and were considered incredibly precious.

They could not be bought with mere silver.

To become a renowned general, military formations were an essential component.

Especially high-level ones.

At this moment, Lu Yuan felt as if he had studied military formations for countless years, his attainments reaching a profound level, until finally, he created a formation unique to himself on the battlefield: the Cloud-Piercing Crane-Wing Formation.

This was a cavalry formation; when deployed, it resembled a white crane spreading its wings, with cavalry following the two wings and the general breaking the enemy line from the center. The crane's beak was unstoppable, and its wings were as sharp as blades.

It was best suited for fierce battles in the wilderness.

[Cloud-Piercing Crane-Wing Formation (8101/10000 Great Success)]

With all his techniques successfully broken through, Lu Yuan's combat power had increased significantly.

Not only him, but with the military formation now perfected, his subordinates would also perform better than ever on the battlefield.

Although this newly comprehended formation was only at Great Success, its power was far superior to the Arrowhead Formation.

With the aid of the formation, his soldiers could unleash double their usual attack power and speed.

However, if he were to utilize this formation, a mere dozen men would not be enough.

"Crack, pop!"

As Lu Yuan stood up, his bones and joints popped with crisp cracks.

He then walked toward the outside; by this time, the sky had already darkened.

He prepared to go find Old Huang to notify the others to gather at his home tomorrow.

He needed to get them familiar with this military formation first.

As for whether it would be leaked, he was not worried; the soldiers were only practicing their own positions, while he was the core of the formation.

That was the true essence of it.

He was not afraid of others learning it at all.

The nights in the Northern Frontier were still quite cold. Lu Yuan walked down the street wearing a black cotton-padded jacket, and after turning a corner, he arrived at Old Huang's residence.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Lu Yuan knocked hard on the gate.

"Coming, coming!" A woman's voice rang out.

"Creak!"

As the courtyard gate opened, a slightly plump, fair-skinned middle-aged woman came into view.

"Is Old Huang in?" Lu Yuan was startled for a moment before asking.

"Dear, someone is looking for you!" the woman shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Coming, coming!" Old Huang's voice drifted from inside the house, and then he was seen running out while tying his belt.

Upon seeing it was Lu Yuan, he immediately said, "Oh, my lord is here. Come in and sit."

The other party waved his hand and said, "I won't sit. Tomorrow, notify Wei Yong and the others to come to my place."

"Right, got it," Old Huang replied hurriedly.

Ever since he started following Lu Yuan, he had earned quite a bit of silver, and his status had risen accordingly.

Naturally, there were women willing to be with him.

In short, there was no shortage of widows in Ice Plain City.

Lu Yuan turned and left, heading toward his own home.

However, just after he turned a corner, he saw a familiar back, which made his footsteps falter.

That looks like Wu Han. What is he doing carrying a blade in the middle of the night? Lu Yuan glanced at him, shook his head, and without asking, walked straight toward his home.

After all, he and the other man were not on particularly good terms.

He then returned to his house.

He prepared to rest early; having made a breakthrough today, he figured he would give himself a break.

However, not long after he entered the door, violent pounding sounded from outside.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Lu Yuan frowned. Who would come at this time of night?

After opening the door, he saw Zhou He looking at him with a face full of anxiety.

"Something happened. Wu Han killed someone. He killed his Squad Leader and even the Centurion. Now, the Sun Family is searching the whole city for him."

Lu Yuan was stunned. "Isn't he at the Body Tempering stage? How could he kill a Centurion?"

"That guy had a breakthrough two days ago. I have to say, his talent is truly something else. He fought through severe injuries to kill his Centurion despite the level gap. Now, no one knows where he is hiding. If the Sun Family finds him, he's as good as dead."

Zhou He squeezed into Lu Yuan's house, closed the door, and lowered his voice.

"Then what do you mean by this?"

"Help me. My uncle and the Zhou Family won't get involved in this matter. You're the only one I could think of." Zhou He's voice carried a hint of pleading.

"Isn't Wu Han usually quite easy to talk to? How could he do something so crazy?" Lu Yuan did not respond directly, but instead looked up and asked.