Strength Surges

With 37 years of lifespan remaining, Lu Yun had no intention of keeping it.

In his view, only by turning resources into strength could one achieve a real, tangible improvement.

Keeping a few years of lifespan for emergencies would be enough.

Then, he immediately tapped several martial arts at once.

"[Iron Shirt], [Spirit Crane Step]... put points into all of them."

His lifespan began to drain rapidly. The proficiency of several techniques soared as though they had been strapped to rockets.

From minor mastery to major mastery, and finally to perfection—all in one smooth sweep. Countless insights flooded into Lu Yun's mind.

"Basic Spear Technique, Life-Seizing Chain Sword, and Wind-Chasing Saber Art have all reached perfection. Fuse them?"

"Spirit Crane Step has reached perfection. Fuse it with Basic Footwork into an intermediate martial art?"

Two panel prompts sounded once more.

"Fuse them all. Name them Windbreaking Spear and Shadow Following respectively."

Lu Yun directly chose fusion.

Once a total of thirty years of lifespan had been consumed, this round of enhancement officially came to an end.

The panel attributes were refreshed as well.

He opened the panel.

A blue light screen appeared in the empty air before him.

Host: Lu Yun.

Age: 21.

Remaining Lifespan: 7 years.

Realm: Mid Inner Strengthening.

Cultivation Art: Primal Chaos Art [Minor Mastery].

Martial Arts: Windbreaking Spear [Minor Mastery] (Mid Grade), Shadow Following [Minor Mastery] (Mid Grade), Iron Shirt [Perfection] (Low Grade), [Bone-Shrinking Art] (Beginner), [Turtle Breath Art] (Beginner).

Strength: 2,000 jin.

Status: Good.

This improvement had brought an enormous rise in strength—it was like trading a birdshot gun for a cannon.

It was not merely an increase in strength, but an all-around upgrade in speed and defense.

With Iron Shirt at perfection, his ability to survive would be greatly enhanced.

Lu Yun lowered his head and looked at his arm. His bronze skin was crystalline and lustrous, with threads of qi and blood flowing beneath the skin and flesh.

He forcefully drew the tip of his spear across it.

"Screech, screech, screech..."

There was no pain at all. Instead, it felt slightly numb, accompanied by a trace of rebounding force.

"What powerful defense. And this is only a low-grade martial art."

Lu Yun was somewhat surprised.

With this, even if he stood still, ordinary Qi-Nourishing martial artists would find it difficult to break through his defenses.

He would also possess strong resistance against the attacks of Inner Strengthening martial artists of the same level.

As long as his qi and blood did not run dry, he would not fear being besieged and killed by an army.

As for whether his qi and blood would run dry, that naturally depended on how much lifespan he had.

This formed a perfect loop: as long as his qi and blood did not wither, he would not die; as long as his lifespan did not run out, his qi and blood would not wither...

Unless he was utterly crushed and killed in an instant, it would be difficult for even martial artists of the same level to beat him to death.

After three years in this world, Lu Yun had finally gained a sliver of security in this dangerous martial world.

Next, Lu Yun began testing the changes in his speed.

After [Basic Footwork] fused into the mid-grade [Shadow Following], the improvement was surely no small thing.

He lightly stepped forward with his left foot.

His entire body vanished from the spot like a bolt of lightning. When he reappeared, he was already six or seven meters away to the left.

Then, he lightly tapped the ground with both feet, and one afterimage after another appeared.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Before long, Lu Yun's body could no longer be seen inside the cave. Only countless shadows wandered through the air.

When Lu Yun finally came to a stop, those shadows swiftly converged upon him like swallows returning to their nest.

"What incredible speed. It's more than fifty percent faster than before."

Basic Footwork at perfection had already been very fast.

After the skill upgraded to Shadow Following, it became even more agile.

That way, Lu Yun could better seize the initiative in battle.

Even if he could not win, he could still retreat with composure.

Afterward, Lu Yun stored all the loose silver in the cave into the panel space and headed outside.

The moment he emerged, he found Lin Xue still waiting where she was.

Lu Yun casually tossed her ten taels of silver. "Consider the extra few taels payment for leading the way."

This time, clearing out Black Wind Stronghold had netted him at least a thousand taels of silver and over fifty taels of gold.

Giving these unfortunate women a little money to stay alive could be considered a small good deed.

Lin Xue bit her lip, a trace of hope in her eyes. "Sir, do you need a maid? I have nowhere left to go. My family was all killed by bandits..."

Lu Yun smiled and waved his hand. "I'm used to being alone."

He refused her outright. The two of them simply belonged to different worlds.

Her little thoughts were practically written all over her face.

As for having nowhere to go, that was something to be taken with a grain of salt.

A woman with a bit of beauty like her—there were plenty of farmers down the mountain without wives. How could she possibly have nowhere to go?

Then Lu Yun turned and headed toward the storeroom at the mountaintop.

He planned to dismiss the remaining women before heading down the mountain.

Watching Lu Yun's retreating figure grow farther and farther away, Lin Xue clenched the corner of her clothes in her fingers. The unwillingness in her heart finally turned into a sigh.

"Ah... I should just live a peaceful life from now on. A dragon among men like him is beyond someone like me..."

By evening.

The people of Chen Family Fort were still waiting in the open space. Every one of them craned their necks, staring down the dirt road at the far end of the clearing.

"Brother Lu hasn't run into trouble, has he?"

A man in blue muttered softly.

"Bullshit. You crow-mouthed bastard—if you can't talk, get to the back."

Zhao Hu shot him a fierce glare. If he had not been injured, he would have given the man a kick no matter what.

"You really do have a foul mouth. Got told off, didn't you?"

The crowd laughed and teased him, dispersing some of the tension.

Yet Zhao Hu, Old Chen, and the others still felt uneasy.

Black Wind Stronghold had run rampant through the countryside for decades, its vicious reputation well known.

Lu Yun might be a genius, but he had trained for only a short time. What if...

Just as everyone's hearts churned with unease—

At the far end of the road.

Clip-clop, clip-clop...

A lone rider came charging toward Chen Family Fort, kicking up clouds of dust.

"Brother Lu is back!"

The sharp-eyed among them had already recognized Lu Yun on horseback, their voices brimming with excitement.

"Haha... Heaven has blessed us. Brother Lu has returned safely."

Everyone burst into delighted laughter, so happy they began to dance with joy.

"Whoa..."

Reaching the gate, Lu Yun reined in his horse and leaped down from its back.

Smiling at Old Chen, Zhao Hu, and the others, he said, "From this day onward, Black Wind Stronghold no longer exists."

Seeing that not a single person was missing, that they had all waited until evening, warmed his heart.

"Brother Lu's strength truly leaves us astonished. One man sweeping away an entire stronghold—achieving such a feat in only three years. One day, your name will surely shake the world."

Zhao Hu laughed heartily, his eyes full of admiration and praise.

Three years ago, when Lu Yun had first touched a spear, he had clearly been awkward and inexperienced.

Yet in only three short years, he had grown into one of the strongest experts within a hundred li. His talent was truly terrifying.

Their Chen Family Fort had produced a true dragon, and everyone felt honored by it.

Old Chen was also deeply thankful that he and that girl Qing had carried Lu Yun back in the first place.

Otherwise, Chen Family Fort would have been destroyed today.

"Slaughter the last sheep in the fort at once and give Brother Lu a proper welcome."

Zhao Hu immediately laughed and gave the order.

He also knew that this was likely Lu Yun's last meal in Chen Family Fort.

A man like him would surely go to a great city and contend with the outstanding talents of the world. A small place could not bind him; shallow waters could not raise a true dragon.

Then everyone welcomed Lu Yun as he stepped into Chen Family Fort.

This night was destined to be sleepless.

The tense atmosphere that had hung over Chen Family Fort for days was swept away. Everyone drank to their hearts' content, and the scene was exceedingly lively.

It was not until deep into the night that everyone finally dispersed, still reluctant to leave.