Breaking Through

Pfft!

Suddenly, a muffled bang came from deep within the blood and qi in his arms. The blood and qi surging against the current toward his head abruptly found an outlet, rushing down from the crown of his head into both arms.

His blood and qi rolled like waves, washing over his arms again and again. Vaguely, his meridians and flesh began to swell.

Li Mu felt the changes in his body. His entire body, especially his arms, was growing stronger.

The circulation speed of the blood and qi within him had more than doubled.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

His heart pounded like thunder beating a drum.

Wave after wave of blood and qi burst forth, flooding into his arms before flowing back.

All kinds of impurities seeped from his pores. His arms were covered in a dense layer of black filth that gave off a foul stench.

"Whew..."

Who knew how long it lasted before, suddenly—

Li Mu let out a long breath and opened his eyes.

His heart gradually settled as well.

The surging sensation within his body finally subsided completely.

The first blood and qi barrier—broken!

[Blood and Qi: 10.0↑ (Sword qi tempering body, exotic beast meat digesting)]

Crossing that mere 0.1 gap from 9.9 to 10.0 had nearly left Li Mu feeling as though he were being sliced alive, wishing he were dead!

Yet he had spent only one night—more precisely, less than two hours—to completely break through the first blood and qi barrier and become a true "martial artist"!

With this barrier broken, he felt incomparably exhilarated, as though he could leap into the heavens!

Splash.

He dumped a bucket of water over his head.

"I..." Li Mu looked at his body. Compared to before, it had changed immensely. Muscles had formed all over him, and he had even grown a little taller.

But the greatest changes were still in his arms.

"My arms..."

Li Mu looked at them. They were a full size thicker than before, their muscles bulging with power.

Eighty acupoints in his arms had opened, blood and qi flowing slowly through them. With the slightest exertion, he could unleash the strength of a cauldron!

Looking at the deep claw marks his hands had left in the ground—

He pressed both palms against them.

Even the crushed stones were pressed into powder, and the cracks were flattened.

He then drew Black Frost and practiced the first move of the Water-Questioning Sword Manual. He immediately felt the strain lessen greatly.

By training wholeheartedly every day, while ensuring he did not strain his muscles and bones, he could increase it to thirty repetitions.

"The first blood and qi barrier."

"I actually made it."

Li Mu smiled. From this day onward, he had truly set foot upon the martial path!

Moreover, he could even sense that the lingering hidden dangers from the Blood-Nourishing Powder and Meridian-Loosening Powder had been completely purged by sword qi.

And the sword qi continued to temper his physique and strengthen his blood and qi.

"Escorting swords, hunting, going to Azure River City... It's time to start planning a trip out of the estate."

Li Mu rather wanted to leave the estate.

He ought to see what things were like outside. He could not keep relying on hearsay forever.

Still, he could not reveal his strength so soon.

He would wait until word came from Cao A-Man's side.

He could follow behind Cao A-Man and rush to break through, claiming that he had been provoked into training bitterly. His Dripping Water Swordsmanship had also reached minor accomplishment, and with so many resources and so much silver... it should be enough to fool everyone without affecting the plan.

For now, he would grind the Water-Questioning Sword Manual for a while.

The next morning.

Meng Ling brought over his washed and sun-dried clothes, waiting until Li Mu opened the door. They still carried the scent of sunlight.

Li Mu put away the clothes. Seeing that Meng Ling had yet to leave, he asked, "Is there anything else?"

"Brother Li Mu, your arms..." Meng Ling was naturally startled. Li Mu's arms had both grown a full size, and they were wrapped in bandages.

"Oh, I strained them practicing swordsmanship. It's nothing. A few days of rest will do." Li Mu said.

Meng Ling noticed that Li Mu's entire body seemed to have grown sturdier. Even the aura of blood and qi around him felt different. His strength must have improved greatly.

But... was he really all right?

Looking at Li Mu's swollen arms, Meng Ling was deeply concerned. "I'll go get you some liniment, Brother Mu."

"I have some. I've already applied it." Li Mu indicated that she need not worry.

"All right. If you need anything, Brother Mu, just tell me." Meng Ling still wanted to repay his kindness. Over the past two days, she had discreetly asked around about anything Li Mu might need that was within her power to provide, but even Hui Zhen, the little monk closest to him, knew nothing.

After sending Meng Ling away, Li Mu ate breakfast and headed to work at Myriad Swords Tower.

His arms drew plenty of attention along the way.

At the entrance, Zhao Tuo, who was preparing to hand over the tower watch, was even more astonished. "That little girl looked so quiet and gentle. She bit you up that badly?"

"It's a misunderstanding..." Li Mu's face darkened as he hurriedly repeated the same excuse he had given Meng Ling.

"So you overworked yourself," Zhao Tuo understood. "You still need to exercise restraint. Don't forget, we're drinking together tonight. Hui Zhen, you come too."

Both readily agreed.

Li Mu's build had only changed slightly. He was far smaller than Cao A-Man, with only his arms swollen. Covering it up this way truly drew no further notice.

Furthermore, he deliberately suppressed the surging blood and qi in his arms. Even when Zhao Tuo came into close contact with him, someone at Zhao Tuo's level could not detect it at all, let alone those with lower blood and qi values.

After finishing his tower watch, Li Mu practiced swordsmanship in his room. After dinner, he practiced again. Only after digesting most of the meat did he head to the gathering with Hui Zhen.

[Water-Questioning Sword Manual: 61/500 (Beginner)]

The progress of the second move had surpassed one-tenth.

His understanding of Dripping Water Swordsmanship had also improved considerably—on the level of technique.

Li Mu was certain that if he faced the mutated Fan Rong again, he would perform better and suffer lighter injuries.

Sure enough, the more martial arts were practiced, the stronger one became.

Within Banyan Garden, lanterns had been lit. A large round table had been added, covered with food and wine.

When Li Mu arrived with Hui Zhen, four white-clad household retainers were already seated, each with a fairly pretty female slave beside him.

"You're here." Zhao Tuo rose to greet them and arranged their seats. Female slaves immediately came over to pour their wine and wipe their hands.

Then, acting as the host, he introduced everyone and led the first toast. The atmosphere quickly grew lively.

Tian Zeyi had also been invited. He used a toast to build rapport with Li Mu.

Hui Zhen sat uneasily. He had been born in a temple, fled famine after it fell into ruin, and entered the estate as a slave. He had never sat at such a grand table, much less been attended by female slaves.

The scene made the little monk extremely restrained.

Li Mu, on the other hand, was generous and natural. He calmly raised his cup, a faint smile always on his face, without the slightest awkwardness.

This gave Zhao Tuo and the other three, who had been secretly observing him, a new impression of Li Mu.

"Brother Li Mu, would you be interested in exchanging pointers? Of course, your arms are injured, so it would be inconvenient for you to exert force, and you have not mastered Dripping Water Swordsmanship either. We'll only compete at the proficient level. I'll control my strength as well."

Tian Zeyi suddenly stood.

After returning, he had looked into the matter and discovered that Li Mu seemed to have no background. He was born a sword-wiping slave, had yet to break through the first blood and qi barrier, and was merely a newly promoted household retainer.

Yet he could receive Black Frost based solely on that night's contribution? Even formal disciples would covet such a reward. It was impossible for Tian Zeyi not to envy him.

Still, he did not intend to make things difficult for Li Mu. He had a favorable impression of him and had even shared a slice of exotic beast meat. Now, with the wine going to his head, he could no longer suppress his inner puzzlement and wanted to test Li Mu.

[Tian Zeyi: Blood and Qi 15.6, Spirit 5.0, Sword Dao Talent 45.2 (White)]

"Only comparing sword moves?" Li Mu glanced at Tian Zeyi's information.

"That's right." Tian Zeyi wanted to know whether Li Mu's talent in the sword dao was truly high. That was the only explanation for why he had received Black Frost.

Hui Zhen wanted to dissuade him. It was his first time meeting Tian Zeyi, and he was somewhat wary, afraid that Li Mu might be injured.

Zhao Tuo also frowned, wanting to protect Li Mu. If anything happened to Li Mu here, the responsibility would fall on him.

But Tian Zeyi repeatedly assured them, "I won't draw upon the power of the first blood and qi barrier. However much strength Brother Li Mu uses, I'll use the same. Is that acceptable?"