Double Breakthrough

Li Cheng's progress was also obvious.

That day, Zhang Bo was once again feeding him moves in the training yard.

His wooden sword moved, thrusting straight at Li Cheng's shoulder.

In the past, Li Cheng would have rushed to strike first.

This time, however, he held himself back.

Only when Zhang Bo's sword had reached the point of being neither fully spent nor unspent, at the instant his wrist shifted its momentum, did Li Cheng suddenly move.

His sword edge extended. If Zhang Bo's wooden sword had been even half a beat faster, he could have suppressed him.

Yet at that very instant, Li Cheng changed his move and struck toward Zhang Bo's wrist.

Zhang Bo withdrew his sword and stepped back, smiling. "Young Master, you've reached Initiation."

Li Cheng was stunned at first, then overjoyed. Looking at Deng Qing beside him, he felt an inexplicable gratitude.

Though Deng Qing wore a smile, he was not in a beautiful mood.

If Li Cheng's progress had been slower, he could have mooched a few more days of full meals at the Li Family.

Even so, Deng Qing's gains had already been substantial.

By his earlier estimate, after all these days of eating and drinking heartily, the blood and vitality needed to charge toward the Skin Tempering Third Layer should have been nearly replenished.

Yet there had been no movement at all when it came to breaking through.

Deng Qing guessed it was not that his blood and vitality were insufficient, but that he lacked one final fierce surge.

The first thing that came to mind was the Ginseng Pill.

However, it was inconvenient for him to bring it up to Li Cheng.

That evening, after Li Cheng finished practicing his swordsmanship, his moves had already become highly proficient. Deng Qing was too embarrassed to keep staying at the Li Family, so he took the initiative to bid farewell.

Before Li Cheng could speak, Zhang Bo stated his position first. "The young master is already on the right path. It truly would not be proper to keep delaying young friend Deng Qing's cultivation.

"How about this? I think it will be enough for young friend to come once every three to five days from now on."

Deng Qing cursed the old bastard inwardly, then cupped his hands toward Li Cheng and said, "Senior Brother Li, being able to train together for so long and watch you improve bit by bit truly brings me great comfort."

Though that was what he said, inwardly he thought, You brat ought to know what's what by now, right? I didn't become friends with Ma Yun just because I wanted a friend. The benefits that should be arranged need to be arranged.

With a smile at the corners of his mouth, Zhang Bo grabbed Deng Qing's sleeve. "Come, come. I'll see Brother Deng Qing out."

Just as Deng Qing was feeling speechless, Li Cheng finally spoke. He called Deng Qing back and lightly clapped his hands. Before long, an attendant brought over a tray.

Li Cheng untied the red silk covering the tray. Beneath it lay a stack of silver notes and five paper-wrapped pills. The moment their scent drifted out, Deng Qing knew they had to be Ginseng Pills.

Li Cheng smiled. "Senior Brother Deng has worked tirelessly during this time, teaching me swordsmanship. I cannot possibly let Senior Brother Deng's efforts go to waste.

"One hundred taels in silver notes and five Ginseng Pills. A trifling gift, unworthy of respect."

Zhang Bo frowned, wanting to say something, but Li Cheng's gaze forced him to hold it back.

Deng Qing was ecstatic inside, but his face was solemn as he cupped his hands. "I truly am in need of these. Since they are a gift from Senior Brother Li, I dare not refuse."

As he spoke, he grabbed the silver notes and stuffed them into his clothes, then directly tucked the Ginseng Pills into his sleeve.

It was not that he did not want to put on a show of politeness. He was simply afraid that once he began acting, the old bastard beside him would smoothly push the boat along with the current, and then there would be nowhere to buy regret medicine.

As Deng Qing put away the Ginseng Pills, he suddenly recalled that batch of Ginseng Pills refined by Tianshun Apothecary and could not help thinking, Could that batch of Ginseng Pills have been made for the Li Family?

If that was truly the case, then the Li Family's strength was indeed unfathomable.

Deng Qing suppressed his doubts, cupped his hands in thanks, and took his leave.

Li Cheng personally escorted Deng Qing all the way outside, watching him walk into the distance.

Beside him, Zhang Bo said faintly, "Though Deng Qing is but an ant at present, if he is not kept in check, I fear he may grow into something in the future."

Li Cheng was taken aback. "How so?"

"During this time, this old man has been observing him."

Zhang Bo stared coldly at Deng Qing's retreating back. "Whenever he came to the residence, aside from eating, he practiced swordsmanship. He did not slack off for a single moment.

"More frightening still, his swordsmanship improved almost every day. I have simply never seen anything like it!"

Li Cheng paused in surprise, then said, "If I am surpassed by a sword fanatic like him, it would not be shameful."

Zhang Bo was secretly startled, surprised by the change in Li Cheng's mindset.

After Deng Qing returned home, he immediately shut the courtyard gate tight, went straight back to his room, hurried to the bed, and sat cross-legged. After steadying his breathing, he took out a Ginseng Pill and swallowed it.

Yes, he was going to break through. From the moment he obtained the Ginseng Pills, he could not wait another instant.

The Ginseng Pill entered his stomach, and its medicinal power immediately spread. A scorching aura rose from his abdomen and surged fiercely into his chest and belly.

The Violet Palace Method rose with a thought. Between his chest and abdomen, an invisible millstone slowly turned, grinding down that rampaging medicinal power bit by bit and dispersing it throughout his limbs and bones.

With a thought from Deng Qing, a clear radiance appeared.

[Heaven helps those who help themselves; No Effort Is Wasted]

[Realm: Skin Refining Second Layer]

[Tiger-Subduing Fist: 75% (Grand Mastery)]

[Violet Palace Method: 47% (Minor Mastery)]

[Seven Forms of Settling Solitude: 59% (Minor Mastery)]

The instant the clear radiance appeared, "Skin Refining Second Layer" and "Minor Mastery" for the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude flashed at the same time.

Deng Qing had already figured out the potency of the Ginseng Pills. He knew that a tactic of adding oil drop by drop would likely not break through the barrier.

Gritting his teeth, he took out two more Ginseng Pills and swallowed them in one gulp. In an instant, it felt as though a ball of fire had ignited within his chest and abdomen.

Boom!

Rolling heat surged toward his limbs and bones. The skin and membranes across Deng Qing's body trembled violently, his sinews and flesh burned hot, and even his joints sent out waves of swelling pain.

Deng Qing guarded his mind with all his might and desperately circulated the Violet Palace Method. The invisible millstone within his chest and abdomen spun faster and faster.

The ferocious medicinal power fell into the millstone and was crushed bit by bit, ground into streams of pure heat that were sent to every part of his body.

His flesh was like land parched by a long drought, greedily devouring this medicinal power.

At the same time, all the insights he had gained over the past half month from dismantling and practicing the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude surged into his mind.

How to draw in the power of his shoulders and back, how to send blood and vitality to his elbows and wrists, how to keep his body's strength from scattering and ultimately gather it at that single point on the sword tip.

And how to find that fleeting gap when his opponent's moves changed...

Deng Qing had already understood these things to some extent.

But only at this moment did they truly connect into one whole, like the moon reflected in clear water, utterly limpid.

Suddenly, the clear radiance flashed fiercely before appearing again.

[Seven Forms of Settling Solitude: 60% (Grand Mastery)]

Almost at the same time, the blood and vitality that had accumulated in his body for so long also surged up with a roar.

An invisible barrier was forcibly smashed open by that rush of blood and vitality.

Deng Qing's entire body shook. First came a stabbing pain from deep within his skin and membranes, followed by an indescribable sense of ease.

[Realm: Skin Tempering Third Layer]

A sharp glint flashed through Deng Qing's eyes. His entire body shot forward, charging into the courtyard.

With that single leap, he was noticeably faster than before.

The greater difference was that whenever he had exerted force suddenly in the past, there was always a tiny pause as blood and vitality traveled from his waist and back to his legs and feet.

Now, with a single thought, his blood and vitality arrived at once. His waist, hips, legs, and feet became one unified whole, without the slightest delay.

Deng Qing immediately came before a row of training posts, assumed the stance of the Tiger-Subduing Fist, and threw a punch.

Bang! The third wooden post on the left jolted violently. Looking closely, there seemed to be only a shallow fist mark on it, but if one listened carefully, one could hear faint cracking sounds from within the post.

Deng Qing withdrew his fist and looked at the back of his hand. His skin and membranes were reddened, but there was not the slightest damage.

Next, Deng Qing took a deep breath and slapped his waist. The Blacksteel Soft Sword sprang into his palm.

Moonlight spilled down, and the sword edge gleamed with a chilling cold.