Li Cheng's progress was obvious too.
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That day, Zhang Bo was feeding him moves as usual at the Martial Arts Ground.
The wooden sword flicked toward Li Cheng's shoulder.
Before, Li Cheng would already have rushed to strike.
This time, he held back.
Only when Zhang Bo's thrust was almost spent, at the instant his wrist began to turn, did Li Cheng move.
Li Cheng thrust out his sword. If Zhang Bo's wooden blade had been half a beat faster, it would have pinned him down.
But in that instant, Li Cheng changed his move and struck at Zhang Bo's wrist.
Zhang Bo withdrew his sword and stepped back with a smile. "Young master, you've reached Initiation."
Li Cheng froze, then broke into delight. When he looked toward Deng Qing, gratitude filled his eyes.
Deng Qing was smiling too, though he was less than thrilled.
If Li Cheng had progressed more slowly, Deng Qing could have enjoyed a few more days of full meals at the Li Family estate.
Even so, Deng Qing had gained a great deal.
By his earlier estimate, all the eating and drinking of the past few days should have replenished nearly all the Qi-Blood he needed to reach the Skin Tempering Third Layer.
Yet there was still no sign of a breakthrough.
Deng Qing guessed it was not a lack of Qi-Blood, but the absence of one final, forceful surge.
The first thing that came to mind was a Ginseng Pill.
But he could hardly ask Li Cheng for one.
That evening, Li Cheng finished practicing his sword forms, now with considerable fluency. Deng Qing was too embarrassed to keep staying at the Li Family estate and offered to take his leave.
Before Li Cheng could speak, Zhang Bo said, "The young master is on his way now. We really shouldn't delay young friend Deng Qing's training any longer.
"How about this? From now on, you need only come by every three to five days."
Deng Qing cursed the old geezer inwardly. He cupped his hands to Li Cheng and said, "Senior Brother Li, it's been a pleasure practicing together for so long. Seeing you improve bit by bit has been truly gratifying."
That was what he said aloud. Inwardly, he thought, Surely you've got the hint by now? I didn't become friends with Ma Yun just for the friendship. It's time to arrange the benefits I'm due.
Zhang Bo smiled faintly and tugged Deng Qing's sleeve. "Come, come. I'll see Brother Deng Qing out."
Deng Qing was at a loss for words when Li Cheng finally spoke. He called Deng Qing back and clapped his hands lightly. Soon, an attendant arrived carrying a tray.
Li Cheng lifted the red silk covering it. Beneath lay a stack of Silver Notes and five pills wrapped in paper. The moment their scent reached Deng Qing, he knew they had to be Ginseng Pills.
Li Cheng smiled. "Senior Brother Deng has worked tirelessly to teach me Swordsmanship. I couldn't let all that effort go unrewarded."
"A hundred taels in Silver Notes and five Ginseng Pills. They're a modest gift, hardly enough to express my thanks."
Zhang Bo frowned and seemed about to speak, but a look from Li Cheng stopped him.
Deng Qing was wild with joy, though his face remained solemn. Cupping his hands, he said, "I truly need these. Since they're a gift from Senior Brother Li, I won't refuse."
With that, he snatched up the Silver Notes and tucked them inside his robe, then slipped the Ginseng Pills straight into his sleeve.
It was not that he did not want to make a show of polite refusal. He was afraid that the moment he began, the old geezer beside him would take him at his word. Then he would have nowhere to buy a cure for regret.
As Deng Qing put away the pills, he suddenly remembered the batch of Ginseng Pills refined at the Tianshun Apothecary. Could that batch have been made for the Li Family?
If so, the Li Family's resources were truly unfathomable.
Deng Qing suppressed his surprise, cupped his hands in thanks, and took his leave.
Li Cheng escorted him all the way to the gate and watched him walk into the distance.
Beside him, Zhang Bo said quietly, "Deng Qing may be no more than an ant right now, but if he isn't restrained, I fear he'll become someone formidable."
Li Cheng paused. "What makes you say that?"
"I've been watching him all this time."
Zhang Bo stared coldly at Deng Qing's retreating figure. "When he comes to the estate, all he does is eat and practice his sword. He doesn't slack off for a moment.
"What's more frightening is that his Swordsmanship improves almost every day. I've never seen anything like it!"
Li Cheng was taken aback, then said, "If a sword fanatic like that surpasses me, there's no shame in it."
Zhang Bo was secretly startled by how much Li Cheng's attitude had changed.
Deng Qing returned home and immediately shut the courtyard gate tight. He went straight to his room, climbed onto the bed, sat cross-legged, and steadied his breathing. Then he took out a Ginseng Pill and swallowed it.
Yes, he was going to break through. From the moment he had received the pills, he could not wait another instant.
As soon as the pill reached his stomach, its medicinal power dissolved. A scorching breath rose from his gut and surged into his chest and abdomen.
The Violet Palace Method stirred at his thought. Between his chest and abdomen, an invisible millstone slowly turned, grinding down the rampaging medicinal power bit by bit and dispersing it through his limbs and bones.
At a thought from Deng Qing, 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 Clear Radiance appeared, "Skin Refining Second Layer" and "Minor Mastery" beside Seven Forms of Settling Solitude flashed together.
Deng Qing had already gauged the Ginseng Pill's power. He knew that feeding it in bit by bit would likely never break through the barrier.
Gritting his teeth, he took out two Ginseng Pills and swallowed them together. In an instant, it was as though a fire had ignited inside his chest and abdomen.
Boom!
Rolling heat rushed through his limbs and bones. Deng Qing's Skin Membrane trembled violently, his muscles burned, and even his joints throbbed with a swelling ache.
Deng Qing held his mind steady with all his might and drove the Violet Palace Method. The invisible millstone inside him spun faster and faster.
The fierce medicinal power fell into the millstone and was crushed bit by bit, ground into streams of pure heat that flowed throughout his body.
His flesh drank in the medicinal power like drought-parched earth swallowing rain.
At the same time, everything he had learned from dissecting and practicing the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude over the past half month surged into his mind.
How to gather strength through his shoulders and back, how to send Qi-Blood to his elbows and wrists, how to keep the force of his whole body from scattering and bring it all to a single point at the tip of his sword.
And how to find that fleeting gap when an opponent changed moves...
Deng Qing had understood these things before.
Only now did they truly come together, clear as the moon reflected in still water.
Suddenly, Clear Radiance flashed and appeared again.
[Seven Forms of Settling Solitude: 60% (Grand Mastery)]
Almost at the same instant, the Qi-Blood that had accumulated within him surged up with a roar.
That surge smashed through an invisible barrier.
Deng Qing shuddered. A stab of pain struck deep within his Skin Membrane, followed by a comfort beyond words.
[Realm: Skin Tempering Third Layer]
A sharp gleam flashed through Deng Qing's eyes. He sprang forward and shot into the courtyard.
That single leap was noticeably faster than before.
The greater difference was this: whenever he had exerted himself suddenly in the past, his Qi-Blood had paused ever so slightly on its way from his waist and back to his legs and feet.
Now, at a thought, his Qi-Blood arrived. His waist, hips, legs, and feet moved as one, without the slightest delay.
Deng Qing went to the row of training posts, settled into the Tiger-Subduing Fist stance, and threw a punch.
Bang! The third wooden post from the left shuddered. At a glance, it seemed to bear only a shallow fistprint, but if he listened closely, he could hear faint cracking from within.
Deng Qing drew back his fist and examined the back of his hand. His Skin Membrane had reddened, but it was not damaged at all.
Then Deng Qing took a deep breath and tapped his waist. The Blacksteel Soft Sword sprang into his hand.
Moonlight spilled across the courtyard, and the blade gleamed cold.