Sheng Huai'an looked at the scripture in the book and became utterly absorbed.
In his mind, it was as though a fiery red great sun had appeared, its aura vast and lofty.
As if it had come down from time immemorial!
His heart beat powerfully, his blood qi continuously churning and condensing like crimson flames burning.
Martial Masters tempered their blood, condensed blood qi, and strengthened themselves!
After reading the scripture in the book, Sheng Huai'an came back to himself. The book in his hand had somehow caught fire without a flame and quickly turned to ashes.
"This..."
Sheng Huai'an was stunned. This martial arts cultivation manual was actually real.
The technique Old Soldier had given him was actually real.
That meant Old Soldier had not been swindled by that old beggar—he had bought a genuine cultivation technique.
He could feel that his blood qi had condensed by twenty percent.
He had merely read through the scripture once, yet the blood qi in his body had condensed by twenty percent.
At the same time!
Name: Sheng Huai'an Race: Human Realm: Martial Master Early Stage Techniques: "Great Sun Heart Sutra" (Not Yet Begun) "Ferocious Ox Strength" (Minor Accomplishment) (+) "Blood Fiend Saber Technique" (Great Accomplishment) "Overlord Spear Technique" (Beginner) Strength: 6,000 jin Talent: Silver Archer (+) Slaughter Value: 188
The condensation of his blood qi had actually increased his strength by two hundred jin.
At the same time, the golden screen had recorded the Great Sun Heart Sutra technique.
Unfortunately, even one hundred and eighty-eight points of Slaughter Value could not make a plus sign appear beside the Great Sun Heart Sutra for improvement.
Could this truly be a Martial Emperor-level cultivation technique?!
Looking at the one hundred and eighty-eight points of Slaughter Value, he recalled that he had obtained them by killing enemies after his consecutive breakthroughs yesterday.
He had no idea how much Slaughter Value would be needed for a single improvement to the Great Sun Heart Sutra.
He looked inward at his dantian and found that the Martial True Essence within his body had begun to turn golden.
The Martial True Essence cultivated from Ferocious Ox Strength was blood-red.
Since he could not use points to cultivate it, Sheng Huai'an began to comprehend the Great Sun Heart Sutra.
The scripture had already been imprinted in his mind, so he could comprehend and cultivate it himself.
That night, he did not sleep. Instead, he began comprehending and cultivating the Great Sun Heart Sutra.
As he comprehended and cultivated it, the true essence in his body rapidly transformed.
Within his sea of consciousness, a great sun rose, its light piercing the darkness.
The Great Sun Heart Sutra used the visualization of the great sun, borrowing its form to temper the spirit, nourishing the body with the spirit; the heart observed the heavens, the spirit observed oneself...
After a sleepless night, a great sun rose from the horizon.
Golden light seemed to bloom from Sheng Huai'an's entire body. He was like a fireball as powerful energy continuously scoured his flesh, blood, bones, and sinews.
Only after the sun rose did he slowly finish his cultivation!
A night of comprehension and cultivation had not allowed the Great Sun Heart Sutra to reach the beginner stage, but his physique had grown even stronger than before.
Their squad had been specially ordered to rest for two days, so there was no need for morning drills today.
Sheng Huai'an did not order his men to force themselves through drills either. Tomorrow, he would lead them out onto the grasslands once more.
It was rare for the soldiers under his command to have two days of rest, so he let them rest properly for a while.
After breakfast, Sheng Huai'an slung his bow and arrows over his back, wore his saber at his waist, and headed up the city wall again to resist the Xiongnu army.
If the Great Sun Heart Sutra could not reach the beginner stage, then he would continue killing enemies!
He would gather Slaughter Value and directly use points to cultivate it.
When he arrived atop the city wall, the defending soldiers were already waiting in strict formation.
Beyond the pass, banners fluttered wildly in the wind within the Xiongnu army camp.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
"Wooo..."
The sounds of war drums and horns rose, and the intent of clashing metal swept into the clouds.
Year after year of war had ravaged this land; no one knew how many loyal bones lay buried beneath it.
The Xiongnu army once again sent more than ten thousand men to attack Anning Pass.
"Archers, prepare!"
The defending Colonel immediately shouted.
The archers stepped forward one after another, nocking arrows and drawing their bowstrings!
Sheng Huai'an stepped out as well, setting three arrows to his bow and fixing his sharp gaze on the Xiongnu army.
"Release!!"
The Colonel roared.
"Whoosh..."
Arrows fell like rain, shooting into the enemy ranks.
The Xiongnu army was not to be outdone. Their archers began suppressing them, dense volleys of arrows firing from the Xiongnu formation.
Arrows filled the sky as they shot toward the city wall, and Sheng Huai'an and the other archers hurriedly took cover.
Without reaching the Houtian realm and tempering one's body into copper skin and iron bones, one could not withstand the shooting of arrows.
Sheng Huai'an had no desire to die beneath an arrowstorm and become a pincushion.
Seeing the archers atop the wall suppressed, the Xiongnu siege force began charging.
Sheng Huai'an directly fired through the crenel loopholes in the city wall.
Even firing one arrow at a time, he could still kill one enemy with each shot.
Soon, he had used all thirty arrows, and his Slaughter Value had directly risen to two hundred and thirty-one.
Those thirty arrows had earned him forty-three points of Slaughter Value.
At the same time, a plus sign finally appeared behind the Great Sun Heart Sutra on the golden screen.
Name: Sheng Huai'an Race: Human Realm: Martial Master Early Stage (+) Techniques: "Great Sun Heart Sutra" (Not Yet Begun) (+) "Ferocious Ox Strength" (Minor Accomplishment) (+) "Blood Fiend Saber Technique" (Great Accomplishment) "Overlord Spear Technique" (Beginner) Strength: 6,000 jin Talent: Silver Archer (+) Slaughter Value: 231
Seeing that he could improve the Great Sun Heart Sutra to the beginner stage, Sheng Huai'an was delighted.
Without the slightest hesitation, he directly used points to improve the Great Sun Heart Sutra, completely ignoring his cultivation realm.
Two hundred points of Slaughter Value vanished. Sheng Huai'an clicked his tongue; entering the beginner stage alone required two hundred points of Slaughter Value, so how much Slaughter Value would be needed for later improvements?!
Countless cultivation insights and realizations regarding the Great Sun Heart Sutra flooded into Sheng Huai'an's mind.
It felt as though he had cultivated the Great Sun Heart Sutra for a kun year.
At the same time, all the true essence within his body transformed into gold.
His blood qi also grew considerably stronger, rolling through his body like a furnace, surging with unstoppable force.
His strength directly increased by another five hundred jin. As a Martial Master Early Stage cultivator, he was already comparable to a Houtian martial artist. If word of this got out, absolutely no one would believe it.
Feeling power fill his entire body, Sheng Huai'an felt that he was terrifyingly strong now.
Against enemies at the Martial Master realm, Sheng Huai'an was confident he could smash one to death with a single punch.
Looking at the Xiongnu army, Sheng Huai'an was eager to give it a try.
These were all Slaughter Value, the source of his growing strength.
They were like chives—cut them down and they grew back, cut them down and they grew back, fattening who knew how many people.
With the Great Sun Heart Sutra at the beginner stage, once the mental technique circulated, Sheng Huai'an discovered that its speed of condensing true essence was more than a hundred times greater than Ferocious Ox Strength.
The battle for the city grew increasingly brutal. Fearless of death, the Xiongnu army climbed onto the walls and fought the defending soldiers in close combat.
Naturally, Sheng Huai'an charged in first, plunging into the enemy ranks for fear that someone else might steal his kills.
Having broken through to Martial Master Early Stage, with strength comparable to an early Houtian martial artist, Sheng Huai'an dealt with these ordinary enemy soldiers like a god of slaughter.
Baleful Intent gleamed blood-red along his saber. With one slash, he killed three Xiongnu soldiers.
Seeing Sheng Huai'an appear on the city wall to kill enemies again.
"That kid really is a battle-crazed fellow. He refuses to rest even when told to," Yang Ye said with a smile.
"That boy is simply a natural-born butcher."
A Brigade General watched the dense Killing Intent surrounding Sheng Huai'an. Even quite a few Houtian Colonels could not compare to Sheng Huai'an.
"His strength has grown again. He is simply a freak!" General Polu Zhao Yong'an said.
Sheng Huai'an's rate of growth was too fast, so fast that even he found it a little hard to believe.
"Could it be that this kid grows stronger just by killing enemies?!"
The truth had been nailed down!
Sheng Huai'an raised his saber and brought it down, cleanly killing five Xiongnu soldiers.
More than twenty Xiongnu soldier corpses had already fallen around him.
"Wei dog, I will fight you!"
A Xiongnu commander of a thousand men at Martial Master Mid Stage saw how powerful Sheng Huai'an was, slaughtering ordinary soldiers like pigs and dogs. He stepped forward to fight Sheng Huai'an, hoping to stop him and let the ordinary soldiers seize the city wall.
The other man chopped down with his saber, true essence surging across the blade as boundless strength burst forth.
Sheng Huai'an looked at him and swept his saber horizontally.
Clang!
With a sharp sound, Hubolang's saber snapped.
He stared at the full-force slash he had delivered. Not only had Sheng Huai'an blocked it easily, but he had even cut his saber in two.
That peerless force shook him back two steps.
Wasn't this man only at Martial Master Early Stage? Why was he so strong?
Sheng Huai'an's saber answered him.
A flash of blood-red saber light passed, and head and body parted.
Qian Gou Duo, the Battalion Commander of the Fifteenth Battalion, stared dumbfounded. A Xiongnu commander of a thousand men had been killed in two strikes?!
Looking at the dense blood fiend aura around Sheng Huai'an, Qian Gou Duo felt that this man was terrifying beyond measure.
After Sheng Huai'an killed him, he gained twenty-two points of Slaughter Value.
He did not pause, continuing to kill enemies.
A Xiongnu leader at the Houtian realm climbed onto the city wall and charged straight at Sheng Huai'an.
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