The white Sword Qi, fifty feet long, tore through the air with a howl.
Only when it drew close did the sword-bearing man realize that the fluctuations of Qi and blood from Lin Yuan clearly belonged to the first rank early stage!
He froze for a moment, then wild delight surged in his heart.
Presumably, Lin Yuan had used some secret art when killing those black-clad subordinates earlier.
Since it was a secret art, it surely had limits. Perhaps the brat was already a spent arrow.
"With that little strength, you dare block my path? If you don't die, who will!"
The corner of Lin Yuan's mouth curled up.
He withdrew half a step, gripped his saber with both hands, and slowly lowered it, taking that familiar opening stance once more.
Heart, explode for me!
Thump!
The illusory heart abruptly shattered, turning into a torrent of violent power that surged into his arms. His sleeves instantly burst apart!
The long saber hummed.
Its blade trembled, and blood-red light flared.
Opening Move Shakes Kunlun!
A streak of blood-red Saber Qi, likewise fifty feet long, flew from the blade and slammed into the oncoming white Sword Qi!
Boom!
Red and white light exploded, waves of air churned, and shattered stones flew.
A terrifying recoil struck him.
Lin Yuan retreated three steps, each footfall stamping a deep pit into the ground.
The sword-bearing man opposite him fared no better.
With a muffled grunt, he retreated five steps in succession before barely managing to dissipate the force.
The sword-bearing man jerked his head up and stared at Lin Yuan in disbelief.
How was this possible!
He clearly only had first rank early stage strength, so why was the Saber Qi he unleashed so domineering?
That burst of pure strength was actually fiercer than his own, a second rank Qi gathering realm cultivator!
Did that make any sense?
"You..."
The sword-bearing man had barely uttered a word when a bone-piercing chill suddenly came from behind him.
Pshht!
A saber tip pierced out through his chest without warning.
Shen Qing's cold voice sounded beside his ear.
"Has no one ever told you not to turn your back on an enemy?"
Shen Qing wrenched her long saber free.
The sword-bearing man's body stiffened, his eyes rolled back, and he crashed to the ground.
Silence returned to the long street.
A flurry of footsteps came from the alleys on either side.
Several black-robed mounted officers of the Dragon Guard rushed out, bringing twenty or thirty county constables with them.
All of them looked at the two figures in the street with complicated expressions.
Shen Qing sheathed her saber and issued an order in a stern voice.
"Keep this under wraps. If anyone lets so much as a whisper leak, bring me your head!"
"Yes!"
The mounted officers and constables answered in unison and swiftly dispersed.
Seeing that the dust had settled, Wu Wei and Wang Ruogu lifted the hems of their official robes and jogged over.
Shen Qing looked at them, her tone solemn.
"I'm leaving the county office to you. Make sure you purge everyone loyal to Zhao Meng!"
The two hurriedly thumped their chests in assurance.
"Rest assured, Commandant Shen. We will return and investigate thoroughly at once. Not a single rebel remnant will escape!"
Before leaving, both men glanced at Lin Yuan without consulting each other.
So young, yet this youth could clash head-on with a second rank cultivator. When had Ping'an County produced such a monster?
Not long after the two left.
Lin Yuan suddenly stared straight at Shen Qing and spoke with some embarrassment.
"Um, could I make one tiny request?"
Shen Qing paused and tilted her small face up.
"What?"
His gaze made her feel somewhat uneasy. Seemingly thinking of something, she flushed scarlet.
Her fingers unconsciously clenched the corner of her clothes as she stammered.
"Y-you can tell me first. If it's too much, I won't agree..."
Lin Yuan wore an odd expression.
Wait, why are you blushing?
He simply held out his right hand.
"Give me a Qi and Blood Pill."
He had not forgotten the important business.
"Huh?"
Shen Qing's expression froze.
She coughed lightly and awkwardly took a white jade porcelain bottle from inside her robe.
"There are five Qi and Blood Pills in here. They should last you a while!"
Five?
Lin Yuan caught the porcelain bottle, wild delight filling his heart.
As expected of the Dragon Guard. So generous.
The porcelain bottle was warm in his hand and carried a faint, delicate fragrance.
"Thanks. See you at the drill ground tomorrow."
Lin Yuan tucked the porcelain bottle into his robe and waved to Shen Qing.
The residence in the north of the city.
By the time Lin Yuan returned, the sky had already darkened.
After a quick wash, he changed into a clean long robe, then summoned Master Wu and Lin Jiu to the main hall.
Firelight flickered.
Lin Yuan took out a Qi and Blood Pill and handed it to Lin Jiu.
Lin Jiu shuddered, his breathing quickened, and his eyes instantly reddened.
He knew the value of a Qi and Blood Pill. His knees bent at once, and he dropped to the ground with a thud.
"Young master, I will remember your grace in giving me a new life until my dying day!"
Lin Yuan hurriedly helped him up.
"We're all on the same side. There's no need for this."
Master Wu urged him from the side.
"All right, hurry and sit down. This old man will help you channel the medicinal power!"
An hour later.
A muffled sound came from within Lin Jiu, and his presence abruptly surged.
He lowered his head to look at his hands, brimming with strength, his face full of wild delight.
"Young master, not only have I replenished what I lost, but misfortune has turned into a blessing. I've reached body tempering perfection in one leap!"
Lin Yuan smiled and nodded.
Qi and Blood Pills were meant for first rank martial artists to cultivate with, so their medicinal power was naturally extraordinary.
The three sat down again.
Master Wu studied Lin Yuan curiously.
"Brat, where did you get these Qi and Blood Pills?"
Lin Yuan hid nothing and recounted everything in detail.
The two listened in shock and remained unable to recover for a long time.
After a long while.
Lin Jiu suddenly realized something and cried out involuntarily.
"Young master, you've entered the first-grade Qi and blood realm?"
These words jolted Master Wu out of his daze. He suddenly sprang up, breathing heavily.
He grabbed Lin Yuan's shoulders, his voice trembling.
"Y-you saw what?"
Master Wu stared fixedly into Lin Yuan's eyes.
Lin Yuan understood how Master Wu felt. After all, this had been the Wu Lineage's obsession for hundreds of years.
He answered truthfully.
"Five illusory internal organs appeared inside me."
Master Wu shook violently, his whole body freezing in place.
"Five... internal organs?"
Unable to spare any more questions, he clasped Lin Yuan's wrist and examined him carefully.
Lin Jiu could not understand their conversation. He did not know what it meant, but it seemed impressive.
Half a quarter of an hour later.
Master Wu slowly opened his eyes.
He staggered back two steps and sank into a chair, tears streaming down his aged face.
"Vitality, strength... doubled in every respect. To think that our Wu Lineage's internal refinement method would have such a heaven-defying effect!"
At this, Lin Jiu was utterly stunned.
"This internal refinement method truly is heaven-defying. It's enough to leave the Wu Lineage's name in the annals of history."
Lin Yuan, too, was filled with emotion.
Master Wu, however, let out a long sigh.
"Leaving our name in history... easier said than done."
He shook his head with a bitter smile.
"The talent this art demands is simply too high."
Despite saying this, a heartfelt smile still appeared on Master Wu's face.
At least within his lifetime, he had finally learned the answer to this inheritance.
He patted Lin Yuan's shoulder and left, filled with gratification.
Lin Yuan returned to his bedroom and sat cross-legged to cultivate.
Only one illusory spleen remained inside him now. The feeling of having his trump cards emptied out truly left him with little sense of security.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning.
A few birdcalls came from outside the window.
Lin Yuan exhaled a breath of turbid air and slowly opened his eyes.
He immediately focused his mind and examined his own body from within.
Not bad. After a night of cultivation, I've condensed the heart and kidneys again.
Together with the spleen that had remained, he now had three illusory internal organs available to use again.
"Not bad. Barely enough."
Recalling yesterday's fights, he began carefully calculating in his mind.
Under normal conditions, when he used the first move of the Heaven-Questioning Saber, its power was comparable to peak first rank.
Once he detonated an illusory internal organ, his Saber Qi swelled to fifty feet, allowing him to clash head-on with the second rank early stage without falling behind.
If he detonated three illusory internal organs at once, as he had on Black Wind Mountain, its power would definitely reach the level of the second rank middle and late stages!
Lin Yuan raised his brows, still somewhat dissatisfied.
"My foundation is still too thin."
In the end, the Five Qi Converging to the Origin Art was merely an internal refinement method for the body tempering stage. Once he reached the first rank, it had already reached its limit.
To continue improving his cultivation, he would have to find another martial art to serve as his main cultivation method.
But there was no need to rush right now.
There was still a fine show to put on today.
Lin Yuan pushed open the door.
In the courtyard, the fully recovered Lin Jiu had already been waiting respectfully for a long time.
Lin Yuan nodded slightly.
The two headed straight for the drill ground.