He took a two-foot short saber out of the red cloth.
It was slightly shorter than an ordinary long saber, with a more flowing curve to its blade. Under the light, it gave off a faint golden glow.
He came beneath the wooden post and gathered his presence.
Cultivating the saber was harder than cultivating the sword. Swords had sword momentum, and sabers had saber momentum.
Those who could comprehend sword momentum were considered geniuses; those who comprehended saber momentum were monsters.
Of course, at his current realm, comprehending saber momentum was difficult. Raising his accuracy to one hundred percent was what he urgently needed to practice now.
Draw!
Sheathe!
There was no martial technique involved, only a simple saber draw, straightforward and direct. As the blade swept out, the air rippled, producing powerful currents that surged toward the trees on either side, making them rustle.
"Still not fast enough. My accuracy has improved considerably, but my speed still falls short of what I want."
He sheathed the saber and stood still, picking up a white towel to wipe the sweat from his face. In just two hours, he had drawn his saber ten thousand times, averaging eighty-three draws a minute.
Without a powerful physique, an ordinary person could never have endured such intense training.
Having squeezed almost every last drop of potential from his body, he sat on the ground, exhausted like a dead dog. The True Qi within him was completely depleted.
He struggled to his feet, poured the remaining third of the body-tempering liquid into the tub, stripped, and climbed inside.
Piercing pain swept through his entire body. With his flesh exhausted, it was even better suited to being honed with body-tempering liquid. Every meridian, every acupoint, and every pore absorbed it greedily.
He circulated the Grand Desolation Heaven-Devouring Instruction. The dense Spiritual Qi seemed to come alive, pouring into Liu Wuxie's courtyard from every direction. Over the past few days, the servants had been discussing privately how some mysterious force had drawn away the Spiritual Qi above the Xu Household.
The sound of war drums came from his meridians, another sign of an impending breakthrough. Spiritual Qi entered his body and flowed into the Heaven-Devouring Divine Cauldron, where the liquid continued to accumulate.
"My body has reached its limit. I can break through now."
He poured out a Heavenly Spirit Pill and swallowed it. Only after honing each layer to flawless perfection would he choose to advance to the next.
The spiritual liquid poured out and flowed through his limbs and bones. The True Qi in his Dantian surged rapidly.
Even a mighty Immortal Emperor could not understand exactly how the liquid inside the Heaven-Devouring Divine Cauldron formed. As his cultivation rose, the liquid's purity increased, while the speed at which it condensed slowed. He needed to find somewhere with denser Spiritual Qi to cultivate.
"I need to set up a Spirit Gathering Formation as soon as possible!"
Alchemists: refined pills.
Spirit inscription masters: inscribed incantations, talismans, and the like, which were also used in artifact refining.
There was another profession: formation masters.
Among Canglan City's four great Lineages, the Song Household was renowned for formations. Their research into formations ran deep, and they ranked first among the four great Lineages.
The four great Lineages were the Xu Household, the Tian Household, the Song Household, and the Wan Household.
The Xu Household belonged to the newly risen nobility, having risen only a few decades ago, and had few members. The other three were established Lineages with numerous disciples and businesses spread throughout the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty.
The Tian Household primarily operated brothels, gambling houses, and similar businesses. In recent years, they had entered the weapons trade, seizing the Xu Household's market. For a Lineage to develop over the long term, relying on a single industry would never do.
Only the Wan Household stood out as particularly unusual in Liu Wuxie's memories. They were a beast-taming Lineage with unique beast-taming methods. They had once tamed a fourth-tier Demon Beast, making their name throughout the Great Yan Imperial Dynasty.
A fourth-tier Demon Beast was equivalent to a human at the Marrow Cleansing Realm, possessing overwhelming strength. Most of the Wan Household's businesses were beast-taming grounds and beast-fighting arenas.
Each Lineage had its own foundation and did not interfere with the others. The Tian Household's actions this time had shattered decades of peace in Canglan City, and an undercurrent quietly approached.
His True Qi finally stopped increasing. A powerful wave struck the barrier to the sixth layer of the Acquired Realm, like a heavy hammer forcibly prying open that doorway.
An ordinary person had to approach every breakthrough with extreme caution, but Liu Wuxie did not. He used the most violent method. Transformed by the mysterious liquid, his body had long since become unlike an ordinary person's, and he had no need to worry about it rupturing.
From the evening glow to sunset, the sky gradually darkened, and he dressed.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
He threw punch after punch, practicing basic fist techniques. His mind held countless exquisite fist techniques, yet he used none of them. What mattered most now was using basic fist techniques to temper his body and stabilize his sixth layer of the Acquired Realm.
Simple and plain, without any flashy moves, every punch stirred a fierce wind, battering the air into turmoil and sending it blowing outward.
With every step of the Seven Stars Linked Steps, the leaves on the ground swirled up and danced with his movements. Had anyone passed by at that moment, their jaw would certainly have dropped in astonishment. This was Innate Spirit.
Only by comprehending Innate Spirit could one mobilize the Principles of heaven and earth.
Every punch and every move flowed like water, seamless and natural.
As his final punch struck, a sudden explosion rang through the air. It was a sonic burst formed by rapidly compressed air, a sound possible only when speed and strength converged on a single point.
"That felt good!"
He withdrew his fist and stood still, drenched in sweat. Without taking time to change, he drew his short saber and continued practicing his saber technique.
His draws were much faster than before he returned, and his accuracy was improving as well. Almost every strike landed on the mark. Next, he could begin practicing the Blood Rainbow Saber Technique.
"Young master, the master has called you to dinner."
Before he knew it, the sky had darkened. The steward's voice came from outside the courtyard gate, calling him to dinner.
"All right. I'll come after I change."
He quickly washed up. His continuous cultivation had expelled a great deal of grime from his body. After cleaning himself, he changed into clean robes and headed toward the inner hall. It had been a long time since he had eaten with his family.
His father-in-law, mother-in-law, and Xu Lingxue had already been waiting for some time.
What had happened that day had greatly changed his mother-in-law's attitude toward him. She rose of her own accord and filled a bowl with rice for Liu Wuxie.
"Thank you, Mother-in-law!"
Liu Wuxie said little. In the past, whenever he came to eat, he had received no shortage of scolding from his mother-in-law.
Xu Lingxue picked up her bowl. Even the way she ate was elegant. She picked up a piece of rich but not greasy cherry pork and placed it in her mouth, chewing softly. Normally, whenever Liu Wuxie came to eat, she would finish early and leave. The two rarely saw each other.
This should have been their first time eating at the same table.
"Wuxie, this is an invitation from the Wan Household. I've been busy these past few days and have no time to go. You and Lingxue can attend in my place tomorrow."
Xu Yilin took out an invitation and set it before Liu Wuxie. Too much had happened to the Lineage recently. Their master artifact refiner had been poached by the Tian Household, and their weapons workshop had nearly been framed. He was overwhelmed with work every day, so he could only have Liu Wuxie attend this unnecessary banquet.
"An invitation from the Wan Household?"
Liu Wuxie put down his bowl and chopsticks. The Wan Household rarely had dealings with the Xu Household, so their sudden invitation left him somewhat taken aback.
"Here's what happened. The Wan Household recently brought in a new batch of Demon Beasts and organized a Hundred Demon Gathering. They've invited the heads of Canglan City's major Lineages and some talented young people. I hear people from the imperial capital are coming too. If our Xu Household wants to develop, we must maintain good relations with the Wan Household. You only need to watch and listen."
Xu Yilin gave a brief explanation. The Wan Household made its living from beast-taming grounds and beast-fighting arenas. Whenever they brought in new Demon Beasts, they held a large gathering to raise their arenas' profile.
Xu Yilin's intention was simply for the two of them to go through the motions and give the Wan Household face, watching more, listening more, and gaining more exposure to the outside world.
Liu Wuxie looked up just as Xu Lingxue put down her bowl and chopsticks. Their eyes met, then quickly parted. Neither objected.
His father-in-law had already decided, and it was too late to refuse. There were still three days before he had to deliver the pills to the Pill Treasure Pavilion, leaving enough time to refine the Heavenly Spirit Pills. He would attend the Hundred Demon Gathering first; Liu Wuxie also wanted to see it for himself.
Much about the True Martial Continent remained unfamiliar to him. To become part of this world, he first had to understand it.
"Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, I've finished eating. I'll head back first."
After hastily finishing his meal, Liu Wuxie stood, bowed to the two of them, and turned to leave.
"Father, ever since that night, he seems to have changed."
Only after Liu Wuxie had gone far away did Xu Lingxue suddenly speak.
She could not put it into words; she simply felt he had changed. He was steadier, his gaze wiser. His eyes in particular resembled two stars, holding far too many stories.
"I noticed it too. People have to grow up eventually. He's Brother Liu's descendant. He couldn't remain a good-for-nothing forever."
Xu Yilin attributed it to his having grown up, and the three fell into a brief silence.
Returning to his courtyard, he had no time to rest. Every moment was precious to him now. He lit the fire and began refining Heavenly Spirit Pills.
"Spirit Stones. I need a large quantity of Spirit Stones. Only Spirit Stones can be used to set up a Spirit Gathering Formation."
Spirit Stones were naturally occurring stones that formed underground and contained large quantities of Spiritual Qi. Martial cultivators could not do without them in their cultivation. A single Spirit Stone could equal ten days to a month of cultivation for an ordinary person.
Most Spirit Stone veins were controlled by major sects or powerful organizations, completely beyond ordinary people's reach. One tiny Spirit Stone cost as much as a hundred thousand gold coins. Even the Xu Household could purchase only a limited number each month.
Over the course of the night, he refined more than a hundred Heavenly Spirit Pills.
He did not stop until daybreak. Swallowing a Heavenly Spirit Pill, he circulated the Grand Desolation Heaven-Devouring Instruction. All his fatigue was swept away, leaving him brimming with vitality.
The steward brought breakfast. After eating, he waited in the main hall. There were still two hours until the banquet.
After roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Xu Lingxue emerged from behind the curtain. She wore a long blue-green dress embroidered with two lifelike phoenixes using the most primitive weaving techniques, making her look like a phoenix about to spread its wings and fly away.
Wrapped in the long dress, her exquisite figure displayed its proud curves in full, her full chest and rounded hips without a trace of excess flesh anywhere. She was almost a perfect work of art.
Her skin was like congealed cream, and her dark hair cascaded like a waterfall, lifting gently in the breeze. Her lips parted slightly, revealing white teeth.
Her attire today was unlike her usual style. Like a lotus emerging from the water, she radiated boundless allure from head to toe.
A temptress!
Liu Wuxie grumbled inwardly and turned his head aside. Was taking such a temptress out a good thing or a bad thing?
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