Chapter 10: Breakthrough
Lu Yuan’s Sword Skill was fierce and powerful. The Breaking Blade Eight Techniques itself was something the Zhang Family had spent a fortune to acquire. It was the perfect complement to the Lying Tiger Posture, as both were Cultivation Techniques ideally suited for the life-and-death struggles of the military.
Clearly, the Zhang Family was now desperate for its younger generation to make a name for themselves in the army.
They spared no expense to ensure their descendants could gain a firm foothold in the military.
Therefore, Lu Yuan’s Cultivation Techniques weren’t common fare. In fact, they were quite profound. In the military, at least, they were considered excellent.
As he began to practice, wisps of white mist gradually rose from his body.
After an unknown amount of time, the system’s voice sounded in his mind.
[Cultivation Technique: Breaking Blade Eight Techniques (10042/10000, Great Success). Break through?]
A smile touched Lu Yuan’s lips.
Then, he chose to break through without hesitation.
The next moment, he felt a massive influx of memories and insights about Sword Skill flood his mind, as if he had been practicing it for decades.
He gained an incredibly deep understanding of the Breaking Blade Eight Techniques.
At the same time, the muscles in his arms changed. His forearms grew firmer, his movements became more powerful, and his speed increased.
SWISH!
A light flick of the long saber now produced a piercing whistle.
[Cultivation Technique: Breaking Blade Eight Techniques (42/30000, Perfection)]
’Finally, Perfection,’ he thought.
Now, he could even contend with someone in the Bone Forging Realm, as long as their technique hadn’t also reached Perfection.
Afterward, he took out a booklet and began to study the Arrowhead Array.
This was the most basic Array in all of Dayong.
A squad of ten Warriors could use it, but the Array’s effectiveness depended primarily on the commander’s understanding of it.
The more thorough the understanding, the stronger its offensive power.
Wei Yong and the others were all veterans and naturally familiar with this Array. The most important factor now was Lu Yuan.
So, for the time that followed, he spent nearly all of it studying the Array and practicing with the Military Array.
「In the blink of an eye, the morning had passed.」
After finishing his practice, Lu Yuan got dressed and opened his data panel again.
[Name: Lu Yuan]
[Age: 16]
[Cultivation Technique: Breaking Blade Eight Techniques (42/30000, Perfection)]
[Tiger Subduing Posture Body Tempering (201/1000, Minor Achievement)]
[Golden Bell Shield (83/100, Entry Level)]
[Arrowhead Array (8/10, Uninitiated)]
’The Golden Bell Shield is almost at Minor Achievement. If I practice a few more times tonight, I should be able to break through. Then, I’ll be able to unleash some of its power, and my physical body will be comparable to someone at the Perfection stage of Body Tempering.
I’ll have a better chance against a Bone Forging expert,’ Lu Yuan thought.
He went back inside, picked up the braised meat and some other cooked food, and headed next door.
As soon as he entered the house, a wave of hazy, hot air washed over him.
A basin on the table was already half-full of steamed buns. He had to admit, Xiao Hua was a truly efficient worker.
Seeing Lu Yuan, she came over to greet him. "Yuan, I’ve only steamed half a bag of flour this morning. I should be able to finish the rest before dark."
Her forehead was glistening with sweat; she was clearly exhausted.
After all, kneading that much dough was strenuous work for a young woman.
"There’s no rush. You’ve worked hard today. Come on, let’s eat," Lu Yuan said, placing the cooked food on the table.
Then, he turned to the woman lying in bed and asked, "Auntie, how are you feeling?"
These past few days, the two families had been helping each other, and their relationship had grown much closer.
The woman had also let down her guard. She smiled and said, "I’m much better after taking the medicine. I really have you to thank."
"Don’t say that, Auntie. Xiao Hua has helped me plenty these past few days, too." Lu Yuan smiled as he unwrapped the braised dishes on the table. After setting a portion aside for the woman, he sat down and began to eat with Xiao Hua.
Xiao Hua was someone who always repaid kindness. In the days since she had moved in, she would wash Lu Yuan’s dirty clothes whenever she saw them and would even mend any torn garments.
He took all of this to heart.
"You’re leaving the city because you accepted a mission from the Merit Tower, right? Be careful out there, and don’t try to be a hero," the woman advised softly.
She had seen too many people leave the city and never return.
"Thank you for the reminder, Auntie. I’ll be careful."
After placing a chicken leg in Xiao Hua’s bowl, Lu Yuan grabbed a large piece of meat for himself and began to eat heartily.
As his cultivation level increased, so did his appetite.
Her face flushed slightly, but she didn’t refuse his kind gesture.
After they finished their meal, Xiao Hua went to wash the dishes, and Lu Yuan took his leave.
He was ready to continue his training.
A little hardship and exhaustion now was nothing. Every bit of strength he gained was another asset for survival outside the city walls.
Therefore, he trained with extreme diligence.
In the biting spring cold, he stood bare-chested, repeatedly slamming his body against an ironwood tree.
The great tree, so thick it would take a person’s arms to encircle it, thudded from the impacts, but he paid no mind to the blood streaming down his body.
Finally, as dusk fell, the system’s notification chimed in Lu Yuan’s mind.
[Golden Bell Shield (121/100, Entry Level). Break through?]
"Break through."
The next moment, Lu Yuan felt a change sweep through his entire body. The small wounds all over him began to scab over and peel off before his very eyes,
revealing rock-solid muscles beneath.
His strength had also increased, more than tripling what it was before.
[Golden Bell Shield (21/1000, Minor Achievement)]
’This time, it should be a sure thing. As long as I don’t run into a Hundred-Man Squad of Northern Barbarians, there shouldn’t be any major problems,’ Lu Yuan thought.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
"Yuan, are you home?"
It was Xiao Hua’s voice. Lu Yuan quickly threw on some clothes and went to open the door.
When the courtyard gate opened, he saw her standing there prettily, a large basket looped over her arm.
"Yuan, the buns are all steamed."
"Thank you for the trouble. Come in and sit for a while," Lu Yuan said, taking the basket.
"I won’t come in. You can just give me the basket back when you return." Xiao Hua waved her hand and turned to leave.
Lu Yuan carried the steamed buns inside and found a sack to put them in, along with over ten pounds of dried meat.
As for the strong liquor, he poured all of it into a wineskin.
It was still cold outside, and the snow hadn’t completely melted yet. Liquor was indispensable.
Out in the wilderness, it could ward off the chill.
Once everything was ready, Lu Yuan had a quick bite to eat and began his training again, practicing the Lying Tiger Posture while prostrate on the ground and simultaneously studying the Arrowhead Array.
He discovered that with every reading, his understanding deepened, so he had been studying it meticulously all day.
He didn’t rest until the latter half of the night.
The next day, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, he got up, shouldered his pack, and went out the door.
CREAK.
Just as he pushed his door open, the gate to the neighboring courtyard opened at the same time. Xiao Hua blinked her sparkling eyes and said, "Yuan, be careful. I’ll wait for you to come back."
Her voice was crisp, and there were specks of frost on her eyelashes. She had clearly been waiting for a while.
"Don’t worry. It’ll be fine," Lu Yuan said with a smile and a wave.
Then, he turned and walked toward the city gate.
Xiao Hua watched until he had turned the corner of the alley before closing her courtyard gate.
At the North City Gate, Zhou He had already arrived. One of his men stood beside him, stamping his feet against the cold, and said in a low voice, "Chief, this Lu Yuan is a rookie, after all. We’re going up against the Northern Barbarians this time. Is he really up to it?"
This man’s name was Li Xing, one of Zhou He’s old comrades.
His strength had also reached the Entry Level.
WHAP! Zhou He’s horsewhip rapped against his helmet with a dull thud.
"Just do your job. You think you know better than I do?"
Although he hadn’t seen Lu Yuan in action that day, the four dead Northern Barbarian scouts were real.
Besides, could someone who earned his old uncle’s approval really be useless?
"Fine, if you say so, Chief. But it’s not just me who has doubts. All the brothers do," Li Xing grumbled before uncorking his wineskin and taking a swig.
Just then, the men under Lu Yuan’s command began to arrive at the city gate one after another.