Chapter 15: One in Ten Thousand, Entering the Stance
In the past half a month, Lu Yuan had led his men out of the city three times.
Each time was to ambush and kill horse bandits. With only a dozen or so men, they avoided seeking out the Northern Barbarians. The goal of these excursions was to temper his cultivation and advance his realm.
Once his strength broke through, he would be more or less ready to deal with the Northern Barbarians.
And he had certainly reaped some rewards. He alone had killed twenty-one horse bandits, which he exchanged for over twenty taels of silver at the Merit Tower. Then there were the plundered horses. Although the mounts ridden by the horse bandits were inferior to the warhorses of the Northern Barbarians, a single horse could still be exchanged for ten taels of silver at the Merit Tower.
This item alone brought in another two hundred-plus taels.
On top of that, his own strength had increased.
The three sorties, all of which involved outnumbering the enemy, had brought him a large amount of proficiency points.
When he opened his system panel, even though Lu Yuan was prepared for it, a smile couldn’t help but appear on his face.
[Name: Lu Yuan]
[Age: 16]
[Cultivation Technique: Breaking Blade Eight Techniques (29,723/30,000 Perfection)]
[Tiger Subduing Posture (Body Tempering) (9,242/10,000 Great Success)]
[Golden Bell Shield (7,817/10,000 Great Success)]
[Wolf-Chasing Arrow Skill (3,461/10,000 Great Success)]
[Arrowhead Array (8,413/10,000 Great Success)]
That’s right, Lu Yuan’s Body Tempering had already reached Great Success. If it were anyone else, they would naturally have broken through, but he had not yet reached his limit.
However, no one would dare to underestimate his combat prowess.
He could now easily face and defeat someone in the Bone Forging Realm.
The improvement in his Golden Bell Shield was also very gratifying.
As for the Arrowhead Array, it had also reached Great Success. It was no exaggeration to say that if Lu Yuan went into battle now and led a charge with the Military Array, the combat power of the Warriors under his command would increase by fifty percent.
This fifty percent increase should not be underestimated. In the heat of battle on the field, it was enough to play a crucial role.
’My Breaking Blade Eight Techniques is about to break through. If I practice a bit more today, I should be able to make it,’ Lu Yuan thought.
He picked up his long blade, walked out the door, and began to practice his swings.
His Sword Skill was now incredibly refined. As he danced under the sun, his blade moved like a bolt of white silk, until all one could see was the afterimage of the blade, but not the man himself.
The display was truly terrifying.
At that very moment, inside the Captain’s Mansion, Hongying Captain Zhou Hongling was having a meal with an elder from her family.
The table was laden with delicacies.
The Zhou Family’s Third Master, Zhou Ming, was a man who enjoyed his food. As he ate, he looked at his niece and said, "Recently, the imperial court reached a truce with the Xirong."
"The Third Princess was sent over for a political marriage. We can finally have some peaceful days."
"Isn’t the Third Princess His Majesty’s favorite?" Zhou Hongling paused, her chopsticks hovering.
"There was no choice. We’re in a constant standoff with the Northern Barbarians on the border. How could we afford to go to war with the Xirong as well? Even if she is his favorite daughter, His Majesty must consider the court," Zhou Ming said lightly after taking a sip of wine.
Zhou Hongling was silent for a moment before saying, "Relying on a political marriage to trade for a moment of peace is a disgrace to the court, and a disgrace to us of the General’s Mansion."
"You reckless girl, are you trying to get yourself killed? Don’t say such things in the future. If someone overhears you, the whole family will suffer for it." Zhou Ming’s expression changed, and he shot his niece a glare.
Zhou Hongling seemed unconcerned. She looked up and said, "Third Uncle, I’ve recently discovered a promising talent. Why don’t you take him as your disciple?"
As she spoke, she had someone deliver Lu Yuan’s file.
Zhou Ming only glanced at it before speaking.
"I can’t. You know I just took Yun Mo as my disciple. I wouldn’t be able to look after another."
Yun Mo was a Centurion in Huqiu Fortress.
Although his official rank wasn’t high, his fame had spread throughout the nearby Sai Cities. His cultivation was at the Muscle Refining Realm, and he possessed Innate Divine Power. He nearly reached the Great Success Realm in every stage before breaking through.
He was even expected to reach Perfection in Tendon Refining before his next breakthrough.
Moreover, his mastery of the Military Array had also reached Great Success. A person like him was naturally a legendary figure in these borderlands.
"Don’t make excuses. After taking Yun Mo, you look down on everyone else. You’re single-mindedly focused on cultivating a Renowned General. But this Lu Yuan is quite good too. Are you sure you won’t take him?"
"I won’t. You know your Third Uncle’s greatest wish is to cultivate a Renowned General. One more disciple means I have to divide my attention. As for this... Lu Yuan, he has already pledged allegiance to our Zhou Family anyway."
"It doesn’t matter if he has a master or not. You can handle it yourself." Zhou Ming waved his hand dismissively while continuing to drink.
In response, Zhou Hongling could only feel helpless.
She had only remembered that Lu Yuan hadn’t yet taken a master after seeing Zhou Ming, so she had decided to ask on a whim.
If it didn’t work out, then so be it. He was already on the family roster, after all.
For now, a mere Centurion was not enough to warrant too much of her attention.
At worst, if he showed more outstanding performance in the future, they could just marry a daughter from a concubine’s line to him. This was a common method the Zhou Family used to win people over.
At this moment, Lu Yuan was oblivious to all of this, single-mindedly swinging the long blade in his hand.
HUM!
A low hum resonated.
Data flashed in his mind.
[Cultivation Technique: Breaking Blade Eight Techniques (30,134/30,000 Perfection). Break through?]
’Break through.’
Immediately, Lu Yuan felt a vast amount of insights about Sword Skill flood his mind. The strength in his arms was increasing.
It was as if he had practiced the blade for decades and had a sudden epiphany.
Layers upon layers of calluses appeared on his palms.
The war blade in his hand felt lighter, and his swings became faster.
Moreover, he had comprehended many new variations.
[Cultivation Technique: Breaking Blade Eight Techniques (134/50,000 Perfection) Entering the Stance]
This was a completely new realm, a state of Martial Arts that all Martial Artists dreamed of but found incredibly difficult to achieve.
To form one’s own blade intent while still in the Body Tempering Realm... a person like this was truly one in a million.
This was because many people could only begin to grasp this concept during Organ Refining, and could only truly comprehend their own "stance" or "intent" after breaking through to the True Essence Realm.
But now, Lu Yuan had already achieved it.
Anyone who saw this would probably be shocked.
SWISH!
As the blade sliced through the air, the aura around Lu Yuan abruptly changed. A gust of sharp wind swirled around him, adding a measure of deterrence.
After comprehending blade intent, his combat power had more than doubled.
If before he could only fight a Bone Forging expert head-on, now he could kill one with ease.
’If my Golden Bell Shield reaches Perfection, it will also provide a boost to my Tiger Subduing Posture, helping it reach Perfection sooner. My combat power will increase again then. Even if I can’t beat a Muscle Refining expert, I should have no problem retreating safely with the help of the Military Array.’
With this in mind, Lu Yuan threw on some clothes and prepared to go out. The Military Preparation Warehouse had all sorts of medicines for Body Refining. In the past, he didn’t have enough silver to buy them, but now he had over three hundred taels of silver in total.
He could go and see if there was anything suitable.
He was the type of person who acted immediately on his thoughts. After getting dressed, he headed outside.
He had just locked his courtyard gate
when he saw his next-door neighbor, Xiao Hua, walk out with a smile. "Yuan, my mother said to invite you for lunch. You have to come, okay?"
"Alright, I’ll definitely be back before noon," Lu Yuan replied.
Then he headed towards the City Defense Department.
The Military Preparation Warehouse was open year-round. The items inside could be exchanged for merit points or for silver.
Lu Yuan currently didn’t have enough of the former.
So he could only buy with cash.
After arriving at the Military Preparation Warehouse,
Looking at the various medicines displayed inside, his gaze finally fell upon a jar.
’Essence blood of a Desert Fierce Tiger. Has miraculous effects for Refining the physical body. Most suitable for aiding the practice of External Skills.’ Lu Yuan read the description on it.
After seeing the price of a whole three hundred taels,
he gritted his teeth and bought a jar.
It was enough for three uses.
More than enough for a breakthrough.
’After this power-up, the next time I leave the city, I’ll hunt down Northern Barbarian cavalry exclusively. I’ll make back everything I spent, and then some.’