Chapter 6

Louxiu saw the young man in white looking at him with a hint of malice in his eyes.

"Do I know you?" Louxiu frowned and asked.

The young man in white snorted coldly, his face full of arrogance. "Of course you don't know me, because you don't even have the qualifications to know me!"

"Since I don't know you, why do you start by saying I don't know what's good for me? What kind of person are you?" Louxiu said with a cold smile.

"Hmm?" A fierce coldness flashed in the young man's eyes, but then a playful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "No wonder a lowly commoner like you dares to oppose the Zhang brothers; you do have quite a bit of courage."

"But I advise you to understand your own identity. Yuxin is impossible to have any connection with a lowly commoner like you." The young man's tone was very firm, his gaze sharp, carrying a threatening meaning.

Louxiu glanced at Liu Yuxin. This woman was very beautiful. If he were to be honest, his secret admiration and affection for Liu Yuxin were more about appreciating something beautiful.

With the Life and Death Pearl, Louxiu believed that his future achievements would certainly not be limited to a small city like Qingyun. After experiencing various events, he realized that in this world, without powerful strength, everything was an illusion.

Therefore, what Louxiu aspired to was the supreme martial path. With enough strength, what kind of woman couldn't he obtain?

Moreover, the young man in white was aggressively mocking and belittling him, while Liu Yuxin remained silent. Did this mean that she also thought the same way?

"Xu Fei, stop talking." Liu Yuxin frowned and said, "Louxiu has helped me before, and I won't allow you to speak about him like that."

Then she looked at Louxiu, "If you can't pass the assessment in three months, I've written a letter of introduction for you. Take it to the Liu family, and they will arrange something for you."

As she spoke, she took out a delicate letter from her sleeve and handed it to Louxiu.

Louxiu laughed wryly. She was the daughter of the Liu family. If he went to her family as a guard or servant, it would be a kind of indirect rejection, making him realize the difference in their status.

From the way Liu Yuxin looked at him, Louxiu could read some subtle meanings.

"No need, thank you for your kindness," Louxiu refused without hesitation, pointing to the three martial arts manuals in his chest. "I need to go back and practice. Goodbye."

With that, he walked towards the door of the library without looking back.

Liu Yuxin was slightly stunned, her beautiful eyes flashing with a thoughtful look.

The young man in white, Xu Fei, snorted disdainfully, "Yuxin, why bother with such a lowly commoner?"

Liu Yuxin shook her head, "Perhaps what I did hurt his self-esteem."

"Self-esteem?" Xu Fei's disdain grew even more. "Does a lowly commoner even have the right to talk about self-esteem?"

After registering with the elder guarding the library, Louxiu left the place with the three martial arts manuals in his chest.

He didn't see Wang Hui and Lu Feng, who had probably gone to the medical room to treat their injuries.

...

"The annual assessment will take place in three months. Students who are fourteen and seventeen years old must participate. Those who fail will be expelled from the Martial Hall."

The Martial Hall has such a rule because martial cultivation is extremely difficult, and the higher the level, the harder it is to progress. Therefore, for the Martial Hall, students who cannot meet the requirements are not worth cultivating and will be abandoned.

Of course, if a student in the初级班 (初级班 means "初级 class" or "初级 level," which can be translated as "初级 class" or "初级 level" in English, but in this context, it refers to the "初级 class" or "初级 level" of the Martial Hall, so I will use "初级 class" for consistency) has not yet reached fourteen years old but has advanced to the fifth level of Body Tempering, they can also participate in the assessment and directly advance to the intermediate class. Similarly, intermediate class students can advance to the advanced class.

In his room, Louxiu calmed his mind, visualizing the life meridian diagram in his mind, and deduced the "Yi Jin Duan Gu Gong" (Muscle and Bone Tempering Technique).

The first thing he needed to do was to improve and enhance this second-grade technique.

After two days, Louxiu finally completed the improvement of the "Yi Jin Duan Gu Gong" and reached its limit, unable to be further enhanced.

Then Louxiu began to practice according to the improved technique. The elemental energy gathered on his body, forming a faint white mist. After the elemental energy entered his body, Louxiu felt his soul tremble. Under the influence of the Life and Death Pearl, the elemental energy absorbed into his body would be transformed into Life and Death Qi.

The fourth to sixth levels of Body Tempering belong to the stage of tendon and bone tempering. By infusing Life and Death Qi into the tendons and bones, the strength of the tendons and bones is enhanced, and internal energy is stored within them, allowing for free use during battles.

Therefore, the higher the level of Body Tempering, the more internal energy a martial practitioner has, and the stronger their power.

In the realm of cultivation, there is no concept of time. This seclusion far exceeded the previous one, and before he knew it, a month had passed.

In just a few short days, he had advanced from the second level of Body Tempering to the fourth level, but the speed of cultivation began to slow down.

One reason was that the higher the level, the harder it was to advance. Another reason was that unlike the disciples of noble families, Louxiu did not have superior cultivation conditions.

Slowly opening his eyes, Louxiu felt the cultivation in his body and pondered, "After a month, I have finally reached the fifth level of Body Tempering. If I could take elixirs and use formations like the disciples of noble families, I could at least reach the sixth level of Body Tempering in a month!"

For this, Louxiu was helpless. Whether it was elixirs, formations, or the spirit stones used to activate formations, they were all expensive and required a large amount of money.

"With my cultivation improved, the next step is martial techniques and movement techniques!"

Louxiu got off the bed and began practicing the second-grade martial technique, Dragon Tiger Fist, in his room. The wind from his punches was fierce, and the sound of dragon roars and tiger growls could be heard, making the technique far more powerful than the previous Bull Fist.

However, Louxiu was not satisfied. He visualized the life meridian diagram in his mind and further enhanced the martial technique.

The Life and Death Qi flowed through his flesh and bones, containing the mysteries of life and the terror of death, imprinting deep truths in his body and soul. This feeling was incredibly wondrous.

"Roar!"

Louxiu's body moved like a charging tiger, a faint black light rising from his skin, the aura of death spreading, as if he had truly transformed into a tiger, ready to tear his target to pieces.

"Bang!"

The wooden table in the room could not withstand the power and shattered instantly, wood chips flying everywhere.

Louxiu stopped, seeing a sunken fist mark on the wall, with some small cracks around it.

Keep in mind that the buildings in the Martial Hall were constructed with hard rock, and without the strength of the seventh level of Body Tempering, it was impossible to cause damage.

"Such powerful force!"

Louxiu looked at the fist mark and cracks on the wall, his face full of excitement. This effect could rival the power of a third-grade martial technique.

"The Dragon Tiger Fist is divided into the Tiger Form and the Dragon Form. The Dragon Form is even more powerful than the Tiger Form. I wonder what kind of effect it can produce?"

Louxiu was eager to try but dared not continue practicing martial techniques in the room. If the damage to the house was severe, he couldn't afford the compensation.

With this thought, Louxiu pushed open the door and headed to the training ground. Besides martial techniques, he also needed to practice the Inch Step movement technique, as the room's space was too small.

...

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

In the black stone area of the training ground, a young man in black was practicing punches in front of a black stone stele. Each punch on the black stone produced a dull sound and left a shallow indentation.

The black stone steles here were made of a material called black stone, which is very hard. Only martial practitioners at the sixth level of Body Tempering or higher could leave marks on the black stone.

Moreover, black stone has a self-repairing property. Even though it is now pitted, it will become smooth again after a few hours.

"That big brother Zhao Liang is so amazing, no wonder he is a top student in the intermediate class!"

"I wish I could be as strong as him."

Near the young man in black, several fangirls occasionally cheered and shouted.

Louxiu had also heard of this young man in black, named Zhao Liang, a student in the intermediate class from a wealthy family. He was the same age as Louxiu but had already advanced to the intermediate class last year and was expected to reach the eighth level of Body Tempering before the age of seventeen, advancing to the advanced class.

Those who could advance to the advanced class were the elites of the Qingyun City Martial Hall, receiving focused cultivation and being the dream destination for every student entering the Martial Hall.

There were many black stone steles in the black stone area. Louxiu chose an unoccupied one and walked over.

However, his arrival immediately caught the attention of some people.

"Who is that person, coming to the black stone area to practice? Is he also a top student in the intermediate class?"

Someone pointed at Louxiu, as those who usually came to practice here were martial practitioners at the sixth level of Body Tempering or higher.

"This person seems to be from the初级 class. I heard he has recently made a name for himself and even fought two intermediate class students at the fifth level of Body Tempering in front of the library," someone recognized Louxiu.

"Ah? A初级 class student actually fought intermediate class students?" Some who hadn't heard of Louxiu were filled with curiosity.

"Hmph, without the strength of the sixth level of Body Tempering, it's impossible to leave any marks on the black stone. Does he really think that defeating two fifth-level students makes him a top student?"

Some people looked at Louxiu with disdain and mockery.

The noise from the crowd also caught the attention of Zhao Liang, who was practicing punches. He looked at Louxiu.

"The black stone area is not a place for trash from the初级 class to come."

Louxiu was unperturbed and punched the black stone stele in front of him.

"This guy, how dare he be so disrespectful, let's see how he embarrasses himself!"

"Right, right, does he think he's as good as big brother Zhao Liang?"

"Bang!"

The punch hit the black stone stele with great force. Louxiu did not use any martial techniques or internal energy.

A shallow indentation appeared on the stele, similar to the marks left by Zhao Liang's attacks.

Louxiu nodded to himself. Since fusing with the Life and Death Pearl, his cultivation and physical attributes had rapidly improved, and his pure physical strength could match the sixth level of Body Tempering.

Meanwhile, the Martial Hall students who were preparing to mock and ridicule Louxiu suddenly had their smiles frozen, as if their throats were clamped.

Zhao Liang also frowned. A trash from the初级 class could achieve the same level as him, which made him feel very embarrassed.

"He must have used his internal energy to the extreme and then used a martial technique to leave a mark on the black stone stele."

"Right, I think so too. Otherwise, how could a初级 class student achieve this? What do you think, big brother Zhao Liang?"

Hearing someone ask him, Zhao Liang put his hands behind his back, looking like a master, and said, "Your guess is correct. Even I need to use internal energy to leave a mark on the black stone stele."

"Since big brother Zhao Liang said so, this Louxiu must have used the power of a martial technique to achieve this effect."

"Using a martial technique is no skill, it's just embarrassing!"

However, before they could finish speaking, Louxiu punched the black stone stele again. This time, he did not use any martial techniques but did use the Life and Death Qi.

"Boom!"

This punch was powerful, and the black stone stele, as solid as a rock, trembled slightly.

A clear fist mark appeared on the black stone stele, leaving everyone, including Zhao Liang, stunned and unable to believe their eyes.