Chapter 68

Seeing Lu Xuan so readily accept his challenge, Xing Feng's eyes flashed with a glint of sharpness.

"Very well, in seven days, I will see the strength of my junior brother." After saying this, Xing Feng left without another word.

Seeing Xing Feng leave, Lin Xinyi wrinkled her nose slightly and said resentfully, "This guy is so shameless. At seventeen, he's already at the fifth level of Body Tempering. Whether in age or realm, he's higher than you, and he still has the nerve to challenge you."

Lu Xuan smiled and said, "The world is not fair. When you face others from the branch sects, they won't care about your age or realm. In the end, everything is decided by strength and results. For these seven days, I plan to seclude myself and organize my recent gains. You two should also practice more and strive to achieve good results in the test in seven days."

Hearing this, Lin Xinyi and Xia Ye both nodded. The two of them were considered prodigies in Lincheng, and they naturally did not want to fall behind in the Wind Sword Sect.

Lu Xuan stepped into the room he had chosen. The room was very simple, but everything was brand new, clearly prepared specially.

After a brief look around, Lu Xuan no longer paid attention. He had low requirements for his living quarters; he only considered this place a quiet room for cultivation.

Sitting cross-legged, Lu Xuan's mental energy probed into the storage ring on his hand. A one-square-meter space appeared before his eyes. The storage ring was somewhat empty, containing only the Sorrow Sword, some pills, and a few sets of clothes.

With a thought, Lu Xuan's mental energy guided a jade bottle. A flash of light appeared in his hand, and the jade bottle was there. It was one of the rewards he had received, the Muscle Strengthening Pill.

The Muscle Strengthening Pill is a pill used at the fifth level of Body Tempering, the Sinew Forging stage. Since Lu Xuan had not yet completed the fourth level of Body Tempering, using the Muscle Strengthening Pill would be a waste. After playing with it for a moment, he put it back into the storage ring, calmed his mind, and began to cultivate.

In seven days, the sect entry test would take place. Lu Xuan wanted to use these seven days to advance to the fifth level of Body Tempering. Time was very tight.

The Taiyi Return to Origin Technique activated, and Lu Xuan instantly became like a magnet. The elemental energy in the air began to gather rapidly around him, seeping into his body through his pores and converging in his meridians.

The fourth level of Body Tempering is the Bone Washing stage. Using ten Bone Washing Pills, Lu Xuan had already expelled all the impurities from his bones. What remained was to temper his bones, a long-term process that could not be rushed, only continuously refined with elemental energy.

Fortunately, the Taiyi Return to Origin Technique was incredibly powerful, with an efficiency far surpassing other cultivation techniques, greatly enhancing Lu Xuan's tempering efficiency.

One major cycle after another, the elemental energy continuously seeped into his bones, tempering them to become increasingly solid.

This cultivation lasted for a full five days.

During these five days, Lu Xuan did not leave his room, and all his affairs were handled by Lin Xinyi.

As the young miss of the Lin family, who had never done a day's work, she had taken on the role of a little wife, not only fetching the sword sect disciple's uniform and badge for Lu Xuan but also bringing his meals to his room every day, taking care of him very thoroughly.

On this noon, Lin Xinyi prepared the meal for Lu Xuan again. As she arrived at Lu Xuan's door, she happened to meet Xia Ye leaving. Seeing the scene, Xia Ye couldn't help but tease, "Xinyi, we are a team. Why do you only bring meals for Lu Xuan and never for me?"

Lin Xinyi shot Xia Ye a glare and said, "You're not in seclusion. Can't you get it yourself? Besides, Lu Xuan has the great responsibility of revitalizing the sword sect. If you could also gain the elders' favor, I would bring meals for you too."

Xia Ye laughed and was about to speak, but at that moment, Lu Xuan's door suddenly opened, and his figure appeared before the two of them.

After five days, Lu Xuan seemed to have grown a bit taller. This was the result of those five days. At this age, it was a stage of growth, and the Bone Washing stage was also a stage of shaping. Continuously tempering his bones with elemental energy naturally led to bone growth.

"Lu Xuan, why are you out? Aren't you in seclusion anymore?" Lin Xinyi stepped forward and handed him the meal.

Taking the meal, Lu Xuan looked at Lin Xinyi and said, "Thank you for your help these days. I wanted to inform you. In the last two days, I plan to break through to the fifth level of Body Tempering, so you don't need to bring me meals for the next two days."

With Lu Xuan's current strength, although he was far from the stage of abstaining from food, going without meals for two days was not a big deal.

"Have you already completed the fourth level?" Xia Ye asked in surprise.

Lu Xuan did not hide it and nodded in acknowledgment.

Seeing Lu Xuan nod, Xia Ye couldn't help but give him a thumbs up, "Your cultivation speed is too incredible. Forget it, I won't feel discouraged. Focus on breaking through. I'll guard you for the next two days and make sure no one disturbs you."

After informing the two, Lu Xuan returned to his room. After five days of continuous cultivation, he had already tempered his bones to their limit, unable to improve any further, reaching the peak of the fourth level of Body Tempering. Whether he could successfully break through to the fifth level of Body Tempering would depend on these two days.

Breaking through, relying solely on cultivation is very difficult. More important is enlightenment. Many martial artists get stuck at a certain realm for life because they lack that bit of enlightenment.

When Lu Xuan broke through to the fourth level of Body Tempering, it was due to the enlightenment he gained from his battle with Long Yang, which led to a natural breakthrough.

However, this time, Lu Xuan had no shortage of enlightenment.

In the sect entry test, Lu Xuan not only touched the threshold of sword intent but also broke through six levels of the Sword Tower and engaged in a life-and-death battle with Long Tai. Additionally, in Qing Shan Town, he fought alongside Xia Chenxi against Long Zhan, who was nearly at the eighth level of Body Tempering.

The enlightenment gained from these battles was extremely valuable. If he could fully digest these experiences, breaking through would be a natural process.

Returning to his room, Lu Xuan took out the five Muscle Strengthening Pills again. Using the Muscle Strengthening Pills to break through to the Sinew Forging stage would be much easier.

Swallowing one pill, Lu Xuan immediately felt a wave of heat rise from his chest and abdomen. The effects of the Muscle Strengthening Pill had begun.

The "sinew" refers to the body's ligaments, tendons, and skeletal muscles. As the ancient saying goes, "Sinew is the power of the flesh," meaning that no matter how strong the flesh is, its power must be transmitted through the sinew.

At the peak of the fourth level of Body Tempering, Lu Xuan's flesh and bones had already been tempered to a very powerful degree. As the saying goes, "Sinew and bone, sinew and bone," after washing the bones, the next step is to forge the sinew. Only by making the sinew extremely resilient can the body's strength be maximized.

As the effects of the Muscle Strengthening Pill took hold, the medicinal energy began to rapidly attach to Lu Xuan's sinews, continuously strengthening them.

The Taiyi Return to Origin Technique continued to circulate, and Lu Xuan cleared his mind of all distractions, reflecting on his recent gains. It seemed as if his soul had left his body, leaving only the elemental energy flowing through his meridians.

After an unknown amount of time, the effects of the first Muscle Strengthening Pill had completely dissipated. Without hesitation, Lu Xuan swallowed the second pill.

Under the influence of the medicinal energy, the elemental energy flowing through his meridians no longer remained in his flesh and bones but began to seep into the ends of his bones.

By the time the third Muscle Strengthening Pill was fully digested, Lu Xuan suddenly felt a clear and bright sensation in his mind. All his insights became crystal clear at that moment!

A feeling of extreme comfort washed over him, as if all his pores had opened, greedily absorbing the elemental energy from the air!

The fifth level of Body Tempering, breakthrough!