Chapter 7

Lu Xuan’s cultivation lasted for a full ten days.

During these ten days, Lu Xuan’s life was quite fulfilling. Every day, apart from cultivating the Taiyi Reversal Art, he practiced the Blink Sword Technique, and his rapid progress greatly excited him!

Thanks to his supreme talent, in just ten short days, Lu Xuan had already reached the peak of the third level of Body Tempering, just one step away from the fourth level.

What excited Lu Xuan even more was that although he had not yet reached the fourth level of Body Tempering, he could feel that his punch strength had definitely surpassed the 1,400-pound mark!

There was no doubt that this change was due to the Taiyi Reversal Art.

Although the strength of a punch is usually used to measure the level, this is only for ordinary martial artists. For those who have cultivated high-level techniques, the same level can result in vastly different bursts of power.

The Taiyi Reversal Art’s circulation path runs through all twenty-six meridians of the body, effectively training Lu Xuan’s entire body. In comparison, the single meridian path of the Qi Induction Technique is negligible.

In addition to the significant level increase, the Blink Sword Technique had also reached a high level of mastery.

The Blink Sword Technique was Lu Xuan’s first genuine martial skill. Because the memory of the Blink Sword Technique was firmly etched in his mind, practicing it was incredibly efficient.

“Having reached the peak of the third level of Body Tempering for two full days, I still haven’t broken through to the fourth level. It seems that even if I continue to cultivate, I won’t be able to break through in the short term.”

Lu Xuan frowned and muttered to himself. Cultivation was not about isolated practice; blind hard work would not lead to breakthroughs. Now, Lu Xuan had encountered such a bottleneck.

The reason he could break through to the third level of Body Tempering without any obstacles last time was partly due to the sword crystal clearing some obstacles for him and partly because he had entered a state of spiritual clarity. Now, his eagerness to succeed was counterproductive.

Realizing this, Lu Xuan decided to stop the intense cultivation. He had already stayed in the forest for ten days, and it was time to leave.

With his current strength comparable to the fourth level of Body Tempering and the Blink Sword Technique as a powerful move, even if he encountered Long Yang again, Lu Xuan would have a fighting chance!

After tidying up, Lu Xuan set off for Lincity.

There wasn’t much to pack. When he was knocked out and taken away by Long Yang, he had no belongings on him, and the little money he had was taken by the Long family’s servants. Fortunately, he had managed to search some silver from the two brothers, so he wasn’t completely penniless.

Apart from that, the only thing Lu Xuan had was a bamboo pole that he had polished to a smooth finish. He had made it a few days ago to practice the Blink Sword Technique. After using it for several days, he found it quite handy and didn’t want to discard it, so he took it with him.

Traveling swiftly, feeling the significant increase in his strength, Lu Xuan felt extremely refreshed. In less than half an hour, he saw the majestic city gates of Lincity.

After staying in the forest for ten days, returning to Lincity gave Lu Xuan a sense of being in a different world, especially with all the changes that had occurred in those ten days.

Upon returning to Lincity, Lu Xuan first found his lodging. Before registering, he had rented a room in an inn in the city, paying a deposit for half a month. He assumed the room was still available.

As Lu Xuan pushed open his room door, a door nearby suddenly opened, and a chubby boy appeared at the doorway. Seeing Lu Xuan, his face lit up with joy.

“Hey, Brother Xuan, you’re back? Where have you been these past few days? I thought you weren’t going to participate in the Fengjian Sect’s assessment!” As he spoke, he quickly came out of his room.

This chubby boy was named Yao Lei, who was half a year younger than Lu Xuan but a head shorter. He was Lu Xuan’s good friend. Although he was called a chubby boy, he wasn’t really fat; he just had a round face that made him look chubby. The Yao family was a small clan in Greenhill Town, similar in size to the Lu family. This time, the two of them had come to Lincity together to participate in the Fengjian Sect’s assessment.

“Oh, to prepare for the assessment, I went to cultivate outside the city for a while.” Lu Xuan didn’t mention what had happened with Long Yang. Too much had happened outside the city, especially regarding the sword crystal, which he would never reveal to anyone.

“Cultivate? In the wild? Forget it, I can’t take that kind of hardship. Anyway, I don’t think I have much hope of entering the Fengjian Sect this time.” Yao Lei said with a bitter expression. “I was so bored without you around, with no one to play with. But now it’s great, let’s go, let’s go out and have some fun, hehe, I haven’t visited the pleasure quarters in Lincity yet!”

Seeing the sly smile on Yao Lei’s round face, Lu Xuan was speechless. This guy had a thing for such places. Despite being only sixteen, he had already visited all the brothels in Greenhill Town.

“Sure, we can go shopping, but I’m not going to those places. If I do, my sister will skin me alive.” Lu Xuan firmly rejected Yao Lei’s invitation.

“Alright, alright, if you don’t want to, that’s fine. Let’s just go for a walk, come on, come on.” Seeing that Lu Xuan had agreed to go out with him, Yao Lei was overjoyed and dragged Lu Xuan out.

Having played together since childhood, Yao Lei knew that Lu Xuan was a well-known cultivation fanatic in their town. For him to agree to go out and play just before the assessment was a huge favor.

“Brother Xuan, let’s go check out some medicinal pills. I heard that some pills can significantly boost a martial artist’s strength and even help them break through. If we can buy a couple to boost our strength, we might have a chance to pass the assessment.”

Dragging Lu Xuan out, Yao Lei chattered nonstop, clearly having been bored during Lu Xuan’s absence.

Hearing Yao Lei’s words, Lu Xuan’s mind stirred. “You mean there are pills that can help martial artists break through bottlenecks?”

Lu Xuan was currently stuck at the bottleneck of breaking through to the fourth level of Body Tempering. If there were really pills that could help him break through, his strength would undoubtedly improve once he entered the fourth level.

“Of course. Do you know why the disciples of those big clans and sects are so powerful? It’s because they have money and can take pills like candy, which naturally boosts their strength rapidly.” Yao Lei said with a condescending look.

To be honest, Lu Xuan spent most of his time in cultivation and didn’t know as much about these things as Yao Lei.

“But they must be very expensive, right? We don’t have much money…” Lu Xuan hesitated. The money he had was all he had searched from the two servants, and it totaled less than fifty taels of silver.

Yao Lei waved his hand, looking unconcerned. “What’s there to be afraid of? Let’s just go and take a look. It’s free to look.”

Thus, under Yao Lei’s urging, the two of them headed for the Spirit Materials Street in Lincity. The Spirit Materials Street was a place in Lincity where various items needed by martial artists were sold, including materials, medicinal pills, weapons, and enchantment scrolls. Some large shops even sold high-level cultivation techniques and martial skills!

During the time Lu Xuan was away, Yao Lei had already figured everything out and led Lu Xuan directly to the Spirit Materials Street.