Chapter 5

"System, what can I do with my current luck points?" Luo Fan hurriedly asked as he returned to his residence.

"You can use your current luck points to purchase items worth up to 3000 points or to upgrade your martial arts."

"Can I use them to upgrade my martial arts?" Luo Fan was somewhat excited. He had spent over a year to reach his current level, and that was with the existence of the unscientific Sword Technique of Exorcism. If he could upgrade, how much time would be saved? He quickly asked, "Then how much can I upgrade with 3000 points now?"

"You can click on the upgrade bar below the martial arts to see the detailed experience required for each upgrade. Points can be exchanged for experience on a one-to-one basis."

Luo Fan hurriedly opened the martial arts interface and began to check the various martial arts he had learned. He found that for techniques like the Complete Perfection Heart Method, Golden Goose Technique, and Sword Technique of Exorcism, which he had already practiced to a relatively high level, he could only upgrade by one level. However, the Nine Yin Manual, which he had just started practicing, could be upgraded by 2-3 levels. Additionally, Luo Fan noticed that although the Nine Yin Manual had been destroyed, the system had recorded it in the martial arts interface, allowing him to read it at any time.

Luo Fan secretly sighed in relief, thinking that the system had finally done something useful; otherwise, the many martial arts experiences in the Nine Yin Manual would have been wasted.

At this point, Luo Fan had already decided which martial arts to upgrade. Upgrading the Complete Perfection Heart Method would allow him to learn the Heaven-Defying Technique, which was an extremely powerful technique. Although he was a lay disciple, the Complete Perfection Sect was unlikely to let him see the Heaven-Defying Technique, but he had the system. If they didn't show it to him, he could buy it from the system. Moreover, the ability to upgrade techniques compensated for the only drawback of the Complete Perfection Heart Method, which was its slow cultivation. This meant that the Complete Perfection Heart Method in Luo Fan's hands was truly a world-class martial art. Therefore, upgrading the Complete Perfection Heart Method was a must.

After upgrading the Complete Perfection Heart Method by one level, Luo Fan still had over a hundred luck points left. At this point, his internal energy was on par with Zhao Zhijin's. He only needed one more level to reach the peak of the Later Heaven stage, and then he could break through the Ren and Du meridians to reach the Heaven stage, allowing him to begin practicing the Heaven-Defying Technique.

Next, Luo Fan began to read the martial arts concepts in the Nine Yin Manual, combining them with his own martial arts and verifying them. He benefited greatly, and many things he didn't understand before became clear. He also realized that some of the martial arts concepts he had developed based on the internet before his穿越 (time travel) were somewhat naive. Of course, some concepts were not wrong and were quite correct, but the process to achieve them was much more complicated than he had imagined. For example, the concept of "no-form" in martial arts, which was a famous concept in the Nine Yin Manual, mentioned that before reaching the no-form stage, one must understand that techniques are dead, but people are alive. A set of techniques should not be used rigidly from start to finish; instead, they should be broken down and used at the most appropriate time. This is correct. However, not everyone can do this, and not every sword technique should be broken down. Some sword techniques, like the Sword Technique of Exorcism, have subsequent variations after each move. These variations are carefully designed by the creator of the technique, and no matter how you change them, they generally make sense. Even if you handle them poorly, they usually won't put the user in danger, and if handled well, they can be as powerful as the no-form technique, which focuses on attacking weaknesses. Moreover, the Sword Technique of Exorcism emphasizes speed, and if you break it down, the techniques become disjointed, and the variations become unpredictable. In such a case, facing a strong opponent would result in certain defeat. Therefore, unless one reaches the level of Invincible Under the Heavens, where each move of the Sword Technique of Exorcism can be used skillfully and appropriately, it cannot be broken down.

At this point, Luo Fan nodded in agreement, "No wonder I felt so awkward when I broke down the Sword Technique of Exorcism, and it wasn't as effective as before. However, breaking down the Complete Perfection Sword Technique increased its power significantly."

Days passed, and soon it was the day of the duel between Luo Fan and Xiaolongnü.

Because he was going to see Xiaolongnü, Luo Fan was somewhat excited and arrived early. The golden morning sunlight filtered through the trees, casting a slight charm on his ordinary face.

When he arrived at the ancient tomb, he found that Xiaolongnü was already waiting there, indicating that she took the duel seriously.

"Miss Long!" Luo Fan greeted with a fist salute, "I, Luo Fan, have come as agreed. I am honored to meet you!"

Although Luo Fan was a disciple of the Complete Perfection Sect, he was a lay disciple. He wore a Taoist robe but didn't need to call himself "poor Taoist," especially since the Ancient Tomb Sect and the Complete Perfection Sect were not on good terms. It was better to avoid mentioning "Taoist."

"Cut the nonsense," Xiaolongnü said with a slightly cold expression, showing a hint of pride, "Don't give me any excuses about practicing too long. Attack!"

"Of course not!" Luo Fan thought with a smile, "Do I need to find an excuse? I've already practiced the Nine Yin Manual, studied martial arts concepts, and upgraded the Complete Perfection Heart Method. Do I need to find an excuse? I will definitely make you submit today!"

Then he thought, "But I can't just beat her. If I crush her confidence, she might not want to fight me again, and I won't have the chance to get close to her. I should hide some of my strength, fight until the sky is dark, and win by a few moves, making her feel that the gap between us isn't that big."

Thinking of this, Luo Fan smiled lecherously, "I am so smart!"

Xiaolongnü saw Luo Fan standing there, smiling foolishly without making a move. To avoid being accused of an ambush, she quickly shouted, "Hey, Taoist, what are you smiling about? Are you going to fight or not?"

"Of course, I'm going to fight!" Luo Fan quickly snapped back to reality, thinking it would be disastrous if Xiaolongnü had ambushed him. He then assumed the starting stance of the Complete Perfection Sword Technique.

Xiaolongnü started with a long-range attack, flicking her sleeves to send two white ribbons flying towards Luo Fan. Luo Fan didn't back down, using the Golden Goose Technique to fly up and step on the two white ribbons, attacking her with the "Autumn Wind" move. Since he had decided to hold back, he first wanted to test the power of the Complete Perfection Sword Technique when broken down. Moreover, with Xiaolongnü's martial arts, it wouldn't be easy to pretend to win by just a few moves, so he planned to use the Complete Perfection Sword Technique for several more moves, making it seem like a close match after a hundred rounds.

"Taoist, why aren't you using your weird sword technique? Are you looking down on me?" The Ancient Tomb Sect was very familiar with the Complete Perfection Sword Technique, and she quickly noticed the difference.

"It's the Sword Technique of Exorcism, alright?" Luo Fan said with a wry smile, "I've recently gained some insights into the sword, and Miss Long can see if there's any difference in this technique."

"It's just the Complete Perfection Sword Technique, what difference could there be?" Xiaolongnü muttered disdainfully, then said, "Many of our Ancient Tomb techniques are designed to counter the Complete Perfection Sword Technique. Don't blame me if you lose."

"Miss Long, I am a man of my word. If I lose, I will admit it without any excuses."

Xiaolongnü continued her attacks, but she was skeptical, wondering if the Taoist was deliberately letting her win.

As time passed, Xiaolongnü became increasingly surprised. She found that although Luo Fan's sword technique was indeed the Complete Perfection Sword Technique, it was chaotic and unpredictable, making it difficult to counter. Her original techniques to counter the Complete Perfection Sword Technique were no longer effective. At first, she was at a disadvantage, relying on her lightness and internal energy to keep up with him, but now she was starting to gain the upper hand.

"This can't go on!" Xiaolongnü realized that if she continued, she would surely lose once Luo Fan became more familiar with her techniques. She then unleashed her full strength, using the white ribbons to attack Luo Fan's back and the Heavenly Net Palm to attack his front.

"Critical situation!" Luo Fan also realized that if he continued with the incomplete Complete Perfection Sword Technique, he wouldn't be able to withstand this attack.

"Clang!" His sword vibrated, and the sound of the sword cutting through the air created a shadow that enveloped his entire body. He had used the Sword Technique of Exorcism!

Almost simultaneously, Luo Fan's sword clashed with the bells on the white ribbons and the white gloves in Xiaolongnü's hands, creating a shower of sparks. Then, the two exchanged a palm strike, and with no support in the air, they both retreated.

Luo Fan's internal energy was not much higher than Xiaolongnü's, but he relied on the advantage of his sword technique. After landing, both took three steps back to steady themselves.

After stabilizing, Luo Fan thrust his sword directly at Xiaolongnü. With his current level and the advantage of the Sword Technique of Exorcism, he could have quickly reached Xiaolongnü and made her flustered. However, he was holding back, and his sword arrived a moment later, giving Xiaolongnü a chance to react. In a high-level duel, this moment could determine a lot, and Xiaolongnü calmly deflected his sword.

Xiaolongnü didn't advance recklessly but retreated while fighting, needing to find an opportunity to use her white ribbons. Without the ribbons, even with the white gloves, she had no chance against Luo Fan's Sword Technique of Exorcism.

Luo Fan's sword continued to attack, and Xiaolongnü continued to parry with her white gloves, creating dazzling sparks in the air. The force from the sword gave Xiaolongnü the momentum to retreat, while the force from her palm gave Luo Fan resistance. This dynamic allowed Xiaolongnü to find an opportunity to use her white ribbons.

The white ribbons, used at close range, were very effective in blinding the opponent. With her white clothes, Luo Fan lost sight of Xiaolongnü!

"Great opportunity!" A high-level martial artist like Xiaolongnü wouldn't miss this chance. The white ribbons wrapped around Luo Fan, and she struck from an unexpected angle. Luo Fan, in a panic, had to block the attack and was immediately surrounded by the white ribbons!

Soon, the white ribbons entangled Luo Fan, wrapping him up like a mummy! Xiaolongnü then struck again, and if this hit, Luo Fan would surely lose!

"Crack!" The white ribbons first split open, and then burst apart. Luo Fan instantly spun, using his sword to protect himself and retreated upwards.

Xiaolongnü, taking advantage of the situation, quickly pursued. Without the white ribbons, she had to defeat Luo Fan before he could stabilize. However, she didn't know that Luo Fan had been holding back! The moment he was entangled, he had already positioned his sword outside, and with a burst of internal energy, the ribbons split open. Another burst of internal energy, and he was free!

With a clear plan, Xiaolongnü exchanged a few moves with Luo Fan, who pretended to be flustered and blocked all her attacks.

"The time has come!" Luo Fan seized the opportunity, unleashed his full strength, and struck Xiaolongnü's shoulder. At the moment of impact, Luo Fan knew he would hit and reduced the force by a third to avoid seriously injuring her.

"Ah!" Xiaolongnü cried out, falling from the air. Even though the strike wasn't powerful, the fall would still cause serious injury!

Luo Fan, seeing this, quickly reached out to catch her and used his lightness technique to descend.

However, he didn't expect to pull Xiaolongnü into his arms! Looking at her ethereal face and feeling her soft body and the faint fragrance, he was momentarily stunned and forgot to use his lightness technique!

"Ah—" Both cried out as they fell!

Fortunately, Luo Fan had some awareness and quickly adjusted, landing on the ground with Xiaolongnü on top.

Luo Fan felt the softness of her lips and instinctively licked them. When he realized what had happened, he was stunned! Xiaolongnü was right next to him, and her lips were on his, so what he had just licked...

Luo Fan felt a bit nervous and instinctively squeezed the softness in his hand...

"Pervert!" Luo Fan instantly received a sharp slap.

Holding his burning face, Luo Fan quickly explained, "Miss Long, I didn't mean to!"

"You still talk!" Luo Fan received another slap.

What bad luck! Looking at Xiaolongnü's changing expression, Luo Fan felt like crying.

Xiaolongnü, after a moment, realized she couldn't punish him and pouted, saying pitifully, "You Taoists only bully weak women like us in the Ancient Tomb Sect!" She then turned and hurriedly ran back into the tomb.

"Miss Long! I'm sorry! I'll slap myself, okay..." Seeing her like this, Luo Fan felt a bit sorry and quickly apologized, but Xiaolongnü had already returned to the tomb.

Luo Fan called out for a long time outside the tomb but received no response. He then left, somewhat dejected, heading towards the Chongyang Palace...

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