Chapter 26

"Neijin?"

"Neijin?"

Both men spoke, their expressions changing.

Just now, when the blades clashed, a sharp edge met another, and both weapons exerted great force. Only those who have cultivated Neijin can possess such astonishing power.

Lu Qing carefully examined and confirmed that this young Taoist's sword strike was no less powerful than his own, indicating that he must possess Neijin. He sighed inwardly and said, "I admit defeat."

Qin Xianyu was equally surprised, but he had some expectations. He said, "Commander Lu's Neijin is profound; I can't compare."

Qin Xianyu's finely forged longsword could not withstand the Neijin of both men and broke, but Lu Qing's precious saber remained intact, which should have given Lu Qing the upper hand. However, Lu Qing knew that his precious saber was a gift from a high-ranking expert in the capital, far superior to a finely forged longsword, so this advantage could be ignored.

Moreover, Lu Qing retreated seven steps, while Qin Xianyu, the young man, only retreated two steps, indicating that his Neijin cultivation was significantly better.

"I have practiced martial arts since childhood and later joined the military. It was only after following Lord Liu that I had the opportunity to cultivate Neijin. Who is this young Taoist? Despite his young age, his Neijin cultivation surpasses mine?"

Lu Qing's heart was filled with shock. In the martial arts world, those who can cultivate Neijin before the age of thirty are all famous figures. Could Qin Xianyu be one of them?

Lu Qing's heart was unsettled, but was Qin Xianyu any calmer?

The young Taoist was not surprised by Lu Qing's Neijin and extraordinary skills, but rather by his own strength.

"According to Master Guanxu's notes, Neijin is fierce, while Zhenqi is gentle. Although Zhenqi can also increase one's strength, it is inferior to Neijin."

Qin Xianyu thought, "Based on the conversion of nine inches of Zhenqi to nine inches of Neijin, he is roughly equivalent to two inches of Neijin cultivation, while I have six inches of Zhenqi. However, Zhenqi is gentler, and in combat, it shows a disadvantage. Moreover, my Zhenqi was not cultivated by me, and my body has not been fully improved by Zhenqi. Compared to Lu Qing, who has achieved Neijin through hard practice, I should be slightly inferior. How could I surpass him?"

Zhenqi is gentle, while Neijin is fierce.

But the most important thing is that Qin Xianyu has only recently possessed Zhenqi. Moreover, most people cultivate Zhenqi from scratch, starting with changes in their physical body and meridians, leading to the birth of Zhenqi. Qin Xianyu, however, already had Zhenqi, but his physical body was still that of an ordinary person, although it had been nourished by spiritual water and Zhenqi, it was still slightly inferior.

Lu Qing, on the other hand, cultivated his Neijin from scratch, transforming his blood and qi into Neijin, with a solid foundation.

Qin Xianyu felt like a wealthy man with a fortune, but he had only inherited Master Guanxu's legacy without the experience of earning it, and he did not know how to use this fortune.

Lu Qing, however, was not as wealthy as Qin Xianyu, but his wealth was earned through his own efforts, and he knew how to use it.

Using steel where it matters, in this regard, Lu Qing, who has been through countless battles, was clearly more outstanding.

"Considering that Zhenqi is gentle and my six inches of Zhenqi were not cultivated through hard practice, it is already excellent that I could match Lu Qing, who has two inches of Neijin. However, he retreated seven steps, while I only retreated two steps, clearly having the upper hand."

Qin Xianyu was inwardly surprised, and a flash of insight crossed his mind.

"Could it be... because of my sword strike?"

"The True Explanation of Swordsmanship records the Dao Sword as a divine technique, while the Initial Explanation of Swordsmanship is simple and easy to understand. But as the introductory chapter of the True Explanation of Swordsmanship, how could it be inferior?"

"Master Guanxu must have guessed the subtleties of this sword strike, which is why he had me focus solely on this strike, without learning body techniques, sword techniques, or understanding sword paths."

"But this sword strike is simple and easy to understand; where does its subtlety come from?"

Qin Xianyu vaguely grasped a few insights, but his limited knowledge of martial arts made the insight fade. However, he resolved to deeply understand the subtleties of this sword strike in the future.

Qin Xianyu kept this in mind and said to Lu Qing, "Commander Lu's Neijin is profound, indeed impressive."

Lu Qing smiled bitterly and said, "Don't belittle me. I have been through countless battles and only cultivated Neijin a few years ago. Now, I can only project Neijin two inches out of my body, but I still can't match you, this young Taoist. You are the true expert."

Qin Xianyu used his Zhenqi to see that Lu Qing had two inches of Neijin, which would not be easy to detect under normal circumstances. However, when Lu Qing used his Neijin, it was clear. Lu Qing, on the other hand, seemed unable to detect that Qin Xianyu had six inches of Zhenqi and might have mistaken Zhenqi for Neijin.

Qin Xianyu did not reveal this and simply smiled, saying, "Although I don't understand swords, this sword is clearly extraordinary. If it is damaged, will I have to compensate?"

"No, no," Lu Qing laughed. "A finely forged longsword; Lord Liu wouldn't punish me for that."

Lu Qing sheathed his narrow and long saber and continued to lead the way, engaging in a lively conversation with Qin Xianyu.

The conversation naturally turned to martial arts.

Qin Xianyu's heart stirred. He did not recognize the materials of the sword, but the precious sword was clearly extraordinary. However, after clashing with Lu Qing, it immediately broke, while Lu Qing's narrow and long saber remained undamaged.

The narrow and long saber was about three fingers wide, with a dark black color tinged with a red glow. When sheathed, the red glow flickered, clearly not an ordinary weapon.

"Seeing the injuries of the ruffian and the broken tree branch, I knew you had extraordinary skills. But during the carriage ride, I saw your skin as delicate as a girl's, clearly not someone who has practiced martial arts, and I thought I had misjudged you."

Lu Qing smiled and said, "When I saw you reach out to borrow my saber, hey, an ordinary young man wouldn't dare to touch a saber. Moreover, a saber is heavy, and an ordinary young man wouldn't be able to wield it. Seeing you borrow the saber without changing your expression, I was excited and decided to test you. I didn't expect to find a young, hidden expert."

A hidden expert? Qin Xianyu smiled inwardly. Generally, to achieve something in martial arts, one must first move their blood and qi, and then cultivate Neijin. Those who can achieve martial arts can usually be identified by their physical appearance, such as their muscles, eyes, aura, posture, stance, steps, and breathing.

Qin Xianyu, with his fair skin and gentle eyes, cultivated Zhenqi and had not practiced for long, naturally looked different from those who practiced martial arts.

"In a few months, perhaps my Zhenqi will be fully adaptable."

"With the help of the jade pill, it might not take long."

"Then my body will be able to adapt to Zhenqi, and even let Zhenqi change my body, making me a true cultivator."

"It is indeed a strange matter. Generally, people use their mind to change their body, leading to the birth of Zhenqi. I, however, already have Zhenqi and use it to improve my body."

Unconsciously, they had arrived at Lord Liu's study, where he was reviewing documents.

---

The page with ads begins.

The page with ads ends.