Chapter 174: Chapter 154: The Cultivation Achievements of Everyone_1
Lu Yan revealed his true appearance and name after careful consideration.
First of all, he believed in Zhao Sirong and trusted her not to divulge his secrets.
In addition, the name Lu Yan was only used in Changfeng City, and the only people he had offended were from the Liu Family.
However, Lu Yan speculated that the Liu Family probably already knew he was hiding in Baicao City. Although he changed his appearance, it wouldn’t be difficult for the Liu Family to find him through people like Wang Lin and Li Quan.
But he had dirt on the ancestor of the Liu Family, which deterred them from taking any hasty actions against him.
Thus, even if Lu Yan’s st identity was revealed, the impact would not be substantial.
Moreover, Zhao Sirong had helped him numerous times, and it just didn’t seem right to keep deceiving her.
Zhao Sirong’s eyes lit up slightly.
"You’re younger than I imagined, I guess I’ll have to call you ’little brother’."
Zhao Sirong smiled.
"You can’t be much older than me, can you?" Lu Yan replied.
"I am twenty-eight this year, am I older than you?"
Zhao Sirong laughed.
"Alright."
Lu Yan nodded, acknowledging that she was indeed a bit older than him.
However, the powerful life force of a Martial Marquis could slow down the aging process, so Zhao Sirong only looked to be in her early twenties.
Time flew by, and night descended.
Lu Yan stood up to leave.
"Come, give me a hug."
Zhao Sirong opened her arms wide.
"Huh?"
Lu Yan was startled.
"What is there to be shy about for a big man like you? I’m a woman and even I don’t mind, what’s there for you to be coy about?"
Zhao Sirong moved closer, gave Lu Yan a hug, then stepped back, saying, "Be careful, Brother Lu. There are great risks in entering Kunwu Mountain. We humans hunt alien beasts, but alien beasts can also hunt humans. Also, there are others who might kill for riches, so take care of yourself."
Lu Yan nodded, bowed in respect, and turned to leave.
Back at the inn, after packing up his things, he immediately left the city and headed south.
With a large box of second level Dried Martial Food, Lu Yan naturally didn’t rush his journey. Instead, he bought a fast horse and rode it on his journey.
While riding, he started chewing on a piece of Dried Martial Food.
Instead of practicing martial arts, he provided all the energy from the martial food to his Heart Tempering Decision avatar.
The Heart Tempering Decision was different from other martial arts; it was divided into eight levels. Each breakthrough required a primer, so Lu Yan was eager to find out how the Heart Tempering Decision made breakthroughs: whether the Dao Book could directly aid in making breakthroughs, and if there were any special aspects to it.
As he continued to digest the dried Martial Food, the advancement of his Heart Tempering Decision avatar slowly improved.
Lu Yan discovered that the energy required to upgrade the Heart Tempering Decision was nearly double that of a first-rate martial art.
One pound of fresh martial food increased the rate by one percent.
One pound of dried martial food could increase it by two percent.
Lu Yan ate ten pounds of dried martial food a day, and his Heart Tempering Decision avatar could increase by 20% in a day.
Five days later, his Heart Tempering Decision avatar reached 100% in the first level.
However, once it reached 100% at the first level, the progression of the Heart Tempering Decision stopped completely.
"What’s going on?"
Lu Yan’s heart sank.
Other martial arts would naturally progress to the next level once they reached 100%, so why did the Heart Tempering Decision stop entirely when it reached 100%? Did it also need a primer to break through?
Then, what was the point of cultivation?
Lu Yan was not resigned to give up, so he continued eating Dried Martial Food. The energy from the Dried Martial Food was adjusted by the Dao Book and continuously flowed into the Heart Tempering Decision avatar.
Lu Yan quickly noticed something strange.
The 100% mark above the Heart Tempering Decision avatar started off light in color, but as the energy from the Dried Martial Food poured in, the mark gradually darkened.
"Could it be that breaking through between levels of the Heart Tempering Decision requires energy accumulation to replace the primer?"
A thought struck Lu Yan.
It was highly probable.
Once he understood this, a heavy burden was lifted off his heart.
As long as he could break through, even if it meant spending more on martial food, it was worth it.
He continued to ride while eating Dried Martial Food.
The speed of horse riding was naturally slower than him rushing on his own.
But riding while eating Dried Martial Food was not a waste of time either.
A month later, Lu Yan returned to Baicao City.
His trip to Lingwang City had spanned over ten months.
Fortunately, he had achieved his objectives and gained several additional benefits, making it a successful and fruitful trip overall.
The first thing he did upon returning to Baicao City was to visit Lu Qingshan and Wang Cui.
When Lu Qingshan heard that there was hope for his meridians to recover, he was momentarily stunned. It took him a long while to regain his senses.
"Yan, father originally thought that he was cut off from the path of martial arts in this lifetime. I never thought that there would come a day when I might once again step onto the path of martial arts. Thank you, Yan,"
Lu Qingshan said earnestly.
"Father, why be so formal with me? By the way, this Martial Food can’t be consumed all at once. Take it over seven days, eat a little bit each day. Your meridians should slowly improve, and in less than two months, your meridians should be fully recovered."
Lu Yan said.
Lu Qingshan nodded eagerly, his face filled with excitement.
...
Sanjue Martial Arts Hall, main hall.
Lu Yan sat at the head of the table.
Beneath him, stood two rows of individuals.
There was Wang Lin, Li Quan, Cao Hu, and a few other old men such as Zhang Jun.
Additionally, there were individuals like Wen Yuan who were being groomed as key talents for their exceptional aptitude in martial arts. There were a total of seven disciples, all of whom had practiced the Vajra Indestructible Skill.
"All of you invoke your qi-blood, I want to see your current cultivation levels."
Lu Yan spoke.
Upon hearing his words, Wang Lin, Wen Yuan and the others simultaneously stirred their inner energy.
Lu Yan’s eyes brightened.
After over ten months of not seeing each other, everyone’s cultivation levels had made some breakthroughs.
Lu Yan’s gaze first fell on Wen Yuan.
Five breakthroughs.
Wen Yuan’s cultivation had actually reached five breakthroughs.
Just to recap, last time he left to go to Lingwang City, Wen Yuan had only just made four breakthroughs.
Since the impartation of the Vajra Indestructible Skill to Wen Yuan began, it had been more than four and a half years, but less than five years.
Although he was instructed by Lu Yan, a master of the Unity of Man and Martial Arts, and had ample supply of Martial Food, such rapid progress was still rare.
Keep in mind, Wen Yuan began training in martial arts at the age of fourteen, five or six years later than those elites from the Feudal Lords.
Nevertheless, the results he was achieving now were not the least bit inferior.
A Martial Arts prodigy is, indeed, a Martial Arts prodigy.
If Lu Yan didn’t possess the Dao Book, he wouldn’t be qualified to teach the prodigy.
Besides Wen Yuan, Wang Lin also took Lu Yan by surprise.
Because Wang Lin also achieved his Fifth Breakthrough and his Qi-blood was even denser than Wen Yuan’s.
He was not far from reaching the state of overflowing Qi-blood from the Fifth Breakthrough.
Wang Lin was quite talented but far inferior to Wen Yuan being a late bloomer type.
Li Quan, Cao Hu, and Zhang Jun all made some progress, but not much.
On the contrary, the six apprentices all made great progress.
Even the least talented among them reached the Second Breakthrough, and the most talented one achieved the Third Breakthrough, nearing full Qi-blood saturation. Although not as impressive as Wen Yuan, they were not bad either.
"If you have any doubts about your cultivation, feel free to ask."
Said Lu Yan.
Right away, everyone voiced their doubts encountered during this period.
Lu Yan, having cultivated four first-rate Martial Arts to Unity of Man and Martial Arts, was more insightful than most Grandmasters.
He often saw the essence of things at a glance and could give a few casual instructions that would bring about sudden realizations and epiphanies.
Half a day later, Wang Lin, Wen Yuan, and others left, all looking content and as if they had gained a lot.
Lu Yan held back Li Quan.
"Li Quan, I asked you to observe the disciples and servants who were cultivating in the hall. During this time, have you found any suitable candidates?"
Said Lu Yan.
To cultivate his own powerful line, the seven people, including Wen Yuan, were far from enough.
"Master, I’ve been prioritizing this task. During this period, I’ve indeed found six talents. These people are outstanding in character, origin, and talent."
Li Quan reported.
"Bring them to see me."
Said Lu Yan.
Soon, the six teenagers were standing before Lu Yan.
All six had been practicing second-rate Martial Arts for a while and had grown robust due to the nourishment of the Qi-blood.
Lu Yan asked each one of them a few questions and finally nodded in satisfaction.
"In three days, I will teach you first-rate Martial Arts."
Said Lu Yan.
All six students trembled, and their eyes gleamed with fervent flame. They knelt and said, "We are grateful to you, master. We will never forget your great kindness and are willing to work like oxen and horses to repay you."
Lu Yan smiled and nodded, saying, "Get up. Don’t let the news of practicing first-rate Martial Arts leak."
The six teenagers nodded repeatedly.
After they left, Lu Yan told Li Quan, "Send someone to Lingwang City to bring a family here... The girl’s nickname is Tofu."
Immediately, Lu Yan described the appearances of Tofu’s family and the exact location of their home.
"Ask Tofu’s parents first if they are willing to leave Lingwang City. If they refuse, don’t insist."
Said Lu Yan.
Tofu had expressed her desire to learn under Lu Yan to become a Martial Chef, and Lu Yan had promised her.
He naturally wouldn’t break a promise to a little girl.
"Yes, I’ll see to it."
Li Quan bowed.
"Go ahead."
Lu Yan waved his hand.
"There’s a little over a year left before entering Kunwu Mountain. From now on, I need to focus on enhancing my cultivation level to break through to the Martial Marquis Level Four,"
Lu Yan mused.
He planned to pause his Martial Arts training and even the cultivation of Heart Tempering Decision for a while.
He must reach the Martial Marquis Level Four before entering Kunwu Mountain.
His trip to Lingwang City made him realize that there’s always someone better out there.
The top Martial Marquises on the Martial Marquis List were all potent fighters, each with their own trump card.
None of them were easy to deal with.
Gao Wanping, who ranked sixteenth, already surpassed Lu Yan in overall combat power. Lu Yan could only compete with him by employing Cloud Walk.
He would surely lose a direct confrontation.
And those ranked within the top fifteen were definitely stronger.
Most of these people will likely be entering Kunwu Mountain.
Being at the Martial Marquis Level Three was too weak.
If he wanted to compete with those top Martial Marquises, he at least needed to break through to the Martial Marquis Level Four.
Three days later, Lu Yan drew up the Divine Intent Diagram of the Nine Heavenly Blade for his six disciples.
Then, he focused solely on boosting his cultivation level.
He had exchanged more than 700 kilograms of Dried Martial Food from the Zhao Clan, half of which he had eaten on the road. Over the next month, he consumed the rest.
Lu Yan continued to go to the Hidden Blood Land Vein, hunted the Second Level Blood Armor Lizards, took them back to Sanjue Martial Arts Hall, cooked for himself, and then ate.
With a sufficient supply of Second Level Martial Food every day, the ninth Bone strength began to grow rapidly.
Incorporating one Bone strength and not having to break through the realm, it was quite a fast progress. After only two months, the ninth Bone strength caught up with the other eight Bone strengths.
Then, the nine Bone strengths worked together, advancing towards the peak of Martial Marquis Level Three.
The last time Cloud Walk reached Unity of Man and Martial Arts, the cultivation of the Acquired Martial Body led to rewarding by the world, increased the strength of the Bone strength by a few percentages, so achieving the peak of Martial Marquis Level Three was not far away.
In a flash, several months had passed.
There were only half a year left before entering Kunwu Mountain.
At this time, major Feudal Lords in the six counties of Lingdong started to select their masters and head to Lingwang City, preparing to compete for the slots to enter Kunwu Mountain.
Entrance to Kunwu Mountain happened once every twenty years, and there were only seventy-two slots.
These slots were all controlled by the Master Level Feudal Lords, and the Martial Marquis Level Lords didn’t even have a chance.
Even the Master Level Lords had to compete for these slots.
There were a total of thirteen Master Level Feudal Lords in the six counties of Lingdong.
Among them, Nanyi County had three, Da’an County had two, Li’an County had one, Qingfeng County had three, Zijing County had two, and Dongshan County had two.
As for the Liu Family, they had one Grandmaster, but their overall strength was too weak and there were too few Martial Marquises, so they were not considered a true Master Level Feudal Lord and were exempted from this competition.
Thirteen Master Level Feudal Lords were competing for seventy-two spots, making the competition beyond intense.
Even the Grandmasters had to compete.
As for the Martial Marquises, only the top ones were eligible.
A regular Martial Marquis Level Five would find it hard to participate.
So, when the Li Family needed someone to compete, it was not Lu Yan’s turn to go.
