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Chapter 55: Chapter 55: BattlefieldLu Ren hesitated no longer, returning the longsword to its sheath, he took a quick step forward, facing Old Xu with a smug smile on his face, and his fists rained down like a storm.
Swish swish swish!!
A full three seconds, the old man was directly suspended in mid-air by Lu Ren's fists, then blasted a dozen meters away by the last punch.
At this moment, his skin was completely shattered, revealing his true form—a withered mummy-like appearance—as Old Xu struggled to raise his head to look at Lu Ren.
"I didn't expect that your Fist Technique... is even more powerful than your Swordsmanship, I, Old Xu..."
Before he finished speaking, Lu Ren stomped on Old Xu's head, crushing it, and no sound was heard thereafter.
"Ding, you stomped and killed Earth-bound Spirit Old Xu, your Phoenix Falcon Fist Skill Level +1"
If he guessed correctly, this Old Xu should be similar to an Earth-bound Spirit, still conscious, yet forever stuck at the moment of his previous life.
Lu Ren turned back to look at the sunlit town, now bathed in the slanting evening sun, fearing that once night fell, this place would instantly transform into a Ghostly Realm.
Without looking back, he left, and just as the town was about to disappear from view, Lu Ren couldn't help but glance back, and was suddenly shocked.
Unknowingly, at the town's edge, there stood a large silent crowd, each staring at him with blank expressions, eyes fixated, unblinking.
The eerie sensation was spine-tingling.
"Ding. Due to being scared, your Spiritual Proficiency passive +1"
Mad, usually meditating with the Heartless Sword Visualization Method doesn't increase skill level this fast!
Quickly leaving the town, Lu Ren headed toward another direction across the plains, and two hours later, the sky was gradually darkening.
Not daring to advance further, wielding his heavy alloy sword in Yan Form, he quickly dug a pit in a slightly elevated mound large enough to accommodate three people, gathered some firewood, and laboriously pulled a large stone to block the hole, leaving only a few air vents.
After doing all this, night had completely fallen, and Lu Ren felt a slight relief.
He touched his hip pouch, inside it were many Highly Concentrated Nutrient Pills, enough to sustain him for a month with some leftover, but he hastily needed to find a solution for the water supply.
Lu Ren pondered haphazardly for a while, eventually sitting cross-legged, practicing Heartless Sword.
This Heartless Sword Visualization Method had already formed a skill, now all he needed to do was continually engrave the Wooden Sword to increase his Skill Level. As the Skill Level increased, the Spirit Attribute would also gradually grow.
Furthermore, Lu Ren discovered that as he continued visualization, with continuous Skill Level improvement, his spiritual will became more concentrated, enhancing his focus, which significantly improved his efficiency in practicing both Fist Technique and Basic Swordsmanship.
Lu Ren realized that Yan Zhenghua had indeed taught him an extremely formidable Swordsmanship.
Unexpectedly, the usually lazy and sleazy, woman-obsessed Yan Zhenghua had created such a remarkable martial art.
It seems he was deeply hurt by a woman!
Time slowly passed, and the darkness outside the cave grew deeper.
Suddenly, faint sounds of battle cries reached Lu Ren's ears, gradually growing louder and more intense.
This alerting Lu Ren, he opened his eyes.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"This battle will be victorious!!"
The sound of weapons clashing, battle cries, and screams suddenly converged.
Lu Ren's expression changed slightly, could it be a battlefield outside?!
Before thinking more, the dense sound of footsteps caused the mound to constantly shake, until he lifted his head, his face sinking as a large amount of soil fell.
The mound collapsed!
Digging out from the soil, still catching his breath, suddenly a spear thrust towards his head from behind.
Lu Ren tilted his head, glancing sideways to see a soldier clad in armor, a skull with decaying flesh, roaring furiously.
Clang!
Lu Ren expressionlessly drew back his longsword, watching the headless corpse tumble to the ground.
This place had already turned into a battlefield!
Two armies clashed in a kill-or-be-killed battleground!
The overwhelming battle cries, the relentless, deadly aura as people fell constantly made Lu Ren frown.
If a regular person came here, they would likely be terrified and not survive more than ten seconds before being torn apart by the soldiers' leaders from both sides.
Lu Ren's gaze intensified, looking at the spears and great sabers coming at him from all directions, he drew his dual swords.
He shifted his legs slightly, settling his waist and hips. As a practitioner of Phoenix Falcon Fist Technique, he had extremely powerful arms, broad and exceptionally strong back muscles, shoulder and neck muscles, and bulging made muscles in his arms.
With the swing of his dual swords, relying on the sharpness of the sword's edge, he was able to slice through all the spears and great sabers coming at him.
Under the concentration of the Intention Sword depicted in Heartless Sword, his speed and power in striking, even his reaction time, improved significantly.
This fully resembled a passive skill.
Clang clang clang!!
A series of metallic clashes resonated, relying on the sharpness of his dual swords or perhaps the modern alloy smelting technique's overwhelming superiority over ancient weapon forging technology. Both weapons crafted by cutting-edge modern smelting techniques would probably be considered extraordinary weapons in ancient times.
Divine soldiers, sharp blades, top-notch.
Lu Ren did not show any mercy, his dual swords like shadows, heavy sword in Yan Form followed the momentum, Longquan light sword nimble like a swimming dragon, each strike was aimed at the vital spots of the soldiers rushing at him.
Fortunately, these Ghostly Realm soldiers would indeed die after sustaining critical hits.
He must leave here, otherwise, he would eventually die from exhaustion.
Armored soldiers from both sides extended to the limits of his vision.
The saying was true: as the number reaches ten thousand, it's boundless.
Escaping was imminent!
Lu Ren's peculiar attire completely drew the attention of soldiers from both military formations.
This battlefield was likely the Ghostly Battlefield!
...
...
Not far from this battlefield, atop a hillside, two figures, one large and one small, wrapped in vegetation carried something like a monocular, squinting with one eye.
"Hey hey, is that person alive?! How did he appear?"
"How would I know? Just suddenly popped up, daring to venture inside!"
The large guy shook his head, his voice calm, "Seems it's over for him, this ancient battlefield replays its battles every night, for people like him, oh shit?!!"
The large guy suddenly exclaimed, his eyes bulged, face showing disbelief.
The small guy quickly asked, "What happened, what happened?"
On the battlefield, a tall dark figure cut through the thorns, wielding dual swords rapidly, transforming into sword shadows, continuously harvesting the lives of soldiers from both sides.
Truly, with every rise and fall of the sword, a head flew high, or amidst the chaos, a spray of severed limbs occurred.
The heavy Yan Form sword in hand gave him the confidence needed to survive in this incredibly complex battlefield.
Heavy breathing emanated from Lu Ren, and in just five minutes, he had expended a significant amount of physical strength.
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Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Within MillimetersLu Ren still didn't stop his footsteps, he had already caught the attention of soldiers from both sides. Once he stopped, being surrounded would mean a dead end. By keeping moving and continuously breaking through, relying on the agility of the Phoenix Falcon Fist and the enhancement of the Heartless Sword, with the high agility bonus, he was incredibly nimble.
Even when dodging the sharp weapons slashing at him from all directions, the enhanced spirit from the Heartless Sword coupled with high agility greatly improved his reaction capability, allowing him to perform a series of incredible maneuvers.
Despite this, in such a chaotic environment, Lu Ren, who was blocking most of the attacks, would still get hit by weapons.
Lu Ren felt fortunate that the combat suit he was wearing was indeed reliable, with the alloy armor pieces embedded in critical areas saving his life many times.
Once injured and his movement slowed, more than five weapons would definitely cut towards him in the next moment.
Every moment was dancing on the tip of a knife.
The slightest carelessness would result in death, cut down by chaotic swords and sabers.
In Lu Ren's hands, the dual swords were like the wind, and with each stir of the sword shadows, a soldier fell, with constant sword vibrations reverberating.
Sometimes, it even became mechanical hacking, cutting down the soldiers blocking his path, then breaking through, getting blocked, cutting down, and breaking through again.
In the central area, the power unleashed by several generals from both sides battling was astonishingly extraordinary. The clash of weapons clanged with gold and iron, shattering the sky, and the frenzied driving force exploded around, clearing out a large blank area.
His rampage also caught the attention of the generals on both sides. Immediately, a man with a full beard riding a warhorse, wielding a guandao, charged at Lu Ren after slicing a soldier in half in front of him, his eyes glaring angrily.
"Thief, stay!"
With a loud shout, Lu Ren felt the air behind him split open with a sharp whistling sound.
Lu Ren's expression shifted slightly, his waist tensed, his toes gripping the ground, and the muscles of his thighs suddenly bulging with force.
His body flew sideways like a large bird.
Thud!
The heavy guandao struck the ground deeply, with the general's eyes wide open in anger as he saw the miss, he pulled out the guandao forcefully, kicking up a cloud of earth and stones.
With a cold and grim face, Lu Ren propped one sword on the ground, the sword's tip angled, the blade slightly bent but then straightening, he unexpectedly spun horizontally in mid-air, advancing instead of retreating. Leaping into the air, he swung the heavy alloy longsword named Yan Form in his right hand fiercely towards the general's head.
This alloy longsword issued by the Security Bureau was long, with a blade length of 124 centimeters, making it a formidable weapon on the battlefield.
Not to mention it was made from modern alloy craftsmanship.
The general shouted angrily, gripping the guandao with both hands and lifting it with a force resembling the legendary strength of lifting a cauldron.
Clang!
The deafening clash of metal made Lu Ren's ears buzz slightly. His right hand's tiger's mouth was numbed from the shock.
The warhorse under the general staggered back several steps, clearly unable to withstand the impact of such a collision.
Borrowing strength from the ground, twisting his waist in mid-air, Lu Ren swung down a strike carrying a force of hundreds of pounds, the so-called thousand-pound strength erupted. It was not impossible for Lu Ren to achieve this now, as long as he gathered enough force. With the enhancement of the Phoenix Falcon Fist and Heartless Sword, with his current physical condition, he could easily unleash an attack of thousand-pound strength.
Although he hadn't reached the strength of a thousand pounds yet, with the increasing attribute points, he would eventually achieve this level.
According to an ordinary person's strength of 150 pounds, ten points of strength attribute stacked would be enough to give him a force of four to five hundred pounds. This was a pure increase in power, and if combined with technique, constitution, and agility bonuses, he could easily unleash even greater strength.
He still ignored the almost overwhelming system notification sounds in his mind.
In mid-air, Lu Ren didn't stop, rotating his body with force, the Longquan held in his left hand cutting across the general's neck.
Ssss!
Blood sprayed across the air, and the general stared at Lu Ren in disbelief, clutching his slashed throat as he fell from the warhorse.
He never imagined that after the clash with Lu Ren, Lu Ren could rotate his body in the air and deliver a fatal second strike.
It was simply insanely agile.
Landing while gasping for air, Lu Ren could only feel a tearing pain in the muscles of his waist and abdomen, a sign of exertion.
If his agility was not at 13 points, he couldn't have performed such mid-air body rotation.
Upon landing, Lu Ren didn't pause for a moment, darting out like an arrow, leaving a trail of fallen soldiers.
In the end, until Lu Ren sheathed the 30-kilogram Yan Form back at his waist, switching the nimble Longquan sword in his left hand to his right to clear the path, while his left hand drew a pistol, ready to fire at any moment.
Suddenly, Lu Ren felt the space before him clear, with the soldiers from both sides visibly thinning out, leaving only a few scattered clumps fighting together.
He was out!!
Lu Ren immediately sheathed his sword and dashed towards the nearby mountain forests, disappearing without a trace.
Not far away, on a slope, two figures, one big and one small, were watching dumbfounded, unable to believe their eyes.
The shorter one rubbed his eyes, "Ah, did I see it wrong? Did he just break out from the center of the battlefield!?"
The tall one, shocked for a long while, spoke gravely and quietly, "That guy's martial prowess might not be top-notch, but his combat awareness is extremely strong. The very first thing he chose was the shortest distance to get away from this battlefield, without any extra moves, every swing, every step, was without excess movements, which allowed him to conserve enough physical strength to break out of this battlefield area.
Especially when fighting against that captain..."
The tall one marveled, seemingly unable to imagine Lu Ren would execute such a miraculous sword strike in the air, slashing the fierce general's throat.
Such an inconceivable maneuver, can ordinary people do it?
He's terrifying!
After a long while, the tall one finally whispered, "No wonder he dared appear at the edge of the Ghostly Battlefield's center..."
"Am I really as amazing as you say I am?"
A somewhat tired-sounding voice suddenly came from behind them, shocking the two. Before they could turn, a longsword was already aimed at their throats.
Lu Ren was very tired now, extremely tired, breaking out of the battlefield took less than ten minutes, but that high-intensity combat for ten minutes almost exhausted him. If the battle line had been any longer, he might indeed have fallen in this battlefield.
Moreover, the mounted general he fought against was only of medium level on this battlefield, with the top military generals from both sides all locked in one-on-ones, none able to spare a hand.
This provides a chance to break through.
He looked down at the alloy armor pieces embedded in his suit, with the ones on his chest, back, and thighs covered in startlingly deep scratches.
Especially the hard-shell backpack on his back, which had shielded him from several lethal attacks.
Once from a direct spear thrust, once from a sweeping great saber.
Chapter 57: Chapter 57 Mortal World
This combat suit provides Lu Ren with considerable protection; otherwise, even if his strength increased significantly, he wouldn't be able to break through.
Enemies surged from all directions like a tide, truly terrifying; a moment of carelessness would result in getting trapped.
Breaking through the array meant certain death.
"Mercy, great hero!!"
The big guy trembled in his voice, the feeling of death had never felt so close.
The small guy was shaking all over, unable to speak.
Lu Ren looked at them: "Are you living people?"
"Living people? Yes, yes, we are people of the Mortal World!"
A minute later, Lu Ren sheathed his sword and sat on the ground, taking out a Highly Concentrated Nutrient Pill from his pouch and swallowing it.
"Do you have water?"
"Yes, yes!"
The big guy clumsily took the water flask from his waist and handed it to Lu Ren.
Lu Ren took it and retrieved something the size of a pen from his backpack to insert into the water flask.
Beep!
Watching the detector light up green, he then rotated the detector around the mouth of the flask to ensure there were no abnormalities, slightly relaxing his vigilance, and handed it back to the big guy.
The big guy was stunned for a moment, then quickly took a sip and swallowed it before handing it back to Lu Ren.
Lu Ren nodded slightly, and the big guy, understanding, also let the small guy take a sip.
After confirming everything was fine, Lu Ren took the flask.
He placed the detector back into his backpack and gulped down the water.
He hadn't drunk water for almost a day and night; during the breakout, he had been in a state of high tension, exerting his full strength, causing his blood to surge and evaporating a lot of water during intense movement.
After drinking more than half a flask of water, Lu Ren returned it to the big guy, Zhang Yan.
As for the small guy, Chen Ling, she was actually a girl about fifteen years old, covered in dirt, with unknown paint on her face, but judging by her face shape, she seemed quite pretty.
Lu Ren pondered and asked: "You said you're from the Mortal World, how did you end up here?"
Zhang Yan answered honestly: "In the nearby Chen Mountain Ghostly Battlefield, there's Cold Condensing Grass, a very precious herb, so we came here to try our luck."
"Where is the Mortal World?"
Zhang Yan was taken aback, but seeing Lu Ren's indifferent expression, he dared not ask more.
"It's about eighty miles north from here."
After nearly an hour of questioning, Lu Ren finally gathered the basic information about this world from them.
This place, named the Underworld, is an Otherworldly space; Zhang Yan described it as nearly endless, with no one having explored its limits.
The Underworld occupies ninety-nine percent of this world, with Mortal World scattered like raindrops, varied in size.
The large ones are like lakes, the small ones like puddles.
After death, bodies are absorbed by the Underworld, mutating horribly, becoming strange demons.
The Mortal World is covered by a thick membrane like a mother's womb's water, filtering the sinister Qi of the Underworld, preventing assimilation.
"So, the Mortal World is the safest place?"
Zhang Yan shook his head slightly: "It's only relatively safe."
Chen Ling chimed in: "I heard the Mortal World was once huge, all connected, but the Underworld's erosion has changed it. The sects inside the Mortal World are focused on clearing anomalies."
Lu Ren's expression shifted, "Sects, what do they practice?"
Zhang Yan and Chen Ling exchanged bewildered glances, wondering if Lu Ren was a demon transformed; he seemed ignorant.
But as prisoners, they had to answer honestly.
"Of course, they practice martial arts," Zhang Yan replied.
"How do they eliminate those anomalies or demons from the Underworld?"
"Martial artists train their bodies, building Qi and blood until their body enhances Yang Qi, which counteracts demons, forming Qi and Inner Breath."
Yang Qi?
So, maybe Lu Ren could learn too.
Lu Ren was intrigued, unsure if this world's practices would suit him, as biological differences might hinder compatibility.
"Do you two know how?"
Zhang Yan sighed: "Hero, if we knew, we wouldn't be captured so easily."
"Take me back."
"Ah... Okay."
"..."
Lu Ren often felt like a victim; now, coercing Zhang Yan and Chen Ling was a temporary measure. If the Mortal World was truly safer, he could be more secure there.
"By the way, you mentioned seeking Cold Condensing Grass."
Zhang Yan lowered his head: "Yes."
"What use does it have?"
"Cold Condensing Grass has extremely cold attributes; if properly prepared, it's excellent for aiding martial artists' training. It's a treasured medicine balancing Yin and Yang, highly valued."
"Yes, yes!" Chen Ling interjected: "If we find a single plant, we might afford a large courtyard and escape our dilapidated home. We're driven by necessity to explore the Mortal World."
Zhang Yan sighed: "These days, fighting desperately just to survive."
Lu Ren contemplated and asked: "Is that why you were near the Ghostly Battlefield?"
"Yes."
"Is this it?"
Lu Ren pulled a clump of grass from his backpack, which fell while evading blades in a grassy area.
Seeing Lu Ren casually holding a handful of broken Cold Condensing Grass, Zhang Yan was pained and excited: "Yes, that's it! How did it end up like this!!!"
Chen Ling was nearly faint with heartache.
"Hero, did you treat it like weeds?"
Lu Ren: "... Isn't it just weeds? It's a bit cold to the touch."
The grass had appeared alongside the Ghostly Battlefield and Lu Ren hadn't had time to process it.
Zhang Yan and Chen Ling, both medicine gatherers, watched the precious treasure medicine handled roughly by Lu Ren, reduced to scraps.
Zhang Yan hesitated, stared at Lu Ren: "Hero, may I handle it?"
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Chapter 58: Chapter 58 Inside the City
It seems this thing is indeed quite precious in this world. Lu Ren casually tossed the Cold Condensing Grass to Zhang Yan, saw him fumbling to catch it, and then carefully placed it into a box.
His expression was as complicated as someone who had lost their parents and just had a child.
Lu Ren shook his head at this sight, thinking, alas, it seems people in this world truly have a hard life.
Having followed Zhang Yan for nearly eight hours, the other seemed quite familiar with the area, especially taking many detours without entering, while explaining the dangers lurking within to Lu Ren.
"Especially that Dead Lake. It is said that five hundred years ago, after Chen Ran broke through one of Liang Zhao's cities, he slaughtered the inhabitants, creating a pit of ten thousand bodies. Then he diverted the river to form a lake, which, despite its calm surface, has strong Evil Qi, overwhelming resentment, and bone-chilling cold beneath. The slaughtered people became Water Ghosts, and once someone goes down, they never come up again."
Lu Ren pondered this: "No wonder it felt so unusually cold when I climbed up. So that's why."
Zhang Yan turned back to Lu Ren in shock: "Great, great hero, you've been there?"
"Uh, accidentally fell in."
"..."
Still saying you're not a demon, any normal person would have been dragged down by the Water Ghosts long ago!!
What kind of monster is behind me!
Zhang Yan and Chen Ling exchanged a glance, both seeing the lament in each other's eyes.
Why is my life so hard!
Led by Zhang Yan, they twisted and turned for a long time until nearing nightfall, when Zhang Yan stopped in a foggy area.
He looked up at the sky, full of fear.
"Luckily, we made it back before dark. Otherwise, it would've been too difficult."
Lu Ren looked at the dense fog ahead; even with his current eyesight, he couldn't see ten meters ahead.
"Is this the entrance to the Mortal World?"
"Yes, hero, please stick close to me! No matter what happens later, even if we scream miserably or suddenly disappear, don't worry, just keep going forward."
"Don't worry, I definitely won't worry."
"..."
Lu Ren had little doubt about this, as his keen senses clearly discerned that the surrounding environment was changing, becoming increasingly relaxing and suitable, unlike the constant chill in the Underworld.
While the three continued slowly forward, it wasn't long before Lu Ren found himself suddenly submerged, surrounded by a hazy feeling.
A sticky sensation underwater arose, and to Lu Ren's surprise, he could still breathe.
Unfortunately, the forms of Zhang Yan and Chen Ling ahead became blurred and unclear.
About ten minutes later, Lu Ren felt himself lighten, the sticky sensation abruptly vanished, like emerging from the water, while his vision swiftly cleared.
Lu Ren looked up to see this so-called Mortal World lacked the gloomy heaviness and chilling atmosphere of the Underworld.
This place had few clouds floating in the sky, with the warm and bright rays of the setting sun, unlike the Underworld where the light was cold and devoid of warmth.
"Is this the Mortal World?!"
This Underworld is truly wondrous.
Zhang Yan and Chen Ling stood nearby, watching Lu Ren emerge nervously, and seeing him intact, they sighed with relief and approached warmly.
Lu Ren noted their expressions, saw Zhang Yan coming closer, and casually asked, "Does the Yang Membrane to reach the Mortal World have the ability to filter demons?"
Zhang Yan laughed awkwardly, "You're very keen, hero!"
Lu Ren chuckled softly, saying no more; if he were truly a demon, entering the Mortal World would mean passing through the Yang Membrane, invariably meeting an attack from its power.
And neither Zhang Yan nor the others actually went too far.
Seeing Lu Ren silent, Zhang Yan quickly said, "Hero, you mustn't have a place to stay yet. Once we sell the Cold Condensing Grass and get a substantial sum, I can buy you a place!"
Lu Ren considered briefly; no matter what, waiting through a month to leave this world was possible, staying in the Mortal World was safer than the Underworld.
He nodded slightly, "Alright, don't worry, your benefits will not be lacking."
Chentai City's gates hadn't closed yet, and as the three entered, the guards simply scrutinized Lu Ren's tight outfit briefly before ignoring him.
Zhang Yan explained: "Chentai is a border city of Li Xiaoguo, with many hunters wearing strange clothes that go to the Underworld to collect herbs and hunt, so the guards are used to it.
And, as long as one can enter the Mortal World through the Yang Membrane, even without citizenship, settling here just requires going to the government's office dedicated to population registration for a permit."
Lu Ren nodded slightly, saying no more.
He paid more attention to these soldiers' Essence, Qi, and Spirit.
They were undoubtedly elite troops; even the gate guards had robust physical conditions, with hands gripping the spears full of calluses, evidently from regular training.
Once formed into a military force, they'd be truly terrifying.
Definitely stronger than the soldiers Lu Ren saw on the Ghostly Battlefield.
Zhang Yan, who had been watching Lu Ren, finally explained after entering the city: "Chentai is a major city guarding the Mortal World's boundary, and the soldiers inside must have strong bodies to resist demon invasions."
"Even the Mortal World faces invasions from Underworld demons?"
"Yes, the Yang Membrane periodically weakens; though it can still filter most Underworld threats, many demons take advantage of such times to infiltrate. Hence, Chentai was built as a large city with a population of a million to gather popularity and concentrate Yang Qi."
To fight with Yang Qi, and exist with Yang Qi?
Lu Ren pondered, but it mattered little to him, he only needed a relatively stable environment to pass the month.
This great city probably had even more functions, but Zhang Yan seemed unaware of these secrets.
"Do strange occurrences happen within the city?"
"Yes, the government specially set up a Demon Extermination Bureau for these matters."
Zhang Yan's face showed a trace of lingering fear, clearly recalling some unpleasant memories.
"The Demon Extermination Bureau has a high mortality rate, sometimes even not knowing how one died; some things are even more dangerous than those in the Underworld!"
As he spoke, after entering the city, Lu Ren strolled alongside the street, slowly observing Chentai City.
Near nightfall, lanterns hung under the eaves on both sides of the street, radiating bright orange light.
The street remained bustling with voices selling and shouting endlessly; despite the nightfall, it was lively as ever, and the pedestrians bustling back and forth maintained prosperity.
Popularity!
Popularity thriving like a simmering pot of oil!
Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Settling
Seeing Lu Ren's keen interest, Zhang Yan, who was well-versed in this place, introduced fluently: "Chentai City has nine squares and an Inner City. We entered from the South City Gate, and this place is called Bai Han Square, famous for poetry, painting, qin, and chess. Many literati and scholars gather in this square. Did you see the lanterns by the streets? The light inside is emitted by warm stones.
However, the most alluring and unforgettable place is the Nine-Eyed Square, which features brothels and inns. Those ladies truly have figures both slender and round, dressed in..."
"Uncle Zhang!!" Chen Ling beside him interrupted Zhang Yan with a tone full of reproach.
Zhang Yan quickly put away his lascivious expression, coughed twice, and said, "Hero, I don't know your name yet. Your honorable surname?"
"I'm called Lu Yi." Lu Ren replied casually.
Using a pseudonym while traveling is much safer.
"Brother Lu, is it okay to call you that?"
"Whatever."
Seeing that Lu Ren didn't mind, Zhang Yan was overjoyed and said: "We've been in the Underworld for so long, already starving; let me host today, shall we grab something nice?"
Lu Ren nodded: "Sure."
Zhang Yan found a restaurant, ordered a full table of dishes, then stood and patted the wooden box containing Cold Condensing Grass, laughed: "Brother Lu, take your time eating, I'll be back soon, won't take long at all!"
Then he turned to Chen Ling and said: "Little Ling'er, accompany Brother Lu well here, don't offend him!"
He still remembered that this person had fought their way out of the Ghostly Battlefield!
Chen Ling, who was stuffing food into her mouth, nodded repeatedly, her attention mostly on the full table of food.
Lu Ren noticed this, but inwardly admired Zhang Yan's meticulous nature; from their interaction, Zhang Yan was clearly among the bottom of Underworld hunters, and he carried Chen Ling, a burden.
No martial arts, no money.
It's entirely risking their lives; these two are pitiful people.
What surprised him was Zhang Yan's familiarity with the environment of the Underworld and even quite the Seven-Aperture Exquisite.
The dishes in this Otherworld didn't attract Lu Ren much; Highly Concentrated Nutrient Pills provided quite a good sense of fullness and added a certain effect to fist technique training.
But with the Skill Level System's bonus, this was rather trivial for Lu Ren.
He kept using a detector to check each dish, ensuring there were no harmful substances, then picked up the chopsticks to eat; because of the nutrient pills, Lu Ren only had a taste and left the rest for Chen Ling to finish.
This world had a tendency for sweetness, yet Lu Ren preferred sour, spicy, and salty food.
After about half an hour, Zhang Yan ran over drenched in sweat, holding a bag out to Lu Ren.
He panted heavily: "Brother Lu, wasn't it that you wanted to find a place to stay? I know a broker, why not go and see; he knows of quite a nice courtyard!"
Lu Ren didn't delay, put down his chopsticks, and nodded: "Let's go."
"Wait, wait, let me shovel down some rice first! Otherwise, I'd starve on the way."
Zhang Yan chuckled a few times, picked up a rice bowl, and started stuffing his mouth rapidly.
Lu Ren opened the money bag to see three gold coins and over ten hefty silver ingots.
Zhang Yan, speaking unclearly, said: "Brother Lu, those Cold Condensing Grass were of good quality, although many were torn leaves and broken stalks; it didn't affect the medicinal properties and exchanged for nearly four hundred taels of silver, these gold coins are one hundred taels each, and in Chentai City, one hundred taels could buy you a decent courtyard!"
Lu Ren nodded slightly, tossing a gold coin casually to Zhang Yan.
Zhang Yan clumsily caught it, his face full of surprise and joy: "Brother Lu, how can I accept this?!"
Lu Ren casually said: "Consider it a hardship fee, no need to decline."
Zhang Yan was indeed good at dealing with people, although his eyes revealed greed and reluctance, he managed to suppress the desire strongly.
Everyone has desires, the key is to control them; although Lu Ren didn't want to maintain such a superficial relationship, the other's attitude pleased him greatly.
Having seen that Lu Ren's tone carried no insincerity, Zhang Yan was excited and said: "Thank you, thank you!"
While speaking, he hugged Chen Ling, "Little Ling'er, we can move to a new place!"
Chen Ling was equally thrilled.
"So I can have my own room!"
"Definitely!" Zhang Yan said with full confidence.
Seeing the two, one big and one small, Lu Ren's originally cool gaze softened considerably, at least the relationship between these two was genuine, without falsehood, which was rare.
Such people cannot be too bad.
Within the next hour, Zhang Yan settled the bill, then eagerly took Lu Ren to find the property broker of this era, the so-called broker, found a peaceful courtyard near a small river, with four rooms, a garden, surrounded by a wall, about 300 square meters.
"Mr. Lu, since you're referred by Zhang Yan, I won't cheat you, this courtyard can be bought for just one hundred and twenty taels, the surrounding neighbors are high officials and wealthy merchants, good security, environment facing the river, quite nice; across the river is Changlong Street, cross the bridge to a commercial street, truly a rare peaceful spot amidst the hustle and bustle!"
"And buying now includes furniture and bedding, essentially move-in ready!"
Lu Ren wasn't fazed by the broker's boasting; after inspecting the three rooms, he felt quite satisfied, a main hall, two bedrooms, a kitchen, with a large yard and a covered well in the corner, with a separate toilet built next to it, with drainage directly to the river.
Without hesitation, he paid, signed, each holding a copy, and waited for the broker to go to the government to confirm the signature the next day.
No need for Lu Ren to handle this, the broker would manage it seamlessly.
After Zhang Yan and Chen Ling thanked Lu Ren thrice and bid farewell, they excitedly followed the broker to see their new house, leaving Lu Ren alone in the courtyard.
By now, the bright moon had risen.
Approximately eight o'clock at night.
The daily cycle in this Otherworld was almost identical to the real world, making Lu Ren suspect whether all the worlds he encountered shared the same sun and moon with the real world.
...
...
That night, the Governor's Mansion in Chentai City was still brightly lit.
The current governor, Li Bing, wasn't the usual civil official type, donned in Bright Armor, sword girded at his waist, tall and strong, moving with tiger-like strides, evidently a Martial Path expert.
Yet, Li Bing's face was full of worry at this moment, his eyes unable to conceal his concerns.
Beneath him was a captain, orally reporting urgent news.
"Governor, urgent news from the Imperial City, they've sent the Demon Extermination Bureau, a black-clothed envoy, three cyan-robed envoys, and sixteen blue-clothed envoys to confirm within two days."
Hearing the captain's words bearing good news of substantial weight, Li Bing's tightly furrowed brows relaxed, instructing earnestly: "Keep watching the Yang Membrane all the time, if there's any movement, report immediately!"
"Yes!"
Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Twin FiendsThe captain responded with a word and then said, "Sir, earlier, there were two hunters who went out, and when they returned, there was an extra person wearing black tight-fitting clothes, an outsider. An hour ago, news came that he bought a house on Chenliu Street in Bai Han Square."
"Were they baptized by the Yang Membrane when they came in?"
"Yes, after observation, there is no slightest damage from Yang Qi. After investigation, it's initially judged that this person is from another Mortal World."
Another Mortal World?
Li Bing was slightly surprised; the nearest Mortal World from them is at least two thousand miles away, filled with countless dangerous places along the way.
One must have some background to dare to come over.
He pondered for a while and waved his hand, "Since we have confirmed it's a person, the urgent task is to guard the Yang Membrane. As for him, just pay a little attention."
"Yes!"
...
...
Unaware that he was in the eyes of Chentai City's government, Lu Ren slept for a night and woke up early the next morning.
A night of resting and gathering strength made Lu Ren energetic and no longer fatigued. Following his daily practice routine, he spent three hours continuously training the Skill Level of Phoenix Falcon Fist before stopping, drenched in sweat, fetching two buckets of water from the well and pouring them over himself.
He liked his combat suit more and more: breathable, warm, incredibly tough and stretchy, with excellent protective power.
Most importantly, whatever material the combat suit is made of allows it to be cleaned easily of dust and sweat with just a rinse of water.
Having casually bought several clothes and chosen a set of cyan attire to wear, he kept the combat suit on beneath. Although the backpack attached to the shell made him look a bit hunched, it didn't matter much.
At noon, after finding a tavern and enjoying a table full of local delicacies, Lu Ren felt very satisfied. To be able to live so peacefully in the Otherworld was something he could never have imagined before.
What surprised him even more was the reasonable urban planning of Chentai City, even including a sewage system, and the toilets had a separate channel system to converge at a place for nighttime treatment.
The toilet in this courtyard had been privately modified by himself; it seemed to be a private alteration.
The previous owner of this courtyard had some sinister intentions.
The use of compost in this world was already quite advanced, no wonder the Martial Path system in this world was flourishing.
Thus, spending the morning practicing fist, eating, noon practicing sword, eating, and night contemplating the Heartless Sword and sleeping in this monotonous mode, a week passed by quietly.
As for Zhang Yan and Chen Ling, their happiness index skyrocketed under the hundred taels of silver. Initially enthusiastic to come over in the first few days, they found that Lu Ren did not like to be disturbed, so they said he could contact them if needed and got familiar with this area before opening a breakfast shop, busy yet still smiling.
Lu Ren went there to eat, the taste was nice.
In terms of martial arts training, Lu Ren could clearly feel the thrill of his physical condition improving with the increase in Skill Level.
His current ability was closely linked to his hard training.
Until tonight, this quiet and harmonious atmosphere was broken.
After contemplating the Heartless Sword, Lu Ren, who was a bit exhausted, was about to sleep when he suddenly opened his eyes and stared intently at the ceiling.
"Are you sure you didn't lie to me?" A boy's voice suddenly sounded low like a mosquito.
"I saw it with my own eyes that day. Zhang Yan, that kid, exchanged money at Nanshan Boxing Club and gave it to this guy. I heard it was a considerable amount! I've been scouting here the entire week; besides eating, this guy basically never goes out!"
A woman's voice was clearly suppressed as it entered Lu Ren's ear.
Good heavens, these two are the notorious malevolent pair!
Without a sound, Lu Ren sat up, watching as a thin, long blowpipe was inserted through the crack of the opened tile, then a thick smoke slowly emitted from the blowpipe.
After ten full minutes, movement finally came from the roof.
"Is it done?"
"A sufficient amount of Enchanting Fragrance, it can even make a first-rate Martial Arts Family member sleep for two days, haha!"
"Is that so? Then this Enchanting Fragrance is really something good; I'd love to use it if I get the chance. I've long thought the girl from the house in front is full of vigor."
"Leave the man to me then! I've wanted to try him for a long time!"
"Of course, uh... who?!"
The two lying on the roof were startled at once, just about to move when they saw a longsword glistening with cold light resting on their necks.
Kneeling, Lu Ren looked at the two motionless individuals and said calmly, "Do you want to die gently or quickly?"
The man sobbed, "Brother, we two had eyes but failed to see your greatness, please spare our lives. We'll serve you like a horse without complaint!"
Beside him, the woman tried to show her beautiful face under the moonlight, forcing a smile, "Sir, don't you think it would be a shame to kill us?"
System: "The opponent holds a great belief toward you, wanting deep communication with you, please quickly strike swords with me."
Completely without chance for the system to trigger nonsense due to the opponent's malice, Lu Ren said, "But you came to steal."
Hearing a loose tone in Lu Ren's voice, the man quickly said, "We didn't come for any purpose, just happened to. A momentary impulse led us to this. Please consider our plight as a couple relying on each other and show us mercy!"
Lu Ren was moved, "You... truly only rely on each other, and nothing else?"
Seeing Lu Ren moved, the two were delighted and nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, yes!!"
Swish, swish!!
Lu Ren slowly withdrew the sword, and the blood on the blade slid off, covered by a layer of high-nanocarbon material that allowed his sword to avoid getting stained.
Looking at the two people with a look of perplexity under his feet, Lu Ren glanced around, ensuring no one was paying attention here. Then, he searched the bodies and threw them into the clear river nearby, saving himself the trouble of burying them.
If these two claimed to have someone behind them, Lu Ren might have considered more, since his primary goal was stability.
But they had no one behind them, so they couldn't blame Lu Ren for sending them to fetch their lunch.
This kind of person with no support, once let go, would act like venomous snakes waiting to strike. A slight carelessness could lead to unexpected trouble.
To create a stable environment for himself, Lu Ren spared no effort.
But what surprised him was that Lu Ren found a Martial Arts Secret Manual and dozens of golden leaves from the man.
"Golden Feather Leg"
A technique specializing in Leg Technique, however, after leafing through it carefully, Lu Ren silently put it aside.
Transporting Qi and Blood, circulating Qi and Blood within meridian circulation, forming loops at sixteen Major Acupoints on each leg.
And these Major Acupoints didn't relate to him at all. Even the Huaxia's renowned essence, the human body's meridian circulation diagram, didn't align.
Moreover, what seemed most ridiculous to him was the idea of controlling Qi and Blood transport using intention, what was Blood Qi, blood was blood, then what was Qi?!
Essence, Qi, and Spirit, Qi has its connotation, but it can't be materialized.
Modern world's martial arts mention Qi, but it's not truly True Qi; it refers to one's state.
But this world was different, they genuinely talked about this.
Lu Ren sighed, realizing that indeed, one cannot earn beyond what is understood!
Moreover, with differing physiological structures, a slight discrepancy can lead to significant errors; many things cannot be universally applied.
Only some techniques for exerting force could be used for reference, but beyond that, the most essential and central technique for Qi and Blood transport was completely impractical.
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Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Proficient
Perhaps it can indeed be achieved through the system, but then again, neither the Phoenix Falcon Fist nor the Heartless Sword falls short of this world's Qi and Blood Transport in terms of body extraction, and in some respects, a Great Perfectionist of Fist Technique can reach an astonishing level of control over their body.
Control every part of the body, manage one's organs, every inch of muscle, and bone.
If spirit continues to delve deeper, could it be possible to manipulate the existence at the cellular level?
Though lacking Qi, the rapid contraction of the heart and resulting blood circulation, as well as the internal and external breath exchange, and the explosive power that erupts are indeed not weak.
This is indeed a line of thought!
Lu Ren had a sudden realization, although he couldn't cultivate, he could still draw on these aspects to strengthen his foundation.
Moreover, this martial arts secret manual.
Lu Ren put it in his backpack. After all, Hua Country has a Martial Arts Research Institute dedicated to studying human body science. Taking it there could possibly really let them develop an art of Qi and Blood Transport, then apply it to oneself.
This is the power of having a team behind you, not to mention that standing behind Lu Ren is an entire country.
This encounter immediately dispelled Lu Ren's idea of going to see the Nanshan Boxing Club. Seeing one can reveal the whole picture; rather than wasting time and effort seeking martial arts secret manuals of this world here and there, it's better to steadily practice fist technique and swordsmanship.
"What a pity..."
Lu Ren felt a bit regretful about discarding the bodies of the two malevolent men and women. If he had spent time dissecting and inspecting them, perhaps he could have found some clues.
Even though he hadn't studied modern dissection sciences, every level of advancement in the Phoenix Falcon Fist path allowed an innate deep understanding of it in his mind, comparable to that of the founder of Phoenix Falcon Fist.
So in terms of a profound understanding of his body, Lu Ren was not weak.
"Ding, as you continually practiced Basic Swordsmanship, you suddenly had an epiphany. Your Basic Swordsmanship advanced to Proficient (1/15748)."
"Ding, as you improved your Basic Swordsmanship, your Constitution, Power, and Agility attributes increased by 1."
Hearing the system notification sound in his mind, Lu Ren suddenly felt the longsword in his hand as if it became an extension of his arm, a sense of naturalness emerged spontaneously.
Lu Ren's gaze shifted, the longsword in his hand swept like a rising tide, and a leaf from a decades-old tree in the courtyard split, one into two, two into four, four into eight, eight into sixteen...
In just a second, Lu Ren managed to slash and stab forty-eight times.
As Lu Ren halted his movement, the longsword was emitting wisps of smoke due to the rapid friction with the air, and the blade was extremely hot.
Incredible! It was more than a notch stronger than before, one could even say it was at a completely different level.
Proficient.
Only through absolute familiarity, after countless sword-swinging practices, perhaps even twenty years of continuous Basic Swordsmanship practice can one reach this step.
And the bonus to the three-dimensional attributes of the body was also strong, directly increased by a chunk.
Just like Yan Zhenghua said, the basics of Swordsmanship like the Horizontal Slash and Stab, all advanced swordsmanship is derived from this. Tall buildings rise from the ground; practice the basics of swordsmanship well, and future cultivation of higher sword techniques will yield twice the result with half the effort.
And Intention Sword, Heartless Sword, though Yan Zhenghua said non-geniuses of Sword Dao cannot cultivate successfully, with the bonus of proficiency, it still steadily improves.
It's just that the difficulty of increasing proficiency varies, as Basic Swordsmanship, up to now, practicing once or twice could increase proficiency, whereas Heartless Intention Sword requires repeated visualizations three times to improve.
This shows the difficulty of it all.
However, for Lu Ren, according to the system's proficiency judgment, it was just a matter of spending a few more minutes.
Sometimes, in the mind, visualization of Intention Sword was even easier than practicing fist or sword techniques.
Lying in bed, the technique grows in the heart.
The level-up of Heartless Intention Sword also added a point to the Spirit attribute, which was within Lu Ren's expectations.
"Surname: Lu Ren
Spirit: 11 (Proficiency 672/3070)
Constitution: 11 (Proficiency 1762/3070)
Power: 11 (Proficiency 1430/3070)
Agility: 13 (Proficiency 1112/4060)
Skills: Basic Swordsmanship (Proficient 1/15748), Phoenix Falcon Fist (Slightly Accomplished 1332/8520) Attribute bonus: [Rapid Attack], Heartless Sword (Initial Glimpse 111/3932), Basic Dagger Technique (Initial Glimpse 190/3932)
Free Attribute Points: 0
Skill Points: 0"
Looking at his attribute panel, Lu Ren expressed satisfaction at the moment. At least with the current attributes and skills, beating the previous two would be no problem, perhaps even with ease and comfort.
The increase in attributes and skills led to Lu Ren's power increase not being as simple as 1+1=2.
It was a growth of the upper limit by an exponential factor.
With physical attributes more than twice that of ordinary people, it was enough to surpass most people, in nerve reaction, muscle power, body flexibility, balance, and agility was beyond ordinary imagination.
Moreover, once physical attributes exceeded ten points, the increase in attribute points led to a considerable enhancement in physical fitness.
A truly great martial artist, when striking, surely makes history-shattering moves.
Yan Zhenghua's pretentious tone naturally emerged in Lu Ren's mind at this moment.
Three days had passed since dealing with the malevolent men and women, life was calm without any ups and downs, and as Lu Ren stayed home, there were no disastrous events occurring out of the blue.
It left Lu Ren's hope of someone trying to steal and his idea of counter-killing and dissecting unmet, somewhat regretful.
This notion he had before, it was only because the operations were too perverse that he hadn't executed it.
As experience grew, one indeed became increasingly perverse...
That day, after finishing practicing Heartless Intention Sword and then the Phoenix Falcon Fist under the midmoon, he was drenched in sweat.
The moon was particularly bright today, large and round, the scenery was very nice.
As usual, he fetched a bucket of well water ready to pour over himself.
"What?"
Lu Ren paused, taking a look into the wooden bucket, he found there was a lot of hair.
Scooping it out, under the moonlight, the black hair was long and somewhat like aquatic plants.
Women's hair!
What is this nonsense?
Lu Ren squinted his eyes to look into the pitch-black well, it wasn't deep, with an underground river below, just ten meters high; under the moonlight, the water surface could be faintly seen.
Could it be...
Lu Ren bent his neck for a better look into the well.
Whoosh!
In a moment, countless long black hairs grew in the well, like an inverted black waterfall rushing towards his head.
This terrifying scene caused Lu Ren's pupils to shrink suddenly, and all the hairs on his body stood up.
But he was not overly flustered. As expected, he drew the heavy Yan-style Sword immediately.
Clang!
The deep yet bright sword sound resonated because of the weight, and under the moonlight, the swiftly drawn sword became a horizontal white streak slicing through.
The waterfall-like black hair was severed on contact.
Lu Ren didn't even feel much resistance, relying on the sharpness of the sword, these long hairs indeed severed on contact.
Report chapter CommentsChapter 62: Chapter 62: Demon Extermination Bureau (Happy Chinese New Year!!)"Ding, you successfully blocked the attack of the black-haired demoness and cut off her hair. Your Basic Swordsmanship Skill Level +1"
Ignoring the disturbance from neighbors due to the sound of the sword ringing out, Lu Ren pressed against the well with one foot and swiftly propelled himself away.
Long hair continued to fly out from the well, forming thick tendrils that danced wildly in mid-air, like tentacles.
Lu Ren did not advance but kept a safe distance, quietly observing the changes happening ahead.
The area around the well almost became a space made of hair.
Dense and overwhelming, anyone with trypophobia taking a glance might need a lifetime to overcome the distress.
Thinking about the water he drank and the showers he took these days, a sudden shadow cast over Lu Ren's heart.
"Hey there, friend, what's happening?"
A knock came from the door outside, somewhat mixed with anger.
Indeed, it's the middle of the night with all the noise, people need to work tomorrow!
Lu Ren did not turn around, stepping back a few paces and using his longsword to open the door.
A man dressed in a brocade robe, filled with rage, was about to rush in but was stopped by the sight of a cold longsword close to his face, halting his anger and forcing a stiff smile.
This guy was a wealthy merchant living next door.
"Ah, brother, didn't know in this sleepless long night you'd have the interest in sword dancing... Ah! What's this?"
Chen Jinghu's eyes finally saw the events transpiring at the well. Seeing the masses of hair intertwined like serpents made his hair stand on end.
He exclaimed in horror, "It's... it's a demon!! It's a demon!! We need to quickly notify the Demon Extermination Bureau!"
The hair abruptly paused, then the long black spikes of hair rushed forward fiercely, as if soaring through the sky.
Lu Ren did not doubt that these hair spikes could easily pierce through stone slabs.
Longquan and Yan Form in hand, the two longswords swung rapidly at Lu Ren's hands without making any unnecessary moves.
Dual swords shadow-like, under the moonlight, the swords seemed like a crescent moon, the sharp ripping sound of slicing through the air rang out in succession, the black hair spikes rushing towards him and Chen Jinghu were directly cut apart.
Lu Ren slightly hunched, letting the swords hang, calmly said, "Landlord Chen, I think you now need to request support from the Demon Extermination Bureau instead of shouting hoarsely here."
The stunned Landlord Chen snapped back to reality, scrambling out the door, shouting desperately.
"Not good! There's a demon, there's a demon!!"
Listening to the commotion behind, Lu Ren shook his head slightly, no longer paying heed. The severed black hair apparently received a huge stimulus, spewing forth from the well like a fountain, countless strands ascending to the sky, almost covering the entire courtyard.
Seems like there's no way to stay.
Just as he was about to leave, Lu Ren was startled to realize standing next to him was a tall figure dressed in black, whose presence he hadn't noticed.
This encounter was far more horrifying for Lu Ren than the demon in the well, he swung his sword without hesitation.
The tall shadow, arms folded and exuding an air of pretentiousness, also paused at Lu Ren's aggressive response.
Seeing the two swords, sharp as if they could cut through iron like mud, swing towards his vital parts, the shadow finally made a sound.
"Wait, wait!!"
While speaking, he twisted his waist, lifted his foot, stepped back, narrowly avoiding the attack by a hair's breadth, even so, the sword already tore his clothes, leaving two slits.
Lu Ren, seeing the figure was human, paused his advancing attack and asked in a deep voice, "Who are you?"
The tall man looked down at the two slits in his robe, replied angrily, "I am Cao Jingde, Cyan-Robed Envoy of the Demon Extermination Bureau, having received notice of demonic activity here, I rushed over."
This was a bit embarrassing.
Lu Ren awkwardly said, "So you are from the Demon Extermination Bureau, my apologies for the oversight."
Cao Jingde glanced at the swords in Lu Ren's hands, praised, "Good weapon, and you have remarkable swordsmanship."
Then he turned to look at the hair around the well, spoke in a deep voice, "Leave the rest to me."
Lu Ren was delighted by this, stepped back a few paces, carefully observing Cao Jingde's actions. Although unable to practice Qi and Blood Martial Path, it didn't prevent him from observing and learning.
Cao Jingde took a step forward, his body suddenly emitted a burning aura, a vaguely visible heat that was clearly felt by Lu Ren standing five steps away.
The black-haired demoness seemed to encounter a nemesis as Cao Jingde emitted his Qi and Blood, causing the intertwined hair to start giving off a burnt smell.
Cao Jingde dashed forward, the Qi and Blood power on his body elevated a level, his fist faintly turned red, and then descended like a lightning strike.
Rumble!
A thunderous sound like rumbling thunder rang out.
"Thunder Rhinoceros!"
Following this, the ravenous mass of hair seemed to self-ignite, as if doused in fuel, bursting into flames, the blaze furiously surged towards the well.
The well emitted a shrill scream, after which there was no more movement.
An amazing invocation of Qi and Blood power.
Panting slightly, Cao Jingde's expression relaxed a bit, turned to look at the contemplative Lu Ren, spoke, "You seem quite interested?"
Lu Ren nodded slightly, "The application of Qi and Blood is indeed unique."
Cao Jingde laughed twice, "As per routine, I must inform you, this demoness was likely flushed from the Dark River, the well itself poses no problem."
He then pulled out a piece of talisman paper filled with runes from his arms, threw it into the well, waiting a while to confirm no further movement, and only then relaxed, "It's indeed clean now, seems like she entered recently."
He then approached Lu Ren, but seeing Lu Ren still holding the dual swords stopped.
"You look very cautious?"
"I think anyone who experiences these things would naturally be vigilant."
"Alright, outsider, everything here is settled, later a clerk will come to question you, just tell him what you know."
Lu Ren nodded slightly, "Thank you!"
Cao Jingde nodded in return, about to leave, but stopped at the doorway.
"You seem unfamiliar with Qi and Blood Transport?"
Lu Ren calmly replied, "I haven't practiced Qi and Blood Techniques."
Cao Jingde's gaze sharpened quickly, "You have quite the skill."
"Not practicing Qi and Blood Transport doesn't mean one can't train physically."
"You come from another Mortal World?"
"Yes."
"The three Mortal World regions near Li Xiaoguo are Changzhi, Cyan and White, and there have been no contacts for nearly twenty years. Considering the dangers of the Underworld, anyone who comes here must be of great Martial Path, I thought they might have been exterminated by demons.
Which Mortal World are you from?"
This was clearly a targeted inquiry!
Lu Ren's eyes slightly glimmered, realizing the black-haired demoness appearing in the well was merely a trigger, having alerted the Chentai City government to him the moment he entered.
Too self-assured, thinking this production-level ancient era has major loopholes in census.
Chapter 63: Chapter 63 Qi and BloodUnexpectedly, I entered the other's sights as soon as I entered the city.
I did underestimate them a bit.
Indeed, although this is an ancient society, without a complete social system, the people of the Mortal World couldn't have lasted this long. Even in the ancient societies of the real world, the household registration system was very strict.
Lu Ren fell silent for a while. He didn't know how to respond, as all his movements seemed to be under their control. If not for honestly buying a house upon entering Chentai City and basically staying home, the government officials would have had no reason to come looking for him.
If he had been flaunting around, he'd likely be getting questioned all over by now.
Seeing Lu Ren remain silent, Cao Jingde chuckled, "Alright, alright, as long as you're alive."
After a pause, Cao Jingde was somewhat surprised and said, "I see your skills aren't bad, so why don't you gather Qi and Blood?"
Gather Qi and Blood?
The Golden Swan Leg Technique has a detailed explanation. When the body is tempered enough, Qi and Blood will naturally generate Inner Breath. After successful transport, you can gather Qi and Blood to unleash Qi and Blood Inner Breath to harm demons.
This attack method is quite fantastical, but unfortunately, Lu Ren couldn't adopt it due to physical reasons.
Lu Ren: "...Body's not up to it."
Cao Jingde understood and wasn't too surprised, as if it was a common sight.
"Indeed, very few can gather Qi and Blood. There are quite a few people like you, yet your skills are indeed formidable, to reach such a level without the aid of Qi Blood Power."
Lu Ren opened his mouth but then sighed, choosing not to elaborate further.
After confirming that Lu Ren couldn't perform Qi and Blood Transport, Cao Jingde felt slightly reassured and smiled again, saying, "Little brother, although the Mortal World isn't as full of mysteries as the Underworld, demons still occasionally appear... Especially in the border areas of the Yang Membrane. But don't worry, the stuff in the well is clean now, no problem."
After a few pleasantries, Lu Ren watched Cao Jingde hum a tune and walk away.
He couldn't help but shake his head slightly. The fist techniques and swordsmanship he practiced were vastly different from this world's paths. Although the basic theories might be similar, the subsequent paths diverged completely.
The martial arts ideals of the real world's fist techniques aim to explore human limits, whereas the Qi and Blood Martial Technique of this world targeted demonic qi to continually strengthen Qi and Blood Inner Breath, ultimately forming what's known as True Gang.
Qi and Blood, huh.
As Lu Ren pondered, his heart suddenly contracted and expanded violently.
Thump-thump!
A massive amount of blood rushed from his heart and diffused throughout his body, followed by a boiling energy emanating from Lu Ren's body, vaguely forming a heatwave radiating in all directions.
The air flowed rapidly in the wake of his intense energy.
"Whew..."
Even that brief moment was overwhelming for Lu Ren; the overload was too great. Despite reaching a Slightly Accomplished level in the Phoenix Falcon Fist allowing him to roughly control his body, this sudden expansion and contraction of his heart placed immense stress on his body.
The bloodstream through his body was impacted, causing minor and major blood clots to surface on his skin.
This resulted from his capillaries being unable to withstand such high-speed compression, thus rupturing.
Now Lu Ren's head was buzzing, and he felt a particularly indescribable discomfort in his internal organs.
"Ding, your blood suddenly circulated rapidly, your Constitution Skill Level +2"
"Ding, due to unsuccessful control, your body suffered some damage. The current state is moderately weakened, combat power reduced; it seems you need a day's rest."
Seeing the system alert in his mind, Lu Ren couldn't help but shake his head with frustration.
The Martial Path entirely diverged, otherwise, those two sword strikes earlier wouldn't have forced Cao Jingde into such a fluster.
As mentioned before, this world's Qi and Blood Transport dealt mainly with killing Underworld demons. Against humans, it only brought a sweeping heatwave, a temporary increase in physical attributes, with little else.
Perhaps once True Gang is formed, another image will emerge.
The Phoenix Falcon Fist also had potential bursts to temporarily liberate the rigid cognitive limits of the human body for a short burst in strength.
Such bodily manipulation wasn't too far off for him.
After tidying up the scorched debris in the yard, he went to the well.
Lu Ren couldn't help but fall into thought. Can the water from this well really be used? If not, how would he solve the issue of drinking water?
He drew some water from the well again with a bucket, examined the water under the bright moonlight, and immersed a detector to confirm it met all standards before calmly pouring it over himself to wash away the dust.
After all, it's just hair. Unless it's too strange, having been exposed to countless horror films in the modern world, he found it still acceptable.
Besides, if she was a beautiful ghost when alive, it wouldn't be unacceptable...
"Still ten days to go..."
Lu Ren exhaled, entered the house to sleep, placing the longsword by his side to respond quickly in case of unexpected incidents.
...
...
"Women only slow down my sword-drawing speed; I refuse!"
Lu Ren didn't even turn his head, directly rejecting Cao Jingde's invitation to join him at Nine-Eyed Square, as Cao leaned against the doorframe.
Ever since the incident with the well a few days ago, when Lu Ren's two sword strikes left him in a panic, he had shown great interest in Lu Ren.
It reached the point where he would frequently visit, eager to spar with Lu Ren.
Lu Ren didn't refuse the opportunity, as sparring with someone who possessed an innate "whetstone" attribute was beneficial. Although his Skill Level had increased, stabilizing his strength, achieving genuine combat effectiveness and consistency required extensive practice.
It's not just about handling skills; once the system advances automatically, techniques within the Fist Realm emerge naturally, as if innate, but it deals with combat response tactics.
What's trained is the awareness.
And without a doubt, Cao Jingde was a quite competent opponent. As a Cyan-Robed Envoy of the Demon Extermination Bureau, he could sustain a Qi and Blood Burst for half an hour without rest.
Lu Ren was able to hold his own against him using only Proficient Level Basic Swordsmanship combined with Heartless Sword techniques.
The vast martial arts Cao Jingde practiced appeared rather crude to Lu Ren; their Qi Blood Martial Technique focused mostly on demons.
Yet undoubtedly, Cao Jingde's physical attributes were stronger, more resilient, with a higher margin for error, at least allowing him to steadily improve his practical combat skills while honing his people's Martial Path techniques.
Cao Jingde regretted, "You truly missed one of life's great pleasures!"
Lu Ren gave him a glance, slowly sheathed his sword, and said, "How can you gather Qi and Blood while you're scattering your essence daily?"
"Ha, I focus on consuming Dragon Tooth Rice daily. Excessive essence requires expending some of it."
Report chapter CommentsChapter 64: Chapter 64 DuelThe so-called Dragon Tooth Rice is a special food supplied to the Martial Arts Family in this world. It is said to require capturing a type of Yin Beast from the Underworld, using its blood, and then watering with Flaming Sun substances to produce. It involves many complex processes and has been passed down for thousands of years, already forming large-scale cultivation, yet the price is still expensive. Ordinary people really can't afford it.
If an ordinary person eats a bowl, and their physical condition is slightly worse, they might get a nosebleed from weakness, unable to withstand nourishment.
After a pause, Cao Jingde curiously said, "Though it's said, I see your daily diet is quite normal, completely lacking the kind of appetite those martial artists have in the tavern. Do you have a small kitchen at home?"
Lu Ren glanced at him, "You have Dragon Tooth Rice, can't I have my own food?"
These days, Lu Ren no longer went to outside restaurants but directly contacted a nearby restaurant, paid a deposit, and had them deliver three meals a day to his home. Although it was enough for seven or eight ordinary people, it was still insufficient for a Martial Arts Family.
As his physical condition continued to strengthen, his daily energy consumption grew larger and larger.
The two stood facing each other as they spoke.
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
"Here it comes!"
Cao Jingde shouted lowly, and as he took a step forward, he unexpectedly crushed the bluestone bricks under his foot, making Lu Ren's eyebrows twitch.
Doesn't that cost money?!
Usually, he's careful when practicing fists and feet.
Hoo!
Suddenly, a fierce whistling sound came, and Cao Jingde leaped forward like a hungry tiger pouncing, actively attacking Lu Ren.
In these days of sparring, Cao Jingde was well aware of the Phoenix Falcon Fist's elusive and agile nature, and its speed was as fast as lightning. Therefore, he absolutely could not give Lu Ren enough space to dodge; he had to strike first.
Engage in close combat immediately, seize the initiative, lock onto the opponent, and overwhelm them with his extremely strong physical strength.
Otherwise, once Lu Ren had the chance to move freely, he would immediately fall into a disadvantaged position.
The attack speed of the Phoenix Falcon Fist was truly astonishingly fast.
Now, under the support of Lu Ren's broad shoulders, waist and abdomen, and muscles of his arms, he could unleash nearly fifty attacks in a single second.
This was accomplished with ordinary attacks, not using the Phoenix Beak Fist Technique.
Within less than eight meters between the two, in this single charge, they passed in a flash.
What an opportunity!
Seeing Lu Ren seemingly unmoving, at this moment, Cao Jingde had come in front of Lu Ren, his chest bulging high, and a massive amount of breath gathered in his lungs, his powerful heart pumping the blood like a water pump. At this moment, his Qi and Blood power skyrocketed, the hormones in his internal organs surged to amazing levels.
His whole body was emitting a scorching aura, like a blazing furnace.
Cao Jingde's palm formed into a claw, and with Qi and Blood filling it, his hand became exceptionally broad, the skin like boiled red shrimp. His claw swung fiercely towards Lu Ren, while the air from his lungs was expelled, violently vibrating his vocal cords.
Roar!!
A giant roar, not human-like, erupted from Cao Jingde's mouth, like a tiger's roar.
It was as if a muffled thunderclap was echoing across this residential area in an instant.
"It's starting again, it's starting again!!!"
Landlord Chen, in the next house, was startled awake from his nap, covered his ears, filled with angry helplessness.
This thunderous roar was painful to his eardrums, made his head swell, and caused his heartbeat to involuntarily accelerate; he even felt like he was truly facing a giant tiger.
Too much!
He couldn't afford to provoke those two next door: one seemed ruthless and wouldn't bat an eyelid even in the face of demons; a killer type. The other was a Cyan-Robed Envoy from the Demon Extermination Bureau with great privileges. If accidentally offended, it'd be his just deserts to be cut down with a knife.
He sighed longingly, ultimately had to rub his somewhat swollen head and said to the maid serving him, "Yu'er, I'll stay at the shop for a few days. Go pack my things."
"Yes, Master!"
The obedient and charming little maid swayed her slender figure as she performed a curtsy, then swayed out of the room.
Landlord Chen reluctantly withdrew his gaze, sighed deeply, as even his private time had been disrupted lately.
...
...
Tiger's roar! Pounce!
Cao Jingde quickly approached, an angry roar accompanied by the surging Qi and Blood intimidated his opponent, raising his momentum and power to the peak. If the opponent was slightly weaker and unprepared, this series of attacks would expose a fatal flaw.
Even if the opponent was strong, he could still seize the initiative, winning in a narrow encounter by courage!
The feature of the Red Tiger Fist lies in the word 'fierce'.
The Demon Extermination Bureau deals with demons and ghosts for a long time, with a high mortality rate. A slight mistake leads to death, and often death comes without warning or reason; sudden death has almost become common.
To survive various sinister demon events, bravery and decisiveness, moving forward without hesitation, are the basic qualities of an experienced Demon Extermination Bureau envoy.
Each year, Li Xiaoguo would forcibly recruit from various Martial Arts Sects, and those who survive the baptism of sinister demons are always outstanding.
The fist technique Martial Path is ruthless, violent and brutal, without any procrastination. It is one of the basic elements to solve demons, and many Qi and Blood burst and Yang Qi amplification Martial Arts Secret Techniques often inflict damage to the body, holding great lethal power to both demons and humans.
Though the techniques for humans may seem coarse, it is undeniable that their power under the Qi and Blood explosion is immense.
The Red Tiger Fist is indeed a representative within the Demon Extermination Bureau.
Through countless sinister demon events, Cao Jingde completely embodied the 'fierceness' of the Red Tiger Fist, launching an attack with earth-shattering force, with ruthless and brutal killer moves.
Hoo!!
A large amount of air current cut through Cao Jingde's finger gaps, creating a distinctly audible airflow surge.
Cao Jingde, pouncing in front of Lu Ren, aimed his five fingers three inches behind Lu Ren's neck, to prevent his evasion and to adapt with changing moves.
This was a fierce fist technique capable of tearing a human body apart!
Yet Lu Ren did not move, nor did he have any intention of dodging, but instead, he assumed the stance of the Phoenix Falcon Fist.
Not dodging?!
Seeing Lu Ren's posture, a trace of surprise arose in Cao Jingde's heart. However, in the flash of lightning, he couldn't think deeply, just instinctively felt something was off.
Unfortunately, the Red Tiger Fist moves forward indomitably, and ferociously, with Qi and Blood gathered; there was no way to just stop. He could only grit his teeth and attack.
As his Steel Claw, bearing a fiery air wave, sliced through the air and fell—
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!!!
Countless fist shadows tore through the air instantly, accompanied by high-pitched, ear-piercing sounds like bird calls that completely shrouded his vision!
With the sharp bird call sound, within a second of contact, even Cao Jingde, who was amidst it, couldn't discern how many punches Lu Ren had thrown.
Report chapter CommentsChapter 65: Chapter 65: UnrestAt the moment of contact, Cao Jingde's defense had already collapsed, his arms like gates battered open, countless fist shadows intimately connecting with his body.
He was like a ragdoll, viciously thrown out, heavily crashing onto the ground.
Cao Jingde's body was even marked with numerous visible indentations of fist seals, taking a long while to gradually fade and smooth out, as he lay on the ground grimacing in pain, his face twisted, groaning continuously.
"Huff..."
Lu Ren exhaled deeply, as his body functions underwent intense motion in an instant, his blood surging, and his internal hormones rising rapidly in a stress response. Moisture appeared on his body, transforming into mist that swirled around him, forming vaguely as a divine bird with wings spread, following the technique of the Phoenix Falcon Fist.
"Ding, you used the Phoenix Falcon Fist, using Phoenix Beak to defeat the enemy, gaining some insight. Your proficiency in Phoenix Falcon Fist +30"
He slowly lowered his slender arms, the muscles on the back of his hand appearing streamlined, but the muscle lines were distinct, flexing with discernible explosive power.
Especially the remarkably thick bat muscles on his back, which displayed immense strength with every move.
After arriving in this Underworld, Lu Ren entered the Realm of the Living without a single moment of slack, continuing diligent practice every day.
Lu Ren vowed, he never imagined he could endure such hardship, primarily because of the Skill Proficiency System that appeared in his mind. Watching the proficiency bar increase bit by bit gave him a considerable sense of satisfaction.
This quantified presentation allowed Lu Ren to clearly perceive his various Skills and the immediate growth brought by continuous improvement in his physical capabilities.
It could be said he grew stronger with each battle!
And last night, his Phoenix Falcon Fist had already advanced to a Proficient level, remarkably boosting his physical attributes.
"Name: Lu Ren
Spirit: 11 (Proficiency 1072/3070)
Constitution: 12 (Proficiency 1762/3550)
Power: 13 (Proficiency 1430/4060)
Agility: 15 (Proficiency 87/5170)
Skills: Basic Swordsmanship (Proficient 675/15748), Phoenix Falcon Fist (Proficient 332/15748) Attribute bonus: [Rapid Attack, Penetration], Heartless Sword (Initial Glimpse 1717/3932), Basic Dagger Technique (Initial Glimpse 1/3932)
Free Attribute Points: 0
Skill Points: 0"
The Proficient-level Phoenix Falcon Fist had given Lu Ren increases of two points in Power, one point in Constitution, and three points in Agility, and in addition to the previous Rapid Attack attribute, added a Penetration attribute.
This is a deeper application of power techniques by the Phoenix Falcon Fist, concentrating force on a single point, penetrating muscular layers to attack the internal organs of the body.
This attack method is enough to render the defense of most muscle layers ineffective, truly as Li Ziqing said, regarded as a First-class Fist Technique within the martial art schools without any deviation.
Although the skill proficiency needed for advancement increased significantly, in reality, practicing the fist technique once increased proficiency by one point, so when spread out like this, it wasn't too difficult.
Even though the further along he went, the progress in proficiency seemed to become more difficult, often requiring several practices before it increased, at least he could see the progress moving forward.
Just afraid of practicing every day without knowing the progress, like chasing a woman, at least a computer has a progress bar, the woman's progress bar just keeps getting longer.
Cao Jingde, who had tossed and turned on the ground for a while finally struggled to get up, breathing hard, filled with disbelief.
"Why is your punch speed a notch faster than before?! Have you broken through?"
Lu Ren: "Just a bit of insight."
"How did you do it?"
"Nothing but sheer diligence."
"..."
Gazing at Lu Ren, Cao Jingde shook his head slightly, holding his sides, and turned to leave.
"Leaving."
"Farewell, not seeing you off."
Walking to the threshold, Cao Jingde hesitated for a moment, then turned his head saying, "Something big has happened in Chentai City recently, you should be more careful and try not to go out."
Lu Ren calmly said, "I won't go out."
"Indeed..."
Watching Cao Jingde's departing back, Lu Ren shook his head slightly without further thought. Cao Jingde bore no malicious intent toward him, but being an outsider, a guest without known status, inevitably brought no small trouble at times.
But at least during this time, he stayed at his residence, fortunately remaining free from any hassle.
"Nine days left..."
Three peaceful, uneventful days passed. During this period, the government in coordination with the Demon Extermination Bureau's activities intensified, even enacting curfews in recent days, prohibiting people from going out after sunset.
While typically lacking in energy, the city's inhabitants seemed accustomed, without much opposition.
The Demon Extermination Bureau continuously dispatched more personnel here, at least one batch of Blue-clothed Envoys followed by another.
The Demon Extermination Bureau was also constantly recruiting talented martial artists within Chentai City, offering generous commissions—money tempts people; but those skilled in gathering Qi and blood were the only ones admitted to the Bureau.
If Lu Ren had not confirmed he couldn't explosively accumulate Qi and blood, perhaps the Demon Extermination Bureau would have already sent someone to recruit him.
As for Cao Jingde, he hadn't come to spar with Lu Ren lately, presumably due to being overwhelmed by recent big operations.
The atmosphere in Chentai City was becoming increasingly heavy, this once-prosperous place turning desolate. Even the Nine-Eyed Square, which was bustling day and night, had fallen quiet temporarily.
Even Lu Ren could sense something strange in the air, a feeling he had only experienced in the Underworld.
The Yang Membrane was gradually and cyclically weakening, and things from the Underworld were infiltrating the Mortal World.
Nearby, Landlord Chen conveyed this information through special channels.
Lu Ren wasn't particularly surprised, merely suddenly recalling Zhang Yan and Chen Ling.
Wishing them to look out for themselves.
Until the third night before leaving, Lu Ren, having finished practicing the Heartless Sword and preparing to go back to rest, found himself stopping in his tracks.
He looked up at the four figures standing on his roof, speaking coolly, "Gentlemen, standing on someone else's roof isn't good for tile damage, right?"
The four on the roof were all dressed in the attire of the Demon Extermination Bureau—one in cyan, three in blue.
The Cyan-Robed Envoy was tall, stocky, with prominent muscles all over, appearing handsome except for slightly narrow eyes that added a trace of fierce coldness.
It's not without reason that appearance reflects the mind.
The newcomers bore ill intentions.
The Cyan-Robed Envoy scrutinized Lu Ren, clothed in tight black attire with dual swords at his waist, condescension apparent as he spoke, "Are you Lu Ren?"
Lu Ren raised an eyebrow, "What do you want?"
The Cyan-Robed Envoy said, "I am Chen Ji, Cyan-Robed Envoy of the Demon Extermination Bureau, by order of the Governor of Chentai City. As battles approach, those of unknown origin need regulation. Come with us."
"Regulation, to where?" Lu Ren inquired.
In response, he wasn't too surprised; thinking in the governor's position, he'd also be scrutinizing people of unknown origins, especially those like Lu Ren, with high martial prowess, when facing impending battles.
One of the Blue-clothed Envoys sneered, "Where would someone of unknown origin like you expect to be pampered with good food and drink? Stay in prison!"
Report chapter Comments
Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Don't Be ShamelessThey were outright unfriendly, even exuding undisguised malice. The other party might have deliberately come to make trouble.
Is it because of Cao Jingde?
It is unlikely that Cao Jingde would send people over, then it must be his rival doing this.
Factional strife?
I've really been caught in a disaster not of my making.
Lu Ren's left hand instinctively rested on the sword hilt, his eyes slightly narrowed: "Please show the Governor's written instruction."
"Hmph!" A Blue-clothed Envoy snorted coldly, "Does the Demon Extermination Bureau need to show a warrant to someone like you? Do you think you're someone important?"
As he spoke, he jumped down from the roof, removed a pair of handcuffs hanging from his waist full of malice in his eyes, "Kid, put them on."
The other three also leaped down, faintly surrounding Lu Ren.
Lu Ren calmly looked at the handcuffs held out in front of him, "What if I don't put them on?"
"Don't wear them?"
A faint surge of qi and blood could be felt among the other three, and the Cyan-Robed Envoy, Chen Ji, coldly said first, "If anyone resists the law or disobeys an order from the Demon Extermination Bureau, execute them!"
As soon as his words fell, a flash of sword light turned into a bloom under the moonlight for a brief moment before disappearing.
Clang!
Accompanying the sound of the sword was a head flying high, the Blue-clothed Envoy in front of Lu Ren was decapitated in a single stroke.
"How daring!!"
On one side, Chen Ji witnessed this scene and his eyes truly widened with rage, he roared angrily, drew out the steel saber from his waist, surged his qi and blood, and slashed at Lu Ren with immense force as if trying to split Hua Mountain.
The steel saber tore through the air, raising a dull knife wind.
Meanwhile, two long knives fell from behind Lu Ren.
Lu Ren's expression didn't change a bit, nor did he turn around, he casually twisted the Longquan Sword with his left hand and slashed it behind him in a reverse grip, while with his right hand he swiftly pulled out the Yan Form with the support of the Heartless Sword.
Draw the sword!
The Heartless Sword, using highly focused spirit, mobilized the body, allowing oneself to achieve the fastest draw!
Clang clang clang!!
Three metallic collisions exploded simultaneously, a spray of sparks burst forth, aided by the sharp sword in his hand, all three steel blades snapped in response.
Left block, right strike, with Basic Swordsmanship proficiently handling the two-handed sword in Lu Ren's hands, there was no sense of hesitation or awkwardness as might be caused by being left-handed or right-handed.
Not only that, the heavy Yan Form gripped in Lu Ren's right hand didn't stop after cutting off Chen Ji's steel saber, it swept across towards Chen Jin's chest like cutting through iron as if it were mud.
Chen Ji's expression dramatically changed, he instantly relinquished his steel saber, retreating rapidly.
Seeing this, Lu Ren also pursued intently; behind him, two relentless Blue-clothed Envoys staggered due to the broken blades.
He made a wrong step, twisted the heavy Yan Form in his right hand in a sweeping arc, the two Blue-clothed Envoys who were blocked by the Longquan sword provided Lu Ren with time to counterattack.
One-on-one combat and one-on-multiple combat are completely different concepts, it's manageable if there's enough space to move, but in a confined area, the speed of execution, reaction awareness, combat consciousness, and physical fitness are extremely important.
Not to mention the timing, geography, and human harmony!
If any detail is slightly off, the one who dies could be him.
The Yan Form, weighing over sixty pounds in total, is not yet as flexible as the Longquan in his left hand given his current strength attribute, but the heavy sword has its own usage. Especially with the heavy sword in Lu Ren's hand, capable of cutting through iron as if it were mud, the sixty pounds of sword, accompanied by nearly five hundred pounds of pure force when slashed down, plus the amplitude brought by drawing sword techniques, the terrifying kinetic energy formed by these combined is enough to split a huge rock!
Whoosh whoosh!
The two Blue-clothed Envoys behind Lu Ren couldn't even make a move, their steel blades were severed, being unsteady on their feet, yet Lu Ren's attack had arrived.
Splat! Splat!
The sound of blades slicing through flesh was heard, the two Blue-clothed Envoys were directly sliced at the waist, the wounds were smooth, and the Yan Form's blade didn't carry a trace of blood, still shining as good as new.
Bending his waist and steadying his hips, Lu Ren's whole body muscles slowly relaxed at this moment. His heart beat violently like a pump, continuously pushing blood through his system, the beating could almost be heard by outsiders, standing upright, he coldly looked at Chen Ji whose expression had greatly changed.
His face was calm, displaying not the slightest ferocity emotions following the killing.
Chen Ji's expression was indecisive, his heart was shocked beyond measure, he thought capturing Lu Ren was a simple matter, yet the opponent suddenly rose up to kill, disregarding their identity as the Demon Extermination Bureau, and what was even more surprising was the opponent's formidable combat power.
He might be at Black-clothed Envoy level, although unable to gather qi and blood, the opponent's physical quality was hardly weak, and the power unleashed in those few seconds of combat was quite astonishing.
It even made him tremble slightly.
Chen Ji shouted: "Killing the men of the Demon Extermination Bureau, do you dare to oppose us?!"
Lu Ren maintained a flat demeanor, "You should be acting on your own, right? In that case, killing you would mean the Bureau just presumes you died."
Chen Ji's face turned grim: "How do you know this isn't an operation authorized by the Bureau?"
The opponent's strength was beyond his imagination, one-on-one, he couldn't even call out a sound, he would be handled by Lu Ren in just a few moves.
Life-and-death combat isn't like the storytelling in teahouses with grand battles spanning hundreds of rounds. Unless power levels are extremely close, most are over within a minute.
Both sides aim for vital spots, regardless of gender, irrespective of age, one lives, the other dies!
The timing, geography, and human harmony, these three factors all influence the battle outcome. Slackness may lead to external factors causing a weaker force to counter-attack the stronger one.
Such cases are countless, not only in the real world but in this Otherworld too.
So Chen Ji was gambling, betting the other would retreat upon hearing the name of the Demon Extermination Bureau.
He softened his tone: "I can keep these matters secret if you later join the Bureau as an Outer Executor."
Outer Executor, to put it simply, are temporary hires who take the fall first if the Bureau makes any mistake.
Lu Ren said with interest, "You're pretty proficient with the carrot and stick technique."
At this point, Lu Ren paused for a moment.
Seeing Lu Ren's demeanor relax, Chen Ji slightly eased his mind, understanding that the other party had come to a conclusion internally.
Once he was brought into the Bureau and made an Outer Executor, if I don't find ways to kill you, I won't be surnamed Chen!
Just as he was about to speak, his pupils shrank suddenly; his sight was overwhelmed by a sheet of white sword light, followed by darkness, knowing nothing more.
Damn cunning!
Isn't it a bit shameless to do such things!!!
As his consciousness faded, only this thought flashed through Chen Ji's mind.
"Ding, you killed the enemy with the longsword, your Basic Swordsmanship skill level +30"
"Ding, you killed the enemy with the longsword, your..."
Lu Ren gradually sheathed his sword with composure restored, a few system notification sounds continuously popped in his mind, which he ignored. The strength of these people was truly insufficient, the skill level gained was too low.