17: Chapter 17: A Few Words Reveal the Secret of the Sky-Piercing Sword, A Secret Scheme is Laying Out to Conquer the World.

They could not imagine how a person could possibly start cultivating immediately after hearing the formula just once, and even seem to have achieved something!

Under the Ten-Thousand-Fold Increase of the heaven-swallowing system...

Lu Chen ran one cycle of the Cultivation Technique, and in less than ten minutes, he had mastered the first level.

An hour later, while they were still in a state of shock...

Lu Chen received another System prompt:

"Ding! The host has obtained the Ten-Thousand-Fold Increase effect! Successfully cultivated the Hunyuan Skill to the fourth level!"

"Ding! Physical body strengthened; single-arm strength increased by 400 jin!"

"Ding! Internal Energy greatly increased; added another ten years of Hunyuan Skill Internal Energy!"

The System's prompt rang in Lu Chen's mind as he felt his body strengthen and his power increase.

He could feel a powerful Internal Energy within his body, its quality no less than that of the Pure Yang Boundless Art.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the shocked expressions of the three people before him, his heart filled with pride.

The way Yin Susu looked at Lu Chen now was with stars in her eyes—a spontaneous admiration, as if worshipping a celestial being.

She had long since thrown the matter of being forcibly taken to the back of her mind. After all, people naturally admire the strong, and Lu Chen's power had completely conquered her.

At this moment, she had already forgotten her hatred for Lu Chen; she saw only his strength and only wanted to submit at his feet.

She felt that the gap between her and Lu Chen was too vast; Lu Chen was like the sun in the sky, while she was merely a speck of dust on the ground.

She could only look up at Lu Chen, longing to receive his favor.

The thought in her heart was actually a desire to follow behind Lu Chen forever, to be the servant by his side!

Ignoring the surprise of the three, Lu Chen looked at Xie Xun and said calmly, "Hero Xie, this Hunyuan Skill is simple to start, but it is incredibly miraculous if practiced long-term. Your Master, Cheng Kun, only practiced it to the ninth level, didn't he?"

Hearing Lu Chen's words, Xie Xun's body trembled slightly. His eyes were full of shock; he hadn't expected Lu Chen to even know the extent of Cheng Kun's Hunyuan Skill cultivation, which made him even more wary of Lu Chen.

"Exactly so," Xie Xun said, looking at Lu Chen with a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"Trying to reach the tenth level is as difficult as climbing to heaven. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone to learn the Seven Injury Fist, hoping to impersonate the Thunderbolt Palm to launch a sneak attack on Cheng Kun during a fight. For the sake of revenge, I can no longer care about anything else."

"Hero Xie, tell me the techniques for the Thunderbolt Palm and the Lions Roar as well," Lu Chen said calmly, as if discussing a trivial matter. He had already seen through everything about Xie Xun.

By now, the combined power of the Pure Yang Boundless Art and the Hunyuan Skill within Lu Chen's body had long surpassed Xie Xun's.

Xie Xun had about ninety years of Internal Energy cultivation, which already made him a top-tier expert in the Jianghu.

Within the Ming Cult, his potential was far beyond that of the other Great Guardian Kings.

"No wonder Yang Dingtian left a will wanting Xie Xun to take over as the Leader of the Ming Cult," Lu Chen thought to himself.

Xie Xun's talent and strength were indeed extremely rare!

Next, Xie Xun recited and demonstrated the techniques for both the Lions Roar and the Thunderbolt Palm.

With the System's assistance, Lu Chen naturally understood them instantly. He listened to Xie Xun's recitation while silently recording it in his heart; the heaven-swallowing system clearly recorded every word and movement Xie Xun made.

Especially the Lions Roar, which was a pure application of Internal Energy, while the Thunderbolt Palm directly utilized the Hunyuan Skill, coordinating Internal Energy and physical strength to exert maximum power.

Once Xie Xun finished his demonstration, Lu Chen began to practice the Thunderbolt Palm. He channeled his Internal Energy into his palms and then struck out fiercely. His palms seemed to carry a powerful force, and the air vibrated from the wind of his palms, producing bursts of sonic booms!

After performing it once, under the Ten-Thousand-Fold Increase, he was already as proficient as a veteran who had practiced for many years.

Every wave of his hands brought forth gusts of powerful wind. When he struck, the sound of wind and thunder erupted; his palms were like thunderbolts—fierce, powerful, and overbearing.

Immediately after, Lu Chen wanted to test the Lions Roar.

He looked at the three people before him and said calmly, "I'm going to try the Lions Roar. You all have experience, so there's no need for me to say more."

His words were full of confidence, as if he had already mastered the essence of this martial art and didn't even need any preparation.

Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu's expressions changed when they heard Lu Chen's words.

They knew how powerful the Lions Roar was; they had personally experienced Xie Xun's Lions Roar and knew the terror of this martial art.

They didn't dare be negligent and immediately tore off pieces of their clothing to plug their ears tightly, then used their hands to press firmly against them, fearing they would be injured by the sound waves of the Lions Roar.

Even Xie Xun plugged his ear canals...

Lu Chen took a deep breath and circulated his Internal Energy to the limit.

He opened his mouth and let out a long roar!

"Roar!"

His voice, like the roar of a wild beast, erupted instantly. A powerful sound wave spread out in all directions with Lu Chen as the center!

Under the vibration of the sound waves, the surrounding trees began to shake violently, and leaves fell like rain!

Its power was not at all inferior to Xie Xun's roar during the battle at Wangpan Mountain!

Many nearby wild beasts suffered in this massive roar; they were stunned by the powerful sound waves and fell to the ground one after another, bleeding from their seven orifices—a wretched sight!

This actually saved them the trouble of hunting; with the Lions Roar, they wouldn't have to do it themselves anymore!

"This... how is this possible?!" Xie Xun was even more shocked. He hadn't expected Lu Chen to be so formidable that he could Cultivate the Lions Roar to such a level just by hearing the formula once!

Today, Lu Chen had shattered their worldviews again and again, showing everyone what a true Prodigy was.

Once Lu Chen had fully learned all of Xie Xun's martial arts, he walked up to Xie Xun, leaned in, and whispered in his ear.

"Cheng Kun is currently hiding in the Shaolin Temple as a monk; Cheng Kun is Shaolin's Yuan Zhen! What a pity for Divine Monk Kongjian!"

Hearing this, Xie Xun's body trembled violently. Although he was blind, his eyes turned blood-red, his eyes nearly splitting with rage. He gripped the hilt of the dragon slaying saber, making a series of creaking sounds.

It was as if Lu Chen's words had triggered his most painful memories. He murmured softly, "Cheng Kun... Yuan Zhen... Cheng Kun... Yuan Zhen!"

His voice was filled with hatred and killing intent, as if he had transformed into a vengeful demon. He wished he could find Cheng Kun immediately to tear him into a thousand pieces and scatter his ashes!

"Hero Xie," Lu Chen said calmly, looking at Xie Xun. "I know this dragon slaying saber is what you rely on. If you trust me, lend the dragon slaying saber to Hero Zhang the Fifth. With this precious saber, cutting wood to build a boat will yield twice the result with half the effort."

On the surface, Lu Chen's words were a request to borrow the saber, but in reality, they were a test to see if Xie Xun truly trusted him.

Xie Xun's body shook once more, but he knew that if Lu Chen wanted to kill him and take the treasure, it would not be difficult at all.

"Sect Master Lu is truly a Divine Being from heaven," Xie Xun said with a hint of helplessness. "To practice the Hunyuan Skill to the fourth level in just one hour is unheard of! Since you have spoken, what harm is there in lending this precious saber to Hero Zhang the Fifth?"

After speaking, Xie Xun burst into loud laughter, which was full of magnanimity.

"Hero Xie, with such insight, when you seek revenge in the future—considering that Shaolin is a dragon's pool and a tiger's den—I can naturally lend you a hand," Lu Chen said calmly.

Lu Chen said this, but in his heart, he thought, "Now that I've handled you, Xie Xun, the position of Leader of the Ming Cult is a big step closer to me..."