4: Chapter 4 The Lord of War

Upon hearing this, the crowd gasped.

Hiss—it really seemed to be the case!

"So that's it. I was wondering how it was possible for someone to reach the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining Realm in just one month!"

"Exactly, exactly. Such a person would only appear on the mountain, not here."

"He really thought it through, giving up the qualification to enter the Inner Sect directly."

Some also raised doubts.

"I feel something is off. Can practicing the lowest-ranked Cultivation Technique really allow one to reach Perfection in the Qi Refining Realm in one month? That is simply too unbelievable."

However, this doubt was quickly drowned out by the crowd's disdain.

"Of course it can. Haven't you read the content of the Cultivation Technique? Its cultivation difficulty is only one percent of ordinary techniques, and the progress is extremely fast!"

"If I were to practice that Cultivation Technique, I would be faster than him, believe it or not. I wouldn't even need a month; I could reach Perfection in twenty days."

"That's right. What difficulty is there in the Qi Cultivation Art? You could find any old person in the village at the foot of the mountain who could practice it. This isn't a martial art at all; it's a health regimen!"

Although they hadn't practiced it, everyone felt that if Lin Yuan could do it, then they certainly could too.

This was a kind of confidence.

Only Gate Master Tie Kongshan seemed to have discovered something, his gaze toward Lin Yuan filled with deep meaning.

But he said nothing.

The assessment concluded smoothly, and Lin Yuan won first place with his cultivation at the tenth level of the Qi Refining Realm without any controversy.

He received a ranked Qingyuan Pill, one opportunity to enter the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion, and one Yellow Rank Low Grade weapon.

The rewards were certainly generous, but compared to the other reward, they were not worth mentioning.

[Obtained first place in the first monthly examination of the Qingyun Mountain Outer Sect, and with a huge gap from the second place, the life stealer system has been activated! Extracting entry, extracting... Extraction complete, obtained entry "Weapon Master Lv.2"]

[Weapon Master Lv.2: Master of weapons, accelerates the cultivation speed of weapon-based martial arts.]

Although it wasn't the True Qi cultivation entry that Lin Yuan desperately needed, being able to amplify the cultivation of Martial Skills was not bad either.

In the Qi Refining Realm, True Qi cultivation is not the only factor that determines combat power; Martial Skills are equally important, and to some extent, their importance is even higher than that of True Qi.

After all, the numerical gap between Qi Refining Martial Artists has not yet reached a point that cannot be made up for by technique.

Examples of those in the initial stages of the Qi Refining Realm defeating those at the Peak are everywhere. For example, there was once a Martial Artist at the fourth level of the Qi Refining Realm who defeated a Martial Artist at the ninth level.

Wait, the Martial Artist at the ninth level of the Qi Refining Realm was practicing the "Qi Cultivation Art"?

Never mind then.

After the monthly examination, the next assessment was the year-end Hidden Dragon Pass.

New Disciples and those from previous years who failed to ascend to the Inner Sect would compete for qualifications for the Hidden Dragon Ranking. If one could consistently top the ranking for half a year, or remain on the ranking on the closing day two years later, they could ascend Qingyun Mountain and become an Inner Sect Disciple.

Only the Inner Sect Disciples are the true Disciples of the Liuyun Sect. The Outer Sect sounds nice, but to put it bluntly, it's just a bunch of outsiders coming to my Liuyun Sect to beg for food!

"First, I must increase my combat power, then set a small goal, for example, taking first place on the Hidden Dragon Ranking!"

The corner of Lin Yuan's mouth curled up as he planned his cultivation schedule for the next few months.

The next day, he collected a battle saber from the warehouse and came to the Outer Sect cultivation room.

The saber was a ring-pommel saber; the blade was slender, and the edge was forged from black gold, capable of cutting iron like mud.

Lin Yuan swung it through the air a few times, feeling good, and began to officially practice the Blood Blade Technique.

For a ranked Martial Skill, the external movements are only the appearance; the core is actually the True Qi circulation diagram.

Lin Yuan's cultivation level was affected by the Medicinal Pill, falling back to the seventh level of the Qi Refining Realm, but it was more than enough to practice the saber technique.

He began to swing the saber.

After one round, he felt he had gained something.

After two rounds, a flash of inspiration struck.

After three rounds, his talent emerged at a speed visible to the naked eye!

It's here, my supreme enlightenment!

Lin Yuan's saber technique improved at an extremely fast speed, instantly transforming from a layman who knew nothing into a Great Master of saber technique, while also bringing the Blood Blade Technique to the Half-Step Proficiency Great Perfection realm!

Skill levels are measured by proficiency, from low to high: Entry, Skilled, Proficient, Major Achievement, and Perfection!

The level of Half-Step Proficient Great Perfection was enough to unleash the full power of the saber technique in actual combat.

But this was far from enough. To defeat the strong with the weak, a Martial Skill must at least reach the Major Achievement realm.

Therefore—

"Weapon Master, let me see your limits!"

Lin Yuan continued to practice until the Blood Blade Technique broke through to the Proficient realm.

One afternoon, from Entry to Proficient.

It would absolutely terrify people if said out loud, but Lin Yuan was still dissatisfied because after the saber technique reached this realm, no matter how he practiced, there was no progress.

It was as if he had entered a Bottleneck.

Looking back at the Secret Manual, Lin Yuan slapped his forehead.

"I had forgotten."

Blood Blade, Blood Blade; the name is right there, so it must require seeing blood.

Without the baptism of blood and killing, how could it reach Perfection?

Realizing this, Lin Yuan turned his gaze toward the path he had come from.

The Yue Kingdom is located in the Southern Wasteland region of the Xuanhuang World, a country carved out of countless dense forests, so naturally, there is no shortage of primeval forests.

Countless terrifying Yao Beasts live inside, so he didn't have to worry about not having strong enemies.

Of course, if they were too strong, it would be easy to die suddenly, so a beginner always needs to play it safe.

As it happened, Lin Yuan knew of such a place.

...

Edge of the Mist Forest.

Lin Yuan stood on a giant rock and looked out, seeing rolling green mountains and surging forests.

Ancient trees that would take dozens of people to embrace were everywhere, their crowns held high, blocking the sky.

A gust of wind blew, startling a few birds, mixed with the loud cries of beasts, adding to the fierce and ominous atmosphere.

If placed on the Earth of his previous life, this would undoubtedly be a forbidden zone for humans; even the most primitive forests could not compare to it.

But in the Xuanhuang World, this was merely a beginner area, already thoroughly explored by human Martial Artists.

"Let's begin!"

Lin Yuan took a deep breath, jumped off the giant rock, and rushed toward the forest.

Some herbivores lived on the outskirts of the Mist Forest, and occasionally predators would appear, nothing special.

Once in the core area, traces of Yao Beasts gradually began to appear.

Roar!

Not long after, Lin Yuan encountered the first Yao Beast.

It was bear-like, pitch black, and could stand over three meters tall.

He recognized the species of the Yao Beast in front of him at a glance.

"Hidden Black Bear."

A Level 1 Yao Beast, equivalent to a human Martial Artist in the Qi Refining Realm, possessing the abilities of precise movements and bold strength!

In the wild, the most terrifying thing is encountering this kind of Yao Beast that is all about stats; you can't beat it, you can't escape, you can only wait for death.

A month ago, Lin Yuan had encountered this kind of Yao Beast on his way to the Liuyun Sect and was chased for ten kilometers by it.

Now, meeting an enemy, he was particularly filled with hatred.

"Thirty days on the east side of the river, thirty days on the west side of the river; do not bully a young man for being poor!"

Lin Yuan sneered, drew his long saber, and charged toward the Hidden Black Bear.

At the same time, he silently recited the Blood Blade Technique in his heart, his True Qi circulated along a specific route, and his entire Aura suddenly changed, becoming sharp and fierce.

Oof!

The Hidden Black Bear's attack movement faltered, and it subconsciously adopted a defensive stance, blocking its heavy hands in front of itself.

But it was useless.

Swish!

A snow-white saber light lit up, bringing with it a splash of bright red blood.

Lin Yuan's figure appeared behind the Hidden Black Bear, blood dripping from the clean white blade.

"You are already dead."

Sheathing his saber, Lin Yuan walked away without looking back.

Three seconds after he left, a slanted cross-section appeared on the Hidden Black Bear's body, sliding slowly downward under gravity.

Plop.

Its upper body fell to the ground, leaving only the body with half a spine exposed, standing in the depths of the dense forest.