8: Chapter 8 Profound Rank Martial Arts

The Secret Manual was only a few pages long, containing no specific Moves, only five Qi Circulation diagrams.

By circulating Qi according to the paths recorded within and swinging the blade simultaneously, one could significantly increase the speed of their blade, eventually breaking the sound barrier.

In essence, it was not a blade technique, but an internal Cultivation Technique.

But as long as it wore the skin of a blade technique, the [Weapon Master] would come running at the scent like Mixue Bingcheng pestering Luckin Coffee, exerting its effect.

Lin Yuan only tried three times before mastering the first Qi Circulation diagram, increasing his blade speed by thirty percent.

With a single slash, it was like a silver moon shining, a great river flowing backward; one felt as if, between heaven and earth, everything had become blade light, with nowhere to hide.

After ten attempts, the second Qi Circulation diagram was mastered with ease.

Lin Yuan's blade speed increased again, reaching a terrifying Realm; in the blink of an eye, he delivered three consecutive strikes, each one fatal.

At this moment, let alone tangible objects, even flowing streams and howling winds could be severed with a single strike.

It was indeed worthy of being a Profound Rank Martial Skill.

Lin Yuan pressed on, Cultivating with high intensity from morning till night, and from night till morning, without distinguishing between day and night.

Three days later, the morning sunlight shone through the window onto his face, as if coating it in a layer of golden radiance.

Lin Yuan closed his eyes, feeling the rare warmth of winter, yet his heart remained without a ripple.

At this moment, he was completely exhausted, his True Qi and stamina reaching their limit, just a trigger away from collapsing to the ground.

Yet, a mysterious and profound feeling lingered in his heart, and in one particular moment, he realized it.

He drew his blade and slashed.

His remaining True Qi circulated at high speed, connecting his upper and lower body in the instant of the strike, flowing along the fifth Qi Circulation route and emitting a low hum.

This strike transcended sound; around the blade, visible transparent ripples erupted. The air seemed to turn into flowing water, recreating the great feat of Moses parting the sea amidst the violent slash. The separated airflow blasted in all directions, as if a Claymore mine had been thrown into the small space, destroying everything.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Tiny gravel turned into deadly bullets, bombarding the walls and embedding themselves deep within.

The Puppet that could withstand sword slashes and blade cuts seemed as if placed in the center of a hurricane, covered in streaks of blade marks.

The power of a single strike was truly terrifying!

"Yes! I did it!"

Lin Yuan laughed three times, then collapsed to the ground with a thud.

When he woke up again, it was already dusk.

Several hours of deep sleep allowed his body to recover to its optimal state.

Lin Yuan was pleasantly surprised to discover that his Cultivation had made another Breakthrough, reaching the ninth layer of Qi Refining.

He was only one step away from the tenth layer Great Perfection, and crossing this step would not be difficult.

Troubles followed; his combat power had reached an upper limit.

An increase in Cultivation would not improve his combat power much, at best increasing his endurance.

Learning new Martial Skills was not realistic either; the power of the Soundless Blade was already fierce enough. What limited him was his basic Cultivation Technique and the strength of his Physical Body.

These could not be improved quickly in a short time, unless he obtained another Cultivation entry.

Lin Yuan quickly thought of the Heroes Ranking in the Jianghu.

"I wonder, between me and the last place of the Heroes Ranking, who is stronger?"

...

Coming out of seclusion and returning to his small courtyard, Lin Yuan found a letter stuffed in the doorway.

Opening it, he saw it was an invitation.

"Martial Dao Tea Party?"

Lin Yuan's brows furrowed slightly, then immediately relaxed.

The person who signed the invitation was named Wang Yunshan. This person was quite famous in the Outer Sect of the Liuyun Sect and was a Genius Disciple from the previous generation.

Everyone said he had the aptitude for the Inner Sect, and he was indeed formidable. Once the Hidden Dragon Ranking was released, he had remained on it, defeating many Disciples of the previous generation.

Unfortunately, luck was not on his side. On the day the ranking was finalized, he encountered an expert returning from his travels and was defeated, otherwise, with his talent and strength, he would certainly have been able to enter the Inner Sect.

Inviting Lin Yuan to the tea party this time, it seemed likely he intended to test his strength.

The visitor is not friendly, huh.

No, I am the one visiting.

Lin Yuan shook his head and did not take this matter to heart.

He was just a loser from two years ago; before his two Perfection-level Martial Skills, he could not stir up any trouble.

Time flowed like water, and three days passed in a flash.

Lin Yuan purchased proper Medicinal Pills through previous channels and kept taking them to Cultivate. His Cultivation improved steadily, and in another ten to fifteen days, he would be able to successfully Breakthrough to the tenth layer of Qi Refining, reaching the Realm he had briefly glimpsed before through the power of Medicinal Pills.

But this was useless.

The Innate flaw of the Qi Cultivation Art limited his upper limit.

The current Lin Yuan was no longer a novice in the Martial Dao; having gone through Sect education, he had a clear understanding of the Martial Dao.

At the beginning of Cultivation, Cultivation Techniques were extremely important to a Martial Artist. High-Rank Cultivation Techniques could refine pure True Qi, bringing stronger amplification.

For example, if a pair of twins Cultivated different grades of Cultivation Techniques, without using any skills, the one Cultivating the higher-grade one would have basic attributes such as strength, speed, recovery, and perception far stronger than the other.

Not to mention the special abilities brought by different types of True Qi.

Some True Qi could easily be converted into flame power, some True Qi could amplify the spirit to influence physical reality, and there were even legendary Heaven-Grade Cultivation Techniques that could use True Qi to distort space-time and manipulate creation.

Compared to them, the True Qi of the Qi Cultivation Art was like a primitive man, and a crippled one at that!

Furthermore, switching Cultivation Techniques was also very difficult.

Except for homologous or advanced Cultivation Techniques, a Martial Artist needed to first disperse their Cultivation before they could start over, a process that would take years or even over a decade.

Especially when dispersing Cultivation; as the saying goes, it is easy to climb the mountain but hard to get down. One careless mistake, and missing arms or legs was a common occurrence!

The most famous Martial Artist in history to have an accident due to dispersing Cultivation was the one known as the "Innate Transformation" Xifang Bubai; he was a man before dispersing his Cultivation, and after, he became a woman...

This was also the reason why everyone believed Lin Yuan after he revealed his Cultivation Technique.

Of course, the problem with the Qi Cultivation Art was not unsolvable; there were three common solutions.

First, find a homologous high-Rank Cultivation Technique to switch to; this required luck, and the Outer Sect of the Liuyun Sect had no such Cultivation Technique.

Second, Breakthrough to the True Aperture Realm and switch to a True Aperture Realm Cultivation Technique. Although Qi Refining and True Aperture were successive Ranks, their Cultivation methods were completely different and would not conflict. However, compared to other True Aperture experts, Lin Yuan would have an Innate deficiency.

Third, that is—

"With my supreme talent and world-shaking intelligence, I will create a supreme method derived from the Qi Cultivation Art!"

This was not impossible.

Don't you think so, Old System!

The System did not speak, but Lin Yuan was certain that it had received his domineering thought.

Next time, I beg you, you must refresh an internal Cultivation-related entry!

Time flew by, and another twelve days passed.

Lin Yuan naturally broke through to the tenth layer of Qi Refining, and in his walking, sitting, and lying down, he unconsciously exuded a sharp aura.

Although the True Qi refined by this Qi Cultivation Art was not pure, the amount was damn small, and it was also incredibly difficult to control.

But regardless, he had become a genuine Peak Qi Refining Martial Artist.

Supplemented with two Perfection-level Martial Skills, he was confident that he was invincible in this Realm.

(Parentheses: except for those with special Physiques, practitioners of Cultivation Techniques above Profound Rank, masters of higher-Rank Martial Skills, kings of a hundred battles, and item-abusing dogs, parentheses.)