Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Lu Qinghe's sword practice continued as usual, without any delay due to anyone's gaze.
This scene, seen by Muyan, made her slightly change her attitude towards Lu Qinghe.
Due to Caiyun leading a team of Snow Eagle Swordsmen to leave the Wuxian Sect and go hunting in the Xiantian Mountains, the courtyard was much quieter.
In addition, with Lu Qinghe's presence, at this moment, only Lu Qinghe and Muyan were on the martial arts arena.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
Starry light shimmered on the Moonchill Sword.
In an instant, the Thirteen Flowing Swords transformed into thirteen sword shadows with incredible speed, striking out.
"Just a little bit more."
After a moment, Lu Qinghe sheathed his sword, his spirit concentrating.
The fusion of the Meteor Stabbing Moon Sword Technique and the Thirteen Flowing Light Swords has reached a crucial moment. Relying on the enhancement of the Meteor Realm, Lu Qinghe's Thirteen Flowing Light Swords have already transcended the category of the original top-grade sword art. At a semi-completed understanding, the explosive killing power is approaching ten percent.
"The Meteor Stabbing Moon Sword Technique is, after all, not the same as the Thirteen Flowing Light Swords. There is ultimately a distinction between the two. Either the Meteor Stabbing Moon Sword Technique comprehends the Intricate Moon Profound Art, or my swordsmanship realm can make a breakthrough, advancing into the unity of man and sword."
After all, up to this day, Lu Qinghe's Meteor Stabbing Moon Sword Technique has not reached its peak.
"It has been sixteen days already. It's time to attempt a breakthrough to the Fourth Layer of Refining True Qi. When reaching the Fourth Layer of Refining True Qi, the true qi can barely keep up with the consumption of the Flowing Light Thirteen Swords, unleashing the full power of the Flowing Light Thirteen Swords with ease. Perhaps, it may even give rise to small killer moves."
At the initial stage of swordsmanship, it is only equivalent to the foundation. Only when it reaches a level of proficiency can it fully exert the corresponding level of cultivation. The standards of controlling the stages above are not about exerting the power of swordsmanship, but whether the killer moves in the swordsmanship are comprehended.
Once the swordsmanship is perfected, and the sword art is fully mastered, due to the characteristics of one's own true qi, the ultimate killer move of the sword art can be bred.
Some sword arts have mediocre power, or are barely equivalent to the inferior sword arts. However, due to the power of the killer moves and ultimate killer moves, they can take a leap to become superior sword arts.
Such is the case with the Split Light and Shadow Sword Technique.
The Split Light and Shadow Sword Technique can only be considered as a medium-rank quality, but the power of the killer moves surpasses those of ordinary superior sword arts. Especially the derivative ultimate killer moves transcend the category of superior sword arts. This is also the reason why its value exceeds that of the Flowing Light Thirteen Swords.
Since the comprehension of the swordsmanship killer moves is not absolute, some exceptionally talented individuals have already derived killer moves when their swordsmanship has reached intermediate proficiency. However, due to restrictions of their cultivation level, the level of understanding of the swordsmanship, and other reasons, these killer moves have lower power than genuine killer moves, but they still have remarkable effects, known as small killer moves.
Lu Qinghe's mind paused on the Flowing Light Thirteen Swords for a moment. Then, he sheathed his sword and walked away from the martial arts field.
"I thought you could persist in sword practice every day, without fail, without expecting that in just three days, you would already be unable to continue... Hmph!"
Seeing that Lu Qinghe had unexpectedly ended his practice early, Mu Yan's expression turned cold.
Lu Qinghe glanced at Mu Yan, ignoring her words, and pointed at the sword technique she was practicing. "Your sword technique, named Soul-stealing Snowfall, emphasizes agility and tranquility. A sword is used only when necessary, and when used, it is deadly. Snow falls silently, and one sword can seize the soul... Your method of practice is wrong."
"A cultivator at the Third Layer of Refining True Qi dares to give advice on my sword technique? Young Master Lu has extraordinary insight."
Mu Yan sneered.
Thinking about the slight hope she had for Lu Qinghe before, she had thought that he might have poor talent but still had a good perseverance, and she wanted to give him some guidance after she mastered this sword technique. But now...
Forget it.
"Cultivation level does not represent anything."
Lu Qinghe shook his head and didn't want to embarrass himself.
He left the martial arts field and went straight to his room.
"I really can't believe the difference between the two siblings is so great. Miss's talent and cognition are all exceptional. While he, Lu Qinghe, lacks talent and cognition, he has only been practicing intermittently for three days..."
Thinking about this, her resentment towards Lu Qinghe grew even stronger.
If Lu Qinghe were not Lu Qingyun's elder brother, she would have shouted and scolded him long ago.
Once back in his room, Lu Qinghe slowly moved the blood and qi within his body.
The cultivation he had carried out for the past sixteen days had restored the blood and qi he had consumed during the previous practice and even left a surplus. After all, the Wuxian Sect was different from Qingyuan City. Many outer disciples and inner disciples go out for training and practicing, and they often kill high-level savage beasts. Lu Qinghe relied on his own savings of hundreds of gold to ingest the blood and flesh of savage beasts and then refine it with the Tianxin Hetang medicine. Thus, whether in essence, energy, or spirit, it had all reached the peak.
Therefore, he had no mental burden to break through to the Fourth Layer of Refining True Qi.
Lu Qinghe stood in a special manner, and the Rebirth Body Thunder Sound Technique resonated within his body.
For a moment, the blood and true qi in his body boiled and surged at the same time.
"Conception Vessel and Governor Vessel."
Lu Qinghe's essence, energy, and spirit resonated together, and his true qi surged, assaulting the Conception Vessel...
"Bang!"
Easily done.
It was a success!
A barrier that was enough to stop ninety percent of cultivators from advancing had been easily broken through by him. The true qi, while being transferred, had naturally reached the boundary of the Major Microcosmic Orbit.
As the true qi circulated through the Major Microcosmic Orbit, it underwent further purification and became more pure than before.
It was like the difference between steel that had undergone a hundred or a thousand refinements.
During the circulation of the true qi, it continuously gestated and purified. When the cycle was completed and returned to the lower dantian, Lu Qinghe was clearly able to feel the extraordinary character of the true qi within him.
"At the Fourth Layer of Refining True Qi, true qi returns from postnatal to prenatal."
Without any fanfare or perilous adventure, he had entered this stage.
"True qi returns from postnatal to prenatal is like the slow work of patience. Generally, it takes at least half a year. Even with my Thunder Sound Rebirth Body Technique and the special vibrational method to purify blood and true qi, it would still take at least two months... However, if I wear the Hunting Light Jade Pendant, which nurtures true qi, this time can be further reduced."
Lu Qinghe sensed his current state and felt neither happy nor unhappy.
In this world, aside from the sword, the most important external item for cultivators is jade.
Jade.
Nurturing people and being nurtured by people.
The jade in this world is extraordinary.
Ordinary jade pendants can absorb the impure qi within the body, nourish the blood, and prevent and treat illnesses. However, high-quality precious jade can significantly impact the nurturing and purification of the true qi of cultivators.
As a result, those aristocratic children, everyone wears jade.
Lu Qinghe also possesses a jade pendant, the exquisite and delicate seven-hole jade, belonging to the top-grade jade, has a good effect on nourishing and purifying the true qi of the second and third levels of refinement, but it lacks a bit for the true qi of the fourth level of refinement.
Hunting for jade with bright jade and emerald is a top-grade jade, it has a remarkable effect on the true qi cultivation of strong practitioners at the eighth and ninth levels of refinement, especially for the yang attribute true qi, it has an even stronger nurturing effect.
"If a workman wishes to do good work, he must first sharpen his tools."
Lu Qinghe pondered for a moment and made a decision.
"The bright jade is expensive... I'm afraid I can't afford it with my savings... However, when I first entered the third peak, Xue Jin once came to trouble Lu Qingyun..."
Perhaps...
There will be someone who will give him the money to buy the bright jade.
It's still early, some things can't be done.
In addition, just after the breakthrough, Lu Qinghe spent a whole day stabilizing the true qi of the fourth level of refinement. It wasn't until almost dusk that he finally left his room and headed outside the courtyard.
"Hey, you, wait."
As soon as Lu Qinghe arrived at the entrance of the courtyard, a Snow Eagle Swordmaster hurried over, saying, "Young Master Lu, what are you up to?"
"I'm going out shopping."
"Miss said to let you cultivate well in the courtyard and not to go out easily. Whatever you need, I'll go buy it for you."
"My jade is falling behind my true qi cultivation, so it should be exchanged for a new one."
"Falling behind your true qi cultivation..."
The Snow Eagle Swordmaster looked at Lu Qinghe and looked somewhat surprised: "You've broken through to the fourth level of refinement."
"I just broke through yesterday."
Just after breaking through, the aura on his body couldn't be hidden, so Lu Qinghe responded truthfully.
"It makes sense. Miss entrusted you with the Tianxin Heitang, such a treasure. If you couldn't break through, your cultivation aptitude would be too bad."
The Snow Eagle Swordmaster's tone revealed some envy when mentioning the Tianxin Heitang.
If the Tianxin Heitang were given to a peak-level practitioner of the sixth level of refinement, it would significantly help him break through to the seventh level of refinement.
"Although you have broken through to the fourth level of refinement, your cultivation is still weak, and it's almost evening. It's inconvenient to go out. I will go with you."
The Snow Eagle Swordmaster did not mention buying things for him.
Jade and swords are closely related to cultivators, even their lives are at stake.
Some people view their swords as more important than their lives and do not allow others to touch them.
They can help buy other things, but jade and swords must be selected personally.
"No need, I'll look at the prices in the trading area of the third peak. It won't take long, if I can buy it, I'll buy it, and if I can't, I'll come back."
This Snow Eagle Swordmaster happens to not have the identity of an outer disciple, so if he wanders around the third peak, he’s likely to have trouble. Therefore, he could only agree: "Be careful, don't cause trouble."
Lu Qinghe nodded and left the courtyard for the trading area.
There were four hundred and eighty-eight inner disciples on the third peak, and half of them were on external training missions all year round.
But since each disciple would have followers, and there would be three to five outer disciples flattering them, the third peak's permanent population was not small. In the bustling trading area, there were often over a hundred stalls, and many disciples came and went.
Lu Qinghe came to the trading area and was quite surprised.
The Asking Immortal Sect truly deserved to be on par with the royal family of an ancient kingdom as a holy land for cultivation.
Each inner disciple was exceptional in their own right in their circles.
The items sold at those stalls were all priceless treasures in Clearsource City, aside from some items for cultivation, Lu Qinghe also saw top-grade swords.
It’s worth noting that even in the Divine Arms Pavilion of Clearsource City, the medium-grade swords were already being highly recommended. Top-grade swords were almost equivalent to flagship products.
Among the hundreds of stalls, Lu Qinghe had already seen eleven top-grade swords.
One of them, the Sky Soaring Sword, was as sturdy and sharp as the Frigid Moon Sword, but its speed increase reached twenty-four percent, almost reaching the standard of a supreme-grade sword.
"The top-grade Morning Yuan Sword, selling for eight hundred and twenty gold, the top-grade Sky Soaring Sword, selling for nine hundred and sixty gold... the top-grade bright jade and emerald, selling for one thousand one hundred and fifty gold, the top-grade Demon Emperor Golden Jade, selling for thirteen hundred gold... as well as the inferior-grade Elemental Stone, selling for one thousand gold..."
Looking at the prices of these items, Lu Qinghe felt a headache.
With the Sky Soaring Sword, his combat strength would increase.
The bright jade and emerald could stabilize him at the fourth level of refinement within a month, and his true qi could return from postnatal to prenatal.
The inferior-grade Elemental Stone would greatly accelerate his cultivation. With just ten pieces, Lu Qinghe was confident that he could reach the fifth level of refinement within half a year.
Each of them had extraordinary effects, but with his current financial situation, he didn't even dare to consider buying these things.
"Xue Jin, Zi Baihe? And Di Tianguang, where are your followers? Where are your lackeys? I beg for torment! I beg for humiliation!"
On the night of the Askan Sect, Lu Qinghe was reminded of the Earth International Metropolis.
The Yuan boundary halo shrouding each mountain peak illuminated the void as if it were daytime, some main roads carved with formations condensed the essence of the sun and moon, emitting brilliant radiance and shining in all directions.
In the trading area of the third peak, the effect of the formation condensed the radiance of the sun, making the entire plaza, with a diameter of over a hundred thousand square meters, as distinct as in broad daylight.
From six in the evening until nine at night, Lu Qinghe carefully observed the items for sale in the trading plaza, gaining an understanding of the prices and the level of items sold by the Askan Sect.
"It's almost ten o'clock, it's the second watch of the night."
After a brief delay, Lu Qinghe glanced at the moon, deciding not to linger any longer.
After four hours of being out, it's likely those Snow Eagle swordsmen are also out searching.
"What a pity."
Lu Qinghe glanced at a booth selling hunting light emeralds, shook his head, and turned to leave.
Neither Xue Jin's attendant nor Zhi Baihe's attendant appeared, and neither did Di Tianguang's attendant.
Leaving the trading area, Lu Qinghe walked along a mountain path and arrived at a carved stone bridge in less than a moment.
Below the stone bridge was a mountain stream formed by a waterfall cascading down from the peak. Even in the nighttime, the thunderous sound of the waterfall could be heard.
Looking at the courtyard situated on the cliffside above the waterfall, Lu Qinghe was curious as to whether living and sleeping in such a noisy environment for a long time would lead to nerve exhaustion.
"Lu Qinghe."
Just as Lu Qinghe was slightly distracted, staring at the cascading waterfall and the courtyard, a somewhat surprised and delighted voice suddenly came from the other side of the stone bridge.
"Hmm?"
Lu Qinghe looked up and saw a group of four people before him.
Among these four, two of them, Lu Zixia and Lu Xuejian, were quite familiar to Lu Qinghe, and were indeed from the same Snow Sword Villa as him.
The other man and woman, dressed in the attire of outer disciples, with the man chatting happily with Lu Zixia, and the woman, seemingly the leader of the four, with a cultivation level matching the highest among them, had reached the sixth level of True Refinement.
"Lu Qinghe!"
Meeting an enemy, one's eyes turn particularly red.
Seeing Lu Qinghe, who had snatched away their attendants' status in front of them, Lu Xuejian immediately stepped forward, with a somewhat ferocious smile on her face, "Do you remember, Lu Qinghe, I said we would meet again."
"Yes, I'm very happy to see you again."
Seeing the two, Lu Qinghe's frustration at not encountering the attendants of Xue Jin, Zhi Baihe, and Di Tianguang disappeared, especially when he saw the two of them dressed in luxurious clothing, there was even a faint smile on his face.
"Happy!? Soon, you won't even be able to cry!"
"Lu Qinghe? Is that the waste that forcefully occupied a True Refinement fourth level that belonged to one of our Snow Sword Villa attendants, such an ungrateful person, still has the face to live in the world."
Listening to Lu Xuejian calling out Lu Qinghe's name, the young man who was originally chatting with Lu Zixia understood that his opportunity had arrived.
"Senior Brother Liu Zhenghua, it's him."
Lu Zixia, who was originally quite reserved towards Liu Zhenghua, suddenly thought of something when she saw Lu Qinghe, and spoke in a coquettish tone.
"Junior Sister Zixia, you can rest assured. Having someone like him remain in our Askan Sect will only cause trouble. I will take care of him for you now, disable him, and drive him out of Askan Sect. I believe that even if Senior Sister Lu Qingyun is dissatisfied, she won't pursue it in consideration of Senior Brother Qiu Long's face."
Liu Zhenghua said somewhat proudly.
Qiu Long, ranked sixty-first in the third peak.
After Lu Qingyun's recent test, her ranking had reached the top one hundred, but she still dared not act against Senior Brother Qiu Long's face.
"That's up to you, Senior Brother Liu Zhenghua."
"Alright, alright, I'm willing to serve Junior Sister Zixia."
Saying so, Liu Zhenghua stepped forward, stood on the stone bridge, and looked down on Lu Qinghe, "You should have understood Junior Sister Zixia's meaning just now. Do you know what to do? Disable your cultivation yourself and get out of Askan Sect. If I have to take action, it won't be as simple as disabling your cultivation."
"Senior Brother Liu Zhenghua, let me handle this matter."
Lu Xuejian stepped forward, her expression cold.
"Lu Qinghe, remember when I said the position of Askan Sect attendants is not worth your life? Inner disciples cannot fight to the death, but it's common to kill a few attendants. Even the presiding elders are too lazy to care. Now, do you feel regretful, do you feel frightened?"
Lu Xuejian stepped closer, with a chilling expression, seemingly carrying a terrifying pressure.
Frightened...
Strangely, as Lu Xuejian tried to nurture a terrifying atmosphere, seeing Lu Qinghe's pleading expression on his face...
But Lu Qinghe didn't even listen carefully to him speak, instead continuously staring at the jade pendant at his waist: "Top-grade treasure, the Seven-Star Dragon Jade?"
Although this jade wasn't comparable to the Hunting Light Emerald or the Devil Emperor's Gold, as a top-grade treasure, its value was not something that middle or low-grade treasures could compare to.
"Damn it!"
This familiar indifferent attitude made Lu Xuejian think back to the scene when they had asked Lu Qinghe for the position of the attendant in the past. Now, she was furious, "Lu Qinghe, it seems you won't cry unless you see the coffin. Do you really think that with Lu Qingyun protecting you, I wouldn't dare to kill you? Today, even if you get down on your knees and beg me, it's useless. I not only want to disable your cultivation, break your limbs, make you suffer torture, I want to take your life as well!"
"Clang!"
The sword was drawn.
"Good sword!"
Lu Qinghe's eyes lit up.
Being the children of the second wife, they have enjoyed resources and subsidies that are unknown to the children born from a servant like Lu Qinghe.
This sword is absolutely comparable to the top-grade middle-rank sword, the Frosty Moon Sword.
"Facing death yet unaware! I will first sever your right arm!"
Lan Xuejian roared, his cultivation at the fifth level of the Refinement Realm was fully displayed. The sword light pierced through the air, creating a whirlwind of sword energy, pressuring down with enough force to split gold and crack stone.
"Right arm!?"
As the sword light arrived, the Frosty Moon Sword in Lu Qinghe's hand also unsheathed in an instant.
"Swish!"
The sword light flickered.
Thirteen sword shadows tore through the sky like flowing light, completely dispersing Lan Xuejian's sword energy.
"Let go!"
"Boom!"
The firelight scattered.
Lan Xuejian only felt his sword, struck six times in succession, crushing his tiger's mouth. Before he could show fear in his eyes, a tearing pain suddenly came from his wrist.
The next moment, his wrist, along with the sword in his hand, had flown out and disappeared into the void.
Lu Qinghe had actually severed his wrist with a single sword strike.
"Ah!"
Only at this moment did Lan Xuejian seem to feel the piercing pain, letting out a sharp and agonizing scream.
"One hundred and fifty gold."
The tip of Lu Qinghe's Frosty Moon Sword trembled, pulling Lan Xuejian's sword down and shooting it to the ground.
"Lan Xuejian!"
"Lu Qinghe!? How dare you!"
In the eyes of Lu Zixia and Liu Zhenghua, there was a simultaneous outpouring of anger.
The woman with the highest cultivation, however, only slightly contracted her pupils.
"What a fast sword."
The thirteen swords that Lu Qinghe had just struck were so swift that even she, a caster at the sixth level of the Refinement Realm, hadn't seen clearly.
"Lu Qinghe! How dare you hurt me! How dare you break my wrist! You are doomed! My mother will never let you off!"
Furious under the stimulation of pain, Lan Xuejian roared furiously.
A son born of a servant dared to harm him!
Dared to hurt his legitimate son born of a concubine!?
"Noisy!"
The Frosty Moon Sword in Lu Qinghe's hand flashed coldly.
"Stop!"
Watching this, Liu Zhenghua roared, unsheathing his sword, and the sword light pierced the air.
"Ah!"
While originally feeling equally furious, at this moment, Lu Zixia couldn't help but exclaim and, for the first time, fear surged up in her heart.
"Chk!"
The Frosty Moon Sword in Lu Qinghe's hand passed over Lan Xuejian's throat without any pause, raising a wave of bloody red and, against Lan Xuejian's unbelievably terrified gaze, relentlessly met Liu Zhenghua's fatal strike.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The firelight scattered.
In an instant, Lu Qinghe had already struck out twelve swords.
Among the twelve strikes, six swords broke down Liu Zhenghua's swordsmanship, three swords disrupted his swordsmanship, and the last three swords counterattacked.
In a few exchanges, Liu Zhenghua was actually suppressed.
It should be noted that Liu Zhenghua was different from Lan Xuejian, who was at the initial stage of the fifth level of the Refinement Realm. He had been at this level for three years, plus he had been occasionally instructed by the inner disciple Qiu Long, making him far from the ordinary practitioners of the fifth level of the Refinement Realm.
But now...
He was actually no match for Lu Qinghe!?
For a moment, beside him, there was an unstoppable chill in Lu Zixia's heart: "Lu Qinghe... Lu Qinghe actually has such strength!?"
At this moment, she almost felt like she was meeting this man she had only heard about for the first time.
"Bang!"
The shockwave scattered.
Liu Zhenghua was suddenly sent flying, a huge sword wound appearing on his hand, blood splattering.
"Lü Qinghe, stop! Let's talk slowly. Why resort to drawing knives and swords!"
Seeing Lü Qinghe decisively attacking again, Liu Zhenghua's eyes finally filled with panic.
The opponent... is at the Fourth Stage of Refining Reality!
However, his swordsmanship was so exquisite and mysterious that it forcefully eliminated the gap between the early stage of the Fourth Stage of Refining Reality and the peak of the Fifth Stage.
Relying solely on this sword technique, Lü Qinghe already had the qualifications to enter the first peak of the outer disciples.
"Han Ya-yi senior sister, I beg you to take action and help Senior Brother Liu Zhenghua. With your cultivation at the Sixth Stage of Refining Reality, you can definitely capture and kill this traitor Lü Qinghe."
Seeing Liu Zhenghua at a disadvantage, Lu Zixia's fear had reached its peak.
"This is your business, not mine."
Han Ya-yi glanced at Lü Qinghe, then simply ignored Lu Zixia and flew away without paying any further attention.
"Han Ya-yi senior sister!?"
Seeing Han Ya-yi leaving, Lu Zixia was momentarily panicked. After a while, as if finally coming to her senses, she disregarded Liu Zhenghua, turned and ran away.
"Zixia!?"
Seeing Liu Zhenghua in a precarious situation, his heart suddenly turned cold.
For her, he had fought his life and incurred the enmity of such a powerful enemy as Lü Qinghe. But when facing a life-threatening situation, she didn't hesitate to abandon him first!?
This woman was so heartless.
Liu Zhenghua's cultivation was already inferior to Lü Qinghe, and at this moment, feeling a chill in his heart, he was directly pierced through the heart by the Moonchill Sword.
Close attendants?
Close attendants were the targets of retaliation and venting for the inner disciples.
Within the Nine Peaks, the inner disciples were not to inflict harm upon each other, yet almost every day, there were close attendants who died.