Chapter 100: Heavenly Soldier Secret Art, Assassination

Chapter 100: Chapter 100: Heavenly Soldier Secret Art, Assassination

The promotional campaign had already begun the day before yesterday. Profound Weapons catered specifically to Seventh Grade and Sixth Grade Martial Artists, making the target audience relatively small. However, having been in business for years, the Liu family possessed extensive intelligence to precisely pinpoint these Martial Artists and send them invitations. As long as a few dozen of them showed up, the bidding would send the prices skyrocketing. Because the quality of this batch of Profound Weapons was exceptionally high—a rarity on the open market—Liu Lianyue and the rest of the Liu family brimmed with confidence.

"I won’t be going," Lu Yuan said, shaking his head. He had already earned his rightful share; no matter how high the auction prices went, it had nothing to do with him. In fact, attending might just be a source of annoyance, so he decided against it.

Liu Lianyue couldn’t help but cover her mouth with a soft chuckle. She then offered a graceful bow. "As you wish, Master Yuan Mountain."

Yuan Mountain was the artisan alias Lu Yuan had chosen for his Weapon Master identity, which would also serve as his future brand. Every weapon he forged bore an exclusive hallmark of the character for "Mountain."

"Is this the Battle Halberd you forged, Junior Brother? Let me see." Yan Qing strolled into the courtyard and took the Battle Halberd. He first traced his fingers meticulously along its surface before channeling his True Essence into it.

HUMMM!

The previous scene played out once again.

As a Weapon Master himself, Yan Qing possessed a far deeper understanding and higher standards when it came to inspecting quality.

"Your craftsmanship, Junior Brother... I feel like it has already surpassed mine," Yan Qing marveled, thoroughly astounded. Was this really something a novice could achieve? The quality of this Battle Halberd had already reached the absolute pinnacle of a Profound Weapon.

"You must be joking, Senior Brother. My skills are still a far cry from yours," Lu Yuan said modestly. "I just spent a lot of time on this piece and poured a great deal of mental effort into it."

"Ah, there’s no need to be so humble. When I say it’s good, it’s genuinely good!" Yan Qing hurriedly waved his hand. "If this Battle Halberd hadn’t already been sold to Miss Liu, I would have wanted to keep it for my own collection."

"Haha, younger brother Lu Yuan will definitely be able to forge even better Profound Weapons in the future. There is no need to rush, Brother Yan Qing," Liu Lianyue interjected with a quick laugh, smoothly and inconspicuously taking the Battle Halberd back into her hands. This was her grand finale piece; almost all of the auction’s promotional gimmicks relied on it.

"Mhm, Miss Liu is right. I’m sure my junior brother will forge even better ones in the future," Yan Qing agreed with a nod. He believed this wholeheartedly. If Lu Yuan could forge a top-tier Profound Weapon after just a few days of learning, what could he achieve in a hundred days? In a year? In ten years?

"Younger brother Lu Yuan will undoubtedly become a Grand Artisan in the future," Liu Lianyue said. "Well then, I won’t disturb you two any longer. Farewell." She carefully wrapped the Battle Halberd and Silver Spear in red cloth and swiftly departed from the Yan Residence.

"That Miss Liu... she acted as if she was terrified I might snatch it away," Yan Qing said with a wry smile.

"Haha, that’s because she hasn’t seen your treasure vault, Senior Brother," Lu Yuan replied, shaking his head. "You always get completely absorbed whenever you start researching. How many days has it been since you last came back?"

"I don’t have your talent, so I can only bury my head in hard work," Yan Qing sighed.

Lu Yuan felt a bit embarrassed. His talent completely relied on the system; without it, he wouldn’t be able to hold a candle to Yan Qing.

"Senior Brother, does our Celestial Weapon Sect have any secret methods for improving one’s innate aptitude?" Lu Yuan asked.

"We do," Yan Qing nodded. "Once you comprehend the Little Heavenly Gang Meteor Hammer to Perfection, you can improve your own innate aptitude."

"The Little Heavenly Gang Meteor Hammer?" Lu Yuan gaped slightly. "Does that really work?"

"Master said it does, but I wouldn’t know personally," Yan Qing said, shaking his head.

The Little Heavenly Gang Meteor Hammer was difficult to learn, even harder to master, and achieving the sublimation of Perfection was the hardest of all. He himself had not yet reached Perfection. When their master was murdered, Yan Qing was only fifteen. His body hadn’t fully developed at the time, so he couldn’t use external forces to help improve his innate aptitude anyway.

"Master used to say that the human body is just like an artifact; it requires constant tempering," Yan Qing explained. "However, improving one’s innate aptitude requires more than just comprehending the Little Heavenly Gang Meteor Hammer to Perfection. You also need a Spiritual Hammer capable of condensing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power, and ideally, a Spirit Pill to assist the process..."

The human body could not generate good fortune out of thin air. Improving one’s innate aptitude, in particular, involved the very origin of the physical body. It absolutely required the supplementation of spiritual power to be elevated.

"We have a Spiritual Hammer, right?" Lu Yuan asked. Reaching Perfection with the Little Heavenly Gang Meteor Hammer wasn’t the hard part; the real challenge was acquiring a Spiritual Hammer at the level of a top-tier Spiritual Weapon. Such an item was undoubtedly the essence of the Celestial Weapon Sect’s legacy, requiring a Grand Artisan to forge. If they didn’t have one, it would be a tragedy—having the hammer technique would be completely useless without the proper tool.

"We do. It was definitely left behind," Yan Qing said, nodding with a smile. "So, as long as you can comprehend the Little Heavenly Gang Meteor Hammer to Perfection, Junior Brother, you can help me improve my innate aptitude as well. Of course, your own Cultivation must also reach the Seventh Grade first."

"Seventh Grade..." Lu Yuan understood. Only at the Seventh Grade could one condense Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi to stimulate a trace of a Spiritual Weapon’s spiritual power. "I’ll do my best."

"Mhm, I believe you’ll definitely be able to achieve it soon," Yan Qing agreed.

Lu Yuan stayed for a little while longer before taking his leave.

It seemed that before reaching the Seventh Grade, improving his innate aptitude would have to rely entirely on the system or Pills. However, any Pill capable of altering innate aptitude would be of an extremely high grade and exorbitantly expensive—starting at no less than One Hundred Thousand Taels of silver. He would have to forge twenty Battle Halberds just to earn that much...

Calculated that way, it didn’t actually seem too expensive.

Lu Yuan’s mind raced with possibilities for a moment, but he quickly dropped the idea. It wouldn’t be that simple, and the actual improvement from a Pill wouldn’t be that significant anyway. He was better off just grinding with the system.

SWISH.

Lu Yuan suddenly heard a faint, strange sound, like the wind blowing through a cloth curtain. However, he didn’t believe in coincidences. The sky had already grown dark, and it was approaching curfew. There were very few people on the streets, making it relatively quiet. He was very close to the Lu Family residence, separated by only two streets, so he was intimately familiar with his surroundings. He sensed that something was amiss.

"Is it the Sunx Family? Or..." he wondered.

His expression remained unchanged as he continued walking forward. Because he hadn’t gone to the Demon Suppression Bureau, he hadn’t brought his bow and arrows today, carrying only two sabers, both secured at his waist.

SWISH!

A point of cold light suddenly erupted. A blinding flash of a blade slashed rapidly toward Lu Yuan, arriving in an instant.

CLANG!

Lu Yuan drew his saber.

CRACKLE!

A massive shower of electric sparks burst forth in an instant, blindingly radiant.

The attacker clearly hadn’t anticipated this. He was completely caught off guard, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks.

CLANG!

SLASH!

Lu Yuan delivered a vicious downward strike. The blade in the attacker’s hand instantly snapped in two, and the man was sent flying backward. Blood sprayed from his chest, and the mask covering his face was torn away, revealing a long, bloody gash across his features.

"Worthy nephew Lu Yuan, it’s me! Me! Elder Yangg!" the man cried out frantically.

"Elder Yangg?" Lu Yuan approached, his saber in hand. "Since when did you become my ’Elder Yangg’? Are we really that close?"

"Your father and I were colleagues, and I’m more than ten years older than him. Doesn’t that make me Elder Yangg?" Yangg Lian offered an apologetic, forced smile.

"Oh? Is this how an elder treats his nephew? By ambushing and trying to murder him on his way home?" Lu Yuan sneered. The old dog had finally lost his patience.

"It’s a misunderstanding! I just came to test your martial arts, nothing more! I didn’t mean anything by it, really!" Yangg Lian hurriedly explained. Regardless of whether Lu Yuan believed him or not, he had to say something.

"And what do you think? Have I improved?" Lu Yuan asked, flashing a row of white teeth.

"Improved! You’ve improved tremendously!" Yangg Lian desperately tried to suppress his injuries. That strike from the Thunder Blade just now had completely scattered his vitality. Otherwise...

SWISH!

SLASH!

Lu Yuan drew the saber in his left hand and cleanly severed the man’s head in a single stroke.