Chapter 125: Superior Root Bone, Fourth-Grade Powerhouse

Chapter 125: Chapter 125: Superior Root Bone, Fourth-Grade Powerhouse

"Excellent!" Qi Chongguang’s expression turned serious.

"Watch out!" Lu Yuan warned, swinging his twin blades. He didn’t close in, choosing instead to strike from several meters away.

With a simultaneous slash of both blades, dozens of streaks of blade aura burst forth in an instant, crisscrossing as they hacked toward Qi Chongguang.

Qi Chongguang furrowed his brow slightly. With a quick twist of his massive broadsword, he easily blocked and shattered all the incoming blade auras. However, Lu Yuan didn’t stop.

*SWISH SWISH SWISH!*

*SWISH SWISH SWISH!*

Lu Yuan continued his barrage, swinging his blades relentlessly in a frenzy of continuous slashes. Streak after streak of blade aura flew at Qi Chongguang. At the same time, Lu Yuan moved rapidly, constantly shifting his position to besiege his opponent from all directions—up, down, left, and right.

Qi Chongguang handled the assault with ease, but he gradually realized Lu Yuan’s true intention. No matter how large his broadsword was, it couldn’t shield his entire body at once. His frame was already broad, not to mention his arms and legs. Blocking the blade auras required moving the blade, and his massive weapon was far too large and heavy to match the agility and flexibility of Lu Yuan’s shorter twin blades. Even though cultivators like him used their immense strength and the broad surface of their weapons to make up for these shortcomings, gaps still remained in their defense.

Lu Yuan was attacking with both blades, executing the Wind-Breaking Nine Slashes. The blade auras he unleashed were simply too numerous and too fast. They covered a massive area, encompassing Qi Chongguang’s limbs from every conceivable angle—even front and back.

In an instant, Qi Chongguang grew tense. Stretched thin, he found it incredibly difficult to mount a perfect defense. The individual power of these blade auras might not have been overwhelming, and his Protective Gang Qi could easily block them. However, if an opening presented itself, Lu Yuan could close the distance and break through his defenses. His Protective Gang Qi would never be able to withstand a direct, point-blank hack from Lu Yuan’s physical blades.

"Break!" Qi Chongguang roared, violently erupting his Gang Qi to shatter all the incoming blade auras. Immediately following that, he swung his broadsword in a sweeping horizontal slash.

*SWISH!*

Driven by thousands of pounds of explosive force, the massive, hundred-pound broadsword unleashed a blade aura that carried lethal force over seven or eight meters away, directly sweeping across half the courtyard.

*SWOOSH!*

Lu Yuan instantly dropped low, pressing his body against the ground to dodge the attack. With a powerful push off his feet, he closed in on Qi Chongguang in the blink of an eye and hacked wildly with his twin blades.

*SWISH SWISH SWISH!*

*CLANG CLANG CLANG!*

Qi Chongguang’s Protective Gang Qi shielded him, but he had used too much force in his previous attack. Right now, half of his broadsword was buried in the ground—relying on the earth to absorb the impact. Unable to pull it back instantly, he was forced to block with just his Gang Qi and one free hand. This meant he was essentially facing Lu Yuan’s twin blades with only half of his body.

If this continued, he would clearly be outmatched and swiftly defeated. But if he tried to pull his broadsword free, his Protective Gang Qi would thin out, allowing his defenses to be breached in an instant. Thus, Qi Chongguang found himself trapped in a dilemma.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan only intensified his assault, pouring all his power into the chopping strikes of his twin blades.

*RIP RIP!*

Finally, Qi Chongguang could no longer hold on. His Gang Qi was shattered, and his clothes were shredded to tatters by the blade auras.

*SWOOSH!*

Lu Yuan stepped back and sheathed his blades. "My apologies. Thank you for the match."

"You..." Qi Chongguang’s expression was complicated. He felt as though he hadn’t even been able to unleash thirty percent of his true skills. He was incredibly unwilling to accept this outcome. Yet, there was nothing wrong with Lu Yuan’s tactics; the young man had simply leveraged his own advantages and exploited Qi Chongguang’s flaws. It was just that the fight had felt far too suffocating! It left him exceptionally frustrated.

"The money," Lu Yuan said, holding out his hand.

"Er—" Qi Chongguang’s face grew even uglier. He had lost the bout and the bet!

The expressions of all the Overlord Blade Sect disciples in the courtyard changed. Damn it all, what kind of situation was this? Three hundred taels! Their already difficult days were just getting worse, rubbing salt into the wound!

[Congratulations to the host for completing the mission. The reward of 10 Root Bone points and 3,000 experience points has been credited.]

"A top-tier... Root Bone!" Lu Yuan thought, feeling exhilarated.

With the 10 points added, his Root Bone subtly transformed, and his aura condensed. His strength surged once more. His Gang Qi, muscles, and internal organs all grew slightly stronger. It was a comprehensive enhancement. He had finally reached the top tier!

A top-tier Root Bone would mark someone as a genius no matter where they were. At the very least, it indicated outstanding physical talent and immense potential, easily capable of supporting a Martial Artist’s cultivation up to the Fourth Grade or even the Third Grade. It was truly a one-in-ten-thousand aptitude!

Combined with the 3,000 experience points...

[Experience: 10476]

Lu Yuan looked at the interface but chose not to use it just yet. Such a large sum of experience points could instantly bring a Superior Boxing Technique to perfection. He already had the Tyrant Fist ready to go. It was perfect for him to practice and would allow him to push his current Root Bone and power to their absolute limits.

However, he was more inclined to perfect the Thunder Blade Triple Annihilation to acquire a Talent Ability.

"Young friend, I see you have quite a fine Root Bone. How about joining our Overlord Blade Sect?" an aged voice rang out in the courtyard. Soon after, a white-haired, average-built old man emerged from the back of the crowd.

"Elder Hao!"

"Elder Hao!"

The Overlord Blade Sect disciples quickly parted to make a path, bowing respectfully in greeting.

"Elder... Hao!" Lu Yuan thought, his pupils contracting sharply.

An elder of the Overlord Blade Sect... wouldn’t that mean he was a Fourth-Grade Powerhouse? The Fourth Grade represented the middle-to-upper echelon of power anywhere. They were the closest existence to the Longevity Realm—incredibly formidable and impossible to ignore. The Overlord Blade Sect had a Fourth-Grade master stationed here? Why had he never heard of this? It was so sudden.

"I apologize, Senior, but I currently serve in the Demon Suppression Bureau," Lu Yuan answered respectfully.

"The Demon Suppression Bureau!"

"He’s from the Demon Suppression Bureau?"

The expressions of almost everyone present shifted dramatically. None of them had expected Lu Yuan to belong to the Demon Suppression Bureau. Wasn’t he a Martial Artist from an aristocratic family?

Qi Chongguang and Li Qiutong’s faces darkened, looking rather unsightly. The Demon Suppression Bureau was naturally at odds with sects like theirs.

"Being in the Demon Suppression Bureau is of no consequence. If you quit now, I will personally take you as my disciple," Elder Hao said with a smile.

"What?"

"He wants to personally take him as a disciple?"

The eyes of the Overlord Blade Sect disciples turned red with envy. That was a Fourth-Grade Powerhouse—an invincible figure within a county and a tyrant-level existence across an entire prefecture. Furthermore, Elder Hao was rumored to be exceptionally strong even among Fourth-Grade cultivators, with very few capable of matching him. Yet, he actually wanted to take this outsider as his disciple.

Why hadn’t he chosen any of them? Perhaps they weren’t qualified enough. But surely Qi Chongguang was! He had a top-tier Root Bone and outstanding talent; he was definitely no worse than Lu Yuan. More importantly, he was a disciple of their own sect!

Zhen Zilong, Li Qiutong, and the others couldn’t help but feel envious. The strongest experts in their respective sects were only at the Fourth Grade. In a real fight, they might not even be a match for this Elder Hao.

And now...

"Brother Lu..." Liu Zhi looked at Lu Yuan with anticipation and mixed feelings. This was a golden opportunity. That was a Fourth-Grade Powerhouse! If Lu Yuan became his disciple, anyone who crossed paths with him in the future would have to think twice. With the backing of a Fourth-Grade expert, it would be much easier for Brother Lu to reach the Fifth Grade down the line.

"Thank you for your generous affection, Senior, but this junior already has a master," Lu Yuan replied.

"Oh?" Elder Hao stared at Lu Yuan. Normally, those who already had a master couldn’t join the Demon Suppression Bureau. There were only exceptions for a few top-tier sects or special factions. "Your master is..."

"I apologize, but it’s not convenient for me to say."

"I see. Very well, then." Elder Hao sighed, waved his hand dismissively, and turned around to head back inside.

Many Martial Artists breathed a sigh of relief. He gave up the opportunity? He already had a master? Was this master even stronger than a Fourth-Grade Martial Artist?

"Let’s go," Lu Yuan said, leading Liu Zhi away.

The crowd watched his departing figure with complicated emotions. He was from the Demon Suppression Bureau. A genius Martial Artist.

In the future, they would have yet another formidable opponent to contend with!