Chapter 44: Is There Anything More Powerful?

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Is There Anything More Powerful?

Mastering a Basic Skill to perfection was easy, but doing the same for a Superior Technique was exceptionally difficult. It all came down to one crucial factor: talent. This was especially true for Technique categories. Without a certain level of talent, one could practice for ten, twenty, or even an entire lifetime without ever reaching perfection. Many Eighth-Grade Martial Artists spent years immersing themselves in their training, yet only a small fraction of them managed to achieve perfection even after reaching the Eighth Grade Peak. Not even one in ten succeeded.

Evidently, Lu Yuan had not just reached this level today. He had already achieved it while still in the Ninth Grade. He was a true genius in the Sword Dao!

Jianng Hongfei could see it too. Lu Yuan’s skills were truly extraordinary! Compared to yesterday, it was as if he were a completely different person. He had achieved the true perfection of the Unity of Man and Blade. The display just now wasn’t even his full strength—if he used a saber...

Mu Lingche’s eyes couldn’t help but light up, flickering with intense interest. Lu Yuan’s Saber Technique was completely natural, flowing flawlessly without a single gap. It was perfection! And a Superior Technique at that! To think he was not even sixteen years old yet...

"This kid is qualified to be my lackey, a follower," Mu Lingche thought to himself.

"Impossible! This is impossible! How could you possibly be this strong?" Yu Qiuyang cried out in disbelief.

He could accept that Lu Yuan had successfully undergone Gang Transformation. He could even accept that Lu Yuan had won the head-on clash against Jianng Hongfei. But he simply could not accept that Lu Yuan’s Saber Technique was this incredibly powerful. It was a Superior Technique, yet it had already reached perfection. He was two years older than Lu Yuan, and he had only achieved major mastery of his Dusk Sunset Saber less than a year ago; he was still a long way from reaching true perfection. In comparison, didn’t that mean he was vastly inferior?

"No, no! It’s not like that! I’m definitely not worse than Lu Yuan!" he thought frantically.

"Kill!" Yu Qiuyang’s gaze suddenly hardened as his killing intent erupted.

Sunset Loop!

SWISH SWISH SWISH!

The saber’s gleam shifted instantly, becoming astonishingly sharp. This was the most lethal strike of the Dusk Sunset Saber. It functioned somewhat like the Retreating Horse Spear, striking unexpectedly and catching the opponent off guard. Once unleashed, it guaranteed injury, if not outright death. Therefore...

"Not enough," Lu Yuan said, shaking his head.

CLANG!

With just a light swing of his saber, he shattered all of Yu Qiuyang’s Sword Momentum. It was effortless. Exceptionally effortless.

After all, not only had he perfectly mastered the Wind-Breaking Nine Slashes, but he had also acquired the Intermediate Sword Dao Talent. With a single glance, he could completely see through any Basic Saber Technique. Even though Yu Qiuyang’s Dusk Sunset Saber was a Superior Technique and Lu Yuan couldn’t see through its Heart Method instantly, deconstructing the physical moves was still very easy for him. Because of this, finding flaws and intercepting the attacks in time became relatively simple.

"Do you have anything stronger?" Lu Yuan asked.

"Ah! You’re courting death!" Yu Qiuyang roared furiously. He slashed out once more.

Previously, his saber had been dazzling, its light blinding and disorienting. Now, it suddenly completely obscured all light, instantly plunging the area beneath the blade into darkness and turning the opponent functionally blind.

It was the Dusk Crow Pursuing Blade of the Dusk Sunset Saber!

CLANG!

Lu Yuan cracked the technique with another casual strike.

"Do you have anything stronger?"

Yu Qiuyang silently gritted his teeth, merely continuing his fierce assault. His eyes were entirely bloodshot.

"If you don’t, then just accept your defeat," Lu Yuan sighed, shaking his head.

He swung his saber.

CLANG!

In an instant, he shattered Yu Qiuyang’s Sword Momentum. Immediately after, Lu Yuan struck again.

SWISH SWISH SWISH!

Dozens of streams of saber energy materialized, crisscrossing as they blanketed the entire area. Yu Qiuyang’s eyes widened in horror as he desperately tried to defend himself.

BANG BANG BANG!

SWISH SWISH SWISH!

His powerful Gang Qi and Sword Momentum barely managed to block the attack. However, in the end, it wasn’t enough to withstand the onslaught.

SWISH SWISH SWISH!

RIP RIP RIP!

Countless gashes tore open across Yu Qiuyang’s clothes as thin trails of blood began to seep out.

"You’ve lost," Lu Yuan declared, sheathing his saber. "Remember to bring the silver notes tomorrow."

"You..."

COUGH!

Yu Qiuyang opened his mouth and sprayed out a mouthful of blood. Rage had completely overwhelmed his heart.

"Sigh, why are you losing your temper like this?" Lu Yuan quickly took a few steps back. "I didn’t cause that. That has nothing to do with me."

Jianng Hongfei, Mu Lingche, and the others were utterly speechless. This guy was a bit... too much.

"You..." Yu Qiuyang glared viciously at Lu Yuan, almost losing control again.

"Brother Lu, are you alright?" Liu Zhi hurriedly stepped forward to check on him, subtly attempting to prevent Lu Yuan from provoking Yu Qiuyang any further. They were all members of the same squad in the Demon Suppression Bureau; there was no need to take things to the extreme.

"I’m fine," Lu Yuan shook his head and walked over to the side to rest.

He thought to himself, "Alas, Yu Qiuyang’s combat power is decent, and fighting him does give me some combat experience. It’s a pity that using the saber consumes Gang Qi but provides almost no bone-tempering effects. It doesn’t really help improve my cultivation."

Lu Yuan now preferred brutal, hand-to-hand brawls where fists clashed directly against fists.

"When can the pills be delivered?" he asked.

"I’ll go out for a bit. It’ll be very quick," Liu Zhi replied. Coming and going in the Demon Suppression Bureau was relatively unrestricted; there weren’t many rigid rules.

"I’ll train with you later," Lu Yuan suddenly offered out of the kindness of his heart.

"Huh?" Liu Zhi was puzzled. Was he serious? Why the sudden offer? Was Lu Yuan worried that Liu Zhi’s strength was too weak and that he would drag the team down in the future?

"Great! Being able to practice with Brother Lu is exactly what I need," Liu Zhi agreed happily.

It didn’t take long for Lu Yuan to fully recover. The pills had also been delivered. Taking a Bone Tempering Pill, Lu Yuan began sparring with Liu Zhi. They only practiced fist techniques, engaging in close-quarters combat.

Liu Zhi’s boxing style was, to put it mildly, hard to describe. It was incredibly weak and soft, relying primarily on gentle force with a severe lack of explosive power. This made fighting him exceedingly frustrating for Lu Yuan. Compared to Jianng Hongfei, the gap was astronomical.

"Use more force!"

"Harder!"

"Do you even know what explosive power is?"

"You’re soft and weak like a little girl!"

Lu Yuan had no choice but to continuously demand that Liu Zhi increase his attack power and condense his explosive strength. Liu Zhi gritted his teeth and persevered. Unfortunately, the results were far from ideal.

"You..." Lu Yuan was utterly speechless. He suddenly noticed an object hanging at Liu Zhi’s waist. "Sigh, forget it. I’m not training with you anymore. It’s too boring."

PHEW!

Liu Zhi let out a long sigh of relief. He genuinely wasn’t good at utilizing raw strength or explosive power. With his naturally small and thin physique, his physical strength was inherently weak. Trying to focus on explosive force put him at a massive disadvantage.

Jianng Hongfei watched from the side, feeling somewhat pleased. Among the five of them, only Liu Zhi was weaker than he was.

"Wait, why am I comparing myself to Liu Zhi?" Jianng Hongfei suddenly thought. "Isn’t it obvious that I should be stronger than him? Holy crap, I’m the second weakest!"

Not wanting to reveal too much of his strength, Lu Yuan refrained from seeking out Jianng Hongfei again and instead chose to train by himself. Without a sparring partner, he could just strike the ironwood dummy, utilizing the recoil force to temper his bones. Controlling the pace entirely on his own yielded even better results, a discovery that left Lu Yuan feeling immensely pleased. The only downside was the significantly higher energy consumption; he estimated that the ten Qi Nourishing Pills wouldn’t even last him two days. Still, as long as he was making progress, it was fine. He could always earn more money if he ran out.

At noon, Lu Yuan headed to the cafeteria for lunch. He had originally planned to observe Sunx Jin to determine whether the person who had ambushed him yesterday was sent by her. Unfortunately, he couldn’t spot her anywhere.

"Did she go out on a mission, or is she hiding out of a guilty conscience?" he pondered. "Sunx Jin, Yangg Lian, or perhaps one of Old Lu’s enemies..."

Lu Yuan continued to speculate. These were the only plausible scenarios, given that he didn’t have many personal enemies. If the situation was tied to Old Lu’s past, then the possibilities were endless.

Late in the afternoon, just as their shift was about to end, Chen Qiang finally made an appearance.

"It has been three days. Can you all work together and go out on a mission as a team now?" Chen Qiang asked, his gaze sweeping over the five recruits, lingering particularly on Lu Yuan.

"Of course! Naturally!" Lu Yuan nodded eagerly. "We get along wonderfully."

"I think there won’t be any issues," Liu Zhi replied shyly.

"I have no problem with it," Jianng Hongfei said, throwing his hands up. He had never been the unstable element in the group anyway.

"It’s fine," Yu Qiuyang answered coldly, keeping it brief.

"Fine," Mu Lingche replied just as simply.

"Good," Chen Qiang nodded in satisfaction. "In that case, go back and change your clothes. We’ll rendezvous in front of Jixiang Hall on Changning Street."