The new inner force did not only bring about a breakthrough in Lu Sheng's inner force. Black Tiger Jade Crane Skill and Black Fury Skill did not clash with one another. Now that it had been strengthened, Lu Sheng could feel the energy within his body gushing out in an endless stream. His Essence, Qi and Spirit were much stronger than before.
He stood up and used his palm as a saber, executing the stance of Tiger Kill.
Chi!
ROAR!!
A tiger's roar was faintly discernible, and the air immediately became scorching hot.
And this was the result of Lu Sheng using less than a quarter of his strength. If he wanted to achieve this effect with his previous strength, he would need to use at least half of his inner Qi strength.
"The effect of Inner Qi has at least doubled!" Lu Sheng was excited. He recalled the Jianghu masters that Uncle Zhao had once told him about.
"In the Jianghu, it's said that in the Central Plains, Strength Proficiency is just an ordinary expert. After that, there's still Intent Proficiency and Spirit Focus. Most of those famous experts were at the Spirit Focus level. Cultivating both internal and external cultivation, condensing the Divine Will, and every move of his could embody the essence of the martial arts he had learned. Because of this, his Inner Qi was endless, and his combat strength rose sharply. I wonder what level I've reached. "
Lu Sheng secretly calculated.
'I unintentionally attained Intent Proficiency back in Nine Links City. The Black Tiger Saber is my only Intent Proficiency martial art. But even without attaining Spirit Focus, the thickness of my inner Qi far exceeds that of an ordinary Intent Proficiency expert. If they were to fight against Spirit Focus, the outcome of the battle might not be certain. Therefore, I can be considered a Spirit Focus expert now, on the same level as those legendary figures of the Central Plains. "
He was confident that both Black Fury Skill and Black Tiger Jade Crane Skill had reached the pinnacle of Level Three. If an ordinary person were to practice this, it would take at least forty to fifty years. And this was under the premise that he had an extremely good aptitude and an endless supply of nourishing medicines and medicinal baths.
"I'm only nineteen this year, but I already have such a solid foundation. If there weren't any ghosts, I could go anywhere in the world. What a pity …" Lu Sheng sighed as he thought of the Demonic Ghost he had encountered.
Just as he was thinking about this, he suddenly heard the crowing of a rooster outside the window.
Lu Sheng looked out the window. It was already dawn. The night had passed just like that.
He got out of bed and quickly went out to fetch some water to wash up. After putting on his robe, he strode out of the room.
First, they went to a nearby restaurant to have breakfast. As usual, they had meat buns, millet porridge, and a plate of stir-fried vegetables. Although the style was simple, the quantity made the surrounding customers click their tongues in wonder.
The palm-sized meat buns had thin skin and a lot of filling. Lu Sheng took one bite at a time and didn't mind the heat at all. Ever since he started cultivating Black Fury Skill, his resistance to heat had greatly increased. For a short period of time, if he placed his hand on a candle to roast it, it would take him five or six breaths before he felt the heat.
There were six meat buns in each steamer. Lu Sheng ate five steamers in one go, which amounted to thirty meat buns. A plate of green vegetables was the last dish to relieve the greasiness. He picked it up with one hand and poured it into his mouth. He chewed a few times and swallowed it.
It was like drinking water after a big meal.
A bowl of millet porridge was placed at the side. It was the size of a forearm and was enough for five to six people. Lu Sheng picked up the bowl of millet porridge, which was the size of a washbasin, and took three bites.
He put down the bowl. There was no more porridge.
Oh!
The surrounding customers immediately cried out in surprise. For people like them who didn't have much to do with their daily lives, seeing such a rare occurrence was enough for them to brag for three days.
Lu Sheng's expression didn't change. After he finished eating, he elegantly wiped his mouth with a silk handkerchief and stood up to leave. The contrast between before and after was so great that the surrounding customers and waiters were flabbergasted.
Inner Qi was the refinement of essence into Qi. Where essence came from, it was food to eat.
He had two major inner skills, Black Fury Skill and Black Tiger Jade Crane Skill. Black Fury Skill had an extraordinary origin. Although it was incomplete, its effects were extraordinary. It could actually injure ghosts. As for Black Tiger Jade Crane Skill, it was a new life-force skill that Lu Sheng had extrapolated to the extreme. It was in charge of the body's circulation and recuperation.
The combination of the two made Lu Sheng's appetite even greater.
After breakfast, Lu Sheng hailed a horse carriage and headed for Eastern Mountain Institute. He didn't stop along the way. By the time he reached the institute, it was just in time for the morning bell to ring.
Lu Sheng alighted from the carriage and dashed into the institute, hurrying towards the school he was in.
Eastern Mountain Institute occupied a vast area, located at the foot of the Eastern Mountain outside Mountain-Edge City. Although it was close to the city, it wasn't actually under the jurisdiction of the city. It had its own private army and management system. The dean was addressed as Cave Master. He was an official official of the imperial court, appointed and dismissed by the imperial court. It was a completely different system from Mountain-Edge City.
Legend had it that after a great Confucian official became a minister, he returned to his hometown and founded the institute. Later, it slowly expanded and became the current Eastern Mountain Institute after many years.
Lu Sheng hurried into the school he was in with great familiarity. The one teaching them was Elder Lu, who had passed the Huiyuan Period.
Elder Lu had already arrived at the rostrum and was about to flip open his book to take attendance.
Lu Sheng and the other students who entered just in time bowed slightly to him and quickly found their seats.
The school was a rectangular room. More than ten students sat sparsely in it. These were all the students that Elder Lu was in charge of.
Lu Sheng's seat was beside Song Zhenguo. After he sat down, he tidied his robes and straightened his posture. Then, he started rummaging through his bookshelf for the history and literature books.
Every student in the school would have their books placed in their bookshelf in advance before they arrived. The bookshelf was the study table. However, because everyone was sitting cross-legged, it was considered a shorter version of the study table.
"Du Zhenxu." "Your student is here."
"Wang Dao." "Your student is here."
"Zhao Banyue." "Your student is here."
"Yan Song." "Your student is here."
Elder Lu was expressionless as he called out names one by one. Soon, it was Lu Sheng's turn.
"Lu Sheng." "Your student is here."
"Zhao Zhenguo." "Your student is here."
"Wang Ziquan."
"Wang Ziquan??"
Elder Lu's eyes twitched as he swept a stern gaze across the students present. With his memory, he had already memorized everyone's appearance, characteristics, and name. Now that he did so, he wanted to confirm if Wang Ziquan was really not here.
"Wang Ziquan is not here?" he asked again.
Song Zhenguo looked at Wang Ziquan's seat strangely. Indeed, there was no one there.
"Perhaps something urgent happened at home, so he went back first?" he muttered softly.
Lu Sheng also looked over. Wang Ziquan was indeed not here. For some reason, he suddenly recalled the strange pleasure boat he saw last night.
"Perhaps he overslept?"
Song Zhenguo was instantly surprised when he heard this. He seemed to have thought of something, and a strange smile appeared on his face.
The two of them stopped talking. Elder Lu saw that Wang Ziquan was really not here. He snorted and picked up a charcoal pen to write down Wang Ziquan's name.
"Let's begin today's lesson. Last time, we talked about 'the people's conduct is righteous by the law, and businesses prosper by sincerity' …" Elder Lu did not care about anything else and began to focus on explaining the meaning of the content.
Lu Sheng listened for a while and looked at Wang Ziquan's seat. He had a feeling that Wang Ziquan's absence might have something to do with the pleasure boat.
About two hours later, the lesson ended. Elder Lu carried his books and left in a hurry.
Lu Sheng and Song Zhenguo stood up from their seats.
"Looks like Young Master Sheng is very confident in the Annual Examinations." Song Zhenguo chuckled at Lu Sheng. "I see that Young Master has been listening to the lesson without any delay. Clearly, you have long understood the profound principles. The day of topping the Annual Examinations is just around the corner!"
"Don't be ridiculous, Brother Zhenguo." Lu Sheng smiled. He rather admired Song Zhenguo as a person. He was forthright and generous. Even though he came from a wealthy family, he did not look down on his classmates. More importantly, he was loyal to his friends. Whenever his friends needed his help, he would not hesitate. As long as it was within his means, he would agree to help.
"Chen Yunxi is here. You stood up for her yesterday. Looks like her heart is now tied to you. Go on, go on." Song Zhenguo glanced at the entrance of the classroom and winked at Lu Sheng.
Lu Sheng turned around and saw Chen Yunxi standing at the entrance. She had changed into a pure white muslin dress. Her white muslin sleeves hung low, concealing something in her hands.
Her long hair was coiled into a bun on top of her head and fastened with a white jade hairpin. Only a lock of black hair hung down from the side of her chest. She had long legs and a slender waist. Her skin was like jade, her figure was tall and her breasts were full.
She looked as pure as a fairy, causing Lu Sheng's heart to flutter for a moment.
"Who is this girl? Her legs are so long, she's so ugly! "A scholar at the side muttered softly, instantly ruining the atmosphere.
"That's right, that's right. Her legs are too long to look at. If not for that, this Young Master would have pursued this girl a long time ago."
"Oh, Chen Yunxi. If not for her ugly legs and her family's wealth, she would have countless suitors long ago. What a pity, what a pity …"
"Her legs are too ugly!"
"That's right, that's right!"
"Cut it out, all of you. She didn't want to look like this. Her body, hair, and skin are passed down from her parents. Who would be willing to be born with such deformity? We are all fellow students of the academy. Isn't it rude to criticize a fellow student like this? "A female student could not stand it anymore and tried to persuade them.
"Sigh …"
The students dispersed in an uproar.
Lu Sheng looked at Chen Yunxi's beautiful legs, which were extremely pleasing to the eye. Then, he looked at the students in the classroom who could not bear to look at her. He was speechless.
"Hurry up and go. Yunxi has dressed up especially for you," Song Zhenguo knew about the relationship between Lu Sheng and Chen Yunxi, so he gave Lu Sheng a push.
Lu Sheng strode over and grabbed Chen Yunxi's hand. Together, they left the hall and walked towards the academy's lecture platform.
The lecture platform was a place where the academy would invite famous scholars to give lectures every once in a while. Usually, it was sparsely populated, so it became a place for the academy's students to talk about love.
In this world, both men and women had the right to receive education and become officials. Although the status of men and women was not completely equal, the ancient China in Lu Sheng's mind was somewhat similar to the Tang Dynasty.
The two of them jogged all the way to a forest beside the lecture platform. The forest was close to the mountain wall, and the lighting was dim and chilly.
Only then did Lu Sheng stop in his tracks and turn to look at Chen Yunxi.
"Why are you here? Are you alright about what happened yesterday? "
Chen Yunxi smiled and extended her other hand from her sleeve. In her hand was a beautiful red peony.
"This is for you."
Lu Sheng was stunned for a moment. He took the peony. Although women in this world were bold and unrestrained, it was rare to find a woman as proactive as Chen Yunxi.
Chen Yunxi smiled. "Previously, my family wanted to arrange a marriage with that person from yesterday, so I asked my brother to beg and fawn over him, but it didn't work out in the end. He didn't even want me as a concubine. "
There was a hint of sadness in her smile.
"I know I'm not good-looking. My legs are too long … it's normal that he doesn't like me. Every time I hear someone say that my legs are long, I feel sad and can't help but lower my head, unable to bear to hear it anymore."
The corner of Lu Sheng's mouth twitched. He felt that there was something wrong with what she said. A strong sense of dissonance lingered in his heart.
"But I can't help it. Who asked me to be born with long legs?" Chen Yunxi raised her head and looked at him with a bitter expression. "I know you may not like me, but I really like you …"
She gritted her teeth and took out a roll of paper with a copper seal from her waist pouch. She gently unrolled it.
"My father said that he heard that Big Brother Lu's family is moving to a big city. Why don't you move here? As long as you're willing, these are the contracts for the 15 restaurants in Mountain-Edge City. They're all yours. It'll be enough for the Lu Family to stand firm. "
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