'This is … Needle-Piercing Qi?'
Lu Sheng walked to the side of a flowering tree and lightly touched its trunk. Instantly, numerous tiny pinhole-like marks appeared on the surface of the bark.
'Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill is actually Needle-Piercing Qi?!' His heart trembled.
How long had it been since he had first thought of inner force as a completely internal force mantra? Now, it could directly affect external objects, similar to the inner force in wuxia novels?
'That's not right. Just because I have such an effect doesn't mean others can do the same. Others can't do what I did without decades of cultivation. It must be because inner Qi is too strong, resulting in a qualitative change, resulting in such a special effect, 'Lu Sheng quickly understood.
Withdrawing his hand, he opened his palm and examined it. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it. Unlike Blood Fury Skill which was as red as blood, Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill was better at concealing itself.
'If I suddenly use Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill while circulating Blood Fury Skill …'
With a thought, Lu Sheng struck out simultaneously with Blood Fury Skill in his left hand and Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill in his right.
"Chi!"
A sharp howl suddenly exploded in the greenhouse.
The flowering tree in front of Lu Sheng, which was as thick as the mouth of a bowl, was struck from both sides. With a loud crack, it broke into pieces. The top half of the tree fell to the ground. The broken part was charred black, with pinhole-like wounds.
Lu Sheng did not hesitate. With a turn, he struck the ground with both palms.
"BAM!!"
With a cracking sound, two different palm prints appeared on the stone floor.
He stood up straight and looked down.
The Blood Fury Skill palm print on his right hand was a finger-deep charred black.
The Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill palm print on his left hand was a small pit with jagged edges more than two fingers deep.
'With the same amount of force exerted on both sides, Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill is much more lethal than Blood Fury Skill,' Lu Sheng suddenly understood.
'Is this even considered a life-force skill?' He was somewhat speechless. 'But Blood Fury Skill itself is being continuously converted by Ultimate Crimson Mantra. Ultimate Crimson Qi is much more powerful now and should be able to catch up. But now, Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill has become my trump card. '
Lu Sheng did not expect the combined Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill to be so powerful. It was almost twice as powerful as Blood Fury Skill. If used in an unexpected situation, it was enough to turn the tide of the battle.
In the greenhouse, he closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing for a while. Then, he slowly walked out and went to the small house on the side to rest and eat.
The small house was a grayish-brown bungalow, built from a special kind of black mud that was pressed into bricks and dried in the sun. Usually, it was a place for gardeners and caregivers to eat. Now that Lu Sheng had arrived, he moved a spot for him.
The dishes were delivered by Lu Sheng's men from the sect's branch in the city: three dishes and one soup: potato braised beef, chicken stewed with mushrooms, cold mixed meat jelly, and a bucket of old ginseng and tiger bone soup.
The dishes were all nourishing top-notch dishes exclusive to people at Lu Sheng's level. Ordinary people couldn't afford beef or chicken.
"This treatment is indeed unusual for a rich kid." Lu Sheng looked at the dishes in front of him and sighed.
"Isn't that so. Young Master, you may not know this, but every year, our Crimson Whale Sect sends our own men to raise large herds of cattle, as well as old ginseng and tiger bone soup. All of these are personally hunted by the hunting team in the forest. These can be exchanged for sect contribution points. To ordinary sect members, this bit of contribution points isn't much, but when accumulated, they can be exchanged for better martial arts manuals, "Ning San said respectfully.
Ever since they left Song Manor, Lu Sheng had kept him by his side. Not for any other reason, but because this Ning San could sleep with a whole bunch of ghosts for so long and still be safe and sound. This piqued Lu Sheng's curiosity.
Moreover, this person had a tenacious personality, knew when to advance and retreat, and had a good grasp of the ways of the world. Slowly, Lu Sheng had gotten used to having him by his side.
"The dishes taste pretty good, just a little spicy," Lu Sheng added a mouthful of cold mixed meat jelly. It tasted sour and vinegar, and he frowned slightly.
"I'll bring it to the head chef later," Ning San said hurriedly.
"Mm." Lu Sheng nodded. He picked up the wooden tub of soup the size of a human head and gulped it down in one big gulp.
After gulping down a third of the tiger bone soup, he used his chopsticks to scoop up the meat bones and ginseng into his mouth. The bones were tender from the stew, and the soup was incomparably fresh, carrying the faint sweet aroma of ginseng. Not bad at all.
Lu Sheng gobbled down in big mouthfuls, finishing more than half of the food before him in no time at all.
Just then, the sound of galloping horses could be heard from outside.
"Young Master!! Bad news!! Bad news!! "Duan Meng 'an rushed into the house, his body drenched in sweat, his expression fearful.
"What's the matter? Sit down and talk. " Lu Sheng picked up the rice tub unhurriedly and shoved a big mouthful of rice into his mouth, chewing a few times before swallowing. Then, he raised his head slowly to look at Duan Meng 'an.
This boorish man's face was pale, his forehead beaded with sweat. In his hand was a white piece of paper that looked like an invitation.
"Young Master! This is bad news! Vice Sect Master Gongsun has personally issued a challenge to you!! And it's a life and death invitation! "He quickly handed the invitation in his hand to Lu Sheng.
"Life and death invitation?" Lu Sheng raised his brows. "Looks like his niece is about to die. That old tortoise is finally willing to make a move."
Although he wasn't sure of Gongsun Zhanglan's strength, but no matter how strong he was, could he be stronger than the old Sect Master? Even if he was on par with him, with his robust inner Qi, would he be able to drag the other party to death?
"Young Master! That's Vice Sect Master Gongsun Zhanglan we're talking about! When he was young, he single-handedly founded Wanfeng Stronghold and killed thirteen bandits in a row. He's a top-notch expert who could single-handedly scare off thousands of bandits!! " Duan Meng 'an cowered. He was clearly a boorish and muscular man, but his temperament was timid and afraid of death. He was completely unlike Ning San. His physique wasn't strong enough, but his temperament was tenacious.
"So what? The rumors are mostly exaggerated. Moreover, Young Master isn't someone who's afraid of trouble. Shouldn't you have expected this when you injured Gongsun Jing? " Although Ning San was startled as well, his heart thumping wildly, his expression remained calm as he replied coldly. He had placed all his bets on Lu Sheng.
Unlike the brainless Duan Meng 'an, Ning San had long since noticed that Lu Sheng had intentionally injured Gongsun Jing in an attempt to incite a direct conflict between him and Gongsun Zhanglan. Since it was Young Master Lu Sheng who had initiated it, he should have a high degree of confidence. If he wanted to soar in his career and become External Affairs Minister Lu's trusted aide, this was an opportunity he mustn't miss.
"Since that old fart is willing to step forward, I'll accept this duel invitation," Lu Sheng picked up the invitation and gently flipped it open. There was only one line of words on it.
"Three days later, before sunset, Eternal Gorge, life and death duel. — Gongsun Zhanglan. "
"Interesting. Where's Eternal Gorge? "Lu Sheng asked casually.
"In reply to Young Master, it's in the depths of Eastern Mountain. It's a gorge rumored to be frequented by black tigers," Ning San replied.
"Do you know the way?" Lu Sheng asked.
The moment he said that, Ning San was momentarily stunned. Then, many thoughts ran through his mind. The meaning behind those words was clear. If he knew the way, it was highly likely that he would be the one to lead the way. The dangers hidden within were not to be divulged to outsiders.
If Lu Sheng lost, he might not be able to survive the enraged Gongsun Zhanglan.
Ning San fell silent for a moment as these thoughts raced through his mind.
"I do!"
Lu Sheng gazed at him deeply and smiled, "Alright then. You lead the way and we'll go together."
This was not an official life and death duel, but merely a personal grudge. Hence, neither side intended to make it public.
After his meal, Lu Sheng did not return to Mountain-Edge City. Instead, he headed straight for the Crimson Whale, heading towards the most precious and important repository of Crimson Whale Sect's manuals – the Martial Proclamation Library.
The Martial Proclamation Library was located right in the middle of the Crimson Whale's hull. It was heavily guarded and was an independent building built within the ship's hull.
The small, pitch-black building stood silently within the ship's hull. Rows of strong-looking physical experts guarded the perimeter vigilantly.
Lu Sheng took out his token and passed through the various checkpoints. Soon, he entered the first floor of the Martial Proclamation Library.
The first floor contained all sorts of basic martial arts. Most of them were even more common than Chasing the Wind Saber and Bear-Wrestling Hand. Not even the slightest trace of inner force mantra could be seen. Crimson Whale Saber Technique was also a free martial art here.
Lu Sheng even saw the Precious Eight Steps that he had learned in the past. This footwork had been modified to the highest level and was no longer as common as before. But ultimately, it was still a third-rate martial art and was of extremely low value.
With a casual glance, Lu Sheng discovered that the martial arts on the first floor were all ordinary stuff that had not even reached Strength Proficiency. Moreover, there were quite a number of people checking out the books. Walking in and out, there were people flipping through the books everywhere.
Without wasting any more time, he headed straight for the second floor.
There were much fewer people on the second floor. There were only a dozen or so people here and there, all quietly flipping through the manuals to find the martial arts they needed.
Some of the martial arts that required contribution were only listed with a name and introduction. The actual manuals were not in the bookshelves.
Lu Sheng looked along the rows of bookshelves and quickly found the location of the hard body skill Bear-Wrestling Hand. Indeed, it was a free hard body skill.
There were a few other hard body skills on the side, but they only had names and introductions.
"Golden Veil Skill", "Soul Breaking Fist", "Treasure Pillar Skill", "Dusk Dantian Inflating Skill" …
The hard body skills were lined up one by one, and the requirements to cultivate them were also clearly stated.
Lu Sheng was also very interested in hard body skills. After all, they were things that could save his life. If he could cultivate a few more, he would be able to save his life in a critical moment.
But at this moment, he suddenly thought of a problem.
'I'm learning more and more martial arts, and they're becoming more and more diverse. The energy and spirit I expend is also increasing. But it's a pity that my input is too scattered, and my improvement in actual combat isn't as great as I'd imagined. Perhaps I should choose a martial art as my main focus, and constantly extrapolate and raise its level. Bring it to an unimaginable level. Otherwise, no matter how many other martial arts I cultivate, it'll just be a mess, a mix of things but no mastery. '
He stood in front of the bookshelf, deep in thought.
After a while, Lu Sheng slowly came back to his senses.
'Ultimate Crimson Mantra is extensive and profound, with seven levels. It's enough for me to cultivate for a long time. I should focus on this as my main cultivation method. Besides, Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill is very powerful, and it can be used as a reserve for upgrading martial arts. It can be used as my second main skill, or even my trump card, killing me in a critical moment. '
Having made up his mind, Lu Sheng looked at the skills again and had a rough idea of what to do.
'I'll first pick a better hard body skill to save my life. Paired with Ultimate Crimson Mantra, it'll definitely be powerful enough when I attack.'
His gaze slowly swept across the hard body skills bookshelf. Almost ninety percent of hard body skills required the assistance of specially made medicinal soups and pills. Without such skills, Lu Sheng dared not hand over such a crucial matter that concerned his own cultivation and life to others. Even for the Crimson Sun Pill, he had asked a doctor about its composition. He had even tried it on a rabbit.
Therefore, he skipped over all hard body skills that required supplementary medicinal herbs.
There were only two bookshelves for hard body skills, with a total of fifteen manuals. This was all that Crimson Whale Sect had collected. Among them, there were manuals ranging from Strength Proficiency to Intent Proficiency, but no manuals higher than Spirit Focus.
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