Chapter 53

That night, after Lu Qing put Xiao Yan to sleep and fed the black little beast, he lit an oil lamp and took out the "Four Directions Blade Manual."Interestingly, the black little beast had brought another old ginseng plant that night. The quality was no less than the previous one. Unfortunately, Lu Qing did not have any strange fish to exchange, so the little beast was visibly unhappy when it ate the fish. Lu Qing had to promise to catch a strange fish for it as soon as he had time, which finally appeased the beast. However, before leaving, the little beast did not take the ginseng with it and left it behind. Therefore, Lu Qing now owed the black little beast a strange fish.

Under the bright oil lamp, Lu Qing opened the first page of the "Four Directions Blade Manual." Quickly, he saw a dense white light and even a hint of red light emerging from the manual.

[Four Directions Blade: A manual recording a high-level blade technique.] sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ Nʘvᴇl(F)ire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

[Muscle and Bone Realm blade technique, emphasizing momentum and slaughter.]

[It is said that this blade technique was created by a martial arts master at the peak of the Muscle and Bone Realm, who poured his life's blood into it. With this blade technique, he once fought against a master of the Internal Organs Realm and survived.]

[Would you like to download and simulate it?]

"Is it really a manual with red light?" Lu Qing was surprised to see the red light on the manual. Having awakened his ability for so long, he had developed some judgment about the light emitted from items. Anything associated with red light was extraordinary, a true treasure. Whether it was the strange fish or the hundred-year-old ginseng, it was the same. This "Four Directions Blade" manual, which emitted a red light even stronger than the strange fish and ginseng, truly astonished Lu Qing. 

Choosing yes, he began to browse through the "Four Directions Blade" manual.

[Downloading... current progress: 1%, 2%, 3%...]

As Lu Qing flipped through the pages, the download progress gradually increased.

[...97%, 98%, 99%, 100%]

[Download complete. Starting simulation... current progress: 1%, 2%, 3%...]

When Lu Qing finished reading the manual, the progress bar reached 100%, and another progress bar appeared.

"So that's how it is. If it's detected that someone else is practicing a technique, it can be directly simulated. For manuals, they need to be downloaded first and then simulated," Lu Qing thought.

He waited patiently, and before long, the progress bar reached 100%.

[Simulation complete. Would you like to practice?]

Without hesitation, Lu Qing chose yes.

In the next moment, countless key points and insights on practicing the Four Directions Blade technique flooded his mind. Lu Qing closed his eyes slightly, quietly receiving this information. After a long time, he opened his eyes, a hint of shock in them.

"This Four Directions Blade technique is truly extraordinary."

By now, Lu Qing had absorbed all the insights from his mind and had a comprehensive understanding of the technique. The Four Directions Blade technique had only nine moves in total. Each move focused on mobilizing the entire body's strength to unleash the most powerful force and momentum, capable of cutting down any enemy.

The so-called "Four Directions" did not simply refer to the four cardinal directions but to the entirety of the world, wherever one's gaze could reach. The ambition of the martial artist who created this technique was indeed grand. Lu Qing saw in the manual that the creator of this blade technique aimed to use it to counter and defeat masters of the Internal Organs Realm.

Closing the manual, Lu Qing reached for a wooden blade he had made himself in the afternoon. It was not very beautiful but was sturdy enough. In this rural area, where could he find a real battle blade? He had to make do with this for now. After all, he was only practicing and not going to kill anyone.

Holding the wooden blade, Lu Qing stood silently, letting the insights about the Four Directions Blade technique flow through his mind. With these insights, he began to practice the moves recorded in the manual. After entering the Qi and Blood Realm, his control over his body had greatly improved. Although it was his first time practicing the blade technique, he already executed it quite well on the first try. This was partly due to the simplicity of the moves in the Four Directions Blade technique.

The technique consisted of nine moves, each straightforward, focusing on momentum rather than complexity. Practicing it was not difficult. The real challenge was how to mobilize the entire body's strength while wielding the blade to ensure that each strike unleashed the maximum power. This involved very complex force generation methods, including body movements, footwork, angles, and ways of striking, as well as the coordination of qi and blood with the bones. Mastery required a high degree of self-control.

After practicing a few times, Lu Qing, with the help of his mental insights, soon mastered the basic blade moves. However, he still struggled with the unique force generation method of the technique. He remained calm, continuing to practice the blade moves repeatedly. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. He believed that with the help of his insights, once he practiced the moves to a certain proficiency, everything would naturally fall into place.

Indeed, as he continued to practice, his mastery of the blade moves became increasingly refined. The connection between the moves grew smoother, and the technique flowed seamlessly. The nine moves of the Four Directions Blade technique, though simple, were interconnected, forming a whole. They were enough to cover all parts of the body, leaving no openings.

As Lu Qing practiced continuously, he minimized the gaps in the connections between the blade moves. Finally, when he eliminated the last flaw, a realization dawned upon him. The next moment, he took a step forward, linking his qi and blood throughout his body, which instantly burst forth, and he slashed down fiercely with the blade.

Whoosh!

Under the powerful force, the blade wind scattered, pressing the weeds under his feet flat to the ground.

After this strike, Lu Qing stood still, a look of joy on his face.

"So this is the feeling of linking qi and blood and bursting forth instantly."

Just now, Lu Qing had finally grasped how to coordinate the burst of qi and blood with the blade strike to maximize its power. According to the description in the "Four Directions Blade" manual, only by achieving this could one be considered to have truly entered the technique. If he could perform an entire set of blade moves, each strike accompanied by a burst of qi and blood, he would have achieved minor success in the blade technique.

"It wasn't easy. Without my abilities, it might have taken me another month to master the basics of the Four Directions Blade."

Although it seemed that Lu Qing had easily grasped the initiation of the technique in just a couple of hours, only he knew how difficult it was. He had been in a state of enlightenment with the help of his abilities. Even so, it took a significant amount of time to master the basics. Of course, this was partly because he had never practiced a blade technique before. Ordinary martial artists rarely experienced enlightenment, and for them to master the Four Directions Blade might take a year or more.

Grabbing the wooden blade, Lu Qing intended to strike while the iron was hot and continue practicing. Suddenly, he heard a cracking sound from the blade. It turned out that he had used too much force during the last move, causing the wooden blade to crack.

"It seems I need to find a way to get a real blade."