Chapter 30 - Chapter 30: Chapter 21: Perfection in Swordsmanship i

Chapter 30: Chapter 21: Perfection in Swordsmanship i

Translator: 549690339

Ever since Lan Shijin and Leng Yuening moved next door, Ye Yingying finally had someone to talk to, and Xu Mu had more time for cultivation.

Time flows without interruption!

Xu Mu’s days were tranquil yet enriching. He was either engaged in alchemy or practising his fire skills every day. His wealth and power were continuously increasing, and he was completely engrossed in it.

There was only one thing that annoyed him!

Little Ling’er had got such used to the attention from the three women that she didn’t even let her own father touch her now.

Sigh!

It seems as your daughter grows up, she finally starts avoiding her father!

Xu Mu could only console himself in this way.

As for the fusion of fire skills, the results were indeed gratifying. Without using any Luck Value, he had already reached the tier two grandmaster level in the Fire-controlling Skill; 2641/6400.

All tier one fire skills had been almost entirely fused, and now he was trying to fuse the tier two ones.

However, the difficulty of practising tier two skills was much greater than tier one, which slowed his progress significantly.

Moreover, as more and more skills are incorporated into the fusion, the resulting increase in proficiency after each fusion becomes lower and lower. Perhaps it was because the overlapping parts were increasing, but luckily the power of his Fire-controlling Skill was continuously improving.

Xu Mu was planning to save up Spirit Stones and directly purchase a jade slip for tier three Fire-controlling Skill.

If he could fuse the tier three Fire-controlling Skill, his Fire-controlling Skill would definitely be promoted to tier three. Not only would his power greatly increase, but it might also make the cultivation of tier two fire skills simpler.

Of course, if he had enough money, he wanted to buy all the jade slips for skills.

However, this was sure to remain a beautiful dream, as the price of the jade slips was quite high.

As his progress in skills slowed, Xu Mu remembered that he should improve his Thunderbolt Sword Skill.

The Fasting Pills had long been bought, and he had accumulated 810 Luck Value points. It was more than enough to advance his Thunderbolt Sword Skill to perfection.

HE did not hesitate to put resources into his body, considering it the capital of his revolution.

“The Thunderbolt Sword Skill at perfection level corresponds to the Body Refinement Stage. Once you reach the ‘Purifying the Organs’ phase, your breath will be long-lasting, and you’ll be able to burst with full power for a long time!”

“I wonder how powerful it will be?”

Xu Mu was very much looking forward to it.

One day, he told Ye Yingying that he was going to isolate himself for cultivation and asked her not to disturb him for the next two or three days.

Ye Yingying naturally agreed.

“My dear, can 1 invite Sister Lan to eat at our home? She brings me stuff every day, and I feel a little embarrassed!”

Ye Yingying was nervously grabbing her sleeves.

“Of course! You can make decisions for such things!” Xu Mu smiled.

“But remember what I told you, do not leave the alley, preferably stay in the house, also, always keep the bracelet and talisman with you!”

“Yes, I know! My love, you are the best!”

Seeing Xu Mu agreed, Ye Yingying jumped excitedly and gave him a kiss.

Xu Mu affectionately tousled her hair.

It had been a long time since he had seen Ye Yingying so happy and he felt greatly comforted.

“Considering that Lan Shijin often helps take care of Ling’er, maybe 1 should buy a gift from the marketplace to thank her!”

After all, courtesy demands reciprocity!

Having made all the arrangements, Xu Mu went into the storage room and took out all one hundred Fasting Pills placed them on the ground in front of him.

He opened the system.

He began enhancing his skills!

[Thunderbolt Sword Skill-*-5]!

As the level of the Thunderbolt Sword Skill increased, the energy consumed each time also increased. Even though Fasting Pills were easy to digest, it took some time, while the system rate of energy extraction was almost instantaneous.

To avoid harming his body, Xu Mu could only incrementally consume the Luck Value.

As for the Fasting Pills, he had to eat them one bottle after another.

By the third day!

Thunderbolt Sword Skill smoothly reached the limit of proficiency; 399/400.

The next step was reaching perfection!

Xu Mu first swallowed two bottles of Fasting Pills, took a deep breath, and while the effects of the pills had not yet diffused, he swiftly allocated one point from his Luck Value to the Thunderbolt Sword Skill.

[Thunderbolt Sword Skill+1]!

[Thunderbolt Sword Skill, Perfection; 0/800]!

Gurgling sound!

The next moment, a dull croaking sound, like a large toad was hidden inside, suddenly came from his abdomen.

Crunch crunch!

In his perception, the Fasting Pills he had just swallowed were instantly crushed to powder by the stomach and intestines and then absorbed completely.

Xu Mu did not hesitate and immediately swallowed another bottle of Fasting Pills. He swallowed gulp after gulp.

And this way, one bottle at a time, he had swallowed ten bottles before the movements in the stomach stopped. Simultaneously, his stomach and lungs itched unbearably.

Spit!

A mouthful of blackish-bloody thick sputum was spat out, and his lungs felt much relieved right away.

Exhale!

The next moment, Xu Mu couldn’t help but inhale deeply. His mouth and nose seemed like a bottomless pit as massive volumes of air were sucked in, resulting in a violent whirlwind that stirred up a mini storm in the room.

His abdomen, puffed up with the inflowing air, suddenly swelled like a pregnant woman.

The next moment, Xu Mu forcefully exhaled!

Fizz!

A stripe of white fog, like an arrow, shot out from his mouth. It tore through the air, crashed straight into the wall two meters away, and made a loud explosive sound. The white fog instantly diffused.

Xu Mu’s puffed-up belly began to slowly deflate as he exhaled.

At this moment, his eyes were bright and spirited, his mind was clear, reactions were sharp, and his body felt like it was full of inexhaustible strength, as if a powerful bull was hiding within.

With a slight force from his toes, the muscles of his entire body responded like intertwined steel bars and abruptly sprung him up to a sitting position.

He clenched his fist and swung it forcefully!

The force came up from his toes, passed through his waist, reached his shoulders and elbows, and the bones rattled. The fist tore the air with a bang.

It was like someone smashing an empty can with a powerful punch.

Inhale, swing!

Xu Mu’s power flowed like a river, unending. He swung hundreds of fists at once, and the entire area was filled with the shadows of his fists. It was as though he had eight arms, and the continuous explosive sounds seemed like a string of firecrackers being lit off.

Only after a long time did he stop and slowly retracted his fists and exhaled.

“So, this is the power of ‘Purifying the Organs’! One breath can last as long as a whale’s, and explosive power flows continuously! Moreover, I can channel the power of the entire body through each breath, and each move can explode with seven to eight hundred jin of power!”

“If I also add the Light Body Skill and wield a sharp sword…”

Xu Mu could already imagine the terrifying power of the fully explosive Thunderbolt Sword Skill.

“It’s time to prepare a good sword!”

Xu Mu pondered to himself.

Although he didn’t plan to change his fighting style, having another trump card would provide an extra layer of assurance.

If anything unforeseen happened, he wouldn’t be at a loss.

He stood up, pacing around the room, adjusting to the various changes in his body.

At this moment, his breaths, long and continuous, resembled that of a dormant old turtle. Ordinary people standing next to him wouldn’t even be able to perceive his breathing.

His breath deeply circulated throughout his body, thoroughly purifying any impurities amongst his internal organs. Every inhalation and exhalation carried a faint fresh scent.

The ancients had a saying: expel breath as fragrant as orchid!

Originally used to describe women, it was surprisingly appropriate to describe him at the moment.

When he opened the system to check, he found a surprising delight – his lifespan had increased by two years.

“Bang Bang!”

Urgent knocking suddenly came from outside the room.

Sir, are you okay?”

It was the anxious voice of Ye Yingying.

Obviously, the noise just now had reached her ears.

“I’m fine! There was a small breakthrough in my practice, just exercising a bit!”

Xu Mu opened the door to reassure his worried wife.

Once he had calmed his wife down, he returned to the storeroom, prepared to use up all the remaining Fasting Pills.

“Thunderbolt Sword Skill +5!”

The next moment, a strong sense of hunger suddenly hit him. Luckily, his strong constitution kept him from fainting.

“The consumption suddenly increased so much just from breaking through one layer?”

Xu Mu hurriedly took two more bottles to feel slightly more comfortable.

“Such a money-burning thing!”

Grousing inwardly, Xu Mu had no choice but to reduce the number of points he added each time.

From five points down to two points.

Add two points, just right to consume a bottle of Fasting Pill!

“Based on this ratio, to breakthrough the Thunderbolt Sword Skill to the master level, 1 need at least four hundred bottles of Fasting Pills, which is eight hundred Lower-grade Spirit Stones!”

This is the most ideal outcome, because the more he advanced, the more he consumed. It’s not just after breaking through the levels when the consumption would significantly increase.

That is, to advance to the master level, a minimum consumption of four hundred bottles of Fasting Pills is required, possibly up to five hundred, even six hundred bottles.

And this doesn’t even consider the huge consumption when breaking through a bottleneck.

“I’m afraid that relying solely on Fasting Pills won’t be enough in time!”

Clearly, the energy contained in the Fasting Pills could no longer keep up with his progress.

It’s possible that the energy consumed to add one Luck Value would require several bottles of Fasting Pills in the end.

His stomach is only so big, if he cannot find a pill that contains stronger energy, even if he filled his stomach with Fasting Pills, he might not be able to replenish in time.

Xu Mu suddenly realized that this Thunderbolt Sword Skill seems to be a trap.

According to this rate of progression, a sea of resources would have to be consumed to reach the transcendent level.

Let’s not talk about ordinary cultivators who can’t afford it, even foundation establishment stage cultivators might find it hard.

“Am I practicing the wrong way?”

Xu Mu found himself confused for a moment.

Thinking back, he didn’t seem to have seen any body refinement cultivators in the marketplace.

Could there be a secret that he wasn’t aware of?

After thinking for a long time, getting a headache, he still had no idea.

Xu Mu simply stopped thinking about it!

At least he could still withstand it for now, so he decided to take things one step at a time! And if he can’t continue, then he won’t practice it anymore!

After he exhausted the remaining Fasting Pills, he opened the system to check again.

“Name: Xu Mu”

“Lifespan: 63/114

“Stage: Qi Cultivation Fourth Stage; 120/500”

“Martial Methods: Spirit Flame Jue, perfection; 18/800”

“Skills:”

Alchemy:

Proficient in Fasting Pill; 315/400, Master of Qi Gathering Pill; 56/1600, Proficient in Tier 2 Jade Marrow Pill; 224/800

Skills:

Fire-controlling Skill at the Grandmaster level; 2641/64.00, Wind Blade Skill, skilled; 108/200, Light Body Skill, master; 3/1600, Invisibility Technique, perfection; 5/800…

Swordsmanship:

Thunderbolt Sword Skill, perfection; 59/800

Divine Skills: None

“Achievement:”

Fortunate Birth: Increase 10 luck value every day!

Luck Value: 233

Due to an unhesitant input of pills, his cultivation has improved much faster than before. It is estimated that in less than half a year, he would be able to break through to the fifth layer of Qi Cultivation.

However, Xu Mu was still somewhat dissatisfied.

After all, he was already over sixty years old – the earlier he could break through, the greater the possibility of establishing his foundation in the future.

“I remember Lan Shijin is an Array Master. I could pay her to set up a Spirit Gathering Array at home!”

He is currently mainly consuming Jade Marrow Pills and Qi Gathering Pills.

Jade Marrow Pills were used to improve his cultivation talent, and Qi Gathering Pills were used to speed up his absorption of spiritual energy. Both of these pills depended somewhat on the external environment.

With a good talent, the speed of absorbing spiritual energy would increase, and breaking through bottlenecks would become easier.

Qi Gathering Pills directly speed up the absorption of surrounding spiritual energy.

If there was a Spirit Gathering Array at home, it would undoubtedly double his practice efficiency.

“I need to buy a good sword, as well as Skill Jade Slips, and also find a substitute for Fasting Pills. Why does it feel the more I earn, the more it isn’t enough?”

Xu Mu grumbled to himself in frustration.

After organizing his thoughts, he felt he could prioritize the set up of Spirit Gathering Array, as it was the lowest cost. Once set up, not only could he use it, but Ye Yingying could also utilize it.

As for other things, they will have to be postponed based on circumstances!

The next day, Xu Mu took all the pills he had refined over the past two months to the marketplace to sell, while also buying supplies and items for the festival.

As in a few days, it would be the biggest festival in this world – the Spring Festival!