Chapter 48

"Nothing inside is stained, the body is like withered wood, the intention is like cold ash, all causes are suddenly extinguished, the five aggregates are all empty."

"Guard the heart monkey, trap the intention horse, the spirit is restrained within, heaven nourishes the body."

Li Rui slowly stood up.

His right hand held the blade behind his back, his waist was curved like a bow, like a dragon nourishing a pearl, like a hen brooding over an egg, waving the blade slowly, tapping his feet lightly.

Every move and every style was natural and relaxed.

Boom!

Faintly, there was the sound of wind and thunder.

The movements seemed natural; Li Rui gradually entered the realm of unity between man and blade.

Whoosh~

Li Rui sheathed his blade and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. Looking up, he realized it was already evening.

Without knowing it, he had actually practiced for an hour.

"Did I just have an epiphany?!"

He looked at the long blade in his hand in disbelief; he had practiced for a full hour and didn't feel tired at all.

It is rumored that when practicing martial arts, sometimes when fortune arrives, one can enter a mysterious and profound state of epiphany.

In the state of epiphany, the speed of thinking is thousands of times faster than usual, and the progress of techniques is a thousand miles a day.

Even more so, some have epiphanies for days and nights, and when they open their eyes, their cultivation has increased several times.

It is a great fortune that people in the Jianghu can encounter but not seek.

Li Rui closed his eyes and felt carefully.

Sure enough!

Just now, in the state of epiphany, he had actually improved the Bai Yuan Blade into a version exclusive to himself.

His heart was pounding.

Although the difficulty of improving a technique is lower than creating one, it is still a feat far beyond what he, a newcomer to the martial path, could achieve.

"A great opportunity!"

It's not that the improved Bai Yuan Blade is stronger, but that it is more compatible with Li Rui.

Some places that felt stagnant and awkward when practicing before have all become clear.

And as time goes by, Li Rui can continue to improve along this line of thinking, eventually completely changing the Bai Yuan Blade.

Almost equivalent to self-creation.

Practicing self-created techniques often allows one to exert greater power.

"Truly refreshing!"

"Hall Master, what blade technique is this?"

Liang He looked at Li Rui with some surprise.

He accidentally saw Li Rui practicing martial arts, and his gaze was quickly attracted.

It wasn't that Li Rui's technique was exquisite.

It was just too slow.

So slow that it was like the morning exercise of an old man from a wealthy family in the city, with no power to speak of.

Can't understand, really can't understand.

Li Rui held his hands in front of his chest, palms facing down, slowly exhaled a breath, and then smiled slightly: "This is the Yin-Yang Nine-Turn Technique."

He made up this name himself, of course.

Used to cover people's eyes and ears, distinguishing it from the Bai Yuan Blade.

"Yin-Yang Nine-Turn Technique?"

Hearing the name of the technique, Liang He frowned slightly; he had never heard of this technique before.

Li Rui didn't explain much either.

The improved Bai Yuan Blade was already unrecognizable compared to before; even if someone from the Huaqing Sect saw it, they wouldn't be able to see any clues, which is why he dared to practice martial arts in the courtyard so openly.

"If you want to learn, I can teach you."

Li Rui said.

Liang He shook his head like a rattle, saying repeatedly:

"No, no."

He didn't have any plans to enter his elderly leisure life ahead of schedule.

Li Rui didn't force it.

With Liang He's current temperament, he is not suitable for practicing the Yin-Yang Nine-Turn Technique, or rather, the Yin-Yang Nine-Turn Technique is a technique suitable for elderly people to practice; there are very few people in the world who can practice this technique.

And his Yin-Yang Nine-Turn Technique is still in the initial stage, and there are many places that need to be improved.

"Truly not a moment of leisure."

In front of the Hun Tian Yi Hall.

Zhou Shulin propped himself up on the ground with a wooden sword, sweating profusely.

"A-He, you will definitely be able to get a good ranking in this grand examination; don't forget me when you become rich."

He looked at Liang He with a cheeky smile.

If a brother suddenly becomes better, the psychological changes will be divided into two parts.

At first, it is jealousy that makes people's faces hideous.

There is a saying in Qinghe: don't fear a brother's suffering, fear a brother's sudden wealth overnight; watching a brother who used to go bird-watching and sparrow-hunting together become high and unreachable is more painful than killing them.

This feeling sometimes lasts for a few moments, at most no more than a day.

Then it will turn into decisively hugging the brother's thigh, and calling him "foster father" will become exceptionally smooth.

Zhou Shulin had entered the second stage.

Liang He also smiled brightly; ever since being awakened by the Hall Master, his martial arts realm hadn't changed, but his combat power had improved by a large margin; below the Ninth Rank, he was already an outstanding figure.

He could even faintly see the threshold of the Ninth Rank.

His strength had increased greatly, and his mentality had become much more peaceful.

"That won't do; at least call me foster father once."

Liang He chuckled.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Shulin blurted out without even thinking: "Foster father, please accept your child's bow."

Bowing, of course, was impossible.

But it greatly satisfied a man's vanity.

What could be more refreshing than a brother calling you foster father?

Just as the two were joking around—

Zhou Shulin's peripheral vision suddenly caught a familiar figure.

"Hey, Liu Tong, why are you here?"

Liang He turned his head and saw Liu Tong walking over with big strides.

"Senior Brother Liu."

Liang He said, cupping his fists.

Liu Tong also smiled slightly: "Tao Shidi Zhou, Tao Shidi Liang."

Zhou Shulin looked Liu Tong up and down in surprise.

If he meets someone he likes, he treats them with sincerity, regardless of age and status.

He clicked his tongue in wonder: "Senior Brother Liu, abstinence is truly useful; no wonder they say eunuchs are easy to train into peerless experts."

Liu Tong laughed when he heard Zhou Shulin's joke: "My brother-in-law passed me the Tiger-Gallant Blade; it just reached small success recently, and I came here today to look for an internal cultivation method."

Tiger-Gallant Blade!

Hearing this name, both Zhou Shulin and Liang He were shocked.

If they remembered correctly, this blade technique was the signature skill of Deputy Rudder Master Zhang.

No wonder the change before and after was so great.

Clearly, after Liu Tong went to the Civil and Martial Hall, he gained the trust of his brother-in-law, the deputy rudder master.

By comparison, the techniques of Liang He and Zhou Shulin were somewhat unpresentable.

Liang He's expression remained unchanged: "Congratulations, Senior Brother Liu; you will definitely be able to ascend to another level in this grand examination."

Liu Tong waved his hands repeatedly, then looked indecent: "Don't, I know how much I weigh; instead, I'll treat you to the Flower Hua Yelou another day."

"There's such a good thing?"

Zhou Shulin's eyes lit up.

Ever since he went to the Flower Hua Yelou last time, he still couldn't forget it.

"We are all brothers; it's nothing."

Liu Tong was very casual.

The reason he could have good popularity in the Tiandi Alliance was mostly due to his generosity and willingness to spend money.

"Better to hit the sun than choose a day; it's getting dark, what are we waiting for, let's go!"

Zhou Shulin couldn't wait.

Liang He rolled his eyes.

He had always disliked that kind of smoky willow place; he still preferred the female hero sister.

Liu Tong shook his head and said: "Not today; many people died in the branch while executing missions yesterday, and I still have to go back to the hall to clean up the aftermath."

Both Liang He and Zhou Shulin were shocked.

The Hun Tian Yi Hall had little interaction with the outside world, so they didn't know that such a major event had happened yesterday.

Liu Tong pondered for a while:

"By the way, there was one who seemed to have stayed in the Hun Tian Yi Hall before, seems to be called... called Han Peng."

"Han Peng is dead?!"

(End of Chapter)