Chapter 77: Breakthrough in the Mid Bone‑forging Stage!

After a short while.

Lu Zhangsheng arrived at Chen Qiushi's courtyard.

During the past ten‑plus days, he had been wandering the village and had learned the residences of several people.

But he had no interaction with them; both sides kept to themselves like water in separate wells.

He stepped into the courtyard and headed straight for a small house in the center.

Inside, he found the place completely empty.

A dark red stain seeped into the black wooden plank bed.

Clearly, Chen Qiushi had completely sacrificed himself.

Yet, before dying, he performed a final flamboyant ghost act, which was at least worthwhile.

Lu Zhangsheng went to the bedside, fumbled in his clothing for a moment, and took out several silver notes and a memory stone.

He then headed toward the homes of the other people.

Soon, he collected the others' belongings in the same manner.

After finishing, Lu Zhangsheng came to a corner and directly activated Chen Qiushi's memory stone.

"Hum…"

A beam of light shimmered in the empty space ahead.

Two silhouettes on it seemed to come alive, recording the couple's warm daily life.

From their meeting to the final moment, everything was clearly recorded.

But the details of the victimization were not shown; they could only be inferred from the images.

Lu Zhangsheng's reason for taking the memory stone was simple.

It was to prevent certain people from turning the tables after he left.

These people belong to powerful aristocratic lineages; four fell while only he survived, so the others would surely spread rumors and even slander him.

Having these in hand makes a decisive weapon at critical moments.

It can not only cleanse his own reputation but also strike a blow to the other's face.

Then, Lu Zhangsheng gathered his thoughts and walked toward the western part of the village.

Just as he passed Liu Jingshu's house, she slowly stepped out, smiling.

"Have you figured it out, husband? Do you wish to stay here and be together forever?"

Liu Jingshu's tone was gentle, her eyes shimmering like rippling water.

"I am preparing to leave this place; let your love go to someone else…"

Lu Zhangsheng's expression remained calm; he stepped past her and hurried forward.

"You are only a Bone-forging Warrior; you cannot escape this place…"

Liu Jingshu wore a look of complete confidence.

But Lu Zhangsheng's next move left her utterly astonished.

Lu Zhangsheng marched along the street, heading straight for a spot in the western village.

At first she thought he had stumbled by accident.

But when she saw Lu Zhangsheng advance without any hesitation, her complexion changed instantly.

"Impossible! How did you discover it?"

Liu Jingshu's tone was full of doubt.

Lu Zhangsheng paid no heed to the madness, still carrying the Pig Slaughter Knife, and rushed forward.

As he drew nearer, the energy concentration on the panel grew stronger.

"Energy concentration 108."

"Energy concentration 120."

…

When he arrived before a dilapidated thatched hut, the energy concentration finally peaked.

At that moment, an anomaly erupted.

"Since you discovered it, then die."

Evil light flared in Liu Jingshu's eyes; black claws lunged forward, aiming at Lu Zhangsheng's back.

This strike was far stronger than the probing attack ten days earlier.

Clearly, the female trickster had been numbing Lu Zhangsheng, yet still retained most of her power.

Unfortunately, her wishful scheme fell short; even with such strength, she was still lacking a bit.

"Clang clang…"

At that instant, a bright cold flash streaked from the void, slashing swiftly toward the rear.

The blade, like a thunderbolt, struck the black claws with a fierce, delayed blow.

It was Lu Zhangsheng who acted.

He unleashed his full strength; after activating the Three Fold Wave secret technique, his Qi and blood surged wildly, his aura climbing without limit.

"Boom boom boom…"

Both sides collided violently.

Intense sparks flickered in the void, ground stones shattered from the shock, leaving the scene in ruins.

With a single blow, Liu Jingshu retreated ten meters quickly, her face solemn.

She hadn't expected that her surprise attack would yield no advantage.

"Your strength is impressive; I can't do anything to you."

She also had to admit that she had underestimated Lu Zhangsheng.

Lu Zhangsheng ignored the woman and rushed forward.

Liu Jingshu struggled to block from behind.

"Boom— Boom— Boom—…"

The fierce clash echoed through the street corner, and dust and smoke billowed everywhere.

Lu Zhangsheng went full‑throttle, fully activating the Great Cauldron Technique, and a giant illusory shadow tightly enveloped him.

His surrounding radiance completely blocked the opponent's claws.

Then he activated his footwork, leapt, and in a few flickers arrived inside the thatched hut.

"Whoosh…"

As Lu Zhangsheng entered the hut, Liu Jingshu suddenly vanished.

Clearly she had completely given up blocking Lu Zhangsheng and knew she could no longer stop him.

Lu Zhangsheng scanned the surroundings.

He saw two objects ahead instantly catch his attention.

Two Yin Soul Stones and an azure stone tablet lay quietly in a corner.

Lu Zhangsheng hurried in and took the two Yin Soul Stones in his hands.

These two Yin Soul Stones appeared noticeably deeper than before.

"Top‑grade Yin Soul Stone detected, absorb?"

A crisp Prompt Sound rang in his mind again.

"Absorb."

Lu Zhangsheng whispered silently.

"Source Energy Points +200."

Seeing the change on the panel, Lu Zhangsheng's expression froze.

Those two Yin Soul Stones had added that many Source Energy Points.

This Heavenly Calamity was indeed extraordinary; ordinary demons usually grant only a few dozen points.

This time was a sheer pleasant surprise.

Then Lu Zhangsheng turned his gaze to the azure stone tablet.

The abnormal energy source indicated on the panel clearly came from this object.

The tablet was also one of the strange sources.

He activated the Great Cauldron Technique, encasing his palm with qi and blood, then slowly approached the tablet.

After a moment, when his hand touched the tablet, only a faint chill was felt.

No other findings.

There was no system Prompt Sound in his ears.

Could it be that this object cannot be absorbed?

But on second thought, Lu Zhangsheng understood.

The object was related to Liu Jingshu, possibly part of her body; being a possessed item, it could not be absorbed.

Then, without hesitation, he raised the Pig Slaughter Knife and swiftly slashed at the tablet.

"Boom— Boom— Boom—…"

A dazzling cold light flashed in the void and instantly struck the tablet.

The tablet shattered into pieces and burst apart instantly.

It turned into clusters of fragments that scattered on the ground.

Around the stone shards a black aura emanated, quite malevolent.

At that moment, the black aura flared, and the tablet began to slowly recombine.

As if it would revert to the azure tablet in the next instant.

"Undying thing?"

It seemed this was one of the sources of the Heavenly Calamity, indeed hard to slay.

Lu Zhangsheng no longer hesitated and turned toward the exit.

The moment he stepped out, his expression froze.

The surroundings had drastically changed; the former village had vanished, leaving only dense jungle and wildly growing weeds.

Lu Zhangsheng guessed that the Heavenly Calamity realm had temporarily vanished, heavily linked to his breaking of the tablet.

He then sprinted swiftly toward the forest ahead.

With a kick of his legs, he flickered a few times and vanished nearby.

After Lu Zhangsheng disappeared, Liu Jingshu finally appeared, gazing at his back with a lingering look.

"We will certainly meet again…"

…………

Two days later.

Dawn, the morning sun just rose.

After returning to the county town, Lu Zhangsheng hurried straight to the Zhen Yao Si Office.

Amidst the reverent gazes of the townsfolk on both sides of the street, he soon arrived at the gate of the DemonSubduingOffice.

He stepped inside and headed straight for Qin Ruobing's location.

When Lu Zhangsheng hurriedly entered the main hall, he found Qin Ruobing buried in paperwork, quite focused.

Lu Zhangsheng didn't immediately disturb the other party; instead, he began to wait.

After half a cup of tea's time.

Qin Ruobing set down the brush in her hand and gave a faint smile.

"Is everything proceeding smoothly?"

Lu Zhangsheng lightly nodded.

Then he informed the other party of the mission's progress, but kept the panel's probing function.

"This natural disaster is indeed strange; it's good that we can return."

Qin Ruobing smiled and nodded.

Then she seemed to think of something, a strange hint appearing on her face.

"You did well in taking the Image Stone; some people might cause trouble at your ascension ceremony, and then they would trigger the Image Stone on the spot…"

She had already devised a countermeasure; at that time, the other two FuduDianZhu would certainly lose face.

The three were both colleagues and rivals; this time she finally managed to win a battle.

Thinking of this, she felt rather pleased.

After the two exchanged words for a moment, Lu Zhangsheng turned and left the place.

With the other's endorsement, there would be no need to panic later.

Qin Ruobing watched Lu Zhangsheng's departing figure and couldn't help bursting into laughter, caring not at all about her image.

She hadn't expected such a thing to happen.

Soon, Lu Zhangsheng returned to his own small courtyard.

He went to the study.

He opened the panel.

Source Energy Points: 370.

These past days the Pangolin had collected another Spiritual Creature, and together with the rewards from this mission, it was just right to upgrade a cultivation technique again.

With the situation urgent, he hesitated not and clicked the plus sign after Silver Arm Skill.

"Bzz…"

In his mind it seemed as if evening drums and morning bells were striking, and a subtle wave descended instantly.

【After ten years of arduous cultivation, you have finally brought Silver Arm Skill to the Minor Accomplishment realm…】

Technique: 【Silver Arm Skill】 (Minor Accomplishment)

Source Energy Points: 170.

This point addition consumed a total of two hundred points; at the Pangolin's current collection rate, it should be possible to upgrade the sword method again soon.

Lu Zhangsheng looked at the remaining Source Energy Points and thought to himself.

After this successful breakthrough, his strength surged a great deal.

If before the breakthrough his strength was comparable to some newly‑breakthrough Bone-forging later stages, then now he has fully entered the realm of Bone-forging Perfected.

If he improves another level, he would be on par with those who have been famous for decades at Bone-forging Perfected.

As for Silver Arm Skill, once Perfected, it would likely render Bone-forging invincible.

Lu Zhangsheng clenched his fist, and a powerful force surged to his heart.

This feeling of growing stronger step by step made him quite intoxicated.

In this strange chaotic era, strength is the capital for survival.

In the following days, Lu Zhangsheng stayed at home, practicing martial arts.

News of his solitary return began to stir a ripple in the outside world.

Moreover, with the Wenxiang Sect temporarily inactive, the county town's atmosphere grew increasingly eerie.

Four Great Families, Chen family's residence.

"You mean Chen Qiushi and the others all perished, and only Lu Zhangsheng returned?"

"Indeed, other great families are also aware of this."

"I understand this; this person's ascension to the Great Hall isn't far off, and then…"

Inside a small hut, two figures were whispering to each other.

(End of chapter)