Chapter 109: Riding the Wind to the Heavens, the Orthodox Path of Observing the World!

"It hasn't even been a day and it's already risen by over a thousand units; I really underestimated the effect of this big operation."

This suddenly surging amount of Luck Power was more than all the Luck Power he had obtained since transmigrating, which made Lu Yuan feel overjoyed at this very moment.

Such a vast amount of Qi Luck.

He could either light up many Earthly Fiend Arts at once, advance his Guiding Technique, or save this Luck Power to prepare for lighting up a Heavenly Gang Divine Ability.

Although the lowest-level Heavenly Gang Divine Ability, 【Nail-Head Seven Arrows】, required a massive ten thousand units of Qi Luck, the influence of this operation was truly too great, and even now, a steady stream of Qi Luck was gathering; accumulating these small amounts could build up significant progress toward lighting up a Heavenly Gang Divine Ability.

"I'll leave the Heavenly Gang Divine Ability for later; for now, I can upgrade my Guiding Technique first."

Various thoughts flashed through Lu Yuan's mind in turn, and then, without hesitation, he issued a command to the Heavenly Book:

"Advance, Guiding!"

Hum.

Qi Luck burned for it, the Heavenly Book in his mind vibrated, blooming with boundless light.

Under the illumination of such vast and magnificent radiance, he felt like a Buddha experiencing sudden enlightenment under the Bodhi tree; countless understandings, inspirations, and experiences regarding the Guiding Technique surged into his heart, as if he had attained a great awakening.

This state of sudden enlightenment lasted for about a quarter of an hour, and as a sound like a thunderclap—as if a barrier had shattered—flashed through his mind, Lu Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze distant and filled with the weight of ages:

"So, that's how it is."

【Earthly Fiend-Guidance】: Earth (0%)

【Luck Power】: 1149 units

Having consumed over four hundred units of Qi Luck, this fundamental cultivation method, Guidance, had already advanced.

Without a word, Lu Yuan sat cross-legged, his mind emptying into stillness, and began Zen Meditation Sitting to condense his True Qi.

And with this practice, he immediately felt a difference from before.

Whether it was preparing medicine, gathering medicine, sealing the furnace, or refining, every step became smooth and natural, flowing according to his will, and his efficiency climbed significantly.

In the past, it took an hour to complete one cycle, but now the efficiency was nearly fifty percent faster!

The efficiency of Zen Meditation Sitting was equivalent to the efficiency of his cultivation, which also meant his speed of Refining Essence into Qi could be greatly increased; after the advancement of Feeding and Guiding, he had originally calculated that it would take him over five years to reach perfection in his cultivation, but now that could be shortened to just one or two years!

"A fifty percent increase in efficiency; those four hundred-plus units of Qi Luck were well spent."

Feeling the changes brought about by the advancement of the Guiding Technique, Lu Yuan opened his eyes, feeling satisfied.

Afterwards.

Because his Luck Power was now abundant, he thought for a moment and communicated with the Heavenly Book again:

"Light up, Wind Riding!"

As his intent was issued, the Heavenly Book vibrated, and the characters upon it bloomed with brilliant light, drifting up and falling into the sea of his heart.

"Heaven and Earth are natural, the foul Qi disperses, the void within the cave, the vastness of the Great Origin."

At the same time, the incantations and cultivation methods for the Wind Riding Technique also emerged in Lu Yuan's heart, and he quickly understood and digested them.

【Earthly Fiend-Wind Riding】: Riding the wind to travel is the skill of flying and soaring; one can fly into the clouds to traverse the four seas and eight wildernesses, or gather wind into a weapon to attack enemies invisibly.

Without a doubt, the effect of this Earthly Fiend Art was to manipulate and command the winds of heaven and earth; its primary ability was Wind Riding flight, and its secondary ability was to command the power of gale winds to attack enemies.

Lu Yuan didn't care about the attack methods, but he had coveted Wind Riding flight for a long time, and today he could finally master it.

Immediately, he silently digested it for a while, and once he had fully grasped the content of the art, he began to try and perform it.

Just like all other Earthly Fiend Arts.

He formed hand seals and chanted the incantations, failing several times at first, then summarizing his errors and mistakes before trying again; his Dharma Power boiled, and suddenly he felt streams of breeze and airflow appearing out of thin air around his body.

He controlled the output of his Dharma Power with his mind, causing this airflow to whistle and swirl around him; under the influence of a mysterious force, he felt his body become ten or a hundred times lighter, and then, with ease, he was lifted up by the breeze and airflow, hovering inside the room!!

"Hahahaha, interesting, interesting!"

With the new art mastered, Lu Yuan felt joyful; with a flick of his sleeve, a gust of wind suddenly whistled out, blowing the window open.

Afterwards, he first cast an Invisibility Technique upon himself to hide his form, then increased his Dharma Power, controlled the wind currents swirling around him, and suddenly flew out of the window, arriving outside.

Because he was not yet very proficient, his invisible form flew somewhat unsteadily, flying around in the air of the courtyard like a drunken wild goose.

But as he adapted and gained control, his form became increasingly stable, and his flight altitude grew higher and higher; in just over a quarter of an hour, he had flown from his small courtyard to a height of several dozen zhang above the ground!

The setting sun was like blood, and the wind whistled sharply.

At this height, he could basically overlook the entire panorama of Jinjin; the people, horses, and traffic on the streets were as small as ants. Standing between heaven and earth, carried by the gale, Lu Yuan felt his heart surge with emotion.

Swish—!

Unable to suppress the excitement in his heart, he exerted his full strength to perform the Wind Riding Technique, moving forward, shuttling and flying at full speed over Jinjin, becoming increasingly free and unrestrained.

If he hadn't already used the Invisibility Technique to conceal his form, he would surely have been discovered by the city's inhabitants, causing a huge sensation.

And he didn't fly with such abandon for long.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Lu Yuan felt his Dharma Power being consumed rapidly, with less than one-fifth remaining, so he immediately turned around and descended toward the direction of his small courtyard.

The gale whistled, kicking up fallen leaves; after his feet touched the ground, he immediately dispelled both the Wind Riding and Invisibility techniques, his face full of satisfied smiles:

"If we calculate the speed using modern methods, it should be about two hundred kilometers per hour. It doesn't sound that fast, but that's because I haven't mastered it yet."

"If I master it, the speed should be able to reach several hundred kilometers per hour, basically the same as a modern airplane; I could make a round trip between Jinjin and Fengyang Prefecture within a day."

"Soaring through the void and riding the wind, this is what a cultivator should be like."

For a cultivator, flying through the air is only the most basic ability.

But in this world, flying through the air with one's own physical body is no less than a myth, and it is an absolute dimensionality reduction strike.

Especially in the current world, where even the most technologically advanced Shenluo Alliance has not yet invented airplanes, and the only aerial power is the relatively slow Steam Airship.

And even these Steam Airships, which are said to have a speed of no more than one hundred kilometers per hour, were once able to cross the heavy defensive lines of the Jin Dynasty and carry out large-scale bombing of the Great Jin palace over the capital, Tianjing; within the Jin Dynasty, neither the Undying Demon Empress nor the many experts could do anything about it, and they could only flee in panic.

And Lu Yuan, now having mastered Wind Riding and the Pot Heaven Art, is far more swift and flexible than the Shenluo Alliance's Steam Airships; to a certain extent, he can already moonlight as a bomber, carrying out large-scale strikes on any strategic target.

Of course, the only drawback is the same old problem: the Wind Riding Technique consumes a great deal, and his current Dharma Power can only sustain it for one or two quarter-hours; his endurance is still far from enough.

However, now that both Feeding and Guiding have advanced, his cultivation speed has increased exponentially, and this problem might be solved very soon.

"The future is promising!"

Lu Yuan sighed, then immediately turned and returned to his room to recover his Dharma Power, preparing to continue his practice.

At the same time.

The Canal Gang, Yulong Hall.

"What, after that person came out of the Golden Jade Hall, he disappeared again!?"

On a tiger-skin armchair, Deng Xiaolin, his body wrapped in bandages, had an ashen face and barked:

"Trash, I gave you explicit instructions to find his place of lodging, what the hell have you been doing!?"

Below, two gang leaders knelt on one knee, their cheeks swollen, and said aggrievedly:

"Gang Leader Deng, we have been tailing him as closely as we could, but that person knows some kind of trickery; it was clearly a dead end, yet with one turn, he could vanish. We truly had no way to deal with it!"

"Many people present saw it with their own eyes, it really isn't that we handled the task poorly, Gang Leader Deng!"

Deng Xiaolin was extremely annoyed: "Enough, get out of here!"

The two leaders retreated as if granted amnesty, and a sinister-looking young man beside Deng Xiaolin, who shared a three-part resemblance to him, said with some worry:

"Father, that person named Lu Yuan has strength comparable to a Martial Arts Grandmaster; after going to the Martial Arts Association, he will inevitably become an honored guest. Such a person is one of a kind and must not be offended. If we investigate him in secret and he discovers it, wouldn't that be..."

"Do you think I want to?"

Deng Xiaolin's expression was exceptionally ugly:

"The Shenluo Consulate and the Sunlight Country Consulate have both sent people to find me, demanding I investigate this person clearly. If I refuse, all the business of Yulong Hall will be cut in half!"

In reality.

When he witnessed Lu Yuan defeat the Sixth Realm experts of the Sha'e Empire and Sunlight Country with overwhelming force this noon, and even saw Wu Taidou being pushed back repeatedly on the stage, he had been chilled to the bone and completely extinguished any thoughts of revenge.

After all, he had plenty of ways to deal with a mere person with Godly Strength; poisoning, black-market guns, and various assassination methods were the specialties of their Yulong Hall.

But an existence with such high-level strength and means, comparable to a True Martial Grandmaster, was an entirely different concept. No matter how arrogant or reckless he was, he dared not strike at such a top-tier expert unless he was in a desperate situation.

After all, if you fail to kill a tiger, you will suffer the consequences. Most methods could not guarantee a hundred percent chance of killing such an expert. Once they retaliated, it would be like the King of Hell coming to one's door. He himself was only at the Golden Core cultivation level and could not bear such a risk.

This was the reason why he suffered such humiliation yet gave up the idea of revenge.

However, even though he had already given up, the consulates of the Shenluo and Sunlight concessions had sent people to find him and demanded he investigate all information regarding Lu Yuan.

Yulong Hall was primarily responsible for dealing with the foreign powers and merchants; things like opium distribution and the trafficking of "pigs" were all handled by them in contact with the foreign merchants and firms of Shenluo and Sunlight. The two sides were closely linked, and often they had to look at the consulates' faces.

Precisely because of this, he could not refuse the other party's request and could only bite the bullet and send people to investigate.

"If it is only a secret investigation of information, then it is fine."

Deng Xiaolin's son, Deng Baichuan, had a resentful look in his eyes:

"No matter what, this person severely injured you, Father. Even if we can't deal with him, we could vent some of our anger by causing trouble for him in secret. It is a pity that Old Dragon Head is not here, otherwise, we might not necessarily fear this person!"

Old Dragon Head was the supreme leader of the Canal Gang, Kou Zhongtian. Many years ago, he was an existence who dominated the scene just like Wu Taidou, and he had also touched upon the highest True Martial Realm of martial arts.

The difference was that Wu Yixian succeeded in breaking through to the Grandmaster realm back then, while Kou Zhongtian ran into trouble during his breakthrough. Although he successfully stepped into the True Martial Realm, he was severely injured, and his heart vessels were damaged due to a reversal of his internal Qi.

Although he subsequently visited famous doctors and used the wealth of the Canal Gang to treat his injuries to a great extent, Kou Zhongtian had the True Martial Realm thereafter but could basically not exert his full strength due to the hidden injury in his heart vessels, so his reputation in Jinjin was far inferior to Wu Yixian.

"Old Dragon Head? With the injuries on his body, even if he returned, he might not necessarily be able to do anything to that Lu Yuan."

Deng Xiaolin sneered:

"Just wait. This person won't be arrogant for much longer. The Shenluo concession is one thing, but the Sha'e and Sunlight sides have suffered such a big loss; they will definitely not let it rest. I will just wait here to see him build a high building, feast his guests, and see how miserably he falls after climbing so high!"

At the same time, the Sha'e Empire concession.

In Shengkele Hospital, which was exclusively for the consulate and imperial personnel.

Ogliev, who was like a giant bear, lay on a hospital bed and was pushed out by several doctors and nurses in white, the bandages wrapped around his body seeping with blood-red color everywhere.

Takov and the others, who had been waiting outside, immediately stepped forward nervously. They glanced at the unconscious Ogliev and said:

"Doctor Ivan, how is General Ogliev's condition?"

The lead attending physician, Ivan, had a slightly grave expression:

"His Excellency the General's life has been saved, but his physical condition is not optimistic. According to our examination, there are a total of seven fractures, eighteen hairline fractures, and even his internal organs and most of his muscle tissues have suffered varying degrees of damage.

This level of injury would be fatal to an ordinary person; it is only because General Ogliev has a superhumanly strong physique that he could survive. However, I need to state in advance that the conditions here are limited. Although the General is out of danger after surgery and treatment, he will need to rest in bed for at least several months to recover, and it may leave behind some sequelae that will affect his future cultivation."

"What?"

A ferocious look immediately appeared on Takov's face:

"General Ogliev comes from the Naryshkin noble family. His title was personally conferred by His Majesty the Tsar, and he was entrusted with high hopes. If he is left with any sequelae, you and I will both be in big trouble!"

Cold sweat broke out on Ivan's forehead:

"But the conditions here are indeed crude, not comparable to those back home. So I suggest that after His Excellency Ogliev's injuries improve slightly, we return to the country to ask the High Priests to perform treatment; perhaps he can fully recover..."

"That is the only way."

Looking at Ogliev, who was still pale and unconscious, a deep sense of hatred flashed in Takov's eyes, and he gritted his teeth:

"But before that, I will make that despicable and lowly Jin Dynasty person pay a bloody price! Let him know what kind of end awaits those who dare to offend the majesty of the Great Sha'e Empire!"

Including the Sunlight Country concession.

In the Sunlight people's own hospital, Sangtian Hengyi sat blankly on the hospital bed with a pale face, looking down at his severed arm that had just been barely reattached but had no feeling, lost in thought.

"Sangtian-kun."

Beside him, Consul Guangye Shensi had a heavy expression:

"Sorry, I have to tell you some bad news. Although the doctors have tried every possible way to reattach your arm, it can no longer be as perfect as it was before."

Sangtian Hengyi slowly came back to his senses and revealed a desolate smile: "In other words, I will be a cripple from now on...?"

"That won't happen, Sangtian-kun!"

Guangye Shensi gritted his teeth and said loudly:

"Your arm can still be used in the future. You must believe that a spirit as firm as a rock can change reality. I have already contacted the military and am preparing to send you back to the country to recuperate. There is a saying in Shenzhou that one cannot establish without breaking; after experiencing such hardship, perhaps your Sword Dao will advance even further!"

"No, I am not leaving!"

Sangtian Hengyi suddenly had blood-red eyes and growled:

"I do not believe that the Tianxin One-Blade Style, which shakes Tokyo with its fame, could be defeated by the hands of a lowly Jin Dynasty person, and the honor of the Empire should not be ruined in my hands!"

"Guangye-kun, trouble yourself to send a telegram in my name, notify the Heavenly Heart Dojo, and invite my Master to come here to execute this monster and salvage all of this!"

The Heavenly Heart Dojo is one of the top-tier Sword Dao dojos within the Sunlight Country.

And Sangtian Hengyi's Master, Guan Shi Zhengzong, is the master of this Sword Dao dojo, as well as an Imperial God General whose fame shakes the Sunlight Country, and the most peak Sword Dao powerhouse of the current age!

(End of this chapter)