Chapter 116: Breakthrough to Blood Exchange Perfection!

Five days later.

At high noon, the warm sun hung high.

Lu Zhangsheng sat quietly on a stone stool in the courtyard, sipping spirit wine, his face full of contentment.

In his mind, the system panel notifications continued to chime incessantly.

【Source Energy Points +1.】

【Source Energy Points +1.】

……

After resolving the threat of the Bloodthirsty Rats, the pangolin dug frantically on the outskirts of the mine every day, reaping a continuous harvest; the feeling of income rolling in while lying idle made him feel quite refreshed.

At this rate, tonight would be the time for him to break through to Blood Exchange Perfection, and his strength would surely skyrocket once more.

The next time he met Mo Xueyou, he would be able to suppress and kill that person within a few moves.

Meanwhile.

The activities of the heretic bandits outside the city were becoming increasingly rampant, and fierce defensive battles were unfolding around the many small towns surrounding the county city.

Some small towns had even been breached, and the civilians were wiped out in bloodbaths, a truly tragic sight.

Both sides had turned the area outside the city into a meat grinder, and even Tuotai experts appeared occasionally.

The conflict had quietly escalated.

At this trend, the decisive battle would likely arrive soon.

A sense of urgency lingered in the heart of every government martial artist.

With Lu Zhangsheng's current strength, he could only barely protect himself; he could not afford to lower his guard.

However, with the massive resources of the Shiwan Dashan at his back, he was about to enter a period of rapid development.

Everything was slowly getting on the right track.

Just then.

Light footsteps sounded from outside the courtyard.

Tong Yuhua walked gracefully toward Lu Zhangsheng, a smile on her face that made one feel as if bathed in a spring breeze.

"Patrol Envoy Lu is in such high spirits, drinking and making merry every day……"

She spoke softly, her voice melodious, like an oriole.

"Does Hall Master Qin have a mission to relay?"

Lu Zhangsheng smiled slightly.

Usually, when she came to find him, it was to convey some news; this had become a routine.

"Indeed, it likely concerns the increasingly intense confrontations outside the city recently."

Tong Yuhua smiled.

"Patrol Envoy Lu has just broken through to Blood Exchange; that is indeed a great joy."

She had broken through to Blood Exchange more than ten days ago, and she had been extremely surprised when she heard about Lu Zhangsheng suppressing and killing the Sanhe Gang Leader.

Clearly, he had also successfully broken through to Blood Exchange.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to have such strength.

Once this news broke, it sparked a heated discussion in the entire county's martial arts circle.

It left many people astonished.

To break through to Blood Exchange at such a young age already placed him in the ranks of minor geniuses.

Even in the entire Qingning Prefecture City, he would be considered to have extraordinary talent.

"Haha, mutual joy, mutual joy; I am still a bit behind Patrol Envoy Tong……"

Lu Zhangsheng laughed heartily, his face full of humility.

The two had executed many missions together, and their friendship had grown deeper.

Some small jokes were naturally harmless.

Then, Lu Zhangsheng stood up and walked out of the courtyard with Tong Yuhua.

After leaving the courtyard, they walked along the neat streets, and the crowds on both sides scattered in awe.

Soon, the two arrived at the entrance of a magnificent hall.

They stepped inside.

They saw Qin Ruobing in a pink long dress, sitting at a desk and handling official business, her face solemn.

Seeing them arrive, Qin Ruobing put down her brush and smiled faintly: "It is quite rare that both of you have broken through to Blood Exchange recently."

"Work hard in the future; there is a glimmer of hope for Tuotai within three years, and perhaps even a chance to glimpse the Innate Martial Dao……"

Seeing Lu Zhangsheng and the other rise up, she felt quite gratified.

"Hall Master is too kind."

The two bowed, smiling.

Lu Zhangsheng did not refute her words; reaching Tuotai in three years was no difficulty for him. His goal was Innate in three years, but if he said that, Qin Ruobing would likely think he had gone insane.

The Innate Martial Dao was a bottleneck for every martial artist, blocking countless ordinary ones.

Such martial artists were considered top-tier experts even in Qingning Prefecture, enough to run rampant.

It was not until Lu Zhangsheng reached the late stage of Blood Exchange that he faintly sensed Qin Ruobing's strength.

It was likely around Tuotai Perfection, which was extremely terrifying.

Presumably, those top experts were mostly similar.

At this moment, Qin Ruobing spoke again: "I summoned you two today for two main things."

"Now that you have both broken through to Blood Exchange, you should naturally compete for the position of Deputy Hall Master."

"Chen Zhanpeng and the other are only at the mid-stage of Blood Exchange; you have a great chance."

"Now, due to the fall of a large number of experts in Qingning Prefecture City, there is a huge gap even for Deputy Hall Masters, so the assessment criteria for each county will likely be greatly increased."

"Does Hall Master Qin mean that many people might be able to participate in the assessment this time?"

Tong Yuhua looked somewhat puzzled.

According to custom, every three to five years, only one person from a county could go to the Prefecture City to participate in the assessment.

She did not expect that there would be many more this time; it seemed it would be even livelier then.

Lu Zhangsheng's thoughts stirred slightly.

His contribution points were almost enough, and Chen Zhanpeng and the other could not be his opponents; he was certain to sit in that position.

This reform would not affect him.

"Indeed, I will notify you of the specific situation when the time comes; these three years, you two must fully charge toward your martial arts realm……"

Qin Ruobing smiled faintly.

"The second thing is also about those heretic cultists outside the city."

"In a few days, the government will send a large number of experts to intercept and kill those demon people outside the city. If you encounter small towns being besieged, you will also be contacted to rescue them. Your strength is not considered strong, so remember to act according to your ability……"

"We understand."

The two bowed respectfully.

They naturally knew what she meant: if they encountered a heretic Tuotai expert, they should immediately stay away.

Afterward, they exchanged some martial arts insights, and the two stood up to leave.

……

In a magnificent hall of the Demon-Suppressing Division.

Chen Zhanpeng and Zhu Houyu stood in the open space, looking at He Chunlin respectfully.

"Now that the two under Hall Master Qin have also broken through to Blood Exchange, you must not be slack."

"Although the number of assessment spots will increase, only one person can become the Deputy Hall Master in the end."

He Chunlin stood with his hands behind his back, his tone carrying a hint of warning.

"We understand."

The two shouted loudly, their voices echoing through the hall.

However, Zhu Houyu and the other did not take it to heart.

Those two were simply not qualified to be their opponents; they could suppress them with a flip of their hands.

The gap between the mid-stage and early-stage of Blood Exchange was not small, and furthermore, they were family martial artists who had been soaked in medicinal baths since childhood.

Naturally, they were not comparable to the other side.

"Although Lu Zhangsheng and the other are much weaker than you in strength, you must not be careless."

He Chunlin waved his hand.

Afterward, they discussed some mission details, and Zhu Houyu and the other turned and left.

……

Outside Changping County.

In a certain desolate mountain range, in an underground space.

Mo Xueyou sat cross-legged beside a large blood pool, his face full of pain.

Beads of sweat as large as beans flowed directly down from his forehead.

His brows were tightly furrowed, and he gritted his teeth.

Blood-red fiendish energy surged crazily around his body.

Who knows how long passed.

The expression on Mo Xueyou's face relaxed, and his eyes were full of joy.

"Haha…… Ye Chen, this time you are dead; don't let me catch you……"

He had spent many days, enduring countless pains, and finally improved the compatibility of the Demonic Power in his body once more.

It had reached as much as twenty percent, directly doubling from the previous ten percent.

For ordinary martial artists, taking Demon Blood Essence was a life-of-nine-deaths gamble, and they had to constantly strengthen the compatibility later to exert its maximum strength.

"Hum……"

Gently stimulating the Demonic Power in his body, a powerful fiendish energy spread out, and the momentum was astonishing.

After this improvement, his speed and strength skyrocketed again, enough to suppress and kill this "Ye Chen".

He had always kept the grudge from last time firmly in his heart.

……At night, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse.

Lu Zhangsheng stood in the center of the courtyard, his feet spread apart, exuding a sense of being as immovable as a mountain.

A gentle breeze blew, moving the green leaves in the courtyard, making a rustling sound.

Under the moonlight, it seemed as if little spots were dotted in the night sky.

He opened the panel.

A blue light screen appeared in the void in front of him.

Source Energy Points: 4200.

After these days of digging every moment, he finally gathered enough for the realm improvement tonight.

Looking at the plus sign behind 【Golden Body Art】 which had lit up again, he was quite delighted.

Lu Zhangsheng did not hesitate; with a thought, he clicked it immediately.

As the Source Energy Points decreased by 3500 instantly.

"Hum……"

A fluctuation from the netherworld descended into the depths of his mind again, as if a supreme expert was practicing day and night.

The Qi and Blood in Lu Zhangsheng's body surged crazily, like a great river roaring and rushing.

Wisps of golden radiance also appeared on his skin, and even the blood in his body was stained with a hint of radiance, which was extremely miraculous.

Blood Exchange was a crucial link in the entire martial arts realm. 【126】 Stripping away the impurities from the whole body's blood laid a solid foundation for the next step of Tuotai.

Strip away the impurities from the entire body's blood to lay a solid foundation for the next step of Tuotai.

Ordinary martial artists could not completely strip away the impurities from their blood, almost losing the hope of becoming an Innate martial artist.

But Lu Zhangsheng was different; every time he broke through, it was perfect.

The Essence Blood had already begun to boil in his body, and wisps of impurities were directly evaporated.

He suspected that the next time he broke through to Transcendent Mastery, his whole body's blood would undergo some kind of magical transformation.

That wisp of golden radiance seemed to be reflected into the depths of his bloodline.

【After years of hard cultivation, you have finally practiced the Golden Body Art to perfection.】

With a crisp notification sound ringing in his mind, it marked the official end of this improvement.

Lu Zhangsheng slowly opened his eyes, and a sharp light shot directly into the void.

His whole body exuded a powerful sense of oppression.

It was like a towering mountain.

This kind of momentum already had the initial style of a Tuotai expert.

At this moment, he suspected that after his breakthrough, he already had the strength of an ordinary Tuotai expert.

However, if it were that kind of Tuotai expert with Demon Blood Essence, he would probably only be able to retreat temporarily.

Demonic Power was still too powerful for ordinary humans.

That kind of all-around power was truly heaven-sent.

Lu Zhangsheng clenched his fists, and a sense of power that seemed to be able to break the void surged into his heart.

This breakthrough increased his own strength by more than double; the improvement was extremely huge.

Even his speed, blade technique, and body-protecting Gang Qi improved by a notch.

This made him more confident in his next plan.

He planned to hunt down Mo Xueyou after perfecting his three martial arts skills; this time, he would never give the other party any chance to escape, directly suppressing this person with thunderous means.

……

Time flew by, and half a month passed.

Since these days, Lu Zhangsheng had been drinking and making merry in his home courtyard every day, completely ignoring the disturbances outside, living very comfortably.

The numerous battles between experts outside the city did not affect him.

Even when Tong Yuhua invited him several times to go out of the city to execute missions together, he politely refused.

However, regarding Lu Zhangsheng's "laziness," Qin Ruobing had no opinion, and others were even less qualified to blame him.

The way of cultivation lies in a balance of tension and relaxation.

Not to mention that he was in a critical period of strength improvement, so he naturally would not attack rashly.

The pangolin continued to dig for mines every day without stopping.

Massive amounts of Origin Stones were continuously turned into resources.

Finally, on a night more than ten days later, the Source Energy Points were gathered again.

This day, late at night.

Lu Zhangsheng stood in the courtyard.

He opened the panel.

Source Energy Points: 2700.

Looking at the plus signs behind the skills all lit up, he did not hesitate and clicked immediately.

"Add points, add points to everything……"

Lu Zhangsheng clicked three times in a row, and as the Source Energy Points decreased by 2100, a fluctuation from the netherworld descended again.

【After years of hard cultivation, Absolute Spirit Slash, Snow-Treading Trace-less, and Body-Protecting True Gang have finally been practiced to the perfect realm by you.】

Bursts of crisp notification sounds rang through his mind one after another, and this improvement ended perfectly.

A moment later.

Lu Zhangsheng took out his slaughtering knife and slashed forward.

"Clatter……"

A bright cold light flickered in the void, as if even the moonlight in the high sky was overshadowed, containing an incomparably sharp killing intent.

As he slashed continuously.

Gradually, countless blade lights intertwined in the void, forming a dense blade net.

Lu Zhangsheng's footsteps flashed, moving through the courtyard; in an instant, blade lights and residual shadows shuttled nearby, making it impossible to distinguish.

Immediately after.

A pure white Gang Qi shield appeared around his body, exuding a jade-like radiance, as if ripples were flowing on it.

Lu Zhangsheng slashed quickly at his own body-protecting Gang Qi.

"Boom boom……"

Bursts of roaring sounds echoed through the courtyard, and the body-protecting Gang Qi did not even show a ripple, as stable as Mount Tai.

"Such strong defense."

For this slash, he had already used several tenths of his strength, yet he did not expect that he could not shake it at all.

With this, his own safety would skyrocket by a large margin again.

Not only that, but his speed had also increased a lot this time.

Most Tuotai experts would also find it difficult to catch up to him.

Unless it was some expert containing special Demonic Power.

Lu Zhangsheng was quite delighted in his heart.

After years of hard cultivation, he finally stood at the peak of the entire Changping County.

Tuotai-level combat power was considered an expert even in the Prefecture City; there would simply be no situation where Tuotai was worse than a dog.

Innate martial artists had long lifespans, and many were hidden among the human race, silently guarding the safety of the human race, which ordinary people could hardly come into contact with.

Most ordinary missions were executed by Tuotai experts.

Even the group of Deputy Hall Masters in the Prefecture City were only at Tuotai Perfection strength, and some were just Pseudo-Innate.

He had learned the term Pseudo-Innate from Qin Ruobing.

Those who failed to break through to Innate but used spirit medicine to save their lives became the so-called Pseudo-Innate.

Their bodies had been baptized by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, becoming very powerful, but they had not completely opened the Bridge of Heaven and Earth, making them much weaker than true Innate experts.

But for Lu Zhangsheng, there was simply no such thing as failure.

As long as the resources were sufficient, he could pile his way to the peak of martial arts.

On the road of martial arts, he would walk more and more steadily.

……

The next day, early morning.

Early in the morning, after Lu Zhangsheng got up and washed, he walked out of the courtyard.

He was in a white long robe, walking through the crowd with his hands behind his back, like a peerless noble young master, drawing frequent side-glances from a group of noble ladies nearby.

Some commoners all avoided him in awe.

For Lu Zhangsheng, this rising genius, his great name had already spread throughout the city.

After being silent at home for nearly a month, Lu Zhangsheng was ready to go out of the city today to execute his own plan.

This person, Mo Xueyou, was already on his must-kill list.

It was impossible to let the other party keep jumping around outside.

He headed east and left the city gate.

Lu Zhangsheng walked quickly to a dense forest and operated the Bone Shrinking Art.

"Crack crack crack……"

His whole body changed rapidly, and his bones and muscles were making cracking sounds.

Not long after, he turned into a middle-aged man with a cold face.

Then he even changed his long robe to a black one.

The whole person looked gloomy, quite like a heretic cultist.

This appearance of Lu Zhangsheng was exactly the look of the heretic cultist Zhang Ji on the day the city was breached.

Even his cultivation was suppressed to Bone Forging.

That day, after he used the Soul-Bewitching Technique to confuse him, he considered the situation that might happen in the future, and now it finally came in handy.

Then, Lu Zhangsheng operated Snow-Treading Trace-less and rushed forward quickly.

A residual shadow moved wantonly between the vast heaven and earth, flashing more than ten meters at a time, which was extremely astonishing.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 117 =====