Chapter 107: Breaking Through to the Martial Marquis Realm

Two minutes later, Lu Wenxuan lay lazily on the bed.

“Master, you’re truly impressive,” the concubine murmured softly, her cheeks flushed as she nestled in Lu Wenxuan’s arms.

“Of course,” Lu Wenxuan replied proudly. “Although I come from humble origins, I excel in everything. Take that Beast King Bone Soup, for instance—I had never encountered it before, yet I succeeded on my first try.”

Having spoken, he immediately realized he had said too much and quickly added, “It’s late, let’s get some rest.”

Holding the concubine close, he soon fell into a deep slumber.

“Master, I need to relieve myself,” she whispered in the dead of night.

When Lu Wenxuan did not respond, she quietly rose, donned her clothes, and slipped out the door. Once outside, a thoughtful expression crossed her face.

“Beast King Bone Soup… so that old man has been preparing it all this time. Recently, because of the Jade Bone Tiger incident, there’s been quite an uproar. Li Cangxin of the Li family was killed, seemingly due to the Jade Bone Tiger, and a hefty reward is being offered.”

“Someone must have traveled a great distance to ask the old man to prepare this soup. Most likely, they are the real culprit behind Li Cangxin’s murder.”

Her eyes gleamed as she hastened to a side chamber in the outer courtyard and knocked on the door.

“Who is it at this late hour?” came an impatient voice from within. The door creaked open, revealing a burly man in his thirties.

Seeing her, he was momentarily taken aback. “Little sister, what brings you here at this hour?”

“Big brother, didn’t you have a few encounters with Li Cangxin of the Li family?” she asked.

The man was her elder brother, Chen Zixing, also Lu Wenxuan’s third disciple.

“That’s right. But I didn’t expect Li Cangxin’s life to be so short—he was actually killed. Why do you ask?”

“Do you know what kind of martial food the old man has been cooking recently?”

She paused before answering, “Beast King Bone Soup.”

Chen Zixing’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Absolutely. The old man told me himself.”

Chen Zixing pondered for a moment, then excitement flickered in his eyes. “Then the one who asked the old man to prepare the Beast King Bone Soup is most likely the killer of Li Cangxin. No wonder the old man has been so secretive lately, not letting us in on it.”

“This is a fortune! The Li family is offering fifty thousand taels for the true culprit. I’ll leave for Baicao City first thing tomorrow morning. No, better not delay—I’ll set off now.”

“Big brother, don’t forget my share,” the concubine reminded.

“Of course, you’re my dear sister and master’s wife now. How could I forget you?” Chen Zixing smiled.

Satisfied, the concubine returned to her room, while Chen Zixing donned his cloak and departed immediately for Baicao City.

He did not ride a horse.

With his cultivation level breaking limits five times, he could travel faster on foot than a horse.

Knowing Lu Wenxuan had been cooking for over ten days and was close to completion, he had to hurry to Baicao City.

However, his stamina was far inferior to Lu Yan’s; every half day he had to rest to recover his vitality.

Consequently, it took him two and a half days to reach Baicao City.

Shortly after, two figures emerged from Baicao City, speeding like the wind toward Baiyue City.

They were none other than Li Wenlong and Li Wenyan.

Both had sharp, cold eyes brimming with murderous intent.

Their speed as Martial Marquis far outpaced Chen Zixing’s; even the weaker among them was Martial Marquis Level Two. Within a day, the vast outline of Baiyue City came into view.

At dawn, Lu Yan washed up and felt invigorated.

Today, his spirits were especially high because it was time to collect the Beast King Bone Soup.

He believed it was a success.

If it had failed, Lu Wenxuan would have sent someone to inform him beforehand.

A moment later, Lu Yan arrived at the Martial Food Pavilion and found Lu Wenxuan.

“The Bone Soup is ready. You may inspect it,” Lu Wenxuan said, pointing to a food box.

Lu Yan opened the box to find a porcelain jar. Upon lifting its lid, an enticing aroma wafted out.

Inside the jar was a milky white liquid, resembling fresh milk.

Having read the records on Beast King Bone Soup, Lu Yan was certain it was genuine.

After replacing the lid, he smiled and said, “Thank you, senior.”

He then pulled out gold and silver tickets worth twenty thousand taels and handed them to Lu Wenxuan.

“I hope we can cooperate again in the future.”

Lu Wenxuan laughed. “Naturally. I look forward to working with you again.”

Lu Yan took the food box and took his leave.

He did not return to his residence but instead left the city directly.

With the martial food complete and all preparations made, he sought a quiet place to break through to the Martial Marquis realm.

After leaving Baiyue City, he frequently changed directions to evade being followed, then entered a forest and found a secluded valley.

He even used a large boulder to block the valley’s entrance, placed four food boxes down, and chewed a piece of dried martial food to adjust his state to its peak.

“Today, I break through to Martial Marquis,” Lu Yan said with anticipation.

He opened the lid of the Beast King Bone Soup, lifted the porcelain jar, and drank deeply.

The soup was delicious, fragrant, and rich. Even without its breakthrough benefits, the taste alone was unparalleled and mouthwatering.

Before long, the entire jar was consumed.

The thick soup transformed into warm currents that flowed through his muscles and permeated his bones.

Lu Yan’s bones seemed to glow with a pure, sacred radiance, full of texture and strength.

Next, he took out a portion of the mutated Nine-Jointed Heart Meat and ate it heartily.

After consuming it, Lu Yan assumed a stance and began practicing the Vajra Indestructible Technique.

As the technique unfolded, the mutated heart meat in his abdomen digested and transformed into streams of crimson energy that entered his meridians, blending with his vital energy to temper it, making it calmer and less turbulent.

Just as Lu Yan prepared to break through to Martial Marquis, two figures entered the Martial Food Pavilion—it was Li Wenlong and Li Wenyan.

In the reception hall:

“Two members of the Li family, what an honor. May I ask why you’ve come? Your Li family has its own master martial chef. Surely you don’t need me to prepare martial food for you?” Lu Wenxuan asked with a smile.

“Master Lu, we heard you’ve been preparing Beast King Bone Soup recently. Who commissioned you? Where are they?” Li Wenlong asked bluntly.

The smile vanished from Lu Wenxuan’s face, replaced by a sharp glint.

“Scoundrels,” he cursed silently. He already suspected who had leaked the secret.

“You’re too late. The Beast King Bone Soup is finished, and the person who commissioned it has already taken it and left,” Lu Wenxuan replied.

“Who was it? Where do they live?” Li Wenlong pressed.

“Client confidentiality. No comment,” Lu Wenxuan said.

“Lu Wenxuan, are you defying the Li family? You’d better tell us the truth, or when I report back to Lord Wenxuan, you’ll regret it,” Li Wenlong said coldly.

Lu Wenxuan’s expression darkened. “Using Li Wenxuan to pressure me? This is Baiyue City, not Baicao City, and my surname is not Li. Even if Li Wenxuan himself came here, he’d have to be courteous to me. Who do you think you are? Please leave, and don’t let me see you again.”

He directly gave them the boot.

As a master martial chef with a cultivation level of Martial Marquis Level Three, Lu Wenxuan held a lofty status and was not afraid of the Li family in Baiyue City.

Hmph!

Li Wenlong and Li Wenyan left the Martial Food Pavilion with cold expressions.

“Chen Zixing said that the person who asked Lu Wenxuan to prepare the martial food lives at Number 13, Clear Sky Alley. Let’s go,” Li Wenlong whispered.

Lu Wenxuan’s recent twenty-day preparation of martial food had naturally drawn the attention of his disciples, such as Chen Zixing, the local boss. Finding out where Lu Yan lived was no difficulty.

Furthermore, Lu Yan had not gone to great lengths to hide it, because if anything went wrong during the preparation, Lu Wenxuan would send someone to inform him.

Number 13, Clear Sky Alley was precisely the villa Lu Yan rented.

When the two arrived at the villa, they found it empty, though some change of clothes remained.

“No farewell gifts taken, so he’s likely to return. Let’s wait here,” Li Wenlong said.

Back at the Martial Food Pavilion, Lu Wenxuan’s bedroom.

Creak!

The concubine pushed open the door, her eyes filled with affection as she snuggled beside Lu Wenxuan like a delicate bird, whispering, “Master, calling me suddenly—is it because you missed me again?”

A small hand slid inside Lu Wenxuan’s pants.

“There are rules in our line of work,” Lu Wenxuan said softly but firmly. “I’ve warned you many times—the secrets of clients commissioning martial food can never be disclosed. Why do you refuse to listen? You’ve tarnished my reputation. Who will come to me for martial food now?”

“Master, I...” The concubine’s eyes flashed with panic.

Thwack!

A dry palm, sharp as a blade, pierced her heart.

Staring in disbelief, the concubine collapsed to the floor.

“Your brother... I will send him to keep you company. So you siblings can be reunited,” Lu Wenxuan whispered, pulling back his hand and shaking off the blood. He then rose and left, slowly closing the bedroom door behind him.

Several hours after consuming the mutated Nine-Jointed Heart Meat, it had been fully digested and transformed into a special energy that merged with his vital energy, making it several times calmer than before.

Of course, this effect was temporary. Over time, the energy would fade, and his vital energy would return to its previous state.

“One portion isn’t enough. Another,” Lu Yan said, eating a second portion of the mutated heart meat.

This time, the effect was noticeably weaker, but his vital energy was already calm enough.

Feeling satisfied, Lu Yan decided not to waste a third portion.

He continuously practiced the thirty-six stances of the Vajra Indestructible Body technique.

As he did so, his vital energy circulated rapidly, eventually permeating his muscles and bones.

When most of the vital energy entered his bones, Lu Yan manipulated it to vibrate intensely.

Suddenly, his entire skeletal system tingled and trembled violently under the powerful shock.

Fortunately, the Beast King Bone Soup protected him; otherwise, his bones would have been damaged.

“Keep going,” he urged himself.

He continued channeling vital energy into his bones.

More and more vital energy filled his bones, and the vibrations grew stronger.

A powerful vibration was necessary to break through the bottleneck.

This process lasted two hours.

“Found it,” Lu Yan’s eyes brightened.

He had successfully located the bottleneck in the middle of his lumbar vertebrae.

He immediately gathered his vital energy and surged it toward his spine, firmly blocking the node, then drilled through it like a drill bit.

Boom!

The node exploded, leaving a gap.

Vital energy flooded in through the gap, tearing open a barrier and entering a vast space beyond.

In this space, stars twinkled.

The dense vital energy merged with one of the star-like lights, condensing it.

“Bone Strength Seed,” Lu Yan thought.

This star-like light was known as a Bone Strength Seed. When vital energy fused with it and nurtured it, it would grow strong and produce bone strength.

The process was swift. In less than half an hour, a bone strength had formed.

With a thought, the bone strength spread throughout his body. With another, it obeyed his will, unleashing astonishing power.

(The End of This Chapter)