Chapter 120: The Spiritual Sect, the Immortal Ruins

As expected, after consuming the second-grade martial food, the martial art clone of the Nine-Slash Divine Thunder Blade stirred. It brandished an energy-condensed saber and began practicing the Nine-Slash Divine Thunder Blade.

Once the martial food was digested, the clone ceased its movements.

"One jin of second-grade martial food only grants a 2% progress increase at the introductory stage."

Lu Yan’s expression darkened. The efficiency was abysmal. Based on this calculation, the cost of leveling up a first-rate martial art was far higher than that of a second-rate one. For second-rate martial arts, one could use first-grade martial food, where one jin provided a 10% progress increase at the introductory stage. Furthermore, second-grade martial food cost five times as much as first-grade.

Although it required nine second-rate martial arts to fuse into a single first-rate one, the cost was still nearly three times lower than leveling up a first-rate martial art directly. Yet, Lu Yan decided to persist with the first-rate martial art. This was because mastering a first-rate martial art would forge a Post-Heaven Martial Body, which provided a permanent boost to all his attributes. His second-rate martial arts had already reached their limit of efficacy. For those permanent attribute gains, any cost was worth it.

However, this meant he would need a vast amount of second-grade martial food, making it necessary for him to learn how to prepare it himself. Lu Yan immediately went to the martial kitchen to learn the preparation method for second-grade Inuo Lizard meat from the Zhou family’s martial chefs. The recipe was provided by Lu Yan, as was the beast meat itself, so the Zhou family chefs naturally kept no secrets and shared everything they knew.

Every day, aside from practicing martial arts to improve his cultivation, Lu Yan poured his heart and soul into preparing the second-grade Inuo Lizard meat. Even so, it took him two months to barely succeed in preparing one portion, achieving basic proficiency—a longer time than it had taken him to master the Nine-Slash Divine Thunder Blade.

After achieving proficiency, a second-grade Inuo Lizard meat clone was manifested. To Lu Yan’s dismay, however, the improvement of this clone also required second-grade martial food. It was a vicious cycle. Rapid improvement in a short time was impossible; he could only accumulate progress slowly.

*Sharpening the axe does not delay the woodcutting.*

Lu Yan temporarily diverted all his second-grade martial food toward upgrading the Inuo Lizard meat. Once that was improved, his progress in other areas would naturally accelerate. Lu Yan’s daily schedule was so full that he completely lost track of time. In the blink of an eye, another half-year passed.

Counting the time, it had been over five years since they moved to Hundred Grass City. Lu Yan was now a twenty-four-year-old youth, soon to turn twenty-five. In those six months, his Inuo Lizard meat preparation had finally reached the level of "perfection." Such skill already surpassed most senior martial chefs. Even setting aside other dishes, his second-grade Inuo Lizard meat was not much inferior to that of a master chef, with a success rate of over 80%.

At this point, Lu Yan only had the Zhou family chefs prepare first-grade martial food, while he handled all the second-grade meat himself. His private martial kitchen was stocked with over a thousand jin of Blood-Armored Lizard meat. Finally, he no longer had to worry about exposure. No one was permitted to enter his private kitchen but him. Lu Yan followed the preparation steps for the second-grade Inuo Lizard meat, his movements as smooth and flowing as moving clouds and flowing water, without a single error.

The next day, the martial kitchen was filled with an intoxicating aroma. Ten jin of second-grade Inuo Lizard meat were complete. Lu Yan feasted, using it all to advance the Nine-Slash Divine Thunder Blade. The clone, which had been stagnant for over half a year, began to move again. Watching the progress bar climb rapidly, Lu Yan felt immensely satisfied. He had finally pushed through the hardest part.

He continued cooking. This time, he increased the portion, preparing twenty jin of Blood-Armored Lizard meat at once—his current limit.

Late at night, the wind was biting. In a secret chamber within Li Wenxuan’s mansion, two figures sat opposite each other. One was the "Gentleman Sword," Li Wenxuan. The other was a woman in her forties; though no longer young, she possessed a lingering charm and a figure that was exceptionally provocative, exuding an air of seduction from head to toe.

"Li Wenxuan, have you considered it? This is the third time I have come to you, and it will be the last. If you do not agree now, I shall turn and leave, and I will not return."

"Communicating with a Martial Spirit is a crime punishable by total clan extermination. Please forgive me, I cannot agree," Li Wenxuan replied calmly.

"Is that so?" A hint of a smile appeared on the woman’s lips. "Since you have seen me three times in a row and have not reported me, it means you are hesitating. You have already been swayed."

Li Wenxuan remained silent.

"In reality, given the current situation, you have no other choice but the path of the Martial Spirit. You were too hasty in your cultivation and damaged your meridians; it will take at least five years of recovery to heal. Li Wenxin will not stop to wait for you."

"Furthermore, Li Xingyuan seems to be gradually leaning toward Li Wenxin. The next heart-bead from a King-grade alien beast of the Li clan will likely be given to Li Wenxin to help him break through to become an Inner Strength Grandmaster. Once Li Wenxin becomes a Grandmaster, will there still be any room for your lineage?"

Every word from the middle-aged woman was like a sword, striking straight at Li Wenxuan’s heart.

"You have truly gone to great lengths to persuade me," Li Wenxuan said.

"But it is working, isn't it?" the woman chuckled.

Li Wenxuan fell silent again. The middle-aged woman had hit every point, laying his current predicament bare in all its blood-stained reality. Since childhood, he and Li Wenxin had been the "Twin Pride of the Li Clan," two brilliant stars nurtured as future candidates for the head of the clan. But only he knew that his martial talent was a notch below Li Wenxin's. To compensate for this gap, he practiced desperately, working harder and pushing himself further than anyone else, including Li Wenxin. Only in this way could he barely keep pace.

But after reaching the peak of the Martial Marquis realm, the disparity in talent began to show. No matter how hard he tried, he started to fall behind. He was unwilling to accept this, so he pushed even harder, which led him to be too hasty and injure his own meridians. Just as the woman said, he needed at least five years to recover. If he lost five years, how could he ever catch up to Li Wenxin? Five years later, he would have no strength left to compete. And since the heart-beads of beast kings only appeared once every thirty years on average, they would certainly be prioritized for Li Wenxin. As the woman said, did he have any other choice?

"Are you afraid to choose the path of the Martial Spirit because you fear you won't be able to suppress the corruption?"

"In truth, those who suffer corruption are merely mediocrities. True heroes with firm wills, great goals, and profound wisdom will never let the Martial Spirit take over. Look at me; am I not perfectly normal? As long as there is no corruption, no one will discover it. Where does the talk of clan extermination come from?"

Li Wenxuan remained silent for a long time before asking, "Who exactly are you? What is your purpose in making me walk the path of the Martial Spirit?"

The woman smiled. She knew Li Wenxuan had made his choice; otherwise, he wouldn't have asked, as it would be meaningless.

"I can answer those questions. First, I come from the Spirit Sect."

The Spirit Sect! Even with Li Wenxuan’s composure, he couldn't help but tremble, his pupils shrinking sharply as a look of horror appeared on his face.

"The Spirit Sect that wreaked havoc on the Great Gu Dynasty and indirectly caused its downfall?"

The woman nodded. "So you should know that our understanding and mastery of Martial Spirits are beyond anything those common rogue cultivators can compare to. As for our purpose, it is simple: to help you rule the Li clan, then unify Nan-Yi Prefecture, and then turn your blades north to unify the six prefectures of Lingdong."

"You think highly of me. Even if I walk the path of the Martial Spirit, let alone unifying the six prefectures of Lingdong, even unifying Nan-Yi would be difficult."

"On your own, that is naturally impossible. But when the time comes, there will be others acting alongside you."

Li Wenxuan narrowed his eyes. "Other noble families have your people as well."

"That is a secret of the Sacred Sect; I cannot disclose it. Let us return to you—what is your choice?"

"Do I have a choice?"

The woman smiled. "In the future, you will know how wise your choice was. I can guarantee that after communicating with the Martial Spirit, your injuries will heal in less than three months, and within five years, you will surely step into the realm of an Inner Strength Grandmaster."

"Five years? That is enough." Li Wenxuan clenched his fists. Li Wenxin definitely could not break through to Grandmaster within five years, because the Li clan's King-grade alien beast would not mature for at least seven or eight more years. After a long while, he loosened his fists and said, "I am curious, why choose me? In the Li clan, isn't Li Xingyuan more suitable? He has little life left; the chance of him taking a desperate risk is higher."

Li Xingyuan was the ancestor of the Li clan and its current head.

"We have already sent people to approach Li Xingyuan and subtly probed his stance, but he is an old stubborn fool who values the Li clan more than his own life. He would rather wither away and die than bring disaster upon the clan. In the end, it is just a lack of self-confidence." The woman laughed.

Li Wenxuan’s expression was complex, but it was quickly replaced by determination. "And the sacrificial method to communicate with the Martial Spirit?"

"No hurry. I will give it to you in three days. Since you have chosen the path of the Martial Spirit, there is one important matter you must attend to."

"What is it?"

"A month from now, your lineage and Li Wenxin’s lineage are to compete for the rights to four first-grade blood veins, are they not?"

"That is correct. Does this have something to do with it?"

The rivalry between the two factions was fierce, involving not just martial arts experts but also resources. And blood veins were undoubtedly the most vital resource—the source of martial food. Beyond one second-grade blood vein, the Li clan held over a dozen first-grade blood veins centered around Hundred Grass City. Further out, there were other first-grade veins occupied by Martial Marquis-level families, all of which were vassals of the Li clan and required annual tribute. The two factions each controlled a portion of the blood veins, but there was an agreement to rotate them every five years through a contest of experts; whoever won gained the right of first choice.

"The Sacred Sect has consulted a vast amount of data and learned that within the blood vein in Dingxing City, a piece of 'Immortal Bone' may be buried."

"Immortal Bone?" Li Wenxuan was shocked again. "Immortals are but legends. Does the world truly hold immortals?"

"If there are demons, why should there not be immortals?" the woman countered, leaving Li Wenxuan speechless. "Beyond the six prefectures of Lingdong, in the vast lands, there exist Immortal Ruins. Within these ruins, there are immortals. During the peak of the Great Chu Dynasty, every so often, experts would be organized to hunt immortals in the ruins. It was the most anticipated event in the world. You are simply too ill-informed."

"An Immortal Bone contains immortal power and has a great suppressing effect on a Martial Spirit. If you obtain it, it will surely help you suppress the corruption. Therefore, you must win this time so you can gain control of the blood vein in Dingxing City and unearth the Immortal Bone. It will be of great benefit to both you and me."

Li Wenxuan nodded, his gaze sharp and resolute.

At daybreak, Wang Dao ran to the Three Extremes Martial Hall to challenge Lu Yan to a sparring match of blade techniques.

"Brother Lu, I enjoyed your hospitality at your residence last time. This time, come to my place; I have prepared wine and meat. Let us spar properly for a month."

"A month? Brother Wang, is your blade technique about to break through?" Lu Yan was startled.

"A breakthrough is still far off. I am doing this to prepare for battle."

"Prepare for battle? Are the Li clan going to war with another noble family?" Lu Yan asked, puzzled.

"Of course not," Wang Dao shook his head and laughed. "Brother Lu, you truly shut your ears to the world and focus only on cultivation. No wonder you have achieved so much. It is not a war with other families, but a preparation against Li Wenxuan’s faction."

Wang Dao explained the rotation of the blood veins and the upcoming contest.

"So that's how it is. How is the contest conducted?" Lu Yan asked. He naturally did not want to participate; he was simply curious.

"It is primarily a contest between Martial Marquises, divided into five rounds. Each side sends one representative for each level from the first to the fifth stage of the Martial Marquis realm. Best of three out of five."

"On Lord Wenxin's side, I will be representing the first stage of the Martial Marquis realm. Originally, I wanted to recommend you for this, but Lord Wenxin believed that I was enough to secure victory, so there was no need to trouble you."

Lu Yan smiled inwardly. Not needing to trouble him was a lie; they likely didn't know his true strength and didn't feel comfortable sending him. But that was better. His cultivation was already at the second stage of the Martial Marquis realm; if they had sent him, it would have been troublesome.

"If we win this battle, there will be a reward of three hundred jin of second-grade martial food. If you practice with me for a month, I will gift you one hundred jin."

"There is no need for that. Brother Wang, keep it for your own use. Besides, sparring with you is beneficial to me as well."

Lu Yan declined. He wasn't being polite; sparring with a master of blade techniques was indeed beneficial. Although the Daoist manual allowed him to automatically practice and rapidly increase his martial art levels, and he could perfectly grasp the essence of those arts, there was still a difference between mastery and actual combat. Combat required adaptability, experience, and the right mindset. If one lacked experience or the right composure, even perfect mastery of a martial art might not be fully utilized in the heat of battle.

Just as when he fought the female assassin in Qingyang City, his lack of experience had left him passive, and he had only prevailed by suppressing her with sheer power. Thus, Lu Yan would never refuse a sparring partner.