Chapter 119: Comprehending the Nine-Slash Divine Thunder Blade

"The Three Absolutes Martial Arts Hall has already pledged its allegiance to me. Since you sent assassins, does that mean I am also free to send experts to kill your people?" Li Cangqing continued, his voice heavy with murderous intent.

Li Canglin’s expression darkened. "I have already told you, I sent no one. Do not cast false accusations."

"Very well. Then I shall go see the Ancestor and confront Li Changshan directly. Yang Zhihuan has crossed swords with him; how could he possibly be mistaken?" With that, Li Cangqing turned to leave.

Li Canglin’s face turned an ugly shade of pale, fluctuating between anger and anxiety. Seeing that Li Cangqing was about to depart, he hurriedly chased after him, forcing a conciliatory smile. "Cousin, why bother the Ancestor over such a trivial matter? I merely sent someone to test Lu Shanchuan’s skill, nothing more. And besides, Lu Shanchuan is unharmed, isn't he?"

By saying this, he had effectively confessed.

Li Canglin dared not let this reach the ears of the Li Clan Ancestor. The Ancestor, the current clan head, was advanced in age and preparing to choose a successor. The two major factions, led by Li Wenxin and Li Wenxuan, were locked in a clandestine struggle; the Ancestor generally turned a blind eye. After all, only one with the schemes, means, and strength to become the clan head could lead the Li Clan to prosperity.

However, mutual assassination between the two factions—especially targeting Martial Marquises—was strictly forbidden. If such behavior were tolerated, the Li Clan would collapse from self-inflicted slaughter long before any outsider could strike.

The matter of him sending Li Changshan could be interpreted as a trifle or a grave offense. To call it a test was minor; to call it an assassination was major. Who knew how the Ancestor would view it?

"Unharmed? If not for Yang Zhihuan, Lu Shanchuan would be dead. I must see the Ancestor regarding this," Li Cangqing insisted.

"Cousin, the Ancestor is currently in seclusion. Why bother him? Tell me, what do you want? I can provide compensation," Li Canglin offered.

Li Cangqing stopped and looked at him steadily. "Five acres of spirit fields, and this matter ends here."

"What? Five acres? Li Cangqing, are you dreaming? That is an outrageous demand! Impossible!" Li Canglin nearly jumped up, spraying saliva as he railed against Li Cangqing.

Li Cangqing remained expressionless, watching him coldly.

"One acre," Li Canglin said, cooling down.

"Four acres," Li Cangqing countered.

"Two acres," Li Canglin gritted his teeth, his face turning livid.

Spirit fields were lands cultivated for the growth of spirit herbs. These herbs were difficult to raise and required extremely high-quality soil; one could not simply clear a patch of wilderness and call it a spirit field. A spirit field had to be "nurtured."

The process was incredibly complex. First, the soil had to be pristine; then, it had to be infused with broth made from martial food every seven days. Only after three years of this could a patch of land be considered a true spirit field. Even then, it required annual maintenance, or it would go barren and become useless for herb cultivation. The entire Li Clan possessed only a few dozen acres in total.

After further haggling, Li Canglin finally agreed to settle the matter with three acres of spirit fields. As he handed over the deeds, his heart bled. Li Cangqing, however, beamed with joy as he took the documents and departed.

Leaving Li Canglin’s estate, Li Cangqing did not return home but headed toward the Li Clan’s Blood Vein grounds. He intended to retrieve the Mind-Intent Diagram for the first-rate martial art, the Nine-Slashing Divine Thunder Blade. Given his status, borrowing the diagram was a simple matter. He secured it without any obstruction.

***

Lu Yan was in the reception hall of Li Cangqing’s estate, "recovering" from his injuries, when he heard Li Cangqing’s voice from afar. Moments later, Li Cangqing entered with Yang Zhihuan, while the others dispersed.

"Young Master Cangqing, just call me Shanchuan," Lu Yan said, rising and cupping his hands in a salute.

"Very well, Shanchuan. How are your injuries?" Li Cangqing asked.

"Quite well. They were only minor wounds; nothing serious," Lu Yan replied.

"That is good to hear. This time, I owe it to you that I was able to squeeze a heavy price out of Li Canglin." Li Cangqing untied a parcel from his back, revealing a gold-inlaid wooden box. He opened it to display a rolled-up scroll and a martial arts manual. "This is the first-rate martial art, the Nine-Slashing Divine Thunder Blade. Here are the blade manual and the Mind-Intent Diagram. Take them and contemplate them."

Lu Yan felt a jolt of excitement. Although Wang Dao had hinted that Li Cangqing might grant him this, seeing the manual and the diagram before him was thrilling. This was his first real encounter with a first-rate martial art in this world. While he had mastered two such arts previously, they were fusions of second-rate arts and had lost the ability to forge a Post-Heaven Martial Body. He surmised that practicing a direct first-rate art would allow him to forge such a body and bolster his physique. He wondered which aspect would be enhanced at the Martial Marquis stage.

"Thank you, Young Master," Lu Yan said, bowing deeply as he accepted the box.

Li Cangqing smiled. By accepting the box, Lu Yan was making his stance clear: he was formally pledging his allegiance and joining his faction.

"However, the Li Clan has rules, and the Mind-Intent Diagram is far too precious. You cannot take it away; you must contemplate it within my estate," Li Cangqing added.

"That is only natural," Lu Yan nodded.

"Good. Wang Dao, take Shanchuan to choose a dedicated practice room and a bedroom. Mastering a first-rate martial art requires the Mind-Intent Diagram; it is not something that can be achieved in a day or two," Li Cangqing commanded.

"Understood, Young Master," Wang Dao replied.

Afterward, he led Lu Yan to select a practice room and a bedroom. Inside the practice room, Lu Yan couldn't wait to open the box and retrieve the items. After a moment of thought, he decided to study the manual first. Without the method, the diagram alone was useless; mastering a first-rate art required both.

The art was obscure and difficult, but that was no hurdle for Lu Yan. Having already mastered two first-rate arts to the level of "Man-Martial Unity," his insight was so high that few at the Martial Marquis level could hope to match him. He grasped and memorized the blade manual in just two days.

Next came the contemplation of the Mind-Intent Diagram. He unfurled the scroll. It depicted a man in green robes holding a war blade, his long hair fluttering in the wind. As Lu Yan stared, the figure began to move, unleashing a slash with such sharp, overwhelming blade intent that it seemed to rush toward him.

Lu Yan remained motionless, watching with intense focus. Hours later, he closed the scroll and shut his eyes to ponder, cross-referencing what he had seen with the manual. He felt he had gained a great deal.

Of course, mastering a first-rate martial art was not easy; it was far more difficult than a second-rate one. Wang Dao, for instance, had taken four months to achieve entry-level mastery, despite having a second-rate art as a foundation. This highlighted the gap between Wen Yuan and Wang Dao. Wen Yuan, a novice who had only been practicing for a few years, had mastered the Diamond Indestructible Body in just three months—a true prodigy. Those with average talent often spent years, or even a lifetime, failing to achieve entry-level mastery.

Lu Yan threw himself into the study of the Nine-Slashing Divine Thunder Blade with such dedication that he forgot to eat and sleep. A month passed in a flash. Within that time, Lu Yan achieved entry-level mastery—several times faster than Wen Yuan or Wang Dao. But Lu Yan had the foundation of two first-rate, "Man-Martial Unity" arts, giving him an incredibly high level of martial perception. If he were to study a third-rate art now, he would grasp it almost instantly.

Once he achieved entry-level mastery, a martial arts avatar condensed within his Dao Book. With this, he no longer needed the Mind-Intent Diagram for further progress. However, he did not immediately inform Li Cangqing or Wang Dao. Even with his talent, mastering it in a month was too shocking. He decided to wait another month. Two months would be a reasonable timeframe compared to Wang Dao’s four.

He then had Li Quan and Wang Lin send over a batch of dried martial food. Upon consuming it, however, Lu Yan discovered that first-tier martial food provided no improvement to his progress in the Nine-Slashing Divine Thunder Blade. He tried another piece, but the result was the same.

"It seems that to improve a first-rate martial arts avatar, I need at least second-tier martial food," Lu Yan mused with some concern. Second-tier martial food was not only expensive but rare. He didn't dare ask the Zhou family’s martial chefs to prepare large quantities of "Second-Tier Yinuo Lizard Meat," limiting it to a few pounds a day. Even so, over two years, they had provided nearly two thousand pounds of Blood-Armored Lizard meat. That amount was understandable, as some powerful Martial Marquis families could manage such a supply. Because he was close to Li Cangqing, the chefs assumed Lu Yan was obtaining it through his connections. But if he requested several thousand or tens of thousands of pounds a year, it would be unrealistic and likely arouse suspicion.

Ultimately, it came down to his own lack of strength. If he were a Grandmaster, he wouldn't need to be so cautious; he could even openly hide a second-tier blood vein.

"I must learn to cook it myself. This past year, I have focused on enhancing my martial food avatar, and two first-tier foods have reached the 'Man-Food Unity' level. Including the Yinuo Lizard meat, that makes three. My knowledge of martial cooking is sufficient; once I return, I will begin practicing the preparation of second-tier Yinuo Lizard meat," Lu Yan thought, planning his path forward.

Since first-tier food was useless for this art, he would temporarily stop improving the Nine-Slashing Divine Thunder Blade and focus on improving his cultivation and another martial food avatar using first-tier supplies.

Another month passed. Lu Yan informed Li Cangqing that he had achieved entry-level mastery and no longer needed the Mind-Intent Diagram.

Not everyone could discard the diagram after achieving entry-level mastery. Those with poor talent needed to constantly refer to it to make any progress. Some even required it until they had fully integrated the art. But those with high talent could discard it once they had internalized the "true intent" of the art. Of course, with his Dao Book, Lu Yan only needed to achieve entry-level mastery for any complete art.

Even though Lu Yan had waited an extra month, Li Cangqing, Yang Zhihuan, and Wang Dao were still full of praise when they heard the news. They sighed that Lu Yan’s talent for the blade was the greatest they had ever seen; in the six counties of Lingdong, few could compare to him.

Returning the manual and the diagram to Li Cangqing, Lu Yan returned to the Three Absolutes Martial Arts Hall, brought out a plate of second-tier Yinuo Lizard meat, and began to carefully observe the martial avatar of the Nine-Slashing Divine Thunder Blade.