Chapter 90: Nine Arts United, Mastery Achieved

In the bedroom, a solitary lamp burned softly. On the wooden desk lay a stack of letter paper, intelligence reports delivered by Li Quan. One had to admit, Li Quan possessed remarkable talent in gathering information. Mingling with several members of the Green Bamboo Gang, he kept his ear to the ground, and every few days would bring Lu Yan a fresh batch detailing the latest major events across the six counties of Lingdong.

Lu Yan leafed through them one by one.

For instance: a young martial artist was pursued, fell from a cliff, and at the bottom discovered the legacy of a venerable master. After years of arduous cultivation, he emerged to annihilate his enemies, avenging his grievances and earning fame throughout the land.

Or: the scion of a powerful clan, born with blocked meridians and unable to train, endured mockery and humiliation. Yet after years of obscurity, he recently soared to prominence, astonishing all, and trampled those who had once ridiculed him.

A disciple of a peerless master descended the mountain, punishing evil and upholding justice, attracting the admiration of several famed beauties.

Elsewhere, two grandmasters fought atop a mountain; a certain clan was eradicated, and so on.

Lu Yan skimmed these tales of the martial world. Only two pieces of news commanded his full attention.

The first concerned the war between the Liu and Wei families. The conflict had raged for over eight months, with victory still undecided and both sides locked in stalemate. To the north, the Qiu clan had been intensifying their assault, putting tremendous pressure on the Wei family, preventing them from dividing their forces to crush the Liu.

It was said the Wei had attempted to negotiate peace with the Liu, only to be rebuffed.

“It seems the Liu have struck some kind of agreement with the Qiu clan of Da’an County,” Lu Yan surmised.

The patriarch of the Liu family was shrewd. On the surface, a truce with the Wei would benefit the Liu, sparing them from the old master’s wrath. Yet any discerning eye could see this was not a lasting solution. The Wei sought peace only because of their current predicament, wishing to focus their power against the Qiu. Once they repelled the Qiu’s offensive, they would surely turn their hands to destroy the Liu.

At that point, the Liu would be doomed.

Cooperating with the Qiu, attacking the Wei from both sides and slowly eroding their strength, was far wiser for the Liu.

Of course, after weakening the Wei, inviting the Qiu into their territory might prove a case of inviting the wolf into the fold. It would depend on whether the Liu could seize the opportunity to rise during this period.

If, in this time, they could marshal their resources and produce another grandmaster, their position would be secure.

The second report that drew Lu Yan’s attention concerned the strange behavior of the monsters in Demon Ridge Mountain. Recently, they had repeatedly left the mountain to attack villages and cities, and in the past days had rioted in force, invading Dongshan County. In just a few days, over ten martial marquis-level clans had been annihilated. The two grandmaster-level clans of Dongshan joined forces, deploying more than a dozen grandmasters to barely repel the monsters of Demon Ridge.

“It is said Demon Ridge’s monsters had not stirred in a century. Why have they suddenly begun raiding villages and towns? What could have happened—strange indeed,” Lu Yan pondered.

The six counties of Lingdong formed a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by the sea. To the west stood the majestic mountain range known as Demon Ridge. This range separated Lingdong from the rest of the continent, like a natural barrier.

Lingdong lay east of Demon Ridge, hence its name.

Demon Ridge teemed with monsters and strange creatures—unique beings of all shapes and features, transformed from ferocious birds, beasts, or other oddities that had absorbed the filth of the world, growing powerful and wielding bizarre abilities.

Yet these monsters rarely ventured from Demon Ridge, let alone invaded human settlements.

Such large-scale invasions as recently witnessed were rare in history.

Dongshan County was far away, so Lu Yan simply kept the news in mind, paying it little heed.

In the blink of an eye, three more months passed.

“The Vajra Finger is nearly at the unity of man and martial skill. Once it reaches that level, except for weapon-based arts, I will have brought nine second-tier martial techniques to the unity of man and martial skill. Will I be able to successfully fuse them?”

Excluding the Air-Cleaving Blade and Overlord Halberd, the nine second-tier techniques were: Gale Hand, Flying Antelope Hand, Wild Elephant Body, Wind-Chasing Step, Vajra Body, Vajra Fist, Vajra Leg, Vajra Palm, and Vajra Finger.

Nine is the ultimate number.

Moreover, they did not conflict; they should be able to fuse.

Lu Yan was eager, and in the following days stopped accumulating blood energy, channeling all martial food energy into advancing Vajra Finger.

Three days later.

Vajra Finger successfully entered the unity of man and martial skill.

No gift from heaven followed, but as Vajra Finger reached this stage, the martial avatars surrounding the Dao Book underwent a change.

The nine corresponding avatars moved, standing in special positions. Then two suddenly rushed toward each other, collided, and erupted in dazzling light.

In an instant, the two martial avatars fused into one.

Next, the third avatar joined in.

Then the fourth, fifth, sixth...

Soon, all nine avatars fused together, forming a new martial avatar, above which appeared a line of words:

First-tier martial avatar, unnamed, unity of man and martial skill.

First-tier!

Indeed, it was a first-tier technique—Lu Yan trembled with excitement.

It had been a tremendous ordeal, painstakingly cultivating over ten second-tier arts, feeling his way forward, and today, at last, he possessed a first-tier technique of his own.

He carefully examined his transformation.

During the fusion of the avatars, the Dao Book released a mysterious power that surged through his body. His blood energy transformed, and the ancillary meridians he had opened were reforged.

The total amount of blood energy remained unchanged, but its quality greatly improved—more refined, more substantial, and more potent.

If his previous blood energy had been like rusted scrap iron, now it was forged steel.

The difference was immense.

No wonder those cultivating first-tier techniques could easily overwhelm second-tier practitioners of the same rank; the comparison was simply untenable.

As for those who trained in third-tier skills, the gap was even wider.

Meanwhile, the number of ancillary meridians he had opened changed dramatically.

Cultivating a second-tier technique to the unity of man and martial skill opened 1,152 meridians. Nine such techniques, in total, opened 10,368.

Some overlap existed among Vajra Fist, Vajra Palm, and Vajra Finger—but altogether, over nine thousand meridians had been opened.

Now, fused into a first-tier technique, the number stood at 3,456.

A reduction of nearly two-thirds.

Yet his cultivation speed, and rate of blood energy accumulation, not only did not decrease, but actually increased.

Just as merging third-tier into second-tier techniques improved efficiency, previously, the nine second-tier arts operated independently, each its own system—inefficient.

Now, united, the three thousand-plus meridians formed a grand cycle, centered on twelve major channels, connecting hands, feet, waist, chest, and head. Blood energy flowed like a cosmic circuit, vastly increasing efficiency.

The power of his martial arts increased as well.

This was the unity of man and martial skill for a first-tier technique.

Generally, a first-tier art cultivated to perfection equaled a second-tier technique at the unity stage.

But a first-tier technique at unity—its might was unimaginable.

Bang!

In the training room, Lu Yan struck with his palm; the copper training dummy caved in, bearing a palm print three inches deep.

“Amazing! That was just a casual blow, yet such power. If it struck a human, their body would shatter instantly.”

Lu Yan was thoroughly satisfied, his confidence soaring.

How did he now compare to a martial marquis?

Lu Yan was eager to find out.

Of course, he would not rashly seek out a marquis for a test.

If he happened upon a second or third rank marquis, it would be a fatal mistake.

“What name should I choose? Five of the nine second-tier arts are linked to Vajra, so let’s call it the Indestructible Vajra Technique.”

As he spoke, the words above the martial avatar changed: First-tier martial avatar, Indestructible Vajra Technique, unity of man and martial skill.

“With a first-tier technique accomplished, I can now begin preparations to open a martial school.”

Lu Yan began planning his next steps.

It was still too early to attempt the breakthrough to marquis rank. He first needed to cultivate until his blood energy overflowed, then spend time refining it, before attempting to channel it into his bones.

Even with his rapid progress, his blood energy capacity was six times that of a normal person. He estimated it would still take at least two years to reach fullness.

The next day, he summoned Wang Lin, Zhang Jun, Li Quan, and Cao Hu, to discuss founding the martial school.

Everyone was already aware of Lu Yan’s intentions; now, finally, it was about to become reality. Spirits were high, and each enthusiastically offered their opinions.

They knew well that the school was only the first step in Lu Yan’s grand ambitions.

In time, it might grow from a school into a powerful clan.

Those who followed him from the start would surely rise with him, their fortunes soaring alongside his.

(The chapter ends)