Chapter 183: Heaven-Burning Saber (II)

Gripping Liang Song's arm, Lin Zheyu sped through the streets until he reached a quiet and secluded district.

"

Hu...

It's a good thing he didn't catch up. Otherwise, it would've been troublesome," Lin Zheyu said to himself as he panted heavily.

After that frantic escape, his blood qi was nearly depleted, leaving less than 30%. If he unleashed full power again, it would be gone in under a minute. If Yan Jun knew that Lin Zheyu was outwardly strong but hollow inside, he would probably regret not chasing him to the end.

With his strength and endurance, if he had kept up the chase, he could have drained Lin Zheyu completely. But Yan Jun also could not maintain the Wind Chasing Step for long. This type of martial skill, which relied on a unique burst of blood qi, produced extremely violent internal force.

Although the Wind Chasing Step reduced explosive intensity and was gentler than the Mountain Shattering Palm, it still could not be sustained for long. Yan Jun was not like Lin Zheyu. He had no Origin Force to continuously temper his body, improving its toughness and resilience against violent blood qi. Even with medicinal tempering, he was still far inferior to Lin Zheyu in this regard.

"Many thanks for your assistance." Liang Song stepped back a few paces and cupped his fists toward Lin Zheyu, speaking with solemn gratitude.

With Lin Zheyu's help, he had finally avenged his hatred.

"Have you avenged everything you needed to? That one from just now, should I help you take care of him as well?" Lin Zheyu spoke lightly, as if mentioning something trivial.

He too wanted to fight Yan Jun and test the true power of Yan Jun's Heaven-Burning Saber. The Heaven-Burning Saber was a martial technique that invoked momentum to launch attacks. A clash with Yan Jun would allow him to deepen his understanding of momentum and refine his technique.

However, if he truly wanted to fight, it would have to be outside Bafang City. The city's control over weapons was extremely strict. Lin Zheyu did not have the qualifications to wield weapons inside the city, and the gates were heavily inspected, so he could not bring his Golden Scale Saber inside. Without it, he would be at a disadvantage against Yan Jun.

"No need. My revenge is already complete. Thank you for stepping in to help."

Liang Song shook his head and expressed his gratitude once more.

"Good. Now that your matter is settled, I will soon take Lin Zheyu and leave Bafang City for the Central Plains. When you have time, go meet that kid and say your farewells."

Lin Zheyu then added calmly, "By the way, the tracking powder on you hasn't been removed yet. Deal with that first."

"Alright."

Liang Song nodded, taking out a leather medicine pouch and pouring out some orange powder. Tracking powders came in a wide variety. Some were hard to detect and could only be removed by soaking in specific medicinal baths.

Liang Song did not know which type he had been marked with, but the various medicinal powders he carried could remove the scent of most tracking powders. Even if they could not fully dispel it, they could greatly mask the aura of the tracking powder. It was simply troublesome to handle.

Watching Liang Song walk into a nearby inn, Lin Zheyu casually strolled around the area. He needed to keep watch to prevent anyone from following the aura of the tracking powder while Liang Song was removing it.

"Yan Jun shouldn't chase over here, right?"

Lin Zheyu drank a mouthful of concentrated Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction and circulated his blood qi to recover quickly. Even if the man came now, he would not be afraid.

Of course, using the 1 unit of Origin Force stored in his consciousness would allow him to rapidly restore his blood qi in a short span, but using it merely to replenish blood qi was far too wasteful.

***

Night fell.

Within Bafang City, thousands of lights rose into the night. Lin Zheyu kept watch for nearly two hours, but Yan Jun did not pursue, nor did he send anyone. When he saw Liang Song step out of the inn, Lin Zheyu's figure flickered and vanished into the darkness.

Since the tracking powder was removed, finding Liang Song in a vast place like Bafang City would no longer be easy. From here on, Lin Zheyu no longer needed to worry. With Liang Song's strength and experience, concealing himself would be effortless.

"Uncle Lin, you're back!"Han Tianshun stuck his head out from the doorway and said excitedly.

"I am. Want to practice martial arts again?" Lin Zheyu asked with a smile.

Whenever he had spare time in Bafang City, he would teach Han Tianshun martial arts. Han Tianshu and Han Tianmin also knew martial arts and were fairly skilled, but they taught very strictly. Whenever Han Tianshun's form was even slightly off, a whip would come down immediately. Because of that, Han Tianshun did not want to learn from them and only wanted to be taught by Lin Zheyu.

"Yes, yes. Uncle, I learned those saber moves. Let me show you," Han Tianshun said excitedly.

Lin Zheyu had taught him the Sixfold Saber and the Golden Goose Technique. The Golden Goose Technique was difficult, and with Han Tianshun's level of natural talent, it was hard for him to grasp. However, he inherited Han Mo's aptitude, so in saber techniques, he showed impressive talent, even picking them up quickly.

"Alright!" Lin Zheyu said with a smile, picking up a dull training blade from the courtyard and tossing it over.

Han Tianshun leapt into the air, catching the saber mid-flight in a rather flashy manner, before landing and striking an overly dramatic pose.

***

For the next two days, Lin Zheyu would not be going out. He had already told Liang Song that he would be leaving Bafang City soon, so Liang Song should be coming by to see him before that happened.

At noon, Lin Zheyu leaned against the wall, his chest rising and falling. He had just pushed past his limit again, so his whole body ached.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 2]

[Skills: Raging Wind Slash (Perfection), Golden Goose Technique (Ninth Stage: 100%), Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual (Third Stage: 1%), Tortoise Breath Grand Method (Third Stage: 100%)]

He glanced at the data in his consciousness. He had accumulated 2 more units of Origin Force and could continue improving the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual. As long as he trained the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual to the perfection of the third stage, his defensive shortcomings would be patched. As for the weakness in endurance, that was far more troublesome.

During his early days in the black market, Lin Zheyu had seen all sorts of techniques, but none that increased the body's capacity to contain blood qi.

He took three sets of Absolute Dust Blood Coagulating Powder herbs from inside the house, poured them into clear water in a wooden basin, and mixed them thoroughly by hand.

Use 2 units of Origin Force to enhance the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual.

His thought rippled outward before his mind sank into the consciousness space, beginning another round of endless tempering.

Lin Zheyu's brows knotted, his face twisting from the pain. A great surge of mysterious energy flowed forth, drawing the medicinal power into his body, soaking through him. Under the influence of the mysterious energy, his body rapidly transformed; his muscles, membranes, and bones all became tougher and stronger.

A few breaths later, Lin Zheyu opened his eyes, his gaze slightly bloodshot. The pain was overwhelming. In just a few breaths, he felt as though he had endured years of unending torment. He felt certain that once the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual reached Perfection of the third stage, his mental resilience would increase drastically.

[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]

[Name: Lin Zheyu]

[Origin Force: 0]

[Skills: Raging Wind Slash (Perfection), Golden Goose Technique (Ninth Stage: 100%), Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual (Third Stage: 15%), Tortoise Breath Grand Method (Third Stage: 100%)]

"It only increased by 14%. The difficulty of advancing the third stage is much greater than I imagined."

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

To cultivate the Hundred Refinements Treasure Manual to Perfection at the third stage, he would need a total of 15 units of Origin Force. Achieving a defense comparable to a Marrow Refining Realm vicious beast while still in the blood qi realm was certainly no simple feat.