Chapter 10: In Martial Arts, Speed is Unrivaled; Birth of Deathflash!

When Lu Changsheng checked his pockets, he realized he had only twenty silver taels left. That was the last of his wealth. For the past three months, he had been buying the Eight Treasures Blood-Tonifying Concoction to spur his progress in martial arts. Without it, he wouldn't have elevated the Great River Blood Fortification Art to Perfection so fast.

The concoction's effect was indeed extraordinary; in just three months, his blood qi had increased severalfold. Unfortunately, obtaining it regularly was awfully expensive. Before he knew it, Lu Changsheng had run out of silver taels, and now, he couldn't afford the Blood Strengthening techniques on the black market.

"Silver taels... I could sell some medicinal herbs," Lu Changsheng murmured to himself.

Fortunately, he had been preparing for this moment over the past three months. He had ventured into the mountains several times to gather precious herbs from the valley, processing them with the techniques he had learned at Miaoshou Garden before storing them away. The quantity he had gathered over the course of three months was considerable. Each herb was of excellent quality; they would surely fetch a handsome sum.

Lu Changsheng pulled a wooden chest from under his bed. Inside lay his stockpile of precious herbs. He bundled them carefully before heading out.

Although eighty percent of the apothecaries in Nanyang City were owned by Miaoshou Garden, the remaining twenty percent were more than enough for him to sell his batch. He carefully selected five different apothecaries, selling only a portion of his herbs to each.

Sure enough, the result was astonishing, far beyond his expectations. He had earned over one thousand two hundred taels of silver in total. Even those bandits who had risked their lives to steal gold and jewels had only ended up with around eight hundred silver taels. Lu Changsheng, on the other hand, had gained over twelve hundred just by selling herbs.

It’s the ginseng... Those wild ginseng are over a hundred years old, which makes them incredibly valuable. That valley is truly a treasure trove. I almost pity those three guys who guarded it without knowing its worth, choosing instead to live as bandits.

The thought made his heart burn with excitement. There was still plenty of ginseng and other rare herbs in that valley. Given time, he could keep making a steady profit.

Back at Miaoshou Garden, he converted the silver taels into notes and hid them safely in his room.

I have enough silver taels now, but the black market is a chaotic place. If I make another large purchase there, I might get tailed again like last time. If that happens again, I might not be as lucky as last time. I need to be able to defend myself.

At that thought, Lu Changsheng checked on his status panel.

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Changsheng

Perception: 147 (The Bearing of an Average Man)

[Techniques]

Iron Sand Palm: Advanced Mastery

Great River Blood Fortification Art: Third Layer (Perfection)

His Perception had risen from 104 to 147. That was the fruit of his labor. In three months, he had managed to perfect twenty out of twenty-one martial techniques, gaining forty points of Perception.

The only technique he had yet to master was the Iron Sand Palm. It was more than just a martial technique, as it required special iron sand to temper the hands. Since he had been unable to find the material, his progress had stalled at Advanced Mastery, preventing him from reaching Perfection.

Still, the Iron Sand Palm was merely a second-tier technique, so the setback was negligible. With the additional 3 points of Perception from perfecting the River Blood Fortification Art, his total gain reached 43 points.

Now, his blood qi was abundant, many times more powerful than before. Lu Changsheng was strong enough to crack a massive boulder. Yet, it wasn't enough. He knew all too well that he lacked a truly powerful offensive technique. Though many of his techniques were offensive in nature, they were all second-tier, and their power was limited. They were effective against untrained opponents, but they were bound to fall short against martial artists at the Blood Strengthening or Bone Tempering Stages.

"I need a martial technique, something extremely simple yet immensely powerful, and perfectly compatible with my current skill set..." Lu Changsheng mused. "But how can I find such a technique? Even if I find something powerful, it might not suit me. If I want something that fits me perfectly, I'll have to create it myself..."

Any other martial artist would have scoffed upon hearing him. Creating an original martial art as a mere Blood Strengthening practitioner would seem like a silly fantasy to others. However, Lu Changsheng thought otherwise. His gaze fell on his status panel, focusing on the Perception of 147. With the standard set at 100, his Perception was almost fifty percent higher than that of the average person.

So what did this heightened Perception entail? Over the past months, he had experienced it firsthand. Whether studying, training, or identifying medicinal herbs, his learning speed far surpassed that of ordinary people. With his heightened Perception, who was to say he couldn't create a technique of his own?

More importantly, he had already trained in dozens of martial techniques, elevating each of them to Perfection. No, his plan was no baseless fantasy; he had the foundation to back it up.

"Let's give it a go."

As Lu Changsheng closed his eyes, sparks of inspiration flared in his mind. The first step was to determine exactly what kind of technique he wanted.

In all martial arts, speed reigns supreme. With my current level of blood qi and physical strength, only a technique with sufficient speed can bring out my full potential. In the three stages of Body Tempering Realm, Blood Strengthening, Bone Tempering, and Organ Refinement, none can withstand a sharp saber. I have a dagger, so if I'm fast enough, I could kill my opponent in one strike. In martial arts, speed can be classified into two types: movement speed and attack speed. The martial technique I need should utilize both.

Ideas collided and converged in his mind. With a Perception of 147, his thoughts flowed endlessly. Two hours passed, then four, then six... The sun was about to set.

Gradually, a new martial technique took shape in his mind—an assassination technique. Lu Changsheng would stand perfectly still, waiting for the right moment to strike with earth-shattering force, killing his target in an instant. The technique incorporated the principles of the Tiger Pounce Strike—waiting in ambush like a predator. In the moment of the strike, all the power of his blood qi would surge explosively, his muscles bulging to unleash his full force.

Lu Changsheng lowered himself into a crouch, his gaze calm as he stared ahead.

Whoosh...

In the next moment, he pounced like a cheetah. The dagger in his hand flashed white, and the corner of the table snapped cleanly off. The whole sequence had happened in the blink of an eye.

"

Huff...

"

Lu Changsheng panted heavily. He had expended most of his strength in that one second. Fortunately, his blood qi kept him from collapsing.

"What a terrifying technique..." Lu Changsheng muttered to himself. "With such speed, even a martial artist at the Blood Strengthening Stage would find it nearly impossible to defend against my attack. And I didn't even unleash my blood qi."

Indeed, Lu Changsheng had executed the technique relying solely on his physical prowess. Releasing his blood qi would drive his speed even higher.

A peculiar glint flickered in his eyes. This martial technique suited his current condition perfectly. It was meant to be used with a short weapon, such as a dagger or a shortsword.

"This technique is all about speed and killing the target in one strike. Since it's purely for assassination... I'll call it Deathflash."

In the next moment, his status panel shimmered, and a new martial technique appeared.

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Changsheng

Perception: 147 (The Bearing of an Average Man)

[Skills]

Deathflash: Active

Iron Sand Palm: Advanced Mastery

Great River Blood Fortification Art: Third Layer (Perfection)

According to the status panel, Deathflash was currently only at the Active level. Although it was his own creation, Lu Changsheng had to admit that this technique had taken considerable effort to conceive. Naturally, bringing it to Perfection would require time and practice.

Nevertheless, he could already sense that Deathflash was at least a third-tier martial art, perhaps even fourth-tier. In any case, the exact tier would become clear once Lu Changsheng elevated it to Perfection and saw how much it increased his Perception.

In the end, he had succeeded in creating his own technique, though he was far from being able to use it as easily as moving his arm.

After some thought, Lu Changsheng decided there was no need to hurry. He could wait a while before returning to the black market.