Chapter 50: Fiery Saber Zhao Qilei!

As night fell, Lu Changsheng was in his room tempering his organs.

"Lin."

The moment he chanted the Nine-Character Thunder Chant, his entire body began to tremble. The medicinal meal he had consumed earlier transformed into a warm current that flowed through him, guided by the resonance of the chant. It coursed into his five viscera and six bowels, nourishing every organ within.

Suddenly, a line of small text appeared before his eyes.

Heavenly Water Organ Refinement: Perfection. Perception +5.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

A spark stirred in his mind, and he immediately summoned his status panel.

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Changsheng

Perception: 551 (Hidden Dragon in the Abyss)

[Skills]

Silken Thread Sword: Advanced Mastery

Heavenly Water Organ Refinement: Fifth Layer Perfection

Nine-Character Thunder Chant: Perfection (Incomplete)

The Heavenly Water Organ Refinement art had now reached Perfection. It was the second Organ Refinement martial art he had cultivated—an ordinary fifth-tier art. At present, there remained one last Organ Refinement art for him to practice.

Although all three were considered basic arts, the relentless tempering of his organs, combined with the extraordinary power of the Nine-Character Thunder Chant, had already made his internal organs astonishingly resilient. Their strength now surpassed that of many other martial artists at the Organ Refinement Stage.

However, Lu Changsheng still felt it was not enough; he could sense that his organs had yet to reach their full potential and could continue to grow stronger. Of course, the tempering of the organs had no actual limit, and he had no intention of stopping short of one. As long as he didn't run into a clear wall, he would continue tempering them without pause.

Only when he truly reached a bottleneck, when further refinement yielded no meaningful progress, would he attempt to break through the Profound Gate of Life and Death and advance to the Divine Strength Realm.

"There's no rush to advance to the Divine Strength Realm," Lu Changsheng murmured to himself. "Besides, apart from the Divine Strength Chapter from the

Myriad Poison Scripture

, I have no other martial arts suited for that realm. It's time to start searching for one, just in case."

The third Organ Refinement art was called Spring Wind Rain Transformation. Its name carried a certain kind of elegance, and it consisted of six layers in total, making it slightly stronger than the other two arts. Lu Changsheng predicted that perfecting this art would temper his organs enough to attempt a breakthrough into the Divine Strength Realm.

In that case, he needed to prepare the Divine Strength Realm martial arts in advance. Without the guidance of the art of that realm, breaking through the Profound Gate of Life and Death would be extremely difficult.

Lu Changsheng extended his hand, and a faint strand of blood qi shimmered into existence above his palm. The blood qi was as thin as silkworm silk, and as it hovered in his hand, it exuded a faintly sharp aura, like a blade's edge.

"Silkworm Silk Sword! In the end, this is a martial art of my own creation. I've long grasped its essence, and reaching Advanced Mastery within a month is fairly standard. Although it has yet to reach Perfection, at this level, its power is already remarkable. Blood qi turns to silken threads, and the silken thread becomes a sword..."

Lu Changsheng gave a gentle wave of his hand.

Swish.

A single strand of blood qi split into dozens of fine threads, each one piercing clean through the table beside him. The sheer power of the strike was terrifying. Who could have imagined that something as soft and fluid as blood qi, once released, could become so deadly?

Even now, Lu Changsheng was unsure of the exact tier of the Silken Thread Sword. At first, he had believed it to be in the sixth or perhaps seventh tier, but after witnessing its overwhelming might when unleashed, he suspected the technique was far beyond that level.

Lu Changsheng's mastery of Silkworm Silk Sword would likely reach Perfection within a few days, or half a month at most. When that happened, the technique's power would ascend to an entirely new level.

"Now all I'm missing is a Divine Strength Realm martial art..."

Lu Changsheng rubbed his chin, deep in thought. Martial arts of that realm were far from ordinary. Where could he find one?

Miaoshou Garden had never produced a martial artist at the Divine Strength Realm, so it was unlikely that Lu Changsheng could find any arts of that tier here. The Blood Fiend Sect, on the other hand, was a possibility. The issue, however, was that the sect's origins were shrouded in mystery, and Lu Changsheng knew too little about them to act rashly. As for the Divine Strength Chapter of the

Myriad Poison Scripture

, he could not cultivate it.

Suddenly, a figure surfaced unbidden in his mind—Li Hongzhuang. He had previously obtained Bone Tempering and Organ Refinement martial arts from her. Perhaps she might also possess a martial art for the Divine Strength Realm.

She had vanished at one point, but now that she had mysteriously returned to Nanyang Prefecture, Lu Changsheng could seek her out.

With that thought, he swiftly changed into another set of clothes—his black garments and his mask. With a short sword in hand, he pushed open the door and slipped silently into the night.

***

Drops of blood slid from the blade and splattered onto the ground. Li Hongzhuang's expression was cold and brimmed with killing intent, and the ground around her was littered with corpses.

"

Tsk

, these Zhao bastards haunt me like ghosts," she spat. "I've only just returned to Nanyang City, and they've already found me. But I am no longer the same as before. I'm now at the Organ Refinement Stage. Even if I'm slightly injured, the Zhao Clan's lackeys are no match for me!"

Li Hongzhuang panted heavily. She had suffered minor injuries, sought treatment from a physician, and returned here with the medicine. She had assumed the place to be safe, never expecting the Zhao Clansmen to track her down so quickly. Regardless, in the end, she had eliminated all of them.

Just as she was about to leave, a towering figure slowly stepped out from the shadows near the gate. It was a man, cradling a sheathed saber in his arms. His frame was broad and muscular, radiating a cold, murderous aura. As he stepped out of the corner, he resembled a treasured saber being drawn from its sheath—brilliant even in the darkness of night, impossible to ignore.

As she laid eyes on him, Li Hongzhuang's eyes narrowed slightly, and her expression changed drastically.

"The seventh son of the Zhao Clan, Fiery Saber Zhao Qilei!"

Every muscle in her body tensed at once. After so many years in Nanyang Prefecture, she knew exactly what kind of man Zhao Qilei was. The seven sons of the Zhao Clan were all martial artists at the Organ Refinement Stage, and Fiery Saber Zhao Qilei was, without question, the strongest among them.

In terms of combat prowess, he stood at the very peak of the Zhao Clan and was a top-tier Organ Refinement martial artist. Li Hongzhuang had never imagined that the moment she showed herself, the Zhao Clan would send Zhao Qilei personally.

"So they've sent the Fiery Saber himself for me? Hah, I'm flattered," she sneered, her tone sharp as steel.

Zhao Qilei glanced at the corpses scattered across the ground, then fixed his calm gaze on Li Hongzhuang.

"Our Zhao Clan lost a few men not long ago. I personally examined their wounds, inflicted with a dagger or sharp sword. They each died from one fatal strike, delivered with incredible speed. It was clearly the work of someone with a speed-oriented sword art, and your technique just now seemed to lack that speed. Tell me, who was the one who killed our people?"

Li Hongzhuang looked at him intently. It seemed that Zhao Qilei hadn't come specifically for her. His true interest lay in the person who had slain the Zhao Clansmen before, or rather, in that person's swordsmanship. She remembered clearly that the perpetrator had used a dagger, and with astonishing speed at that. Even now, having reached the Organ Refinement Stage herself, just recalling the speed of that man in black sent a cold chill through her heart.

"Zhao Qilei, cut the nonsense," she said coldly. "I am the one who killed Zhao Ruxiao. I also killed those clansmen, as well as these lackeys before you. Tonight, I want to see just how fast the Fiery Saber truly is!"

Indeed, Zhao Qilei was known for his speed. He stared at her for a long moment and shook his head.

"Ruxiao may have been a wastrel, but he was still a direct heir of the Zhao Clan. You shouldn't have killed him. Since you did, you must pay with your life. In your current state, you're no match for me. Even at your peak, you still wouldn't withstand my saber. But since you wish to witness it, I shall humor you!"

Shing!

As Zhao Qilei's words fell, his saber left its sheath. Li Hongzhuang felt a thousand needles pricking her skin—her instincts screaming danger.

Zhao Qilei moved so fast that her eyes couldn’t follow the saber at all; the blade already seemed to be hovering over her skin. In that fleeting instant, though her fingers still clenched her sword, raising it to parry felt completely impossible.