Chapter 255 - 230: 21 Strands of Inner Strength_1

After the lecture ended, Wei Yunfeng hastily found Lu Yan, and said, "Lu Yan, will you sell me another opportunity to learn martial arts?"

One session of learning benefited him greatly, making the five martial pills well worth it.

"Did Instructor Xiao Ye blame you?"

Lu Yan asked.

"No, he just asked a few questions."

Wei Yunfeng responded, then added, "Will you sell it to me again next month?"

Lu Yan revealed a troubled expression and said, "As you know, such an opportunity is rare, and I need it as well..."

"I’ll add one more martial pill, six martial pills."

Wei Yunfeng gritted his teeth.

"Ten martial pills." Lu Yan held up a finger.

Wei Yunfeng inhaled sharply and said, "Ten is too high. Even if I frequently take on tasks, I don’t earn that many merit points, not to mention, I also need martial pills for my cultivation."

"Seven martial pills, I can’t give any more."

"Nine."

Lu Yan said.

After some haggling, they finally reached an agreement: seven martial pills, and in addition, Wei Yunfeng would give Lu Yan thirty thousand taels of silver.

In the blink of an eye, the sixth month of teaching had arrived.

When Xiao Ye looked and saw that Wei Yunfeng was still there, his displeasure deepened.

"Wei Yunfeng, did Lu Yan sell you his opportunity again?"

Xiao Ye asked, his displeasure deepening.

"Yes, this is Lu Yan’s note, please take a look."

Wei Yunfeng took out the note.

"No need."

Xiao Ye waved his hand and snorted coldly.

The others were whispering amongst themselves.

"It seems that Lu Yan thinks that Thunder Nine Sounds is too difficult, so he gave up on cultivating."

"It must be so, otherwise why would he give up his chance to learn martial arts."

"What’s the use of only improving cultivation and not practicing martial arts? It’s like a silver spear in a crayon box, looking good but not practical."

"Quiet."

Xiao Ye shouted coldly and the scene quieted down.

"If you have any questions, ask fast..."

Xiao Ye said.

In the seventh month, Lu Yan again sold his opportunity to Wei Yunfeng for seven martial pills and thirty thousand taels of silver.

When Xiao Ye saw that it was still Wei Yunfeng, his face darkened even more.

After the lecture ended, Xiao Ye said coldly, "Wei Yunfeng, do you know where Lu Yan lives? Take me to him."

"Yes, yes."

Wei Yunfeng got up, fretting inwardly. Was the Instructor about to lose his temper with Lu Yan?

But he didn’t dare to disobey, he could only lead the way obediently.

"Let’s go and see."

The others, driven by curiosity, quietly followed behind.

"Lu Yan, are you there? Instructor Xiao Ye is looking for you."

In the practice room, Lu Yan was cultivating when he heard the shouting from outside.

"Instructor Xiao Ye?"

Lu Yan’s heart jumped with a foreboding feeling. He quickly stopped cultivating and came out.

"Hahaha, Instructor Xiao Ye, what brings you here today? I’m truly honored, come, come in and have a drink."

Lu Yan greeted with a full smile, as if seeing a long-lost elder.

There’s a saying that goes ’don’t slap a smiling face.’

Seeing Lu Yan’s smiling face, Xiao Ye found it hard to get angry. He just said coldly, "Lu Yan, why don’t you attend my lectures? Why do you sell your opportunities to others? Have you given up on cultivating Thunder Nine Sounds?"

"Instructor, you misunderstand. I haven’t given up. I just feel that I can cultivate on my own, so I don’t want to waste the opportunity. Wei Brother happened to need it, so I gave it to him. It’s a win-win situation."

Lu Yan answered honestly.

"You can cultivate on your own? Are you saying that my teaching is inadequate?"

Xiao Ye said coldly.

"Well... I won’t fool you, Instructor. From a young age, I’ve been intelligent and have excellent comprehension. Any martial art, with just a little guidance at the beginning, once I get the hang of it, I can integrate and progress rapidly, advancing by leaps and bounds. So... I don’t need much guidance from an Instructor."

Lu Yan replied.

This was his well-thought-out response.

Chongyang had advised him not to keep a low profile, to show his talent as much as he could in order to gain more resources.

After joining the Hidden Dragon Camp, he realized that there were many geniuses, and his achievements seemed insignificant.

So, he decided to show a bit of his exceptional comprehension.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to explain his rapid increase in inner strength in the future.

"Blustering."

At this time, a young man couldn’t hold back anymore.

What Lu Yan said was too infuriating.

What does he mean by ’with just a little guidance at the beginning, then he doesn’t need instruction’? What about their hard-earned martial learning?

"Wang Tianyu, known as the greatest in comprehension in the Mansion of King Ming for the past 300 years, dares not be so arrogant. He always humbly asks for guidance every time he learns martial arts. Are you saying that your comprehension surpasses Wang Tianyu’s?"

The young man said loudly.

The others also nodded, thinking that Lu Yan was too arrogant and overbearing.

Lu Yan wore a helpless expression and said, "But I... I’m just telling the truth."

This expression made many people even angrier.

Even Wei Yunfeng wanted to punch Lu Yan in the face.

"Lu Yan, since you are so confident, you must have made significant progress with Thunder Nine Sounds. How about you give us a demonstration?"

The young man from before said.

"Please."

Lu Yan gestured.

This was exactly what he wanted – he could show off a bit and avoid trouble.

Holding the ox horn bow and arrows, a group of people headed to the martial arts arena.

On one side of the arena, there was a row of metal men, made using special methods. They were incredibly tough and usually used for martial arts practice by the Masters.

The young man didn’t waste any words. He drew his bow, loaded the arrow, and shot.

With a snap!

The arrow produced a thunderous sound in mid-air and suddenly sped up, hitting one metal figure and sinking an inch into it.

"I’ve been practicing Thunder Nine Sounds for nearly three years, and I’ve now reached the level of small success. But alas, my aptitude is dull, only capable of one sound. Lu Yan, your turn."

The young man turned his gaze to Lu Yan.

Lu Yan, not bothering with too many words, stepped forward. With a swift release of an arrow, his movement was as smooth as cloud and flowing water.

The arrow flew out like lightning.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Mid-air, the arrow resounded three times, its speed drastically increasing and deeply embedded in the brass mannequin, half an arrow’s length disappearing within.

Xiao Ye’s eyes widened in astonishment.

Others, like Wei Yunfeng and the young man, were left open-mouthed and tongue-tied.

"Three sounds on release, this is the hallmark of mastery. You’ve been practicing Thunder Nine Sounds for just over half a year and haven’t you already reached this level? A martial arts prodigy, such understanding of martial arts, even Wang Tianyu is nothing more."

Xiao Ye muttered to himself.

If he wasn’t very certain that Lu Yan had just learned Thunder Nine Sounds when he joined the Hidden Dragon Camp, he would have questioned if Lu Yan had already practiced it before.

"Teacher, did my training go alright?"

Lu Yan asked.

"It... It’s fine, good."

Xiao Ye muttered to himself and turned to leave.

"Teacher Xiao Ye, can I give my spot to someone else?"

Lu Yan called out.

"You’re talented, as you wish."

Xiao Ye left a sentence behind and disappeared like the wind.

"Brother Lu, I was rude just now. Please forgive me. Your talent is truly unsurpassed in the world. In my opinion, only Wang Tianyu can match you."

The young man from before walked over, clasping his fists in apology, showing deep respect.

Seeing Lu Yan’s extraordinary comprehension, they were certain his future achievements would be limitless, and thus he mustn’t be offended.

He wished he could slap himself. Why had he been so meddlesome earlier, questioning Lu Yan?

This matter had nothing to do with him in the first place.

"No problem, ignorance is forgivable."

Lu Yan smiled.

It was a minor issue. He wasn’t so petty to keep it in mind.

Upon returning, Lu Yan returned the secret book and the Divine Intent Diagram of Thunder Nine Sounds.

The news of Lu Yan’s horrifying comprehension ability, on par with Wang Tianyu, swept through the Hidden Dragon Camp like a hurricane.

And it was even spreading to the Imperial Guards and the high-ranking Forbidden Guard Army.

"Lu Yan, he has such comprehension? Then, was he hiding his strength when showing his Cold Magic Palm that day?"

At Xiang Mansion, Xiang Chongyang wore a faint smile upon receiving the news.

"Lu Yan? Chenzhou really found a good seedling."

Upon hearing this, Chu Long smiled slightly, his eyes filled with expectation.

However, not everyone believed in Lu Yan’s talents.

Some believed that Lu Yan may have an exceptional fit with Thunder Nine Sounds, which enabled his rapid progression. But if it were other martial arts, it might not be the same.

As for Wang Tianyu, he was genuinely extraordinarily insightful, able to master any martial art quickly and advance to a profound level.

"Sixteen routes of inner strength, finally on par."

Seven months after joining the Hidden Dragon Camp, Lu Yan finally elevated the newly cultivated five routes of inner strength to the level of the previous eleven.

Each of the sixteen routes of inner strength was mighty, well-honed, and powerful.

It’s time to bring Thunder Nine Sounds to the stage of Unity of Man and Martial Arts.

He took out the Immortal Bone worth thirty Meritorious Points and passed it to the Dao Book to devour.

The progress of Thunder Nine Sounds swiftly advanced.

The Immortal Bone worth thirty Meritorious Points was rich in energy.

However, the amount of energy needed to enhance top martial arts is immense, especially when it comes to reaching the Peak of Perfection.

The rapid advancement of his Cold Magic Palm could only be attributed to the Immortal Egg’s shell.

So, even after the energy in this Immortal Bone was exhausted, Thunder Nine Sounds was still slightly short of Unity of Man and Martial Arts.

Lu Yan simply went back to the Merit Hall and exchanged another Immortal Bone worth 20 Meritorious Points for the Dao Book to ingest and continue the advancement of Thunder Nine Sounds.

This time, Thunder Nine Sounds was elevated to Unity of Man and Martial Arts in one breath, and there was still some energy left.

The remaining energy would of course not go to waste.

After all, Lu Yan still had speed-based martial arts yet to be enhanced.

Now, the energy from Martial Pills and Martial Food was almost exclusively used to raise his cultivation level and not for martial arts.

Hoo Hoo...

A familiar sensation, the nourishment from heaven and earth descended.

Lu Yan’s flesh was once again tempered, once again elevated.

Half a day later, the nourishment from heaven and earth ceased.

"Inner strength, has actually increased by five routes."

Lu Yan wore a smile on his face.

Although the increase was the same as last time with five routes of inner strength, the progression was apparently lower.

Because last time, five routes were added on the basis of eleven.

And this time, it increased by five routes on the basis of sixteen inner strength.

Lu Yan speculated that the progression this time was approximately a little more than thirty percent.

Within his body, twenty-one routes of inner strength existed separately and could also be combined, changing ceaselessly.

"Twenty-one routes of inner strength, this should have the potential to achieve the King’s True Body."

Lu Yan’s eyes were bright.

This was not his limit.

According to the previous pattern, the second top martial arts improved by over thirty percent.

Then, the third, fourth, and even fifth should still be effective and can still make progress.

"My physical body has also improved a bit, most importantly, my cultivation level has also improved a bit, not far from the Second-rank Master Peak."

Lu Yan felt the changes in himself.

As long as he could enhance the new five routes of inner strength, practice a bit more, he would be striking for the Third-level Master.

At this moment, the energy of the Immortal Bone was already exhausted.

Speed-based martial arts, two of them had reached Unity of Man and Martial Arts.

Out of the nine martial arts centered around speed, three had reached Unity of Man and Martial Arts, leaving six.

He continued to cultivate.

After the previous incident, every time Lu Yan took the opportunity to request martial arts, he smoothly sold it to Wei Yunfeng.

Of course, Wei Yunfeng couldn’t always afford to pay seven third-level Martial Pills and thirty thousand silver every month.

It wasn’t an issue if Wei Yunfeng couldn’t afford it, others were eager for this opportunity, and Lu Yan easily sold it to them.