Chapter 53: Blood and Qi Burst, Mastery of Saber Techniques

That night, after Lu Qing and the others had fallen asleep and he had fed the little black beast, he lit an oil lamp and took out the *Four Directions Saber* manual.

It was worth mentioning that the little black beast had indeed brought another old mountain ginseng during the night. Moreover, its quality was not inferior to the previous one in the slightest. Unfortunately, Lu Qing had no exotic fish to exchange for it, so he could clearly feel the beast's displeasure while it ate the fish. It was only after Lu Qing promised that he would definitely go fishing for exotic fish for it when he had time that he managed to coax it into a good mood. However, before leaving, the beast did not take the ginseng with it but left it behind. Thus, Lu Qing now owed the little black beast one exotic fish.

Under the bright light of the oil lamp, Lu Qing opened the first page of the *Four Directions Saber* to begin reading. Soon, a dense white light emerged from the manual in his field of vision, even laced with a hint of red light.

【Four Directions Saber: A manual recording high-level saber techniques.】 【Bone-Strengthening Realm saber technique; emphasizes momentum and focuses on killing intent.】 【Legend has it that this technique was created with the lifelong devotion of a martial arts expert at the perfection of the Bone-Strengthening Realm. Using this technique, they once fought a peak Internal Organ Realm expert and survived.】 【Would you like to proceed with Download Simulation?】

"A manual with red light?"

Lu Qing was greatly surprised to see the red glow on the manual. Having awakened his ability for some time now, he had developed a basic judgment regarding the colored lights that emerged from objects. Anything associated with red light was generally extraordinary and could be called a treasure. Whether it was an exotic fish or a century-old mountain ginseng, it was the same. The fact that this *Four Directions Saber* could manifest red light—and that the red light was even denser than that of the fish or the ginseng—couldn't help but astonish him.

To receive such a high evaluation from his ability, Lu Qing's curiosity regarding this saber technique grew even stronger. He selected "Yes" and began to flip through the manual.

【Downloading in progress. Current progress: 1%, 2%, 3%...】

As Lu Qing flipped through the pages, the download progress bar increased bit by bit.

【...97%, 98%, 99%, 100%】 【Download complete. Starting simulation. Current progress: 1%, 2%, 3%...】

By the time Lu Qing finished reading the *Four Directions Saber*, the progress bar had just reached one hundred percent. Immediately after, another progress bar appeared.

"I see. If I am observing someone else practicing a technique, I can simulate it directly. But for a manual, I must download it first before I can simulate it," Lu Qing thought reflectively.

He waited quietly, and before long, he saw the progress bar jump to one hundred percent.

【Simulation complete. Would you like to practice?】

Without hesitation, Lu Qing selected "Yes."

In the next instant, countless key points and insights regarding the practice of the Four Directions Saber surged from the depths of his mind. Lu Qing closed his eyes slightly, quietly receiving the information. After a long while, he opened his eyes, a trace of shock lingering in them.

"This Four Directions Saber technique is truly extraordinary."

At this moment, Lu Qing had finished absorbing the insights in his mind and had gained a comprehensive understanding of the technique. The Four Directions Saber did not have many moves, totaling only nine. Each move explained how to mobilize the strength of the entire body to erupt with the greatest power and momentum to slay all enemies. The so-called "Four Directions" did not simply refer to the four cardinal directions, but to the four corners of the world—all space within one's sight. One could imagine how immense the ambition of the martial artist who created this technique must have been. After all, Lu Qing had seen in the manual that the Bone-Strengthening Realm expert who created it had originally aimed to use this technique to strike down Internal Organ Realm experts.

Closing the manual, Lu Qing reached out, took a wooden saber from beside the table, and walked quietly into the courtyard. He had fashioned the wooden saber himself that afternoon; it wasn't particularly beautiful, but it was sturdy. There was no other way; in this rural area, he couldn't find a real combat saber for the time being, so he had to make do. Regardless, he was only practicing, not going out to hack people.

Holding the wooden saber, Lu Qing stood quietly as various insights regarding the Four Directions Saber flowed through his mind. Accompanied by these insights, he began to slowly perform the saber moves recorded in the manual.

Since stepping into the Blood Qi Realm, Lu Qing's control over his body had improved significantly compared to before. Although it was his first time practicing the moves, he already looked quite decent during his first attempt. Of course, this was also because the moves of the Four Directions Saber were not complex. The technique consisted of nine moves, each simple and unadorned, emphasizing momentum over intricate forms, making them not difficult to perform.

The true difficulty lay in how to mobilize the strength of the entire body at the exact moment of the strike, ensuring that every single blow could erupt with maximum power. This involved extremely complex methods of force generation. Footwork, body movement, the angle and method of the strike, the connection and eruption of blood qi and bones, the timing of the release—everything had to be perfectly coordinated. It placed extremely high demands on the practitioner's level of self-control.

After practicing several times, with the help of the insights in his mind, Lu Qing soon mastered the basic forms of the Four Directions Saber. However, he could not yet grasp the specific method of force generation required by the technique. He was not impatient and continued to practice the moves over and over again.

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. He believed that with the help of the insights in his mind, once he practiced the forms to a sufficient level of proficiency, everything would naturally fall into place.

And indeed, it was so. As Lu Qing practiced repeatedly, his mastery of the moves became increasingly proficient. The transitions between the moves gradually became smooth and seamless, operating without obstruction. Although the nine moves of the Four Directions Saber were simple, they were interconnected, forming a cohesive whole. The nine moves were interlocked, sufficient to cover the entire body without leaving any openings.

Lu Qing continued to practice, constantly reducing the flaws in the transitions between the moves. Finally, when he had eliminated the last trace of a flaw, a moment of enlightenment rose from his heart.

In the next instant, he stepped forward, his entire body's blood qi connected and erupting instantly, as he swung a powerful blow through the air.

*Swish!*

Driven by immense power, the wind and energy from the saber erupted, pressing the weeds beneath Lu Qing's feet flat against the ground. After this strike, Lu Qing stood still, a look of joy appearing on his face.

"So that's it. This is what the feeling of connecting blood qi and instant eruption is like."

Just now, Lu Qing had finally figured out how to coordinate the eruption of blood qi with the strike to push the power of the move to its absolute peak. According to the description in the *Four Directions Saber* manual, only by achieving this could he be considered to have officially entered the threshold of this technique. Once he could perform a full set of moves where every single strike was accompanied by a blood qi eruption, he would have achieved minor mastery.

"It really wasn't easy. If it weren't for my ability, I might not have been able to even reach the entry level of the Four Directions Saber even if given another month."

Though Lu Qing seemed to have mastered the entry-level secret of the technique easily in just an hour or two, only he knew how difficult this saber technique actually was. One must realize that while using his ability, he was in a state similar to sudden enlightenment. Even so, it took him this much time to master the basics. Of course, this was also related to the fact that he had never practiced saber techniques before.

But how many times in a lifetime could an ordinary martial artist experience such enlightenment? If they were to practice the Four Directions Saber, those with mediocre talent might struggle to even reach the entry level for a year or more.

Picking up the wooden saber, Lu Qing intended to strike while the iron was hot and continue practicing with this newfound insight. Suddenly, he heard a *crack* from the wooden saber in his hand. It was because he had used too much force while practicing the final move, causing the wooden saber to split.

"It seems I need to find a way to get a real saber back here."

(End of Chapter)