Chapter 73: Chapter 69: Sixth Realm, Grandmaster

Late one night.

Lu Mingyuan sat in his hall, taking stock of his day’s progress on the Martial Dao—a daily ritual for him.

Nearly two months—just over fifty days—had passed since he began training in the *Black Tortoise Breathing Method* and the *Thunder Prison Saber Scripture*, and his status panel had changed once again.

Life Master: Lu Mingyuan

Cultivation: Martial Arts Fifth Realm (Furnace Building)

Cultivation Technique: Blood Glutton Celestial Fall Scripture – Abnormal Eating Chapter (Sixth Floor: 5109/15000), Mountain Shaking Fist (Perfection), Fiery Fire Saber Technique (Perfection), Desolate Dragon Elephant Force (Fourth Floor: 3780/4000), Celestial Spirit Hidden Dragon (Mastery: 521/5000), Black Tortoise Breathing Technique – Essence Transformation Chapter (3470/5000), Thunder Prison Saber Scripture – Blade Momentum Chapter (3861/5000)

Thanks to ’Martial Spirit,’ his Martial Arts cultivation speed was five times faster than normal. Ordinarily, his daily Breathing and Nourishing and saber practice would only yield ten points, amounting to just five hundred points over fifty days. But now, he had shot past the three-thousand-point mark for his new techniques, putting him more than halfway there.

It was much the same for the Desolate Dragon Elephant Force.

These two cultivation techniques from Zhao Xuanwu were far more difficult to cultivate than the Mountain Shaking Fist, Fiery Fire Saber Technique, or Desolate Dragon Elephant Force, and they also required more time.

His ultimate killing move, Celestial Spirit Hidden Dragon, had progressed smoothly from Beginner to Skilled, though there was still a long way to go before Mastery.

This Saber Skill was incredibly tyrannical. It served as a trump card because it could continuously compress his Martial Dao Primordial Qi and release it all in an instant, generating astonishing power.

According to the old drunkard’s assessment, this move would allow him to withstand a Grandmaster’s full-power strike and retreat completely unscathed.

However, his state of mind wasn’t yet sufficient, so the technique’s power was still greatly lacking. He was far from true mastery; the “invincibility within the Lower Seven Realms” the old drunkard hoped for would likely only be possible after he reached the Mastery level.

At least now he could hold his breath for half an hour. Slaying a Grandmaster expert on a single breath should be more than enough. The Black Tortoise Breathing Method was, in truth, a Dharma Gate for Visualizing Black Tortoise Breathing. Legend had it that the Ancient Divine Beast Xuanwu could hold a single breath for a thousand years. He still had a long, long way to go.

Right now, his biggest hope was to advance the *Thunder Prison Saber Scripture* to the Saber Heart Chapter. After all, he would have to rely on this Saber Technique in actual combat, which was why he prioritized its progress.

The Fifth Realm of Furnace Building allowed one’s Acupoints to temper Martial Dao Primordial Qi until it condensed into a tangible substance. This was the key to the External Release of Primordial Energy and Armor Transformation.

As for him, he could now transform his Primordial Qi into astral force. Even his Saber Qi wouldn’t dissipate for the time it took an incense stick to burn after leaving his body. With no weapon in his hands, he could fight by wielding Saber Astral directly.

He retrieved a small green bottle he had buried outside the courtyard and poured out more than twenty drops of Cyan Jade Liquid.

He had spent over twenty days collecting this. He had buried the small green bottle in the earth with only its mouth exposed, allowing it to gather the Essence of Heaven and Earth each day to form a single drop of Cyan Jade Liquid.

His goal was to use it tomorrow morning to prepare for his breakthrough to the Sixth Realm.

’Twenty drops. Each one provides five hundred points of nourishment, so ten thousand points should be just about right.’

“Your Highness, it’s time to retire for the night.”

Returning to the main hall, Lu Mingyuan saw Hong Wan emerging with a damp cloth. Her straight, slender calves were visible, and he could faintly make out her small, rounded knees and well-proportioned thighs through her gauze skirt. He couldn’t help but stare.

’Nice legs,’ Lu Mingyuan thought.

After being stared at by the prince for so long, a hint of shyness surfaced in the maid Hong Wan’s captivating, peach-blossom eyes, but she didn’t dare make a sound and disturb him.

“Come here, sit down.”

Lu Mingyuan patted the spot beside him, signaling her to come over.

Hong Wan set down the tray and obediently went to sit beside him.

Lu Mingyuan placed a large hand on her leg, caressing it gently. Hong Wan’s body trembled slightly, her delicate, beautiful face growing increasingly crimson.

“You’re a Sixth-Realm Qi Cultivator, aren’t you? Why have I never seen you use any Divine Techniques?”

Hearing his words, Hong Wan’s eyes dimmed. “This servant may have the aptitude, and I was fortunate enough to follow a Daoist master from a young age and cultivate to the Sixth Realm. But after I returned home, I rarely used my skills. Then, in the brothel, I focused on studying song and dance. My Daoist Skills have been neglected for a long time.”

“I’ve been trying to reacquaint myself with them recently. If Your Highness wishes to see, you need only say the word.”

Lu Mingyuan asked, “What Divine Techniques do you know?”

Hong Wan held out her hand. A faint, red Taoist Qi materialized in her palm, and she used it to control the water in a teacup, causing it to float into the air.

’Her Taoist Qi is far weaker than Yun Qinghe’s,’ Lu Mingyuan thought. He recalled seeing Yun Qinghe’s cyan Taoist Qi—it had been dazzlingly bright and incomparably pure, like a flawless crystal.

Soon, the water from the teacup transformed into a curtain of water. Within the curtain was an image: a palace hall at night, bathed in bright moonlight.

Lu Mingyuan recognized it at once. It was Qingzhu Hall, seen from a perspective overlooking the entire complex.

“This is called Water Curtain Painting,” Hong Wan explained.

“It can display any scene within one’s Spiritual Sense.”

Lu Mingyuan found it fascinating. “Did that Daoist teach you all this?” he couldn’t help but ask.

Hong Wan nodded. “Yes. When I was five, I fell gravely ill. Many famous doctors in the Imperial Capital were unable to cure me, so my family sought out an old master.”

“He lived in Huaiyang and was famous for the prophecies he made from his thatched hut. If he declared an illness incurable, then no one could cure it. But if he said he could cure it, then it was a certainty. He was a miracle-working physician who lived as a hermit in the mountain forests. He often wore a straw raincoat while gathering herbs, so people called him Master Suo Yi.”

Lu Mingyuan felt like he was listening to a fairytale. “You didn’t stay with him?” he pressed.

Hong Wan shook her head. “While treating my illness, the old master saw that I had good aptitude, so he taught me for a few years. Then, without giving a reason, he took his leave and told me to return home on my own. Back in the Imperial Capital, I wanted to join a Daoist Academy or enter a Sect, but my father dissuaded me, citing a marriage arrangement.”

Lu Mingyuan was surprised. “You have a fiancé?”

“Yes, but it was a childhood engagement. After the Xie Family fell from grace and I entered the Music Bureau, the matter was simply dropped.”

’Her life has been tragic,’ Lu Mingyuan thought. ’Dragged into a political struggle for no reason, only to have her entire family sacrificed.’

Lu Mingyuan, who possessed the ’Recognizing People’ ability, could see the resentment on Hong Wan’s face and in her heart. He smiled faintly. “You seem to harbor some hatred.”

Hong Wan knelt before Lu Mingyuan and spoke without holding back.

“You are correct, Your Highness. I want to avenge my sister.”

Lu Mingyuan countered, “And who do you seek revenge against?”

Hong Wan gritted her teeth. “The Eldest Prince, and all the noble family disciples who toyed with my sister.”

Lu Mingyuan smiled slyly. “That’s quite a long list of people. By that logic, I was also a frequent guest at the brothels back in the day. I’ve been with my fair share of women. Should I be on that list too?”

Hearing this, Hong Wan was terrified. “This servant would never dare!”

’I’m his subordinate now. If I dared to harbor any disloyal thoughts, I would be signing my own death warrant. While I despise the people who caused my sister’s death, the Sixth Prince had absolutely nothing to do with it. In fact, he rescued me from that sea of misery. He’s my savior.’

Lu Mingyuan pulled her up, patted her leg, and said seriously, “I want to tell you something: don’t seek revenge on the wrong person. Do you know who was responsible for the downfall of your Xie Family? Do you really think it was because the Eldest Prince rebelled?”

Hearing this, Hong Wan looked at the handsome face before her, startled. Her gaze grew clouded with confusion. “This servant admits I am not skilled in scheming,” she said in a low voice. “I beg Your Highness to enlighten me.”

Lu Mingyuan said with a deadpan expression, “It was the Second Prince. He’s the one who brought your Xie Family to ruin.”

“If it weren’t for him, the Eldest Prince never would have believed he was capable of being regent, and he never would have launched a palace coup. Your Xie Family was nothing more than a casualty in the struggle between the Eldest and Second Princes. The Eldest Prince is still alive and well in his cell, while your father and kinsmen have already been exiled or beheaded.”

In recent days, Qi Muxue had told him a great deal about his father’s affairs.

She had given him a crystal-clear review of the whole situation, including how the Eldest Prince’s faction had been led step-by-step into a trap. Without a doubt, the mastermind who profited in the end was the Second Prince, Lu Guangjing.

Upon hearing this, the confusion in Hong Wan’s eyes finally cleared as she began to see the connections.

“I want revenge!”

Her tone was resolute, laced with a steely determination.

At her words, Lu Mingyuan smiled faintly. “Revenge is simple enough. Lu Guangjing is my mortal enemy too, so I’ll settle that score for both of us. But before that… shouldn’t you show your appreciation?”

“After all, I’m quite fond of your body.”

Hong Wan understood immediately. A faint blush crept up her cheeks. “If it pleases Your Highness, then what is this body worth? My entire being belongs to you anyway.”

She leaned down and deftly undid the clasp of Lu Mingyuan’s white jade belt with her teeth.

Lu Mingyuan was extremely pleased. He gently caressed the beauty mark at the corner of her eye, his gaze profound. “Very good. Very clever. It seems you’ve seized your future.”

…

「The next day.」

Lu Mingyuan woke up an Hour later than usual. Last night, Hong Wan had been incredibly eager. She was like a fairy, giving him an experience unlike any he’d had before.

As expected of someone trained in the Music Bureau, Hong Wan, who started as a Dancing Girl, had a supple body and superb skills. She moved like a green serpent, not at all awkward like Zi Yun, and knew exactly what he wanted.

’As for who was better, Lu Mingyuan could only conclude that each had their own merits. He suddenly remembered he had a task to complete today.’

After washing up, Lu Mingyuan went out into the courtyard. He ordered Hong Wan and Zi Yun to guard the main gate and allow no one to enter.

He was going to officially begin his attempt to break through to the Sixth Realm of the Martial Dao: the Grandmaster realm.

…

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