Lu Zhen stood upright, clutching a simple saber in his hands. Across from him, a training dummy, about 2 feet thick, gleamed in the light.
Closing his eyes, he appeared as though he was deeply asleep. Yet, his rhythmic breathing told a different story, Each inhale and exhale carried a rhythm of its own, an ebb and flow that mirrored the natural world around him.
His breath synchronised with his body, and in a sudden motion, his eyes snapped open.
With the opening of his eyes, a flash of green light streaked past his eyes as he swung the saber.
As the saber moved, a meagre amount of wood qi within his body flowed towards it, converging upon the blade. The contact of the qi with the saber generated a swirling force that spun, forming a small whirlwind directed towards the training dummy.
The collision of the whirlwind with the dummy resonated with a distinct "ching" sound, echoing through the air.
Instantly, the whirlwind engulfed the dummy, slashing through it in all directions with a fierce intensity.
Although the dummy sustained numerous deep cuts, it remained standing tall. Gradually, the hurricane subsided.
Upon surveying the battered body of the dummy, marked with deep gashes, Lu Zhen's face contorted into a frown of dissatisfaction.
"Seems like my qi is too meagre to fully unleash the potential of this combat art," Lu Zhen mused, his expression betraying a tinge of bitterness.
"Although I have reached the beginning level of the [Verdant Saber Whirlwind], my power is quite meager; even my raw strength is more powerful than this," Lu Zhen thought with a tinge of bitterness.
He wanted to practice the fist technique that perfectly integrated his raw strength first, but he possessed the blade mastery skill.
Therefore, he decided to practice the saber combat art first before delving into the fist technique, as relying solely on his talent would take too long for him to master the fist technique.
This is why he quickly attained the beginning level of the saber technique – thanks to his saber mastery skills, which also complemented his cultivation method.
"I have to find a way to increase my qi. Is there no other way besides taking the cultivation pill?" Lu Zhen pondered.
Despite having the Verdant Blade Art cultivation method, which included a meditation technique to gather wood attribute qi, he had only meditated for a short time, and the pace at which he gathered qi was as slow as a sloth. If he relied solely on meditation, substantial progress would take about four years according to his estimation.
His constitution hadn't improved significantly after reaching the divine physique stage. Even though he exercised regularly, he hadn't grown much. Unknowingly, Lu Zhen had hit a bottleneck in his progress. This was why he chose to focus on combat arts to swiftly enhance his strength.
However, if martial artists heard Lu Zhen's line of thinking, they would likely vomit blood right on the spot.
Martial arts was a time-consuming process that progressed at a snail's pace. Some cultivated so slowly that they couldn't even become third-stage martial artists in their lifetimes.
"Looks like I need to take the cultivation pill," Lu Zhen concluded.
With determination, he reached for the box previously given to him by his mother. His fingers poised to open it, when a sound caught his attention.
"Young master, the twins Lu Zhi and Lu Qian wish to see you," an aged voice announced with a hint of uncertainty from outside the training room.
Upon hearing this, a subtle frown creased Lu Zhen's brow.
"Oh, I almost forgot about them…"
He had been so absorbed in practising the [Verdant Saber Whirlwind] technique that he hadn't even realised four days had passed.
That's right, Lu Zhen's initial focus was on increasing his attacking prowess before delving into movement combat art. He firmly believed in cultivating absolute strength.
While the [Whispering Shadow Steps] combat art might grant him greater mobility, his current priority was enhancing his combat power. He was quite unsatisfied with his current level. He believed that speed, while advantageous, could be easily countered by tactics such as barriers and encirclements. If he encountered a stronger opponent, Lu Zhen wouldn't even have the luxury of time to react before meeting his demise.
So he believed that strength was the way to go. Other things could be considered later.
"I am coming, Elder Tianming," Lu Zhen declared as he opened the door and was greeted by the familiar sight of the library.
Lu Zhen had now understood why the library's interior was smaller than its exterior – there were secret rooms for direct descendants to practice combat arts.
These rooms were especially prepared for higher-ranking family members and possessed sound-nullifying properties. They also featured wooden dummies, which were highly suitable for practice.
As Lu Zhen exited the door, he saw Lu Tianming standing with a hint of hesitation.
"Young master, I hope I didn't disturb you," Lu Tianming said with a slight hesitation.
"Elder Tianming, you didn't disturb me. Thank you for informing me," Lu Zhen replied in a respectful tone.
Despite being slightly annoyed by the twins' persistence, he intended to keep his word to them. However, his main reason was his curiosity about the monkey wine. In the memories he had acquired, each time the previous host drank the wine, his body felt refreshed the next day.
He wanted to test its effectiveness for himself. Considering its rarity in the market, he thought it better to acquire the wine now. From his recollections, he knew that although Lu Zhi was merely a martial trainee at the age of 26, he was also a master wine brewer – a skill that very few in Phoenix City could compete with.
With that thought in mind, he followed Elder Lu Tianming's guidance and approached them slowly.
However, midway, Lu Zhen's ears started twitching, and he heard some words.
"Brother, do you think Lu Zhen will really help us? Even if he helps, can he really solve our problems?"
This was followed by a thud and an angry voice.
"Just shut up…"
Hearing the squabbling between the two, Lu Zhen felt quite amused and intrigued by their argument.