After raising the Breaking Wind Saber Technique to the entry level, Lu Yun felt a significant improvement in his physical fitness and no longer felt as weak and powerless as before.
So, taking advantage of the time while dinner was not yet ready, he practiced the saber technique in the small courtyard.
He still followed the positions depicted in the secret manual in his mind while wielding the large saber.
This saber was somewhat worn out, and a notch could still be faintly seen on its blade. It had been discarded by Lu He.
One swing closely followed by another.
His body had somewhat improved after adding points, but it still seemed somewhat insufficient, with clearly inadequate speed and strength.
Moreover, he had barely entry-level knowledge of the saber techniques, so he struggled to execute the first move of the Breaking Wind Saber Technique accordingly.
There was still a long way to go before he could use it for combat and defeating enemies.
Nevertheless, Lu Yun was excited for quite some time.
An hour later, his physical strength fell short, and he sheepishly stopped practicing the saber technique.
[Breaking Wind Saber Technique: Entry Level (11%)]
"Huh... the Breaking Wind Saber Technique increased by 1%. This is somewhat unexpected." Lu Yun squinted his eyes, looking at the interface in front of him, slightly lost in thought.
At this moment, his stomach let out a rumbling sound, and a strong sense of hunger came over him.
Lu Yun was taken aback, "I didn't feel hungry at all after raising the technique so much earlier. Why am I so hungry now? Is it because practicing and improving my martial arts consumes my energy?"
Just then, Lu Yu called him for dinner from inside the house, and Lu Yun hurriedly rushed in, wolfing down the food in his bowl.
Then, under the astonished gazes of Lu He and Lu Yu, he cleared all the dishes on the table, including the two large bowls of meat, before finally filling up his stomach.
After eating and drinking to his heart's content, Lu Yun couldn't help but squint his eyes, his belly full and his satisfaction evident.
Lu Yu, feeling helpless, could only put down her chopsticks and cook another meal.
It didn't really matter to her; she could settle for anything. But Lu He was a martial artist who needed to practice, and the amount of energy he consumed required more food.
"Eldest brother, what's going on with Xiaoyun today? Is there any problem?" After Lu Yun left, Lu Yu asked, slightly worried. Lu Yun's greedy eating had shocked her, and after she snapped out of her surprise, she felt more concern.
"He practiced his saber technique for a whole afternoon, and it consumed a lot of energy. It should be fine." Lu He casually replied.
In fact, he too was somewhat uncertain.
...
In the quiet night, the stars shone brilliantly in the sky.
Lying on his bed, Lu Yun gazed at the illusory panel in front of him, deep in thought.
[Breaking Wind Saber Technique: Entry Level (11%)]
[Energy Points: 0.3]
Although the meat of the demon beasts could increase energy points, the energy it contained was relatively small, only adding 0.2 energy points to his total.
Other foods might also contain energy, but perhaps only in minuscule amounts. It might not even accumulate half an energy point over a year and a half.
On the other hand, the Blood Ginseng soup contributed more than one energy point, indicating that the Blood Ginseng contained the most energy.
However, given his family's financial situation, they could only afford one Blood Ginseng a month. This had significantly hindered Lu He's martial arts progression, otherwise, he would have already joined a hunting team.
"It seems the best way to obtain energy points is to eat the demon beasts' meat. As a member of the hunting team, my eldest brother has a share of meat every day." Lu Yun nodded secretly before falling into a deep sleep.
In the following days, Lu Yun practiced his saber techniques in the morning and mental cultivation in the afternoon. Although he didn't add any points, he could clearly feel his progress in the saber technique.
His body was slowly recovering, with muscles growing on his arms, legs, and back, gradually supporting his originally weak body.
With the improvement of his physical fitness, his appetite also increased. He ate more during every single meal than both Lu He and Lu Yu combined.
Seven days later, Lu Yun gradually became stronger, on par with his peers in comparison.
He had already memorized the Breaking Wind Saber Technique manual thoroughly, so he completely returned it to Lu He.
Lu He didn't show any reaction, and after casually asking about Lu Yun's cultivation progress, he hurriedly left.
The members of the hunting team had heavy tasks, as they had to hunt and patrol the village to ensure the safety of the villagers.
Since his family didn't have any farmland to work on, after finishing their meal, Lu Yu picked up Lu He and Lu Yun's clothes and went out together with a few neighboring girls.
A small river flowed past the east side of the village. Since the establishment of Spirit Creek Village, the river had never dried up, and the village's name mostly came from it.
Today, the sunshine was perfect, and more than a dozen young girls and women washed clothes by the river, occasionally making playful noises.
...
Inside Cloud Dream Mountain, a slender young man with delicate facial features cautiously moved forward.
It was Lu Yun.
During this time, after daily hard training, he had improved his Breaking Wind Saber Technique to 20%, and his energy points had accumulated to 2.3.
However, he always felt that his progress was too slow, and at this rate, it would take years to cultivate the Breaking Wind Saber Technique to perfection.
To significantly reduce the time, he could only take risks and enter the mountains to search for spirit herbs.
In fact, this was his first time entering Cloud Dream Mountain; the continuous mountains and endless forests significantly exceeded his expectations.
However, he had come here, and there was no place for retreat, nor did he plan to retreat, as he was no longer the weak child he used to be.
Besides, he had something to rely on.
He tightened the grip on his broken saber, giving him a slight sense of security.
"Although my strength has improved, I still need to be careful. There's a rumor of powerful demon beasts deep in the mountains. I can't enter too deep, and I should just wander around the periphery. My main goal for this trip is to find some low-level spirit herbs."
After re-establishing his goal, Lu Yun's steps became more relaxed.
"What's that?"
After walking in the forest for half an hour, Lu Yun's eyes were suddenly attracted by a red ginseng.
In a pile of tender green grass, the blood-red ginseng stood out conspicuously, especially with the swaying of the grass in the breeze, highlighting it even more from the rest.
"It's Blood Ginseng. Judging by its size, it's much older than any I've consumed before. I'm lucky it hasn't been ruined by other wild animals."
At this moment, Lu Yun suppressed his excitement and didn't immediately pick it.
He remembered that this was the periphery of Cloud Dream Mountain. Although there were no powerful demon beasts, ferocious beasts were still many, as well as venomous insects and poisonous plants. One had to be slightly careful or risk dying on the spot.
Lu Yun was very cautious and cherished his life, so he picked up a stone from the ground and threw it towards the Blood Ginseng.
"Bang!"
The breeze blew, and the leaves swayed, but there was no movement.
"Pick it up quickly and then leave immediately!"
Lu Yun quickly made a decision and ran over.
He gently moved aside the weeds and carefully uprooted the entire Blood Ginseng, roots and all.
"This Blood Ginseng is two or three times larger than the ones I've had before. Consuming it would give me at least two or three energy points. Even if I don't achieve anything else on this journey, it's worth it." Lu Yun calculated silently in his heart.
He put away the Blood Ginseng and was about to turn and leave.
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from behind.
"Not good..."
Lu Yun trembled all over, instantly drew the broken saber from his waist, and violently turned around to look.
Not far away, a pitch-black wolf was constantly approaching, its eyes full of cruel and cunning as it silently stared at him.