ragginovel Chapter 3 The Two Heroes of Qingzhou
Chapter 3 The Two Heroes of Qingzhou
Tie Heng's eyes flickered, but he didn't reply.
In fact, he knew very well that although Zhao Li had good talent.
However, the Zhao family has been too close to the Blood Wolf Gang over the years, and has been doing a lot of shady business in secret. Their background is no longer clean.
Tie Heng looked down on disciples from such families.
Just then, footsteps were heard outside the hall.
An elderly man with gray hair strode in, holding several yellowed sheets of Xuan paper covered with densely written characters.
"Master, this is a summary of Lu Yuan's 'Questions and Answers on the Classics' from this month," the old man said respectfully.
"This...this doesn't need to be shown to Steward Iron, does it?"
Lu Youde subconsciously reached out to stop the old man: "Yuan'er usually puts all his energy into martial arts training, so he inevitably neglects his academic studies. These things are not presentable..."
"Oh? Brother Lu, you are mistaken!"
Tie Heng's eyes lit up, and he snatched the papers from the old man's hand with great interest. "The so-called unity of literature, martial arts, and Taoism means that such a genius's understanding of the scriptures must be unique. Perhaps he can give me some inspiration."
Lu Youde opened his mouth, wanting to say something but then swallowed it back, his expression as complicated as if he had eaten a bitter melon.
Tie Heng opened the first page with great anticipation, his eyes landing on the title.
[Title: Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me.]
[Lu Yuan replied: If three people are walking together, one of them must be my teacher. But if none of the three are my teachers, then there is no teacher. However, since there must be one who can teach me, there must be a teacher. Therefore, it is unlikely that there is no teacher among the three people.]
Tie Heng was stunned.
He blinked, then looked at it again carefully, trying to understand the logic of the passage.
can't read.
Completely incomprehensible.
Tie Heng was silent for a moment, then slowly placed the papers on the table, his tone becoming calm: "It's true that when God opens a window, He will surely close a door."
Lu Youde's face turned bright red, and he wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground.
Tie Heng waved his hand, "But Brother Lu, you don't need to worry too much. Ordinary people study the classics to cultivate their minds because they lack the talent and are afraid of their blood rushing to their head. But a genius like Lu Yuan doesn't need that!"
"Let him perform well in the entrance election in a month."
…………
The next morning, deep in the dense forest outside Qingzhou City.
Lu Yuan pretended to go fishing, but in reality he was practicing hard alone here.
He took a deep breath, stomped his foot, and instantly transformed into a blue blur, weaving through the trees.
Green Wind Step!
His speed was astonishing. Each time he landed, he stepped on the side of the tree trunk, using the momentum to propel himself to the next tree, drawing arcs through the forest.
After a dozen or so breaths, Lu Yuan landed back on the ground, without even a single leaf sticking to his body.
Without pausing, he immediately assumed a fighting stance, raised his right palm high above his head, and slammed it down on a thick wooden stake in front of him.
"Rock-Smashing Palm!"
The palm strike whistled through the air, striking the wooden stake with a dull thud, and instantly cracked the surface of the boulder with several spiderweb-like fissures.
Lu Yuan unleashed a series of palm strikes, each one heavier and faster than the last. When the final strike landed, the wooden stake shattered into more than a dozen pieces.
Martial arts techniques that originally required years of practice became as natural as breathing in his hands.
This is all thanks to the words that are shining brightly in my mind.
His exceptional comprehension (green) greatly shortened the time it took him to grasp the essence of the moves.
The martial arts fanatic (Bai) allows him to quickly enter a deep training state.
Lu Yuan adjusted his breathing on the spot, took out a reddish-brown pill from his pocket, and swallowed it directly.
This is the Qi and Blood Pill, the most commonly used pill during the Body Tempering stage. It can quickly replenish consumed Qi and blood, accelerating cultivation progress.
Each one costs fifty taels of silver, and a member of an ordinary family would be lucky to eat one a month.
But the Lu family provided him with an open supply; three pills a day was no problem for him.
The pill melted instantly upon entering his mouth, and a surge of heat flowed into his dantian. Lu Yuan could feel his internal energy and blood rapidly recovering.
Then Lu Yuan opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.
A thought flashed through his mind, and a semi-transparent panel appeared in his mind.
Martial Arts Progress:
Rock Smash: Beginner (356/1000)
Qingfeng Step: Minor Success (1430/2000)
Lu Yuan's lips curled up slightly.
Before he had any attribute bonuses, he could only gain a dozen or so progress points by practicing the Azure Wind Steps for a whole day, and sometimes he wouldn't gain any progress at all.
But now with the attributes of exceptional comprehension and martial arts fanaticism, the speed has practically doubled.
"At this rate, in ten days at most, the Rock-Shattering Palm will be able to break through to the minor completion level, and the Azure Wind Step will be able to be cultivated to the major completion level within a month."
By then, with his Qi and blood flowing through all his meridians, he will be able to enter the late stage of Body Tempering and reach a new level of strength.
Lu Yuan knew very well that the Iron Bone Sect's entrance selection a month later would be his best stage to perform.
At that time, families of all sizes in Qingzhou City will send people to watch the battle, and even forces from several surrounding cities will send people to watch the excitement.
With so many eyes watching, as long as he can demonstrate amazing strength on the stage, he can win the shock and recognition of the entire city.
By then, new terms will keep emerging, and his strength will leap forward once again.
"Zhao Li..." Lu Yuan murmured the name.
If I can defeat him in the ring, my image in everyone's mind will be even more deeply ingrained.
…………
half a month later.
Lu Yuan's words on the training ground, "If hard work were useful, what would be the point of having geniuses?" spread like wildfire throughout Qingzhou City.
In teahouses, taverns, and on every street corner, there was a chorus of voices discussing the matter.
It's unclear who started it, but a saying began to circulate among the people: "Two heroes of Qingzhou, Lu Yuan in the east and Zhao Li in the west. Lu Yuan's comprehension surpasses all ages, while Zhao Li's spirit is as fierce as a tiger."
The common people no longer talked about which business was doing well or which girl was pretty, but rather which of the two young men would win the Iron Bone Sect election in half a month.
Some say that Lu Yuan is exceptionally talented and will surely crush all his opponents.
Some say that Zhao Li cultivates more diligently and has more robust qi and blood, so Lu Yuan may not be his match.
The two groups argued heatedly, and some even got into a fight in the restaurant.
The atmosphere in the entire city of Qingzhou became restless, with everyone looking forward to the duel a month from now.
The Zhao family.
In the training ground deep within the mansion, Zhao Li sat cross-legged on a huge blue stone that was as tall as two people.
He was shirtless, and his skin was an unnatural dark red, like a piece of red-hot iron.
At only sixteen years old, he has already shown signs of blood clotting at the mid-stage of body tempering, which is indeed a rare exception.
A black-clad henchman hurried through the corridor, stopped ten steps away from the bluestone, and knelt on one knee.
"Young Master."
Zhao Li didn't open his eyes, but simply said one word: "Speak."
"There's a lot of talk outside about 'the two heroes of Qingzhou, Lu Yuan in the east and Zhao Yuan in the west.' Lu Yuan has been making waves lately and has overshadowed the young master's reputation."
Zhao Li still did not open his eyes. He did not care about the empty fame of the outside world, but when he heard the name "Lu Yuan", the blood and qi in his body fluctuated slightly.
"and……"
The subordinate paused for a moment, then continued, "According to news coming from within the Lu family, Lu Yuan spends his days either sleeping or wandering around. He's never been seen seriously cultivating; he's just squandering his innate talent."
Zhao Li snorted coldly and opened his eyes.
"If there truly are beings born with innate knowledge, then what have all my years of arduous practice amounted to?"
He stood up and looked down at his kneeling subordinate: "If he truly never cultivates and only squanders his talent, then he is the best whetstone for my path of martial arts."
Zhao Li turned and jumped off the bluestone, walking towards the iron stakes placed on the other side of the martial arts arena: "In the election in half a month, I want to see how many moves this so-called genius can withstand from me."
The subordinate kept his head down, not daring to look up at Zhao Li's expression.
"Pass down the order: starting today, my daily cultivation time will be doubled, and no one is allowed to disturb me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Li's blood and energy erupted instantly, and he lifted the entire iron stake above his head.