x
At Lu Sheng's mental command, a strand of Black Fiend internal energy surged forth.
This time, it was the energy of the first level—its intensity far greater than before. As the power moved through him, Lu Sheng felt as though fire coursed through his muscles, bones, and skin.
The Black Fiend energy flowed out from his kidneys, snaked along his waist and back, down into his right arm, and finally gathered in his palm—before pouring into the the long blade.
Chi!!
The weapon sliced through the air with a sound like tearing paper, then slammed into the tree trunk ahead.
With tremendous force, the blade bit deep, cutting halfway through the entire tree before it finally jammed and came to a stop.
"Good!"
Lu Sheng’s heart surged with excitement.
He could tell—this was another major step forward.
Dragging his aching body behind him, he made his way back to the wooden house to rest.
Over the next few days, he did little beyond light movement. Most of his time was spent sleeping and allowing his body to recover.
At most, he accelerated the circulation of the Jade Crane Art, which greatly enhanced his physical recovery.
He needed to be ready—for the next two breakthroughs ahead.
The Black Fiend Art Fragment had three levels to cultivate!
…………
Jiulian City – Lu Mansion
Sister Yu carried a basket in one hand, filled with a few boiled eggs, some soybean cakes, and two pieces of air-dried bacon. She walked out through the side door of the Lu Mansion with practiced ease, greeted the gatekeeper with a smile, and headed down the narrow alley.
At the alley’s entrance, a group of children with braided pigtails came sprinting past, tussling and shouting as they fought to snatch a candied haw from one of their hands.
Seeing them, Sister Yu sighed gently. The sight brought back memories—how adorable Xiao Ba had been as a child, always chasing after her for a candied haw.
Back then, she was still in her teens. Whenever she returned from working at the Lu Mansion, she would sometimes receive a small reward. Instead of handing it over to her parents, she treated it as her own pocket money.
She used that little sum to buy snacks for Xiao Ba, who had only been a few years old at the time.
But now…
The thought of Xiao Ba’s mental illness weighed heavily on her heart.
She continued down the street in front of the mansion, brushing aside her sorrow and turning her attention to the market stalls. As usual, she planned to buy some small toys for her children.
It was a rare day off, a chance to rest at home—and she wanted to bring a few surprises back for her husband and the kids.
"Child, my child!"
The sudden cry made her pause. She turned her head and saw a disheveled woman crouched in a corner, mumbling to herself.
There was something familiar about the woman’s face. Sister Yu frowned, trying to recall where she might have seen her before, but the memory wouldn't surface.
Still, the sight of her—so pitiful—tugged at her heart.
She reached into her basket, pulled out a soybean cake, and placed it gently in front of the woman.
"Eat it. This world… alas."
With a quiet sigh, she stood up, turned away, and continued browsing the stalls.
Snap.
Without warning, something cold and damp grabbed her right hand.
"Have you seen my child?"14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzvWF0XXP8
A voice spoke suddenly.
Startled, Sister Yu spun around. The woman who had been sitting on the ground earlier was now standing behind her, eyes bloodshot, bulging so much they looked as if they might burst from their sockets.
"What are you doing? Let go!"14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQ6MCREDtt
Frightened, Sister Yu tried to pull her hand away. She struggled and stumbled back two steps.
"Are you sick?!"
But the woman didn’t respond. She just kept staring, blank and unblinking.
Cursing silently, Sister Yu yanked her hand free and quickly turned away. She no longer had the mood to shop. Her wrist ached where it had been grabbed.
Crossing the street, she turned into a side alley—a shortcut she often used to get home. Though a bit deserted, it saved her time and spared her from a longer detour.
The alley twisted through several corners and stretched on for quite a distance. Low, plain bungalows flanked either side, barely taller than a person. Dirty water pooled along the ground, and household trash lay scattered everywhere.
Glancing down at her wrist, Sister Yu frowned. The spot where she’d been grabbed was already red and sore.
"Bad luck! Truly unlucky… ah, I’ll have to get some medicine when I get back."
She stepped carefully over a puddle, but the pink embroidery on her cloth shoes still caught the filth, splashing grime onto the delicate stitching. Her mood sank further.
With a frustrated stomp, she picked up her pace.
Bang!
She suddenly collided with someone.
Looking up, her blood ran cold.
"Have you seen my child?"
It was the same woman.
The same disheveled clothes.14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnf83LjAqR
The same wide, bloodshot eyes.14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3Uc1XIk4d
The same eerie stare.
Sister Yu’s heart nearly leapt out of her chest.
She stumbled back in fear—right into another puddle of reeking water.
"You… you, you!!!"
The woman stepped forward, her gaze locked onto Sister Yu.
"Child… my child!"
Panic rising, Sister Yu turned and tried to run.
Snap.
A thin, icy hand clamped down on her arm like iron.
"Have you seen my child?"
The woman’s voice was dull, almost mechanical, as she repeated the question again.
"Help…!"
A half-choked cry rang out from the alley—then, suddenly, silence.
...............
Three Days Later – Lu Mansion
Second Madam Liu Cuiyu sat on the wooden couch, her brows tightly furrowed as she looked at the relative of Yu Jie who had come to deliver the news.
"Yu Jie still hasn’t returned home? She asked for leave three days ago to visit her family."
The man, still carrying the earthy scent of the fields on his clothes, stood awkwardly in the side hall, clearly ill at ease.
"Eldest Sister usually comes back on time," he explained nervously. "But this time, the family waited and waited… she never showed up. They started to worry. And with all the strange things happening in the city lately, they asked me to come ask around…"
Liu Cuiyu shook her head slowly.
"She did leave early that morning. I remember she even took some dried meat and biscuits from the kitchen. It’s been days—if she didn’t go home, where could she have gone?"
A trace of concern crept into her expression.
Suddenly, a shrill scream rang out from outside.
"No, no!"
A maid burst into the room, face pale with panic.
"Second Madam! Something terrible has happened to Sister Yu!"
"What is it?!" Liu Cuiyu shot to her feet, her expression instantly changing.
The man standing beside her also turned pale, eyes locked on the terrified maid.
"They found Sister Yu in an alley on the outskirts of the city… She’s been dead for several days!"
The words struck like thunder.
Both Liu Cuiyu and the man froze in place.
"Dead...?"
Liu Cuiyu collapsed back onto the couch, her eyes wide in disbelief, her mind dazed and blank.
…………
A Few Days Later…
Lu Sheng stood quietly, focusing on the sensation of the blade in his hand.
The Black Fiend energy flowed steadily from his body into the sword—like a stream of heated air, it poured out, then quickly dispersed and settled evenly across the blade.
His injuries had nearly healed.
Today, he intended to elevate the Black Fiend Art once more—to reach the second level. His body had gradually adapted to the strain of channeling the Black Fiend spirit, so he expected the backlash from this advancement to be milder than before.
Swish!
Without hesitation, he began practicing the Black Tiger Saber Techniques Technique.
This technique consisted of three core moves, yet each could be extended into dozens of variations. Lu Sheng had already mastered several, and with Uncle Zhao’s guidance, he had expanded the style into a much more intricate and dynamic sword technique.
In the clearing outside the wooden house, Lu Sheng wielded his long blade with focused precision. Sword light shimmered and flashed around him, and the air rang with the sound of slicing wind.
The silvery arcs of his strikes spun and flared, surrounding him like a vortex of light.
The Black Tiger Saber Techniques Technique emphasized momentum—bold, decisive slashes were its foundation. Practicing it made the air itself seem to tremble.
Lu Sheng repeated the three primary sword forms over and over, pushing himself through dozens of cycles. His blood surged, his qi churned, and now and then, he infused the Black Fiend energy into the blade, causing his strikes to erupt with explosive force.
As his blood and qi surged, Lu Sheng quickly sheathed his sword and silently recited in his heart:
"Deep blue!"
The modifier interface immediately appeared before him. Without hesitation, Lu Sheng moved his focus and pressed the modification button, directing his attention to the Black Fiend Art column.
"Increase the Black Fiend Art by one level!"
He confirmed his decision.
Swish.
The status of the Black Fiend Art shifted—from the first level to the second. However, this time the change felt slower, less immediate than before.
As soon as the modification completed, Lu Sheng sensed the energy within him shift dramatically. The Black Fiend energy suddenly surged—two masses, each the size of a clenched fist, seemed to materialize out of nowhere and settle near his kidneys.
"This time, the body feels more adapted. The second level seems to just increase the total volume of Black Fiend energy… it should be fine."
Lu Sheng recalled from the manual that the second level was considered the safest threshold. That knowledge had given him the confidence to make the breakthrough even while training.
After advancing to the second level, he quickly noticed that much of his previous internal energy reserve had been consumed—especially the energy accumulated from practicing the Jade Crane Art.
Through his daily cultivation, he had already condensed a steady mass of qi in his chest—a clear sign of progress, indicating that his internal energy had reached a stable limit and begun naturally storing excess.
But the Black Fiend Art's advancement drained it instantly. That solidified ball of qi vanished in an instant.
Worse yet, the previously robust energy flow of the Jade Crane Art now felt as thin as a single strand of silk—barely more than the width of an embroidery needle.
Still, having completed the breakthrough, Lu Sheng felt a measure of relief. He glanced up at the sun, estimating the time.
"Almost lunchtime," he murmured to himself, exhaling slowly as he began to head back.
"Sir, there's a new letter!"14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjQDXdLSp3
Xiaoqiao stepped through the courtyard gate, carrying a lunch box in one hand and a yellow envelope sealed with red wax in the other.
"Show it to me."14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSiDIv60ijJ
Lu Sheng slid his blade into the scabbard hanging at his side and took the envelope from her.
He broke the seal and unfolded the letter. As his eyes scanned the contents, his expression darkened slightly. After a moment, he silently folded the letter and tucked it away.
"Xiaoqiao, we’re going back."14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQEGCR4qj0J
His voice was calm but firm.
"Back to Lu Mansion?"14Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhn3vFmemkx
Xiaoqiao blinked, momentarily stunned—then her face lit up with joy.
"Yes. We’re going home," Lu Sheng said with a nod.
They packed up quickly, ate a simple meal, and left a note at the entrance of the small yard. Without delay, they set off toward Jiulian City.
The journey from the grove where the wooden house stood to Jiulian City was about seven or eight miles. Lu Sheng had a long sword at his waist—not a famous sword, but forged from solid fine steel. It was thick, durable, and reliable.
They hurried along the road. Xiaoqiao, not used to such a fast pace, soon grew weary. Lu Sheng supported her with one arm, helping her stay steady.
His body, now tempered by the Black Fiend Art and honed through daily sword practice, had become far stronger than before. Especially with each cycle of the Black Fiend energy—it coursed through him like a stream of heat, subtly nourishing and strengthening his muscles and bones with every circulation.
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