Previously, Lu Sheng hadn't seen anyone because half the door had blocked his view. But now that the carriage had moved forward, he could glimpse another corner of the courtyard.
There, near a stone bridge, stood a solitary scholar.
He stood rigidly, unmoving, eyes locked onto the carriage as it passed. Lu Sheng narrowed his gaze, studying him closely. The scholar's clothes were ragged—worn, filthy, and full of holes, as if they hadn’t been washed in days. His hair was disheveled, and he stood like a statue on the bridge, eerily motionless.
“No one has entered or left this manor for days. So, logically, no one should be living here. After all, if there were, what would they be eating?” Duan Mengan commented casually, unaware of the figure, as his view was blocked from that angle.
“But someone is there, isn’t that him?” Lu Sheng gestured with his chin toward the manor.
Startled, Duan Mengan turned to look.
But strangely, the scholar was gone—vanished in the blink of an eye.
Lu Sheng squinted, realizing he had been distracted just moments before when speaking to Duan Mengan. Somehow, during that brief lapse, the scholar had disappeared.
“Where is he? Sir, don’t scare me,” Duan Mengan muttered nervously. He leaned forward, peeking through the crack in the gate, but saw nothing unusual.
Lu Sheng focused for a second, then said, “It’s nothing. Maybe I was seeing things.”
The carriage continued on its way. Yet Lu Sheng couldn’t shake the image of the strange scholar from his mind. Something about him felt off—unnatural.
Soon, the caravan reached the iron mine village.
The place was lifeless, eerily silent. Some doors hung open, others remained shut. A few swayed in the wind, creaking hauntingly as the caravan passed through the narrow lanes between the houses.
The once fearless men in the caravan began to look uneasy. The stillness of the village made the air feel heavier with each step.
As dusk settled, Lu Sheng and Duan Mengan got down from the carriage and picked out a few of the more intact wooden houses to stay in for the night.
Many of them, however, had leaky roofs—hardly a shelter should it begin to rain.
The group of men each found a wooden house to settle in for the night. With only their water bags and dry rations, they made do as best they could.
Lu Sheng chose a relatively spacious wooden house. He instructed some men to bring down a quilt and tent from the carriage. Inside, he lit a bonfire, then fetched a pot of water from the nearby stream. After tossing in some dried meat and mushrooms, the aroma of rich, savory soup soon filled the room.
The men huddled together, each with a bowl of mushroom and meat soup in hand. Paired with dry food, it made for a simple yet satisfying meal.
But Lu Sheng didn’t join them. Instead, he stepped outside, his gaze drifting toward the direction of the manor they’d passed earlier.
The moonlight blanketed the land in a pale, gray hue. In the distance, nestled in a low depression, the manor sat eerily still. Its white walls now appeared as little more than dim silhouettes beneath the night sky.
Lu Sheng pulled his robe tighter against the cold and narrowed his eyes at the distant shadow of the manor.
Duan Mengan emerged behind him, the faint scent of wine on his breath.
“Sir, why don’t you come in and have a drink with the others?” he asked, slightly tipsy.
Lu Sheng shook his head. “Have you arranged men to keep watch around the area?”
“Don’t worry, sir, it’s all been taken care of. Three men stationed at three separate points. We’ll rotate shifts once everyone’s done eating.” Duan Mengan, once a general under Wu San, spoke with calm confidence.
“Tomorrow, we’ll head to the mine cave first. After that, we’ll go to the manor.” Lu Sheng’s tone was even as he slowly withdrew his gaze.
“Alright. The mine cave is just next to us. If we still had miners, we could be pulling up loads of iron ore every day.” Duan Mengan sighed, a trace of regret in his voice.
Lu Sheng turned to him. “By the way, what kind of martial arts did you train in back in the gang?” he asked casually.
"It's the Ursine Combat Master in Xuanwu Pavilion, the secret book on the third floor..." Duan Mengan laughed.
“Ursine Combat Master? Sounds like a power-based style?” Lu Sheng’s interest in martial arts was immediately piqued.
“Yes,” Duan Mengan nodded. “I don’t have many advantages, but I was born stronger than most. So I focused on this path for my training.”
With nothing urgent to do, Lu Sheng continued asking Duan Mengan more about martial arts.
Duan Mengan, a veteran in the gang, didn't expect his answers to spark such curiosity. But Lu Sheng eagerly absorbed every detail, gradually forming a broader picture of the various martial arts practiced by the gang’s senior members.
Most of the styles Duan Mengan described were within Lu Sheng’s expectations—solid, practical, but none quite as overwhelming as his own Blood Fiend Arts.
However, when it came to the gang leader and deputy leaders, Duan Mengan’s tone changed. He explained that whenever those three acted, their moves ended battles swiftly and decisively—so quickly, in fact, that few had ever seen them fight at full strength.
“Young Master is now qualified to enter Xuanwu Pavilion and browse some of the free manuals,” Duan Mengan said with a smile. “My Ursine Combat Master isn’t particularly exceptional at the Tongli level, but it suits me perfectly.”
“That’s smart—knowing that the best martial art is the one that suits you.” Lu Sheng chuckled. “Ursine Combat Master is listed as a free manual in the gang, right? I don’t think I’ve ever come across it. Is it a body-hardening art?”
“Yes. It’s a pure body-hardening technique focused entirely on strength training. And the best part is—it doesn’t rely on medicine to practice. It’s quite simple.” Duan Mengan scratched his head, slightly embarrassed by how basic it sounded.
Lu Sheng’s eyes lit up. “Oh? Can you show me a move or two?” He had long wanted to practice a body-tempering technique, but most required medicinal support, which made them inaccessible. To find one that could be trained without it was a pleasant surprise.
Duan Mengan didn’t hesitate. After all, the manual was freely available to all gang members. And besides, the man asking was his superior, whose martial skills far surpassed his own. Without a word, he walked over to a dead tree nearby and began demonstrating the techniques of the Ursine Combat Master—stance, breathing, and striking methods.
Lu Sheng observed intently, asking questions along the way. Before long, he had grasped the Ursine Combat Master style in full.
The Ursine Combat Master technique had only one level, and its training method was remarkably simple. One only needed to follow the breathing formula, adjust their posture, and visualize themselves as a bear while striking a tree in a specific rhythm and sequence.
Lu Sheng tried it himself. It didn’t require internal energy or excessive force—just repeated impacts strong enough to make his skin sting. After practicing for a short while, he felt a tingling numbness, mixed with itching and a dull ache along his skin.
“Young Master, you’re truly incredible. It took me days to grasp that technique, but you’ve picked it up instantly,” Duan Mengan said with an admiring smile.
“This martial art is indeed simple, and the results aren’t bad,” Lu Sheng replied thoughtfully. “Its only real challenge lies in persistence. To truly master it, one would need to train hard for at least twenty years.”
He could tell this technique was merely a partial body-tempering technique—focused mainly on strengthening the body and toughening the skin, rather than a complete combat art.
“However, there are a few crucial details. According to the mental formula, you should actually do it like this…”
Having already mastered several advanced martial arts, Lu Sheng’s insight far surpassed Duan Mengan’s. After understanding the principles behind the Ursine Combat Master, he immediately spotted its core mechanics and began correcting Duan Mengan’s flawed technique.
After a few precise pointers, Duan Mengan’s eyes lit up with realization, and he nodded in complete agreement. He followed Lu Sheng’s corrections, applying the adjustments during his practice—and the difference was immediate. His movements felt more efficient, and the effect on his body was significantly better.
His admiration for Lu Sheng only deepened.
As the two continued practicing and exchanging techniques outside, their activity soon caught the attention of the other men, who had been resting and eating nearby. Curious, they stepped out of their huts to watch.
These men were all practitioners of the Red Whale Sword Art—the most basic sword technique taught to ordinary Red Whale Gang members. Built on a foundation of fundamental sword forms, it had been refined with additional moves to enhance its lethality.
Lu Sheng, after observing them for a while, began pointing out key flaws and offering advice.
He moved from one man to the next, giving each individual guidance based on their posture and movement. They listened closely, eager to improve. The training lasted deep into the night.
When the impromptu martial arts lesson finally came to an end, the men returned to their lodgings one by one to rest.
But Lu Sheng remained outside, standing quietly in front of his wooden house. His eyes followed the lanterns carried by the newly rotated night patrol, their flickering light swaying with each step. He stood still, deep in thought, watching over the night.
He slowly adjusted his breathing, letting the energy within him settle and circulate.
“Deep blue.”
In response to his words, the interface of the modifier appeared. Inside the small, glowing boxes, all the martial arts he had practiced were neatly listed:
- Black Tiger Saber Technique: Fourth Level
- Blood Fiend Art: Fourth Level — Special Effects: Fire Poison, Ignite
- Black Tiger Jade Crane Art: Third Level — Special Effects: Quick Hemostasis, Physical Recovery, Tiger Roaring Crane Blade
- Yin-Yang Guiding Force: Third Level
- Eighty-Four Swallow Chasing Wind Blade: Third Level
- Eight Treasure Steps: Third Level
- Twin Rhombus Blades: Third Level
- Heart-Rending Palm: Third Level
Each entry reflected the depth of Lu Sheng’s training—martial skills honed to their peak.
Now, at the very bottom of the list, two new additions had appeared:
- Ursine Combat Master: Initiated
- Red Whale Sword Art: Initiated
Without a word, Lu Sheng silently tapped the "modify" button. His focus locked onto the Ursine Combat Master: Initiated.
“Raise the Ursine Combat Master to Great Completion.”
The box flickered briefly—blurred, then sharpened. In the blink of an eye, Ursine Combat Master jumped from Initiated level to great completion.
Immediately, Lu Sheng felt a sudden and powerful drain on his internal energy. The reservoir built by his Black Tiger Jade Crane Art began depleting at an alarming rate.
“This is strange. It’s supposed to be a low-tier hardening art, roughly on par with the Chasing Wind Blade. Why is it consuming so much?” he muttered, puzzled.
Within seconds, his internal energy dropped from a full 100% to 50%, then 30%, 20%, and finally just 10%.
Simultaneously, his body began to change.
His skin grew tougher—almost leathery—and his muscles, especially around his arms and waist, thickened rapidly, expanding with raw, condensed power.
Lu Sheng could feel the shift happening in real time. His body was transforming under the effect of the technique.
“It’s just a hardening art…” he murmured, eyes wide. He remained still, letting the process finish.
The transformation took the length of a full incense stick to complete. At last, he exhaled a long, slow breath.
“It seems the bodily transformation from hardening arts far surpasses that of other styles. That must be why it demands such a heavy toll on internal energy.”
He raised his hand and clenched it into a fist.
A strange, swelling sensation filled him, as though his body were being inflated from the inside out. Even his internal organs felt a faint heat radiating from within.
His strength had grown—and he could feel it in every fiber of his being.
After closing his eyes to sense the changes in his body, Lu Sheng noticed something unusual. The internal energy of the Yin-Yang Guiding Force was being rapidly consumed. At the same time, the energy from his Black Tiger Jade Crane Art, which had been drained earlier, began to regenerate swiftly—like a balloon inflating with air.
In just a few breaths, it recovered from 10% back to its peak level. Meanwhile, only about half of the energy from Yin-Yang Guiding Force had been depleted.
“So this is the true hidden effect of the Yin-Yang Guiding Force,” Lu Sheng murmured in surprise. Then, a smile crept onto his face, growing with excitement.
“My strength has increased by roughly 20%, and my skin’s toughness has improved significantly.”
To test the results, he drew a straight blade from his back and lightly slashed it across the back of his hand. He didn’t apply much force—just the same pressure one might use to cut meat.
Snap.
A faint red mark appeared on the skin, but it wasn’t even broken.
“This is just a hardening art… and the result is already this impressive. This blade is brand new too,” he said with clear satisfaction. “Once this matter is settled, I’ll make a trip to Xuanwu Pavilion. With luck, I might find more free martial arts that suit me.”
His eyes gleamed with anticipation at the thought of exploring the Red Whale Gang’s Xuanwu Pavilion.
Lifting his gaze again, Lu Sheng looked toward the distant manor. Even from here, he could faintly sense something lurking within—something hidden beneath the silence.
He narrowed his eyes.
He had made up his mind.
He would stay here for a few days longer… and investigate thoroughly.
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