The world of martial arts, the immortal swordsman in the mortal realm.

Chapter 133, 148: Turning Copper into Mud, Call Me Wan'er [Seeking Monthly Tickets!]

The next morning.

Lu Chen was leisurely practicing "old man's fist" in the garden surrounded by crape myrtle.

This is the third upgraded and improved version of the Old Man's Fist—after comprehending the mysteries of Yin and Yang, Lu Chen upgraded and improved the Old Man's Fist once again.

The effect of increasing his skill level was still negligible, but the effect of altering his physical constitution was improved, and his potential became higher.

The better one's innate talent, the faster one can cultivate.

So practicing the old man's boxing routine several times every morning and evening has become a fixed habit for Lu Chen, as have Rong'er and Master Huang.

The three upgraded versions of the Old Man's Fist appear to be relaxed and leisurely, but in reality, each movement requires mobilizing the strength of the whole body's muscles and bones, while simultaneously circulating the body's blood and vital energy. This not only consumes a great deal of energy, but also requires a high degree of mental concentration to regulate strength, blood and vital energy.

Therefore, after only three rounds, Lu Chen's forehead was covered in sweat, and steam was even rising from his head.

After finishing the third round, Lu Chen stopped and pondered in his heart:
"This version of the old man's fist requires a high level of spiritual cultivation to reflect on oneself and control one's essence and energy... Rong'er and her father-in-law cannot practice it for the time being."

Lu Chen's Heart Sword Technique can only be cultivated by himself. Others, without the imprint of sword intent, cannot enter the door even if they have visualization techniques.

However, Lu Chen could use the Heart Sword technique to find some spiritual methods from the Twin Dragons world and create a visualization method with universal applicability.

This method shouldn't be hard to find.

In the world of Twin Dragons, one must cultivate one's mind to become a true master.

Those who lack spiritual cultivation will only become easy prey. No matter how well they practice their techniques, they will be full of flaws in front of a master with keen spiritual perception. They will have no secrets in either offense or defense and will be at the mercy of the master.

On the other hand, spiritual cultivation has both advantages and disadvantages.

While mental cultivation grants the masters of the Twin Dragons world exceptional perception, astonishing adaptability, and meticulous control over true energy and techniques, a flaw in their mind can be far more serious than being beaten half to death.

"Therefore, the spiritual method I want to create prioritizes strengthening the spirit, making one's mind impenetrable, and first and foremost invincible..."

Lu Chen pondered for a moment, then casually grabbed a piece of copper and walked towards the waterside pavilion.

As he walked, he casually pinched the copper block with his five fingers, and the copper block was twisted and deformed like dough. In the blink of an eye, it had become unrecognizable and gradually became hot.

He did not use his true energy; he kneaded it purely with the strength of his muscles and bones.

The reason he could knead the copper block like dough was because his right hand had been "strengthened," making his finger and palm defense so hard that it was indestructible and difficult to be harmed by divine weapons. His finger and palm strength had also increased dramatically.

"Turning iron into mud" is still a bit short, but "turning copper into mud" is a piece of cake.

Arriving at the waterside pavilion, Lu Chen took a deep breath of the fresh morning breeze, put away the completely deformed copper block, went to the dock below the pavilion, and retrieved the shrimp trap he had set down the night before. Inside the trap, he saw that it was full of large shrimp, two or three inches long.

"We'll have snacks to go with our drinks at noon."

Lu Chen nodded in satisfaction.

Just as I put the shrimp trap back into the water, my ear twitched slightly as I heard a faint sound of oars breaking the water.

Lu Chen looked up and saw a small boat slowly approaching the waterside pavilion. The person rowing the boat was none other than the girl in yellow he had met last night.

"Master Lu."

The girl in the yellow shirt smiled and looked at Lu Chen with bright eyes.

Lu Chen nodded calmly:
"Miss Zhu."

"Just now, I was boating on the lake when I saw someone over here. The figure looked vaguely familiar, so I came over out of curiosity and found that it was indeed Young Master Lu."

The girl in the yellow shirt asked in a soft, pleasant voice, with a hint of curiosity:
"Does Young Master Lu live here?"

Lu Chen nodded: "Not bad."

"It's not far from my residence."

The girl in the yellow dress smiled sweetly:
"Yesterday in Xiangyang, I heard a rumor that a young swordsman named Lu Chen used his profound swordsmanship to defeat the famous Shadow Assassin Yang Xuyan head-on... Last night when I saw you, sir, I felt that your appearance was somewhat similar to that in the rumor, so I took the liberty of asking if your surname is Lu."

"I see."

"So, you are Young Master Lu Chen?"

Lu Chen countered:

"Is Miss Zhu also interested in martial arts?"

The girl in the yellow shirt chuckled softly:
"I have also practiced martial arts and know a little about swordsmanship."

"Oh?" Lu Chen raised an eyebrow, showing some interest: "Does Miss Zhu know swordsmanship?"

The girl in the yellow dress smiled and said:
"I know a little bit. Since I am fortunate enough to meet a master swordsman like Young Master Lu, I would like to ask you for some guidance."

He knows swordsmanship and wants to learn from me...

Isn't this character setting a bit off?

Lu Chen muttered to himself.

But looking at the girl in yellow's delicate, snow-white bare feet, he still felt that the girl in yellow was probably Wanwan.

Although the girl did not show any strange or evil side at this time, but instead gave people a sense of innocence and liveliness, it seems reasonable that the demoness's temperament is ever-changing and she can switch states at any time when facing different targets.

But what do I have that makes the Yin Gui Demoness so interested in me?
Martial arts?
With this in mind, Lu Chen gestured for the girl in yellow to proceed:
"Please, Miss Zhu."

Since it was a swordsmanship exchange, he was naturally happy to do so. If the girl in yellow was indeed Wanwan, even if her swordsmanship was mediocre, he could still explore the mysteries of the Heavenly Demon Art.

It would be even better if it had exquisite swordsmanship.

The girl in the yellow dress smiled sweetly, docked the small boat at the waterside pavilion, and stepped off.

Lu Chen glanced at her bare feet again, unable to contain his curiosity:
Why isn't Miss Zhu wearing shoes?

"This is a form of spiritual practice."

The girl in the yellow dress smiled and said:

"I always protect my feet with my inner energy, so that they are never covered in mud or dirt, nor are they injured by sharp stones or thorns. This helps me train my control over my inner energy. I have been doing this since I was a child, and I am used to it."

She had not yet ventured into the martial arts world, and no one in the martial arts world knew her name or had ever seen her. Even though practicing martial arts barefoot was a bit unusual, under normal circumstances, no one would associate it with her identity, so she did not shy away from explaining.

Little did they know that a special being known as a "time traveler" possessed the ability to "foresee the future."

"I see."

Lu Chen noticed that as the girl in yellow walked on the dock, the dust under her feet was indeed repelled by an invisible force. Although she left shallow footprints on the dock, her feet were crystal clear and spotless.

"The Heavenly Demon Force Field?"

Lu Chen thought to himself as he and the girl in yellow arrived at the open space next to the waterside pavilion, where a large sandalwood tree was planted.

He took two unsharpened longswords from the weapon rack under the sandalwood tree and handed one to the girl in yellow.

The girl in yellow took the longsword and casually twirled her wrist.

With just that one glance, Lu Chen nodded to himself, realizing that the girl's basic swordsmanship was quite solid.

So, does the Yin Gui demoness really know swordsmanship?

Just as he was thinking this, he saw the girl holding the long sword upside down, bowing to Lu Chen with her hands clasped, and saying with a smile:

"The sword technique I have learned was created by my master and is called the 'Heart-Searching Sword Technique.' I haven't mastered it yet, so please don't laugh at me, Young Master Lu."

"The Mind-Searching Sword Technique?"

The name is a bit strange, but it really fits the temperament of the Yin Gui School.

Judging from the way the girl in yellow openly announced the name of her sword technique, it was clear that this technique was unknown to outsiders, and she wasn't afraid of revealing her identity because of it. Lu Chen slowly nodded, also holding his longsword upside down, and bowed to the girl in yellow with clasped hands in a salute.
"Please, Miss Zhu."

The girl in yellow smiled again, flipped her wrist, held the long sword upright, and suddenly thrust it out. The sword's movement was light and graceful, like a water bird skimming across the lake. When the sword reached the middle, it gently dipped down, as if the water bird was swooping down to peck at the fish and shrimp that were floating on the surface of the water.

This sword strike was light and ethereal, not sharp, but rather possessed a natural beauty that caught Lu Chen's eye. At the same time, he also lightly swung his longsword, the sword's momentum like a gentle breeze, as if to send the "water bird" away.

The girl in yellow trembled, her sword tip flickered, and in an instant, she stabbed more than ten times, covering half of Lu Chen's vital points.

Lu Chen casually swung his longsword, deflecting the girl's attack while occasionally counterattacking with a sword. Each sword strike seemed to be thrown casually, yet it was incredibly powerful.

The girl raised her delicate eyebrows slightly, her eyes revealing a strange light. Barefoot, she moved with the fluttering of her skirt, her figure shifting and turning like a phantom, swiftly circling around Lu Chen. Her long sword also unleashed a sky full of cold light as she deflected Lu Chen's moves and attacked him from all directions.

The girl's "Mind-Searching Sword Technique" is indeed exquisite.

However, it is unclear whether she did not use her true skills or her swordsmanship was indeed not up to par, as her swordsmanship was far inferior to Yang Xuyan's.

However, she has an exceptional ability to adapt. Initially, her swordsmanship still showed traces of patterns and routines, but after fighting for over a hundred moves, her swordsmanship underwent a completely new transformation. On both offense and defense, she began to adapt to Lu Chen's sword movements. Moreover, her adaptation was not reckless; she responded effectively to both offense and defense.

Such adaptability is clearly not only due to her superb perception, but also because she truly possesses extraordinary martial arts talent.

She could even create her own moves on the spot, even though most of the new moves she created were only suitable for dealing with a specific situation at a particular moment. They were neither systematic nor had any follow-up changes, and they did not have any universality. However, Lu Chen secretly admired her versatile talent in actual combat.

However, no matter how amazing the girl's adaptability and resourcefulness were, she was still no match for Lu Chen, who had now made up for his weakness in perception and whose perception could cover a radius of 1.3 meters around him. Or rather, if we only consider swordsmanship, she was far inferior to Lu Chen.

Lu Chen could even stand still, his feet not moving an inch, and casually swipe his longsword to easily block the sword attacks coming from all directions.

The girl's "Mind-Searching Sword Technique" and her swordsmanship, which she used in response to circumstances, were a small but significant gain for Lu Chen.

But what he really wanted to see was the girl's real kung fu skills.

For example, martial arts techniques such as the Heavenly Demon Force Field, the Heavenly Demon Ribbon, and the Heavenly Demon Twin Blades.

Unfortunately, the girl hid it too well.

Even as Lu Chen gradually increased his strength and his swordsmanship became increasingly mysterious and unpredictable, the girl did not use any overly strange techniques.

Not only did she not use the famous Heavenly Demon Force Field, but even her true energy was neutral and peaceful, without any unusual characteristics, giving the impression of a righteous martial art.

Lu Chen knew that Wanwan could store all her true energy into the "Life and Death Aperture," disguising herself as an ordinary person who knew no martial arts at all, so that even if people tried to probe her meridians with their true energy, they would not be able to detect anything.

With such a miraculous technique for concealing one's inner energy, as long as she doesn't use her true skills, even Lu Chen can't fathom the mysteries of her Heavenly Demon Art.

They fought for another while.

The girl's sword light vanished abruptly as she withdrew from the battle, panting slightly as she said:

"Young Master Lu's swordsmanship is superb; I can't defeat him."

As she spoke, her cheeks were flushed, her forehead was covered in sweat, and her full, firm chest heaved constantly, showing that she was quite exhausted.

Lu Chen found it amusing, thinking to himself that this vixen was quite good at pretending. If he didn't have the ability to "foresee the future," he might have actually been fooled by her.

On the surface, he simply said calmly:
"Miss Zhu's lightness skill and swordsmanship are also remarkable, only slightly inferior to Yang Xuyan."

"Really?" The girl in the yellow shirt looked delighted.

"Indeed."

The girl in the yellow shirt said in a lighthearted tone:
"I have never traveled in the martial world before, and I am not sure what level my martial arts skills are at. After hearing what Young Master Lu said, I finally have a little more confidence."

It's true that she has never been in the entertainment industry; she hasn't officially debuted yet.

But if one has no accurate assessment of their own martial arts skills, then it is obviously fake.

Among her peers, there are very few who can rival her, whether on the righteous or demonic path.

Even many established veterans are no match for her.

However, Lu Chen's martial arts skills did indeed amaze her.

She felt that Lu Chen's martial arts skills at this moment were probably not just enough to repel Yang Xuyan—even if she hadn't used her true skills, based on the skills she had just displayed, there were few among the younger generation in the martial arts world who could rival her.

Even with all that effort, she couldn't force Lu Chen to retreat an inch. He stood still the entire time, without even turning his body, and received her fierce attacks from all directions.

Furthermore, she could sense that Lu Chen hadn't used his full strength and was still holding back a considerable amount of real skill.

With such martial arts skills, he should have been able to easily defeat Yang Xuyan.

Therefore, on the night of the Jiangdu mutiny, when facing Yang Xuyan, he did not go all out?

He was making this guess in his mind.

The girl gave Lu Chen another charming smile:
"Thank you for your guidance, Young Master Lu. I have benefited greatly and feel that my swordsmanship can be improved to a higher level. By the way, my name is Wanwan, you can call me Wan'er."

It really is Wanwan.

Lu Chen had a feeling that this was expected, but his expression remained unchanged; he simply nodded slightly.
"Good name."

Wanwan smiled sweetly:
“Wan’er will be leaving to visit relatives in a few days. There is chaos and bandits everywhere. Wan’er needs to improve her martial arts skills to protect herself. So, before you leave, could you come and ask Young Master Lu for advice every day?”

Going out to visit relatives?

Is he going to infiltrate the Duba Manor in Jingling?
Lu Chen thought to himself, a troubled expression on his face.

"Well, I'm also going out to visit relatives in a few days..."

"Wan'er is really lucky to be able to ask Young Master Lu for advice before he goes out to visit his relatives."

Wan Yao Nu seemed oblivious to his predicament, shamelessly assuming that Lu Chen had already agreed.

"Miss Zhu..."

"Call me Wan'er."

"It's not impossible for Miss Zhu to come and exchange sword skills. However, I have no other hobbies but collecting various sword techniques. I wonder if Miss Zhu has any old sword techniques that she no longer needs?"

Since Wan Yaonu is so shameless, Lu Chen will not hold back.

Unwanted old sword techniques?

I've only ever heard of unwanted old clothes and furniture...

Seeing Lu Chen's serious expression, Wanwan felt a little amused and forgot to correct his way of addressing her. She nodded and said:

"Yes, Wan'er's family has a collection of sword techniques, but they are all second- or third-rate."

The second- or third-rate swordsmanship in the Twin Dragons world might be considered top-tier in a lower-level martial arts world, or at least possess some impressive skills. Otherwise, it would only be considered "unorthodox" and wouldn't be worthy of being collected by the Yin Gui Sect.

Lu Chen then said happily:

"Then I'll leave it to Miss Zhu! By the way, I've recently been researching a method to stabilize the mind. I wonder if Miss Zhu has any unusual mental techniques or spiritual cultivation methods at home?"

Since we've already gone this far, we might as well go all the way.

Wanwan then realized that this young hero Lu was treating her like a sucker.

However, since she was the one who initiated the flirting, he had no choice but to stick to his guns and maintain his sweet smile as he said charmingly:

"Yes, I have."

Lu Chen smiled slightly and directly settled the matter:

"Then thank you very much, Miss Zhu."

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(End of this chapter)