Brocade Robe Unparalleled

Chapter 10 Perilous Mission
When Zhang Hu and Chen Bao left, they left Lin Xuan with two pieces of pastry.

However, Lin Xuan didn't eat a single bite of the pastries that her new neighbor brought.

His experiences these days have forced him to be cautious about everything.

Lin Xuan even verified the second level of the Zhenyue Gong technique that Wu Baihu gave him with Zhang Hu and Chen Bao.

Currently, although Wu Baihu has been suppressing and targeting him, the cultivation techniques he has been given are still not problematic.

The second level of Zhenyue Gong, also known as the "Iron Bone" realm, focuses on tempering the entire body's bones. When it reaches its peak, strength, speed, and physical strength will be further enhanced, allowing one to split stone tablets with bare hands, and ordinary swords and knives will hardly be able to scratch the skin.

The first level of Zhenyue Gong only requires practicing one stance, while the second level increases this to three.

These are rock piles, mountain piles, and mountain-guarding piles.

Lin Xuan needs to start by practicing the Rock Stance. After mastering all three stances, he can combine them and transition from static to dynamic stances until his entire skeleton is tempered to its limit and the vital energy of heaven and earth flows from his bones to his meridians and internal organs. Only then can he achieve the second level of the Mountain Suppression Technique.

After taking a deep breath, Lin Xuan spread his legs apart, bent his knees slightly, and imagined himself as a rock with his feet rooted to the rock. He concentrated his mind and guided the sparse primordial energy to flow slowly between his bones.

The next moment, Lin Xuan suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes, a look of surprise appearing in them.

its not right……

Each level of the Zhenyue Gong cultivation should be more difficult than the previous one. Zhang Hu and Chen Bao said that the primordial energy of heaven and earth circulates very slowly in the bones. At first, they needed an hour to guide it to circulate through all the bones in their body and complete a full cycle.

When Lin Xuan practiced his internal energy, although he felt a slight resistance, it was easy to overcome. The energy of heaven and earth circulated through his bones for no more than a quarter of an hour.

In the same amount of time, Zhang Hu and Chen Bao can only complete one cycle, while he can complete ten.

This means a tenfold increase in cultivation speed!

Lin Xuan was quite clear about the martial arts talent of this body.

In three years, without the slightest slackening, he had not even broken through the first level of the Zhenyue Skill. His martial arts talent was not good at all, at most comparable to Zhang Hu and Chen Bao.

Could it be that after the soul was replaced, even the martial arts talent of this body changed?
Lin Xuan felt a surge of excitement.

He can complete a full cycle of Qi in a quarter of an hour. As long as he cultivates diligently, he has a chance to break through to the seventh rank within a year and advance to the sixth rank within three years, possessing strength no weaker than that of Commander Chen and Commander Wu.

Give him a little more time, and he won't be afraid at all, even if he faces that man in black robes head-on!

Of course, the prerequisite is to first resolve the Heart-Eating Gu within his body.

For the next few days, Lin Xuan focused on cultivation.

He knew very well that, given his current situation, every bit of improvement in his strength would give him more control over his destiny.

Two days ago, Zhang Hu and Chen Bao were sent by Wu Baihu to escort a batch of goods.

In Jingbian Division, field missions were the most arduous task.

Not only is the journey arduous, but there are also frequent life-threatening situations.

Since he was reinstated, Wu Baihu seemed to have forgotten about him and did not assign him any tasks.

But Lin Xuan also knew that Wu Baihu wouldn't let him off so easily; perhaps he was waiting for an opportunity.

When soldiers come, we will meet them with generals; when water comes, we will dam it with earth. Instead of worrying about the future, we should be down-to-earth and do our best in the present.

Lin Xuan had ten Jingbian Guards under his command.

The duty of the Jingbian Guard is to patrol the streets and collect intelligence. They must be ready to cooperate at any time if ordered to do so.

As a banner officer, Lin Xuan didn't need to personally handle trivial matters like patrolling the streets, allowing him to dedicate more time to practicing his martial arts.

Jingbian Division, Martial Arts Training Ground.

Lin Xuan set up the rock pillar and practiced several small cycles of cultivation.

The Jingbian Division's archives contain many martial arts manuals.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Only by understanding the characteristics of your opponent's techniques can you better deal with them.

In the past few days, Lin Xuan has flipped through dozens of ancient books and vaguely guessed the reason why his cultivation speed is different from that of ordinary people.

In the path of martial arts, talent is more important than effort.

Without talent, no matter how hard one tries, one can only struggle in the lower three ranks throughout one's life.

Those with exceptional talent can easily advance to the middle third rank with just a little effort.

Martial arts talent is further divided into two types.

Firstly, one's physical constitution is excellent. With a superior physical constitution, one is more compatible with the primordial energy of heaven and earth, and it takes less time to complete a full cycle of cultivation.

Secondly, there is spiritual power. Strong spiritual power allows for effortless control of vital energy, which can also shorten the time it takes for the vital energy of heaven and earth to circulate through one cycle. The difference in talent among martial artists is generally reflected in their innate physical constitution.

As for mental strength, the initial difference between geniuses and mediocre people is not significant.

Of course, there are also a very small number of people who are born with strong mental power, but such people are so few that you can't find one out of ten thousand martial artists.

Lin Xuan's physical constitution was only average; otherwise, he wouldn't have failed to break through even the first level of the Zhenyue Gong in three years.

The only explanation is spiritual power.

It is said that spiritual power originates from the soul and has nothing to do with the body.

And this body has just been replaced by a new soul.

This also seems to explain why Lin Xuan is immune to the Mind Mirror.

The Mirror of Inquiry targets spiritual power. Martial artists of the lower three ranks have too weak a spiritual power to resist the Mirror of Inquiry's interference.

Lin Xuan, who had a different soul or was a fusion of two souls, possessed exceptionally strong spiritual power, which prevented the Mirror of Inquiry from affecting him, allowing him to pass the test with ease.

Lin Xuan became secretly wary.

His extraordinary mental strength must never be known to the Jingbian Division.

If they are reminded of the Mirror of Inquiry, the case of the stolen Xuan Guang Armor might be brought up again.

Lin Xuan had just finished circulating his energy through the body when a figure ran up from a distance and said, "Lin Xuan, you're here! Commander Wu is looking for you. He says there's a new mission..."

Lin Xuan straightened up, nodded to the clerk, and said, "I understand."

Not long after, at the door of Wu Baihu's duty room.

Lin Xuan knocked on the door, and this time, he didn't have to wait long before Wu Baihu's voice came from inside.

"Enter."

Lin Xuan entered the duty room, stood in the center of the room, clasped his hands and said, "This subordinate greets Commander Baihu."

Wu Baihu sat behind his desk, an urgent report that had just been delivered spread out in front of him, his fingers lightly tapping the table. When he saw Lin Xuan enter, he didn't even lift his eyelids, and said in a deep voice, "I have a task for you to handle."

Lin Xuan said at the opportune moment, "Please give your instructions, Commander."

Wu Baihu slowly stood up, his face grim, and said, "The Black Stone Village and the White Stone Village outside the city have clashed fiercely over a dispute over water. The Black Stone Village, relying on its superior numbers, injured several members of the White Stone Village and kidnapped and imprisoned seven people, including the son of the White Stone Village chief. Now, the White Stone Village chief has led all the able-bodied men of the village, armed with weapons, to surround the gates of the Black Stone Village, demanding that the Black Stone Village release the prisoners immediately, or they will launch a full-scale attack..."

He slammed his hand on the table and roared, "These barbarians fight tooth and nail over a sip of water, kidnapping people without permission and disregarding the laws of the court. It is our duty as the Jingbian Division to guard the southwest, protect the borders and people, and quell disputes between the chieftains. I hereby order you to go there immediately, handle the matter properly, and within three days, you must safely rescue the kidnapped people of Baishi Village, quell the dispute between the two villages, and restore peace to the area!"

Lin Xuan's heart sank. This job sounded respectable, but it was actually extremely dangerous.

Sizhou was nominally part of the territory of Dayong, but in reality, the imperial court had very limited control over it.

The chieftain tribes, large and small, who have lived here for generations, are the true local rulers of Sizhou. They have their own set of rules and do not take the imperial court seriously at all.

Black Stone Village and White Stone Village have a long-standing feud, and they are currently at each other's throats. As an outsider, especially as an official representing the Imperial Court's Border Defense Office, he could easily be seen as a common enemy by both sides if he is not careful, and he might even lose his life.

Wu Baihu asked him to mediate the feud between the two chieftain tribes, which was tantamount to asking Benboerba to eliminate Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

Even though this task was extremely unreasonable, Lin Xuan could not point it out on the spot.

Commander Wu patted his shoulder gently and said meaningfully, "You must handle this matter carefully. If you handle it improperly, it could lead to a large-scale armed conflict between the two villages, affecting local stability. If the imperial court blames you then, even I won't be able to protect you..."

Lin Xuan slowly clasped his hands in a fist and said calmly, "Your subordinate obeys."

A deep look of surprise reappeared in Wu Baihu's eyes.

This task was extremely dangerous, even life-threatening.

He originally thought that Lin Xuan would make excuses and refuse, at which point he could dismiss him from his position as a banner officer on the grounds of disobeying orders, thus satisfying both internal and external audiences.

Surprisingly, he accepted it so easily without refusing at all.

However, it doesn't matter if we continue.

The feud between Black Stone Village and White Stone Village has lasted for decades, and even a commander of a thousand households couldn't mediate it, let alone a mere banner officer like him. If he messes up his job, I'll still have a reason to dismiss him.

With an encouraging look on his face, Wu Baihu handed the urgent report on the table to Lin Xuan and said, "Go ahead and do a good job. I will personally recommend you for credit!"

Lin Xuan cupped his hands again: "Thank you, sir. I'll take my leave now..."

Watching Lin Xuan's departing figure, Wu Baihu stroked his short beard, a hint of doubt rising in his mind.

He felt that ever since Lin Xuan was examined by the Mirror of Inquiry, he was like a completely different person...

(End of this chapter)