Starting from the border troops, I've worked my way up to become a Martial Emperor.

Chapter 96 Continuous Breakthrough

As soon as Lu Yuan stepped out the door, Zhou Xiong was already waiting outside, dressed in full armor.

Several guards carrying torches followed behind.

"Let's go take a look."

Lu Yuan nodded and walked out of the courtyard. After passing through a long corridor, he arrived at the front yard and saw that the training ground was full of sealed boxes.

A rough estimate suggests there are hundreds of these boxes.

Zhou Xiong said in a low voice, "Most of them are filled with gold and silver, estimated to be over a million taels. There are also more than ten boxes filled with various pills and rare and precious herbs."

Lu Yuan walked forward and asked in a deep voice, "Which boxes contain the medicine?"

Zhou Xiong immediately led the way.

A moment later, he arrived at the center of the training ground, opened the box, and sure enough, there were quite a few things inside.

Most of them are pills for strengthening tendons and cleansing the body.

However, its grade is not high; it's just ordinary refining medicine. It can be used by subordinates, but for personal use, it still needs to be purchased.

After a moment of contemplation, he looked at Zhou Xiong and said, "Take out 100,000 taels of this silver and distribute it to the brothers who participated in the raid. You and Zhou He will each take 100,000 taels, and the rest will be sent to my private treasury."

As for these pills, you and Zhou He can choose some first, and the rest can be distributed among the brothers below.

Let's go take a look at those rare and precious natural treasures.

If you want your subordinates to obey you, you not only need to be strong yourself, but you also need to provide them with benefits.

"Yes, sir," Zhou Xiong replied excitedly.

With these pills and silver, his strength should be able to improve further, and he has now accumulated enough military merits.

I'll have no problem becoming a centurion when the time comes.

At the same time, his awe of Lu Yuan reached its peak. How long had it been? He had already gained so much by following him.

He was truly deeply moved.

No one dislikes becoming stronger.

Next, Lu Yuan looked at those rare and precious materials, and sure enough, almost all of them were for the Refining Realm, including three Xuan Shui Spirit Fruits for the Refining Kidneys.

There are also many rare and precious herbs used in the process of refining the liver and spleen.

With these, Lu Yuan could break through to the next level even faster.

He kicked the box at his feet, a satisfied look on his face: "Put all these rare and precious materials into my room."

After the person next to him responded, they carried the box away.

Zhou Xiong, on the other hand, directed people to begin storing large amounts of gold and silver in the warehouse.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath.

For now, we don't have to worry about money anymore.

With the right cultivation resources, one can break through quickly according to their own physique.

Then, he turned back towards his room.

Upon entering the house, Lu Yuan looked at the several boxes that had already been carried in. He first opened one of them and took out two Xuan Shui Spirit Fruits.

Then kick the remaining foot off the bed.

Then, he swallowed the pill, and instantly an unprecedented feeling spread throughout his body.

Countless energies began to converge towards the kidneys.

I don't know how much time passed, but my body was filled with a surge of power.

He knew that he had reached his limit and needed to break through it before he could absorb anything again.

Therefore, the data panel was opened immediately.

[Third-grade martial arts technique "Tiger Subduing Stance" for kidney cultivation (30182/30000 perfect, breakthrough possible?)]

"breakthrough."

Lu Yuan answered without hesitation.

Then, a tremendous power spread through his body, and thick life essence covered all his meridians.

The skin and flesh were trembling constantly.

"Bang!"

After a soft sound, Lu Yuan knew he had broken through.

He has officially reached the stage of spiritual cultivation.

At this moment, he consumed another Mystic Water Spirit Fruit.

At this moment, if he could see the inside of his body, he would find that his kidneys were radiating a dazzling light.

When it flashes, there are streaks of light.

A large amount of vital energy was gushing out from every pore of the body.

It made him feel more comfortable than ever before.

As this feeling gradually faded, Lu Yuan knew he had broken through.

[Third-grade martial arts technique "Tiger Subduing Stance" for lung training (0/10000 Great Success)]

Look at the numbers above.

Lu Yuan smiled.

With the blessing of the Golden Bell Cover, and with his other internal organs already fully developed, he could break through to the Blood Transformation stage at any time.

However, Lu Yuan did not do that. Nourishing the spirit within the organs is something that many people wouldn't even dare to dream of. Since he was fortunate enough to achieve it, why would he give it up?

After this breakthrough, he no longer needed to buy any pills, since he had these rare and precious herbs to consume, and he didn't need to worry about his foundation being unstable.

These days, we can make full use of these treasures to rapidly advance our strength.

Looking outside, I realized it was already quite late.

Lu Yuan stopped cultivating and lay down to rest.

Meanwhile, in the royal palace of the Northern Barbarian King's City, the dim candlelight cast long shadows on two figures.

One of them was Xiao Shi. She looked much more energetic than when she was in Icefield City. Her originally gray hair had become black and smooth.

Her skin shimmered with a radiant glow. She was originally a favored daughter of the Northern Barbarians, but due to special circumstances back then, she had no choice but to seal her cultivation, even leaving herself with hidden injuries.

Now that the seal has been broken, not only has his strength been fully restored, but he also looks younger.

He was wearing a red imperial robe and sitting in his bedchamber.

Her face was full of authority, but Xiao Hua could see the indelible sorrow in her mother's eyes.

She waved her hand, signaling the maids in the palace to leave, then stepped forward and said softly, "Mother, don't think too much, get some rest."

Now, Xiao Hua is dressed in a black robe with dragon patterns. When she stands still, she exudes a noble and beautiful aura, truly a rare beauty.

"Alas, your maternal grandfather passed away, and I had just ascended the throne when we fought a war with the Great Yong. Although a peace treaty has been signed, we still ceded a large amount of land."

Although the Great Yong doesn't want these places, we have truly lost them. They have now become fertile ground for those powerful bandits beyond the Great Wall.

And then there's Dayu, which is also heavily blockading us right now.

"We, the people of the Northern Barbarians, don't know when we will be able to escape this bitterly cold land." Xiao rubbed her forehead.

She continued, "The Shengman tribe and the Guman tribe have been quite unruly lately, and we are surrounded by enemies. Do you think I can rest? You, my daughter, should share some of the responsibilities with me these days and grow up as quickly as possible."

It's not just about cultivation, but also about governing the court.

"I understand, Mother," Xiao Hua said softly.

Then she raised her head, her eyes sparkling, and asked, "Mother, what about Yuan-ge? Are we really going to let him stay in Dayong forever?"

"I heard he's been promoted to captain and is doing well over there. Our situation here, on the other hand, isn't completely stable yet. Let's wait and see."

Don't worry, Mother has long regarded him as her own junior, just like you. She will not let him suffer any injustice. Although Dayong is powerful, it is already corrupt and rotten inside.

"It will be incredibly difficult for A-Yuan to rise from the bottom; I'll figure something out then."

Madam Xiao gently comforted her daughter, naturally aware of Xiao Yin's feelings.

And she strongly agreed.

Her daughter could be with Lu Yuan; she knew his character, and his talent was undeniable.

But now is definitely not the time.

"Mmm." Xiao Yin nodded obediently.

She knew in her heart that it was impossible to get Lu Yuan to come over right now.

Meanwhile, inside the Zhang family compound in Yunzhou, Zhang Hong was quite pleased that his nephew had climbed up the social ladder to the position of Prince Polu.

He said to his second brother, "Ah Zhe has really made a name for himself this time. He has been appointed as a captain in the Imperial Guard and will soon be marrying a princess."

There will be no problem with future promotions.

The road paved in the military area is now complete.

Sitting to the side, Zhang He nodded: "Yes, although A Zhe's cultivation is a bit lacking, it's already quite remarkable that he became a captain at such a young age."

They didn't seem to care at all about the name of the Ninth Princess, the daughter of a pig, from the Prince of Polu's mansion.

Zhang Hong took a sip of tea and said, "That's true. But it's a pity that among the younger generation of our family, only A Zhe has grown up. If there were more, I could be completely at ease."

"Hey, big brother, you're getting more and more greedy. Ah Zhe only rose so fast because he has the Prince's Mansion backing him up. If he had relied solely on himself to become a captain at this age, wouldn't that be even more outrageous?" Zhang He said with a light laugh.

"Yes, yes, I was greedy," Zhang Hong grinned.

For a small family like theirs, face is not important. What matters most is that the younger generation can grow up and make the family more prosperous.

Zhang Hong, in particular, had an even deeper obsession with this.

The quiet of the night is always the best time to open your heart to those closest to you.

But Lu Yuan had no one to talk to, so he slept soundly until dawn.

When I woke up the next day.

First, he had breakfast with Zhou Hongling.

Then he started handling various matters at the Captain's Office. Having just taken office, he had quite a lot to manage.

Therefore, Lu Yuan was also in a state of great distress.

Fortunately, Zhou Hongling had given them some pointers, so after a morning, they gradually got into the swing of things.

After lunch.

He then returned to his room.

They opened the box and took out a Golden Essence Fruit.

This is a rare and precious treasure used for lung training.

The effects of yesterday's medicine have completely translated into proficiency, and today he plans to try and see if he can break through to the next level.

If we could further enhance our strength before setting off, that would be ideal.

After swallowing a Golden Essence Fruit.

Lu Yuan instantly felt a large amount of energy essence surging into his lungs.

I felt extremely comfortable all over.

The breath he exhaled now transformed into a faint golden mist.

In just a short while, the lung-refining process reached its peak, but the medicinal effects did not stop.

After breaking through, they continued to challenge the bottleneck.

They didn't stop until it got dark, which made Lu Yuan sigh inwardly. These rare and precious materials were indeed far more effective than those pills.

At this point, he had completely perfected his lung cultivation.

This is the terrifying aspect of rare and precious herbs; their effects are far more powerful than those of elixirs. Of course, ordinary people cannot withstand such treatment and dare not consume them in large quantities, nor can they fully absorb them.

Lu Yuan's strength lies not only in his physical body, but more importantly, in the fact that the effects of the medicine are converted into proficiency, which is why he can do this.

If it were someone else, even with exceptional talent, they would likely be overwhelmed or have their foundation shattered.

This is not a joke.

Ignoring all that, Lu Yuan felt the powerful energy circulating within his body and then took out another Gengjin Grass, a rare and precious material that was also of the metal element.

It is said that only in the dwelling place of a white tiger that has become a demon beast, where it is constantly nourished by the energy of Geng metal, can it grow.

It was won by Zhou Hongling in a bet.

Lu Yuan stuffed it straight into his mouth.

"roar!"

He couldn't help but let out a low roar, and at that moment his lungs turned completely golden, shimmering with a dazzling luster.

With each breath in and out.

They are all golden.

This is clearly the beginning of cultivating one's spirit.

At the same time, streaks of blood appeared on his body.

The Blood Refining Golden Bell Cover also received a response.

In fact, refining one's internal organs is also part of strengthening the body, so it also enhances the "Golden Bell Cover" technique.

The two can be said to complement each other.

Now, after refining the lungs and nourishing the spirit.

Lu Yuan's physique naturally became even stronger.

Now, he dares not speak for others, but if he encountered a master at the fifth level of the Refining Realm, he estimated that he could defeat him with a single blow.

A moment later, as the effects of the medicine in the body weakened.

Lu Yuan couldn't wait to open his system data, wanting to see how far his strength had progressed.

[The third-grade martial art, "Tiger Subduing Stance," refines the spleen (201/10000 Great Success)]

At this moment, he had officially broken through the Lung Refining stage and reached the Spleen Refining stage.

Moreover, it is still at the Great Perfection stage, just one step away from reaching the Blood Transfer stage.

However, although there are still rare and precious materials, it is no longer suitable for him to continue his cultivation.

After all, we're setting off tomorrow.

Looking outside, I realized it was almost dawn.

This time, my practice lasted a whole night.

Then, Lu Yuan got up and began packing his things.

First, there was the armor specifically for captains.

The armor plates are jet black with dark gold borders, and each shoulder has a dark gold tiger head shoulder guard.

Even the boots on their feet were made of blood rhinoceros hide, sewn together with golden silkworm silk.

It must be said that the treatment offered by Dayong was indeed quite good.

After donning his armor, a majestic general appeared inside the room.

Lu Yuan, carrying his crescent-shaped blade, pushed open the door and stepped outside.

Zhou Xiong was already waiting: "Sir, the entire Imperial Guard has arrived."

"Okay." Lu Yuan nodded and walked outside.

Zhou Xiong, the centurion of his personal guards, followed closely behind.

Leaving the military commandhouse, they arrived at the city gate and saw that the army had already assembled. Zhou Hongling appeared outside the gate with her thousand personal guards.

There were also two thousand city guards under Lu Yuan's command.

A total of three thousand people.

Upon seeing Zhou Hongling, Lu Yuan stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Greetings, General."

"Yes, let's go. Helian Shang and the others have already set up camp outside Vulture Ridge." The former responded and rode his warhorse forward, with Lu Yuan and his men following closely behind.

More than two thousand men stirred up a lot of dust in the wasteland.

Meanwhile, inside Wu Han's Heavenly King Village.

At this moment, the apparent leader of Tianwang Village was sitting opposite a fierce middle-aged man.

This man is Yang Xiao, the leader of Black Wind Stronghold and a notorious bandit leader from beyond the Great Wall, also known as Copper-Headed Lion. He has gathered twenty to thirty thousand strongmen under his command.

He got this nickname because he was physically strong, and because he had a mishap while practicing martial arts, his hair turned brownish-yellow.

From a distance, it looks like a lion's mane.

He specializes in a body-refining technique and is currently at the Blood Refining Realm.

He's much stronger than Wu Han.

The two sat together to discuss the merger.

"Brother Wu Han, I know you have powerful backers and a strong background, which is why you've risen so quickly. But your strength is still lacking. If the two families merge and I become your subordinate, your current power won't be enough."

Yang Xiao said with a chuckle.

However, there was a hint of contempt in his tone.

He naturally knew that among the mountain strongholds beyond the Great Wall, the stronger one was, the more support one would receive.

That's why I came to discuss the merger with Wu Han.

But who would have thought that the other party would make such an outrageous demand, wanting to be the leader of the bandit camp and have to listen to him? Was this some kind of joke?

He had been roaming the northern frontier for over a decade, while Wu Han had only been here a short time. Moreover, even if Wu Han had powerful backers, he didn't know just how much influence he wielded.

How could I possibly agree based on just one sentence from the other party?

Wu Han toyed with a dagger in his hand, his bald head gleaming with a bluish light. He wasn't angry at this moment, but said, "You also know the current relationship between Dayong and the Northern Barbarians, even though the latter said they would support us."

In the end, we are still living off the Great Yong. We are just a bunch of rabble. If they really wanted to wipe us out, it would only take a word.

Therefore, only by sticking together can we strengthen our bodies.

Okay, let's make a bet today. You know Vulture Ridge, right? I've also tried to contact them, but that old vulture wouldn't give me any face, so I had to make him disappear.

Vulture Ridge should be wiped out in the next few days. If that old vulture is defeated, you'll listen to me from now on; otherwise, I'll listen to you. I wonder if you dare to take the gamble.

After Wu Han finished speaking, he looked at Yang Xiao with a smile, wanting to see the other party's reaction.

At this moment, the latter paused in his hand holding the teacup: "Let's gamble. If you can really destroy the old vulture, what's wrong with me following you?"

"You're not following me. I don't know I have the ability to make you submit. You're following the person behind me, but I can't tell you who he is."

"Just remember what you said, and don't go back on your word later." As Wu Han spoke, he looked at Yang Xiao.

With a hint of threat, the meaning was clear: if we can destroy Vulture Ridge, we can destroy Black Wind Stronghold.

Yang Xiao, the Copper-Headed Lion, was a straightforward man. He understood Wu Han's meaning, but laughed and said, "Haha, stop talking nonsense, I'll be waiting for you in your village."

"If Vulture Ridge is truly destroyed, its 30,000 troops will be immediately incorporated into your large stronghold without delay."

Wu Han nodded.

He shouted outside, "Bring me wine! I want to drink with Chief Yang!"

After he finished speaking, someone came in carrying a jar of wine.

Others were carrying various kinds of meat.

Yang Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly. In fact, although he was the leader of a stronghold, he knew his own hardships. It was no small feat to support such a large group of strongmen. If they were really not fed, his men would probably turn on him first.

The north is bitterly cold, with the Dayong Fortress on one side and the Northern Barbarian tribes on the other, neither of which he can afford to provoke.

Life was tough, which is the main reason why so many people were so eager to cooperate with the Northern Barbarians.

If Wu Han really does have a powerful figure from the Great Yong Dynasty backing him up.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to side with them. On the surface, they're partners with the Northern Barbarians, but secretly they have powerful figures from the Great Yong Dynasty backing them up. Plus, they're in this no-man's-land, so it's hard not to think about them.

Most importantly, I no longer have to worry about food and supplies for the people and horses in the village, so I can focus on improving my cultivation level.

That's why he readily agreed to the bet with Wu Han.

Meanwhile, the other person looked at Yang Xiao with joy in their heart.

If Lu Yuan can really destroy Bald Ridge this time, and I can also incorporate Black Wind Stronghold, I dare not say more.

They could still muster 70,000 to 80,000 men, although most of them were a motley crew.

But they are definitely a force to be reckoned with. I'll train them properly for a while.

At least in the borderlands, there's no need to worry about anyone else's opinion.