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

Chapter 85, Part 100: Swordsmanship 3: Tempering the Sword Body! [Seeking Monthly Tickets!]

"Split light and create illusions? Those dozen or so...illusions just now, I couldn't tell the difference between them. They all looked exactly like real people. So, is your killing move a spell? A superpower?"

Huang Rong's eyes blinked, her pretty face full of curiosity.

Lu Chen laughed:

"It's not really magic. It's more like a trick or illusion. Each illusion is formed by the condensation of sword energy. Although it can be used to make moves and even kill enemies, and it looks lifelike and can deceive the naked eye, it still has its flaws."

There are three drawbacks. First, the consumption is too great.

He had only been practicing briefly when, without paying attention, those dozen or so phantoms drained ninety-nine percent of his true energy in one go.

Therefore, given his current skill level, he wouldn't dare to expend it like this in actual combat; at most, he could only create one or two phantoms.

Secondly, the illusion is ultimately just a condensation of sword energy. Although it can still make moves to kill enemies, it cannot withstand too much collision and shock. Once it clashes with the internal energy of a master with sufficient skill, or is hit by a powerful blow, it will instantly vanish.

Thirdly, he has not yet grasped the meaning of "life and death." These phantom images of true energy have no "life force" or "spirit." They can deceive martial artists who lack "spiritual perception" and rely solely on their senses to find their enemies, but they cannot deceive martial artists who possess "spiritual perception."

Only after further understanding the "life and death" principle of Sword Two, and infusing the illusion with vitality and spirit, can it truly deceive even spiritual perception and telepathy.

Of course, even at this level, it's already quite impressive.

It should be noted that each phantom can unleash attacks and possesses real and devastating destructive power.

Although he was still afraid of collisions and blows, with his agility and swordsmanship, how could an ordinary master have the chance to clash with him?
If he wanted to, he could easily fight against an ordinary master without any weapons or physical contact.

Furthermore, his true form can switch into any illusion at any time, making it impossible for enemies to pinpoint his true location.

In this way, he can not only face the attack more calmly, but also turn the tables and "attack" others by himself. He can also teleport at any time, just like when he suddenly appeared behind Huang Rong. He can fight or leave whenever he wants.

Huang Rong didn't press him about the "flaw" in his move; she simply exclaimed with sparkling eyes:
"Your move, while not exactly magic, can hardly be considered human swordsmanship either."

"This is indeed not a sword technique of the mortal realm."

Lu Chen nodded slightly.

No matter how you practice according to the methods of mortal swordsmanship, you will never be able to master this killing move.

This achievement is solely due to the insights gained from the "Sword Two" of the Immortal Execution Sword Intent.

Given this origin, his "splitting light and turning shadows" killing move is certainly not a human sword technique.

anyway……

"Aren't you the 'Heavenly Sword Master'? It seems only natural that you possess such otherworldly swordsmanship?"

Upon hearing Huang Rong's words, Lu Chen smiled and gently stroked Huang Rong's cheek, about to kiss her in celebration.

Huang Rong chuckled crisply, peeked out of his arms, and winked playfully:

"eat first!"

Okay, it's time to eat first. I've used up 99% of my inner energy, and my stomach is growling with hunger.

Later that evening, we'll savor Rong'er's sweet and soft pink lips.

……

Midnight.

Huang Rong was already fast asleep in bed, her pretty face flushed with a captivating blush. Perhaps it was because of Lu Chen's passionate kiss before she fell asleep that she dreamt of something strange.

Lu Chen sat cross-legged on the left side of the bed, in the empty space Huang Rong had left for him, his mind immersed in the "Swordsman Online 3 Imprint" that he had unlocked earlier.

The sword imprint allowed him to comprehend a technique called "White Rainbow Piercing the Sun," which he used for self-defense and protection at the beginning of his swordsmanship journey. It also greatly enhanced his understanding of swordsmanship.

Now he can control "Sword One: White Rainbow Piercing the Sun" with ease. He only needs to continuously improve his skills to move towards the realm of great power in the illusion, where a single sword can split the sky and shatter the seas and destroy stars.

The second mark of the sword art elucidates the principles of the unity of opposites such as hardness and softness, lightness and heaviness, speed and slowness, emptiness and fullness, life and death, yin and yang, and continuously improves his swordsmanship level.

He has already grasped some basics, his "Sword Shadow Step" is more unpredictable, his swordsmanship comprehension is higher, and he has even mastered a deadly move called "Splitting Light and Transforming Shadow".

As for the deeper truths, we still need to continue to understand the imprint of Sword II and constantly ponder and comprehend them.

Even now, he still has very little understanding of the mysteries of "life and death" as explained in Sword Two.

The "JX3" game unlocked today has a different kind of mystery.

"Tempering the sword body, huh..."

This Jianwang 3 is clearly a specific method of body refinement.

He used his unique "sword qi" to refine and temper his skin, flesh, bones, and internal organs until he forged an indestructible "sword body".

When the sword body is fully mastered, the body becomes incomparably strong, like a celestial sword, indestructible.

With every gesture, sword energy surges forth; even a drop of blood or a strand of hair can be transformed into a divine sword.

"This method is extremely difficult to cultivate..."

Lu Chen, sensing the sword-forging process within the Swordsman Online 3 imprint—from the surface to the core, from easy to difficult—muttered to himself:
"With my current skill level, it seems I can only refine my skin to its ultimate level..."

The tempering of the "sword body" proceeds from the outside in, starting with the skin and then refining the skin, flesh, tendons, bones, internal organs, and marrow... going deeper layer by layer.

The deeper the tempering process, the greater the difficulty and the higher the skill required, but the stronger the sword body also becomes.

But the skin is only the surface layer and a minor detail.

With Lu Chen's current skill level, even if he tempered his entire body's skin to the "Great Perfection" level, it would only be comparable to having mastered a certain superior external martial arts technique.

It can achieve a basic level of invulnerability to blades and spears, but it is still insufficient against sharp blades imbued with the true qi of a master, as well as attacks with extremely strong penetrating true qi.

The defense of a fully mastered "skin refining" technique is not as good as the three-foot qi wall of the Shaolin Sweeper Monk, nor as good as the "indestructible body" of the Kongjian Monk, but what makes it better than them is that it is "once proven and forever proven". It does not require deliberate cultivation of qi and is passively effective at any time, and is not afraid of sneak attacks.

Of course, if you delve into the "flesh refining" level, that's incredibly powerful.

Even if an ordinary expert wields a sharp blade or unleashes their true energy, they will not be able to harm him. Moreover, once he obtains the certificate, he will remain so forever, and the certificate will take effect passively at any time.

Furthermore, one of the prerequisites for unlocking "Sword 4" is to temper the sword to the "Mastery of Flesh Refinement".

That being said, even if it's just "Great Perfection of Skin Refinement", the defensive effect is actually quite good.

At least ordinary people's swords, spears, and crossbows will not be able to harm him, and he can move freely even in the midst of a large army.

While it's impossible to completely withstand the damage from a skilled opponent's attack, it can at least weaken it and reduce the severity of the injury.

In addition, tempering the sword body can also greatly increase his physical strength.

Even at the "Skin Refining" level, one can significantly increase their strength.

If one's true energy is exhausted, one can still compete with masters using only the strength of the physical body.

"This is amazing! With external training and physical strength, I won't be afraid of running out of energy after frequently unleashing powerful moves." Lu Chen was excited and tried to circulate his sword qi according to the Three Swords Techniques, starting with his fingers to refine and temper the skin.

As his true energy was continuously refined, his right index finger faintly emitted a strange, metallic cold light.

When he exhausted 50% of his true energy, temporarily ended the tempering process, and sat in meditation to recover his energy, the cold metallic light on his index finger disappeared and returned to its original flesh color.

And so, Lu Chen spent the entire night refining his technique, and by the time dawn broke, the skin on his right index finger had been successfully refined.

"One finger per night. With my current skill level, it would take about ten nights to successfully temper the skin of my entire hand. As for the whole body... that would take a very long time. And this is just the easiest part, 'skin tempering.' The next step, 'flesh tempering,' is much more difficult, and with my current skill level, the efficiency is even lower..."

Lu Chen pondered to himself, and seeing that Huang Rong was still fast asleep, he quietly got up and planned to go to the outer room to test the results of the tempering.

Once outside, he drew his steel sword and lightly slashed the blade against his right index finger.

The feel is somewhat like cutting through some extremely tough elastic material, with a very obvious sense of resistance.

There was no pain in my right index finger. When I raised my hand, there was only a faint white mark on the skin of my fingertip.

Lu Chen continued to increase the intensity until he incorporated a trace of true energy. Only then did he feel a slight pain in the pad of his index finger, and the skin cracked and bled.

"As expected, it can defend against ordinary people's swords and arrows without any problem, but it still can't defend against sharp blades imbued with fierce true energy."

After assessing the situation, Lu Chen wasn't disappointed.

After all, he was just a beginner, only just starting out in the "skin-refining" stage.

As his skill deepens and his sword is refined, it will become impervious to blades and spears, difficult to damage with his inner energy, and even difficult to harm with divine weapons. It is foreseeable that he will be able to withstand guns and cannons.

"The sword's body is a product of constant refinement and tempering... My skill is still too weak."

He now believes his skill level is at the level of the second-class master and the fifth-class master.

However, the "Sword Two" technique, which splits light and creates shadows, requires extremely high skill. The deeper one's skill, the more realistic the illusions become, the greater their power, and the more numerous they are.

In the game "JX3", the higher the skill level, the more efficient the tempering process.

Therefore, we must continue to intensify our efforts to hone our "true sword energy".

After thinking for a while, I looked down at my fingers and saw that the thin cut on my fingertip had healed, leaving only a faint white mark.

"It healed so quickly, I didn't even have time to apply the medicine..."

Lu Chen shook his head, feeling that this "sword body" was not only tough, but also seemed to have a certain enhancement to his "super recovery".

Who knows, with continued training, even more serious injuries might heal on the spot without needing rest.

"Keep practicing, for internal strength is the foundation of everything..."

Lu Chen carried his steel sword and walked into the courtyard. He first practiced two rounds of "Old Man's Fist" to warm up, and then practiced "Half-Move Sword One" to strengthen his sword qi.

Nowadays, the effect of "Old Man's Fist" on improving his skills has become negligible.

The reason why I continue to practice is because its effect of changing one's physical constitution is still present.

The better one's physical constitution, the faster one's skill will increase when practicing "Half a Sword Move" and meditating to cultivate Qi.

In fact, as an auxiliary skill in a low-level martial arts world, the "Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian" is indeed miraculous, but it is impossible to endlessly change one's physical constitution.

The reason it is still effective against Lu Chen is simply because he incorporated a trace of the essence of the "Yin-Yang" principle he gained from comprehending "Sword Two," and improved it, turning it into "Old Man's Fist," thus raising its upper limit.

If possible in the future, Lu Chen will naturally continue to improve and raise its upper limit.

With the power bestowed by the "Slaying Immortal Sword Intent," this originally low-level auxiliary divine skill could potentially become an "immortal technique" capable of transforming mortal bones into a Dao body.

If such an opportunity truly arises, then in the future, if one were to establish a sect, there would be no need to select disciples with exceptionally good aptitude; one would only need to observe their character and comprehension.

After practicing for a while, Huang Rong also got up.

After washing up, she ran to the yard and practiced kung fu with Lu Chen.

Seeing Lu Chen growing stronger, she gradually felt a sense of urgency, realizing that Master Rong's authority was rapidly fading away. She made a firm decision not to be half-hearted like before and began to work hard again.

It's just a matter of how long she can hold out this time.

Today is April 23rd.

The time has come for Liu Zhengfeng to retire from his criminal activities.

Although many things have happened in and around Hengshan City recently, and many people have died, the set date will not be changed.

Lu Chen and Huang Rong also went to Liu's residence to watch the excitement before the ceremony began.

The Liu residence was brightly decorated and bustling with activity. The carriage and horse field where the Qingcheng disciples lay dead yesterday had been cleaned up and a colorful tent had been erected, with a continuous banquet set up.

Although Lu Chen's origins are unknown and no one knows his background, his martial arts skills alone make him the number one figure in Hengshan City. On his way to the Liu residence, everyone, whether they knew him or not, greeted him with respect.

Upon arriving at the carriage and horse arena, the martial arts practitioners who were sitting at the banquet all stood up and bowed to him.

Anyone who didn't know better would probably think he was the master of Hengshan, or even the leader of the martial arts alliance.

When Liu Zhengfeng's disciples Xiang Danian, Mi Weiyi, and others saw him and Huang Rong coming, they sent someone to inform the mansion while hurrying over to greet them.

Upon arriving at the gate of the Liu residence, Liu Zhengfeng, Tianmen Daoist, Dingyi Shitai, Mr. Wen, He Sanqi, and other well-known or unknown martial arts masters all came out to greet him, showing him the utmost respect.

Mr. Mo is not here; the old man has probably gone to some teahouse to play the erhu and do art again.

Upon entering the Liu residence, Liu Zhengfeng warmly invited Lu Chen to sit in the VIP seats.

Lu Chen couldn't stand hanging out with the old guys. Just then, Qu Feiyan came skipping over to talk to Huang Rong. Lu Chen then saw that the Huashan disciples were sitting at a table, so he pulled Huang Rong and Qu Feiyan to sit at the table next to the Huashan disciples.

The Huashan disciples were chatting enthusiastically when Lu Chen arrived, and they all became extremely reserved and silent. Even the most lively Lu Dayou dared not speak.

"Brother Lu is so impressive!"

Seeing that Lu Chen simply sat there, and all the disciples of the prestigious Huashan Sect, one of the Five Sacred Mountains Sword Sects, remained as quiet as quails, Qu Feiyan couldn't help but feel envious.

Huang Rong said softly, "Impressive, isn't it? It's the result of hard training. Do you know how much sleep he gets each night?"

Qu Feiyan asked curiously, "How long?"

"He meditates for two hours at most, and all night at least. Since he started learning martial arts, he has only had one full night's sleep."

Upon hearing this, Qu Feiyan's small face was filled with shock.

and many more……

While filled with awe, Qu Feiyan noticed another remarkable detail and whispered mysteriously:
"Then Brother Lu won't have time to spend with you? Sister, won't you have to sleep alone in a cold bed every night? Aren't you two engaged? How will you have a baby in the future?"

She's not some island girl; she's been traveling around with her grandfather since she was little, so she knows a lot!
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(End of this chapter)