Ten Directions Sword Master

Chapter 91 The Great Perfection of Iron Shirt

Pengcheng.

This place was established as a city during the Northern Wei Dynasty and was once an important hub connecting the north and south.

This is precisely why they inevitably suffer from the ravages of war whenever there is conflict.

With the fall of the Great Chu Dynasty and the confrontation between the Northern and Southern Dynasties, this area was suddenly pushed to the front line, constantly under the threat of the Great Zhou's iron cavalry.

Commercial activity inevitably declined, and the area gradually transformed into a major military logistics hub.

Hundreds of large furnaces in the mines outside the city run day and night, transporting out tens of thousands of catties of iron ore every day.

The best casting masters in the city are only from the military craftsmen, whose furnaces roar and molten iron flows freely.

A vast array of weapons and armor were forged in Pengcheng, inspected by the Military Equipment Bureau, and then sent to various military camps along the border.

The smoke from the fires covered the ancient city walls in black ash, and the air was shrouded in mist, with no bright sunshine seen year-round.

Lu Li stood on the street. Pengcheng was just like this when he was a child, unchanged for so many years.

It had been a long time since I had been back. I walked along the road I remembered to the east of the city, where two entire neighborhoods were inhabited by the Lu clan.

Walking through the courtyard, he saw pedestrians hurrying by, and several people cast curious glances at him, clearly not recognizing this young master of the fifth branch of the family.

Deep inside are five courtyards, symmetrically laid out, stretching out in a grand manner, like a giant beast nestled in the shadows.

As you walk along the bluestone path toward the ancestral home, the sounds of laughter and chatter gradually fade away, and even the street vendors who used to frequent the area no longer come here.

Several gatekeepers stood before the heavy gate, each one burly and imposing.

"Who is this young man looking for? This is the Lu family ancestral home, not a place for casual strolling."

The burly man leading the group blocked their way, his loud voice conveying a strong sense of intimidation.

"Wu Fang Lu Li—what's wrong? Can't we even go back to our own home?"

Lu Li smiled.

I haven't been back for more than a year, have things changed that much that even the gatekeepers and guards don't recognize me?

However, they overlooked the fact that his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds in the past year or so, and how many events he had experienced, both in the Compass World and the real world.

He was originally a bit naive and immature, but he matured rapidly through life-and-death battles and experiences in the martial arts world.

It appears as an abyss or a vast ocean, with no bottom in sight.

I'd be startled if we didn't see each other for months; it felt like ages had passed.

Besides, they've barely met any of the gatekeepers.

"It really is Young Master Li—Young Master, Old Li is blind, he's probably still drunk from last night."

The burly man carefully examined the object, his gaze sweeping over the Lu family's direct descendant token at his waist. Finally, he remembered and made way for him.

"Brother Li, is this Lu Li, the young master of the fifth branch? He looks completely different now, I almost didn't recognize him."

"That's right, didn't we say that a piece of elm wood was a waste of the Bailu Academy disciple quota that the clan had worked so hard to obtain?"

Just one glance from me and my legs went weak; he's far more frightening than the eldest sons of the main branch.

"You all talk too much, just stay home and guard the door!"

The head of the guards, surnamed Li, gave a few words of reprimand and then pulled aside a trusted aide to give him some instructions.

"Go to the outer courtyard of the eldest branch and report to Steward Li. Say that Young Master Li from the fifth branch just arrived home—his aura is off, and I'm not sure what level of cultivation he has. Maybe he really has made a name for himself at the academy?"

He had spent half his life honing his skills, repeatedly practicing the Iron Shirt technique passed down from his master, but had been stuck at the Qi Induction Perfection stage for many years.

Once you reach the Foundation Establishment stage, your treatment will be completely different.

Those sent to work outside the city could become managers in a shipyard, while those who stayed in the city would have five or six Lu family shops assigned to them for management.

Walking down the street, some people also call him Master Li.

However, given his cultivation aptitude, this step was extremely difficult to cross, which is why he decided to use a breakthrough pill.

They went to great lengths to establish a distant relationship with the eldest son's steward, all in order to befriend the patriarch and gain an advantage when the clan leader was replaced.

The head of the guards, surnamed Li, originally wanted to say that Young Master Li was unfathomable and gave people an invincible sense of danger, but then felt that saying that would be too exaggerated.

The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I changed the way I phrased them.

Two hundred years ago, the ancestors of the Lu family of Pengcheng migrated from Jiangxia to Pengcheng. They had nothing of value except a roll of iron shirt and a whistle stick.

Relying on his exceptional martial arts skills, he carved out a niche for himself among the refugees along the river, laying the foundation for his success.

But what truly enabled the Lu family to develop rapidly, transforming them from a local power into the head of seven wharves and hundreds of cargo ships in the Lansha River basin, was the old patriarch who had been in the position of clan leader for over sixty years.

In his youth, he led his clansmen in a fierce battle in the territory of a rival gang, wielding a knife. He suffered a foot-long gash in his stomach, which he tied shut with his clothes before continuing to slash.

In his middle age, he went to a banquet alone and persuaded the leader of the Canal Gang to acknowledge the name of the Blue Sand Boat Gang and make it a subordinate gang.

Even in his later years, he would personally go to the battlefield, hide in the cabin and kill the leader of the salt smugglers with a single blow, thus thwarting the group of desperate smugglers' covetousness of the Lansha River waterway.

The old patriarch was undoubtedly the pillar of the Lu family, and also the one with the highest martial arts achievements in the entire family.

Despite the excessive fighting and countless hidden injuries, he still managed to cultivate to the half-step Refinement of Spirit.

If he hadn't fought so hard, and instead had taken a step back in terms of family development, focusing instead on himself, given his ability to open his ancestral aperture between his eyebrows and generate spiritual power, there would have been no way he wouldn't have been able to achieve that final step of internal and external convergence.

The blood and qi have deteriorated too early, and the optimal time for recovery has been missed.

Unfortunately, none of Lu's descendants could surpass him in martial arts talent.

Of course, Lu Li is excluded.

After the old master passes away, there will definitely be another wave of turmoil in the Lu family of Pengcheng.

The fifth branch of the family was already sparsely populated, with only the elderly fifth master remaining at the top, and Lu Li as the only other child, a cousin who had married into the Changsha Prefecture.

Many rooms are empty and lifeless.

Even the servants who swept the dust and trimmed the flowers were older, and the whole courtyard exuded a sense of twilight.

"Uncle Qiu, how have you been lately?"

Lu Li stepped into the courtyard that held memories of a time when his father had not yet died in battle and his mother had not yet fallen ill, and he and his cousin ran and laughed in the courtyard.

If his body tempering failed, his mother would always rub his head with her palms, her eyes like water: "I only wish my son to be foolish and dull, and to rise to high office without illness or disaster."

A lean old man was squatting on the ground, pruning a Cymbidium goeringii.

Hearing this, he was taken aback at first, then turned around and said with delight, "Young Master Li, why have you come home? Master was just saying that in a month or so, he asked me to prepare two sets of winter clothes to send to the academy."

"Just passing by—is Uncle inside?"

Lu Li realized that ever since he went to Bailu Academy, he increasingly didn't want to return to Pengcheng.

Besides not wanting to be distracted by martial arts, the Compass World kept appearing one after another, leaving little time to even catch one's breath.

More than anything, I just don't want to go back to this place that caused me so much pain.

Over the years, my childhood memories of Luli have faded, but the memories of another completely different world on Earth remain vivid in my mind.

However, there are only a few people he truly cares about left in his family, so he still has to come and visit them whenever he has free time.

After these people passed away, his emotional connection with his family weakened even further.

"Good, you're born well, more handsome than your father, and looks like your mother—"

My great-uncle was lying on the couch, unable to walk properly, and spent half the time in a daze, asleep.

Seeing Lu Li arrive today, he unusually perked up, grabbing Lu Li's withered hand and repeating a few words over and over again.

"Uncle, please rest well. I'll stay at the ancestral home for a few more days before leaving."

Lu Li tucked the blankets up for the old man. The fifth master of the Lu family, who was cunning and scheming against all his business rivals, had no talent for martial arts. After that major blow, he fell ill and was already terminally ill.

Back then, the Fifth Master's elder brother died unexpectedly at a young age, so he took his infant nephew into his own room and treated him as his own son.

But he did not adopt, lest his elder brother's line end.

After his nephew grew up, he spared no effort in providing him with cultivation resources, caring for him even more than his own sons.

This nephew was among the top three in the entire Lu family when he reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and was once regarded as a future star. He was Lu Li's father.

"Master, Young Master Li, Steward Tian is waiting outside the courtyard—he says the Old Master knows Young Master Li has returned and wants to see him!"

Uncle Qiu rushed in from outside, his expression excited and his face beaming.

The great-uncle, lying on his sickbed, gleamed with a sharp light in his eyes. His withered hand, surprisingly strong, gripped his wrist tightly: "Father must have heard of your performance at the academy and wants to promote you, that's why he's seeing you!"

"Go quickly and perform well, let them see the brilliance of the fifth branch of the family!"

In recent years, the old master of the Lu family has lived a secluded life, and it is difficult for even his surviving sons to see him, let alone the younger generation.

All clan affairs were handed over to the eldest grandson of the eldest son.

A few outstanding juniors who could get close to the old patriarch during ancestral worship and say some flattering words could receive extremely generous rewards.

For example, a fine weapon, a land deed for a two-room shop in the old town market, or even a precious jade artifact in the northern style.

I wonder how much wealth this old man has hidden away.

"Does the old master want to see me?"

Lu Li's expression shifted. This great-grandfather, who held absolute authority in the Lu family, was a stranger to him. He had only met him three times in his life.

The first time was when he was eight years old and began learning martial arts. His father led him to kowtow below and learn the White Dew Frost Technique.

The second time was the last time the old master publicly celebrated his birthday, a grand banquet to mark his ninetieth birthday. I only caught a glimpse of it from afar.

The third time was before he went to Bailu Academy. Whether it was compensation or pity, the academy spot was reserved for him despite the opposition of the entire clan.

He had barely stepped into the courtyard when he was summoned.

Was it a spur-of-the-moment decision, or was it planned in advance?

Lu Li had no reason to refuse. The steward, Mr. Tian, ​​was a taciturn middle-aged man who didn't say a word the whole time, only gesturing for others to follow.

Look at the distance under this person's feet; every step is measured as if it were measured with a ruler, without the slightest error.

A withered leaf twirled down, and just as it reached my shoulder, an invisible force tore it in two without getting it on my clothes.

There's such a skilled person hidden in the house!

Lu Li's heart skipped a beat. Not a feather could be added, not even a fly could land. This was no ordinary Foundation Establishment Realm martial artist.

There was not a trace of internal energy fluctuation; it relied entirely on the extremely subtle perception and control of the physical body.

The Lu family's Iron Shirt technique has been improved and differs considerably from the rudimentary version circulating in the martial arts world, incorporating the strengths of several body-building techniques.

The training has evolved from simply focusing on brute force to a superior skill that combines strength and flexibility, and utilizes momentum to transform force.

Steward Tian's performance clearly demonstrates that he has mastered the Iron Shirt technique, refining all the acupoints in his body to the point of being unobstructed and smooth, with skin as tough as iron.

When it comes to actual combat, they are no weaker than those in the late Foundation Establishment stage.