BXBX NOVEL Chapter 83: Mastery
"Just one more round."
"Alright."
Lu Zhen smiled as he noticed Li Nan's cold demeanour cracking.
However, when he got slightly distracted, a dagger came at him from the side.
"You took the bait." Lu Zhen smirked as he released his aura fully, focusing it on Li Nan.
"This…" Li Nan also released her aura, which had a hint of killing intent, much like Lu Zhen.
As their auras clashed, Lu Zhen's aura almost instantly overwhelmed hers, clouding her mind with his killing intent and making her feel a heavy sensation.
In that split second, Lu Zhen's bow closed the distance with Li Nan in the blink of an eye, almost striking her. However, he forcefully halted his momentum, causing the bow to make slight contact with her forehead.
Whosh!
Her mask tore as if sliced by a saber with the sheer wind pressure, revealing her glistening, sweat-covered face.
"How beautiful," Lu Zhen couldn't help but exclaim, truly admiring her beauty. While Lu Zhen could see her figure, he couldn't be certain about her face until now. Seeing her revealed, he could now certify her as a beauty.
"787-724," she stated, ignoring Lu Zhen, who had exposed her disguise, as she reported the total matches.
Being an assassin and a servant of the Lu family, it was inevitable that she would serve under Lu Zhen. Considering the old Master's tone, she was most likely assigned to him already. She was a smart girl.
"Young master, you have won," Li Nan said, panting.
Lu Zhen nodded as he gazed at the scorching sun.
"Summer has arrived, huh," Lu Zhen couldn't help but exclaim, noticing how the forest had become more vibrant.
"How many days has it been?"
"It should be 2 days since we started, young master."
"Sigh, time passes in the blink of an eye," Lu Zhen said, releasing the bow from his tightly gripped hands.
Thud!
The bow fell to the ground with a "thud" sound making the soil sump up a little.
Lu Zhen inspected his hands, which bore imprints from gripping the bow so tightly.
He could feel his body was exhausted.
"It should be the perfect time," Lu Zhen thought as he tossed his black robes onto the ground.
The body cultivation method the ancestor had bestowed upon him allowed him to strengthen his body, but there was a crucial prerequisite – he needed to be thoroughly exhausted before attempting this cultivation technique.
His body was covered in sweat, his muscles sculpted to near-perfection, resembling the handiwork of a divine craftsman.
"Give me the staff," he requested.
"Yes, young master," Li Nan responded with curiosity, handing him the staff.
Lu Zhen stood tall, his posture erect, as he began to chant the strange mantra while clutching the staff.
Slowly but surely, he grew accustomed to the mantra. As he got used to the mantra he swung the staff performing intricate body movements.
At times, he swung the staff in sharp right angles, only to change positions swiftly in the next movement, pushing the staff in a different direction.
Li nan watched all this with a strange expression.
"Young master looks like a monkey performing those moves." She couldn't help but think in her head.
As Lu Zhen continued to practice, exhaustion gradually overtook him. Yet, with each repetition of the technique, he could feel his body growing slightly stronger. His excitement intensified as he witnessed the tangible progress in his physical strength.
However, after two hours of practice, a furrow appeared on Lu Zhen's brow. His face contorted into an expression of frustration as his body appeared to reach the limits of the strengthening the cultivation technique could provide.
"Sigh, I had my hopes up for no reason," he muttered aloud. It was becoming apparent that body cultivation was not as simple as he had initially hoped. If it were, the ancient martial artists would still exist today.
Lu Zhen casually threw a punch into the air, creating a "Whoosh" sound that seemed to tear the very fabric of the air.
Despite the impressive display of force, Lu Zhen found himself unsatisfied.
"My strength has barely increased," he reflected with a tinge of frustration, his brows furrowing in thought as he carefully examined his body.
After a moment, he decided to shift his focus to other plans he had in mind. Turning his gaze towards Li Nan, who stood there obediently, he pondered his next steps.
"Eh you won't be leaving?"
"No, young master, it seems like the old master has made me your personal guard," she said with a strange expression on her face.
Actually, when she returned, the old master reprimanded her harshly, telling her that she would be his personal guard from that day.
However, it wasn't that she didn't want to be Lu Zhen's guard. In fact, she considered herself fortunate to be the personal guard of a monstrous genius who had reached the third-stage martial realm at the age of 18, an unprecedented achievement in the city.
"Oh," Lu Zhen simply nodded his head. "Then give me the sword over there."
"Yes, young master," she replied and fetched the sword.
As she picked up the sword, she could feel an imprint of Lu Zhen's hand on the handle.
"Let's start where we left off," Lu Zhen said as he took the sword and began to swing it.
"He should have a high understanding of the saber, so why is he using a sword?" Li Nan thought as she watched Lu Zhen swinging the sword with reverence in her eyes.
Actually, it wasn't uncommon in the martial world for someone to use a different weapon while applying their understanding of another weapon's principles. However, the power of the weapon would often be greatly diminished.
But it was the first time Li Nan had seen someone with such a high understanding of the saber that they could use a bow as a saber without a significant decrease in power.
"He might even be able to reach that legendary realm of saber intent if he practises," she thought with some pride, considering him her master now.
What puzzled her was that Lu Zhen was practicing with a sword, not a saber, and without applying the principles of the saber. He was simply swinging it without apparent purpose.
As Lu Nan remained puzzled, Lu Zhen looked at his system prompt with excitement.
[You have practiced with the sword.]
[You have acquired sword mastery.]
Lu Zhen's plan was to integrate all the mastery into his fists, turning him into a killing machine capable of cutting, smashing, slashing, and applying every principle of various weapons with his body alone.