The heat wave surged through Lu Sheng’s body—violent, fleeting—then rapidly faded. Within just a few breaths, it had already cycled several times through his meridians, and his body gradually adapted to the scorching current.
His temperature remained high, but the earlier burning agony had eased. Under the influence of the Jade Crane Skill, inner Qi sped through his channels, releasing countless fine threads of energy to mend torn meridians and injured organs.
Time slipped by. Half a day passed.
Lu Sheng’s skin slowly regained its natural, pale sheen. He exhaled a long breath. “Phew…” Even that breath carried heat like steam from a furnace.
Pain lingered everywhere. Every bone, every muscle, felt as though needles were driven into them—vastly different from the refined discomfort of practicing the Jade Crane Skill. Now, his entire body felt as if a giant hammer had smashed it again and again.
Good thing the Jade Crane Skill has accumulated so much inner Qi… exactly what I need for recovery.
Feeling the technique quietly working—mending his torn insides—he allowed himself a brief sigh of relief.
I never expected just the Initiation level of the Black Fury Skill to be so terrifying. If it’s already like this… how overwhelming will its power be at higher stages?
A shiver ran down his spine at the thought.
He drew in a breath and called out, “Little Qiao!”
“Coming, Young Master!” Little Qiao rushed over from the back courtyard, her hands dripping water—clearly interrupted in the middle of washing something.
“Bring me some medicinal tea.”
Lu Sheng gave his instruction. His entire body still throbbed with pain, his skin burning, mouth dry from the lingering heat.
Little Qiao hurriedly brought over a freshly prepared pot of medicinal tea. Within the brew floated Yin-nourishing herbs—Jadeite Dendrobium, Southern Barbaric Turtle Shell, Winter Gardenia Jasmine, Yin-Winter, and other rare ingredients only found in this world.
Lu Sheng seized the cup and drank in one long swallow. Coolness slid down his throat into his stomach, then spread outward like a refreshing tide.
The stifling heat inside him finally eased.
He continued to drink—cup after cup—until the entire pitcher was emptied and not a single herb remained. Chewing the softened fragments, he swallowed everything down before exhaling in relief, though a lingering thirst still tempted him to ask for more.
Exhausted, he lay down to rest. Hours passed, and dusk gradually fell.
Bit by bit, the pain receded from his bones and flesh.
Seeing nothing unusual about his condition, Little Qiao merely assumed he had been overly thirsty. She picked up the empty pitcher and left to continue washing clothes by the brook.
Once he had rested enough, Lu Sheng stepped into the courtyard again, saber in hand, ready to test the Black Fury Skill. The reaction it induced earlier far surpassed that of the Jade Crane Skill—stoking his curiosity to a burning itch.
Night had arrived, and the dim forest loomed ahead.
Lu Sheng left the hut behind and found a secluded clearing. There, he focused his mind and began circulating the inner Qi of the Black Fury Skill.
Its Qi flow coiled from both kidneys toward his abdomen, forming a strange belt of power around his waist.
Even at Initiation level, the Qi was already as thick as a chopstick.
He directed it with a thought. Unlike the Jade Crane Skill, this inner Qi obeyed instantly—sharp, responsive, and fully under his control.
Lu Sheng guided a strand of inner Qi upward from his abdomen. It surged through his right shoulder, down his arm, and into his palm, finally flooding into the long saber.
The moment Qi connected with the blade, he caught a faint sizzling sound—like metal licking open flame.
Heat flooded his limbs. A wild, uncontrollable fierceness rose within him, and he swung without hesitation.
“Chi!”
The saber cleaved forward, striking the trunk of a towering tree ahead.
“Swish—swoosh!”
The thick trunk shuddered violently, leaves scattering like rain under the night sky. The blade bit deep into the wood. From the fresh wound, a subtle black color faintly spread outward.
Blackened?
Lu Sheng wrenched the saber free, brows furrowing as he brushed a finger across the darkened surface.
Burn marks… is this extreme heat? Or something else?
He paused, eyes narrowing, then moved swiftly.
Without warning, he darted toward a nearby bush and reached in.
“Chi~~~~”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs11tp0XXw9
A colorful wild chicken flapped desperately in his grip, caught by the neck. It had hidden itself, believing it could escape his detection—yet it was seized all the same.
Let’s test it. If my guess is right…
Returning to the tree, he carefully scraped a bit of the black dust from the edges of the cut and collected it in his palm. Then, with deliberate force, he fed the powder into the chicken’s beak.
The creature squawked frantically, now restless and distressed. Lu Sheng observed quietly.
He scraped a second pinch of the powder and forced it into the chicken once more.
When he set it down, it stumbled only a few steps before collapsing, unable to stand.
Lu Sheng crouched and touched its body. Heat radiated intensely from its feathers—alive, yet completely drained, like a creature burning with fever.
As expected. A poison… and clearly fire-based.
In his mind, Lu Sheng confirmed his deduction about the Black Fury Skill’s true nature.
He withdrew a worn manual from his robes—one he never parted with—and carefully reread the passage inscribed within:
“…Black Fury Skill, vicious and scorching. Extremely fiery and poisonous. Without an opposing inner Qi to counteract and neutralize it, the victim will die after three days.”
That short description was all the manual offered regarding its destructive might.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTePVre2Y97
Yet, it was more than enough for Lu Sheng to grasp the skill’s essence.
He wielded poison now.
Incredible.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoAc44R50EI
This was no gentle, life-nourishing art like the Jade Crane Skill. The Black Fury Skill was forged purely for combat—for lethal results. The difference between them was like a chasm, impossible to compare.
He focused inward, sensing the potent inner Qi coiled in his meridians. The slash he executed earlier had consumed only a small fraction of his reserves. He weighed the remaining amount carefully.
At Initiation level, I can probably sustain ten strikes. Beyond that, I’ll run dry. And this Qi even boosts my explosive strength… this is unbelievably practical.
Satisfied with the discovery, Lu Sheng turned back toward the hut.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYWlBNDFl8
This was merely its power at the beginner stage. Once he advanced it further… the potential was unimaginable.
Anticipation stirred in his chest.
As he entered the courtyard, he crossed paths with two Zheng family guards approaching with his meal. Upon seeing him, both hastened forward.
“Young Master Sheng, there have been some developments recently. The details are in the meal box. Please review the news when convenient.”
With formal courtesies exchanged, they departed the forest swiftly.
Lu Sheng accepted the meal box at the entrance. He opened it without delay—and, just as expected, found a wax-sealed letter resting neatly inside.
Inside the courtyard, Lu Sheng handed the meal box to Little Qiao, then tore open the envelope and unfolded the note within.
Brother Sheng, the Xu family tragedy in the city has finally been solved. An expert hired by the yamen apprehended a large group of criminals, executing more than ten of them at the marketplace entrance this afternoon.
Zheng Xiangui’s first lines left Lu Sheng momentarily stunned.
He continued reading.
In recent days, fear had gripped the entire city. Tension escalated into a riot not long ago, and many townsfolk attempted to flee toward Zi Hua City. The authorities were even forced to stop some of them from leaving.
To calm the escalating panic, the yamen arrested several dozen men in one sweep, proclaiming them responsible for the previous cases. Only then did the fear among the people ease slightly.
When he finished, a cold smirk tugged at the corner of Lu Sheng’s lips.
The yamen is desperate. Culprits? If they were that easy to catch, this wouldn’t have dragged on until now. They’re clearly arresting scapegoats at random just to appease the masses.
The letter also reassured him that nothing unusual had occurred at Lu Manor. Lu Chenxin and the other young masters continued their leisure and games as always—utterly untouched by the chaos.
Meanwhile, business in the city’s brothels and pleasure houses was flourishing. Clearly, people sought any means to vent their fear and anxiety.
Lu Sheng took a slow breath.
These measures may stabilize the situation, but only briefly. A temporary bandage. The real threat hasn’t been eliminated—and if another case occurs…
He folded the note away, mind steadying.
Against the unknown supernatural forces lurking in the shadows, Lu Manor was no stronger than any ordinary household in Nine Links City.
If calamity struck them… the outcome was already written.
Thus, there was only one path forward—he had to strengthen himself, as quickly and as far as he possibly could. Only with sufficient strength could Lu Sheng hope to protect himself against the supernatural forces lurking ahead.
He had no idea how powerful he must become to confront such horrors. There was only one option: push his limits in every possible way, and grow stronger—fast.
After reading the letter, he began consuming large quantities of precious restorative herbs brought from the manor. After each of his three daily meals, Little Qiao would boil a thick medicinal soup for him.
Nourished by potent medicine, the lingering backlash from advancing the Black Fury Skill to the Initiation level disappeared in just three days.
Four days later—
Second advancement.
Lu Sheng stood before the same towering tree from before. The deep wound his saber had left days ago still scarred its trunk—about a fifth of its width carved through. The edges had already withered, blackened, dead.
Once one of the mightiest trees in the forest, it now looked listless and diseased.
A fitting place for his next breakthrough.
He laid the medicinal soups from the meal box neatly beside him, then sat cross-legged with his back to the tree. The Black Fury Skill’s inner Qi churned constantly in the loop between his abdomen and kidneys.
Deep Blue.
The familiar blue Modifier interface materialized before his eyes. Lu Sheng focused on the Black Fury Skill entry.
With a thought, he selected Modify.
The frame flickered.
His expression hardened.
Upgrade Black Fury Skill by one level!
“Swoosh!”
The word Initiated flashed rapidly before transforming into Level One.
Before he could even rejoice, a scorching wave—slightly weaker than last time—erupted through every inch of his body. Heat raged inside and out, as though he had been thrust into a raging furnace.
Within a few breaths, sweat streamed from his skin like pouring rain. His entire body flushed red once more, glowing like heated iron. Fortunately, his body had grown somewhat accustomed to the torment, and the agony this time was far less overwhelming than the first breakthrough.
After only a few tea cups’ worth of time—just over ten minutes—Lu Sheng managed to steady his breathing again. Pain still coursed through every inch of him. New meridians had been forced open by the surging Black Fury Qi, expanding his inner energy pathways. They too required time to heal. Even so, an immense tide of Qi now filled him from head to toe, ready to tear through his skin.
Let’s try again.
Lu Sheng pushed himself upright and reached for the long saber strapped behind his waist.
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