He truly felt no fear toward Gongsun Zhanglan. Though the man was also a Spirit Focus expert who cultivated both inner and outer forces, not all experts of the same realm stood on equal ground. Lu Sheng carried within him three potent inner forces—each one the equivalent of a hundred years of cultivation for an ordinary practitioner. If anyone learned of this, they would be stunned beyond belief.
Even without considering the rest of his abilities, his inner force alone was enough to drag any opponent down to the grave.
Ever since his encounters with Li Shunxi, Lu Sheng had come to understand his power more clearly. The Black Fury Skill, while strong, was not as monstrous as he once assumed. It was the modifications bestowed through his Modifier that had infused the technique with overwhelming energy, granting him inner strength that others could obtain only after decades of grueling training. With such boundless reserves to expend, it was no wonder his attacks tore through enemies with terrifying ferocity.
Moreover, he had already mastered Jade Crane Skill before cultivating Black Fury Skill. By that time, he had accumulated inner Qi that would take an ordinary man more than ten years to gather. Jade Crane Skill now served as the foundation beneath Black Fury Skill, feeding it power, replenishing his Qi, and reinforcing his strength without pause.
With two formidable inner force skills supporting one another, his every strike carried a force far beyond the norm. And because of that—because his body housed both overwhelming depth and relentless regeneration—Lu Sheng naturally appeared utterly unstoppable.
If mere drops of water could carve through stone over years, how much more devastating would a skill like Black Fury be?
“Gongsun Zhanglan’s Prime Mystic Palm is packed with power; Brother Lu, don’t underestimate him.” The old Sect Master sounded troubled, and for the first time, he found Lu Sheng’s confidence bordering on arrogance.
“No problem. May I know what skill the old Sect Master cultivates? I have heard often that your cultivation is profound. Your name resounds across the Northern lands, reputed as the Number One Expert in the North. I wonder if you could offer me a few tips?” Lu Sheng asked sincerely.
He truly wanted to measure himself against this famed expert. Until now, he had fought mostly against ghosts and eerie creatures—opponents who could not compare to true martial artists. He had no clear sense of where his strength stood among the living.
He wanted to know, once and for all, what place he held in the pugilistic world.
The old Sect Master let out a mild smile. “I won’t presume to offer any tips. This old man has merely lived a few more years than Brother Lu. As for my cultivation, it is just slightly deeper.”
He slowly turned, facing Lu Sheng fully.
“Since Brother Lu is so passionate about martial arts, let us exchange a few friendly pointers—nothing that would harm our relationship.”
“Many thanks to the Sect Master for obliging.” Lu Sheng straightened his stance, determination rising. At last, he could gauge the true measure of his power.
They stood opposite each other, several meters apart, the night air still and heavy around them.
“The cultivation of both inner and outer forces lies in harmonizing external strength with internal essence. Beyond Spirit Focus is Divine Prime—where one embodies the boundless heavens, allowing that vastness to flow into the flesh.”
Hong Mingzi’s smile softened. He raised his hand, two fingers extended like a sword, and pointed toward Lu Sheng’s chest. His movements shifted fluidly—now deliberate and slow, now swift as a flash.
Lu Sheng could see the old Sect Master’s fingers with perfect clarity—yet something in their motion slipped past his senses, twisting his perception. A tight pressure built inside his chest, and for a moment, he felt as though he might vomit.
“TIGER ROAR!” Lu Sheng’s hand flattened into a blade, cleaving forward with explosive, lethal force.
A surge of thick inner Qi burst forth, entangling with his outer strength. It rushed out like a blazing torrent, dyeing his palm a vivid blood-red. His strike cut through the air, trailing a faint wave of scorching wind.
What an incredible inner force…
Hong Mingzi’s face remained composed, but within, shock rippled through him. He quickly summoned his own Qi. At first, he released only ten percent of the Ultimate Crimson Mantra’s inner strength. But halfway through his counter, he sensed immediately that he had underestimated the terrifying power held within Lu Sheng’s strike.
He raised his output to fifty percent.
With more than eighty years of painstaking cultivation fused into his inner force, even half of it surged like a roaring tide. His right hand trembled with the four-fold vibration unique to the Ultimate Crimson Mantra as he thrust his finger-sword precisely toward Lu Sheng’s palm-blade.
BAMMM!!!
The palm-saber and finger-sword collided with a deafening crack, like two massive iron weights smashing together.
Hong Mingzi did not betray a hint of emotion on his face, but his heart jolted violently.
Such dense inner strength… enough to withstand half of my power?! Unbelievable!
His finger-sword had a far smaller contact surface than Lu Sheng’s palm-saber. With equal inner force, the advantage should have been in his hands.
And Ultimate Crimson Mantra was no ordinary skill—its might towered far above common mantras.
Even so…
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!
The two exchanged a flurry of strikes. Lu Sheng staggered back two steps, a brief flush of red rising to his face before quickly fading. From the Sect Master’s finger-sword, he felt a force equal to his own—each thrust fierce, precise, and followed immediately by another.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM2hw5yagmP
Caught off guard, he took several hits in succession, the shock running deep enough to rattle his meridians.
“Sect Master’s inner force is truly as powerful as the legends claim! This junior is deeply impressed by your unyielding might!” This time, Lu Sheng was genuinely shaken.
Among all the mortals he had fought, the old Sect Master was the first to force him back in a clean, head-on exchange. The man fully lived up to his title as the Number One Sword Expert of the Northern Lands. Even with Lu Sheng’s overwhelming strength, he had been pushed into a disadvantage.
It was worth noting that Lu Sheng cultivated three major inner force skills. His total inner Qi far surpassed that of Hong Mingzi. Yet despite neither of them using killing techniques, the old Sect Master had displayed tremendous power—especially for someone advanced in age—to fend off such depth of cultivation.
“I’ve gotten old… I’ve gotten old…” Hong Mingzi looked at Lu Sheng with a mixture of solemnity and admiration. He finally understood why Elder Wang held Lu Sheng in such high regard—enough to write all the way to his Eldest Brother, preparing to accept Lu Sheng as a disciple.
Nine-Strokes Sword & Palm Wang Yuanshan… heh.
Hong Mingzi had not seen him for years. Rumor had it that Wang Yuanshan was now renowned across the Central Plains. In their youth, they had been equals. Now… who could say?
“Brother Lu,” Hong Mingzi spoke as a thought surfaced, “your inner force is astonishingly thick, and your cultivation base exceptionally deep. If I’m not mistaken, you must have encountered something extraordinary in your youth—perhaps obtained some rare object—that caused such tremendous growth in your inner force?”
Stunned, Lu Sheng nodded quickly. “Sect Master has discerned correctly. When I was young, I once ate a scarlet-red fruit. Ever since then, my inner Qi has risen steadily every day as I cultivated.”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLd7SJxz1c
He had long struggled to find a plausible explanation for the unnatural growth of his inner force. He never expected the old Sect Master to question him at this exact moment, so he seized the chance to present a fabricated tale.
“Ah, I see. Just as I suspected.” Hong Mingzi let out a sigh of marvel. “Such fortune is truly remarkable. However, despite the immense depth of your inner force—comparable even to mine—your inner force mantra places you at a great disadvantage…”
“My mantra puts me at a disadvantage?” Lu Sheng’s gaze fell on the Sect Master’s fingers. Not a single mark remained from their earlier clash. There was no trace of the fire poison or the scorching burns inflicted by Blood Fury Skill.
Hong Mingzi waved a hand lightly. “No need to examine any further. Your inner force appears to be a fire-poison Yang attribute derived from a poison-based skill. Such inner skills emphasize poison too heavily and lack balance in other aspects. As for why this old man is unaffected by your fire poison—it is because my Ultimate Crimson Mantra is also Yang-attribute. It consists of seven levels, and I have cultivated it to the sixth. My inner force burns hot as a furnace’s waves, impervious to all fire poison.”
He paused, his expression shifting subtly.
“But what’s peculiar is this… your inner force contains something that moderates and balances Yin and Yang. It does not resemble a mantra based solely on Yang and fire poison.”
The old Sect Master studied Lu Sheng closely, eyes filled with a strange, probing curiosity.
Lu Sheng felt a surge of admiration. This truly was the Number One Expert of the Northern Lands. With a single glance, the old man had nearly unraveled the entirety of his inner force skills.
“Truth be told, Sect Master, the inner skill this junior cultivates is one I acquired at an auction—Black Fury Skill.”
“Black Fury Skill?” Hong Mingzi’s eyes widened slightly. “That body-tempering inner force skill said to contain thirty-two levels?”
“Old Sect Master, you’ve heard of this skill?” Lu Sheng leaned forward with genuine interest. His manual was heavily damaged. If he could obtain a complete version—if he could cultivate all the way to Level Thirty-Two—the resulting power would be unimaginable.
He was only at Level Four, and already his inner strength had reached such incredible depths. What kind of might would Level Thirty-Two hold?
Hong Mingzi’s brows furrowed in concern.
“Although they claim Black Fury Skill has thirty-two levels, the mantra itself is mostly theoretical. Apparently, even its creator reached only the sixth level. Everything beyond that is merely his speculation.”
“Why did the creator stop at Level Six?” Lu Sheng asked, unable to hide his curiosity.
“Because upon reaching the sixth level, the fire poison invaded his heart and his inner force burned him alive,” Hong Mingzi replied calmly.
Lu Sheng’s chest tightened. So Black Fury Skill is nothing more than the handiwork of an armchair theorist? Just like the Grand Diversion of Heaven & Earth in Jin Yong’s novels—everything beyond a point being conjecture?
Hong Mingzi’s expression grew stern.
“Therefore, I advise you to switch to another cultivation method as your main skill. It is for your own safety. I suspect the person who released this manual had ill intentions—and meant to use others as test subjects.”
“Do you know why the rest of the Black Fury Skill appears so badly damaged? In truth, it isn’t damaged at all. Those portions were intentionally discarded because they are impossible to cultivate. That is why only the first five levels circulate on the market today,” Hong Mingzi explained.
“Then… haven’t I wasted my time cultivating this inner force skill?” Lu Sheng was stunned.
“Not necessarily. Transitioning from Black Fury Skill to another Yang-attribute skill is quite easy—as long as the meridians do not conflict,” the old Sect Master said, stroking his mustache with a light smile.
“Old Sect Master, you mean…?” A spark stirred in Lu Sheng’s chest.
“The inner force mantras you seek can be found in the Martial Proclamation Library. Aside from Ultimate Crimson Mantra, there are three other Yang-attribute skills available. You may test them for yourself. Of course, only the first level is free. To access the later levels, one must make adequate contributions to the Sect.” Hong Mingzi’s lips curved into a knowing smile.
“However, with your remarkable talent—truly a dragon among men—following such formal procedures would be far too slow. This old man has a way to bypass those restrictions and directly impart to you an extremely powerful Yang inner force skill.”
“Oh?”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡldMCGYlvuC
Lu Sheng was no fool. The Sect Master’s hint was unmistakable. “May I be so bold as to ask what Sect Master intends…?”
Hong Mingzi let out a hearty laugh.
“My Master, Mo Fei, was a hero of his era. His Ultimate Crimson Mantra possesses extraordinary might—far surpassing Black Fury Skill—and is perfectly suited to someone wishing to transition from a similar practice. If Brother Lu is willing, this old man is prepared to accept you as my Junior Brother on behalf of my Master!”
“Junior Brother?!” Lu Sheng had assumed the old Sect Master meant to take him in as a disciple. He never imagined the offer would elevate him directly into the lineage as a fellow disciple under the same grandmaster.
In truth, Hong Mingzi had indeed considered taking Lu Sheng as his personal disciple. But after exchanging blows with him, he realized their cultivation bases were not far apart. With that understanding, he knew it would be difficult—perhaps even inappropriate—for him to assume the role of Lu Sheng’s Master.
Yet as he looked upon this rare prodigy, he couldn’t help but worry. Someone like Lu Sheng, with such frightening talent, might one day leave Crimson Whale Sect in search of greater opportunities and stronger martial arts.
And if Lu Sheng were to join the Sect only to encounter a superior skill elsewhere, there would be nothing stopping him from walking away.
Thus, after long contemplation, Hong Mingzi devised this approach. By offering him the identity of a fellow disciple under the same grandmaster, he hoped to bind Lu Sheng more firmly to the Sect—without losing dignity or overstepping the limits of his own cultivation.
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