Free Web NovelChapter 455: Chapter 277: Perfection in a Day, Yama’s Indestructible Golden Body, Dragon Slaying 19 Forms
After the Imperial Council ended.
News of the military campaign, with the new Emperor leading it himself, and the establishment of the Chief Minister’s position quickly spread throughout the Imperial Capital.
This wasn’t just a topic for the Noble Families of the Capital City; from Shengjing Academy to the common alleyways, and in every tavern and inn, scholars and commoners alike were discussing the Court’s affairs.
"His Majesty is planning to make a move on the Golden Crow Country? He’s only just ascended the throne and he’s already planning to lead the army himself. Isn’t he afraid of following in that predecessor’s footsteps?"
"That’s right. I heard it’s because the Golden Crow Country provoked us first. They dared to make a rash move on Jiayu Pass and stir up trouble, so His Majesty got angry."
Two scruffy, bearded Martial Artists discussed the matter as they drank.
"With His Majesty leaving the capital, Chen Ke has been made Chief Minister to oversee the Great Yan. To think a man from the humble Lower Class could ascend to the Emperor’s court. I never would have imagined it. This Chen Ke has truly become a carp transforming into a dragon."
A green-robed scholar at another table remarked with a look of envy.
He came from a powerful local clan where his family had been officials for generations, yet on this trip to the capital, he hadn’t managed to secure a single official post. It was a bitter pill to swallow.
The main reason was that as soon as the current Emperor took the throne, he purged many hereditary official titles, refusing to support idlers. At the same time, he increased the assessments for officials, basing merit on performance. Anyone who showed no achievements for three years would be expelled from the Imperial Court.
"Is that the Chen Ke who comprehended the Learning of the Mind? He’s incredibly famous. Look across the whole world—is there anyone who doesn’t know of him?"
"A new era has dawned for the Great Yan. Now we’ll see how this new Emperor fares in the first battle of his reign."
「On the eve of the expedition.」
In the military camp, the roll was called, armor was donned, and blades were issued. All of Great Yan’s Assistant Generals of the Fifth Grade and above received their orders to deploy, accepted the Tiger Talismans and seals, and took up their posts in the barracks.
On this day, Lu Mingyuan sought out Zhao Xuanwu to ask about Cultivation Techniques.
"You’re saying you want to learn another Cultivation Technique?"
Zhao Xuanwu asked, taking a sip of wine from his gourd.
"That’s right. My current Cultivation Techniques have all reached Great Success, and I need a more powerful one to support them. When I fought the Great Nether Empress, I believe my techniques were inferior. Otherwise, I should have won more easily."
Lu Mingyuan said with utmost seriousness.
"The techniques and forms stored in the national treasury are powerful, yes, but they are a far cry from what I already possess. In comparison, they seem second-rate. The most supreme Cultivation Techniques of the various sects and schools are all Secret Techniques, never passed on to outsiders. Even the Court would have a hard time obtaining one."
Zhao Xuanwu gave him a surprised look. "The Thunder Prison Saber Scripture, you’ve already cultivated it to the Perfection Realm?"
"That’s right."
Lu Mingyuan nodded.
"Show me a move."
Zhao Xuanwu clearly didn’t quite believe him.
Without another word, Lu Mingyuan extended his palm and stared at it for a moment.
Within a single breath, a wisp of immensely oppressive Thunder Blade Qi hovered over his palm.
This wisp of Saber Qi was as thin as a cicada’s wing, yet it emanated a destructive aura.
It was as if dragging it forth and throwing it could shatter the heavens and extinguish the earth.
Seeing this, Zhao Xuanwu was clearly astonished. "The Sword Intent is profound and flawless, perfectly merged with the Power of Heaven and Earth to form Sword Dao Rules! It really is the Perfection Realm!"
Even he had cultivated for at least twenty years to bring the Thunder Prison Saber Scripture to the Perfection Realm.
But Lu Mingyuan had done it in just over three years.
’Could it be that I really underestimated his genius for the Martial Dao?’
He knew this technique better than anyone; it was nearly impossible to reach Great Success in under thirty years. How on earth did Lu Mingyuan practice so quickly?
Unable to figure it out, Zhao Xuanwu could only sigh in admiration. "Truly, the student has surpassed the master."
Lu Mingyuan asked, "Master, are there any other supreme Martial Arts Techniques? Preferably one that can suppress the Ten Thousand Techniques with a single power, one so complete I wouldn’t need to learn any other Martial Arts."
Hearing this, Zhao Xuanwu’s gaze quickly grew serene. His lips barely moved as he spoke. "Since you wish to learn the most supreme of Martial Arts, I do have one. Even I have only mastered it to the fifteenth form."
Lu Mingyuan raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "What is it?"
"The Dragon Slaying Nineteen Forms."
Zhao Xuanwu said, word by word.
"The Dragon Slaying Nineteen Forms..."
Lu Mingyuan murmured softly.
Zhao Xuanwu explained, "The Dragon Slaying Nineteen Forms was created by the world’s only Dragon-Slaying Swordsman. During the Middle Ages, on the battlefields against the Demon Race, he slayed multiple Thrones of the Demon Race. He even struck down the Dragon Lord of the Dragon Race—who at that time was at the height of his power and presided over one of the Demon Race’s Ascension Platforms—from his throne. After that, his name shook the Central Divine Continent, and indeed the entire world."
Lu Mingyuan’s gaze was solemn. "It’s that powerful?"
Every Throne of the Demon Race possesses power at least equivalent to the Upper Three Grades.
To slay multiple beings of the Upper Three Grades means he had to be at least in the Fourteenth Realm, a Martial Arts Great Saint just like Wei the Ninth. And on top of that, he beheaded the Dragon Lord who guarded the Ascension Platform... His strength was likely even greater than Wei the Ninth’s.
Zhao Xuanwu continued, "The Dragon Slaying Nineteen Forms represents nineteen different realms of power. The sixth form can kill a Grandmaster. The ninth can kill Golden Core Qi Cultivators and Dragon Gate Martial Artists. The twelfth can kill Celestial Humans, Saints and Sages, and True Monarchs. The eighteenth form can kill Bodhisattvas and Saints. And the nineteenth form can stand against the Three Ancestors of the Three Religions, Throne Great Demons, and the Great Nether Divine Venerable."
Hearing how powerful this Cultivation Technique was, and how perfectly it met his needs, Lu Mingyuan’s eyes lit up.
Zhao Xuanwu reminded him with a smile playing on his lips, "Don’t get happy too soon. Even I have only managed to master the fifteenth form. With it, I can stand at the pinnacle of the Middle Fifth Grade, slay a Half-Saint, and barely hold my own in a fight against someone of the Upper Three Grades."
"Taking another step forward is as difficult as ascending to heaven."
"Furthermore, the Dragon Slaying Nineteen Forms is extremely draining on one’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit. Each form is a new heaven, essentially a continuous process of unlocking your own potential. If you force yourself to use the next form before your Flesh Body can handle it, you will die from exhaustion."
Out of a sense of responsibility, Zhao Xuanwu still made sure to explain the side effects of this Cultivation Technique.
