Name: Wang Yue
Root Bone: Middle A Class
Talent: Middle Grade Talent [Light Body]
Wang Yue’s Root Bone was, astoundingly, the strongest Lu Changfeng had seen with his own eyes—Middle A Class.
No wonder she was already at the Blood Forging Fourth Layer of cultivation at just sixteen years old.
Moreover, Wang Yue also possessed the Middle Grade Talent [Light Body].
This woman’s Light Body Technique must be exceptionally outstanding.
Wang Yue’s attempt to win over Lu Changfeng was brief and to the point.
Soon, a group of more than ten people, surrounding Wang Yue, rode out from the Prince’s Mansion.
At the Inner City gate, they joined up with the retinues of several other noble scions, eventually forming a grand procession of over a hundred people that galloped toward the outskirts of Feng City.
Their destination was Fengtian Lake, just outside Feng City.
Fengtian Lake, a freshwater lake with a long history and beautiful scenery, was located about ten miles outside Feng City.
The vast lake was perpetually calm, perfectly reflecting the sky as if gently cradling it. This was how it earned its name, Fengtian—"To Uphold the Heavens."
The "Feng" in Feng City was taken from Fengtian Lake.
The large party arrived at a wide, open area by the shore of Fengtian Lake.
The fishermen working nearby were, of course, driven away.
Their respective servants set up tents, while the young nobles boarded the pre-prepared pleasure boats.
The boats were extravagantly decorated and fully stocked with snacks, fruits, and other refreshments.
These young nobles, enjoying the scenery outside the city, seemed to live in a different world from the commoners of the Outer City.
As guards, Lu Changfeng and the other three naturally followed Wang Yue onto the pleasure boat.
After boarding, the distance between people narrowed.
Lu Changfeng secretly began to inspect the Root Bone and Talent of these young nobles.
After a round of inspections, Lu Changfeng made a significant discovery. Among these young masters and misses, several possessed Lower A Class Root Bone.
There was even one young man whose Root Bone was Middle A Class, just like Wang Yue’s!
’The bloodlines of these children from powerful families have been refined over several generations. Their average Root Bone is indeed better than that of commoners.’
In terms of Talent, Lu Changfeng also made an unexpected discovery.
Ye Sheng, the third young master of the Ye Family, had a Lower A Class Root Bone, but he possessed the High-Grade Talent [Dark Assault]. ’Judging by the name, it should be a Talent related to Hidden Weapons.’
Lu Changfeng happened to be lacking a ranged-attack Talent, so he immediately added [Dark Assault] to his future copy list.
’However, the Ye Family is one of Feng City’s second-tier families, second only to the Wang Family. I’ll have to find a way to get close to this Ye Sheng to make it easier to copy his Talent later.’
While Lu Changfeng was pondering this, Wang Yue ran into trouble.
The eldest young master of the Tong Family, Tong Zhan, was openly provoking Wang Yue.
The Tong Family was also a second-tier family in Feng City, so Tong Zhan shouldn’t have dared to provoke Wang Yue.
That was how it seemed on the surface, but in reality, their statuses within their respective families were different.
Tong Zhan was the eldest son of the Tong Family and was basically the confirmed heir.
Wang Yue, on the other hand, was the Sixth Miss of the Wang Family. Although her Root Bone was outstanding, she wasn’t the only rising star in her family.
The Wang Family’s second son was rumored to have an even more outstanding Root Bone than Wang Yue!
All things considered, Wang Yue would likely be relegated to a side branch of the Wang Family.
That was why Tong Zhan dared to provoke her.
By the time Lu Changfeng came back to his senses, Tong Zhan had already challenged Wang Yue to a contest of their retainers’ Saber Techniques.
It all started when a group of the young masters began discussing Saber Technique.
When Wang Yue offered her opinion, Tong Zhan directly picked a fight, which escalated into a challenge: why not have their people battle it out with sabers?
The whole process was childish, but all the young masters and misses present could see that Tong Zhan was trying to embarrass Wang Yue.
Looking at it on a deeper level, this was the Tong Family testing the Wang Family’s bottom line.
Wang Yue’s expression remained calm and collected, but Lu Changfeng, standing beside her, could still see the faint traces of nervousness she revealed.
’This girl wants to take that step toward becoming the Wang Family heir. She has high aspirations and has done quite well, but unfortunately, she’s still a bit too young.’
’However, this does present me with an opportunity.’
’It’s predictable that I’ll be leeching off the Wang Family for a long time, copying various Root Bones and Talents and learning all sorts of Martial Arts.’
’Building a good relationship with this somewhat ambitious Sixth Miss of the Wang Family will be very beneficial for me.’
At that moment, Tong Zhan had already sent out a bald Saber Master at the Fifth Level of the Blood Forging Realm.
Lu Changfeng glanced over. The man did indeed possess a Low-Grade Saber Talent. ’No wonder that kid Tong Zhan dared to send him out.’
Meanwhile, Wang Yue was still agonizing over whom to send.
Sending out Mo Tian, who was in the Tendon Transformation Realm, would be seen as bullying and unjustifiable.
As for her other three retainers: Shangguan Zheng had dabbled in all sorts of Martial Arts, but his performance was mediocre.
Liu An specialized in Martial Arts, but his specialty was Swordsmanship.
And Lu Ren...
Wang Yue’s gaze fell on Lu Changfeng’s back, where a saber and a sword were strapped.
"Lu Ren, are you skilled in Saber Technique?"
Lu Changfeng’s expression was calm. "So-so, I suppose."
Wang Yue’s face fell slightly. ’From his words, it seems Lu Ren doesn’t have much confidence.’
But Lu Changfeng immediately followed up with a sentence that bolstered her spirits: "However, dealing with this bald fellow in front of us shouldn’t be a problem."
Both Tong Zhan and his Saber Master’s expressions changed.
Wang Yue couldn’t help but cover her mouth to hide a giggle. "In that case, Retainer Lu, please make your move. Let them see if the Wang Family’s Saber Technique is truly sharper."
Lu Changfeng responded with a slight nod.
Soon, a space was cleared in the center of the pleasure boat’s deck. Lu Changfeng and the Tong Family’s bald Saber Master stood facing each other.
"Old Hu, take one of his arms off for me! Teach him a lesson for being so arrogant!" Tong Zhan shouted, intending to put pressure on Lu Changfeng.
The moment he said this, without even a word from Wang Yue, Mo Tian shot Tong Zhan a fierce glare.
Although Mo Tian was also a retainer, his Cultivation Realm was plain to see. Tong Zhan wisely shut his mouth, thinking to himself, ’Next time, I’ll have to bring a retainer in the Tendon Transformation Realm too.’
"Then let’s begin!" Wang Yue said softly.
As her voice fell, the bald Saber Master surnamed Hu swiftly drew his saber and slashed at Lu Changfeng. The blade was fast and sharp!
’It seems he’s trained in a Fast Saber style of Martial Arts!’
Lu Changfeng was a step slower, drawing the long saber from his back and suppressing his power to appear as though he were at the Blood Forging Fifth Layer.
He executed his Falling Leaves Saber Technique, which was at the Perfect Realm, and with a light spin, he blocked the bald Saber Master’s first strike!
However, this was only the beginning.
"HA!" With a furious roar, the bald Saber Master began a series of continuous slashes, each faster than the last.
Apparently, this middle-aged Saber Master, in his forties, had also cultivated this Saber Technique to the Perfect Realm.
But who was Lu Changfeng?
He was an unparalleled Saber Master who possessed the High-Grade Saber Talent, [Saber Extremity]!
Lu Changfeng’s expression remained composed. He drew his saber without haste, easily intercepting each of the bald man’s strikes.
Not only that, but as the bald Saber Master continued his assault, he found that Lu Changfeng was blocking his strikes with increasing ease.
This was Lu Changfeng’s [Saber Extremity] Talent at work. He had already begun analyzing the bald Saber Master’s Saber Technique, its moves and patterns, from the very start of the fight! And he was using that analysis to improve his own Falling Leaves Saber Technique’s counters!
The sky was azure, the lake was tranquil. On the deck of the pleasure boat, the lavishly dressed youths watched with astonished gazes. In the center, two Saber Masters, one attacking and one defending, created a spectacle that drew every eye.
The scene was a beautiful blend of ferocity and grace.
Lu Changfeng felt that something was about to be born within his core.