In the afternoon.
Lu Changfeng rested for a while.
Then, with Zhang Desheng’s help, he resumed his practice of the [Le Mountain Angry Vajra].
The stances and breathing methods of this Blood Forging Technique were quite complex, and it would take several more days for him to fully grasp the basics.
Throughout the entire afternoon, Lu Changfeng practiced the [Le Mountain Angry Vajra] five times.
The qi and blood throughout his body surged relentlessly.
Zhang Desheng was quite satisfied with Lu Changfeng’s performance.
This was all thanks to Lu Changfeng’s Root Bone. An ordinary Martial Artist, even with the aid of medicinal soups, would collapse from exhaustion after practicing the [Le Mountain Angry Vajra] just a few times in one day.
That evening, during dinner in the Martial Arts Hall’s dining hall, Zhang Desheng once again had a Qi Blood Soup prepared for Lu Changfeng.
Later that night, Zhang Desheng told Lu Changfeng to rest. The day’s training had been sufficient, and his body needed time to recover.
Thus, Lu Changfeng dragged his exhausted body back to the bedroom the Martial Arts Hall had prepared for him.
"Young Master!"
A figure had been waiting in front of his bedroom for a long time—it was Chunzhu!
That afternoon, Zhang Desheng had sent a Disciple to bring Chunzhu over.
"Chunzhu, the Hall Master has accepted me as a Direct Disciple. From now on, we’ll be living in the Martial Arts Hall," Lu Changfeng said.
Chunzhu nodded. "Young Master, hurry inside and rest. You look exhausted from your training."
Once inside, Chunzhu fetched water to help Lu Changfeng wash up, just as she always had.
Lu Changfeng felt a little awkward at first, but since this was part of their old routine, he didn’t feel it was right to suddenly refuse.
When he removed his outer robe, his body was revealed to be flushed red and engorged with blood. The sight made Chunzhu’s heart ache, and her movements became even gentler as she wiped him down.
Gradually, Lu Changfeng began to enjoy it.
"Young Master, now that we’ve moved to the Martial Arts Hall, should we let Uncle Wen know?" Chunzhu asked, suddenly remembering.
’Uncle Wen?’
An image of a burly, bearded man in a Constable Uniform appeared in Lu Changfeng’s mind.
Uncle Wen’s full name was Liu Jinwen. He served as a Chief Constable in the Inner City and had been a close friend of Lu Changfeng’s late father.
In the past, it was thanks to Uncle Wen’s arrangements that Lu Changfeng and Chunzhu had avoided even worse persecution, allowing them to keep their small courtyard and live a poor but peaceful life.
"When you have a moment, go to the old courtyard and leave a message with the neighbors. Ask them to pass it on to Uncle Wen when they see him."
"I understand, Young Master."
After he was clean, Chunzhu went to the next room to rest.
Physically exhausted, Lu Changfeng also went to sleep early.
...
「Three days later.」
On this day, the training grounds of the Changle Martial Arts Hall were specially decorated.
At a table on the highest platform, Zhang Desheng sipped his tea with a look of leisurely contentment.
Lu Changfeng stood alone to one side.
Opposite Lu Changfeng stood four people in a line: Zhang Desheng’s son, Zhang Yong;
his first disciple, Sima Ming; his second disciple, Zhou Feng; and his third disciple, Liuu Ye.
Lu Changfeng was to become Zhang Desheng’s fourth Direct Disciple.
Zhang Desheng hadn’t accepted a disciple in a long time, so hundreds of people had gathered on the training grounds for this ceremony.
Besides Zhang Desheng’s own disciples, there were also various other people who were on good terms with him, all of whom had come bearing gifts.
The other three of the Four Great Martial Arts Halls, as well as several gangs, had all sent representatives with gifts.
Lu Changfeng stood tall and straight. The past few days of training had made his posture even more upright, and the color had returned to his face, his qi and blood now normal.
His expression was calm. From his appearance alone, one could tell he was an outstanding disciple.
Though Lu Changfeng appeared calm, he was actually bored out of his mind and was inspecting the Root Bone and Talents of the people around him.
His three senior disciples, Sima Ming, Zhou Feng, and Liuu Ye, all had B Class+ Root Bone.
Zhang Desheng’s son, Zhang Yong, had an even worse Root Bone of only Middle B Class.
’No wonder Zhang Desheng feels like he has no worthy successor.’
A B Class+ Root Bone was considered extremely high among ordinary people, but it was still lacking. It wasn’t enough to take on the great responsibility of inheriting the Martial Arts Hall.
As for Talents, not a single one of them had any.
Thinking of Talents, Lu Changfeng’s gaze swept through the crowd.
He only let out a small sigh of relief when he spotted the Changle Martial Arts Hall’s Named Disciple who possessed the Middle Grade Talent, [Swordsmanship].
’If all goes according to plan, that [Swordsmanship] will be my next target to copy.’
The time had come! With the chime of a bell, the discipleship ceremony began. Lu Changfeng served tea and poured wine, his demeanor composed throughout.
When the ceremony concluded, the hall erupted in applause.
"Congratulations, Junior Brother!"
"Congratulations, Junior Brother!"
"Junior Brother, congratulations!"
"Changfeng, congratulations!"
The other Direct Disciples and Zhang Yong all came over to offer their congratulations.
Lu Changfeng nodded to each of them in response.
To the side, Zhang Desheng watched with a smile as his outstanding disciples interacted.
He looked utterly content.
The news of Zhang Desheng of the Changle Martial Arts Hall taking a new disciple only circulated within a small circle in the Outer City for a few days.
After that, the talk died down.
Lu Changfeng also began the process of focusing on his training within the Martial Arts Hall.
Five days after the ceremony, Lu Changfeng successfully reached the entry level for the [Le Mountain Angry Vajra].
After that, Zhang Desheng no longer instructed Lu Changfeng’s training daily. Instead, he had Lu Changfeng practice on his own, only monitoring his progress and providing him with the appropriate Qi-Replenishing Soup.
Lu Changfeng himself was a self-disciplined person. In addition to practicing during the day, he would also put in extra training at night.
’These are chaotic times. I have the copy interface and have copied an A Class Talent. If I don’t seize this period of relative peace to train diligently, then when will I?’
Zhang Desheng saw Lu Changfeng’s efforts. Although he said nothing, his gaze toward Lu Changfeng grew increasingly satisfied.
As a result, Lu Changfeng’s progress was extremely fast.
One day, a month later, as Lu Changfeng was practicing the [Le Mountain Angry Vajra], the qi and blood in his body suddenly began to churn violently!
A moment of insight struck Lu Changfeng. With a great shout, the qi and blood throughout his body erupted, and the movements of his hands quickened by thirty percent!
The qi and blood in Lu Changfeng’s body circulated faster and faster until, in a certain instant, it finally broke through some kind of shackle. A massive amount of qi and blood surged forth from his blood-producing organs.
As Lu Changfeng executed the final stance, the turbulent qi and blood within him slowly calmed down.
"I broke through! Is this the Blood Forging First Layer?"
Standing in place, Lu Changfeng could clearly hear his own powerful, vigorous heartbeat.
Nourished by an amount of qi and blood that was more than double that of an ordinary person, the muscles in Lu Changfeng’s body began to grow at a frantic pace.
"Ugh, so hungry!"
Lu Changfeng grabbed his outer robe to cover his newly lean and powerful frame, then strode toward the dining hall.
In the dining hall, he had the head chef prepare him a special meal. He devoured enough food for ten people before finally quelling the gnawing hunger in his stomach.
After Lu Changfeng broke through to the Blood Forging First Layer, Zhang Desheng switched him to a different kind of Qi-Replenishing Soup.
In just over ten days, Lu Changfeng grew from 1.7 meters to 1.8 meters tall, and his weight increased from around 60 kilograms to over 80 kilograms.
His speed, strength, explosive power, and reflexes all improved dramatically.
These were the changes brought about by the Blood Forging First Layer.
After assimilating the changes from the Blood Forging First Layer, an ordinary person was no match for Lu Changfeng; he could take them down with a single punch.
The Blood Forging First Layer also signified that Lu Changfeng had completed the transformation from an ordinary person into a Martial Artist.
To deal with the current Lu Changfeng, it would take at least seven or eight burly, armed men.
Within the entire Martial Arts Hall, more than half of the Named Disciples had still not broken through to the Blood Forging First Layer.
Lu Changfeng’s ability to break through to the Blood Forging First Layer in just one month had proven his Root Bone and perseverance to Zhang Desheng.
’The copy interface refreshes tomorrow. Should I copy Li Youtian’s [Swordsmanship] Talent, or should I look for another one?’
Time passed quickly. The forty-nine-day period was about to end, and Lu Changfeng had to start thinking about his next copy.