Duanmu Wan sighed as she reached out her hand and twirled a few strands of her elegant hair. She gazed out the window at the scenery below and suddenly said, “You all are better off not knowing anything or needing to know anything, just accepting the results is enough.”

“Perhaps,” Lusheng laughed and shook his head slightly.

“Sometimes, knowing too much is more tiring and frightening,” Duanmu Wan said softly.

“Even so, I’d rather know more. At least I can still see the hope of controlling my own fate,” Lusheng said indifferently.

“Perhaps,” this time it was Duanmu Wan's turn to sigh.

In fact, their encounter was just a coincidence.

But when Duanmu Wan saw Lusheng, she inexplicably thought of that person again, the one she had always admired but never had a chance to get close to.

From his emergence and rise to prominence, then to his downfall. From beginning to end, she could only watch him from afar, without even the courage to express her feelings.

When she saw Lusheng, she involuntarily saw that person's shadow in him again. That was why she agreed to have tea with him.

Looking at Lusheng across from her, Duanmu Wan smiled bitterly to herself. If those people knew that she was actually having a leisurely tea with an ordinary person under such urgent circumstances, who knows what kind of ridicule and sarcasm it would bring about.

But so what?

She was Princess Qiuqiu! The venomously beautiful woman that ordinary people dreaded like snakes and scorpions! No matter how much they ridiculed and mocked her, she didn’t care at all.

She would do as she pleased, no one could boss her around.

“Let me remind you, try to avoid people from prominent families if you see them, especially direct descendants. Alright, enough of this, drink up.” Duanmu Wan raised her teacup and drank it all in one go as if it were liquor. Then, no longer caring about her image, she reached out and grabbed some tea snacks and pastries to eat.

Lusheng also kept silent, just accompanying her like this. He could see Duanmu Wan was in a terrible mood.

He didn’t understand her world. That world was still too far away from him now. But this didn’t prevent him from seeing clearly what Duanmu Wan needed right now.

All she needed was someone to accompany her to rest for a while.

Therefore, although his mind was full of doubts and questions he wanted to ask her, from beginning to end, he didn’t say a single word. He just accompanied Duanmu Wan drinking tea.

It wasn’t until night time when the streets outside began setting up mobile barbecue stalls before Duanmu Wan got up to leave.

She came quickly and left quickly as well, just as mysteriously as when she first appeared.

When Lusheng walked out of the teahouse, the whole street was filled with the aroma of barbecued meat skewers. Pole after pole stood upright with oil lamps and banners hung on them, written with all kinds of names of small stalls and vendors. Many people walked past the stalls, stopping and chatting, laughing.

Lusheng didn't know how much distance was still left between his and Duanmu Wan’s worlds, nor did he care how far away it was. He just wanted to possess the power to control his own fate in this chaotic world, that was all.

The day after meeting Duanmu Wan, Lusheng returned to the small valley where he usually practiced martial arts.

In the early morning, the forest had just finished raining. Lush and verdant, there were still many water droplets hanging on the grass and leaves.

Lusheng hung up his outer garment and stood in the open space, sinking his energy to stabilize his breath. Then he simultaneously operated the Black Evil Skill and Black Tiger Jade Crane Skill, channeling internal energy into both hands at the same time.

Sure enough, the same massive internal force began surging and vibrating in his arms as that night.

Lusheng spent tremendous effort barely controlling the explosive impulse of this power.

He carefully examined the skin of both arms and saw dense traces of blackish-red lines, as if bound by some kind of ribbons, circulating from his wrists to forearms.

After standing in place controlling his inner qi for a while, roughly twenty percent, any more would cause changes to his physique. This was the special state that slowly emerged after breaking through the third layer of the Black Evil Skill. At full power, his whole body would swell up with blood, muscles bulging as he swiftly transformed into a burly muscular giant.

After stabilizing his inner qi control, Lusheng suddenly slashed forward with a palm.

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Bang! The air in front of him actually puffed into a stretch of white mist. Although it was just a fleeting flash, it also signified his instantaneous speed and explosive power already reached an extremely formidable level.

"This move packs tremendous might but my body can’t handle more than a few times,” Lusheng felt both arms turn numb and weak. He roughly estimated in his mind, “At most, consecutively using it three times in a short period, after that I’d have to rest. Otherwise I’d injure my sinews and bones."

The second time, Lusheng switched to wielding a saber and simultaneously operated the Black Evil Skill and Black Tiger Jade Crane Skill again.

Shing! Amidst tiger snarls and crane cries, the large tree targeted for testing was abruptly chopped over halfway through its thick trunk by a single saber strike.

"With only ten percent power, tsk tsk, compared to just the Black Evil Skill, the explosive force, might and speed all had considerable enhancement," he hesitated for a moment before deciding to give this move a slightly better name. "Let's call it Tiger Howl Crane Wail Saber. I’ll treat it as my trump card killer move, sharply boosting power in an instant to surely catch enemies off guard and secure victory. But this thing can only be briefly used, after three saber strikes the body can’t endure and over half my inner qi would be spent." Lusheng sensed the inner qi in his body was indeed consumed by sixty percent. This showed the terror of this move.

After testing the might and consumption of Tiger Howl Crane Wall Saber, Lusheng began researching that jade hairpin obtained from the Red Mansion flower boat.

Taking out the jade hairpin from his waist pouch, Lusheng immediately felt a strand of hidden gloomy qi transmitting from it the moment he held it.

The hairpin's body was entirely purple-black, semi-transparent. One end was exquisitely carved with plum blossoms while the sharp other end had a section that was completely transparent.

"The craftsmanship of this jade hairpin is pretty good. Unfortunately, the gloomy qi is too thick. Otherwise, it could be gifted to someone since purple jade hairpins generally have extremely high value." Lusheng gripped the hairpin and bit his other hand's index finger, squeezing out a drop of blood to drip onto the hairpin’s surface.

Hiss... The moment the blood touched the hairpin, a layer of white mist instantly erupted.

Lusheng held it further away and blew off the white smoke. He felt a potent wave of icy qi continuously gush out from the hairpin, then flow into his palm and along his arm, entering his body. The moment it reached his torso, it vanished in a flash.

'Deep Blue!' Lusheng swiftly summoned the Modifier.

A blue box promptly appeared before his eyes.

By this time, the Modifier had already popped up a dialog box: 'Initiate martial arts derivation?'

"Yes." Lusheng chose.

The entire box then fiercely flashed once. This time, all the martial arts behind had buttons appear that could be modified.

"As expected! The amount of gloomy qi this time is enough to expend simulating all martial arts!" Lusheng was elated and hurriedly looked towards the Black Evil Skill.

"My current strength relies mostly on the Black Evil Skill. I must first improve and perfect it. And that side effect influencing the mind must be removed too."

His gaze directly locked onto the Black Evil Skill column.

"Don't know with my current knowledge accumulation, whether I can derive the subsequent Black Evil Skill cultivation methods."

He controlled his consciousness, just on the verge of pressing the derivation button behind the Black Evil Skill, when he suddenly thought of something and abruptly halted, carefully looking over the status again.

'Black Evil Skill: Layer 3. Effects: Fire Poison.'

"There's an additional effect description... Also, I can't rush raising the Black Evil Skill. Last time after improving to third layer, I had to recuperate injuries for half a year. This shows my current body can no longer endure the massive accumulation needed when upgrading the Black Evil Skill."

"In an instant, directly elevating to boundaries others need decades of cultivation to reach, the minimum requirements would need massive build up. I can't be so impatient now..."

Lusheng considered in his mind, then closed the Deep Blue Modifier.

Standing in the open space, he recalled the Yin Yang Introduction and Blue Pine Intent Strike internal cultivation methods from memory.

"Seems like Blue Pine Intent Strike conflicts with the inner qi in my body, unable to sense its qi let alone begin practicing as an introductory method. Might as well try Yin Yang Introduction."

On a whim, he simply sat cross-legged and according to Yin Yang Introduction's verses, concentrated his awareness to guide his inner qi.

Yin Yang Introduction referred to guiding the innately present yin and yang qi in the body, regulating yin and yang, balancing inner body to achieve eliminating illnesses and prolonging life. Based on the text recorded in the manual, its creator was likely a doctor.

This inner cultivation could be considered more a guiding, life nurturing method rather than inner qi cultivation. Because the inner qi it produced wasn't fundamental, the inner qi only naturally and gradually grew exuberant from regulating yin and yang. It wasn't this method's primary purpose.

The difficulty of this method lied in needing to simultaneously guide two circulations with the mind to separately control yin and yang qi.

Lusheng hadn't practiced this before. Having the experience of the Black Evil Skill and Black Tiger Jade Crane Skill simultaneously erupting now, he swiftly entered shallow-layered meditation after sitting down.

The so-called yin and yang qi in the body actually couldn't be sensed by the mind. This was merely a kind of description, a way of speaking. Yin and yang qi represented two opposing yet interdependent shifting tendencies.

The human body perpetually generated yin qi on one hand, while also perpetually spawning yang qi on the other hand. The two mutually canceled out and confronted each other to maintain equilibrium.

Lusheng carefully recalled the theories from the classics. Slowly deepening from shallow-layer to profound-layer meditation.

He sat cross-legged in the open space. Occasionally, little rabbits and squirrels passed by but none dared approach within ten meters of him. As if some poisonous snake or fierce beast lay coiled here.

Ever since Lusheng's Black Evil Skill broke through the third layer, such occurrences grew more and more common. He also increasingly sensed the extraordinariness of the Black Evil Skill.

Not knowing how long he meditated on the grass, a faint qi suddenly shuddered and jumped at Lusheng's lower abdomen. Then slowly crawled up his body following his heart and kidney channels.

"There!" Lusheng's heart shook, knowing this could be a strand of inner qi that temporarily emerged and may vanish at any time. He promptly recited inwardly:

"Deep Blue!"

The Modifier interface surfaced. Still paused at the state after previously absorbing gloomy qi with derivation buttons behind every martial art method.

Lusheng glanced past the other martial skills, vision locked straight onto the Black Tiger Jade Crane Skill.

'Black Tiger Jade Crane Skill: Peak of Third Layer. Effect: Rapid Blood Stanching.'

Below was the newly appeared Yin Yang Introduction.

'Yin Yang Introduction: Unentered.'