Duanmu Wan absentmindedly reached out, twirling a few strands of her hair between her fingers. Her gaze drifted to the view outside the window, where the bustling streets below played out like a distant memory. A faint smile tugged at her lips.
" You’re the lucky ones, really," she said softly. " Blissfully unaware, with no need to know. All you have to do is accept the outcome."
"Maybe," Lu Sheng replied with a gentle smile, shaking his head.
Duanmu Wan’s voice dropped. "Sometimes, the more you know, the more burdened and anxious you become."
"Even so," Lu Sheng said calmly, "I’d rather know. At least then, there’s hope of steering my own fate."
This time, Duanmu Wan sighed. "Maybe."
Their meeting had been a coincidence—nothing more. But the moment she saw Lu Sheng, Duanmu Wan couldn’t help but be reminded of someone else. Someone she'd admired from afar for so long but had never dared to approach.
She had watched that man rise from obscurity to brilliance, then fall from grace—never once finding the courage to speak her heart. All she could do was observe from a distance, silent and invisible.
And now, across the table, she saw fragments of that same light in Lu Sheng. Perhaps that was why she had agreed to this tea in the first place.
As she looked at him now, a wry smile crept into her heart. If those self-important elites knew that she, Princess Qingqiu, was idly sipping tea with an ordinary man during such a critical moment, they would surely explode with mockery and contempt.
But so what?
She was Princess Qingqiu—a name spoken with fear, a beauty wrapped in poison. Let them laugh. Let them scorn. She had never cared.
She lived as she pleased. No one had the right to command her.
"Just a reminder," she said, reaching for her teacup, "if you ever come across anyone from the aristocratic clans, keep your distance—especially from the direct bloodlines. Anyway, let’s not talk about that. Drink."
She downed the tea in one swift motion like it was wine, abandoning all elegance. Without hesitation, she reached for the pastries and snacks on the table.
Lu Sheng remained silent, simply sitting there beside her. He could tell—Duanmu Wan wasn’t in a good mood. So, he stayed. Just like this.
He didn’t understand the world Duanmu Wan came from—it was still far too distant, far too unreachable. But that didn’t stop him from recognizing what she needed at this moment.
She didn’t want explanations or reassurances. All she needed was someone to sit with her, someone who would offer quiet companionship.
So, even though Lu Sheng had countless questions swirling in his mind, he remained silent. From beginning to end, he said nothing—just sat with her and drank tea.
It wasn’t until evening, when the aroma of grilled meat began drifting in from the street and mobile barbecue stalls started appearing, that Duanmu Wan stood up and left.
She had come swiftly, and left just as suddenly—vanishing with the same mysterious air she had arrived with.
Lu Sheng stepped out of the tea house. The street outside had transformed into a lively night market. The scent of sizzling skewers hung thick in the air. Oil lamps glowed softly on tall wooden poles, swaying beside flags inscribed with the names of various food stalls. The crowd ebbed and flowed between them—laughing, chatting, stopping here and there for a bite.
He still didn’t know how far he was from Duanmu Wan’s world. And honestly, he didn’t care.
He just wanted one thing—to gain the strength to shape his own fate in this chaotic world.
The very next morning, Lu Sheng returned to the secluded canyon where he usually trained.
A fresh rain had just passed. The forest was vibrant, dripping with dew, and alive with the scent of wet earth. Droplets still clung to the leaves and blades of grass.
He hung his coat on a nearby branch, stepped into the open clearing, and let his breathing settle. Then, he began practicing again—starting with the Black Fiend Art, followed by the Black Tiger Jade Crane Art, channeling his internal energy simultaneously into both arms.
Just as before, a familiar surge of immense power began to pulse and tremble through his limbs.
Lu Sheng gritted his teeth and focused, exerting all his will to control the wild torrent of energy building inside him.
He carefully examined the skin on his arms. Black and red lines traced across his forearms like veins wrapped in ribbons, stretching from his wrists up to his elbows—almost like blood marks engraved beneath the surface.
He stood still, channeling his internal energy. At about 20% output, the energy remained manageable. Any more, and his body would begin to transform. It was a unique phenomenon that began after he broke through the third level of the Black Fiend Art. Once pushed to full capacity, his body would swell with blood and power—muscles bulging, skin tight with strength—turning him into a towering figure of sheer brute force.
After steadying the flow of energy, Lu Sheng suddenly struck forward.
Bang!
A sharp gust of white vapor burst from the air in front of him. It only lasted a moment, but it was proof of the terrifying speed and explosive power behind the strike.
"This move is incredibly strong," Lu Sheng muttered, feeling a dull weakness settling into his arms. "But my body can't handle it more than a few times."
He made a rough mental calculation.
"At most, I can use it three times in a short period. Any more, and I’ll risk damaging my fascia and bones."
For the second test, Lu Sheng switched to a straight blade. Once again, he activated both the Black Fiend Art and the Black Tiger Jade Crane Art, synchronizing their flows.
Swish!!
A thunderous roar—half-tiger, half-crane—echoed through the canyon as the blade tore through the air. The large test tree before him split cleanly in two, crashing to the ground.
"That was just 10% of my power…" he murmured in awe. "Compared to using the Black Fiend Art alone, the burst speed, force, and sharpness have all improved dramatically."
He stood still for a moment, considering.
"This move deserves a proper name."
"Let’s call it Tiger Roaring Crane Blade. Think of it as a trump card—something that unleashes a massive burst of power all at once," Lu Sheng muttered to himself. "It’ll definitely catch the enemy off guard and could decide a fight in an instant. But it can only be used briefly... Three slashes at most. Any more, and my body won’t be able to take it. Internal energy consumption is also too high."
He took a deep breath and quietly assessed his condition. His internal energy had already dropped by nearly 60%. The strength of this technique was undeniable, but so was its cost.
With the testing complete, Lu Sheng turned his attention to the mysterious jade hairpin he had taken from the Red House Pleasure Boat.
He pulled it from his waist pouch and held it carefully in his hand. The moment he touched it, a chilling surge of Yin energy pulsed through his palm.
The jade hairpin was a deep purple-black, semi-translucent, carved with delicate plum blossoms on one end and sharpened to a fine point on the other. The tip gleamed with clarity, like crystal.
"This jade hairpin is beautifully crafted… It's a shame there's too much Yin energy embedded in it. Otherwise, it would’ve made a fine gift. Purple jade hairpins like this are usually worth a fortune."
Holding it steady, Lu Sheng bit his index finger and squeezed out a drop of blood. He let it fall onto the surface of the jade.
Hiss...
A faint white mist rose as soon as the blood made contact. Lu Sheng instinctively held the hairpin away from his body and blew at the smoke. A moment later, he felt a sudden influx of icy cold energy rushing from the hairpin into his palm. It snaked up his arm, and just as it reached his torso, it vanished without a trace.
‘Deep Blue,’ he called silently in his mind.
Immediately, a glowing blue box appeared before him. A dialog popped up:
‘Do you want to perform martial arts deduction?’
‘Yes.’ Lu Sheng confirmed without hesitation.
The box flashed, and then every martial art listed displayed their corresponding modification buttons—finally unlocked.
"As expected!" Lu Sheng's eyes lit up. "This time, the Yin energy is strong enough to fuel full-scale martial arts deductions!"
His attention immediately turned to the Black Fiend Art.
"Most of my power comes from the Black Fiend Art. That’s my foundation. I have to strengthen and refine it first—and eliminate the mental side effects it causes."
He narrowed his focus, eyes fixed on the skill’s entry in the modifier.
"But… can I really deduce the next stage of the Black Fiend Art with my current understanding?"
He was just about to press the deduction button when something caught his eye. He hesitated and looked more closely at the skill's status.
‘Black Fiend Art: Third level. Special effect: Fire Poison.’
"There's one more special effect listed..." Lu Sheng narrowed his eyes. "Still, I mustn’t act impulsively. I can’t rush the improvement of the Black Fiend Art."
He took a slow breath, calming the excitement in his chest.
"It took me half a year to reach the third level last time. That alone shows how much accumulation this art demands. My body simply can’t endure another sudden breakthrough right now."
He frowned slightly, thoughts racing.
"To reach in an instant what others spend decades building requires an immense foundation. I can’t afford to be impatient..."
After careful consideration, Lu Sheng deactivated the Deep Blue modifier.
Standing alone in the open clearing, he shifted his thoughts to another technique—the Yin-Yang Guiding Force internal skill he had studied previously.
"Resolute Pine Determination clashes too much with the internal energy I’ve already cultivated," he muttered. "I can’t sense the flow at all, let alone enter the first stage. I should give the Yin-Yang Guiding Force a try."
Motivated by the thought, he sat down cross-legged on the damp forest floor. Steeling his mind, he began following the breathing formula described in the manual. With steady breath and focused intent, he guided his awareness inward—drawing his thoughts into alignment with the energy within his body.
The Yin-Yang Guiding Force was a method centered around harmonizing the body’s existing Yin and Yang Qi—balancing opposites to stabilize health and longevity. Based on the wording and phrasing in the manual, it was likely created by a physician.
In truth, it resembled more of a health-preservation technique than a traditional internal energy art. The internal Qi it generated wasn’t a power source—it was a byproduct, a natural accumulation formed as the body’s inner balance was restored.
Its real strength lay not in power generation, but in improving the body’s condition—strengthening resilience, preventing illness, and extending life.
Yet, mastering it wasn’t simple.
Its greatest difficulty lay in the dual-cycle control—it required guiding two energy flows simultaneously: one for Yin and one for Yang, each moving in opposing paths. It demanded exceptional mental focus and fine control to separate and regulate both at once.
Lu Sheng had never practiced this internal art before. But with the battle-hardened experience of channeling both the Black Fiend Art and the Black Tiger Jade Crane Art simultaneously, he quickly slipped into a shallow meditative state as soon as he sat down.
The so-called Yin and Yang within the body weren’t something one could sense directly. Those terms were metaphors—representing two opposing but interdependent currents of transformation. The body continuously generated both Yin and Yang, constantly balancing the two to maintain internal harmony.
Lu Sheng carefully recalled the theories written in the manuals, allowing his thoughts to settle further. From shallow focus, he gradually sank deeper—entering a state of quiet and profound stillness.
He remained cross-legged on the forest floor. Occasionally, small animals like rabbits and squirrels would scurry by, but none dared approach within ten meters of him, as if some hidden predator lurked in the space he occupied.
Since breaking through the third level of the Black Fiend Art, this strange phenomenon had become increasingly common. Lu Sheng had come to recognize that the Black Fiend Art was no ordinary martial art.
He didn’t know how long he had been meditating, but eventually, a faint current of energy began to stir within his lower abdomen. It flickered gently—barely perceptible—then started to rise along the Heart and Kidney meridians, following the classic paths outlined in the manuals.
"I’ve got it!" Lu Sheng’s heart surged with excitement. "This must be a temporary wisp of internal energy—it could vanish at any moment!"
He didn’t hesitate for even a second.
"Deep Blue!" he commanded inwardly.
The modifier interface instantly appeared before his eyes, still active from the recent absorption of Yin Qi. As before, every martial art listed now had a glowing button behind it—each one ready for deduction.
Lu Sheng ignored the other martial arts and focused his gaze directly on the Black Tiger Jade Crane Art.
"Black Tiger Jade Crane Art: Peak of the third level. Special effect—Rapid Hemostasis."
He nodded in satisfaction. The technique had finally reached its current limit, and the added effect of quick wound sealing could prove critical in battle.
Below that, a new entry had appeared—one that hadn’t been there before.
"Yin-Yang Guiding Force: Uninitiated."
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