Cultivation: I can see the proficiency level

As dawn breaks, the first light of day appears.

The spring water gurgles by the pine forest pool, and a figure is already practicing swordsmanship on that flat boulder.

As the longsword was raised, spiritual light spread and covered the blade. The sword light bulged from the tip, and with each change, it split into streaks of sword light, cutting the bluestone with marks of unpredictable depth and length.

They moved nimbly, advancing and retreating, their steps unpredictable.

The sword flashed and the sword energy surged.

The sword moves with the user, effortlessly displaying its power, sometimes with a dazzling brilliance, sometimes with a dense, precise light, and sometimes with a dazzling array of sword energy.

The swordplay changes constantly, like the four seasons. Some sword moves are like the gentle spring rain, some like the scorching summer sun, some like the chilly autumn wind, and some like the falling winter snow.

Again and again.

After the longsword was sheathed, the area was covered with dense sword marks, cutting the boulder so badly that it was impossible to find a foothold.

Wang Mian, who practiced the Four Seasons Sword Technique twice, would often sit on the ground, hold the spirit stone in his hand, and breathe in spiritual energy to refine his magic power until his dantian was replenished.

Once this cultivation is complete, the sun will be suspended in the sky.

With his magical power restored in his dantian, he picked up his longsword again and practiced swordsmanship. After practicing twice, he exhausted his magical power again and used spirit stones to refine his energy until his dantian was full of magical power.

As time goes by, the sun rises in the east, hangs in the sky, and then gradually sets in the west.

Every mealtime, when the dog was starving, it would come on the wind, put down the food box, and lie down not far away to rest, gazing at the tireless, diligent figure.

Day after day.

Time flies, and the shadows fall. You can see people practicing swordsmanship in the rain, on sunny days, on cloudy days, and under the moon.

dawn.

dark.

Before I knew it, there had been thirty rounds.

Wang Mian tossed the spirit stone, now devoid of any spiritual energy, into the crevice. A crisp clanging sound rang out, and the crevice was filled with dull spirit stones devoid of any spiritual energy.

The Milky Way hangs in the sky, the bright moon shines like daytime, and it is the dead of night.

In Wang Mian's mind, the golden seal appeared.

[Lower-grade Qi Refining Method: Diligently practice 250 times until the practice is perfected, then one can enter the third level of Qi Refining]

[Introduction to the Four Seasons Sword Technique: Practice diligently seven hundred times until mastering the technique, and you will gain the sword energy of the four seasons.]

He practiced his swordsmanship ten times a day and his internal energy cultivation five times a day. By practicing like this day and night, neglecting sleep and meals, he made great progress and achieved remarkable results.

A month later, Wang Mian's swordsmanship became more refined, and his magical power gradually became more profound.

If I were to fight someone at the third level of Qi Refining again, it might not be so difficult.

In the cracks of the rocks, more than twenty spirit stones, their spiritual energy drained, had already piled up, silently telling the story of the price Wang Mian had paid for his improved cultivation and profound swordsmanship.

Looking at the pile of dull spirit stones, Wang Mian did some quick calculations. Bai Jiuniang gave him all the spirit stones, more than ten, but that wasn't enough to make up for the more than twenty spirit stones he had consumed over the past ten months.

He now has more than seventy spirit stones left. He has been cultivating day and night for the past ten months, which has cost a lot of money. His hundred or so spirit stones have shrunk by a quarter.

"After more than a month of cultivation, half of a low-grade magic weapon is gone." With a sigh, Wang Mian got up, dusted himself off, and walked towards his cave. He cultivated five times a day, which was already the limit that his meridians could withstand.

Continuing to cultivate beyond this limit will damage your meridians, resulting in more harm than good.

Bai Jiuniang followed beside Wang Mian, her demonic power supporting a food box. Her steps were extremely light, and her heavy demonic body seemed to be supported by a gentle breeze, floating like a feather.

Back in the cave.

The diligent Bai Jiuniang washed the clothes that Wang Mian had changed out of, which were soaked with sweat several times. She skillfully divided her demonic power into several streams, condensed them into five fingers, and fetched water, soap beans, a washboard, and a pounding pestle.

The clothes were starched and washed clean, dried in a strong wind, folded neatly, and placed in Wang Mian's wardrobe.

They were busy preparing breakfast for tomorrow.

Seeing Bai Jiuniang busy running around, Wang Mian wanted to help her out a little, but Bai Jiuniang wouldn't let him get involved. So Wang Mian could only lean back in his chair and silently watch her work.

It's unimaginable how difficult it would be to accept if Jiu Niang were no longer by my side one day.

........

Down at the foot of Luopo Mountain.

At the Luhua Ferry, a Dharma boat broke through the air and crashed straight into the Luhua River, splashing up huge waves.

The magic boat's array patterns flickered, remaining untouched by the water, and it slowly approached the ferry dock, stopping at the pier. Figures of cultivators rose from the deck of the magic boat and landed on the shore.

Only when no one else disembarked did the enormous magic ship sound a long horn, break through the waves and leave. The array patterns gradually brightened, slowly causing the entire ship to rise into the air and disappear into the blue sky.

At the dock.

The archway inscribed with "Luhua Ferry Market" stands tall, and in the distance, the massive outline of Luopo Mountain can be vaguely seen.

Among the crowd, a young cultivator walked towards the market. After taking only a few steps, a sudden look of doubt appeared on his face, and he took a few steps back.

Somewhat surprised and uncertain, they turned their heads to look at the notice board standing to the side, which was covered with layers upon layers of wanted posters, wanted notices, and kill orders.

He stepped forward and carefully examined the still-wet, recently pasted image. The image of the young cultivator was incredibly lifelike, and the white dog beside him was equally vivid.

He stared at the man and the dog, feeling a sense of déjà vu. He thought about it carefully, but couldn't remember where he had seen them before.

Further down, the details of the bounty were also listed.

[The Lu family of Taixi Lake issues a wanted notice for the murderer:]

[A ruthless bandit has robbed and plundered the territory of Taixi Lake, intending to kill members of our clan. His cruelty is extreme, and he is utterly vicious. The Lü family is now offering a large reward for his capture.]

Anyone who reveals the identity of this thief will be given a bottle of elixirs, three talismans, and ten spirit stones.

[Anyone who reveals the location of this thief will be rewarded with three low-grade spirit talismans, one low-grade magic weapon, one bottle of spirit pills, thirty spirit stones, and one hundred catties of spirit rice.]

Whoever captures this thief alive and delivers him to Taixi Lake will be rewarded with five low-grade talismans, one low-grade magic weapon, three bottles of elixirs, one hundred spirit stones, and three hundred catties of spirit rice.

[We hope that our colleagues will work together to spread this message widely.]

After reading it line by line, the young man couldn't help but admire the Lu family of Taixi Lake; they truly had a grand style.

He racked his brains but couldn't recall when or where he had seen the person with the bounty. So he took the image and put it in his pocket, and headed towards the market. After passing through several streets, he stopped in front of a shop in a corner.

The shop door was wide open, and inside, a middle-aged man was bent over drawing talismans.

The talisman brush outlined the lines full of spiritual light, presenting a natural charm on the blank talisman paper, until the last stroke was completed, and the brilliant spiritual light gradually subsided.

Fu Cheng.

"This water blade talisman was completed in one stroke; Second Uncle's skills are becoming increasingly adept." As he spoke, the young man handed over a storage bag he had hidden close to his body: "The spirit ink and talisman paper I purchased are all inside. I was on tenterhooks the whole way, but thankfully I did not fail in my mission."

The middle-aged man hung up the talisman and washed his hands.

He took the storage bag from the young man, glanced at it, and said with a smile, "Dongxu has gone through a lot of trouble. With these spirit ink talismans, the talisman shop will be able to operate for a while."

He knew that purchasing supplies would not be easy. This Luhua Ferry Market was adjacent to Luopo Mountain, which was full of bandits, thieves, demons, and sorcerers. If he was not careful and his whereabouts were exposed, he would be at risk of being robbed.

The price of paper and ink in the market is high, so we can only save some spirit stones and add to our profits by purchasing them from further away.

"My family sent me here, firstly to learn how to make talismans from my second uncle, and secondly to share his burdens. Purchasing is my duty, but my second uncle is more tired from drawing talismans all day long," Bian Dongxu replied.

The clan's talisman shop was entirely supported by my second uncle. With the family's manpower suddenly reduced, he deserved to contribute.

The uncle and nephew talked for a while.

Bian Dongxu took out the silhouette image from his pocket: "Second Uncle, do you recognize this person in the picture? I have a feeling that I have seen him before, as if I have seen him before."

The middle-aged man took the image from the camera and examined it for a moment.

Upon seeing the white dog, the middle-aged man suddenly recalled many scenes, and his tone became displeased: "Three years ago, a group of thieves came down from Fallen Mountain to steal the spirit grain, and this little thief was one of them. You were amazed by this white dog's extremely fast escape technique back then, have you forgotten?"

The Bian family has few cultivators and limited manpower. Moreover, it is adjacent to the desolate and treacherous Luopo Mountain, which is full of demons and monsters. Every year when the spiritual grains that the elder brothers of the clan painstakingly cultivate ripen, groups of Luopo Mountain people come to snatch them.

Many were killed and many were slaughtered, but the group of desperados still took the risk. As soon as the spirit grain ripened, they came, plucking feathers from passing geese, and even the rice was completely plucked clean.

"From Luopo Mountain?" Bian Dongxu stared at the shadow figure: "I knew I'd seen this person before. This guy has some nerve, daring to kill even a member of the Lü family."

"Those desperados from Fallen Mountain, which one of them didn't grow up with the guts of a bear and the courage of a leopard? They're like mad dogs. Don't even mention the Lü family, they'd dare to bite even the Foundation Establishment Han family," the middle-aged man said with disgust.

Bian Dongxu did not answer, tapping his fingers on the table and staring at the image for a long time.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man pointed to a few lines of text: "Identity, background, whereabouts, bounty for capture, not wanting to silence him, has Dongxu ever thought about this? There's probably a lot hidden in this."

With his rich experience, he immediately saw the problem. If it was truly the Lü family seeking revenge, they could have simply killed this person. Why go to such lengths to offer a reward for his capture? There must be some unknown secret behind it.

Even without knowing the inside story, one can still glimpse a hint of danger.

Upon hearing this, Bian Dongxu fell into deeper thought.

"Second Uncle, the Lü family is wealthy, while the Bian family is weak. This matter may be an opportunity to strengthen the Bian family." After thinking for a long time, many possibilities flashed through Bian Dongxu's mind.