In chaotic times, one can become a martial immortal.

In the following days, although they encountered many more refugees along the way, they were mostly safe and sound.

The weather was already bad, and these refugees were cold and hungry, so they simply didn't have the strength to keep up with the convoy.

Even when resting at night, the caravan would either stay at a post station or camp directly in the desolate plains where few people ventured.

During these past few days, Lu Yuan continued to practice the Five Animal Fist once a day as much as possible.

I've already mastered more than two-thirds of it, and I estimate it will take another three to five days at most to achieve perfection.

In addition, he has successfully mastered the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique to a minor level, and is about to complete more than half of his progress.

If nothing unexpected happens, when he perfects the Five Animal Fist, the Wind-Breaking Saber Technique will likely also reach perfection soon after.

By then, even if he hasn't undergone a second blood and qi tempering to become a dark-force martial artist, with his powerful blood and qi, as well as the aura of his blade, he should be able to easily contend with ordinary dark-force or even transformation-force martial artists.

As the sun sets, the barren wilderness stretches out before you.

Several bonfires were lit beside a dead tree.

The bandits were still gathered around a campfire, eating and drinking, chatting and laughing.

Meanwhile, Wu Yu, Chen Ping, Lu Yuan, and other martial arts students from the Song Academy continued to practice the Wind-Breaking Saber Technique.

On the other side, Hong Lei and Fang Chang were also diligently cultivating under Master Song's personal guidance.

As for the distinguished person inside the luxurious carriage, they never stepped out from the beginning.

So, everyone has always been very curious about what the distinguished person inside the carriage was like, whether he was male or female, old or young, and how many there were.

"Buzzing..."

Not long after, a clear, low chirping sound suddenly rang out.

Everyone turned to look, and saw a thin boy wearing a tattered blue jacket, whose knife was not only being swung faster and faster, but whose moves were also quite smooth, even flowing like water.

Each strike was faster than the last, as if imbued with a sharp, fierce energy.

"Has he mastered the basics?"

Someone couldn't help but exclaim.

"How is this possible? To have mastered the basics of the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique in just a few days—what a genius Wang Liang is!"

Wu Yu, Chen Pi, and the others all stared at the young man in the blue jacket in disbelief.

Although they have been practicing the Wind-Breaking Saber Technique with great effort these past few days, and even the progress of their Five Animal Fist training has slowed down considerably as a result, they are still far from mastering it.

Although Wang Liang had been at Song Academy for more than three months, he had only mastered the Five Animal Fist for a few days. Moreover, he had started practicing the Wind-Breaking Saber Technique at the same time as them, yet he had mastered it in just a few days.

"So fast!"

Even Hong Lei and Fang Chang couldn't help but show a hint of surprise in their eyes when they looked at Wang Liang.

Of course, for martial artists, cultivation is fundamental. No matter how well one has mastered a technique, without sufficient cultivation to support it, it is difficult to unleash its true power.

In other words, Wang Liang's physical constitution is ordinary. Even if he has talent in swordsmanship, he still cannot threaten them and is not worth worrying about.

"What a pity. Although his swordsmanship talent is quite remarkable, his physical constitution is too mediocre, and he has no future. Otherwise, I would have another disciple!"

Master Song merely glanced at Wang Liang with a strange look in his eyes, and then paid no further attention to him.

In his view, innate talent determines everything. If one's innate talent is insufficient, one's potential is limited, one has almost no future, and one is not worth the effort and resources to cultivate.

He himself is an example; although his physical constitution was better than that of ordinary people, it was not exceptional.

Although he was fortunate enough to come into contact with martial arts when he was young, he had already exhausted his potential before the age of thirty and could no longer make any progress. He probably will never be able to take that step in his life.

Perhaps in Qinghe County, he could be considered a master of the Transformation Realm, but outside, in front of Rank 1 martial artists, he was nothing.

As the saying goes, those who are not of high quality are ultimately nothing more than ants!

That is why he placed all his hopes on his two personal disciples.

Fang Chang, in particular, has even better aptitude than Hong Lei, and can even be considered a first-rate genius. With his full support, he has a very high chance of reaching the rank of rank, and the time required will not exceed five years.

As for the martial arts students in the outer courtyard, whether it was Lu Yuan, who mastered the Five Animal Fist in half a month, or Wang Liang, who mastered the Wind-Breaking Saber Technique in just a few days, they were all just flashes in the pan. After exhausting their potential, they would all fade into obscurity.

"Wang Liang, well done!"

At this moment, many people had gathered in front of Wang Liang to offer their congratulations.

"To have mastered the basics of the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique in less than five days... truly, geniuses are as numerous as carp crossing a river; no one should be underestimated. I still need to continue my efforts!"

Lu Yuan glanced at Wang Liang, then continued practicing his sword skills.

[Minor Mastery of the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique (631/1000)]

If all goes well, he should be able to master the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique by tomorrow night.

Reaching the pinnacle within five days and unleashing the sword's aura shouldn't be a problem.

Although Lu Yuan had mastered the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique to a minor degree, he did not deliberately pursue speed and power in order to consume less of his qi and blood. Therefore, although his movements appeared smoother than others, they still did not look like those who had entered the beginner level or even achieved minor mastery, and thus did not attract much attention.

After practicing the Wind-Breaking Sword Technique twice more, Lu Yuan put away his sword and began practicing the Five Animal Fist.

Afterwards, he ate three roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) in a row before finally regaining some of his strength.

"Once I master the Wind-Breaking Blade Technique tomorrow, even if the road ahead is turbulent, I should be able to protect myself!"

Leaning against the cargo, Lu Yuan looked up at the sky and thought to himself.

Counting the sparse stars in the sky, with a hint of anticipation, he slowly closed his eyes.

……

When I opened my eyes again, it was already the next day.

The convoy continued on its way, but at a much slower pace than in the previous days.

Not only because we had left the wilderness plains and entered the mountainous area, where the mountain roads were rugged and difficult to travel, but also because the danger increased dramatically after entering the territory of other counties.

The name of Weiyuan Escort Agency could deter all villains in Qinghe County, but it might not be so effective in other counties.

Moreover, the surrounding area is mountainous and densely forested, where bandits are bound to be rampant.

If they are all law-abiding citizens, that's fine; with the employer's financial resources, paying the toll would suffice.

But if you encounter someone who doesn't follow the rules and not only wants your money but also your life, then you'll probably have no choice but to fight them and charge through.

"We're already within the territory of Anding County. We should be able to enter the city smoothly in the next day or two!"

"Although I've been traveling for several days and am quite tired, thankfully I haven't encountered any danger. If I can just hold on for two more days, the five taels of silver will be in my hands easily!"

"Better safe than sorry; the closer to the end, the more likely something unexpected might happen!"

The group looked around and whispered amongst themselves.

"Having chosen the path of a镖师 (bodyguard/escort), one cannot fear danger. If any bandits dare to come to their deaths, I will surely cut them down with a single stroke to protect my employer's safety!"

Chen Yong's eyes flickered slightly, then he spoke loudly.

"This guy!"

Chen Pi frowned slightly.

Lu Yuan pondered silently, gently wiping the long sword in his hand.

……