My cultivation method shines upon all heavens.

"Croak—!"

The toads sang softly, and the moonlight seemed to be drawn to him by an invisible force, gathering around him.

The silvery-white light bathed the bones that still bore some cracks.

The marrow fluid, smooth and lustrous like fat, continuously seeps into the bone crevices to fill and heal.

"roar--!"

At this moment, a tiger's roar resounded within him, and lightning flashed and vibrated throughout his body.

He quickly circulated his qi and blood, transmitting the sound of the tiger's roar throughout his body.

A purple-blue Taoist robe draped over his body, with cloud-dragon-like undulating patterns resembling mountain ranges. His muscles trembled slightly, finally absorbing all the bone-forging effects of the "Thunder Tiger Roar".

With the combined effect of the five ultimate techniques, the dense cracks on his bones finally disappeared completely, leaving them smooth and lustrous like jade, as smooth as a mirror.

"boom--!"

With his blood and qi surging, Lu Ming suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing from the depths of his pupils.

"The effects of Dragon Tiger Wine are even better than I imagined."

He felt the immense power within him and murmured aloud:

"No...these unique skills also played an indispensable role."

He looked down and saw the characters on the scroll ripple out like waves:

[Martial Arts: Sky-Piercing Palm (Low-grade Earth-level Technique; Minor Success 18000/20000)]

[Martial Arts: Thunder Tiger Roar (Mid-grade Spiritual Scripture; Perfected 4000/4000)]

[Martial Arts: Moon Toad Scripture (Superior Earth Book, Incomplete; Mastery 100/30000)]

[Martial Skill: Blade in the Wind (High-grade Spirit Rank; Perfect 4000/4000)]

[Skill: Dragon Tiger Wine (Mastery 1000/3000)]

During this period, he suppressed the conflict between the five great skills, allowing them to follow their own paths, which resulted in excellent cultivation effects.

The five unique skills complemented each other, greatly accelerating his recovery and cultivation speed, which was an important reason why he was able to recover a week ahead of schedule.

Unfortunately, once he relaxes his mind even slightly, the conflict between the five unique skills operating in parallel will rapidly escalate.

"If I'm not mistaken, the Great Teacher of Virtue was also a wandering cultivator in his early years, but his current cultivation level has reached its pinnacle..."

"In other words, the Heavenly Scroll in his possession might actually solve this problem."

Lu Ming calmed his blood and qi, and sighed deeply:

"As expected, I still need to get my hands on the Yellow Heaven Great Law."

……

The next morning, at the Lu residence.

Shen Ru and Aunt Zhang chatted and laughed as they stepped out the door, preparing to go to the market.

However, as soon as one foot crossed the threshold, the two stopped in their tracks.

Outside the Lu residence, a line of well-dressed people stood waiting, with several servants behind them carrying brocade boxes.

Hearing the noise at the door, everyone looked up.

After a moment of silence, everyone rushed forward.

"Madam Lu, are you well? I am Zhang Kaiyuan, and I live next door. I run a small shop in the inner market. These are some leftovers from the shop; they're not worth much, but I'm offering them to you so you can try them!"

"My name is Zhou Sanhong, and I also run a small business. I have some fabric here; I would appreciate your opinion, Madam."

"You scoundrel..."

Soon, many people called on their servants to bring up rice, flour, cooking oil, silk fabrics, and nourishing medicinal herbs, their eyes full of flattery.

Shen Ru looked up and realized that these people were all wealthy and influential people in the neighborhood.

Although we have some contact, we're not particularly close.

After all, although Lu Ming was a martial arts prodigy, his status was neither high nor low.

In addition, given the grudges with the Wang and Zhang families, no one wanted to get too involved with them.

I just don't know why these people are so enthusiastic today.

"Excuse me...excuse me..."

At this moment, another group of people carrying a pile of brocade boxes squeezed in:

"Madam Lu, we apologize for not being able to attend your housewarming celebration in person. These gifts are just a small token of our appreciation!"

These people bowed and scraped, their faces full of flattery, all vying to make a good impression.

Shen Ru looked completely bewildered.

She didn't know any of these people, so what was this "housewarming celebration" about?

It's been several months already, isn't this reason a bit far-fetched?

She exchanged a glance with Aunt Zhang, then took a few steps back, somewhat timidly.

"Make way, make way, make way—"

Just then, a rough, loud voice rang out.

A figure wearing a straw hat squeezed in and shouted at the crowd around him:

"Leave your things here, then disperse quickly. Can you bear the responsibility for disturbing Madam?"

Who are you?

Upon seeing this, everyone immediately showed their indignation, but they quickly noticed the iron ruler protruding from the other party's waist and fell silent.

It's best not to mess with people in government offices.

"Well... Madam Lu, we'll take our leave now."

After bowing to Shen Ru, they dispersed.

Wang Gang then turned around and smiled at Shen Ru:

"Mrs. Lu, are you alright? Here... let me help you take these things inside."

As he spoke, he diligently stacked the brocade boxes on the ground and staggered towards the mansion.

During this period, he had been loitering around the Lu residence every day, and had already become familiar with Shen Ru and the other two as Lu Ming's colleague.

"Lord Wang, this...this is too much trouble!"

Shen Ru looked at Wang Gang's actions with some embarrassment, but still pulled Aunt Zhang inside.

After Wang Gang had arranged the gifts, she welcomed him into the living room, served him tea, and then asked with a puzzled expression:

"Lord Wang, do you know what's going on with them?"

Wang Gang wiped away his sweat and said with trepidation:

"Madam, you flatter me. You can just call me Xiao Wang."

Then a smile appeared on his face:

"It's all because Lord Lu Ming has been promoted to centurion of the Tiger Patrol Battalion. They're afraid of neglecting you and being remembered by the lord."

"After all, the Taiping Dao is now eyeing us covetously, and demons are constantly invading. The entire Yinhu County depends entirely on the Yinhu Guard."

After saying this, he took a sip of tea and then got up to take his leave.

It would be a huge loss if I finally got some exposure and caused offense by speaking recklessly.

Shen Ru tried to persuade him to stay, but to no avail. After thanking him again, she let him go.

After Wang Gang left, Aunt Zhang finally snapped out of her daze and unconsciously took Shen Ru's hand, her eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions:

"Young Master Lu...you've really made something of yourself."

She didn't know how high a rank a centurion was, but she knew that the city's garrison commander, who had been treated with great respect by the county magistrate, was also said to be a centurion.

In her eyes, Liu Zhiyuan was a figure as great as the heavens.

A smile involuntarily crept onto Shen Ru's face, but her eyes held an undisguised worry.

"Yes, my child has grown up and likes to take responsibility for everything himself, never letting me worry. I just feel... a little guilty towards him."

Her husband died too suddenly, and as a woman, she not only failed to pave the way for her son, but also repeatedly became a burden to him, which inevitably made her feel guilty.

At the entrance of the Lu residence, Zhang Wanjun, dressed in a white dress, stood quietly, watching Wang Gang leave.

Listening to the conversation between the two people inside, a sweet smile involuntarily appeared on her lips.

She didn't know what a centurion was, but her older brother seemed to be doing well, and that was enough.

……

The sun was high in the sky, and its soft light fell on the bluestone ground.

At the entrance of the county government office, two constables stood beside the stone lions, idly scanning their surroundings.

There were more people on the street than in previous days. Although it was still not very lively, it finally had a bit of life to it.

"Da da da—"

At the end of the long street, the sound of rapid hoofbeats rang out.

"Whoa—"

Lu Ming stopped his horse at the entrance of the government office, dismounted, handed the reins to a constable, and walked directly into the government office.

Inside the main hall, Liu Zhiyuan sat upright in the main seat, quietly drinking tea.

The white porcelain teacup spun slowly between his fingers, and wisps of white steam rose, shrouding his face in a thin layer of mist.

Lu Ming strode in, bowed, and clasped his hands in greeting:

"Your subordinate, Lu Ming, greets Your Excellency!"

Liu Zhiyuan put down his teacup, stroked his long beard, and glanced at him with a smile.

"boom--!"

In an instant, Lu Ming felt a sudden heaviness around him, as if a mountain of immense weight was pressing down on him from all directions.

His whole body was stiff, his blood and qi were stagnant, and he couldn't even move a finger.

"What level of cultivation is this... Blood Coagulation? No... Internal Organ Suppression? Or is it above the Mortal Transformation realm?"

Liu Zhiyuan always kept a low profile and never revealed his true cultivation level in front of him.

But Lu Ming never underestimated his opponent.

How could someone who could suppress Wang An and the powerful figures of Yinhu County be a simple person?

However, he never imagined that the other party would be this strong.

No, his cultivation level has always been well hidden, so why is he acting so strangely today?

Are you going to kill me?

No way, he had no reason to kill me.

If they really wanted to kill him, they wouldn't have gone to the trouble of promoting him to centurion.

He struggled to look up, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

Unbeknownst to Liu Zhiyuan, a divine bird was now standing behind him, its wings outstretched, appearing and disappearing in the distance.

It resembles a mandarin duck, with black and purple plumage, and long, sword-like tail feathers that gleam with a cold, metallic sheen in the sunlight.

His eyes were sharp as cold stars, and his gaze carried an air of authority. His long neck was slightly raised, and he looked majestic and awe-inspiring.

A stream of dark purple energy emanated from its body, spreading in all directions like ripples on water.

When this mysterious purple energy penetrated his body, the blood energy around him completely subsided, and there was no longer any surging or roaring momentum.

"Mandarin duck!"

Lu Ming blurted it out.

The bird before them was exactly the same as the bird depicted on Liu Zhiyuan's official robes.

It only makes him appear more refined and righteous, exuding an aura of authority without anger.