My cultivation method shines upon all heavens.

Before I knew it, my home was already in sight.

At the gate, a beautiful little girl in a white dress stood there, her bright black eyes full of surprise.

He stepped forward and patted her head with satisfaction.

"Little Wan Jun, your skills have improved again."

Due to the awakening of her bloodline, Xiao Wanjun's strength changes almost every day.

If Lu Ming hadn't been afraid that her growth would be too rapid and her foundation unstable, and hadn't constantly made her suppress and control her power, it would have been even more outrageous by now.

Even so, with Lu Ming's current strength, he still felt he had no chance of winning against her.

"Yes, Wanjun has grown up and can protect you now."

Xiao Wanjun clenched her fist and gave Lu Ming a sweet smile.

Despite her young age, her smile already revealed a deep charm, like a night-blooming cereus quietly blooming under the moonlight.

Lu Ming was slightly taken aback, but then casually took her hand and stepped into the mansion.

Under Shen Ru's delighted gaze, he accompanied the three of them to quietly enjoy dinner under the moonlight.

The fragrance of osmanthus blossoms wafted through the courtyard on the night breeze, bathed in a silvery halo of moonlight.

After the meal, Shen Ru and the other person were busy cleaning up the dishes in the kitchen.

Lu Ming stood in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, admiring the moon. The evening breeze brushed against his clothes, bringing the scent of osmanthus and dew.

Little Wanjun sat by the stone table, her chin resting on her two small hands, staring at him intently.

"Wanjun, would you like to learn swordsmanship?"

Lu Ming turned to look at her, his eyes full of gentle smiles.

Zhang Wanjun was taken aback for a moment, then nodded repeatedly, her little head bobbing like a rattle drum.

Learning swordsmanship wasn't important; she was willing to do anything her older brother wanted her to do.

Seeing this, Lu Ming couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

He reached down and took the long sword from his waist.

This is a weapon he specially commissioned to be made for her a few days ago.

It is worth a hundred gold pieces and is of excellent quality.

The sword was no more than three feet long and lightweight, just the right size for her.

The sword's blade shone brightly in the moonlight, its surface subtly gleaming with a thin sheen, like a stream that had been cut off.

He handed over the longsword and said gently:

"Here, a gift for you."

Zhang Wanjun's mouth was slightly open, her eyes initially filled with confusion, then with surprise.

She carefully took the sword with both hands and kept stroking it.

This was the first time in her life that someone had given her a gift.

After a while, she suddenly realized that Lu Ming was still looking at her, and her face flushed red to the roots of her ears.

She quickly hugged the sword to her chest and lowered her head, a thin blush rising on her neck.

Lu Ming smiled slightly, not taking it to heart at all.

He casually broke off a branch from beside him, weighed it in his hand, waved it a couple of times, and then leaped into the air.

His body suddenly stretched out, and the "Dragon-Slaying Sword" was already unleashed.

The sword wind howled like the sound of pine trees passing through a valley, the figure seemed fast but was actually slow, leaving afterimages in the moonlight, each move clearly displayed in front of Xiao Wanjun.

The opening move was like a dragon emerging from the water, the twists and turns were like a long river rolling back, and the closing move was like waves returning to the abyss, revealing the exquisite details of this Earth-rank martial art.

After a long while, he stood still, his breathing steady, and smiled at Wan Jun:

"So, did you remember it?"

Zhang Wanjun's eyes widened, and she nodded firmly.

She then took a deep breath, stood in the center of the courtyard with her long sword in her arms, her small figure casting a slender shadow in the moonlight.

She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them again, they held a hint of coldness.

"call--!"

His figure moved suddenly, graceful as a startled swan, agile as a swimming dragon.

Her white dress billowed like clouds under the moonlight, her sword flashed like water, and every step she took landed precisely where the moonlight fell.

Although she was small in stature, her swordsmanship already possessed a certain sharpness and aura.

The movements—splitting, flicking, pointing, and stabbing—are executed seamlessly, with fluid transitions and no sense of awkwardness.

As her white dress billowed, she seemed like a fairy descending from the moon.

Lu Ming stared blankly, remaining silent for a long time.

Even though I already knew that Xiao Wanjun was incredibly talented, I still didn't expect her to be so amazing.

Based on his intuitive understanding, the difficulty of mastering Earth-rank martial arts techniques is no less than that of mastering Earth-rank books.

Or rather, Earth-rank martial arts techniques are simply a part of a complete Earth-rank book.

It involves the key to drawing upon the true energy of heaven and earth. Ordinary martial artists at the Marrow Refining Realm would spend several months just understanding the first move.

Yet, these profound martial arts techniques seemed to pose no difficulty whatsoever in Xiao Wanjun's hands.

Strands of azure energy from the heavens and earth converged towards the sword's blade with her swordplay, condensing into a thin layer of cold light, exuding a sinister aura.

When she sheathed the final move of the "Dragon-Slaying Sword" and stood holding the sword, her body was surrounded by specks of blue light, like stardust falling on her clothes, making her stand out from the world.

"Big brother..."

Zhang Wanjun raised her head somewhat nervously, and seeing Lu Ming staring blankly at her, she couldn't help but ask softly:

"Did I... not practice well?"

Lu Ming quickly snapped out of his daze, strode over to her, knelt down, and gently ruffled the top of her head.

"No, you've practiced exceptionally well. Wan Jun could become a female sword immortal someday."

Zhang Wanjun blinked in confusion.

She wasn't quite sure what a female sword immortal was, but her face was full of a satisfied smile, as if Lu Ming had affirmed her.

……

The next day, Lu Ming returned to the military camp.

A week passed quickly amidst the hustle and bustle.

As a centurion, he first appointed Chen Rui and Fan Wu as deputies and began recruiting the Yin Hu Guards; then he pleaded poverty to Xue Bao and asked him for more men.

Finally, through his tireless efforts, Xue Bao, without getting tired of it, threw ten annoying squad leaders over from the Tiger Suppression Camp and the Tiger Feeding Camp.

Lu Ming accepted it completely and set up the framework for the Patrol Tiger Camp.

As Wang Ziru predicted, almost all the good men in the city had died or been injured, which was not enough to fill the gap in the Yin Hu Guard. Therefore, the Yin Hu Guard began to open its doors to refugees.

Although the vetting process was strict, he knew it was no match for the Taiping Dao's infiltration.

During this period, Wang Ziru came to urge him several times, trying to force him to take action ahead of schedule, but he always made excuses to avoid it.

But he knew that the other party's patience was almost exhausted.

As for the reason why the other party was in such a hurry, he had some guesses.

After the Divine General Ma Fubo left Luoyang to command the armies of the realm, the situation changed drastically.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion went from its peak of "responding throughout the land and shaking the capital" to a situation where it was besieged by government troops from multiple directions, with its main force trapped in Ji Province.

The southern tribes suffered successive defeats, and the uprising gradually showed signs of decline.

He guessed that this was why the other side wanted to make a move ahead of time.

But... what does this have to do with him?

Nighttime, inside the brewery.

Moonlight poured in through the holes in the window paper, spreading a silvery white across the ground.

Lu Ming sat cross-legged on the bed, constantly circulating his qi and blood to silently improve his cultivation.

Suddenly, a smile appeared on his calm face.

[Ding! Prodigies from all realms rise up, and all heavens pay homage to my attainment of the Dao...]

[In the Great World of Gale Wind, Qin Xiaotian, pursued by his enemies, mistakenly enters the Divine Firmament Heaven, is struck by lightning from the Nine Heavens, and enters a state of communion between Heaven and Man. The scroll owner can use Heavenly Heart Points to aid his enlightenment. Do you wish to use them?]