Chapter 19 Capital

  "Kasō Kōriki! Sanzen Roppyaku Kin! Hyakuman Hachisen Kin!"

  Lü Yang was shocked upon hearing this.

  Lü Yuèyáo told Lü Yáng, sixty, three thousand six hundred, one hundred eighty thousand. These numbers represent the completion of Tao's practice. Lü Yáng was not surprised because humans originally have two ears, two eyes, one mouth, one nose, four limbs outside and five internal organs, equally mysterious and inexpressible.

  However, a power as enormous as that of the dragon and elephant is also too frightening.

  "No wonder I've always heard people say that a powerful martial artist can tear tigers and leopards apart, and throw elephants across rivers. It turns out it's because they possess over 180,000 jin of strength. Such immense power is indeed enough to tear tigers and leopards apart, and throw elephants across rivers... I see the rumors weren't exaggerated after all. Ah, Fourth Miss, you mentioned earlier that one's internal energy can be measured in years, and also mentioned the size of one's strength. Is there a connection between these two?"

  Lü Yang had never thought that a martial artist could possess such enormous power, and suddenly felt a sense of clarity, so he hastily took the rare opportunity to ask for guidance.

  "Although the depth and power of one's skills vary from person to person, if the skill is refined, it can be said that one year of skill is equivalent to one jin of strength." Lü Yuexiang said, "In our dynasty, we follow the ancient system of Zhongzhou, where one jin is equal to thirty catties."

  "A year, a jun... " Lü Yang's heart moved, "Then, two years wouldn't be two jun?"

  "Wrong!" Lü Yuèyáo put down the stone lock and continued to answer Lü Yáng's questions, "Among the predecessors and sages, someone had already calculated that one year of cultivation is roughly equivalent to one jin of strength. Two years of cultivation is not two jin, but four jin. As for three years of cultivation, it is nine jin. The same logic applies: four years of cultivation is sixteen jin, five years of cultivation is twenty-five jin."

  "What's going on again?" Lü Yang wondered greatly.

  "Because the Qi Sea is expanding in circles, with each year of increased Gong Li, the internal breath that the Qi Sea can hold is not simply increasing, but rather a qualitative leap." said Lyu Yu Yao.

  "So that's how it is!" Lv Yang suddenly realized.

  Qihai, gongli, jingjie, various martial arts principles, Lü Yang finally under the careful guidance of Lü Yuexiao, sorted out clearly, insight and experience, both far exceeded his own previous self-study.

  "I've just started practicing martial arts, and although I successfully laid the foundation, I directly reached the acquired third-level bone-refining realm, laying a good foundation. Then, with some inspiration, I luckily broke through to the acquired fourth-level marrow-piercing realm. It seems like my progress is rapid, but I still don't possess the profound skills that a true martial artist, who has spent many years in arduous practice, would have. A genuine martial artist must possess deep and profound skills, only then can they enter the mysterious and unfathomable higher realms, and even achieve perfection."

  "Practicing martial arts without practicing internal strength will be a waste of time when I'm old. I must accumulate inner power."

  Lyu Yang finally clarified the direction of his martial arts training. He knew that for a young man like himself, with exceptional innate abilities and comprehension, it was only through diligent and bitter practice, day and night, that he could accumulate power.

  Eating a spiritual elixir to directly increase tens of years of cultivation is a pipe dream. Not to mention the spiritual elixirs that can increase human cultivation, even the precious "Chi Xue Da Dan" is difficult for ordinary disciples of the Lyu family to obtain. Let alone the difficulty of refining and absorbing the medicinal properties after taking the elixir, it's not something an average martial artist can overcome. Generally, only martial artists with a certain foundation can take this kind of spiritual elixir, otherwise, they risk being blown up by their own qi, losing their cultivation, or even losing their lives.

  It's like when you start a business, wanting to make a fortune without any capital is unrealistic. Most people still have to work hard from dawn till dusk, diligently and conscientiously, in order to accumulate enough capital to lay the foundation for future wealth.

  "Even if you encounter an opportunity to make a big business, you need to have the capital to grasp it. It seems that the principles of practicing martial arts, being a person, and doing business are all interconnected."

  Lü Yang deeply understood that opportunities were hard to come by, so he didn't have much of a mind to slack off. Following Fourth Miss's instructions, he practiced diligently and solidly.

  The peaceful days passed quickly.

  As winter went and spring came, the weather warmed up and flowers bloomed, gradually entering a warm season. Lv Yang gained insight into the subtleties of his Xuan Gong, and suddenly, with one breath, he increased his cultivation by a year, verifying what Lv Yue Yao had once said.

  Brave and diligent, they can indeed contend with heaven for fame.

  If this continues, he will be able to increase his power by ten years in just a few years, reaching the level of twenty years.

  At this speed, it far exceeds that of ordinary people. However, wanting to continue advancing is not an easy task. Because the higher and deeper one's power is, the harder it is to increase. This is because from 10 years of power to 11 years of power, the difference in strength is only 21 jin, whereas from 20 years of power to 21 years of power, the difference in strength has already reached 41 jin. Not to mention from 20 to 30 years, or from 30 to 40 years.

  With a difference of one year's work, as the Qi Sea grows larger, it becomes increasingly profound and powerful. The difficulty of growth increases accordingly, and it is impossible to compare with the past. Moreover, maintaining a robust work is not something that an average martial artist can achieve, so many martial artists find it difficult to increase their work after reaching a certain age, and some even experience a decline in work due to aging.

  Moreover, an ordinary person's day is filled with eating, drinking, defecating, sleeping, and various trivial matters, taking up more than half of the time. With twelve hours in a day, spending five or six hours on cultivation is already rare diligence and hard work. Even so, at most, one can only increase their power by half a year's worth in a single year.

  In this way, even if one starts practicing from birth and dies at the age of 100, it is still difficult to achieve the standard of sixty years of work, let alone complete perfection.

  Lü Yang deeply knew that he was able to achieve such rapid progress because his bones had been transformed by the mysterious purple energy, making him exceptionally talented. Additionally, the mysterious small cauldron rooted in his dantian allowed him to practice day and night without stopping. If it were someone else, they wouldn't have such a huge advantage.

  Opportunities don't come easily, so we must cherish them well.

  ……

  "Lyu Yang, Lyu Yang, are you up?"

  This morning, just as the sky was getting light, Lü Yang heard a hurried cry.

  He recognized her as Taohua, a maid who was about his age and served by Lü Yuexiao's side.

  "Taoer, you came to find me so early in the morning, what's going on?" Lü Yang was practicing his skills and put down the stone lock to ask.

  "Miss is going out for a spring outing today and has ordered us two to follow her," said Taohua, "Stop practicing your skills, come with me quickly."

  "I know, wait for me." He nodded and walked into the house to change his clothes, following Taoer to the front courtyard of the mansion.

  The front yard of the mansion was a hundred-zhang square, and when the two walked there, they saw many slaves busy moving all sorts of objects inside. Lü Yang saw that everything needed for an outing, including carriages and horses, as well as various sundries, were already packed to the brim.

  These slaves are all dressed in luxurious clothes, each one strong and healthy, full of energy, at a glance, it's clear they're from a wealthy family.

  So many luxurious slaves, carriages and horses, bustling scenes, make people involuntarily think of grandeur, dignity, these words.

  "Tao'er, are you sure the fourth young lady just went out for a spring outing and not doing something else? With such a big fanfare, it's even more grand than others' wedding." Lü Yang said to Tao'er.

  He saw several strong slaves carrying exquisite screens, food boxes and other items onto the carriage. Looking at the elite guards, maidservants, and attendants who were lining up in an orderly manner, there seemed to be two or three hundred people, grand and majestic, and he couldn't help but secretly admire them.

  It is indeed a family of great wealth and high social status, with many officials and nobles among its members.

  Tao'er shot a white glance at Lü Yang: "Don't spout nonsense, it's not just our family's young lady who went on the outing, but also the young masters and ladies from various families in the city. These people are all their attendants."

  "These people aren't from the government?" Lü Yang was somewhat surprised.

  "Didn't I tell you? Miss will bring me and you two to follow, so you must be more careful later, don't lose your manners in front of outsiders." Taohua put on a stern expression, scolding, "Also, don't look around like a country bumpkin who's never seen the world. If you don't understand something, hide it in your heart and ask me when we're alone. Whatever you do, don't pretend to understand and make a fool of yourself. Remember, do more and say less, don't interfere with other people's business. Even if there's nothing to do, don't stand around like a wooden stake next to those young masters and misses, or you'll spoil their fun."

  "Got it, got it." Lü Yang listened to Tao Er's words and couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine as he repeatedly responded.

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