附近人400块钱上门

Seven days quickly slipped by.

Creak!

Luo Mu pushed open the door and stepped outside.

At this moment, he was completely different from seven days ago.

His blood energy was surging, strong and overwhelming.

So much so that it even seeped out from his pores, enveloping him like a blazing furnace!

“The ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm!”

Luo Mu’s eyes were filled with excitement.

In just seven days, not only had he swiftly cultivated to the eighth level, but today, he had broken through to the ninth level in one go!

Such an exaggerated rate of cultivation.

Even the geniuses in the inner academy would have difficulty matching it.

Of course, this was primarily due to the several hundredfold critical hits he had triggered over the past seven days.

Without them, such progress wouldn’t have been possible.

“What would a thousandfold critical hit feel like?”

After tasting the benefits of a hundredfold hit, Luo Mu couldn’t help but fantasize about a thousandfold hit.

Shaking off his thoughts, Luo Mu grabbed the longsword resting by the door.

It was time to head to the back mountain.

Only there would provide the right environment to practise “The Deadly Blade Technique.”

Changle Academy.

One of the seven great academies of the Da Zhou Dynasty.

Its geographical location was especially unique, as it sat at the centre of the seven counties.

As a result, the talented youth from these counties would come to the academy for education, unless they joined a sect.

“So, this is the back mountain.”

Luo Mu stood atop a massive boulder, gazing into the distance.

What he saw was an endless range of rolling mountains.

Ancient trees, towering as high as a hundred metres, stood tall, lush, and verdant.

When the wind blew, the forest sea rolled like waves.

The occasional cries of beasts echoed, adding an ominous sense of danger.

Due to his previously weak strength, Luo Mu had never visited the back mountain before.

Today was his first time.

In fact, the back mountain was a means for outer academy students to earn resources.

After killing demonic beasts, valuable parts could be sold to the academy in exchange for contribution points.

Contribution points could be traded for pills, weapons, techniques, and more.

“Let’s begin!”

Luo Mu took a deep breath, leapt down from the boulder, and charged into the forest.

Roar!

Before long, Luo Mu encountered his first demonic beast.

It resembled a wolf, with a thick coat of fur that seemed as tough as iron.

“Ironbone Wolf.”

Luo Mu recognized it immediately.

The academy had courses that specifically taught how to identify various types of demonic beasts and spiritual herbs.

Luo Mu had completed his studies a year ago.

The Ironbone Wolf was a relatively low-level demonic beast, known for its strong reproductive abilities.

As a result, it was commonly found on the outskirts of the back mountain.

“I’ll start with you!”

Luo Mu drew his longsword.

He silently recited the incantations for “The Deadly Blade Technique,” and his blood energy began circulating through the designated pathways in his body.

In an instant, his entire aura shifted, becoming colder and more menacing.

Whimper!

Sensing danger, the Ironbone Wolf instinctively tried to flee.

But the next second—

Slash!

A flash of white blade light appeared, and the Ironbone Wolf was cleaved in two, its body crashing heavily to the ground.

This Ironbone Wolf was only a first-level beginner beast, equivalent to a human martial artist at the first to third levels of the Body Tempering Realm.

Naturally, Luo Mu had no difficulty dealing with it.

Buzz!

A wisp of grey mist emerged from the Ironbone Wolf’s body and flowed into Luo Mu’s hand, forming a faint blade-shaped mark on the back of his palm.

This was the Mark of Death, a sign that appeared only after achieving initial mastery of “The Deadly Blade Technique.”

When the technique was perfected, the mark would fully form and turn jet black.

Ding!

“You have used ‘The Deadly Blade Technique’ in battle and triggered a critical hit, gaining tenfold rewards!”

Luo Mu’s mind was flooded with insights.

At the same time, the blade-shaped mark on the back of his hand became more defined, moving him closer to Minor Accomplishment.

“It seems the right environment really is crucial.”

Luo Mu muttered to himself, feeling the surge in his blade technique proficiency.

Even with just a tenfold hit, it was almost as effective as the previous hundredfold hit.

“Keep going!”

Luo Mu flicked the blood off his sword.

For some reason, after drawing blood, it felt as if a string deep inside him had been plucked, or perhaps…

it was more like a door had been opened.

“Slash! Slash! Slash!”

In the dim forest, blade light flickered like snowflakes.

Each flash was followed by a cry of pain.

Luo Mu held his sword, panting slightly.

Even though he had reached the ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm, continuous slaughter took its toll.

While “The Deadly Blade Technique” was powerful, it consumed a great deal of energy.

He had fought ten battles, and his blood energy was nearly depleted.

His mind also felt fatigued.

Ding!

“You have used ‘The Deadly Blade Technique’ in your tenth battle and triggered a critical hit, gaining fiftyfold rewards!”

The system’s notification echoed in Luo Mu’s mind, and a smile appeared on his tired face.

Not bad,

Fiftyfold was quite a significant gain.

Boom!

A torrent of insights flooded his mind, and his blade technique proficiency advanced to Minor Accomplishment, progressing even further.

In less than half a day, he had gone from Novice to Minor Accomplishment.

Such terrifying speed would shock anyone if they knew.

After all, this was an upper-grade Human technique, not some common Entry-level method.

Even the geniuses in the inner academy would take at least ten days to half a month to reach Minor Accomplishment.

“I’ll need a new sword soon.”

Luo Mu glanced at the longsword in his hand.

The blade was already chipped.

After all, it was just an ordinary sword, not even well-refined.

Looking back, there were over a dozen demonic beast corpses lying on the ground.

Among them were Bloodrage Monkeys.

Once enraged, their strength surged considerably, making them far more formidable than the Ironbone Wolf.

Moreover, these Bloodrage Monkeys had relatively high cultivation levels, with the strongest nearing the high-tier of the first level.

Luo Mu approached the corpses and harvested their hearts, the most valuable part of a Bloodrage Monkey.

These hearts were the primary ingredient for refining Bloodrage Pills.

As for the Ironbone Wolf from earlier, it had no value, so Luo Mu hadn’t bothered with it.

“Time for a break.”

Luo Mu turned and left.

He was planning to stay in the back mountain for a while, at least until his blade technique reached perfection.

After Luo Mu left, three figures appeared in the area, moving together.

When they saw the corpses scattered around, their faces filled with astonishment.

“Brother Lu, who could have done this? On the way here, I counted at least seventy to a hundred dead beasts, and most of them were killed with a single slash!”

“Even the Bloodrage Monkeys were taken down with one strike!”

“When did the outer academy have such a powerful bladesman?”

One of them asked.

The young man referred to as Brother Lu didn’t answer immediately. He crouched down and touched the wound on one of the corpses.

As his fingers made contact, a chilling sensation ran through them, as though even his life force was being drained.

“It’s ‘The Deadly Blade Technique.’”

Brother Lu stood up and said seriously.

“Hiss!”

The sound of sharp intakes of breath followed immediately.

In the outer academy, “The Deadly Blade Technique” was well known as one of the strongest upper-grade Human techniques.

When mastered, it could rival lower-grade Profound techniques at the Minor Accomplishment stage!

However, due to its extreme difficulty, it had been gradually abandoned over time, and few people practised it anymore.

“And this person is already nearing Minor Accomplishment.”

Brother Lu added.

Upon hearing this, the other two were even more shocked.

For a technique of this level, reaching Minor Accomplishment was a qualitative leap in power.

“So don’t underestimate the outer academy. There are hidden dragons here as well.”

Brother Lu smiled.

“Understood!”

The two immediately nodded in agreement.

With the inner academy’s reputation, it was natural for outer academy students to feel inferior, always believing they couldn’t measure up.

But now…

the outer academy had its own experts!