Chapter 92: The Book of Insight

"Less than ten days!"

"You have only been practicing for less than ten days, yet you used that blade technique to slay Shi Ying!"

It was as if he had been choked; after a long silence, Lu Chunyuan finally spoke to Lu Sheng. Although he could tell that Lu Sheng had not been practicing the blade for very long, he had never imagined that it had been less than ten days since he started—such talent could no longer be called astonishing; it was terrifying!

Thus, when Lu Chunyuan subsequently saw the "Full Moon Slash" that Lu Sheng had created himself, he was shocked by the profound artistic conception of the "Vast Sea Bright Moon Blade of Divinity" contained within it, but he did not show it again.

"A perfect innate body—truly worthy of being a grandmaster born of heaven. To be able to grasp the artistic conception of a grandmaster after seeing it only once!"

Deep in admiration, Lu Chunyuan naturally attributed this to Lu Sheng’s innate talent. At the same time, he realized profoundly that although he had mentored many geniuses, the experience he had gained from them was useless when it came to Lu Sheng. To nurture him, new methods would be required.

Therefore, after Lu Sheng demonstrated his pupil techniques and the "Golden Mouth and Jade Teeth" technique, Lu Chunyuan shared his plans: "Lu Sheng, I have already assessed your martial arts. However, I must consult the grandmaster on how best to instruct you. I suspect that once Ancestor Wanshan learns of your situation, he will surely have other arrangements."

As he spoke, he led Lu Sheng into his study, pointed to a bookshelf, and said, "These are books concerning the Martial Academy, containing its history, regulations, and various other forms of knowledge. Study these here; once I return, I will arrange your placement."

He then exited the study, summoned his flying mount, and set off to visit Lu Wanshan. He believed that Lu Wanshan must not have fully grasped Lu Sheng's potential, or else, even having already trained a master like Qian Baozhen, he would never have neglected an apprentice destined to become a grandmaster. As the head of the Martial Academy and a scion of the Great Jing Lu clan, Lu Chunyuan felt it was his duty to fully inform Lu Wanshan of Lu Sheng's status. Otherwise, if he delayed Lu Sheng's progress, he might become a sinner against the Great Jing Lu clan.

"A sinner... I never imagined that as the head of the Martial Academy, I, Lu Chunyuan, would one day have such a thought."

He had become a Martial Master in his forties and had managed the Martial Academy for decades. Relying on his position, the various collections of the Great Jing Lu clan were almost entirely open to him. He was privy to secrets that many grandmasters were unaware of. Because of this, although Lu Chunyuan did not consider himself the strongest among Martial Masters, he was quite confident in his breadth of knowledge and his ability to teach. It was only after Lu Sheng appeared that he suddenly realized he was not yet prepared to teach a grandmaster.

***

"My new teacher is certainly an earnest man!"

Though they had not spent much time together, Lu Sheng had already come to accept this teacher, whose temperament was mild and who was conscientious in his duties. Although Lu Chunyuan was somewhat fond of playing the mentor and his ideas were fickle, it did not hinder Lu Sheng's appreciation for him. With such a teacher, his path in martial arts would surely be smoother.

"For now, let me organize my gains."

From last night until now, the events that had transpired left Lu Sheng feeling overwhelmed. In just a short time, he had not only fulfilled the wishes of several generations of the Lu family on Black Stone Island by acknowledging his ancestors and returning to the Great Jing Lu clan, but he had also gained a wife, a pair of unborn children, and had arrived in Yujing.

"It seems I have also gained quite a few benefits!"

Thinking of the fourth-tier Snow Eagle beast corpse that Lu Wanshan had given him, Lu Sheng, fearing complications, quickly extracted its Essence Core and integrated it into the Flying Dragon Horse puppet.

"With one more Essence Core from an equine-type demonic beast, this Flying Dragon Horse puppet will be fully activated. Such cores seem relatively common."

Because of the demands of Martial Masters and Great Martial Masters, equine-type demonic beasts were extremely common in this world. For instance, the horses ridden by the military of the Great Jing Dynasty were mostly beasts that had reached a certain rank. With such a large population, many equine beasts with special bloodlines had been born over the thousands of years—some of which had reached the fourth tier.

"During the restoration of the Great Jing Dynasty, there was a conflict with the Xiliang Ma clan. King Huntian, Lu Zhengyang, once slew a fourth-tier Pegasus. Its Essence Core might still be in the collection of the Great Jing imperial court! I might be able to inquire about it once my status is higher."

Because most were domesticated by humans, wild equine demonic beasts were rare. Lu Sheng could only obtain such an Essence Core through human factions. However, with his current status, he could not even hope to access them, let alone control the Flying Dragon Horse puppet. Thus, after a brief thought, he set the matter aside.

***

"The history of the Martial Academy and its various regulations!"

After organizing his gains, Lu Sheng followed Lu Chunyuan's instructions, took a book from the shelf, and began to read. However, after a short while, he frowned.

"Although my memory is now excellent, enough to never forget what I see, I still have to flip through the pages one by one. At this rate, when will I finish reading?"

Although Lu Chunyuan had only told him to look through the history and regulations, Lu Sheng had no intention of stopping there. With his current memory, he was capable of memorizing Lu Chunyuan’s entire collection; he could not settle for such a trivial amount.

"Flipping through page by page, no matter how fast I am, it will take a long time. If only I could see the contents without opening the books, that would be much more convenient!"

As he thought about this, a flash of inspiration struck Lu Sheng, and he thought of the "Vision Through Walls" technique he had recently mastered.

"Yes, 'Vision Through Walls'! I can already see through things, so why bother opening the books?"

Although his attempt to use the technique on Lu Chunyuan earlier had been blocked by the man's aura, Lu Sheng had not lost faith in the spell.

"My 'Vision Through Walls' may not be able to penetrate living things for now, but for dead objects like books, it should be no problem! If I can use it to view them, I can quickly memorize the entire library!"

Thinking this, Lu Sheng closed the book and activated the technique. He was not disappointed; he could see the contents directly. However, while he could identify the characters on both sides of the pages, he could not help but occasionally see through multiple pages at once, making the content appear disjointed.

"The pages are too thin, and I cannot accurately control the depth of my perspective. It seems this spell of mine still needs improvement."

With that in mind, Lu Sheng found the introduction to the cafeteria, grabbed the token Lu Chunyuan had left behind, and walked out of the courtyard.