Chapter 391 Eighth-Rank Ability, Two Birds with One Stone
The two chatted for a while longer.
Xie Lingjiang suddenly asked:
"The other day at the West Gate, you told Zhu Lingxu about a friend who likes to identify women by their scent. Who is this friend? He sounds quite the ladies' man."
Ouyang Rong's expression changed and instantly became composed.
"This, Liu... Liulang, right? Yes, it's Liulang. I remember now, it's this kid."
Xie Lingjiang turned her head and asked loudly outside in a clear voice, "Sixth Brother, I heard from Senior Brother that you have a good sense of women's fragrance... Is that true?"
"..." Yan Liulang.
"Six." He only replied with one sentence, and after a short while, the carriage suddenly became stable and stopped bumping. His driving skills had improved dramatically in a short period of time.
“…” Ouyang Rong.
Before long, the carriage arrived at the gate of the Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
With Xie Lingjiang's help, Ouyang Rong bent down and got out of the car.
There was a small stove inside the car, which was quite warm, but outside the car, the autumn wind was bleak, and a cool breeze entered my neck.
Yan Liulang took out a bundle that Miss Ye had sent early in the morning, opened it, and took out a thick coat and a white fox fur shawl.
Another autumn has arrived.
Xie Lingjiang took it with her bare hands and gently draped it over her senior brother's shoulders.
The weary young man in the white fox fur coat glanced back at the clean and tidy street.
Fallen leaves covered the ground, and the autumn wind rustled.
To many in Xunyang City, this atmosphere was cold and bleak, but to others, it held the promise of spring's arrival.
Ouyang Rong rubbed his face to make it slimmer.
Xie Lingjiang took his arm.
"Tanlang is back!" At the gate of the Prince's Mansion, Li Xian and his family, who had been waiting for a long time, greeted him with joy.
The group reunited and entered the Prince's Palace.
As night fell, the autumn wind howled.
Ouyang Rong, accompanied by Xie Lingjiang, returned from the Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
In the afternoon, he walked out of the Jiangzhou main hall and was picked up by his junior sister and taken to the Xunyang Prince's Mansion. After reporting that he was safe and sound and comforting Li Xian's family, Ouyang Rong took his junior sister back to his residence in Huaiye Lane for dinner.
Having learned in advance of Ouyang Rong's return, Zhen Shuyuan and Ye Weilai prepared a very lavish dinner.
Rice porridge, lamb liver with soy sauce and vinegar, nourishing lamb soup—all the nourishing foods we could get.
Grasping her beloved nephew's hand and examining him closely, Zhen Shuyuan's eyes reddened and tears welled up... These past few days, Ouyang Rong had not returned and had been imprisoned in the Jiangzhou main hall. During this time, the female officials had come to investigate him, making it seem quite serious. Needless to say, the beautiful woman was filled with worry and fear.
During the meal, she showered him with concern and frequently served him food.
Even as she was eating, the beautiful woman held her rice bowl but didn't eat. Her eyes were fixed on Ouyang Rong, her expression lost in thought, as if she were taking one last look at him.
Ouyang Rong was quite helpless.
Fortunately, with her junior sister by her side for dinner tonight, it was a family reunion, and Zhen Shuyuan managed to stop crying and start laughing in the latter half of the meal.
After dinner.
Ouyang Rong personally escorted his junior sister away, taking a walk along the way. They lingered tenderly for a while before reluctantly saying goodbye...
After returning, Ouyang Rong first talked with Zhen Shuyuan for a while and comforted her. Then he went back to Yinbingzhai, took a bath and washed up. Finally, he coaxed the white-haired maid to sleep before he could truly rest.
Ouyang Rong turned his head and glanced at the tranquil moonlight spilling across the window; it was late at night.
When he left the Jiangzhou main hall after it was reopened, he was exhausted and sleepy, wishing he could just bury his head and sleep. However, from the afternoon until now, he had taken several carriage rides, during which he had held his junior sister's slender waist and dozed off several times. Later, when they arrived at the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, he was taking a bath in his junior sister's boudoir, and fell asleep with the back of his head resting on the edge of the tub. He was only woken up by his junior sister who came in to hand him new clothes.
Now that he's home, he's wide awake in the middle of the night and can't fall asleep... Advancing to the eighth rank has indeed made him more energetic, and the effects are starting to show.
Ouyang Rong went to his study, sat down at the desk, and let out a long sigh.
He sat quietly for a while.
He then went to retrieve a copy of the Chinese-language book, the Erya.
It is a dictionary, similar to the dictionary of this era.
It was used by Ye Weilai to read and learn to read on a regular basis.
Ouyang Rong opened the Erya and, following the clues, turned to a certain page.
His fingers glided across the pages, pausing on a line of small print, tapping lightly as if knocking on a door, and he lowered his eyes to read aloud:
“Craftsmanship. Craftsmen, at the same time, also produce ordinary works that lack spirit and distinctive features.”
He smiled.
This name is interesting.
The name of each Dao lineage generally represents the cultivation direction of that lineage.
Because of their long history and orderly transmission, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism can naturally be summarized into categories, providing guidance for future generations.
Just like the junior sister who was once an eighth-rank gentleman in the Confucian school, but is now a seventh-rank book reader.
According to the secrets of the Dingjian.
Each of the bronze vessels and swords has its own unique characteristics.
The swordsmith who forged the cauldron sword revealed that before self-immolating to offer sacrifice to the sword, he left behind his true name.
Based on this characteristic, the Dingjian naturally possesses a set of Dingjian supernatural powers, which can be summarized into sword techniques by legendary sword masters, permanently completing the missing piece of the puzzle in the sword wielder's meridians.
Therefore, revealing the true name of the Dingjian sword is closely related to its unique characteristics, supernatural powers, and subsequent sword techniques.
Because it is the newest cauldron sword in the world, the craftsmanship does not yet include the sword manual.
As the first sword master, Ouyang Rong was a self-taught individual with no predecessors or legendary sword masters to refer to, so he had to figure things out on his own.
Before killing Qiu Shenji at Dagushan, he observed the Zheyi Canal, which transformed decay into wonder, and roughly grasped a trace of the true meaning of craftsmanship, which he condensed into a sentence: Myth originates from the ordinary.
Although at the time, he did not spontaneously express his feelings and summarize a complete sword manual from this experience.
However, by virtue of his status as the first sword master and his understanding of this true meaning, Ouyang Rong indirectly fulfilled the rigid requirement that "the sword wielder needs a sword manual to be promoted."
They can smoothly advance from the ninth rank to the eighth rank without any bottleneck in the advancement of the sword wielder's meridians.
All he needs to do is imitate the sorcerer's lineage of the Jade Cup Fairy, and finally set up a strange sacrificial ritual to collect mythical spirituality and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to break through the regular levels of Qi Refining.
This was something Ouyang Rong had done not long ago, seizing an opportunity at the west gate.
As expected, he was promoted to the eighth rank.
Ouyang Rong closed the Erya book and, with his eyes closed, carefully felt the mysterious sensation of the spiritual energy flowing through his meridians.
A moment later, his brows furrowed slightly.
Unlike his rapid progress at the ninth rank, after entering the eighth rank, he found that the speed at which the spiritual energy in his dantian improved became extremely slow.
Even according to Ouyang Rong's silent prediction, after passing the early stage of the eighth rank, he might still fall into a stagnation in spiritual energy cultivation.
This situation is highly unusual and contradicts the Qi Refining Technique experience that Junior Sister privately taught her.
First, we can rule out the possibility that the junior sister is a Qi cultivation genius with no bottlenecks and therefore no worries, while Ouyang Rong is a Qi cultivation idiot and therefore stumbles along the way.
After all, he was one of the lucky ones who had consumed a third of the Six-Winged Summer Cicada. His Qi Refining aptitude after his leaky body was repaired was at least average, not this bad.
So, a few days ago, when he had some free time, Ouyang Rong compared and observed, and after eliminating one wrong option after another, he found that the most likely reason was the missing Craftsmanship Sword Manual.
Since it was only by utilizing a trace of the true essence of the "craftsmanship" of the Dingjian sword that one managed to reach the eighth rank,
To fully comprehend the next step of perfecting the eighth rank, one needs a complete Craftsmanship Sword Manual.
We can no longer cut corners.
Back then, when he first entered the ninth rank of the Sword Master, he was able to make rapid progress to perfection because Ouyang Rong could recite the Cold Scholar Sword Manual "Return Home" from memory. Furthermore, because he was lonely and homesick, he had a thorough understanding of "Return Home".
To master the eighth rank of the Sword Master and reach the pinnacle of the eighth rank, Ouyang Rong needs to compile a sword manual of the Craftsman.
Of course, there is another method that might work.
It's about finding a new sword manual and rediscovering its true meaning.
However, every sword manual is a precious treasure, and many of them were lost during the struggle for power between the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Where could Ouyang Rong find them?
Didn't you see Li Zhengyan and his group running around, asking around everywhere, in their search for Tao Yuanming's "Humble Scholar's Sword Manual"?
Regarding other sword techniques, apart from the possible inclusion of the Ding Sword on Li Zhengyan's side, Ouyang Rong has not yet discovered any clues.
At his desk, Ouyang Rong took the Mo family sword case, placed it on the table, stroked it with his hand, and murmured:
"The craftsmanship... its true name should roughly point to the true meaning of the sword technique. By the way, is the true name and sword technique of the Ding Sword also vaguely related to the characteristics of the person with strong Qi corresponding to the Ding Sword?"
"As someone with a strong sense of craftsmanship, we can try to find some clues from Aqing..."
"Hmm, and there's also the old swordsmith who should have been most familiar with this cauldron sword, but unfortunately he's no longer here."
He nodded slightly.
This time, the craftsman's true name is given as the name of the eighth grade, which is to use this subtle connection to guide the direction of this grade's perfection.
This can be considered his first attempt to summarize sword techniques.
“Someone has to take this step.” Ouyang Rong looked at the moonlight on the ground in front of the window: “But is it really that easy to open up a new path and become the legendary swordsman who cuts through thorns and brambles? But I am different from Tao Yuanming. I, Ouyang Lianghan, have my own path.”
A moment later, Ouyang Rong put away the sword box and took out a bronze beast mask.
He stood up, went into the courtyard, and looked down at an empty hand and a bronze mask that gleamed with a metallic sheen in the moonlight.
This time, after advancing to the eighth rank, his dantian capacity expanded and his spiritual energy became more refined. When facing the same seventh-rank enemies as before, the time it took for Gui Qu Lai Xi to unleash his sword was reduced by three breaths, requiring only twelve breaths... And after fifteen breaths, he could break through the protective true energy of a sixth-rank Qi cultivator, endangering his life.
The craftsman's ability to "devour all qi" seems to have improved as well. Ouyang Rong has always suspected that this gluttonous ability is related to the craftsman's cauldron and sword supernatural power.
It was the ability the little guy gained after he observed the Zheyi Canal's flood discharge and grasped its true meaning.
At the ninth rank, in addition to Ouyang Rong's spiritual energy, it can also consume the merit purple mist and "a poor scholar's grievances" to kill people with its sword.
The swordsman is currently at the eighth rank, and it's unclear whether this glutton's "recipe" is a bit too broad...
As soon as the sword box was taken out, the little creature inside was eager to try it out. However, with the lesson of being almost drained dry by it still fresh in his mind, Ouyang Rong was cautious and decided to play it safe and not try it yet.
besides,
Ouyang Rong vaguely realized that the Taoist lineage of sorcerers that he had inexplicably inherited from the Jade Cup Fairy had also undergone some changes.
"It seems that not only the swordsman's abilities are enhanced, but also the initial sorcerer's Dao lineage's abilities are strengthened with the eighth rank. Hmm, wouldn't you say this is a double win... Well, we won."
In the dead of night, with no one in the courtyard, Ouyang Rong put on the bronze mask and began to test his new abilities.
Inside the bronze mask are four avatars: Zhang Qian, A Shan, Wei Shaoxuan, and Zhao Rushi.
Ouyang Rong recently discovered that the abilities of the Jade Cup Fairy's Daoist lineage and the effects of this bronze mask complement each other, similar to a natal object.
He transformed into Wei Shaoxuan and scaled the walls and rooftops within the courtyard.
Ouyang Rong suddenly let out a soft exclamation, somewhat surprised to find that his ability to control his muscles and bones had been enhanced.
Previously, when it was at the ninth rank, this ability was mainly used to coordinate with the transformation of the masked body, adjusting the body shape to match the original body and prevent being exposed.
However, at that time, the degree of adjustment was limited and it took a lot of time, making it unsuitable for the ever-changing battle scenarios. It could only be considered as "getting a glimpse of the path"... But now, this ability has gone a step further. The internal skeletal adjustments still take time, but in terms of muscles, he has begun to be able to control most of the superficial muscle groups of the human body very skillfully, which can be considered as "some progress"!
Inside the room, Ouyang Rong's figure appeared on the ceiling, his palm pressed firmly against the horizontal roof, seemingly clinging to it like ivy, silently... This was the combined effect of eighth-grade pure spiritual energy and skillful use of muscles and bones, enabling him to climb rocks and walk on walls!
This scene was just like when the Jade Cup Fairy sneaked into the treasury through a narrow skylight like a gecko during the audit of the treasury in Longcheng County.
However, no one has noticed it yet.
Ouyang Rong thought for a moment, then, imitating Spider-Man from his previous life, he nimbly climbed the rooftop for a while. His skillful control over the superficial muscle groups resulted in him making very little noise.
Combined with his naturally discreet and stealthy physique, he's a natural assassin.
Ouyang Rong's lips twitched slightly.
"He's starting to look more and more like the sixth brother..."
"However, when combined with the sword-wielding power that is as fragile as glass, this ability is very useful whether it is for infiltrating and killing or for escaping to save one's life... Let's focus on an Assassin's Creed, okay?"
"Oh right, control your lower facial muscles, then you won't laugh at hellish jokes anymore, and you'll also be able to deal with your junior sister's check-ups..."
He was in a good mood and muttered with great interest:
"Speaking of which, if this ability to skillfully utilize muscles and bones is perfected, in the future, if someone attacks me at close range, as long as it's not a sharp weapon or an attack from a high-level Qi cultivator containing true qi, could I use instantaneous muscle and bone contraction to mitigate the impact? Even if I get a new wound from a sharp weapon, I can tighten my muscles to stop the bleeding..."
Their ability to avoid and mitigate damage is also quite impressive...
Ouyang Rong, as if he had received a new toy, explored it on his own for a while, and then a sudden idea struck him:
"Speaking of which, since we can control all the superficial muscles in the body, doesn't that mean..."
His gaze slowly drifted downwards...
He glanced at it, then subtly looked away.
You really shouldn't say that, you really shouldn't say that!
"Hmm...very good, you're flexible and adaptable, you're starting to resemble a womanizer more and more..."
Ouyang Rong shook his head speechlessly.
After exploring for a while, the novelty wore off, and he returned to his study, closed his eyes, and entered the Pagoda of Merit.
The little wooden fish has over 3,800 merit points remaining.
"The last bit of food left..."
After strolling around the Pagoda of Merit, Ouyang Rong returned and glanced at the night view outside the window.
I have to be on duty tomorrow to wrap things up.
Also, judging by the time, news from Luoyang should be arriving soon...
After tidying up, he rubbed his right cheek and went to bed to rest.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
