Chapter 4: The Blade Tempered in Radiance, the Azure Glow Emerges

The matriarch and the others forbade the teaching of the Lu Xiao Marquis Manor’s cultivation techniques. Within the manor, the other siblings had to avoid Lu Xiao when practicing their cultivation. However, the method given by Lu Zheng was neither from the Lu family nor from the academy. It was acquired through other means of exchange. No one had the right to stop Lu Xiao from training with it.

That said, Lu Xiao understood clearly that if the Lu family found out his elder brother had given him a cultivation technique, he would still be scolded.

In the private room, Lu Zheng and Er Niu were eating together, though they barely touched the dishes on the table. The three of them ordered more dishes, and since Lu Xiao’s stomach was emptier, he ate a bit more, yet much was still left uneaten. All the leftovers were packed up to be eaten over the next two days.

Lu Zheng had deliberately ordered extra, thinking ahead to leave some for Lu Xiao to take home. He knew his fourth younger brother’s situation well.

After they finished eating and packed up, they left Yun Xiang Tower. On the way back to the manor, Lu Zheng took out some silver—four taels—and slipped it into Lu Xiao’s bosom.

“Take this from your older brother. You need money now. I don’t really spend much at the academy. I’ll be returning there in a few days after resting at the manor, so I can’t look after you for long. Take this money so you can live more comfortably.”

What Lu Zheng said was indeed true. The troubles they faced were numerous, and even basic necessities like food and clothing were difficult to come by. Money was essential.

Close to the manor, Lu Xiao intentionally separated from his brother. If the matriarch and others saw them together, Lu Zheng would inevitably be scolded.

Returning to his quarters past the late afternoon, Lu Xiao stored away the leftover food. A servant came looking for him—still Liu Wang, a servant from the main madam Chen Fangyu’s side.

“The Fourth Young Master is finally back. I’ve been looking for you for a while. There’s still a pile of clutter in the backyard waiting for you to clean up. The Second Young Master and Third Miss will be returning tonight. Tomorrow morning, the madam is holding a small meeting in the backyard. If you’re late, don’t blame me for the scolding.”

Liu Wang’s tone made it sound as if he was concerned for Lu Xiao’s well-being.

Without many words, Lu Xiao went straight to the main house’s backyard to clear the clutter.

Under the refinement of the “Gang Qi Heart Method,” Lu Xiao felt a significant improvement in his physique.

This was an ordinary cultivation method used by common folk to strengthen the body. After two rounds of refinement, it became even more profound.

His daily training still involved practicing Gang Fist to temper his body. But after refinement, he followed the guidance of the Gang Qi Heart Method, yielding many different gains.

Previously, moving such clutter took great effort and time, but now Lu Xiao felt it required much less exertion. However, during work, he still pretended to struggle slightly so as not to appear too effortless. If he finished too quickly, the servants would find other troubles to trouble him with. Thus, he controlled the time taken.

After finishing the chores, dusk was approaching. Some servants seemed intent on inspecting his work, but Lu Xiao had already left and returned to his small courtyard.

Sitting on his bed—the wooden bed had greatly improved in quality after two rounds of refinement. Sitting on it no longer produced creaking sounds or wobbling. The steady feeling was something Lu Xiao hadn’t experienced for a long time.

He reviewed the tasks he still needed to handle—it seemed quite a few.

The Gang Qi Heart Method had been refined to the second tier. His cultivation needed to advance further with its help.

He had yet to begin comprehending the technique his elder brother had given him. Moreover, the mysterious refining ability remained unexplored.

Night deepened. Recently, Lu Xiao focused more on training at night. Once darkness fell, the servants rested and could no longer watch over him.

After blowing out the lamp in his room, just before midnight, Lu Xiao stepped out.

Within the Marquis Manor, he began to examine his surroundings.

Under the faint moonlight, he concentrated on various objects.

[Stone], [Tree], [Stone Slab], [Wooden Door]...

Most things in the courtyard revealed faint lines of small text when he focused on them. These words were mostly gray or white.

Lu Xiao wanted to test if his ability could reveal more.

He continued searching around the yard.

Outside the east courtyard, he found an old, broken long stick. It appeared to be the shaft of a long spear. After the spearhead was lost, the shaft was discarded here.

Lu Xiao stared intently at the stick. The weathered shaft showed signs of damage, even seeming likely to break.

Yet, the small blue text above it read [Long Stick].

Seeing this, Lu Xiao was certain that his strange ability revealed names in different colors based on the object’s value.

The worth of an item depended on whom and what it was for.

The colors of the names reflected the value those objects held for his cultivation.

Those with gray names had little cultivation value for him. White was somewhat better, offering some assistance.

But the long stick, glowing with blue text, clearly held significant value.

Lu Xiao took the long stick back to his quarters.

Abandoned as it was, no one wanted it. Moreover, the stick was cracked and appeared ready to snap, confirming why it was forsaken.

Back inside, Lu Xiao began refining the long stick.

A serious expression crossed his brow as he focused deeply—refine!

The blue text changed from [Long Stick] to [Long Stick +1].

Lu Xiao felt the energy spent was roughly equivalent to refining the Gang Qi Heart Method to the first tier.

Upon successful refinement, the cracks and damage visibly began mending at a remarkable speed.

The once broken and tattered long stick revealed its true nature.

Its shaft gleamed faintly—light yet extremely resilient.

It was fine spear shaft material.

Swinging the long stick outside, the air hissed with the force of the strike.

This stick indeed significantly enhanced his combat capability.

However, for now, he did not need to use it.

Refining blue items consumed energy similar to gray and white ones but yielded far greater benefits.

Clearly, the finer and higher-quality the item, the more gain was obtained through refinement.

After storing the stick, Lu Xiao resolved to focus primarily on strengthening his own power.

The martial manor’s tests evaluated the practitioners themselves, not their weapons.

They would not admit someone to the manor based solely on a fine weapon.

Having refined the long stick, Lu Xiao surveyed the entire Lu estate once more.

There was nothing else of value.

With precious time finally available to train, Lu Xiao did not want to waste it.

He took out the cultivation technique his elder brother had gifted him.