Lu Yao was precisely in need of the Mystical Refinement Method and, of course, wouldn''t refuse, decisively agreeing to it.


    Li Pei was very generous and directly handed over "Subtle Sense of the Heart," "Young Master Lu, you take a look first, we will need it for operating the cannonter."


    Lu Yao quickly flipped through it, only to see that it contained merely a few thousand words in a beautiful, small script that was clearly freshly copied by Li Pei.


    It described how to integrate the greatly enhanced five senses after Spirit Refinement and convert them into "Heart Awareness."


    Li Pei exined, "We who have undergone Spirit Refinement have ''urate vision and stable control,'' making our use of firearms exceptionally precise. When you aim at a spot before firing, you can''t quite exin why, but you just know it will hit the target. This is ''Heart Awareness''!"


    Lu Yao nodded his head. It was very clearly written on the paper—With "Heart Awareness," one could perceive even the most minute changes after locking onto them with the mind and spirit.


    However, the article ended with a mention that "Heart Awareness" could evolve into an even more mystical "Spirit Awareness"… but at the most crucial part, the text suddenly stopped.


    It was clear there was more to this secret manual, and Lu Yao couldn''t help but give Li Pei a deep look.


    Li Pei smiled back with squinting eyes. His main purpose ining back was to recruit Lu Yao, a man with money and skills, into his fold.


    This Mystical Refinement Method was just one of the baits.


    ~~~~~~~


    The group arrived at the city walls, with distant shouts and booms of cannons echoing over. The entire battlefield stretched for tens of miles, shrouded in ck and gray gun smoke, making the whole tableau look dirty and grimy.


    It was somewhat dangerous atop the city wall at this time, because the new cannons from the Great Vehicle Teachings had a long range, and asionally cannonballs woulde flying over. Li Pei''s Mystical Refinement Method was not easily obtained.


    They came to arge cannon, where a cannoneer officer exined how to operate it before stepping aside, very curious about what these nobles wanted to do.


    "This is a 90mm cannon purchased from the Kingdom of Jiade, theoretically able to hit targets up to 6000 meters away. With the two of us operating, this cannon can achieve precise sniping—something Li Shoucheng would never expect," said Li Pei as he introduced the cannon before adding, "Young Master Lu, you try firing it first."


    Lu Yao nodded and immediately stepped forward to ce his hand on the cannon, staring intently at the muzzle for a while before looking at the target spot for a long time.


    Countless pieces of information gathered in his mind through his senses, adjusting the scale, turning the wheels—he was like a high-precision electronic scale, where any change in what his hands touched could not escape detection.


    After the adjustments, Lu Yao couldn''t exin the reasoning, but he just knew where the cannonball wouldnd.


    Pulling hard on the rope connected to the cannon, a thunderous boom sounded as a cannonball left the barrel, overturning several enemy soldiers 2000 meters away.


    The cannoneers watching beside were dumbfounded! The binocrs in the officer''s hands nearly dropped to the ground.


    They had trained for a year in the cannon school and still hadn''t shot with such uracy! This person was obviously firing a cannon for the first time yet could bepared to an elite cannoneer!


    Lu Yao was quite pleased, finding the Mystical Refinement Method to be quite useful. Judging by this, his marksmanship would also be even more precise.


    ~~~~~~~~~


    Upon witnessing this scene, Li Pei was very pleased and became even more determined to recruit Lu Yao.


    "Next, we''ll cooperate! One person will operate one cannon, and we''ll open fire together to snipe this brute!"


    Next, Li Pei and Lu Yao adjusted the firing angles of two cannons together.


    The two had a disagreement—Lu Yao thought the scale should be adjusted by another degree, but Li Pei felt it was just right. So, they took the middle value, moving it just half a notch.


    Everything being ready, the two approached their respective cannons, aiming at the unsuspecting Li Shoucheng.


    5 kilometers away was where the new cannons of the Great Vehicle Teachings were positioned, and not far away was Li Shoucheng''smanding g, with him loudly shouting to boost his soldiers'' spirits, dressed in an even thicker suit of steel armor.


    Apart from the thick bandages wrapped around his hand, one could not tell he was injured.


    Due to the long distance between them, maintaining the Spirit Refining State was very exhausting, so Lu Yao and Li Pei fired at once.


    With a tremendous boom, a violent tremor beneath their feet startled them as the backdraft from firing the cannon kicked up clouds of dust.


    Two cannonballs shot forth, and Li Shoucheng suddenly felt a chill as his hair stood on end, diving to the side without a word!


    But he didn''tpletely escape the st radius of the explosion and was flung outward by the shock wave! His brain and internal organs suffered severe shocks, and shrapnel and stones riddled his entire body!


    A normal person would have been dead long ago, but Li Shoucheng only felt a ringing in his head and some minor external injuries. He scrambled to run away, ignoring everything else, just as the second round of bombardment arrived!


    Right after Lu Yao and the others fired, Liao Ya and Liao Qe rushed up and reloaded within two seconds.


    The two sisters, with their incredible strength, handled the cannonballs with one hand, their efficiency surpassing an entire artillery squad.


    In this round of attack, Li Pei fired first, her cannonball injuring Li Shoucheng from the explosion, but the resulting st wave caused him to lose bnce and fly sideways.


    However, Lu Yao was slightly slower.


    The artillery in his hand seemed to extend his limbs; in a state of deep concentration, he firmly locked onto his target. The world slowed to half-speed. Information like wind speed, the velocity of the cannonballs, and the target''s moving trajectory all converged in his mind.


    He made a slight adjustment to the elevation of the gun before firing. The cannonball whistled out, hitting Li Shoucheng squarely in the chest!


    The kic energy of a Barrett .50 caliber bullet was 18,000 joules, but that of a cannonball started at a million!


    Li Shoucheng let out a half-cry of surprise. In his look of horror and desperation, the three-centimeter-thick steel armor shattered like paper, followed by his own body.


    He burst apart like a walnut struck by a hammer, apanied by an explosion and smoke.


    Lu Yao exchanged a joyful look with Li Peixin, then hurriedly shouted to the people around him, "The bandit leader is dead, quickly report to the Prefectural Governor!"


    The crowd was slow to react, somewhat incredulous.


    An artillery officer peered through his telescope for a good while before his expression erupted in joy, and he hurried to ry the news.


    Lu Yao now felt a bit dizzy; Liao Qe quickly supported him.


    Initiating Spirit Refining State for targeting and calcting, the greater the distance, the more it drained his mental and spiritual energy. They were 5 kilometers apart, and he''dsted less than half a minute.


    Li Pei seemed to fare much better, her face just pale. She exined with a smile, "I''m at the Blood-Exchange Realm. I can use my primordial energy to nourish my divine soul."


    "Blood-Exchange Realm... It''s really amazing," Lu Yao aspired even more for the higher realm.


    ~~~~~~~~


    Governor Wen Renliang was secretly meeting with the vampire William.


    William sat leisurely, pulling out an exquisite brass pocket watch to check the time before saying,


    "Governor Wen, please make your decision quickly. To be honest, I''m not particrly insistent on tax exemption. It''s the virgin martial artists that I truly cannot do without." Experience tales at m v|l e''-NovelBin


    Wen Renliang sat firmly in the seat of honor, his face expressionless. The Commandery Princess had actuallye alone without a single soldier! Ammunition was about to run out, he could only...


    At this moment, a messenger with a joyful expression barged in, about to whisper the report.


    Wen Renliang''s expression changed slightly, "Is there a change in the battle situation? Speak inly."


    "Reporting to the Governor, the Commandery Princess operated the artillery and killed the bandit chief Li Shoucheng, the enemy forces scattered."


    Wen Renliang''s expression rxed, looking at William: "It seems we won''t be needing your armed merchant ships."


    William let out a gentle smile, picked up his gentleman''s cane and stood up. "That''s a bit regrettable, but no matter. Respected Governor, I shall take my leave."


    ~~~~~~


    A group of soldiers half escorted, half forced William out, just as they ran into Li Pei and Lu Yao, who were on their way to meet with the Prefectural Governor.


    "Good day, beautiful Commandery Princess," William said, tipping his hat, a gesture of respect. Surprisingly, when he rose, no fangs shed in the presence of thedies.


    Li Pei nodded absently, not uttering a word.


    William left with a smile.


    Lu Yao frowned and said, "This creature reeks of fresh blood, he has just fed. And he harbors strong malice towards the Commandery Princess and my senior sister."


    Li Pei nced at Liao Qe discreetly. Western demons were only interested in virgin martial artists; it appeared the girl was already imed by Lu Yao.


    Putting away her curiosity, she started talking business: "Li Shoucheng was a rising star of the Da Cheng Sect, held in high regard. Your feat in killing him today is mighty. I will certainly report to the Imperial Court for a reward."


    "That''s too kind, Commandery Princess. But you''ve already given me a reward," Lu Yao patted the "Subtle Sense of the Heart" tucked in his pocket.


    Li Pei spoke slowly, "Young Master Lu, I''ve only given you part of the Spirit Refining Method. After all, it is a treasure of the Royal Family. I hope you understand."


    Lu Yao shook his head to show it didn''t bother him.


    Li Pei continued, "Young master is brave and wise, possessing extraordinary skills. I happen to need a Captain of the Guard. If you''d condescend to upy the position, I cannot guarantee much, but methods of Mystical Refinement, Cultivation Techniques, and supplements will certainly not becking."


    Lu Yao didn''t reply hastily, instead, he asked, "Commandery Princess, that vampire harbors sinister intentions towards my senior sister. Can you help me kill him?"


    Li Pei was taken aback and spoke softly, "That man is a noble from Einheit. Rashly killing him would provoke a dispute between our nations. He harbors sinister intentions? I can lodge aint on your behalf with the Einheit ambassador..."


    "No need, Commandery Princess," Lu Yao said with a smile. "I don''t have many years left to live, and I intend to devote all my energy to martial arts, hoping to reach the Blood-Exchange Realm soon to save my life. Please forgive me."