“What are you doing here?” Miao Xiaoqian asked with surprise.
“I am here to attend the conference.” Chen Fan cracked a smile.
“Conference? You must have happened to stumble upon the poster, didn’t you?” Lu Yanxue rolled her eyes. However, she turned to the two men at the entrance and said: “Please, he is my friend, can you let him in?”
“I am sorry, Miss. This is a private gathering.” The man in traditional Chinese suit said somberly.
“My father is Lu Shixun, I am a member of the Lu family.” Lu Shixun plastered on a sweet smile.
“Lu Shixun?” The two men paused a second. One of them muttered to the other: “He is from the Third Great Lord.” The other nodded and said: “Well, of course, you can go in. But not him.”
“Why?” Miao Xiaoqian kitted her brows.
However, she had exhausted all her ruses, and so she was not sure what else to do to help Chen Fan.
The two men in front of her were both phenomenal success in their Internal Force cultivation. That would put their status even higher than her father. Her direct family was just an off shot of the main Lu family branch. If not because she was friends with a few young cousins from the main branch, she might as well be standing with Chen Fan at the other side of the threshold.
Then, a red luxury sports car pulled over. A handsome, strapping young man emerged from within. His body was in exceptionally good shape, and his features on his face were sublime.
He walked over to the threshold with a warm smile and then said: “Xiao Xue, why aren’t you heading in?”
“I met a friend.” Lu Yanxue lowered her head as she blushed.
The man was so handsome that his appearance could have outshined lead members of pop idol bands. Miao Xiaoqian’s eyes instantly melted into fangirl hearts as soon as she saw him.
“Let’s go say hi to Great-Great Grandpa, and then we will chat with your friend.” The young man announced. He nodded at Chen Fan before he walked into the venue.
The other two men in traditional Chinese suits bowed respectfully as he passed. “Young Lord!”
Lu Yanxue looked at Chen Fan and nodded, signaling to him her departure. Her eyes were filled with embarrassment. She pulled one hand close to her face and made a sign that read: “Call me,” before she disappeared into the manor. After the two were gone, Second Lord Xin tutted:
“The Young Lord of the Lu family, Lu Haixuan. Ha! So Dashing and so much power! Rumor has it that he was a martial arts genius that had achieved phenomenal success before he was thirty. He was often compared with Gao Baisheng and Gu Xiao from the Gu family.”
“I have heard that the Lu family also sired an extraordinarily beautiful girl called Lu Yanwu. She was no martial artist, but she was a strident businesswoman. She was in charge of the Lu’s Group. Both she and that young man were the most outstanding members of the Lu family’s younger generation.”
“It’s the 21st century now, they still call him Young Lord?” Chen Fan lamented. He spoke to the doormen again: “Can I go in now?”
“If you really want to get in, you can try to prove yourself by moving that tripod cauldron over there.” One of the doormen said.
The tripod cauldron he was talking about was set a few meters away from them. It was made out of bronze and was about one meter in height. An ordinary person wouldn’t even be able to shake it, much less moving it.
Chen Fan waved a hand at Tong Shan. The latter slapped hard on the side of the cauldron.
“Bang!”
The impact sent a blaring noise. The cauldron was knocked back a few inches from where its original location was.
“Bravo!”
The two doormen were shocked. Second Lord Xin squinted and studied Tong Shan intensely. His suspicions had been confirmed: Tong Shan was indeed a powerful fighter, he was not far from the peak of the Internal Force cultivation.
“Welcome, sir. However, before you enter, please sign the guest book.”
“Chu Zhou City, Chen Beixuan.” Chen Fan said lightly. “This is my servant, Tong Shan.”
Chen Fan’s answer instilled more respect into the two doormen. They wagered that Chen Fan ought to be a mighty figure to be able to have such a powerful servant. However, they racked their brains to find any renowned martial artist in Chu Zhou City but failed.
Chen Fan and Second Lord Xin finally stepped into the Manor.
The Manor was huge inside, and it spoke loudly of the Lu family’s incredible power and influence. The hostess welcomed them as soon as they stepped inside.
Second Lord Xin continued to fill Chen Fan in as they walked on.
“The Martial Arts Conference will last half a month. The first ten days were for all participants to exchange ideas, Dharma Artifacts, or simply to party. The last five days were all business.”
“You said Dharma Artifacts?” Chen Fan asked.
“Why, of course! Dharma Artifacts are widely used by martial artists. That being said, elixirs are probably more common than artifacts.” Second Lord Xin said. Ever since Tong Shan’s display of power, his voice has been laced with respect.
It was evident that he was completely enthralled by Tong Shan’s power.
The hostess led the three to their accommodations. The living conditions here could rival that of a five-star hotel. However, Second Lord Xin told Chen Fan that the real top dogs were assigned their own mansions by the lakeside—a much better upgrade than these apartments.
Once Chen Fan had settled in, he was finally ready to meet the powerful martial artists on earth.
He made his way to the lobby and found it was packed with martial artists from all over China. They wore all different kinds of clothing, from Traditional Chinese suits to Avant Garde and anything in between. It was an eye-opener for Chen Fan in terms of styles.
“Even martial artists need to keep up with the times. Listen to their conversation, you would find that barely anyone talks about martial arts, all they care is money, money, money!” Second Lord Xin lamented.
Although Second Lord Xin possessed a few hundred million himself, he couldn’t compare with the wealth of these martial artists.
Someone who recognized Second Lord Xin shouted out at him: “Second Lord Xin! What took you so long? Who’s that behind you? Is he a youngster from your family? He doesn’t look like a martial artist.”
Second Lord Xin cracked a smile and flung back: “Mad Sun, watch your tongue. This is Chen Beixuan of Chu Zhou City. The big guy here is his servant.”
He then introduced the speaker to Chen Fan: “That’s Mad Sun, a master from the Xin Yi Sect.”
Chen Fan nodded. Mad Sun’s messy hair made him look more like a mad artist that borderlined a Van Gogh’s self-portrait. He had achieved initial success and was not very far from phenomenal success.
Chen Fan’s mind raced. He was taken aback by how many internal force users were here while outside of this manner, an internal force user would be considered such a rare sight. It had proven to him that it was important for him to stay in the right circle in order to meet the right people.
“Chu Zhou City? I have a Sect Brother at Chu Zhou City. Have you ever heard of Guo Wei?” Mad Sun asked.
“Guo Wei of the Wei Shen martial arts school? Yea, I have met him before.” Chen Fan nodded.
Someone chimed in. “You are from Jiang Bei, aren’t you. So tell me, is it true that there is a Master Chen who calls himself the ‘Teenage Grand Master’?”
“That’s bullshit! Grow a brain, will you? The so-called Master Chen is only twenty years old, yet he claimed that he had reached Transcendent State.” Mad Sun shook his head dismissively.
Everyone else agreed with him as they nodded.
Most of them had practiced martial arts for decades and were only able to achieve phenomenal success if not initial success. What would make a twenty-year-old teenage boy so special?
Chen Fan was amused by these martial artists blind conviction and their even blinder eyes.
Suddenly, someone close to the entrance shouted: “Li Family of Green Vines and the Medicine God Vally Sect are here!”
People around Chen Fan quickly forgot about him as they rushed toward the entrance. These two families were renowned apothecary families. Chen Fan followed the flow of people toward the entrance.
Chen Fan saw Lu Haixuan walked into the manor with a man and a woman on either side. The man was in his forties and a touch of grey in his hair. The woman looked elegant and graceful in her cream blouse and dark pants. She was wearing a wooden bead bracelet on her wrist. Although she was not shockingly pretty, she had a charming and dreamy air around her nonetheless.
“That man is ‘One-Needle-Li’. I have heard he could have cured any ailment with one acupuncture needle.”
“The woman had to be from the Medicine God Vally Sect. That was an elusive and secretive sect, and I doubt anyone would know her name.”
As everyone murmured with each other, the three walked over to the center of the courtyard. Lu Haixuan cupped his fists and said:
“Welcome everyone to this year’s Martial Arts Conference. The gentleman beside me is Brother Li from the Li Family of Green Vines, One-Needle-Li, and the lady here is Miss Jin Yi from the Medicine God Vally Sect”
Greetings over, the two sat down at seats reserved for them.
The Li Family and the Medicine God Valley Sect were both in the Apocathey business. It was a great opportunity for fellow martial artists to purchase cures for their ailments.
“I have the recipe for the Lingzhi mushroom Gree Jade Pill, I wonder if the Medicine God Valley Sect would be able to refine such a pill for me?”
“I was injured a few months ago, I wonder if brother Li could take a look.”
“I…”
The crowd surrounded the two guests, carried all kinds of herbs, recipes, and cheques that they had prepared for this moment. Many others found a corner in the courtyard and set up their little kiosks to tout their wares.
The most highly sought after items were elixirs. They were gone as soon as the seller put them up for sale.
Chen Fan caught on and set up his own kiosk. He found a piece of table cloth and made a banner.
“Will buy thousand-year-old herb, Spirit Pills, Spirit Medicine. Pay with elixirs: Physic Refining Pill.”
His banner quickly attracted attention. Mad Sun hurried to him and said: “Hey bro, you got the elixirs?”
“You bet.” Chen Fan nodded.
He had made a large amount of Physic Refining Pill while he was at the military. They didn’t mind Chen Fan taking a few bottles for himself. He had thought of giving them to A’Xiu but didn’t expect that he could put them to put into much better use here.
He fished out a bottle and produced a Physic Refining Pill from within.
The pill was amber in color and was nearly translucent. It looked almost scintillating against the white of the porcelain bottle.
People crowded around Chen Fan and started to examine his products. Some were still suspicious of the pill’s authenticity, and some were outright astonished. Since no one had ever seen this type of elixir, no one was sure of its effects.
By then, the commotion had caught the attention of One-Needle-Li and the girl. They made their way to Chen Fan to investigate. One-Needle-Li spoke to Chen Fan warmly: “Young sir, can I take a look at your elixir?”
“Why of course!” Chen Fan replied readily.
One-Needle-Li picked up one pill and sniffed it. He then scratched the surface with a fingernail to produce some powder. He put those powder in his mouth, and suddenly, he exclaimed: “This is an authentic high-grade elixir! It can not only strengthen one’s body but it also refines a martial artist’s internal energy and helps them gain the power of Internal Force.”
The crowd boiled over at the announcement.
There were many more External-Force-martial-artists than there were there Internal Force counterparts. If this pill could help the external force martial artist gain the internal force, it would be the most highly sought after pill in the world.
With that thought in mind, everyone looked to Chen Fan ardently.