Tian Nan Province, Lin City, In front of the Lu family mansion.
Lu Dayong was working his shift in the security room and yawned from boredom. He was a member of the offshoot branch of the Lu family and knew only a few martial arts, a long shot from being an Internal Force user. However, that was enough for him to bully ordinary people from time to time. Thanks to nepotism, he gained a position in the Lu family as a captain of the security team.
This was the headquarters of the dominating family in Tian Nan. Therefore, no one in their right mind would think of coming to the mansion to cause a racket. Ever since the Martial Arts Conference was over, those two internal force doormen were dismissed and returned to their real duty elsewhere in the family.
Both of the doormen were Internal Force users and not only were they dominating figures in their own region but, they were also in possession of billions of assets. If not because of the Martial Arts Conference, they would never be doormen in their life. Since the conference was over, they returned home and left only Lu Dayong and his team guarding the entrance to the property.
“Brother Yong, our life is so boring. Just a few days ago, there were fights to watch almost every day. Now? Nothing.” A skinny man yawned and complained.
Despite the speaker’s scrawny look, he was one of the infamous fighters in the streets of Lin City. He used to chase off half a dozen muscular men in the street using nothing but a butcher’s knife. He managed a bus station and owned shares in a few entertainment venues in the city. However, while back in the family, his rightful place was at the entrance.
Nonetheless, the skinny man seemed to be proud of his post.
He bragged about his position all the time. “I work for the Lu family of Lin City. They are the legendary martial arts family, a dominating power in the Jiang Nan Province. Everyone around here relies on them to make a living. It is an honor to watch their door for them. If not because of my connection with Brother Yong, I might not even be able to do even that.”
“Bug off! Both family lord and Grandpa Long were dead. There is nothing to be excited about.” Lu Dayong flung back at him.
“Hehe, Brother Yong, to be frank with you. I am nothing but a lowly scum in the eyes of your family lord and Grandpa Long, so far, I have never met them even once. So, really, do you think I care about them?” The scrawny man said with a mischievous smile.
Lu Dayong snorted and kept his silence.
He was from the offshoot branch of the family and was not even an Internal Force user. He had only seen the family lord from afar on the ancestral memorial ceremony every ten years. As for Lu Tianlong, he might be able to catch a glimpse of him once in a while but not very often either. After he heard of their death, Lu Dayong simply nodded and felt nothing except for concern for the future of the family.
“On that note, Chen Beixuan is quite something else, isn’t he! I didn’t see the battle with my eyes but Holy Shit! When I got back to the courtyard to clean up. It was such a mess! Holes everywhere on the wall and even a few large enough to fit a man through. Many structures had collapsed and, it was as if a Typhoon had swept through the courtyard. It’s hard to describe how bad it is.” The scrawny man tutted.
“Brother Yong, someone can really be that powerful?” Another security guard put in.
A hint of contempt surfaced on Lu Dayong’s face. “Humph! I have seen it with my own eyes. I watched as Chen Beixuan and my family lord fought like two monsters. They fought from here to yonder across the yard. If they miss and the attack landed on the building, the wall just crumbles. It’s terrifying.”
“How strong do you think they really are to be able to topple a wall? Especially those thick concrete weight-bearing walls. Ramming into it is like hitting a stone with an egg.” The scrawny man asked incredulously.
“You are a mortal, but they are Grand Masters.” Lu Dayong snorted. “Do you know what Grand Masters are? They were like the dragons in the legends. They can shoot their Internal Force out and kill you from a distance.”
“Brother Yong, the family lord, is also a Grand Master, how come he ended up getting killed by Chen Beixuan? The family lord is over seventy, so in theory, he should be more powerful than a boy, don’t you think? I have seen Chen Beixuan in person, and he is no more than twenty years old, even younger than my son. How is that even possible?” The scrawny man asked questioningly.
The other security guards looked to Lu Dayong confusedly.
“Hum… this… is… because of… of… Um…” A pang of embarrassment shot through Lu Dayong. In the end, he managed to fling back: “Chen Beixuan is one in a hundred-year genius in martial arts. A young Grand Master, not just anyone’s son.”
“In my opinion, no other Grand Master could have defeated him. Chen Beixuan is practically the most powerful Grand Master in the world.”
In fact, Lu Dayong had never met any other Grand Masters. However, in order to make his family —however distantly related he was—look better, he decided to exaggerate Chen Fan’s ability. To be defeated by the most powerful man in China was not that much of a defeat after all.
“The most powerful in China? Shit!”
Everyone exclaimed, seemingly buying Lu Dayong’s lies.
Just so! If Chen Beixuan was the most powerful man, it would make sense that even the family lord could not overcome him. That even meant that the family lord could have been the second most powerful man in China.
Seeing the relieved expression on everyone’s face, Lu Dayong let out a smug smile. Suddenly, a voice drifted toward the entrance. “Who said that Chen Beixuan is the most powerful Grand Master in China? Have you asked the opinion of other Grand Masters?”
“Who said that?”
Lu Dayong looked to the speaker with furrowed brows.
He saw a white-haired old man standing right in front of the entrance. The old man was wearing a white peacoat and stood upright. He linked his hand behind his back. Standing behind him was a black-haired man of multiracial heritage.
“Who are you?” Lu Dayong had many questions in his mind, but he chose his words carefully. “Even if it was not a consensus among Grand Masters, the fact that Chen Beixuan could defeat my family lord speaks loudly of his power.”
“Hehe, you mean defeating Lu Tianfen?” The old man’s voice was filled with contempt and disdain. “He was probably the weakest of all Grand Masters. It was not that big of a deal to be able to defeat him.”
“How dare you insult my family lord’s name!” Lu Dayong glared at the old man.
Although Lu Tianfen was already dead, he had been the family lord of the Lu family. Therefore, to insult the deceased family lord was to insult the Lu family.
Suddenly, the scrawny man and other security guards stood up, some holding batons, and a few even produced firearms. As one of the most powerful martial arts family, it was not difficult for them to obtain firearms.
“Insult him, you say? I am just honest.” The old man answered lightly. “Seventeen years ago, I fought with Lu Tianfen. I defeated him with only nine moves.”
“What did you say?” Anger froze on Lu Dayong’s face as he studied the white-haired old man incredulously.
Lu Tianfen was the dominating figure in China’s martial arts landscape. If the old man could have defeated Lu Tianfen, he must be a Grand Master as well. However, Lu Dayong could not tell anything extraordinary from this old man, except for his incredibly sharp eyes.
That being said, he noticed energy emanating from the man standing behind him. There was an overbearing quality about him that suggested he was a powerful fighter. He wagered that the black-haired man was even more powerful than Su Wudi and the family lord of the Gu family.
The old man didn’t mind the security guard’s glare. He walked over to the Tripod Cauldron.
The Tripod Cauldron was made out of pure bronze and was about one meter in height. A few blessings were inscribed on the surface. It was used to adjust the Feng Shui for most of the time, but under certain circumstances, it was a tool to measure the power of a martial artist.
It took at least an Internal Force user to move this Tripod Cauldron.
“What a handsome looking Tripod Cauldron!”
The old man walked around the Tripod Cauldron and studied it. He nodded satisfyingly.
“What are you going to do?”Lu Dayong asked confusedly. Then, he saw something incredible.
He watched as the old man reached out a hand to the underbelly of the Tripod Cauldron and lowered himself into a Horse Stance. Then he lifted the Tripod Cauldron with one hand, holding it high above his head.
“Holy Mother—”
The security guards were so stunned that they dropped their weapons on the ground, yet they didn’t even notice it. They could only gape at the old man.
If they haven’t been staying just a few paces from the Tripod Cauldron 24/7, they might be convinced that someone had switched the metal Tripod Cauldron to a plastic one.
“Bang!”
The old man took a step forward, still holding the Cauldron. The hard surface of paved granite caved in as the old man’s foot thudded on it. The earth seemed to tremble lightly.
“Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!”
The white-haired old man walked into the mansion while holding the Tripod Cauldron. Lu Dayong swallowed hard and dared not to stop him. He wondered if the old man was a human or a Terminator sent by machines in the future to wipe out mankind.
“What’s going on? Is there an earthquake?”
The old man’s heavy steps sent tremors to the group, and many residences of the mansion ran out of the house, fearing it was an earthquake. However, what they saw outside stunned them.
They knew how heavy that Tripod Cauldron was since they passed it nearly every day.
“Who is he? That’s insane! He can lift the Tripod Cauldron? Is he superman? ” A swell of surprised murmurs rose among the family members. Finally, someone recognized the old man. “Lei Qianjue! Why is he in China?”
“What? He is the Grand Master of the Hong Sect, Lei Qianjue?”
The crowd boiled over.
Unlike Chen Fan, Lei Qianjue was a household name.
Lei Qianjue had dominated the martial arts world for over twenty years. In China, everyone knew that he was the most powerful martial artist outside of China. Now he was back, but what did he want? Revenge? If so, shouldn’t he head toward the Military to look for Ye Nantian? What was he doing here?
Questions rose in everyone’s minds.
However, everyone was certain that the return of the Grand Master of the Hong Sect was going to cause a racket in China.
“Grand Master Lei, what brings you here to the Lu family?”
No one dared to stop Lei Qianjue. In the end, the great-great-grandpa of the Lu family walked out of the building, accompanied by Lu Yanwua and her sister.
“Where is Chen Beixuan?” Lei Qianjue asked calmly.
“Grand Master Chen had left a few days ago.” Surprise glinted in great-great-grandpa’s eyes. However, he answered obediently to the old man.
“Oh, really?” Lei Qianjue scanned around him. Everyone quietly lowered their heads.
Lei Qianjue’s eyes were so sharp that his gaze looked like two lightning flashes. There was unmistaken intent to kill hidden in those gleaming eyes.
“Bam!”
Lei Qianjue hurled the Tripod Cauldron over his head. The giant cauldron whizzed through the air and landed on top of the building, crushing it to rubble instantly.
“Chen Beixuan killed my disciple, and therefore, he is my enemy. Anyone who helps him or is related to him would end up like that house.” Lei Qianjue announced lightly.
Despite his calm demeanor, the Lu family members were frightened. They lowered their heads, daring not to hold the old man’s deadly gaze.
However, to everyone’s surprise, Lu Yanxue had kept her chin up bravely.