“You have never heard of Lei Qianjue and Chen Beixuan? Which martial arts family are you from?” The old man asked suspiciously with furrowed brows.
Martial arts family? Sect? Why did it sound like the stuff on TV shows? We live in a modern age now, did these things of the past still exist?
The boys and girls form Chu Zhou City looked at each other in confusion. However, Zhang Yumeng was quick enough to improvise a reply:
“Yes, yes. My master is Guo Wei from the Wei Shen martial arts school in Chu Zhou City.”
The Wei Shen martial arts school was the most famous martial arts school in Chu Zhou City.
“Guo Wei… sounds familiar. Ah- he is from the Xin Yi Sect isn’t he?” The old man mulled over the name for a while and finally nodded his head. There were not a lot of Internal Force users in China and therefore since Guo Wei was able to obtain the Internal Force, he was quite popular among his sect members.
“Well, so we are related, after all. My sect is very close to the Xing Yi Sect.” A smile broke over the old man’s face. “That being said, you guys look too wimpy to have even mastered the most basic forms of the Xing Yi Fist, much less Internal Force.”
“Hehe…” The teenagers from Chu Zhou City smiled back embarrassed.
Among them, only two people had practiced a few years of Taekwondo and Karate in the school’s interest groups. None of them were exposed to real martial arts training. Therefore, they barely knew what Xing Yi Fist was about, much less Internal Force.
“Grandpa, what is Internal Force?” Zhang Yumeng asked curiously.
She has a cute face and kittenish voice, a favorite among old people.
“You don’t even know what Internal Force is? Guo Wei didn’t talk about it?” The old man’s suspicion grew again as he scanned the teenagers more scrutinizingly.
However, he knew that this section of the lake was sealed off and no ordinary people were able to get past the blockade. Plus, they knew Guo Wei and therefore he wagered that they had to be members of the Martial arts world one way or another. In the end, the old man heaved a sigh and shook his head.”Fine, fine, I will fill you guys in. Even if I don’t tell you about it now, your teacher will tell you sooner or later. It’s not a secret.”
“The so-called Internal Force was energy inside of a human’s body. One would need to cultivate this energy to make it useful. Once formed, it could enable a man to run as fast as a horse and lift a thousand tons of weight with ease. Usually, an Internal Force martial artist should be able to fight against over a dozen average people at the same time.”
“So… are you telling me that what they showed us on TV is real? ” Yang Chao exclaimed.
Xu Rongfei and Zhang Yumeng didn’t buy it, and even Li Yichen and Young Lord Han furrowed their brows in disbelief. However, Jiang Churan shivered a little as she recalled the memory of Chen Fan summoning a dragon in the clouds.
“Is that Internal Force or Dharma Spells? Could Chen Fan really be an Internal Force expert?”Jiang Churan was at a loss.
“Hehe, your teacher Guo Wei for example, he had reached initial success in his Internal Force cultivation. He could smash open a gate made out of iron with ease.” The old man said with a contemptuous voice.
Jiang Churan had registered the disdain in the old man’s voice, so she asked: “So I wager grandpa is much more powerful than our teacher?”
The old man cracked a smile and kept his silence, however, the brash little boy piped up: “Why of course! Guo Wei is nothing but a run of the mill martial artist from the Xin Yi Sect. My grandpa was the sect master of the Seven Kill Fist Sect twenty years ago. He was a peak level Internal Force user and had killed over a hundred timberwolves when he was young—”
“Xiao Hu, sit down and be quiet.” The old man cut the boy short.
The boy waggled his head a few times and sat down obediently.
However, everyone had heard Xiao Hu’s words, so they looked to each other fearfully.
Seven Kill Fist Sect? Peak level Internal Force user? Killed Timberwolves barehanded?
Why did these deeds sound so over the top? Timberwolves were deadly beasts and encountering just one of them would put a human’s life in danger, much less than a hundred of them.
“I wager that the old man might have been telling his grandson some wild tales.” Li Yichen calculated.
The old man registered the teenager’s doubts and therefore he heaved a sigh and said: that was a long time ago. Even since I was defeated by an enemy, I can barely hold up against a phenomenal success Internal Force user.”
“Who would be able to defeat you since you already sounded so powerful?” Zhang Yumeng asked as she battered her lashes.
“Hehe, although I was a peak Internal Force fighter, there are also semi-transcendent and the real Transcendent Grandmasters above me.” The old man shook his head, disheartened by his old memories. “The person who had defeated me was Lei Qianjue.”
“Lei Qianjue?”
This was the second time everyone had heard of this name, and it finally started to ring a bell.
This section of the water was closed off for the battle between Lei Qianjue and Chen Beixuan. It was evident to everyone how important these two were since even the popular tourist attractions had to close off because of their match.
“There, that one who was fishing is Lei Qianjue.” The old man pointed his lips toward the center of the lake. Indignation and anger that had burned over a few decades were still visible in the old man’s eyes.
“That is Lei Qianjue?” Jiang Churan and her friends looked to the center of the lake and saw an old man in a white coat sitting in a boat at the center of the lake. He looked just like an ordinary fisherman and nothing extraordinary.
“Above the Internal Force users were the Transcendent Grandmasters. Even if Lei Qianjue was not the most powerful Transcendent Grandmaster, he is at least on the top five list.” The old man heaved a sigh.
He had been one level below Lei Qianjue when they pitted against each other. However, there and then, even Lei Qianjue’s disciple could have defeated the old man with ease, worse, the old man’s physical conditions and abilities were deteriorating by the day.
“Where are they going to fight? On that little boat? Why don’t they choose a more convenient venue, say a gym?” Li Yichen asked confusedly.
Yang Chao and Zhang Yumeng nodded in agreement with Li Yichen’s suggestion.
It would be too dangerous to fight on that tiny boat, one false move, they would all fall into the lake.
“Haha, that boat? Haha, the gym?” The old man let out a peal of laughter, rendering Zhang Yumeng and the other teenagers even more confused than before.
“A Grandmaster can walk in the sky and march on the water. Only while they were unconstrained by space could these powerful grandmasters fully unleash their power.” The old man pulled a taut face and then said contemptuously: “Only amateurs fight in the gym. The two Grandmasters could easily tear the gym apart in less than three seconds.”
“Really?” Zhang Yumeng and her friends could only stare.
Li Yichen kept his silence, but his eyes were filled with disdain.
“Well, it’s not your youngsters’ fault to not know any of it. Ever since Lei Qianjue was defeated by Ye Nantian seventeen years ago, there hasn’t been another fight between Grandmasters. Grandmasters were the dominant power of an entire region, the foundation of regional stability, and therefore they don’t let themselves get involved with confrontations easily. If not because of the Young Grandmaster’s sudden rise to power, we wouldn’t even have the fortune to witness this fight.” The old man heaved a sigh and said.
Suddenly, his eyes glinted as he looked into the distance. “Another Grandmaster is here.”
Around them, many martial arts suddenly rose to their feet and looked toward the same direction. Zhang Yumeng looked as well but saw nothing but an empty lake.
“Where is he?” Zhang Yumeng searched the lake surface for any sign of commotion, and then she found it.
A small black dot appeared at the horizon. The dot was the size of a thumb in the beginning, and then it grew to as big as a basketball. By then, everyone could tell that the dot was someone who was running across the lake on water.
“What?” Zhang Yumeng was stunned.
Suddenly, the person running snarled, his voice sent a shock wave across the lake, stirring up waves on the otherwise calm surface. It was deafeningly loud when it reached everyone’s ear.
“Brother Lei, you are still looking pretty good after seventeen years.”
When he pronounced “brother” he was still a few hundred meters away, however, by the time he finished his sentence, he had already reached the center of the lake. It was close enough for the teenagers from Chu Zhou City to see his face clearly.
It was a middle-aged man wearing a Daoist robe with black and white stripes. Every time the man’s feet touched the water, it left an imprint in the shape of a Tai Chi symbol. Looking from afar, it was as if these Tai Chi symbols had carried him all the way across the lake, making the middle age man resemble an immortal with otherworldly powers.
“It…”
Zhang Yumeng and her friends were rendered speechless. Even Li Yichen was shaken by the sight. However illustrious the old man’s past was, it paled in comparison to the middle-aged man’s ability to talk on water.
“Grandmaster of the Tai Chi Sect, Chen Jiuyang!” The old man from the Seven Kill Fist Sect exclaimed heavily.
His eyes were filled with remorse and envy. Compared to the Tai Chi Sect, the Seven Kill Fist Sect was a small outfit. Ever since his defeat, the Seven Kill Fist Sect fell from grace and the number of sect members dwindled.
“How are you doing Brother Chen?” The old man fishing at the center of the lake finally broke his silence.
“Well, not as good as you, Brother Lei. I am only going downhill from here.” Chen Jiuyang let out a wry smile. “I was still able to spar with you seventeen years ago, but seventeen years later, I can’t even defeat your disciple! I was so ashamed of myself that I didn’t know if I could face you again.”
Chen Jiuyang stood steadily on the water, supported by a powerful gust under his feet. The wind blew from his feet plunged into the water, causing waves as high as a meter tall. It lifted the old man’s body in the air above the water.
“Romon is not really my disciple. He used to study under many other Mixed Martial Arts Masters and is well versed in nearly all kinds of martial arts. I merely provided some of my advice and limited guidance.” The old man said slowly.
“Your limited guidance had made a Grandmaster out of him. Brother, I really have to confess that I have no clue how powerful you have gotten. I wager that Ye Nantian would be your only worthy opponent in the world. ” Chen Jiuyang lamented.
“Ye Nantian?” The old man suddenly tightened his back and put away the fishing rod. “After I have killed Chen Beixuan and avenged my disciple, I will head north to Yan Mountain and see if I can learn a thing or two from the all mighty Ye Nantian.”
The two Grandmasters conversed with each other while their audience kept their silence fearfully.
Even Li Yichen and Yang Chao had sealed their lips while trying to grapple with the immense fear toward the two speakers.
“So what that old man and his grandson told us was true? Martial arts and their otherworldly powers such as walking on water, and killing people from a distance do exist in this world?” Li Yichen was dumbfounded.
He has seen it with his own eyes. Chen Jiuyang had walked over the lake on his bare feet; it was a scene straight out of the legends and high tales.
“Chen Jiuyang confessed that he couldn’t even defeat the other old man’s disciple? How powerful exactly is that old fisherman? And how powerful is Chen Beixuan?”
Everyone waited for the fight to begin expectantly.
Meanwhile, Lu Yanwu was still waiting outside of the ICU.
Chen Fan had been inside for three days, would he still be able to make it to the Fight of Grandmasters at the West Lake?