Chapter 94: A City-Wide Sensation, Fortune Skyrockets

Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp!

Under the impact of a mountain-toppling, sea-draining force, Zheng Shan'ao retreated wildly, only managing to steady his figure when he reached the edge of the ring.

The booming sound of the collision and the whistling wind echoed over the square; beneath the ring, the surging crowd that had been clamorous just a moment ago suddenly fell into a deathly silence.

Terror, shock, disbelief.

Although Zheng Shan'ao was still standing on the stage after that one punch.

But anyone with eyes could see that this Martial Arts Master of the Embrace Dan Realm had clearly struggled immensely to receive Lu Yuan's punch, and had nearly been knocked off the ring!

A Martial Arts Master of the Embrace Dan Realm has cultivated their Martial Arts deep into their marrow, with their essence, spirit, and even Qi and blood condensed into a single point in the dantian; with every movement, they possess tens of thousands of catties of force, capable of throwing an elephant with one hand or crushing iron into mud, and in the era of cold weapons, they could easily fight their way in and out of thousands of elite cavalry.

No one had expected that such a figure would find it so difficult to take just one punch from Lu Yuan!

Not to mention the shock and horror of the thousands in the crowd beneath the ring.

At this very moment, on the ring, Zheng Shan'ao still maintained the posture of receiving the punch with both palms, blood snaking down from his nose and mouth, looking exceptionally disheveled.

His gaze was frozen, looking in disbelief at his palms and arms, which had almost lost all sensation and were trembling violently under the intense impact; it was a full while before he spat out a breath of blood-scented air and said in a hoarse voice:

"Young man, is what you used, by any chance, the Broken Gang Divine Fist of the Shenquan Sect?"

Hearing that the other party had actually recognized his fist technique, Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow in slight surprise:

"That is correct. Does this old gentleman wish to continue?"

The Shenquan Sect was, after all, a famous sect from the previous dynasty, and its signature ultimate techniques still enjoyed a reputation to this day; given the age and cultivation of the old man before him, it was not strange that he could recognize it.

"Shenquan Sect."

Zheng Shan'ao was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said in a low voice:

"No need. If my feeling is correct, you young man have not yet used your full strength, have you? I was already struggling to take that first punch, and I fear the following two will be very difficult to receive. It seems my talk of taking you as a disciple earlier was laughable."

As he spoke, his body slowly shrank, his inflated, formidable physique returning to its original state, clearly having completely abandoned the intention of taking the remaining two punches.

What, he hadn't even used his full strength!?

And beneath the ring, Hou Zhenhua, Qiao Sihai, and the other experts of the Martial Arts Association, all sharp of eye and ear, were once again horrified to hear this.

If he hadn't used his full strength and yet a figure like Zheng Shan'ao struggled to cope, what would happen if he used his full power?

The young man standing on the stage clearly looked to be only in his early twenties, a mere mortal body—where on earth did such unfathomable strength come from?

However, regardless of what the people below the stage were thinking.

Seeing Zheng Shan'ao voluntarily concede, Lu Yuan raised his eyebrows and simply smiled, cupping his hands:

"A mere parlor trick, the old gentleman is too kind with his praise."

Zheng Shan'ao's feeling was correct; even when facing this Six Realms Martial Arts Master, his 【Earthly Fiend-Great Strength】 had not yet exerted its full power, and he had held back quite a bit of force at the final moment.

However.

The fact that so many people below the stage were shouting and cheering suggested that this person's status in the Martial Arts Association must be extremely high, and for him to be able to admit so frankly that he could not take the blow was truly not easy.

Zheng Shan'ao did not leave the stage immediately, but after a moment of contemplation, he lowered his voice and asked:

"Young man, let me ask you a question: why did you set up this ring in Jinjin?"

Lu Yuan said straightforwardly:

"The Jinjin Martial Arts Association is prosperous; setting up a ring here is naturally to make a name for myself."

"Make a name?"

Not expecting such an answer, Zheng Shan'ao frowned and continued to ask:

"Then how long do you intend to keep this ring up?"

Lu Yuan replied: "Naturally, until someone can take away the prize money. What is the meaning of the old gentleman's question?"

Zheng Shan'ao said in a low voice:

"Young man, that which is too rigid is easily broken. An outsider like you with no foundation setting up such a ring here at Haihe Square is too flashy; it is almost equivalent to challenging the entire Jinjin Martial Arts Association. Furthermore, one should not flaunt wealth; even I would be tempted by fifty thousand Silver Yuan, let alone the underworld and the authorities of this Jinjin City."

Take a word of advice from this old man: there are many ways to become famous, you do not have to use such methods. Today is one thing, but if you continue to hold the ring here in the coming days, you will soon face unexpected and massive trouble."

To be honest, a young man like you has a boundless future and could play a huge role for the country and the people in the future; there is no need to put yourself in such danger here."

Such a warning could be called truly sincere.

However, since Lu Yuan had set up the ring, he had naturally considered the possible consequences, and he just smiled:

"I understand. Thank you for the reminder, old gentleman; I will consider it when I return."

Not knowing if the young man before him had taken his words to heart, Zheng Shan'ao sighed:

"Young man, regardless of what happens, if you encounter trouble that is difficult to handle, you can come to the Zhengshan Mansion on Ziyang Street to find me. This old man still has a bit of face in Jinjin and can provide you with some help."

Having said this, he walked off the ring in a clean and decisive manner.

Below the stage, a crowd of disciples and followers, and even Martial Arts Association experts like Hou Zhenhua, hurried to meet him, all wearing complex expressions, wanting to speak but hesitating, wanting to ask but not daring to.

Zheng Shan'ao did not seem to care about his failure on the stage, only sighing as he said:

"Unthinkable, truly unthinkable. This child's Godly Strength is shocking to the world; even I could not withstand it. How can there be such a person of such immense strength in this world..."

With Zheng Shan'ao, a renowned veteran of the Martial Arts Association, being so magnanimous, the other experts were speechless, but one of the disciples who had accompanied him said indignantly:

"Grandmaster, this brat just has some freakish strength; if you really fought him, with your skills, you would surely be able to take him down without any effort!"

Zheng Shan'ao frowned and shook his head:

"Others set up a ring to compete in strength, so why talk of anything else? Enough, let us go."

Seeming not to want to be watched by the massive crowd at the scene, he waved his hand to bid farewell to the people of the Martial Arts Association and led his accompanying disciples to push through the crowd and leave the scene.

And on the stage, after Zheng Shan'ao and the others had left, Lu Yuan looked around, his voice vibrating:

"The fifty thousand Silver Yuan is right here. Is there anyone else who wants to come up and try?"

Try, my foot!

Below the stage, the thousands of people were buzzing and clamorous; those who had been unconvinced were now completely subdued, and no one dared to stand out again.

Including those at the edge of the ring, Martial Arts Association experts like Hou Zhenhua and Qiao Sihai all had ugly expressions on their faces and began to urgently discuss countermeasures:

"This is troublesome. If even Master Zheng cannot block a single punch, who else can handle this kid?"

"I heard from the kid just now that he intends to keep this ring going until someone manages to take the prize money!"

"Damn it, if no one can take it and this ring stays up, won't our Jinjin Martial Arts Association lose all its face!?"

"No! The reputation of the Martial Arts Association must not be damaged! Aside from Master Zheng, I haven't seen any other renowned experts here; they probably don't know the news yet. Should we go and invite some other renowned experts over?"

"In my opinion, inviting other renowned experts will likely be useless. Those few are similar in strength to Master Zheng. Even if they came, nine times out of ten, they wouldn't be able to remain standing on the stage after three punches."

"Then go and invite Wu Taidou!?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the many experts fell silent.

Wu Taidou, originally named Wu Yixian, is the current top figure and uncrowned king of the Jinjin Martial Arts Association.

He is nearly seventy years old, but over a decade ago, he already stepped into the highest realm, the Seventh Realm Martial Arts Grandmaster.

The Seventh Realm True Martial is the highest achievement in martial arts.

Those who master it have their Qi and blood fused in harmony, with all fist intent and spirit melted into one furnace; the dantian acts like a kiln, smelting Qi and blood into an Inner Pill, giving birth to blood Qi, or what is called True Qi.

True Qi is the essence of life. Those who master it have no leaks in their Qi and blood, their mind is round and flawless, and their physical strength is as formidable as a dragon. When exerting full power, they can even unleash a force of ten thousand jun, capable of pressing a solid iron ball into an iron pancake with one palm.

Such a person, in the era of cold weapons, was a supreme Grandmaster capable of rivaling thousands of troops and taking an enemy's head from within an army; even now, with the dominance of firearms and cannons, he can be called a living legend.

If one could invite this person, dealing with a kid who only has natural Godly Strength would surely be a trivial matter.

The problem is, the status and position of such a person are so lofty that it is difficult to even see him on ordinary days. How could one possibly make him lower his status to come to this Haihe Square and engage in a ring challenge like a monkey show against a junior?

That would simply be a huge joke.

The renowned experts of the Sixth Realm cannot withstand Lu Yuan's monstrous strength, but the Grandmaster of the Seventh Realm is even harder to invite.

After all the talk, there is no way to solve this. The experts of the Martial Arts Association have gloomy and ugly expressions, trapped in deep helplessness, and can only stand under the stage and stare blankly.

Just like that.

Under the gaze of thousands of people and enveloped by rolling waves of sound, Lu Yuan stood quietly on the ring waiting, and for a long while, no one came up.

During this time, as the news spread, a large number of Jinjin commoners rushed to Haihe Square to watch the excitement, but they could only squeeze into the outermost periphery, stretching their necks but seeing nothing.

At the same time, more people from the Martial Arts Association arrived upon hearing the news. Some uninformed martial arts school masters brought their disciples and were preparing to force their way through the crowd to mount the stage, but they were stopped by Hou Zhenhua, Qiao Sihai, and others, who informed them of Lu Yuan's astonishing record.

Upon learning that even a renowned expert like Zheng Shan'ao had voluntarily admitted defeat after taking only one punch from Lu Yuan, these arriving martial arts experts all had their faces twitching wildly in disbelief, not daring to mount the stage with the same confidence as before.

Time passed just like that.

Another half an hour passed, until the sun began to slant toward the west at the edge of the sky.

Having been on the ring for nearly two hours, Lu Yuan saw that the effect had been initially achieved and immediately raised his voice:

"Since no one is coming up, today's challenge ends here."

"At noon tomorrow, I will set up the ring at this square again. The rules remain the same; anyone is welcome to come up and challenge!"

Having said this, he walked to the Eight Immortals table, gathered up the mountain-like pile of Silver Yuan and Gold Yuan, and then gave an order to two coolies who had been standing there holding poles to carry the table away.

Subsequently, Lu Yuan walked off the ring, carrying the large chest of Silver Yuan.

With only two displays of power, Lu Yuan, an outsider, had become famous and stolen the spotlight. Dozens or hundreds of martial arts practitioners under the stage had faces as black as the bottom of a pot, but they could only watch helplessly.

Carrying the threat of that punch which even Zheng Shan'ao could barely withstand, the thousands of people automatically parted wherever Lu Yuan went. Regardless of age or gender, as people looked at his young face and the wooden chest in his hand, their gazes were filled with both awe and burning greed.

Fifty thousand Silver Yuan is a sky-high fortune; it is enough for an ordinary person to spend for a lifetime. No one would be unmoved.

However, having witnessed Lu Yuan's power on the stage just now, ordinary commoners dared not have the slightest thought. Only some thugs and idlers who had practiced martial arts, or even gang members, squeezed through the crowd with sinister looks in their eyes, following behind him.

Due to the turmoil in the country, the colonization by foreign powers, and the increasing prosperity of commercial ports, a large number of hoodlums and thugs have emerged in Jinjin over the past few decades. They gather to cause trouble, run rampant in the countryside, rob women of good families, or harass brothels and shops to extort money. Especially after these people were incorporated into the Cao Gang, they became even more lawless, treating human life like grass and committing all kinds of evil.

Just like now, there were many such thugs and small gang leaders in the crowd, viewing Lu Yuan, who was carrying the money chest, as a huge fat sheep.

Because even though Lu Yuan's performance on the ring was shocking, what he had shown so far was nothing more than monstrous strength.

And no matter how high one's martial arts are, one still fears a hidden gun.

They have the backing of large gangs, which not only have many experts but can also easily obtain powerful items like secret medicines and firearms. As long as they find out where Lu Yuan is staying, taking this sky-high fortune would be no difficult task at all!

For a time, as Lu Yuan walked through the crowd, countless people with ulterior motives followed closely behind. Even Qiao Sihai and other martial arts masters from the distance had their gazes shift; some frowned, while others gloated:

"This kid seems to have been targeted by people from the Cao Gang."

"For an outsider with no background or foundation to flaunt such a large amount of money in public, it would be strange if he weren't targeted!"

"Hmph, who told this kid to be so arrogant!? Perhaps we won't see this person tomorrow."

However.

What they did not know was.

Not long after walking out of the crowd, Lu Yuan had already noticed the dozens of tails following behind him.

To this, he only gave a sneer over his shoulder, then quickened his pace, rapidly walking into Haihe Avenue and turning into a small alley.

Behind him, at least dozens of people had been tailing him the whole way and were sprinting to catch up, but when they followed him into that alley, they suddenly lost sight of Lu Yuan.

"Where is he!?"

These thugs and gang members were suddenly shocked, causing a commotion as they searched everywhere, but they could not find a single trace.

The sun slanted westward, and night completely descended.

With the disappearance of Lu Yuan and the dispersal of the thousands of spectators at Haihe Square, the news swept through Jinjin like a hurricane, stirring up quite a storm.

Everyone heard that around noon and into the afternoon, a young outsider had set up a ring at Haihe Square with a reward of fifty thousand Silver Yuan as the prize, under the banner of "God Fist Invincible, Jinmen Number One."

They also learned that this young outsider not only blasted the Martial Artist Hou Zhenhua off the stage with one punch but also defeated the Jinjin renowned expert and Sixth Realm Martial Arts Master Zheng Shan'ao after he took only one punch!

Such a strange event, unprecedented in hundreds of years, immediately caused a great sensation in the city. Those who were suspicious, questioning, and in disbelief were everywhere.

And just as the news was rampant outside.

Under the cover of night, Lu Yuan had already returned home safely.

At this very moment, because of the big event he had stirred up during the day, there was a massive amount of Qi Luck gathering and surging in the dark. He immediately communicated with the Heavenly Book and received feedback:

【Supernatural Power Master】: Lu Yuan

【Mastered Techniques】:

Earthly Fiend-Ingestion (Human: 69%); Earthly Fiend-Guidance (Human: 58%); Earthly Fiend-Invisibility (Human: 15%);

Earthly Fiend-Sending Staff (Human: 10%); Earthly Fiend-Medicine (Human: 29%); Earthly Fiend-Earth Travel (Human: 13%);

Earthly Fiend-Generating Light (Human: 22%); Earthly Fiend-Sword Art (Human: 24%); Earth Fiend-Stone Boiling (Human: 18%);

Earthly Fiend-Pot Heaven (Human: 17%); Earthly Fiend-Great Strength (Human: 2%)

【Luck Power】: 322 units

Originally, after finishing the point allocation for the 【Great Strength】 technique, he had less than one hundred units of Luck Power remaining.

But today, after the arena matches concluded, his reputation spread far and wide under the gaze of thousands of commoners, and his Qi Luck surged violently by over two hundred units.

Furthermore, even now, vast amounts of Qi Luck are still continuously gathering toward him from the unseen void!

"As expected of Jinjin, to actually possess such a large amount of Qi Luck."

Such a growth rate could be called unprecedented, and Lu Yuan could not help but feel infinite surprise.

Because the gathering of Qi Luck brought about by popularity and fame will continue for a very long time as influence expands.

In just this short while, over two hundred units of Qi Luck have been credited; if he keeps this up for a longer period, the final accumulation of Qi Luck might reach hundreds or even thousands!

(End of this chapter)