Martial Arts: Starting with Creating a Genius Persona

Chapter 8 The Challenge of the Blood Wolf Gang

"Get some rest! You'll begin your closed-door breakthrough tomorrow, and I'll protect you!" Lu Youde said earnestly.

Lu Yuan was speechless.

Lu Youde patted him just now.

A sharp pain exploded from his right shoulder, shooting up his neck along the meridians, as if someone were stabbing his shoulder socket with a red-hot iron rod.

Lu Yuan felt a sudden white light at the edge of his vision, and a vein on his forehead throbbed.

But he didn't move.

His facial expression remained unchanged.

Her lips weren't even pursed.

"Hmm," he said softly.

The sound was steady.

Lu Youde was completely unaware and went out with a smile.

The footsteps faded into the distance.

Lu Yuan remained motionless, leaning against the headboard.

Three breaths.

Five breaths.

After confirming that Lu Youde had gone far away...

"hiss......"

He slid down as if his bones had been removed, clutching his right shoulder and curling up in a ball.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead and streamed down his cheeks.

His right shoulder, which was already swollen, was slapped hard by Lu Youde's hand, which had been used for decades of martial arts training, making it seem as if he had been injured again.

He shivered as he took off his coat and discovered that the bruise on his right shoulder had expanded.

The bruises spread from the shoulder socket to the middle of the upper arm, and were covered with bluish-purple bruises.

"Lu Youde..."

He gritted his teeth.

"Why did you film that part...?"

Just then, a notification sound rang in my mind.

[New entry: Pain immunity (white)]

[Pain Immunity (White)]: Your pain tolerance is slightly increased. This does not affect your combat performance while you are injured.

Lu Yuan then turned his attention back to the transparent panel in his mind.

[New entry: A desperate strike (white)]

【A Fierce Strike (White)】: Allows for a brief burst of power at the early stage of the Blood Coagulation Realm, lasting for one breath. After use, the user enters a weakened state.

Lu Yuan was taken aback.

A powerful strike!

Where did this entry come from?

He recalled today's battle... He stopped two crimson horses with one hand, endured for so long under extreme conditions, and in the end, his burst of blood and qi did indeed briefly break through the limits of the Body Tempering Realm.

At that moment, his right arm strength reached its limit; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to hold back the second wave of struggle.

Someone in the crowd must have realized that my explosive power might have reached the Blood Coagulation Realm.

The Golden Finger recorded that moment of understanding and solidified it into an entry.

Take a breath.

The power of the early stage of the Blood Coagulation Realm.

Although brief, it was enough in that decisive moment.

He glanced down at the small celadon bottle in his hand.

Bone-tempering pill.

With this pill, breaking through to the late stage of Body Tempering shouldn't be a problem.

If one were to unleash a powerful strike at the late stage of Body Tempering...

Lu Yuan carefully put away the porcelain bottle, leaned against the headboard, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Looks like today's harvest was quite plentiful.

The next morning.

Lu Yuan had just finished washing up and was preparing to take the Bone Tempering Pill to break through to a higher level when there was another knock on the door.

The voice of the old servant who often took care of him came from outside the door.

"Young Master Yuan, the patriarch requests your presence in the main hall... it seems there is an urgent matter."

When Lu Yuan stepped into the main hall, he found that the atmosphere inside was much more gloomy than outside.

At this moment, Lu Youde was sitting upright in the main seat, clutching a letter tightly in his hand, his face ashen.

Lu Youguang, the eldest elder of the Lu family, stood to the side, his goatee trembling slightly, his expression equally grim.

Lu Youde remained silent for a moment before placing the letter on the table.

On the table in front of the two, the letter lay open, its blood-red handwriting shocking to behold.

When Lu Yuan walked in, the two of them looked up at the same time.

"Yuan'er is here."

Lu Youde's voice was a few decibels lower than usual as he handed over the letter.

"See for yourself."

The letter was very short.

The handwriting was messy, yet it carried a fierce air about it.

"Lu Yuan, kid, I've heard you're born with superhuman strength and are known as one of the Two Heroes of Qingzhou?"

"Blood Butcher, a disciple of the Blood Wolf Gang, is at the mid-stage of Body Tempering. I have come to learn from him. Three days from now at noon, in the city's arena, life or death is irrelevant."

"If you don't dare to come, then when you see a disciple of my Blood Wolf Gang in the future, try to avoid them. If you really can't avoid them, then call me 'Grandpa' openly."

"Blood Wolf Gang, Blood Butcher..."

After reading the letter, Lu Yuan put it back on the table.

His expression didn't change much.

Lu Youguang spoke first: "The Blood Wolf Gang is clearly trying to humiliate the Lu family! I've heard about Xue Tu; he's the most capable fighter among the younger generation of the Blood Wolf Gang, only at the mid-stage of Body Tempering, but he's killed no fewer than ten people in underground fighting arenas. His challenge to Yuan'er isn't a friendly spar; it's blatant provocation!"

Lu Youde waved his hand, stopping Lu Youguang from rambling on.

He turned to look at Lu Yuan, his gaze steady.

"Yuan'er, you decide this matter yourself."

"If you want to go, I'll personally lead a group to support you. If you don't want to go, no one will dare say anything to you."

"The Blood Wolf Gang is an underground gang. Although it has the backing of the Zhao family, it is not worthy of my Lu family's fear. You focus on preparing for the Iron Bone Sect election, and I will handle the rest."

Just as Lu Yuan was about to speak, Lu Youguang interrupted him.

"Master, it seems that whether Yuan'er goes or not is no longer up to him!"

His voice rose a few decibels.

"The Blood Wolf Gang not only posted the challenge letter on the Lu family's gate, but also copied it dozens of times and posted it all over the city!"

"This morning, half of Qingzhou City was talking about it! If Lu Yuan doesn't go, what will people say?"

"To say that the esteemed genius of the Lu family is afraid of a mere mid-stage Body Tempering fighter! All the reputation he built up overnight, from stopping a horse with one hand to his witty remarks in the teahouse, has collapsed!"

"Not only that, it may also change the Iron Bone Sect's view of Yuan'er and my Lu family."

Lu Youde's expression darkened further.

Lu Youguang was telling the truth.

The Blood Wolf Gang deliberately launched this absurd challenge just before the election.

They made a big fuss about this, clearly trying to distract Lu Yuan from his election preparations.

Lu Youde took a deep breath and looked at Lu Yuan again.

"Yuan'er, I'll say it again. The decision is yours."

Lu Yuan fell silent.

Three breaths.

Then he looked up.

"I'll go."

Lu Youde frowned even more deeply: "Have you thought this through?"

"I've thought it through."

Lu Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but it was very steady.

"Mid-stage Body Tempering, rich combat experience, from underground boxing rings. Such an opponent is perfect for practice. And..."

He paused.

"They've already offered their face up; it wouldn't look good if they didn't fight back."

Lu Youguang nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes! That's exactly what a genius from the Lu family should say!"

Lu Youde remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Alright. I'll take you there myself in three days."

Footsteps could be heard outside the main hall.

Three figures walked out from the other end of the corridor.

Leading the way was Lu Shan, whose imposing figure blocked out a large portion of the light. He nodded slightly when he saw Lu Yuan.

Lu Yun followed behind, wearing a long light blue dress and her ponytail tied high. She started making a fuss as soon as she entered the door.

"Lu Yuan! I heard the Blood Wolf Gang issued you a challenge? I'll fight those bastards for you!"

"Yun'er".

Lu Youde's face darkened.

Lu Yun stuck out her tongue and stood to the side.

Lu Chuan was the last to enter.

Dressed in a brocade robe, she kept toying with a copper coin in her hand, her narrow eyes sweeping over Lu Yuan, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Brother Yuan, you're going to fight Blood Butcher? I heard that guy has killed over a dozen people in underground boxing rings, specializing in hitting his opponents' weaknesses..."

His gaze fell on Lu Yuan's right shoulder, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

But he quickly covered it up.

Are you confident?

His tone was casual, as if he were concerned.

He casually placed his hand on Lu Yuan's right shoulder.

Lu Yuan was startled by his sudden action.

He caught a hint of inquiry in Lu Chuan's narrow eyes.

Could it be that this kid noticed my right shoulder was injured?