“Hey! Ha!”
The young soldier, Xiao Dong, was standing on the peripheral sports ground of the completed Martial Arts Gym, facing the rising sun, and practicing the martial styles earnestly. The simple styles were developed from the Zhenwu Boxing. Half a month ago, the troops approved Xiao Dong’s application. Now he was officially the first apprentice of Li Mu.
The golden rays of the rising sun basked Xiao Dong.
He still retained his identity as a soldier. He was wearing a pair of military pants, and naked from the waist up. A thin layer of sweat covered his skin, for he had been practicing very hard.
The martial arts arena was about 20 kilometers away from the satellite base. On the day of its establishment, the high-ranking officials of the government had also attended the ceremony, which was also covered in the CCTV live broadcast on the Internet. The government intended to let the concept of martial arts cultivators be accepted by the masses. In this regard, the government had done a lot of research. Originally, Li Mu also had to attend the ceremony. But he refused, as he did not want to be too flamboyant.
At this time, most of the martial arts masters from all over the country had already stationed themselves in the Martial Arts Gym.
It had to be pointed out that the registration of the martial arts sect that had been carried out since a year ago played an important role. In the past year, the country had already had a very thorough understanding of the martial arts world.
There were about millions of people in the martial arts circle in the country, but less than 5,000 of the about 300 sects were real masters and qualified to come to this Martial Arts Gym in the desert. It could be said that the elimination rate was quite high.
The Martial Arts Gym was divided into the accommodation area, the sports ground, the fighting ring, the dining area, and the recreation area. It was well designed and functional.
The area, which was large enough for 20,000 people to live in, was already very lively, and the place was already a hubbub of voices.
Some people in the Wulin couldn’t help laughing when they saw Xiao Dong practicing ordinary punching skills on the sports ground.
“What kind of punch method is this? Is it Turtle’s Boxing? Flaws are all over him. I’m laughing my head off.” A handsome young man in a white sports suit stood on the edge of the sports ground and failed to stifle his laughter.
Beside him, there were about five or six young people of the same age. Both the men and women laughed happily as well.
The country had officially acknowledged the identity of the martial arts sects, and the important leaders had all attended the opening ceremony of the Martial Arts Gym, which made everyone in the martial arts world excited, especially the many youngsters who claimed to be martial arts geniuses. They were all heartened and thrilled, feeling that the era of their own was finally coming and so they gained a sense of superiority.
“It’s just an ordinary soldier. He must be in logistics or security services. He comes here and practices every day. It’s been more than 10 days, but all he works on are just these moves. He’s got no clear method at all, just like practicing the ordinary school gymnastics.” A girl with a ponytail shook her head and said, “I guess that some fellow in the Wulin once taught him a few moves at random and this little guy took it seriously. And he began to practice them every day, wishing to become a martial arts master. That’s just silly.”
The others all agreed with her.
The young man in white sportswear who spoke first flexed his body. Having been intrigued, he suggested, “Let’s go and tease him a bit.”
In the afternoon.
“What happened to your face?”
Looking at the bruises on Xiao Dong’s face, Li Mu frowned and asked.
Xiao Dong hedged, “I accidentally bumped my head when I was practicing.”
Li Mu said, “Do you think it’s so easy to fool me?”
Xiao Dong hurriedly answered, “I dare not. Master, it’s nothing. I…”
Li Mu shook his head dismissively. His disciple was too good-natured. Actually, with a little deduction, Li Mu already knew what had happened. He remarked, “Do you think that the punching skill I taught you is too mediocre and too simple, just like school gymnastics? Like it has no point to practice at all?”
Xiao Dong quickly shook his head and said, “No, no, no. Master, you must have some profound reasons to teach me this. It’s just that I’m too stupid. I’ve practiced it for more than 10 days, but I still can’t understand the intendment of it. I’m an idiot.”
Xiao Dong’s character was much like that Guo Jing in the famous martial arts novel. He was honest and loyal, but not very talented. Despite that, when he cultivated, he absolutely put his heart and soul into it. As for Li Mu, his master, he worshiped him like a god.
Li Mu said with a smile, “Don’t need to overthink this. If you can perform the set of Cultivation Method I taught you coherently in half a month, it will be an extraordinary achievement. This method is not a punching skill used for fighting, so I’m not surprised that you can’t beat those young people. How long have you been learning the punching art anyway? While those people are the descendant of the martial arts family, and they probably began to practice since childhood.”
Enlightenment suddenly dawned on Xiao Dong and he replied, “Master, I now understand.”
Li Mu spoke again, “10 days later, the Martial Arts Society Assembly will kick off. All the sects that have settled in the Martial Arts Gym will compete with each other for the position of the Chief of Martial Arts Society. I’ve already signed up for you. When the day comes, you can take part in the contest. It’s a good opportunity to hone your skills.”
“Ah? But…” Xiao Dong was taken aback. “But I haven’t mastered it yet and my strength is weak. I’m afraid that I will embarrass you.”
He just failed to fend off those young cultivators and had his face bashed in.
Li Mu smiled, and then said, “It’s all right. When the time comes, you’ll be able to beat them.”
Xiao Dong could not see how, but he still obeyed Li Mu’s arrangement.
Then, Li Mu asked, “What moves did the young man use to defeat you today? Do you remember them?”
Xiao Dong said, “Yes.” As he said this, he showed it to Li Mu.
Since he obtained the Spiritual Qi in the eyes of the golden-eyed falcon, not only his vision was improved, but his memory was also enhanced. In particular, he could hardly forget any martial arts moves or styles. So, at Li Mu’s request, he effortlessly displayed the moves that the young man in white cast today.
“It’s quite impressive. He should be a disciple of a large sect.” Li Mu remarked, “Look carefully, I’ll teach you the way to crack his moves just with the punching skills you’ve been practicing these days.”
Li Mu began to give the lesson.
···
···
In the accommodation area of the Divine God Sect in the Martial Arts Gym.
“I heard that you had a fight with someone just now, didn’t you?”
At the end of the afternoon lecture, Lu Haoran, Head of the Divine God Sect, who had long silver hair, posed the question void of expression as he looked at his grandson, Lu Xun, with a cup of tea in his hand.
“No, no, I merely compared notes with a soldier. I didn’t really hurt him,” Lu Xun said with a smirk. “It’s the little guy who foolishly practices boxing skills on the sports ground every day. By the way, I’m doing this for his sake. After the fight, I also taught him a few moves.”
“The little guy practicing his boxing art on the sports ground?”
Lu Haoran’s heart lurched a little.
He had also noticed that young man. He had practiced punching art on the sports ground every day regardless of the weather. Although his aptitude was rather ordinary, his persistence was praiseworthy.
The only thing that he, the head of Divine God Sect, could not understand was that though the punching technique that young soldier had practiced was obviously like a regular radio gymnastics, when he carefully examined it, quite inexplicably, he always found it unfathomable.
“Eldest Senior Fellow Apprentice, you actually hit him quite hard, and his face is now swollen.” Lu Yan’er said with a chuckle by his side.
Lu Xun said, “Who knows that soldier is so weak. Stubborn and fragile. I’ve made it so clear, but he still refused to admit that the person who taught him the punching skill had fooled him. Thus, I had no choice but to teach him a lesson personally and let him see the truth… It’s just that I didn’t halt in time and hit him in the face.”
At this, the other disciples of the Lu Family roared with laughter as well.
Lu Haoran shook his head and said, “I named you Lu Xun because I hope you can be a modest man. In the martial arts circle, there are always people better than you. Although our Divine God Sect is one of the Seven Sacred Sects, it doesn’t mean we are invincible in the world. Not to mention that there are the disciples of the other six Sacred Sects. Even in some unknown small sects, there may be some unique techniques hidden in them. You are proud of your ability and don’t know how to be humble. You don’t understand my good intention at all.”
“Grandpa, don’t be angry. I will definitely be modest in the future.” Lu Xun hurriedly promised.
As the number one cultivator in the Seven Sacred Sects, Lu Xun’s grandfather had an awe-inspiring status. Even the national leaders treated his grandfather with great respect. However, he was always too low-key and too long-winded, which Lu Xun did not understand. His grandfather just did not have the domineering aura and dignity of the number one expert at all.
Lu Haoran shook his head helplessly.
His grandson’s aptitude and talent were both first-rate, and he was willing to work hard, only that he was too proud and carried a strong sense of superiority. However, on second thought, Lu Haoran reckoned this was normal. He was young, filled with excessive energy, and so was easy to be impulsive. When he had experienced some training in the future, he would know how to bow his head and swallow his pride.
“Grandpa, has there been any news about the God of Massacre?” Lu Xun thought of another thing and inquired, “Is there really such an immortal in this world? Within one day, that man killed all the foreign invaders in the mountainous area. I heard that even the Dessert Camel and Machete in the Middle East, the Rock God in Europe, the Shadowless Devil in India, and the Three Demons in Indonesia have been reduced into ashes by his one strike… It sounds like a tale. Is it possible that the people in the Publicity Department have made all that up to frighten the foreigners?”
These days, both China and the international society were highly concerned about what had happened in Mount Qilian that day. All kinds of shocking rumors stormed the world like wildfire, practically causing a huge earthquake of the 12th magnitude in the martial arts world on Earth.
In particular, the State Publicity Department also released some snapshots of the battle on that day. Although the cultivator’s face could not be seen clearly from the photos, the scenes like the broadswords flashed, the sky split, the flowing glinting light, and the man flying faster than sound was displayed vividly. Those were like scenes in a martial arts movie, which made ordinary people’s blood burn, the cultivators awestruck, and the masters astounded after seeing the photos.
Lu Haoran rebutted, “Don’t talk nonsense. How can the Publicity Department make things up…? This senior must be a real master, a real supramundane cultivator. The chief of the army has confirmed that it is true. Moreover, this senior is in the Martial Arts Gym right now. It’s just that he is quite elusive. We can’t recognize him because we don’t have the luck.”
There was a tinge of desolation in his words.
On that day, Lu Haoran had asked his good friend, Fan Zu’ang, in private, hoping to meet this mysterious senior, but he was politely rejected.
Lu Xun said in high spirits, “Is there really such a miraculous Cultivation Method in the world? When I grow up, I will surely be able to reach that realm. I will travel around the world with my sword and defend my country. Just like this senior, I’ll also kill all the thieves and riff-raffs who covet my country’s treasures!”
The young man was hot-blooded and vigorous.
The other young men and women were also burning with righteousness.
Lu Haoran smiled, feeling sort of proud.
The Divine God Sect was a family sect. This sort of sect was extremely easy to cultivate selfish and self-centered disciples. For a long time, the Divine God Sect only focused on the interests of the family. However, ever since Lu Haoran took over the sect, he had thoroughly cleansed the old tradition and injected a stream of fresh energy into the sect over the past few decades. The disciples in the sect now put their country before their own interests. They were chivalry, loyal, and of high morality.
That was also the responsibility that Lu Haoran thought everyone in the martial arts world should shoulder.
“Master, the heads of the other six Sacred Sects have all left for the Number One conference room. The chief of the military has also arrived. We’ve got to set off,” a second-generation disciple of the Divine God Sect came in and reported.
“Okay, let’s go, too.” Lu Haoran got up and went out.
That night, there would be a meeting among the heads of the sects in the Wulin, which would determine the rules of the Martial Arts Society Assembly that would be held in 10 days. Lu Haoran had to attend the conference. He hoped that he could meet the mysterious “senior” there.
