Chapter 142 - 120: Xirong Master

Chapter 142: Chapter 120: Xirong Master

As Lu Yuan stood on the fighting stage, every eye was on him, from the highest princes and ministers to the nobles of the Imperial Dynasty.

No one believed Lu Yuan could win, but the fact that he dared to step up was a display of courage in itself.

Not everyone possesses the mettle to face a superior opponent.

Meng Tuo stared at him and said, "You have guts!"

As soon as he spoke, he leaped high into the air, his Five-pronged Celestial Fork gleaming with a crimson light.

The Celestial Fire Mysterious Skill was not just a Cultivation Technique for refining True Essence; it was also a Body Refining Skill.

Coupled with Meng Tuo’s Innate Divine Power, his combat prowess needed no further explanation.

As the weapon came crashing down, Lu Yuan felt a fierce wind press upon him.

Yet, he didn’t draw his saber. Instead, he raised his right foot over his head. A sound of tearing air echoed as his gleaming combat boot kicked the fork’s shaft, knocking it aside.

At the same time, he planted the pommel of his saber on the ground, using the force to launch himself into the air.

BAM!

His feet stomped viciously onto Meng Tuo’s chest, and his opponent’s shoulder caved in, the damage visible to the naked eye.

Then, he fell off the stage, severely injured.

HISS!

The sound of sharp, indrawn breaths filled the air.

No one had expected that the formidable Meng Tuo would still be defeated by Lu Yuan in a single move.

"Excellent!"

The Old Grand Commandant, Chang Dao, couldn’t help but exclaim.

It had been a long time since he had seen such a figure emerge from the Border Army.

It was like watching a star rise into the heavens.

And as his cry faded, several officials, led by Chang Dao, also shouted their approval.

Below, the Xirong warriors’ eyes first filled with disbelief.

Then, filled with rage, they stormed the stage. But if even Meng Tuo was no match for him, what chance did they have?

Almost everyone who went up was defeated in a single blow.

At first, many people worried whether Lu Yuan could withstand such a war of attrition.

But as the battles continued and more than ten men fell in succession, no one worried about Lu Yuan losing anymore. He was simply too strong.

They just grew impatient, eager to see who would win when he finally faced the monk from Xirong.

Time passed. When the only one left on the Xirong side was the prodigy from Lingjiao Temple, the Dayong officials in the arena finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Even if Lu Yuan lost now, it wouldn’t be an unacceptable outcome. After all, they had already saved face.

Many young generals of the Imperial Guard watched Lu Yuan with fervent admiration in their eyes. They were still young, and some of them weren’t yet deeply ingrained with the prejudices of social class.

Wang Xiao was one of them.

His earlier pride had vanished, and he looked like he wanted nothing more than to grab Lu Yuan for a drink right then and there.

Li Cheng, on the other hand, wore a grim expression.

He glanced at his childhood friend and couldn’t help but ask, "What are you so excited about?"

"I underestimated Lu Yuan before. Once the duels are over, I’m buying him a drink," Wang Xiao said. He was a straightforward man who admired strength.

"Let me tell you, stay out of this, or you’ll cause trouble for your father. I heard today that when Lu Yuan was in Xirong, he was dismissed by the Seventh Prince.

Now that he’s performing so well, isn’t this a slap in the face to the Seventh Prince? If you go drinking with him and the Seventh Prince finds out, do you think there’ll be good fruit for you to eat?

I’m telling you, our roots are with the nobility. Don’t forget your station.

This situation isn’t that simple. Making friends recklessly is not a good habit.

No matter how good a fighter Lu Yuan is, can he take on the Imperial Court’s eight hundred thousand Imperial Guards by himself?"

Hearing this, Wang Xiao looked at his childhood friend as if seeing him for the first time. After a moment, he said, "You’re so young, yet you already understand so much about conspiracies and cunning schemes.

If you weren’t my friend, I’d be ashamed to be associated with you."

"Hey, watch that temper of yours! I’m telling you, if you weren’t my friend, I wouldn’t even bother telling you this. And now you’re looking down on me? You don’t know who’s on your side."

Li Cheng said, his face flushed red.

Wang Xiao just glared at him without a word, but the earlier eagerness in his eyes had clearly vanished.

Just then, from the Xirong side, the young monk from Lingjiao Temple stepped onto the stage. He was not tall or muscular; he was actually rather slim and small.

But as the monk stood there, Lu Yuan did not underestimate him.

Because the aura he exuded was stronger than Meng Tuo’s.

"Patron, the strength of your physical body and True Essence is unlike anything this humble monk has ever seen. I must ask for your forgiveness for what is to come."

After speaking, flames erupted from beneath his feet, slowly forming a red lotus.

His body then shot forward at extreme speed.

With his hands bent into claws, he flew toward Lu Yuan.

"Lingjiao Temple’s Karma Fire Red Lotus Skill! A Seventh-Grade Cultivation Skill! And the move the young monk is using must be the Spiritual Eagle Divine Claw, another Seventh-Grade Cultivation Skill, and he’s mastered it to Perfection!

Who is this person, to possess two such incredible ultimate skills?"

Below, an Imperial Guard General exclaimed in shock.

Only now did they realize that the monk hadn’t been using his full strength in the previous fights.

"This is going to be a tough fight," another person said. After all, Lu Yuan was from the Border Army. Even if he had been lucky enough to acquire some decent Cultivation Techniques, he was likely still far inferior compared to the man before him.

At this moment, Lu Yuan finally moved to use his saber.

He raised his Cyan Dragon Crescent Saber and unleashed the Earth Demon Saber Technique. A faint black gas seemed to connect to it from beneath his feet.

The blade chopped straight toward the monk’s claws.

Lu Yuan’s saber strikes were heavy and fierce, as if they could shatter anything.

The young monk, however, was fast, his attacks strange and cunning.

As Lu Yuan swung his saber, the monk’s figure flashed, dodging the attack.

CLANG!

The blade struck the ground, gouging a trench in the stage.

And the young monk was already upon him.

He brushed past Lu Yuan’s body. As his claw strikes flew, the image of a spiritual eagle materialized above his head and then descended upon Lu Yuan’s shoulder.

RRRIP!

His clothes were torn, but when the claws touched Lu Yuan’s flesh, they could not advance another inch. In fact, the impact sent a numbing vibration through the monk’s fingers.

The young monk’s expression changed.

He rapidly retreated.

All this took longer to describe than it did to happen. In the blink of an eye, Lu Yuan struck again without the slightest pause.

It was as if the claw attack hadn’t even landed on him. He spun his saber around to counter.

The searing Gang Qi left a white trail in the air.

The young monk flew backward, finally landing steadily at the edge of the stage.

The fight between the two was spectacular. The onlookers felt that if any of them were to go up against either opponent, they wouldn’t last a single move.

Lu Yuan took a single step and instantly appeared beside the young monk from Lingjiao Temple.

The Cyan Dragon Crescent Saber coiled around his body like an Evil Flood Dragon.

The young monk hastily met the attack with his claws.

As he moved, he constantly switched between Cultivation Techniques: a sinister Finger Skill, a Palm Skill as blazing as the sun, and a Leg Skill as swift as lightning.

Each technique was of a remarkably high grade, and he exchanged over a hundred blows with Lu Yuan in an instant.

This was, without a doubt, the most exciting battle yet, and Lu Yuan was fighting with exhilarating abandon.

However, as time went on, Lu Yuan only seemed to grow more energetic.

When the young monk leaped into the air, Lu Yuan finally seized an opportunity, sweeping the handle of his saber against his opponent’s body.

The blow was incredibly forceful, making the air hum.

Although the little monk from Lingjiao Temple managed to catch the saber handle with his extremely powerful Claw Skill, Lu Yuan’s strength was too great. In an instant, the impact tore open the webbing between his thumb and forefinger, and his fingers went completely numb.

Then his arms went limp, and he was swept off the stage.

Although he landed steadily on his feet, he had ultimately been defeated.

"Dayong is victorious!"

At some point, a long, drawn-out voice rang out.

The surrounding Imperial Guard all began to chant, "Victory! Victory! Victory!"

In the main hall, the Yong Emperor said nonchalantly, "So we’ve won. We’ve won. I am tired. Everyone is dismissed."

After speaking, he turned and walked toward the back of the hall.

The moment he was out of sight, the corner of his mouth couldn’t help but lift into a smirk.

Clearly, he was not as calm and unconcerned as his expression suggested.

Then, he said to the Eunuch beside him, "Whose child was that who just won?"

"Your Majesty, his name is Lu Yuan," the Eunuch replied in a shrill voice. "He fought his way up from the Border Army. He was originally from the Zhang Family of Yunzhou, but he later severed ties with them. He was recommended by Duke Zhenyuan."

The Yong Emperor shook his head. "The Zhang Family? Never heard of them. It’s normal for Duke Zhenyuan to make a recommendation, though. Of all the nobles in our court, he’s the only one who still looks out for the Border Army.

I recall Xiao Heng submitted a memorial a couple of days ago, didn’t he? Lu Yuan’s name was in it, requesting the position of General of the Northern Patrol.

Draft a decree when we get back. I approve this matter."

"As you command!" the Eunuch said hastily.

As they spoke, the Yong Emperor arrived at his study.

He sat down, took a sip of tea, and watched as the Eunuch finished drafting the Holy Decree and affixed the seal.

As if remembering something, the Yong Emperor took another sip of tea and continued, "Summon this Lu Yuan to the palace tomorrow. I wish to meet him."

But at that moment, the Eunuch said respectfully, "Your Majesty, it seems this Lu Yuan was dismissed by the Seventh Prince during his time on the Xirong battlefield."

The Yong Emperor’s hand, holding the teacup, paused. "Then forget it. After the Holy Decree is issued, have him report to Xiao Heng at the Northern Border as soon as possible."

Lu Yuan’s victory was already a slap in the face to the Seventh Prince. If the Yong Emperor himself were to summon Lu Yuan now, wouldn’t that be a repudiation of the Seventh Prince?

It would be detrimental to his son’s efforts to build prestige.

For the Yong Emperor, who was eager for the Seventh Prince to accomplish something, this was naturally something he would not do.

To him, who ruled over a vast empire, no matter how strong or outstanding Lu Yuan was, he was merely a drop in the ocean.

He could never compare to his son.

Receiving the position of General of the Northern Patrol was already a great favor.

Such is the human heart; it can change in an instant.

The Eunuch immediately bowed. "As you command!"

Then he withdrew.

And so, after the Yong Emperor had made his arrangements in the rear palace, back in the hall of the training grounds, the Xirong envoy, Mengton, watched Lu Yuan. Although his expression was grim, a flash of appreciation couldn’t help but cross his eyes.

The young monk from Lingjiao Temple, who had been knocked off the stage, said to Lu Yuan, "This humble monk is Ling Ku. Thank you, Patron, for your mercy."

Meng Tuo had also long since regained consciousness. He shook his head clear and said to Lu Yuan, "You’re a true warrior. I respect you. But I will challenge you again in the future."

Lu Yuan replied slowly, "I’ll be waiting."

A look of delight spread across Meng Tuo’s face. "Haha, excellent! How about I treat you and little Ling Ku to a drink? We wouldn’t have known each other if we hadn’t fought today."

Having already jumped off the stage, Lu Yuan glanced at the crowd of Imperial Guards. For some reason, their gazes were evasive. Some seemed to want to come over and greet him, but they didn’t move.

Lu Yuan turned to Meng Tuo and said, "Alright, let’s go for a drink. But I should tell you beforehand, I’ve killed plenty of your people on the Xirong battlefield."

"What happens on the battlefield is settled on the battlefield. There are no personal grudges," Meng Tuo said immediately.

Seeing how straightforward he was, Lu Yuan nodded and headed outside.

The martial competition was over, and the people he had arrived with were preparing to leave, so he had no reason to stay either.

Meanwhile, in the great hall, the Seventh Prince watched Lu Yuan’s departing figure from a distance, seemingly lost in thought.