Chapter 16 - 15: Practicality First

Chapter 16: Chapter 15: Practicality First

In Lu Huaiqian’s eyes, Lu Jing’an was no longer the frivolous young master who only knew how to recite poetry, admire the moon, and linger in taverns. Instead, he was now a mature young man fully capable of participating in the family’s major decisions. Therefore, Lu Huaiqian did not hide his upcoming plans from him.

"The Lin family cannot be spared, and neither can the people sent by the Li family," Lu Huaiqian stated with absolute certainty.

He had clawed his way up from the freezing, starving mud. Leading his two younger brothers, he had begged to survive, forcibly carved out a bloody path on the edge of a blade in this chaotic world, and ultimately taken control of the armed forces of an entire county, presiding over Yin Mountain. A man like this was never one to be soft-hearted.

But this time, he not only stated his objective but also explained the difficulties involved. Naturally, this contained a hidden test for Lu Jing’an.

"If we are to make a move, it must be a Thunderous Strike. We absolutely cannot allow a single person to escape.

"Before we act, we must thoroughly investigate their backgrounds.

"The Lin family is easy to handle; they are entirely under our watchful eyes. But the people sent by the Li family are the key. Their numbers, their strength, their hiding places—we cannot miss a single detail. Only then can we ensure a one-strike kill and leave no future troubles behind."

When that time came, whatever the Lu family said would be the truth. Even if the Li family harbored a thousand grievances, they wouldn’t be able to find a single flaw to exploit.

Hearing this, Lu Jing’an felt a stir in his heart. He suddenly remembered the phonograph he had just acquired. If arranged cleverly, he could use it to spy on their actual situation. With this thought in mind, he took the task upon himself. "Father, leave the investigation to me. Let me give it a try."

Lu Huaiqian looked up at his son, meeting his clear and resolute gaze. Finally, he nodded. "Alright. If you need any assistance or manpower, you may mobilize them directly."

Lu Jing’an bowed in acknowledgment and turned to leave.

Only after his figure disappeared around the corner of the corridor did Lu Huaichuan frown and speak up. "Brother, isn’t it a bit too hasty to let Jing’an shoulder such a heavy responsibility right from the start? If something goes wrong, our Lu family might suffer a great disaster. But the Lu family suffering a disaster is a minor issue compared to Jing’an being thwarted and unable to recover. If that happens, our Lu family will truly have no hope left."

Lu Huaiqian remained unmoved by Lu Huaichuan’s words. His expression stayed calm as he replied faintly, "Since he dared to step up and take the job, he knows what he’s doing. If we are to train him, we might as well start with something major like this. Given the current circumstances, a slow, step-by-step cultivation process is likely too late."

Hearing this, Lu Huaichuan let out a long sigh and uncharacteristically cursed, "This bullshit world!" He stood up and adjusted his collar. "Brother, I’ll be heading back first as well. The wedding date with the Lin family is set, so they will definitely be eager to sell off their properties. I need to strike early. Oh, right. I’ll have someone send over the Yellow Croakers that Jing’an asked for later."

Lu Huaiqian gave a slight nod in agreement.

After Lu Huaichuan left, he sat quietly for a moment before getting up to call his third brother. He ordered him to intensify the surveillance on the Lin family and the Li family, but without letting Lu Jing’an notice a thing.

As soon as Lu Jing’an returned to his own small courtyard, before he could even steady his teacup, a servant rushed in to report, urging him to hurry to the Martial Arts Arena.

He knew in his heart that Chen Xuan had found sparring partners for him. Stepping into the Martial Arts Arena, he saw Chen Xuan standing in the center, flanked by two middle-aged men. Though they had never met, the two men had slightly bulging temples and steady strides. Their auras were restrained yet sharp, clearly indicating that their Cultivation was extraordinary—at the very least, superior to his own.

"Young Master, these are the two sparring masters I specially invited for you," Chen Xuan introduced. "This is Director Chen Heqing of the Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Hall. And this is Director Situ Yiyun of the Zhengxin Martial Arts Hall."

Lu Jing’an’s heart trembled slightly. The Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Hall and the Zhengxin Martial Arts Hall were the two most prestigious—and most expensive—martial arts schools in Yin Mountain County.

What made them even more famous was their absolute incompatibility. One taught Ancient Martial Arts, while the other passed down New Martial Arts. Ancient Martial Arts emphasized building a foundation through the Posture Stance, cultivating from the inside out. It progressed step by step, focusing on Qi Blood while nurturing the spirit and intent. New Martial Arts, however, absorbed Void World combat methods. It emphasized explosive power, technique, and practical combat, disdaining traditional routines and advocating for extreme efficiency.

With completely opposing philosophies and competing for disciples in the exact same city, they had naturally accumulated deep grievances over a long time. Their disciples frequently engaged in private brawls over verbal disputes, and when the two directors met, they exchanged cold glares, acting like sworn enemies.

To think that Chen Xuan had managed to invite these two mortal enemies at the same time, and even got them to willingly stoop to being sparring partners. Lu Jing’an could only conclude that his family background was simply far too advantageous.

Lu Jing’an hesitated slightly. "Both of you directors are renowned far and wide. For you to personally act as my sparring partners... isn’t that putting your great talents to waste?"

Director Situ immediately cupped his hands in greeting, his smile warm and enthusiastic. "To be able to serve Young Master Lu is my great fortune."

Director Chen, however, gave a cold snort and cast a sidelong glance. "Young Master Lu is a once-in-a-century genius of the Ancient Martial Arts lineage. Do you think a few words of flattery can win him over?"

Listening to their exchange, even Lu Jing’an felt a bit awkward. Yet, the directors of the two major martial arts halls saw the situation with absolute clarity. In the eyes of outsiders, they were esteemed directors, but in their own eyes, they were just men begging for scraps under the Lu family’s roof.

They had martial arts skills and they had disciples. However, facing guns and cannons, they were still completely powerless. Not to mention, they had Chen Xuan, a Great Martial Cultivator, suppressing them. Therefore, when Chen Xuan sought them out and explained his intentions, they had no choice but to follow him here, even if they harbored ten thousand grievances in their hearts.

Seeing this, Chen Xuan finally explained, "Young Master, I specifically invited the two of them because they each represent a distinct branch of Martial Arts. Director Chen focuses on the foundation of Qi Blood, while Director Situ specializes in practical combat techniques. Neither of them is weak in strength. They can apply pressure on you, yet they absolutely won’t harm you in the slightest. Furthermore, both have properties and families tying them down in the city, so they wouldn’t dare act recklessly."

The arrangement was flawless and thoroughly considered.

Lu Jing’an nodded. "Then we’ll do as you say, Master." Since Chen Xuan had thought of everything, Lu Jing’an didn’t waste any words. "Which of you will go first?"

"I’ll go first!" Director Situ stepped forward eagerly.

Director Chen’s face darkened, and he snorted coldly before stepping aside.

Director Situ stood opposite Lu Jing’an, his tone gentle. "Young Master Lu, do you have any understanding of New Martial Arts?"

Lu Jing’an shook his head truthfully. "I’ve heard a bit of surface-level knowledge, but I’ve never deeply looked into it." In the past years, he had spent all day drunk in the pleasure houses. Whether it was New Martial Arts or Ancient Martial Arts, Lu Jing’an had only heard people talk about them at the wine tables.

Seeing this, Director Situ said, "Then let me introduce New Martial Arts to Young Master Lu first. This way, you’ll be able to understand it better when we start sparring."

Lu Jing’an gladly agreed. Such treatment was something not even an Outer Disciple could dream of. Even a Direct Disciple might not receive personal instruction from the director with every concept broken down word by word. If an ordinary person wanted to hear a single sentence of true teachings, it would cost at least fifty silver coins, and they would still have to suffer the master’s foul moods. Now, however, Director Situ was like a mother bird feeding a chick, breaking every word down into pieces, terrified that he wouldn’t understand.

Right at this moment, a prompt that only Lu Jing’an could see quietly appeared:

[Special Relationship Sparring Partner detected. Establish connection?]

[Note: Once the requirements are met, completing the sparring task will allow you to extract an entry from the target.]

Lu Jing’an felt a surge of joy. He could temper his martial arts while simultaneously extracting an entry. It was simply a godsend. Thinking of this, he chose to establish the connection.

He then shifted his gaze to the top of Director Situ’s head. There, the director’s unique entry appeared.

[Practicality First] (White) — Defeat your sparring partner, Situ Yiyun, to acquire this.

[Note: This entry only takes effect in actual combat. It increases power generation efficiency by 50%, Attack speed by 50%, Breaking Techniques efficiency by 50%, enhances on-the-spot adaptability, and simplifies useless feints.]

This entry from Director Situ was exactly what Lu Jing’an desperately needed right now. However, defeating Situ Yiyun was clearly not going to be an easy task. Even if Situ Yiyun only used the strength of the Qi Blood First Transformation, it would still be very difficult for Lu Jing’an to win.