Chapter 106 - 78: Grandpa, Spare My Life, I Have an Item from the Zulong Dynasty

Chapter 106: Chapter 78: Grandpa, Spare My Life, I Have an Item from the Zulong Dynasty

The moment these words were spoken, every eye in the venue fell upon Lu Yun.

It was against the rules.

Everyone present knew it perfectly well. The Martial Arts Demonstration had been established for a century, and its rules were as firm as iron.

Once a challenge began, there was no precedent for stopping midway. Victory, defeat, life, and death were all to be decided by fists and feet.

But rules were rigid, while people were flexible.

The man standing opposite him was no nobody; he was a Grandmaster of Huajin.

A dignified Grandmaster of Huajin, admitting in front of hundreds of Martial Artists that he had failed to discipline his daughter and even bowing in apology—he had already humbled himself to the lowest possible degree.

He had shown more than enough respect. Now, it was all up to Lu Yun, the one who had been challenged, to accept it or not.

Gong Yuanshan cupped his hands again and said earnestly, "After this matter is concluded, I will personally visit your home to offer a formal apology to you, Mr. Lu!"

Lu Yun had never intended to be merciless. "Fine."

Gong Yuanshan, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, bowed deeply. "Thank you, Mr. Lu."

The words had barely left his mouth when two figures erupted into motion almost simultaneously!

There was no surge of Qi throughout the exchange, only the clash of techniques refined to their purest form!

Gong Yuanshan’s Wandering Dragon Eight Trigrams Palm was more than twice as fast as Gong Ning’s.

The afterimages of his palms made it difficult to distinguish feints from true attacks. Each strike came from the most cunning and unexpected angles.

Lu Yun remained purely on the defensive. His palms were like door panels, sealing off his chest. His forearms protected his ribs, and his elbows dropped to guard the openings at his waist so tightly that he was a fortress without a single flaw.

Thirty moves, forty moves, fifty moves...

The more Gong Yuanshan fought, the more alarmed he became. He had immersed himself in his Wandering Dragon Eight Trigrams Palm for over forty years. He could dismantle more than ninety percent of the world’s martial arts styles with his eyes closed.

But this Mr. Lu before him didn’t play by any established rules. He used the most direct method possible to block every single one of his moves.

’What kind of fighting style is this? No, this isn’t a fighting style at all. He’s trained his entire body into a shield!’

At the hundredth move, their palms met, and the two separated in an instant.

Lu Yun’s breathing was steady, his expression normal. Gong Yuanshan stood with his hands at his sides, showing no outward sign of abnormality.

Only he himself knew that his lowered hands were trembling slightly.

’Good heavens. No wonder my daughter cried her eyes out from fighting him.’

’This Mr. Lu isn’t practicing some kind of fist and foot technique at all—he’s forged his entire body into a weapon!’

As for so-called Horizontal Training, it wasn’t as if Gong Yuanshan had never seen it before.

After all, the Gong Family’s collection of Martial Arts texts was as vast as a sea of smoke, with countless records of techniques like the "Golden Bell Shield" and "Iron Cloth Shirt."

Cultivating these Horizontal Cultivation Techniques to a deep level could indeed make one’s skin as tough as iron, impervious to blades.

But that required at least thirty years of arduous effort to see results, and even then, it would only defend against ordinary bladed weapons.

But based on the physical resilience of this Mr. Lu, if he wasn’t mistaken, his Horizontal Training had likely reached a level where even ordinary bullets would have a hard time scratching him.

’Someone who can achieve this is almost unheard of. How can such an extraordinary person exist in this world?’

Gong Yuanshan suddenly felt that the Gong Family’s pride in being a "secluded" family, content to remain in their corner of the east for hundreds of years, was truly laughable.

’Coming south to Yun Port was definitely the right decision.’

He raised his head, cupped his hands, and said, "Mr. Lu, your reputation is truly well-deserved. I will be sure to visit you tomorrow."

Gong Yuanshan was genuinely impressed. He also genuinely wanted to befriend this extraordinary person.

Lu Yun nodded slightly. "Mm."

He said nothing more, simply turning to pull his Wisteria Spirit Staff from where it was embedded in the wooden floor before walking unhurriedly down from the high platform.

The crowd automatically parted to form a path. No one spoke. Everyone just watched that figure walk step by step out the main gate of the Martial Arts Demonstration.

On the high platform, Zhou Yi was silent for a moment before turning to Gong Yuanshan and speaking calmly, "Mr. Gong, since you are a Grandmaster of Huajin, why didn’t you say so earlier?"

"If we had known, your daughter wouldn’t have had to go through this challenge process to open her hall."

"Grandmasters of Huajin from other provinces who come to Yun Port to open a martial arts hall are not subject to this restriction."

The crowd below erupted the moment they heard the words "Grandmaster of Huajin."

What? The pretty girl’s father is a Grandmaster of Huajin, too?

"Did I hear that right? Another Grandmaster of Huajin? And he’s here to open a martial arts hall!"

"Open a martial arts hall? Doesn’t that mean I’ll have the chance to learn the skills of another Grandmaster of Huajin?!"

"Holy crap, I have to sign up!"

"How much is the tuition? I’d pay it even if it meant going broke!"

"A beautiful master and a Grandmaster of Huajin... I’m definitely joining this martial arts hall!"

The same people who had just been pitying Gong Ning, jeering, or saying they’d "take care of her for life" had a complete change of heart. Their eyes gleamed, and they looked like they wanted to rush up and cling to his leg right then and there.

Listening to the increasingly exaggerated commotion from below, Gong Yuanshan could only give a wry smile. "This old man only wanted to find a quiet place in Yun Port City and let my young daughter gain some experience..."

"But never mind. Since it’s all out in the open now, my daughter will be the master of the Gong Family Martial Arts Hall from now on. She is young and inexperienced, so I hope her peers in Yun Port City will offer her their guidance."

He cupped his fists toward the three advisors. "Gentlemen, I apologize for the disturbance today. This old man will take his leave."

「Outside the Martial Arts Demonstration hall, the morning light was perfect.」

Gong Ning followed closely behind her father. Only after they had walked a good distance did she finally venture in a small voice, "Dad..."

"Hm?"

She looked down at her hands, which were still stinging, and asked sullenly, "That Elder Lu’s body is so tough... You exchanged so many blows with him. Are you okay?"

Gong Yuanshan’s steps faltered. With his back to his daughter, he fell silent for a few moments. "...Yeah, I’m fine."

’Thank goodness I’ve spent decades nourishing my skin, muscles, and bones with Qi day and night.’

’Even though I haven’t intentionally practiced any Horizontal Cultivation Techniques, I’m still tougher than the average person.’

「As noon approached, the high sun baked the loose dirt on the main road until it was hot enough to scald one’s feet.」