Chapter 253.2: Come At Me Together! Ill Fight Dozens All At Once! (II)

Chapter 253.2: Come At Me Together! I'll Fight Dozens All At Once! (II)

As Lu Changsheng watched the disciples' shocked expressions, an idea gradually took shape in his mind.

If he wanted to forge a true Martial Dao, simply increasing his own strength would not be enough. Even if he personally transcended, that would only prove that a single path to transcendence existed.

To truly establish the Martial Dao in this world, he needed far more people to practice it. Its influence had to spread until countless martial artists recognized and followed the same path. Only by gathering the strength and will of many could the Martial Dao truly take form.

If Lu Changsheng had the time, he could develop things slowly, gradually expanding the influence of the Extreme Martial Dao. However, he did not have that kind of time. His goal was to forge the Martial Dao within three years. That meant his own cultivation had to advance quickly, but the Extreme Martial Dao's influence had to expand just as fast. And he could not accomplish all of that alone. He needed followers, supporters, and people willing to help spread the system he created.

Now, right before his eyes were plenty of potential helpers, and he could not miss the chance.

This is the perfect place and time to introduce the Extreme Martial Dao and start a school for it. After that, I'll challenge the strongest martial artists one after another, and use every victory to make the Extreme Martial Dao famous.

As for growing and expanding it, those around me can figure that out. My own role should be that of a martial fanatic obsessed with pursuing the limits of the Martial Dao. If I'm not a martial fanatic, how can I establish a school and create Martial Dao that's capable of reaching transcendence?

Having made up his mind, Lu Changsheng spoke up. "Master, Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters, all of you know what happened to me at the Martial Dao tournament. I was struck in the heart meridian by the Meridian-Severing Force and nearly died. For days, I hovered between life and death, and during that time, I thought about martial arts more deeply than I ever had before. Eventually, I began to see what I believe is their true essence.

"Think about the Hidden Force, Transformation Force, Core Force, Fortification Force we know now. What do any of them truly amount to? At their core, they are still only techniques for unleashing Force. Even after reaching Core Force or Fortification Force, can a martial artist stop a bullet? No. Forget bullets. Flesh and blood can still be cut by scissors, knives, or blades.

"So what exactly have we spent decades training for? After enduring all those years of hardship, a martial artist can still be brought down by an ordinary kitchen knife. That isn't the kind of martial artist I want to be, and it certainly isn't the Martial Dao I envision."

Everyone stared at him solemnly. As outrageous as his words sounded, they had touched on something every martial artist knew deep down but didn't want to confront. After all, what was the value of spending decades honing the body and mastering Force if a single knife or bullet could erase all of that effort in an instant?

Even a Fortification Force grandmaster had once lamented that the greatest tragedy of martial arts was for a martial artist to spend a lifetime cultivating, only to die by weapons.

Lu Changsheng looked around at their heavy expressions before continuing in a serious voice, "While I was hovering between life and death, I had a moment of epiphany, much like how Buddhist legends attained enlightenment beneath the Bodhi tree. That realization led me to create my own system, known as the Extreme Martial Dao.

"The Extreme Martial Dao does not cultivate Force. It focuses entirely on developing the body itself and pushing its physical capabilities beyond their present limits. Everyone starts at the First Growth stage, but eventually, it may even allow the body to enter Second, or Third Growth.

"I believe there will come a day when martial artists no longer need to fear weapons. When that happens, decades of training will no longer become meaningless the moment someone pulls a trigger. And I believe the Extreme Martial Dao I've created is the path that can make that possible. To me, this is the true Martial Dao."

After Lu Changsheng finished speaking, no one spoke for several moments. Their heavy breathing was the only sound in the room.

Eventually, someone found the courage to speak up. "An Extreme Martial Dao you created yourself?"

"It doesn't cultivate Force at all? It only strengthens the body until you can eventually withstand weapon attacks?"

Someone else went so far as to say, "Lu Yuan, you've completely lost your mind."

At this point, most everyone looked at Lu Yuan the same way—like he was a lunatic. To stop fearing weapons was a dream martial artists had pursued for generations, but who had ever accomplished it? Even the greatest martial artists, including Fortification Force grandmasters, would never dare claim that their bodies could withstand weapons.

And so, Lu Yuan, who had barely reached Hidden Force, to claim that he had created an entirely new Martial Dao capable of overcoming that limitation was simply absurd to the disciples. It was like a primary school student claiming to have invented calculus.

Lu Changsheng, however, was not offended by their disbelief. He had never expected a few words to convince them. Fortunately, martial artists were far easier to persuade with action rather than with words. Arguments were difficult to rank because everyone could have a different opinion, but martial arts could be settled with fists. If two people wanted to know whose methods were better, they simply had to put them to the test.

"Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters, I know this is hard to believe, so why don't you let me show you through a simple sparring session?" Lu Changsheng asked. "We can compare Hidden Force with the Extreme Martial Dao I created just over a month ago. When we spar, I won't use Hidden Force at all. I'll rely entirely on the physical strength I've gained through the Extreme Martial Dao. That way, you'll see for yourselves if I'm crazy or just putting on a show. What do you say?"

His gaze passed over everyone in the room.

"Fine." Senior Sister Xiang stepped forward. "I'll go first."

She did not believe a word of Lu Yuan's claims about some self-created Extreme Martial Dao. If anything, she was becoming increasingly convinced that his near-death experience at the Martial Dao tournament had affected his mind. Now, she would take this chance to knock some sense into him and put an end to this nonsense.

Senior Sister Xiang turned to Fei Qianliu for approval. "Master, what do you think?"

Lu Changsheng also looked toward him.

"Very well," Fei Qianliu agreed. "You're fellow disciples, so this is only a spar. Stop as soon as the outcome is clear."

His own exchange with Lu Yuan had ended so quickly that even he had not fully understood what had happened. Now that his disciple was willing to test Lu Yuan herself, he could watch from the side and get a clearer look at what this so-called Extreme Martial Dao was all about.

And so, Lu Yuan and Senior Sister Xiang left the room and headed into the main hall on the second floor.

The main hall was spacious enough for both of them to move freely. Although this was officially only a spar between fellow disciples, everyone understood that it would be a genuine test of their combat ability.

"That's Senior Brother Lu Yuan, right? The one who entered the Martial Dao tournament and nearly died in the first round?"

"It's not that Senior Brother Lu was weak. Rather, his opponent was simply too strong. In the end, that opponent even placed third in the tournament."

"Exactly. Losing to someone who placed third is nothing to be ashamed of."

"But just like Senior Brother Lu's opponent, Senior Sister Xiang has already cultivated Hidden Force too. If he spars with her, he's probably going to get beaten up again..."

Many of the martial arts center's students had gathered around the hall, watching with obvious excitement. It was rare enough to see experienced martial artists spar, much less a Hidden Force martial artist like Senior Sister Xiang. Most of them had only heard about Hidden Force before, so they were eager to see for themselves just how powerful it really was.

Lu Changsheng and Senior Sister Xiang stood facing each other in the middle of the hall.

"I might not be able to hold back every strike. If you can't take it, surrender immediately," warned Senior Sister Xiang.

Lu Changsheng nodded. "Senior Sister, no need to worry about that. Hidden Force can't hurt me. Feel free to go all out."

His confidence only strengthened Senior Sister Xiang's resolve. She had already decided that Lu Yuan needed to be brought back to his senses, and the quickest way to do that was to let him experience the gap between wild claims and reality.

She pounced at once. There had been several steps between them, but she crossed the distance almost instantly and appeared in front of Lu Changsheng.

Lu Changsheng, however, did not move. To him, her speed was not particularly impressive. He could have avoided the attack without any difficulty, but that would defeat the purpose of this spar. If he wanted everyone to understand what the Extreme Martial Dao had done to his body, then simply dodging her attacks would prove very little.

So, he stayed exactly where he was.

Bam!

Senior Sister Xiang struck his arm with her palm. She made sure to avoid his vital points, but she did unleash Spiral Force through this strike.

This should at least numb his arm and make it difficult to move.

However, Lu Changsheng lifted the same arm and flexed it as though nothing had happened.

"Senior Sister Xiang, that isn't enough," he said with a smile.

"What?"

Senior Sister Xiang stared at his arm in disbelief. She knew exactly how much strength it took to release Spiral Force, and she knew even better what it should have done to an ordinary martial artist. And yet, Lu Yuan's arm did not even swell; there was no injury, not even the slightest stiffness in his movements. She was sure her Spiral Force had entered his body, yet it seemed to have accomplished absolutely nothing.

"Again!" This time, she clenched her hand into a fist and drove it straight into Lu Changsheng's abdomen.

The abdomen was far more vulnerable than the arm. If Hidden Force penetrated deeply enough, it could damage the internal organs, so this strike was considerably more dangerous.

Lu Changsheng still did not dodge. He allowed the blow to land, and once again, nothing happened. He remained standing in the same place, his expression unchanged.

Having continuously unleashed two bursts of Hidden Force, Senior Sister Xiang was physically drained. But the physical exhaustion was nothing compared with her shock. She was sure that both her strikes had landed cleanly.

How could Lu Yuan be completely unaffected?!

"Senior Sister Xiang, it's my turn now," Lu Changsheng said with a smile. Then, he threw a punch.

Bang!

Just like before, held back most of his strength, and yet he still sent Sister Xiang flying and crashing onto the floor.