Chapter 254.3 Lu Yuan Challenges a Martial Arts Center! Extreme Martial Dao Shakes Pan City! (III)

The surrounding crowd immediately broke into murmurs.

Everyone already knew that Lu Yuan had come to challenge the Bear-Hugging Martial Arts Center, but no one had expected such brutal terms. Losing would not merely damage the center's reputation; it would mean being driven out of Pan City entirely.

Liu Tianxiong, the master of the center, immediately darkened. But despite his anger, he knew he did not have much of a choice.

If Liu Tianxiong backed down without fighting, everyone in Pan City's martial arts community would see it as an admission of defeat. From then on, his disciples would have to lower their heads whenever they encountered students of the Extreme Martial Dao. His reputation would be ruined, new students would stop coming, and the center would eventually be forced to close anyway.

In the end, he had to fight whether he liked it or not.

"Fine. I accept," said Liu Tianxiong coldly. "But Lu Yuan, didn't you nearly die during the first round of the Martial Arts Tournament after fighting the heir of the Meridian-Severing First? That was quite the incident."

He stared at Lu Yuan, deliberately bringing up the humiliating defeat in front of the cameras and the crowd.

"You were lucky enough to survive once, and you ought to cherish that life. Once the fists start flying, accidents happen. I might just kill you."

Roar!

The crowd erupted at once.

Only moments earlier, many of them had thought the name "Lu Yuan" sounded familiar, but no one had connected him with the young man who had nearly been beaten to death in the first round of the Martial Arts Tournament three months ago. After all, the man standing before them now was the founder of the Extreme Martial Dao. How could he possibly be the same Lu Yuan who had once failed to make it past the opening round?

"So it's really him?"

"Wasn't Lu Yuan eliminated in the first round of the Martial Arts Tournament three months ago? I heard a Meridian-Severing Fist martial artist crippled his heart meridian and nearly killed him. It was all over the news at the time."

"Yeah, I remember that too. And now, just three months later, he's suddenly the founder of some Extreme Martial Dao?"

"And he came here to challenge the Bear-Hugging Martial Arts Center? Isn't he just throwing his life away?"

"One could really die in a challenge like this..."

The revelation completely changed the way the crowd looked at Lu Yuan. What had seemed like the confidence of a young martial arts prodigy now looked, to many of them, more like reckless arrogance.

Lu Yuan, however, remained completely unfazed.

"That's right. Three months ago, I couldn't even make it past the first round of the Martial Arts Tournament, and I nearly died. But it was precisely because I came so close to death that I comprehended the Extreme Martial Dao. In that moment, I finally understood that the path today's martial artists are following is wrong. Force is not the true path of martial arts. The Extreme Martial Dao is!"

Then, the moment he finished speaking, he shot forward.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground trembled beneath his feet as his massive body surged toward Liu Tianxiong with frightening speed.

"Come on!" Lu Yuan's voice thundered across the martial arts center. "Go ahead and try to kill me! Use your strongest Bear-Hugging Force!"

The sheer ferocity of his charge sent a chill through the spectators.

"As you wish!" shouted Liu Tianxiong. "Bear-Hugging Force, Bear Embrace!"

He charged right back at Lu Yuan. His broad arms spread wide like those of a black bear, and his enormous palms closed around Lu Yuan in a crushing embrace.

Bam!

The instant his arms locked around Lu Yuan, he unleashed his Hidden Force without holding anything back. The force penetrated Lu Yuan's body almost effortlessly, meeting no apparent resistance at all.

Liu Tianxiong's heart leapt with delight. Yes! Success!

His Bear-Hugging Force was viciously destructive. Once its Hidden Force entered an opponent's body, it would undoubtedly cripple them, if not kill them outright. Anyone familiar with the technique knew better than to let him secure a full embrace, which was why most opponents would do everything in their power to evade it.

Lu Yuan, however, made no effort to dodge; he allowed himself to be pulled into the embrace. As far as Liu Tianxiong was concerned, Lu Yuan had just walked willingly into his own grave.

Moment after moment passed, but Lu Yuan still did not fall. And Liu Tianxiong's initial excitement quickly gave way to unease.

Something's wrong. My Hidden Force has clearly entered his body, so why is there no reaction at all?

He raised his head and found Lu Yuan looking down at him with an utterly calm expression. There was even a trace of puzzlement in his eyes.

"This is your Bear-Hugging Force? That's it?"

It was as though he had not felt the attack at all.

"Argh!" Liu Tianxiong strained with everything he had, his face flushing red as he tried to hoist Lu Yuan up and slam him down. But no matter how hard he pulled, Lu Yuan did not move an inch. It felt as though he were trying to uproot a mountain.

Lu Changsheng shook his head. "Forget it. I shouldn't have expected much from you."

Then he reached down, grabbed Liu Tianxiong by the collar, and lifted him effortlessly off the ground. The sight was more humiliating than any blow could have been.

Dangling in the air, Liu Tianxiong panicked at once and began unleashing multiple waves of Hidden Force. Each one struck Lu Yuan's body, but each one disappeared without producing the slightest effect.

Liu Tianxiong's eyes widened in disbelief. How is this possible? Is his body made of iron? Not even a Core Force Grandmaster could take so many of these strikes so casually! And even a Fortification Force Grandmaster would have to wrap their whole body in Force to block the attack... But this guy, he's not doing any of that. Seriously, what is he made of?

Liu Tianxiong could feel that Lu Yuan's body was still flesh and blood, just far more muscular than an ordinary person. But no amount of muscle should have been able to stop Hidden Force like this.

Of course, what Liu Tianxiong could not have known was that strengthening the body was precisely what the Extreme Martial Dao excelled at. As Lu Yuan advanced, every part of his physique had been reinforced together, from his skin and muscles to his bones and blood.

Liu Tianxiong's Hidden Force could penetrate Lu Yuan's skin, but that was as far as it went. Beneath it lay layers of muscle so dense and powerful that they were almost like walls of copper and iron, dispersing the force before it could reach anything vital.

With the Hidden Force rendered useless, Liu Tianxiong had very little left to rely on. His raw physical strength was only somewhat greater than that of an ordinary person. Against Lu Changsheng's monstrous physique, there was simply no comparison.

"Off you go!" Lu Changsheng tossed Liu Tianxiong aside.

Thud!

Liu Tianxiong crashed heavily onto the ground and lay there stunned, his entire body aching so badly that he could barely stand.

Even now, Lu Changsheng had clearly restrained himself. If he had slammed Liu Tianxiong headfirst into the floor with his full strength, Liu Tianxiong's brains would have been all over the floor.

"Master! How dare you hurt my master!"

One of Liu Tianxiong's disciples stared at his fallen master with bloodshot eyes. Then, as rage consumed him, he charged straight at Lu Yuan.

Bang!

His fist struck Lu Yuan squarely in the chest, and Hidden Force erupted from the blow at the same instant. There was no hesitation in the attack. He had clearly struck with the intent to kill.

Lu Changsheng's expression turned cold. He raised one hand and brought it down with terrifying speed and force.

Smack!

His palm landed heavily on the disciple's head before anyone could react. Instantly, the man's head burst beneath the blow like a watermelon, blood splattering on Lu Changsheng.

The entire Bear-Hugging Martial Arts Center fell deathly silent; no one moved or spoke.

The cameras were still rolling, and the livestreams were still going[1], but the gruesome sight before them had stunned everyone into stillness. A chill seemed to spread through the crowd as they stared at Lu Yuan, splattered with blood after killing a man with a single strike.

"C-Cut! Get the cameras off him!" someone shouted after finally recovering from the shock.

The television crew hurriedly turned their cameras away. Footage like that could never be broadcast uncensored, and the newspapers certainly would not describe the scene in graphic detail. The livestreams, however, had already shown the gruesome conclusion of the fight to everyone watching.

Comments exploded almost immediately.

"Chat, did we just witness a live murder?"

"Not gonna lie, I thought this whole thing looked ridiculous at first. Liu Tianxiong was struggling in Lu Yuan's grip so dramatically that I figured these so-called traditional martial artists were just putting on a show. I was completely wrong. Liu Tianxiong isn't weak. Lu Yuan is just absurdly strong."

"Bro, he literally blew his skull away with one slap. I study physics, and I don't even want to imagine how much force that would require."

"This really is different from ordinary martial arts. Most martial artists rely on technique, timing, and finding an opening for a decisive strike. Lu Yuan doesn't seem to need any of that. He simply overwhelms his opponents with pure, raw strength!"

"Exactly. His strength, defense, and speed are all on another level. Liu Tianxiong and his disciple both used Hidden Force, but it did absolutely nothing to him."

"Could muscles actually become strong enough to stop Hidden Force?"

"So they really lost to pure physical strength?"

"Lu Yuan keeps talking about this Extreme Martial Dao he created. I'm starting to think there might actually be something to it."

The killing had horrified the viewers, but it had also changed the entire tone of the discussion. Before the challenge, most people had treated Lu Yuan's claims as little more than publicity and clickbait. Now, no one could dismiss the Extreme Martial Dao.

As for the death of the disciple, as horrifying as it was, it was an acknowledged risk in martial art challenges. Both sides had entered the confrontation knowing that a life could be lost, and Liu Tianxiong's disciple had attacked Lu Yuan with killing intent after the original exchange had already ended. By rushing into the fight himself, he had effectively accepted the same consequences.

"Liu Tianxiong..." Lu Changsheng began, but Liu Tianxiong's legs gave out before he could say what he wanted to say.

"I surrender!" Liu Tianxiong blurted out, his voice trembling. "I surrender! The Bear-Hugging Martial Arts Center will close immediately. I'll leave Pan City as soon as possible!"

His own disciple had just been killed before his eyes, but revenge was the last thing on his mind. His fighting spirit had been crushed along with his confidence. The fear Lu Changsheng had planted in him ran so deep that he might never again be able to bring out his Hidden Force as he once had. As a martial artist, he was effectively finished.

The students of the Extreme Martial Dao erupted into cheers as soon as Liu Tianxiong formally surrendered.

"We won! Our founder won so easily!"

"He hasn't even practiced the Extreme Martial Dao for that long, and he's already this powerful!"

"The Founder was right. Force martial arts can't compare to the Extreme Martial Dao. This is the true path of martial arts!"

After watching Lu Yuan shatter a man's skull with a single palm strike, no one in Pan City would dare call the Extreme Martial Dao fake or dismiss it as all show and no go. And by the end of the day, there would not be a single person in the city's martial arts community who had not heard its name.

1. Stumbling on LiveLeak at 12 be like ☜