Chapter 256.3: Breaking the Limit! Second Growth! Impervious to Blades and Bullets! A New Era! (III)

Lu Changsheng had originally stood at roughly five chi and four cun tall[1]. Yet after entering Second Growth, he forcibly grew another cun, bringing his height to roughly six chi[2]. He would certainly keep growing over the coming period, maybe even grow another half a chi or more. The muscles and bones throughout his body were also growing stronger, enhancing his physical prowess several times over.

Ultimately, every aspect of his body was improving.

So this is the Second Growth that comes from breaking the limit? It seems my earlier hypothesis was correct. Second Growth is essentially another opportunity for the human body to develop, naturally allowing its physical capabilities to improve severalfold. My current strength, or rather my overall combat ability, has nearly reached the level of the Divine Strength Realm.

Although the Divine Strength Realm breaks through some shackles, it's still far from true transcendence... According to the divisions used in the Sacred Region, Divine Strength Realm is followed by Divine Fortification Realm. Yet neither realm provides transcendent power. Only the Divine Treasury Realm above Divine Fortification Realm, which is comparable to a Qi Refinement Immortal Master, can be considered true transcendence...

Lu Changsheng made a rough assessment. The truth was, the Divine Strength Realm and Divine Fortification Realm were, in essence, the same thing. The only difference lay in their power.

After reaching Second Growth through Lu Changsheng's Extreme Martial Dao, the body could continue improving slowly. And once Second Growth had reached its limit, it should be comparable to the Divine Fortification Realm. To truly transcend mortality and become comparable to a Qi Refinement Immortal Master or the Divine Treasury Realm, however, one would probably need the Third Growth.

There are still more than two years before my true body can project its power. That should be enough time to reach Third Growth...

One thought after another flashed through Lu Changsheng's mind. Eventually, he summoned the Status Panel.

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Yuan

Extreme Martial Dao: Second Growth (1%)

As expected, the First Growth entry had been replaced by the Second Growth one.

I wonder if my body can withstand bullets now...

With that thought, Lu Changsheng took out a knife and gently drew it across his skin.

Skrrr...

It did not even leave a scratch.

Lu Changsheng gradually increased the force, but he still failed to cut through his skin. Only when he finally used a third of his strength did he manage to draw blood.

Such defensive power was formidable indeed—and that was only his skin. There were still his muscles, bones, and everything else beneath it. His overall defense had to be tremendous. Of course, he couldn't yet know how his body would fare against firearms, but he had confirmed that knives and daggers no longer posed much of a threat to him.

That was how incredible the Second Growth was.

At that moment, Senior Sister Xiang's voice came from outside. "Master. It's time for your teaching session."

Hearing her, Lu Changsheng stood up, and as he did so, he realized that having grown in height posed some awkward problems. At more than six chi, he nearly touched the ceiling. Of course, that was merely an inconvenience, not something that would actually trouble Lu Changsheng in any meaningful way.

With a stir of thought, he immediately controlled all the muscles and bones in his body and rapidly shrank them. It was merely a matter of controlling one's muscles and bones. Anyone who practiced the Extreme Martial Dao could basically do it upon reaching the limit of First Growth.

Just like that, Lu Changsheng quickly returned to his original height of five chi four cun eighty.

As he advanced through Second Growth and even Third Growth, Lu Changsheng was bound to become even taller, but that did not matter. Martial artists who broke their limits through the Extreme Martial Dao possessed an extremely high degree of control over their bodies, so they did not have to worry about looking inhuman. At the very least, it would not have much effect on their outward appearance. They could treat the enormous bodies produced by Second or even Third Growth as a kind of combat state to be activated when needed.

I guess I'll call this Extreme Transformation. And the body produced by Second Growth will be called Extreme Second Body!

With that, he opened the door and walked out.

The Extreme Martial Dao Center had many students, virtually all of whom had joined because of Lu Yuan's reputation. However, there were simply too many of them for him to teach personally. Therefore, he could only set aside one or two days each month to teach publicly and offer guidance. And that month's teaching session happened to be that day.

When Lu Changsheng emerged, more than a hundred students greeted him respectfully.

"Master."

One fervent gaze after another fell upon Lu Changsheng. He had become incredibly famous; he was practically being worshipped. Videos of his battle were all over the internet, shared by countless people every day. Although he had not fought for six months, his popularity remained sky-high.

Lu Changsheng swept his gaze over the group of students. Thanks to his breakthrough, he was in an excellent mood, and so he would show them something new.

"I believe you have already learned a great deal about the Extreme Martial Dao during your usual training. Hearing of something is never as good as seeing it. Didn't you come here precisely because you wanted to witness the true Extreme Martial Dao? Then today, I will show you the true limit of humanity."

Lu Changsheng turned to Senior Sister Xiang, "Go and bring me some weapons. Sharp knives or daggers will do."

Senior Sister Xiang was somewhat surprised, but she still went as instructed. Before long, Senior Sister Xiang returned with numerous sharp objects, including sabers, swords, and daggers.

Holding a dagger, Lu Changsheng swept his gaze over the students and asked, "Who wants to try?"

The students naturally raised their hands one after another, eager to participate. A trace of curiosity flashed in each of their eyes.

Lu Changsheng selected a familiar-looking student.

"You were a student of the Crane Martial Arts Center before, weren't you? That makes you one of the Extreme Martial Dao Center's veteran students. Come, use this dagger and come at me with all your strength. Don't hold back. You can strike anywhere you like."

As soon as Lu Changsheng finished speaking, an uproar swept through the students.

"What? Master is going to withstand a dagger just like that?"

"Even a Fortification Force Grandmaster wouldn't dare be so reckless..."

"The Extreme Martial Dao founded by Master may grant boundless strength and improve every aspect of one's body, but can it withstand a sharp dagger?"

Many students found it impossible to believe, and the selected student also hesitated.

"Okay... Master, here I come."

Lu Changsheng simply stood motionless where he was.

"Come on. Use all your strength."

Whoosh.

The next moment, the student gripped the dagger with both hands and sliced fiercely at Lu Changsheng's arm. He did not dare aim directly for his head. Even if Lu Changsheng could not withstand the attack, a cut to the arm would not kill him.

Lu Changsheng, however, did not care. Whether it was his head or his arm made no difference to him. He remained completely motionless and welcomed the sharp blade.

Clang!

The student had used tremendous force. After all, he was a veteran student who had been practicing the Extreme Martial Dao for a while. After training for so long, his physical capabilities had improved enormously. Therefore, the knife strike carried immense momentum and strong force. Even a steel plate would probably have had a notch hacked into it by such tremendous power.

And yet, Lu Changsheng did not budge in the slightest. His arm didn't bear so much as a scratch. The student felt as though he had struck a sheet of old ox hide. He simply could not cut through Lu Yuan's skin.

Lu Changsheng let out a thunderous shout. "Come on! Slash at my neck with all you've got!"

Clenching his teeth, the student swung the dagger again and hacked at Lu Yuan's neck.

Thud!

The strike, more powerful than before, produced a dull sound. The student was trembling all over, as though a shockwave had passed through him. When he looked up, he noticed that the sharp edge of the dagger had actually curled over and even chipped.

The sight sent an uproar through the crowd.

"Whoa!"

"It couldn't cut him? It didn't leave even the slightest wound on the Master. Instead, the dagger's edge chipped..."

"Is his body actually impervious to blades and bullets? Not even a Fortification Force Grandmaster would have such defenses. Can our bodies truly reach this level?"

"Unbelievable... We've just witnessed a miracle..."

"Can the Extreme Martial Dao make someone immune to blades and bullets?"

"I wonder whether such terrifying defenses can stop a bullet?"

Firearms immediately sprang to many people's minds. In the age of guns and cannons, martial arts had long since lost their place. What did it matter if someone was a Fortification Force Grandmaster? More than one or two of them had been shot to death in a hail of bullets. Martial arts had declined precisely because firearms and artillery were too deadly.

The Extreme Martial Dao founded by Lu Yuan, however, was completely different from the martial arts training Force. It could even withstand a large sharp dagger. If it could withstand bullets as well, it would definitely cause an immediate worldwide sensation, perhaps even usher in a new era.

1. Approximately 5.9ft/180cm ☜

2. Approximately 6.5ft/200cm ☜