Cultivation Technique: Mountain-Breaking Inch Force Fist (3rd Floor, Initiate), Hard Qigong (2nd Floor, Initiate)
Modified Value: 40
’Beyond a Grandmaster of Huajin... what realm could there be?’
Lu Yun slowly exhaled a long breath.
There was a time when he had been agonizingly stuck at the Peak of Anjin for thirty years. Back then, the title "Grandmaster of Huajin" represented the Martial Arts Peak—an unattainable, almost mythical goal for all Martial Artists.
Anyone who reached this realm was an individual of breathtaking talent and immense fortune, a great figure capable of founding their own sect and commanding respect over a wide domain.
’Now, not only have I stepped into this realm, but I’ve also rapidly ascended to its later stages in a short time, even glimpsing the threshold of its peak.’
The higher he stood, the farther he could see, and the more Lu Yun felt his own insignificance.
’Becoming a Grandmaster of Huajin is not the end.’
「Two days later, at Hai Cui Bay Pier.」
A cargo ship slowly approached the shore, dropped anchor, and then lowered its gangplank.
The hurried trip to Linjiang in Yifeng Province had come and gone; a full seven days had passed without him realizing it.
Seven days was enough time for many things to change in the turbulent Yun Port City.
Leaning on his newly acquired Wisteria Spirit Staff, Lu Yun walked down the gangplank with a steady gait.
As soon as he set foot on the firm ground of the pier, Yan Lintong approached with several Lu Family security guards.
Upon seeing Lu Yun, Yan Lintong hurried forward and bowed respectfully. "Master!"
Lu Yun glanced at him and gave a slight nod. "What is it?"
Yan Lintong took a deep breath and, in a hushed, rushed voice, said, "Master! While you were away, another Grandmaster of Huajin appeared in Yun Port City!"
’Another Grandmaster of Huajin?’
Lu Yun’s brow twitched. Grandmasters of Huajin didn’t grow on trees. Officially, Yun Port City had only produced three over several decades—he himself, of course, being an exception.
’And now another one has appeared in such a short time?’
"Who?"
"The Gang Leader of the Cyan Dragon Gang, Wang Weijing!"
Hearing this name, Lu Yun merely let out a soft, questioning sound.
"Oh?"
Seeing his master so calm, Yan Lintong grew so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead.
He had been waiting anxiously at this pier for two days, hoping for his master—this Stabilizing Needle—to return and take charge of the situation!
Then, Yan Lintong spoke, almost through gritted teeth, "Master! That Wang Weijing... he’s sided with the people from Wa Country!"
"Not only that, but three days ago, he led a surprise attack on the Yishun Hall headquarters!"
"Xu Fei and all his high-ranking members and elites were wiped out in a single night! Not one of them escaped!"
Yishun Hall!
Yishun Hall was one of Yun Port City’s three great Cao Bang, with deep and complex influence. They controlled five pier districts, some of which were adjacent to the three piers controlled by the Lu Family.
Its Hall Master, Xu Fei, had been an expert at the Peak of Anjin. He was ruthless and shrewd, considered a formidable figure in the Yun Port City underworld.
’I just spared that guy last time, and now, not even two months later, his entire leadership has been wiped out just like that?’
"So..." Lu Yun began slowly, already guessing what would come next.
Yan Lintong quickly finished his thought. "So Yishun Hall’s territory, piers, and businesses have all fallen into the hands of the Cyan Dragon Gang!"
"Using the power of the people from Wa Country and the prestige of his new status as a Grandmaster of Huajin, Wang Weijing has devoured the surrounding territories in just a few days. His power has skyrocketed!"
"Now, almost the entire underworld of Yun Port City moves at his whim!"
"To that end, Wang Weijing is hosting a grand banquet at the Ping’an Restaurant at noon today. He’s sent out invitations to nearly every influential power in Yun Port City, from both legitimate and illegitimate circles."
"Ostensibly, it’s to celebrate his promotion to Grandmaster of Huajin and build goodwill. In reality, it’s to establish his dominance in public and set new rules for Yun Port City!"
"The Lu Family Trading Company also received an invitation."
Lu Yun’s expression remained calm as he waited for him to continue.
Yan Lintong swallowed nervously. "Jingteng felt that the Lu Family’s honor and our pier businesses were at stake. He believed he couldn’t refuse to go, and more importantly, he couldn’t show any weakness..."
"So, he has already gone to the Ping’an Restaurant himself! He’s probably been there for a little while now!"
Lu Yun saw that Yan Lintong was still standing there, looking as if he had more to say but was hesitating.
"Lintong, is there something else you want to say?"
Yan Lintong gave a wry smile and cupped his fists. "As expected, nothing escapes you, Master."
"It’s about something else. Seven days ago... on the very night you left Yun Port City, Master."
"Something happened at the Wind-Splitting Falcon Xingyi Fist Martial Arts Hall, where I used to train."
’Wind-Splitting Falcon Xingyi Fist?’
Lu Yun had some recollection of it. Among the many martial arts halls in Yun Port City, it wasn’t particularly outstanding, but it wasn’t weak either. Its master was Ma Sanlie...
"Master Ma Sanlie’s hall was challenged by a group that came all the way from the Eastern Province."
"The leader was a woman. She’s very young and is said to be quite beautiful."
"But the most frightening thing about her is her age and her strength! They say she looks to be only twenty-seven or twenty-eight, yet she’s already at the Peak of Anjin!"
’Peak of Anjin at around twenty-seven?’
A flicker of surprise, almost imperceptible, flashed in Lu Yun’s eyes. Such talent could only be described as prodigious.
’I wonder if this woman has also taken an Elixir of Immortality?’
Yan Lintong continued, "The woman and her group were ruthless and decisive. They apparently also used a style of Xingyi Fist. Master Ma fought with all his might but couldn’t even last fifty moves..."
"In the end, the woman shattered his heart meridian on the spot, killing him on the hall’s training ground!"
Ma Sanlie was dead!
A well-known Anjin expert in the Yun Port City Martial Arts World had been challenged in his own hall and killed.
This wasn’t just a personal grudge; it was a grave challenge to the rules and honor of the Yun Port City Martial Arts World.
Yan Lintong took a deep breath and revealed the most crucial part. "Furthermore, she specifically declared that she would last one hundred moves against you, Master!"
Hearing this, Lu Yun fell silent for a moment. Then, the corners of his mouth slowly curved into an enigmatic smile.
’Interesting. Truly interesting.’
He’d only been away for seven short days, and it was as if Yun Port City had become a different world. All the riffraff had crawled out of the woodwork.
Lu Yun, of course, knew the rules of the Martial Arts Demonstration by heart.
To officially open a martial arts hall in Yun Port City, one must first publicly defeat an existing hall to prove they have the strength and qualifications to establish a school and take on students.
Then, they must be tested by a consultant from the Martial Arts Demonstration.
Without the consultant using the unique Qi of a Grandmaster of Huajin, the challenger must be able to last one hundred moves against them without being defeated.
However, the price of failure for the challenger was equally steep.
According to the rules of the martial world, a failed challenger would not be tolerated by the Yun Port City Martial Arts World. They would be secretly hunted by all the local martial arts halls until their skills were crippled and they were no longer a threat.
Establishing a new school was never child’s play.
This was both a way to maintain order in the Yun Port City Martial Arts World and a brutal elimination process.
Without sufficient strength and the resolve to bear the consequences of failure, one had no right to a piece of the pie in the vast Yun Port City.
If the threshold for challenging a hall was too low, wouldn’t people with nothing better to do show up for a "challenge" every day?
That would surely throw the Yun Port City Martial Arts World into chaos.

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