Chapter 56: The Twin Jewels of the Lu Family Challenge the Ultimate Master

"The Lu family, Lu Ci, comes to receive guidance from Senior Brother Zhang!"

As these words fell, the martial arts arena instantly quieted down, the ripples of laughter vanishing.

The crowd looked at Lu Ci in puzzlement, unable to understand what he meant by this stunt. Lu Jin couldn't even withstand a single move, so what was the point of him—Lu Jin's defeated opponent—going up there?

"Lu Ci, you..."

The head of the Lu family wanted to order Lu Ci to get back down and stop making a fool of himself, but he was held back by the head of the Wang family.

The Wang family head said in a deep voice, "Brother Lu, this boy Lu Ci is truly remarkable. He dares to face difficulties head-on, is not afraid of setbacks, and confronts the gap between himself and the strong. Isn't this a steadfast state of mind? Let him try. Besides, on an occasion like this, what are you afraid of?"

"Exactly! Little Lu, what are you worrying about? Let Lu Ci have a go. Anyway, Jin'er has already set the bottom line. It's a gathering, so it should be lively and bustling, hahaha..." The elder of the Lu family also laughed heartily. As the great-grandfather, he was the vanguard of mocking Lu Jin.

As for the Celestial Master Zhang Jingqing, he didn't care about the situation on the arena. His rebellious disciple had slapped Lu Jin down in a single second right in front of the birthday star himself—why the hell should he care anymore?

He was pondering a matter he had been considering for a long time. This "lion" was unruly and difficult to teach, and expecting that "mouse" to untie his own emotional knot and crawl out on his own was probably unrealistic. A loud drum required a heavy hammer; sooner or later, he would drag that fellow out of his dark ditch.

...

In the martial arts arena.

"Fine, then I'll play with you!"

Zhang Zhiwei rolled back up the sleeve he had just pulled down.

Lu Ci gritted his teeth and shouted, "I'm not playing around! I want you to go all out. I want you to treat me as a true opponent, and bring out your real..."

Just as he was speaking, a hand rested on his shoulder.

He looked back and saw his older brother, Lu Ren, who had also entered the arena.

Lu Ren walked to Lu Ci's side, crossed his arms, and said, "Senior Brother Zhang, my younger brother overestimates his capabilities!"

"Brother, I..."

"Listen to me finish!"

Lu Ren said in a deep voice, "Senior Brother Zhang, the two of us brothers have been favored by folks in the pugilistic world, and have long carried the moniker of the 'Twin Jades of the Lu Family,' hailed as top-tier figures among the younger generation."

"Although I appeared modest, I was actually quite proud in my heart. But it wasn't until I witnessed Senior Brother Zhang's moves today that I truly understood what the pinnacle of the younger generation looks like, and realized what a frog at the bottom of a well I was."

"To my shame, I initially lacked the courage to face Senior Brother Zhang because I knew I was no match. But since my younger brother wishes to test you, this supreme master, as an older brother, I naturally cannot stand idly by."

"As the saying goes, brothers fight side by side, and father and sons go to the battlefield together. The Twin Jades of the Lu Family have always been a single entity. Today, I have an unbefitting request: the Twin Jades of the Lu Family wish to test the skills of a supreme master like you. Please grant us this favor!"

After speaking with his hands cupped, Lu Ren bowed and instantly dropped into a fighting stance.

The audience below quietly watched this scene, but strangely enough, neither the younger generation nor the older generation felt this request was abrupt or outrageous. Instead, they felt it was only natural.

"The proud prodigies of the Lu Family have stepped up. Two against one—do you think they have any chance of winning?" a senior-generation martial artist whispered in discussion below.

"I find it doubtful. In the last match, the Celestial Master's top disciple defeated Lu Jin in a single move. The two sides are in completely different leagues. To put it bluntly without fear of losing face, even if I went up there and wanted to take down young Lu Jin in one strike, I'd have to use lethal force; there's simply no way I could defeat him without leaving him injured!"

"Brother Liu, please don't belittle yourself. The previous match was not simple. Rather than an overwhelming display of absolute force, I felt more that the Celestial Master's disciple won by employing a very clever method. If they were to actually open up stances and clash head-on, he would certainly win, but it definitely wouldn't be this effortless!"

"There is some truth to that. The last bout between the Celestial Master's disciple and Lu Jin was too brief to reveal much, making it hard to judge. However, the Twin Jades of the Lu Family have been famous for a long time, especially the elder of the two, who has rarely tasted defeat. This time should be quite spectacular!"

"That may be so, but don't forget: he is an adopted-surname disciple of the Celestial Master's Mansion. He must have been imparted the True Method of the Five Thunders. Judging by his vigorous and fully energized demeanor, he is most likely practicing the fierce and peerless Yang Five Thunders. The real show hasn't even started yet."

"Indeed. They say the True Method of the Five Thunders is renowned throughout the world, but few have actually witnessed it. Today we finally have a chance to open our eyes!"

...

The crowd below the arena chattered endlessly.

On the arena.

"Brother, you too... Hahahaha..."

Lu Ci was startled for a moment, then similarly dropped into a fighting stance, his expression turning manic: "Old Daoist, the Twin Jades of the Lu Family challenge you. Please enlighten us!"

The appearance of his brother gave him a dose of absolute confidence.

The sky cleared up, the rain stopped, Lu Ci felt he could do it again, and Senior Brother Zhang instantly morphed back into an old Daoist.

He was provoking Zhang Zhiwei, not wanting the other party to show mercy or hold back, but wanting to experience the true gap between himself and a supreme master.

Old Daoist... Zhang Zhiwei was stunned for a moment. As a Daoist priest, he naturally knew the origin of this nickname.

It didn't mean Daoists looked like oxen; rather, it referred to the traditional hairstyle of Daoist priests, known as the ox-nose topknot, which led to Daoists being derogatorily called "ox-noses."

However, Zhang Zhiwei's hairstyle had always been wild and unrestrained; he never tied up anything like that. Instead...

Zhang Zhiwei turned his head and glanced at the ox-nose topknot on his master's head!

Damn it, this Lu Four-Cups was trying to provoke him! Zhang Zhiwei instantly realized this and broke into a grin:

"An ox-nose, is it? You want guidance?! Fine, then I'll give you some guidance. I'll let you make the first move!"

"Since Senior Brother Zhang has said so, we won't stand on ceremony!"

Lu Ren took the initiative, slamming a palm into the ground.

"Rumble!"

The cracked ground spread out from the tips of Lu Ci's toes like a spiderweb. The earth burst open, and several strands of Ruyi Qi, carrying mud and shattered stones, surged toward Zhang Zhiwei like a violent storm.

Lu Ci also moved. His Ruyi Qi was fully mobilized, forming a ring around his body. With a resounding palm strike, the Qi split into three distinct streams, attacking Zhang Zhiwei from three different directions, determined to cut off all his paths of retreat.

"Take this! Let's see how you dodge!" Lu Ci wore a manic expression, unleashing streams of Ruyi Qi one after another.

"Dodge?!"

A resolute voice rang out.

The next instant!

Lu Ci's pupils shrank violently as they contracted into focus.

A pair of thick eyebrows gleaming with golden light abruptly pressed down right before his eyes, and the high bridge of a nose almost collided with his face.

"Old Daoist?!"

Zhang Zhiwei reached out, moving as if through an empty realm. He directly shattered Lu Ci's protective Ruyi Qi, grabbed him by the throat, and hoisted him into the air.

Lu Ci's family-inherited ultimate technique, Ruyi Qi, was flexible and could curve at will; it could strike across mountains to hit internal organs through external defenses, and could also shroud the body as a protective protective aura, making it a technique that integrated both offense and defense.

Yet all these methods failed to work in front of Zhang Zhiwei. The thin layer of golden light on his body could not be pierced by needles nor penetrated by water. No matter how much Lu Ci exerted his full potential, he could not shake it by even a fraction, producing nothing more than a series of metallic clanging sounds—utterly useless.

"You... Gk—kgh..."

Lu Ci's expression twisted viciously. In Zhang Zhiwei's grip, he struggled desperately like an ordinary person, kicking his legs wildly while his hands clawed frantically at Zhang Zhiwei's forearm.

"Is this how you come to ask this old Daoist for guidance? Such a pitifully weak scrap of Qi, and you actually split it into three streams, taking detours to flank and encircle me? So flashy! Do you really think you could hurt me, or did you honestly think I would dodge?!"