Martial Arts Master

“I see…” muttered Yan Zheke, excited and motivated. She then looked up in thought. “Are you going to throw yourself into mortal combat for the final breakthrough?”

Before Lou Cheng could answer, he heard a sound. He grabbed and pulled her behind a dune, where they concealed themselves.

Twenty seconds later, a few figures dashed past them, sweeping up sand and stones as they headed for the Port City, Fartouat.

Yan Zheke peered at them, then whispered, “They aren’t weak…”

“Three quasi-Dan Stage experts. They don’t seem like Nile natives. Probably travellers eager to get out of this mess,” Lou Cheng rubbed at his swelling temples. “Ke Ke, I’m gonna take a nap. Stay on watch.”

While preserving the Wholeness Formula, he wanted to confront any arising situations in his best form while they were in Fartouat.

“Got it.” Yan Zheke agreed without making a fuss. She had forgotten about her question from before.

Lou Cheng crossed his legs and sat down. He then visualized the Confrontation Formula which cleansed his body and mind. Soon, he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Just like that, he slept in the scorching desert under the blazing sun for an entire hour. He woke up reinvigorated and refreshed.

“Ke Ke, get some rest. You’ll need to be in your best form,” said Lou Cheng, rotating his neck without standing up.

Yan Zheke nodded obediently. Taking cover in the shade and snuggling against Lou Cheng, she soothed her excited nerves. Slowly, the tension and exhaustion from the day melted away as she entered the land of dreams.

She woke up in the evening. The great sun descended in the West, painting the golden sand in a sea of scarlet. The desert looked like raging flames and was beautiful and magnificent.

“It’s pretty…” said Yan Zheke. Waking up to such a sight made her feel as though she was still dreaming.

This was the calm after the chaos, the relaxation after long periods of being high-strung. In her eyes, that was the most beautiful scene she had witnessed in that Nile trip.

Leaning against each other, they admired it for a while, then stood up at the same time. They climbed onto the dune and peered at Fartouat once again. The Port City was now a sea of lights.

“The electricity hasn’t been cut off. That means the chaos didn’t affect every region. On the whole, there’s order,” said Yan Zheke logically.

“Let’s go!” Lou Cheng smiled and squat down.

She clutched onto him.

“Cheng, what’s the exact difference between cultivation and cultivation with martial arts in it?”

The question has been on her mind since before.

“To be more accurate, it’s martial arts with cultivation in it. My final breakthrough will be similar to that of martial arts, except I will use Force Concentration to push forward the resonance with the outside world. That establishes a link between my mind, spirit, and root pulps. In the end, I will still be walking the path of martial arts, but for a subtlety,” said Lou Cheng pensively. As he spoke, he rushed down the dune and headed for his destination like a hurricane.

Strangely, his voice wasn’t in the least affected by the strong wind’s soughing.

Lowering herself, Yan Zheke moved her lips to his ear. “Does that mean you created a new path in martial arts?”

“… I guess you can say that,” said Lou Cheng hesitantly but proudly.

“Creating a new path and contributing to martial arts. My Cheng is now a bonafide grandmaster~” complimented Yan Zheke, her eyes shimmering with pride.

“Save that for when I thoroughly attain Physical Invulnerability.” Lou Cheng shook his head and laughed. He changed the topic thoughtfully. “Speaking of which, making the breakthrough to Physical Invulnerability will involve the brain. Does that mean I have to master this part of the training to reach the Forbidden Area?”

“Maybe…” Yan Zheke didn’t know much about that. Then, rather sentimentally, she said, “Involving the brain… No wonder there’s that saying ‘you’ll never achieve Physical Invulnerability if you don’t do it before thirty.’ Overcoming this hurdle will require extremely powerful inner strength and resolve…”

To enter the forbidden area, the complex human brain is involved. For an adult of around thirty, even if he appears exuberant, grows physically, or show signs of becoming more powerful, the body’s shapeability decreases over time. Training’s effects on the mind becomes minute. If the resonance to the outer world cannot be established at this time, it would practically be impossible.

“Yeah…” Reminded of his cousin-in-law, Xiao Ming, and other martial artists on the same path, Lou Cheng felt sentimental.

The couple, without any more words, crossed a few more dunes before getting onto the main road. They were nearing Fartouat.

Ten minutes later, with Yan Zheke on his back, Lou Cheng entered the Port City. He avoided the main entrance, skirted around the chaotic regions where occasional gunshots were fired, and searched for the way. At last, they made it to the heavily-guarded China consulate in Fartouat before night fell.

The consulate teemed with refugees, some local and some from neighboring cities. Some slept on the ground over makeshift mattresses. Others sat around in boredom, waiting impatiently, toying with their phones that often lost reception.

They were greeted by the consul, Mao Xiaoling, who grabbed Lou Cheng’s right hand and engaged him with a firm handshake. “You are finally here! I was worried that something might have happened!”

He wore casual attire rather than suit and tie. His tennis shoes were blotted with stains, and his hair, which was usually slicked back and spruced up, was in a mess. It was apparent that he didn’t have the time to worry about appearances.

“We wanted to avoid constant exhaustion since we could have ran into trouble any time. Resting in between caused some delays,” explained Lou Cheng.

Mao Xiaobing led them to the interior buildings. He spoke as he was walking.

“Everything’s been arranged. Tomorrow afternoon there will be a fleet of ships coming here, across the Dead Sea. They’ll evacuate you to Wei City, where you’ll take a plane home.”

“Okay,” replied Lou Cheng and Yan Zheke at once.

The girl’s eyes moved in thought. Rather embarrassed, she made a request.

“Mr Consul, is the landline working? If there are any satellite phones, I would like to make a call to my family to tell them I’m safe.”

“Certainly! Follow me. Senior Ji and Senior Shi has called multiple times.” Mao Xiaobing led them into an office and pointed to the desk.

“By the way, the group that was with you earlier on, the one with Ma Chaoyang, they have reached KhuKhang and met up with the main troops. I got the news when I contacted the KhuKang side,” added Mao Xiaobing.

“Good to know, good to know…” Yan Zheke, relieved, picked up the phone and dialed her house number.

“Hello?” From the other end of the phone came Ji Mingyu’s grave and tense voice.

“Mom, I’m at Fartouat. At the consulate,” said Yan Zheke quickly.

Whew… Ji Mingyu heaved a long sigh of relief. “Are you alright?”

“Of course! I’m a Dan Stage Mighty One after all!” Yan Zheke couldn’t help but brag.

Ji Mingyu smiled and made a spitting noise. “Are you mocking my attainments in martial arts? Enough of that, give my thanks to Little Lou.”

“What thanks! There’s no need for thanks between the two of us!” said Yan Zheke in a hushed voice, glimpsing to make sure that Mao Xiaobing had left the room. Lou Cheng smiled and nodded in an assenting manner.

“That’s true for you, but not me. Am I not allowed, as a mother, to thank him for protecting my daughter?” said Ji Mingyu in amusement.

They chatted a little longer before the phone was passed to Yan Kai. Exercising self-restraint, the girl hung up after a while and turned to Lou Cheng.

“Your turn.”

“Mhm.” Lou Cheng first called his family, lying to them that the tourists weren’t affected. Then, he buzzed Geezer Shi.

“Heh, I knew you’ll be fine, smelly brat. With the pandemonium in Nile, who would have the time to target you?” said Geezer Shi smugly. His voice then turned grave. “Listen, smelly brat. I have a task for you.”

“What is it?” asked Lou Cheng, surprised at the sudden request.

“I want you to find someone called Siris. He should either be in KhuKhang or Deeka. He has helped me in the past, and I regard him as my savior. Now, he’s stuck in the chaos and asked me for help through the embassy. You help me find him and bring his family to evacuate safely. I’ll get the military to pass you the details. How about it? Not getting cold-feet, are we? Confident about the task?” chortled Geezer Shi.

Right now I’m confident that I can escape even if I run into a Physical Invulnerability Mighty One… thought Lou Cheng.

“Don’t worry, Master! I’ll do my best!”

Unless it threatens my life at some point!

“Good. At least you still remember to give back to your master,” Shi Jianguo clicked his tongue. “Wait, don’t hang up yet. Geezer Ji’s beside me right now, he wants to speak to you.”

Ke Ke’s Grandpa? Lou Cheng waited in slight confusion as Yan Zheke gazed at him blankly. Ji Jianzhang’s voice was loud and clear.

“Little Lou, we are family so I’m not going to beat around the bush. Lin Que, sigh, after Lin Que made the breakthrough to Inhuman stage, he sneakily went to the war-torn zones. With his current standard, it’s very dangerous for him to be there now. Plus, it’s likely that he’ll head to Nile and look for fights amidst the chaos. Try to find him along the way. If you run into him, bring him back.”

The f*ck? This cousin-in-law of mine simply does what he pleases… It does sound like something he’ll do… thought Lou Cheng reprimandingly.

“Yes, Senior Ji!” he said earnestly.

The call ended. In the military base, Shi Jianguo and Ji Jianzhang exchanged a glance and laughed.

“If we don’t find him something to do, this smelly brat with follow your granddaughter right back. He won’t even realize what he’s mising out on. The chaos in Nile, cough, is packed with chances for mortal combat,” said Geezer Shi contemptuously as though he knew everything about his disciple.

Ji Jianzhang sighed and smiled.

“It’s all we could do for him. Whether or not he can make the great leap depends on himself.”

…

When Lou Cheng laid down the phone, Yan Zheke, who was eavesdropping, covered her face and smiled helplessly.

“What’s my brother doing… How are you planning on bringing him back?”

She didn’t mention anything about the task. That was understandable.

“Knock him out cold and drag him back!” replied Lou Cheng without hesitation.

That was when Mao Xiaobing knocked on the door and came in with a smile on his face.

“Someone wants to meet you.”

“Who is it?” said Lou Cheng, concealing his confusion.

“You know each other,” Mao Xiaobing smiled, turned, and began walking. Lou Cheng and Yan Zheke followed him blankly.

When they were on the second floor, he opened the door to a small conference room, revealing a figure dressed blue martial arts suit. There, with short hair and looking fresh, was no other than Peng Leyun.

Life returned to this Heavenly Son of China’s eyes. It was dark around him, and a heavy aura outside the windows.

“Priest?” exclaimed Lou Cheng in joy and surprise.

Then, rather shocked, he blurted, “You attained Physical Invulnerability?”

It felt as though Priest could communicate with heaven and earth at any time to cast down a bolt of lightning!

“Yup,” nodded Peng Leyun with a smile. “I spent a period of time in the war-torn zones and fought against a number of Mighty Ones. I met Veigar too. He’s been improving fast. By fully exploring his supernatural abilities, he’s around the standard of a Physical Invulnerability Mighty One now. Heh-heh, seems like we are not the only ones who improved rapidly through chance encounters. Anyway, in the process of hunting and being hunted, I managed to make the great leap.”

“Congratulations!” said Lou Cheng and Yan Zheke warmly.

“Aren’t you almost there too?” chuckled Peng Leyun. He felt Lou Cheng’s connection with the environment.

“Indeed,” admitted Lou Cheng. “So why are you here in Nile?”

Peng Leyun smiled. “Previously, when I was in the war-torn zones, I received many favors from the military. I’m here to return the favor by saving some people. Plus, I’ll get to challenge many renowned Mighty Ones in Nile amidst this chaos.”

He said it with great gusto, reminding Lou Cheng of someone else.

“Did Ren Li’s enthusiasm rub off on you?” teased Lou Cheng, smiling.

“…Possibly…” Peng Leyun fell into deep thought and readily spaced out. After a long time, he returned to his senses. “Perhaps we have all been learning from each other…”

He then made a suggestion with great enthusiasm. “Husky, um, since you are about to make the breakthrough, you’ll need mortal combat as a catalyst. Why don’t we team up?”

“No, thank you. I have a Sect task to complete,” declined Lou Cheng with a smile.

“Alright then. I have been waiting for Ren Li here. We agreed to meet before the Fartouat consulate, but she’s almost a day late… She’s about to make the breakthrough too,” explained Peng Leyun.

“I don’t think she’ll ever reach here… She probably went to North Pole by now…” Lou Cheng could hardly believe how Ren Li could get lost in wartorn zones.

They shot at the breeze for a while before the couple left. Under Mao Xiaobing’s arrangements, they had a tiny room to rest in.

Lou Cheng was in a good state, so he began visualizing the Cosmic Universe Diagram once more, adjusting his mind and root pulp.

This time, he went late into the night, slept two hours, then woke up and resumed practice.

When the sky was dimly lit, Yan Zheke, who slept without changing, opened her eyes. She saw Lou Cheng demonstrating a set of moves in the narrow space. His movements were natural and relaxed. He seemed vigorous.

“The adjustments are complete?” she asked in elation.

“Mhm,” Lou Cheng stopped, nodded, then smiled. “Ke Ke, didn’t you ask me if I was going to throw myself into mortal combat to make the breakthrough? I forgot to give you an answer before this, so I’ll give it now.”

“Eh…” Yan Zheke was rather stunned.

Lou Cheng began in a low and gentle voice.

“I have to thank Ge Hui for this. During the mortal combat against him, I clearly realized what I cared about and worried about at what could have been my last moments. And after that fight, I hit rock bottom. Had my hopes shattered one after the other. But that made my mind crystal-clear. That gave me time to thoroughly study my cultivation kungfu. It made me understand what I truly want, what I was protecting, and why I fought! It was the first time I saw these so clearly. The first time I gained such resolve! With that, I have taken the courageous first step. That was when I was reborn.”

“Since I have already taken that step, why would I need to seek the thrill from mortal combat?”

He paused, and in a deep and steady voice, announced,

“I’ll make the great leap with my own strength, right here, right now!”

Yan Zheke, taken aback at first, became ecstatic. A sharp gleam gathered at Lou Cheng’s eyes. Between his brows, a colorful light seemed to be blooming. The air around him swirled intensely!

…

In another room a few meters away, Peng Leyun, who had been stretching, suddenly stopped. Perplexed, he opened his window. There, on a blazing summer day in a desert continent, blew a frigid, frosty wind!

Realizing something, he looked towards the room where Lou Cheng and Yan Zheke were staying in with startled eyes.

He made the great leap without any combat?