Several days later.
After finishing his stance training, he saw that the Proficiency on his Martial Dao Tree had risen by another point.
Martial Skills Black Tiger Fist: Mastery (20%) Cultivation Method Dragon-Tiger Heaven Stance: Second Aperture (45%)
Only then did Lu Chenzhou relax. After showering, he went to bed.
When he opened his phone, he found that the math teacher had posted last month's grade sheet in the class group and praised Lu Chenzhou in front of everyone.
For no other reason than that Lu Chenzhou had climbed one rank.
He was now fourteenth in the entire first-year class, his best result ever!
The math teacher went on and on in the group, while the other students stayed silent. Only Qin Zheng truly could not hold it in any longer and complained in the Martial Arts Society's small group.
Qin Zheng: Senior Sister, Chenzhou is ranked fourteenth now!
Li Linling: Comparing yourself to others is enough to drive you mad.
Qin Zheng: Lu Chenzhou, did you turn on cheats or something?
Lu Chenzhou: (smiling.jpg) No.
Qin Zheng: Senior Sister, do you know what's most despairing? Yesterday, he fought Du Men to a draw. Du Men is a Third Stage expert!
Crushed by Lu Chenzhou in every respect, Qin Zheng could only seek comfort from Senior Sister Li in the group.
Li Linling: Good grief. Setting aside those with above-average innate talent and the older trainees who've entered society, Du Men's strength should rank in the top three of our martial hall, right?
Qin Zheng: I have no idea how he trains. Damn it!
Li Linling: Forget it, I've been dealt a blow. Going to study.
Lu Chenzhou forwarded the grade sheet to his parents.
Not long afterward, Li Xianghua sent him a message.
Great (jpg)! Son, buy yourself something delicious as a reward. Be careful at home. I saw online that something might be happening in Su City lately.
I'm fine. You two need to be careful out there too.
Lu Chenzhou knew that the online rumors were likely related to the Central Void Suppression Task Force arriving in Su City with a large force. According to unofficial news, the shores of Tai Lake in Su City's outer suburbs had all been sealed off. This time, the Void Realm Convergence Point might be there.
That was a good thing.
The Tai Lake area was remote and sparsely populated. That whole region was filled with ghost buildings left behind from the real-estate bubble, long since abandoned. If a Void Calamity erupted there, the relative danger would be lower.
The few remaining residents had also been relocated by the task force. Overall, Su City's residents were not especially panicked. Once the central authorities stepped in, they were there to set the universe straight!
Just then, someone in the Lineage group posted a video. The footage was not very clear; it was probably recorded from afar with a drone.
In the video, above a stretch of mist-shrouded Tai Lake, enormous drones drove silver-white metal pillars into the lakebed one after another. Tai Lake was shallow, and in an instant, a white circle hundreds of meters across formed, emitting streaks of blue light. From afar, a Blue Light Curtain the size of a stadium spread like a vast dome, covering the surrounding land.
Immediately afterward, a group of tiny figures walked across the waves and entered it. The invisible auras radiating from them rolled up emerald swells across the lake's surface, creating a breathtaking spectacle.
Faintly, all kinds of illusory scenes could be seen appearing behind those people... coiled dragons and crouching tigers, immortal peaks standing in forests, rare birds and exotic beasts—everything imaginable. Yet the most shocking was a magnificent sight that stretched across heaven and earth:
Emei Golden Summit was veiled in clouds and mist, where a colossal object stood in silent stillness. Beside the cliffs, the sea of clouds surged and billowed, blotting out the sky and sun. Suddenly, golden light pierced the void. A red dot gradually transformed into a vibrant golden sun, bursting through the sea of clouds and shining with boundless radiance!
The sea of clouds dispersed, and the phantom of the colossal object emerged from the mist.
It was a gigantic Golden Body statue, its features vaguely those of a woman.
She stood as majestic as a god or Buddha, while countless beings below bowed in worship.
Lu Chenzhou's expression shifted. It was actually her!
At last year's All-Nations Martial Arts Tournament, the most dazzling figure had undoubtedly been the Azure Heaven Dragon King. But there had also been a group of equally brilliant powerhouses, and this woman was one of them.
Sunrise East—Li Xiuying!
The president of Emei Martial University, a powerhouse who had long since broken through the Sixth Shackles.
That spectacle should have been her ability. The spiritual will of such powerhouses was immensely formidable, enough to interfere with reality and form some indescribable domain.
It was also called the Heavenly King Domain!
"Not only Martial Dao Grandmasters, but even Martial Dao Heavenly Kings have come. The Void Realm Convergence Point appearing in Tai Lake is nearly on the scale of that incident thirty years ago."
After that, Lu Chenzhou kept scrolling through news and community posts.
Shocking! A Martial Dao Heavenly King has descended upon Su City—is the sky about to change?!
Great Sun Breaks Through Sea of Clouds! That was the Heavenly King Domain of Li Xiuying, president of Emei Martial University! I saw it when I secretly went fishing by Tai Lake. What you see on television isn't even one ten-thousandth as impressive as seeing it in person! It was so damn, damn, damn shocking! Even dying would have been worth it!
Will Su City be okay?
All kinds of voices appeared online. Something this huge could not be concealed from the public, and Great Xia's authorities had not chosen to block the news as some countries did. Before long, Lu Chenzhou came across an official news bulletin from the Void Bureau's account.
A Void Realm Convergence Point has appeared in Tai Lake, with a danger rating of Level Five. The Central Void Suppression Department, the Martial Arts Department, and other departments attach great importance to this matter. A special unit led by Li Xiuying, president of Emei Martial University, has already been dispatched to conduct an in-depth investigation. The evacuation of island residents has been completed, and the entire shoreline has been sealed off. All cities around the lake are to maintain public order accordingly. No organization or individual may travel to Tai Lake without authorization!
After the announcement, the entire internet erupted.
Previous Void Calamities had mostly been Level One or Two. Level Three and Four were rare, while Level Five had appeared only once in history, in Riyue Province across the strait. At the time, the president of Dragon-Tiger Academy in Xijiang Province had gone there to suppress it.
Dragon-Tiger Academy was one of the 24-School Alliance.
After quelling the Void Calamity, Dragon-Tiger Academy established a branch campus there.
On MicroChat, the Martial Arts Society group, the Lineage group, and the martial hall group were all buzzing with discussion. This was a once-in-a-century event, so naturally everyone was excited.
Qin Zheng: We're witnessing history. Level Five!
Li Linling: Look at how excited you are. This isn't exactly a good thing.
Qin Zheng: A Martial Dao Heavenly King has come. It should be fine now.
Li Linling: Let's hope so.
Shi Ruyu also sent Lu Chenzhou a message.
Junior Brother, are you coming to practice fists tomorrow?
I'm going.
This Pingjiang Martial University entrance exam is the hardest in history. Pingjiang Martial University's president is quite ambitious, perhaps wanting to push the school into the top tier. The Hall Master asked me to teach everyone something new. Basic Fist Art alone might not be enough.
Thank you, Senior Sister.
After that, his parents also called and said they would return to Su City early.
The cities along Tai Lake's shores carried the feeling of mountains before a storm, the wind filling the tower. A Level Five Void Calamity would affect society in every aspect, but it had little to do with Lu Chenzhou.
So long as the sky did not fall, all he had to do was practice his fists.
What could a high school student like him possibly change?
Early the next morning.
After finishing his stance training, Lu Chenzhou went to class as usual.
In the classroom, his classmates were all discussing last night's announcement.
The math teacher entered, and everyone fell silent.
His expression stern, he said:
"You're still young. Don't overthink it. Trust the country, trust the Martial Artists and scientists... Study hard. Even if you can't practice martial arts, you can still pursue research."
The students felt much more at ease.
After class, Lu Chenzhou took the subway to the martial hall. On every street and alley, people were discussing the matter. Once they realized they were powerless to change anything, they simply continued living their lives.
Wrapped in the night, Lu Chenzhou stepped into Flying Swallow Martial Hall.
Qin Zheng had promised to practice hard, yet he had not come again. The trainees had gathered together, animatedly discussing the Martial Dao Heavenly King who had descended upon Su City.
Lu Chenzhou found a corner and silently practiced his fists.
It was not until the public class that Shi Ruyu arrived.
"Get your spirits up. This time, I won't be teaching Basic Fist Art. I'll be passing on a secret martial art of Flying Swallow Martial Hall, called the Sea-Skimming Body."
Before you continue