Lantern Festival Visitors

February 16th, Sunny.

Today is the Lantern Festival.

Three days have passed since Lu Hao broke through to the third stage of bone honing.

In these three days, Lu Hao spent his mornings practicing combat techniques in the training room, and his afternoons continuing to work at the slaughterhouse. As an ordinary person, the owner there could not detect Lu Hao's breakthrough.

All the Slaughter Points he harvested were used to increase his vitality, bringing Lu Hao's current vitality value to 209 points, the limit for the third stage of bone honing. Lu Hao planned to save up another 1,000 Slaughter Points for emergencies, and then, after some preparation, he would be ready to advance to a Rank 1 martial artist.

In the morning, after finishing his meal, Lu Hao was practicing basic leg techniques in the training room when he suddenly heard a knock at the door.

Who would be coming at this time?

With a face full of confusion, Lu Hao opened the door. The moment he did, he froze. Looking at the man before him, Lu Hao never expected to see him at this time.

In an instant, Lu Hao's heart trembled violently, as if struck by an electric current.

"Dad!"

Lu Hao shouted, his feet moving forward involuntarily. Crystal-clear tears shimmered in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around him.

"Hao'er, don't cry. You're so big now, still a crybaby?"

Seeing the tears in Lu Hao's eyes, Lu Jingxuan said.

"I'm not. Dad, why are you back?"

Lu Hao rubbed his eyes and retorted.

"Well, naturally to spend the Lantern Festival with you. I came back quietly because I wanted to give you a surprise."

As Lu Jingxuan spoke, he scrutinized the changes in his son. The last time he returned was half a year ago, following the sacrifice of his eldest son. This time, taking advantage of the slowed offensive in the Magic City Abyss, he had managed to get time off to accompany his son for the festival.

"Dad, come in quickly. How many days are you back for?" Lu Hao asked while ushering his father inside.

"I'm back for three days, leaving after we spend the festival together. I see your vitality—is this the third stage of bone honing?"

Lu Jingxuan didn't want to talk about the departure time, so he changed the subject. The moment Lu Hao came out, Lu Jingxuan had sensed that abnormal vitality; for a non-martial artist, it was almost catching up to a high-stage Rank 1.

He had only been away for half a year, and his son had successfully gone from the first stage of bone honing to the third. This was a bit too genius, wasn't it?

"Ah? Yes, Dad, I encountered a small stroke of luck, which is why I successfully reached the third stage of bone honing," Lu Hao said, finding a reason for his sudden increase in speed.

"Oh? Is that so? I didn't expect you to have your own opportunities. Originally, if you were still struggling at the second stage of bone honing when I came back, I was going to take you to the Magic City Martial Arts University training rooms to see if you could break through."

"I didn't expect you to be so capable yourself. Now, those old guys I work with won't be able to brag about how great their sons and grandsons are. Haha, Hao'er is at the third stage of bone honing; you don't even see one of those a year!"

The more Lu Jingxuan spoke, the happier he became. He felt happy for Lu Hao. The third stage of bone honing meant that his path of cultivation ahead, if not entirely smooth, would be very easy to navigate.

As for the "opportunity" Lu Hao mentioned, he didn't care. With his wife around, this opportunity certainly wasn't anything crooked or evil. What martial artist didn't have a few opportunities? Many who reached the Grandmaster level had their fair share of them.

"Since you've already succeeded in the third stage of bone honing, my original plan is no longer needed. Just follow your own ideas from here on out."

"Uh... Dad, what was your original plan?"

Lu Hao asked curiously.

"Seeing that you were only at the first stage of bone honing and your martial arts talent wasn't great, I planned to support you in starting a business and becoming an entrepreneur. With a Grandmaster like your old man backing you, opening a company would surely have a bright future," Lu Jingxuan said with a smile.

"Ah? It seems I'll have to disappoint you, Dad. I plan to go to Magic City Martial Arts University to look for traces of my brother."

After the initial surprise, Lu Hao returned to their normal daily dynamic. Although they didn't see each other often, they got along very well.

When his father returned, he would often take him to interesting places and do interesting things, which had led to quite a few jokes.

"Your brother... sigh. Your brother was the pride of our whole family. I don't oppose you following his path, but his path might not necessarily be suitable for you."

Mentioning Lu Tianbai, Lu Jingxuan fell silent. As his eldest son, he had hoped he would become a Grandmaster after him, but instead, he had died in the Magic City Abyss.

This man-eating world. This damned world.

"Dad, don't worry, I'm not going to my death. I will be careful, careful, and even more careful. I understand that we are definitely fighting against something, which is what led to my brother's death. I also want to see what the enemy really is. The enemy is definitely not just the Evil Cult."

Lu Hao looked into his father's eyes as he spoke. Although he knew his brother died in the Abyss, this was indeed his thought process—to see the place where his brother died and to fight against the Abyss dwellers.

If possible, he wanted to personally pacify the Abyss and avenge his brother.

"Little Lu, what are you talking about? Your brother just died at the hands of the Evil Cult; there is no other enemy."

Lu Jingxuan didn't want Lu Hao to face the real world so early, so he blurted out a denial. Although as Lu Hao improved further, he would certainly come into contact with it, he wanted to let him keep his current innocence for now.

Lu Jingxuan didn't know that Lu Hao already knew everything. What he knew, Lu Hao knew; what he didn't know, Lu Hao also knew.

"Dad, I'm not a fool. Every time there's an earthquake on the news, Mom gets especially nervous. And what kind of work requires a Grandmaster like you to not be able to come home even once a year?"

"Besides, I don't believe that if the Evil Cult killed my brother, you, a Grandmaster, would remain indifferent. So, what you are all hiding is definitely a major event, but this major event is something one only learns about after breaking through to a Rank 3 martial artist."

Lu Hao spoke of some of the original body's thoughts. Although the original body didn't know about the existence of the Abyss, he also believed they were fighting against aliens or something similar.

"Sigh... Hao'er, when you reach Rank 3, you will know. Being a martial artist isn't as beautiful as you imagine."

Lu Jingxuan didn't expect Lu Hao to have already made such significant guesses, but this was the truth. He would have to face it once he reached Rank 3. Lu Jingxuan only hoped he could face it a little later, so he didn't answer him directly.

"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. It's not easy for you to come back, so go get cleaned up. This afternoon, Dad will take you out to have some fun."

Lu Jingxuan quickly changed the subject.

"Okay."

Lu Hao didn't press the matter further. He knew what his father and the others were carrying on their shoulders, and he knew the situation humanity was currently facing; continuing to ask would only make things more difficult for his father.

While his father went to wash up, Lu Hao used his phone to ask the slaughterhouse owner for time off, explaining that his father had returned and he needed three days of leave.

He had originally assumed the boss wouldn't agree, but to his surprise, the boss approved it immediately. This left Lu Hao, who had already been planning to look for work at other slaughterhouses, feeling quite astonished, though he simply attributed it to having a good relationship with his boss.

In reality, the boss on the other end believed that since Lu Hao's father worked away from home all year and they barely saw each other, combined with the tragic life story Lu Hao had fabricated, he felt compelled to grant the request.