Enlightenment Amidst the Lanterns

February 16th, the Lantern Festival.

"Dad, is this the place you brought me to?"

Lu Hao stared at the "internet cafe" glowing with multicolored neon lights before him.

???

Lu Hao felt a string of question marks popping up over his head.

Ah... this... is this right?

"Dad, are you sure it's here?"

"What's wrong with that? Don't look at your old man like I'm ancient; my heart is still young. If those youngsters can come here, why can't I?"

Lu Hao watched Lu Jingxuan insist on going in and had no choice. What kind of decent person spends the Lantern Festival playing games at an internet cafe?

Lu Hao could only skillfully open two terminals. It was 2008, and some of the earliest games had already launched. Lu Hao registered an account for his father and took him to play CF.

"Son, you're quite practiced at this. You haven't been coming here often, have you?"

Lu Jingxuan watched him operating the machine with ease and asked.

"No, back when my talent wasn't very good, I came here a few times with classmates, so I'm just familiar with it."

"I'll experience these computer games today too, see what's so good about them."

Lu Jingxuan said while learning the controls.

After playing two rounds, Lu Jingxuan was successfully reported by the opposing team ten times. As a Grandmaster, Lu Jingxuan's reaction speed was naturally beyond that of an ordinary person.

Every shot was a headshot. He used a USP to hold off five AKs, achieving a godlike streak every single time.

The operations he pulled off were just like cheating, except this cheat was a natural instinct of his body.

Lu Hao was also reported. Although he didn't have his father's inhuman muscle reaction, after his third bone-marrow refinement, his muscle reflexes were not something an average person could compare to either.

After playing two rounds, Lu Jingxuan took Lu Hao and walked out, leaving the internet cafe.

"There's nothing fun about this. I don't know why those young people are obsessed with staying here all day."

"I think it's boring too. It's not as good as practicing basic leg techniques in the training room for a while."

Lu Hao agreed. One might be obsessed with games because they bring joy, but what joy could compare to the improvement of strength and the sublimation of one's life level?

Next, Lu Jingxuan took Lu Hao for a walk through the streets and alleys. They didn't have a specific destination; they simply followed the lantern parade.

Feeling the joyful atmosphere of the Lantern Festival, the voices of the crowd were boisterous.

Lu Hao said to Lu Jingxuan beside him.

"Dad, is this the purpose of you sacrificing the small family for the sake of the greater good?"

Although Lu Hao didn't speak loudly, Lu Jingxuan was who he was; he heard it clearly. For his somewhat confused child, he didn't mince words.

"Protection—that is the meaning of our existence as martial artists. One generation protects the next, passed down through the ages. That is what a Grandmaster is."

"A small family? A greater good? They are the same. If the greater good is gone, what small family would be left? This bustling human world before your eyes is the meaning of our existence."

"Only with us holding the line at the front can you grow up safely here. If everyone only cared about their small family, where would there be any greater good left?"

Lu Hao listened to his father's words. Although he already understood the situation of the martial arts world here, hearing it from his father made Lu Hao feel a true sense of shock.

This is a Grandmaster. They represent not only the strength of the Seventh Rank but, more importantly, responsibility and protection.

"Dad, do you think we can win?"

Lu Hao knew too much, which led to his excessive anxiety and urgency. In just over three years, the final enemy would be one with 260 million vitality, and one who possessed an "undying resurrection" cheat.

If it weren't for the Spirit Emperor turning traitor at the end, who could have defeated the Heavenly Emperor? But that was the ending in the novel. Now that Lu Hao had arrived, under the butterfly effect, who knew what the ending would be? What would happen to his parents and relatives when the time came?

Lu Hao dared not think about it, nor did he want to.

That was why he acted so urgently, busy every day—second bone-marrow refinement, third bone-marrow refinement, practicing combat techniques. It wasn't that he didn't want to lie flat, but this pressure was forcing him forward, making him afraid to stop.

"We can. We definitely can. The ones who will win in the end will be us."

Lu Jingxuan didn't know Lu Hao was asking about the fate of the Three Realms; he thought he was asking about the battle against the Earth Cave. Although as a Grandmaster he knew humanity didn't currently hold the advantage, he still gave a firm answer.

Can we?

Lu Hao asked himself. Having transmigrated here with the Slaughter Panel, can he?

Listening to the hawking of vendors nearby, Lu Hao couldn't help but drift into a daze.

Can he grow to that level in three years?

What does his future look like?

He looked at the hazy light and shadows before him.

Could he really just let the Earth Cave people destroy this beauty before his eyes?

No, he would never let them.

For his family, for this mortal world, he must win, and he will win.

Either die on the path of the climb, or flip this chessboard over.

Lu Hao made up his mind, and at the same time, he felt his blood and qi flowing more clearly than ever. Is this what it means to have a clear state of mind?

Beside him, Lu Jingxuan had been keeping a close eye on Lu Hao and naturally sensed that his son had changed; he seemed more spirited. Ever since he returned, he had noticed that Lu Hao's mental state had been constantly strained and filled with anxiety.

But now, Lu Hao had changed. Although it wasn't visible on the surface, if one sensed it carefully with mental power, they could feel his martial will suddenly strengthening.

Was it because of what he had just said? Protecting the human race? This is what is passed down from generation to generation; with this, how could the Earth Cave not be destroyed?

Just like that, the two stopped talking and continued to move along with the crowd.

As time passed, the sky gradually grew dim, and the lantern parade began to set off brilliant fireworks and firecrackers.

"Let's go, Dad, let's head home. Mom is probably back by now."

Lu Hao said with a smile. After his father's accidental words had cleared away much of his anxiety, he decided he would just work hard from here on out. As for the results, he believed his sweat would provide the answer.

"Alright, let's go home. But you can't tell your mom I took you to the internet cafe today, or she'll definitely lecture me if she finds out."

"Dad, you're a Grandmaster already, and you're still that afraid of Mom?"

"What do you know? There are no men who are afraid of their wives, only men who cherish them. You'll understand when you're older."

"I'm afraid I won't understand. On this path of climbing the peak of martial arts, I probably won't have time for romance."

"Hmph, you brat, let me warn you: martial arts are important, but you're the only seedling left in our family, so carrying on the family line is important too."

"Haha, love and such can wait until I reach the pinnacle."

"Lu Hao, you're really something. Your dad has been back for half a day and didn't even tell me."

The moment he arrived home, Lu Hao was scolded.

"Dad said he wanted to give you a surprise, that's why he didn't let me say anything."

Lu Hao decisively cut his losses and pushed everything onto his old man to divert his mother's attention.

"Hmph."

His mother didn't say anything more. She knew her husband well enough; he had done this kind of thing many times before, acting just like a child who never grew up.