Old Master Du, Du Ruonan

The mistress took one look at the situation, and her heart understood everything.

If her daughter was acting this shy and flustered, what else could it be but a stir of romantic interest?

This Wen Liangyu was, in all likelihood, the very person her daughter had been fretting over.

She scrutinized the young man carefully; his features were indeed handsome, but the fabric of his clothes was common, not at all like someone from a wealthy or influential family.

The mistress sighed softly to herself.

This girl, Dai'er, truly took after her in every way, even down to this penchant for handsome young men, which was exactly the same as when she was young.

Back then, hadn't she been so infatuated with Deng Yan's good looks that she insisted on marrying him, no matter what?

Deng Yan's family background was ordinary, he knew no martial arts, and he possessed no real skills to make a living; he had nothing but a pretty face. Her father had pleaded with her bitterly at the time, but she hadn't listened to a single word.

And the result?

The vows of eternal love and honeyed words from before the marriage evaporated like dew once they were wed, revealing a dull and cold-hearted nature. Deng Yan became indifferent to her, growing colder by the day, rarely speaking a word of truth, and constantly finding excuses to run off, heaven knows where he was fooling around.

Thinking of it now, she truly regretted her past choices.

The mistress suppressed the old memories and sighs in her heart, and said softly to Wen Liangyu, "Today's martial arts competition is quite the grand event. If Young Master Wen has no other business, you might as well watch it with us."

Wen Liangyu was overjoyed and bowed hurriedly, "Many thanks, Madam. This humble one could ask for nothing more."

The mistress thought to herself: since it was someone her daughter liked, she wasn't looking for great wealth or status; as long as the person was steady and treated Dai'er well, she wouldn't stand in their way.

The group made their way to the viewing stands together.

The view here was expansive, facing the ring directly, and several rows of seats had already been set up.

The people from the martial halls of Wen'an County, as well as the prominent figures in the martial arts circle, had mostly arrived.

Seeing the mistress's party arrive, especially when they noticed Lu Chen following closely behind her, many stood up one after another, cupping their hands in greeting:

"Is this the leader of the gang, Lu Chen? Truly a hero among youths!"

"Leader Lu's display the other day really opened our eyes!"

"I have long heard of Leader Lu's great name; meeting you today is a pleasure, a real pleasure!"

The recent series of events involving Lu Chen had already spread far and wide.

The influence and strength of this suddenly rising young expert had forced many to take him seriously, and even to take the initiative to curry favor with him.

Mei Dai and Mei Ying were both quite surprised to see everyone greeting Lu Chen one after another.

By rights, since their mother was the head of the Plum Blossom Martial Hall, these seniors of the martial arts circle should have spoken to her first.

But in the current scene, it was as if Lu Chen had become the protagonist.

The mistress did not mind this at all.

She preferred peace and quiet, rarely went out throughout the year, and was not good at socializing.

She was happy to be idle now, finding an inconspicuous spot to sit down by herself.

After Lu Chen exchanged greetings with the various seniors of the martial arts circle, he finally arrived before the seat of the head of the martial arts association.

Old Master Du Liefeng was nearly seventy, yet he was full of vigor, with tiger-like eyes, a thick beard, and a face as red as a ripe date. His temperament was as fierce as fire, his actions decisive, and he was nicknamed "Thunderbolt Tiger."

His daughter, Du Ruonan, stood right beside him.

On such a cold day, she wore only leather clothes and trousers, thin and tight, wrapping her figure in a sharp silhouette; her legs, in particular, were long and straight, standing out starkly in the cold wind.

Lu Chen offered a respectful greeting.

The old master smiled, exchanged a few pleasantries, and that was the end of the greeting.

After Lu Chen left.

Du Ruonan scoffed, "Just that kid? The one being touted as the number one of the younger generation in the martial arts circle lately? He doesn't look like much."

"If you don't think he's much, go test his mettle yourself," Du Liefeng said calmly.

Du Ruonan curled her lip, "I'm already at the First Seal, and he hasn't even formed a Seal yet. Even if I won, it would be bullying him; what's the point?"

"This kid is not simple," Du Liefeng's voice deepened, "I heard that not two days after he broke through, he beat that Ma Liuzi from the Bat Martial Hall to the ground in the South City."

"What?"

Du Ruonan's almond eyes widened, "Ma Liuzi? That guy reached the External Force two years ago, and he's been training hard without pause for the last two years; he's about to form a Seal. Lu Chen just started; how is that possible?"

Du Liefeng continued, "That's not all. This lad is a figure from the underworld, and he also has quite a connection with the Small Knife Society in the North City."

Once Du Ruonan heard this, the look in her eyes when she glanced at Lu Chen changed immediately.

Du Liefeng lowered his voice and said, "Girl, you find an opportunity to see if you can build a relationship with this kid. If you can get him into our martial hall, that would be for the best."

He sighed, his face showing signs of fatigue and worry.

"Dad only has you as a daughter, and this business will be yours in the future. Because of those martial halls in other counties, Dad has offended quite a few local ones. When Dad is gone one day, they might just come looking for trouble with you. You have to find a way yourself to find some reliable helpers to keep this martial hall standing."

Du Ruonan pursed her lips and nodded firmly, "Dad, don't worry, I know what I have to do."

Lu Chen sat back down beside his mistress.

A moment later, all ten martial halls had arrived.

Five halls occupied the east side of the arena, and five the west.

The east side consisted of the five local martial halls of Wen'an.

The masters stood solemnly with their carefully selected disciples, each wearing a grave expression as if facing a formidable enemy.

Most of them were dressed in fine, bright clothing, and their disciples were largely sons of wealthy or well-to-do local families; though their faces bore the sharpness of those who practiced martial arts, their eyes always lacked a true sense of lethal intent.

As for the west side, those were the five martial halls that had migrated from Wenwu County.

The moment they appeared, the atmosphere shifted abruptly.

The five masters, ranging from old to young, male to female, all wore stern expressions with eyes as sharp as hawks.

Their robes were mostly worn and faded, and the disciples behind them were lean, dark, and sturdy, exuding a fierce, rugged energy.

Compared to the "young masters" on the east side, the difference was clear at a glance.

The mistress also stared at the west side, her earlier sense of relief beginning to waver.

This group looked like they were not to be trifled with.

Lu Chen's gaze swept across the five halls on the west side before finally pinning onto an exceptionally eye-catching giant.

It was an unusually tall youth, standing over eight feet, with broad shoulders and a massive frame; standing amidst the crowd, he looked like a young bear that had wandered into a flock of sheep.

"That is Shi Jingang from the Iron Fist Martial Hall," someone nearby whispered. "I heard his mind isn't quite right, but his raw strength is terrifying. He practices the most basic Mangniu Strength and Kaishan Fist, yet he's actually made a name for himself. He's already a First-Seal martial artist. Back in Wenwu County, few of his peers dared to clash with him head-on."

"Pah, what good is brute strength? We martial artists rely on the offense and defense of qi energy! No matter how strong he is, can he break through a qi defense?" another person disagreed.

"I don't know, that's just what I heard."

Lu Chen's Perception attribute was now at 51 points, allowing him to see both far and clearly.

He scrutinized Shi Jingang carefully, noticing many scars on his body, some of which looked fresh and not yet fully healed. Looking at these wounds, Lu Chen couldn't help but ponder.

A First-Seal martial artist could cover their entire body with qi energy, making them difficult to injure under normal circumstances.

Yet Shi Jingang was covered in scars, left and right, with new ones still visible.

Could it be... that this guy bottled up all his qi energy to strike others, and didn't use it for self-defense at all?

Lu Chen couldn't help but mutter to himself.