Fearless, Accepting the Challenge

"How can Lin Martial Arts Hall be this shameless too?!"

"Three days—they're pressing this hard because they're clearly afraid Lu Cheng's strength will improve if they wait too long, and they won't be able to beat him!"

Inside the room of Lu Cheng and the others at the Long Wind Escort Agency.

It was not just Liu Chang'an and the other two.

The Hu brothers were also constantly cursing Lin Martial Arts Hall.

Along with the news that Lin Martial Arts Hall had refused compensation came a challenge letter for Lu Cheng.

A crimson cover, gilded lettering.

Even the four characters "Lin Martial Arts Hall" in the signature had been dusted with gold powder.

Yet the contents of this grand-looking letter were utterly laughable.

It roughly stated that Zhou Yunxiang himself was beside the point.

What mattered was that the martial arts he practiced belonged to Lin Martial Arts Hall.

When Lu Cheng, with the strength of the Early Stage of Strength Refining, defeated Zhou Yunxiang, who was at the Refining Strength Mid-Stage, outsiders would naturally see it as Lin Martial Arts Hall's techniques being inferior to those of the Long Wind Escort Agency.

Thus, to vindicate their own martial arts.

The Lin Family would send a disciple who had entered the school at the same time as Zhou Yunxiang.

Three days later, they would come to the Long Wind Escort Agency to seek instruction!

Only victory or defeat would be discussed; life and death would not be counted!

Overbearing. Arrogant!

Ridiculous to the extreme.

When one of Lin Martial Arts Hall's disciples caused trouble, they shirked responsibility in every possible way.

Yet they feared nothing more than having their martial arts questioned, and could not wait to defeat Lu Cheng.

They even dared not give Lu Cheng the slightest chance to grow stronger.

Where was even a trace of the bearing expected from a top-tier power?

"Lu Cheng, don't fall for it!" Hu Er frowned at Lu Cheng and pointed at the name on the challenge letter.

"I've heard of this Yang Xiong. He's no simple man."

"He is a genuine 'good material.'"

"The moment he entered, the master of Lin Martial Arts Hall took him in as a personal disciple."

"He reached the Refining Strength Mid-Stage in only half a year. So much time has passed since then—if he hasn't reached the late stage yet, he must be close."

"More importantly, the moment he broke through to the mid-stage, he challenged every Refining Strength Mid-Stage martial artist from Emerald Cloud Abbey, Heavenly Spring Temple, and the Chen Family. Nearly twenty matches, without a single defeat!"

"He's that formidable?" Lu Cheng asked in surprise.

Hu Er nodded firmly.

"Not a word of it is false!"

"And the letter says 'life and death will not be counted.' They are plainly coming for your life."

Lu Cheng pursed his lips and nodded at Hu Er.

"If that's the case, then I'll accept this match."

"Huh?" Everyone thought they had misheard him, but Lu Cheng had already peeled back the powder paper attached to the challenge letter and pressed down.

This thing was rather convenient. It came with the letter, so there was no need to find a pen or ink pad. The color was just a little off, and the imprint was not especially clear.

"Lu Cheng, how could you..." Liu Wan'er wanted to stop him, but she had not made it in time.

Lu Cheng smiled.

"There are less than three months before the tournament anyway. The opponents I face then will only be harder to handle than Yang Xiong. What difference does it make whether it's sooner or later?"

"Besides, Lin Martial Arts Hall has put up a prize."

For this match, Lin Martial Arts Hall had offered fifty packets of Blood-Activating Powder as the prize.

After wasting several days for nothing, Lu Cheng had been nursing a bellyful of anger.

He would use those fifty packets of Blood-Activating Powder to vent it!

With the match accepted, the matter was settled. Everyone could only worry.

Lu Cheng, however, was not worried in the slightest.

Not to mention that there were still three days left—even if they fought right now, Lu Cheng feared nothing.

A mere Refining Strength Mid-Stage fighter, yet he had made himself out to be invincible within his realm. Wasn't that boring?

He casually tucked the challenge letter into his robes and walked toward the door.

He might as well take advantage of delivering the letter to buy some Blood-Activating Powder along the way.

Counting the five taels Liu Xun had given him, he now had fourteen taels and seven qian of silver.

If he bargained a little, he might be able to buy five packets.

Early the next morning, at the Long Wind Escort Agency.

As usual, Lu Cheng practiced the Seven Strikes of the Black Hawk in Feng Zhan's courtyard.

Feng Zhan did not care much about the match with Lin Martial Arts Hall.

He thought the same way Lu Cheng did. If Lu Cheng could not even get past a Yang Xiong, there was no need to wait for the matches against the other seventeen families.

After finishing the Seven Strikes of the Black Hawk, Lu Cheng came into the courtyard with the Blood-Activating Powder he had bought yesterday tucked in his robes.

As he walked toward the Plum Blossom Stance posts, Zhuang Xing's voice sounded behind him.

"Lu Cheng, wait a moment."

Hearing Zhuang Xing call for him again, Lu Cheng felt greatly helpless.

Why did this fellow only know how to keep staring at him every day?

When Lu Cheng had clashed with Chen Qing, Zhuang Xing had spoken up for him.

Therefore, Lu Cheng could not bring himself to ignore him completely.

"I heard you went to work as a guard a few days ago?"

Zhuang Xing walked up to him and asked in a low voice.

Lu Cheng had not told the other disciples about refining internal force or what had happened while escorting the medicinal materials.

Thus, Zhuang Xing knew nothing of it.

At that moment, Lu Cheng only wanted to send this fellow away quickly, so he nodded and said,

"What, are you interested too? If so, I can introduce you."

Zhuang Xing said,

"Uh... no need for that."

"..."

After three awkward seconds, just as Lu Cheng was about to turn and leave, Zhuang Xing suddenly pulled something from his robes and stuffed it into Lu Cheng's hand.

"For you."

"What is this?" Lu Cheng looked at the paper packet in his hand, somewhat puzzled.

Why did it look like Blood-Activating Powder?

Before he could open it, Zhuang Xing had already turned around, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Don't take work like guarding anymore."

"Huh?" Lu Cheng did not understand.

Zhuang Xing sighed and spoke loudly.

"The path of martial arts is a struggle against heaven, a battle against earth, a contest with men. The road is destined to be fraught with hardships, and the slightest carelessness will leave one shattered to pieces."

"Among all these disciples, only you have any hope of competing with me."

"Though I will surpass you no matter what, if your training is delayed because of money, I would feel that even victory was dishonorable."

"This is one packet of Blood-Activating Powder. On the road of martial arts ahead, I do not wish to be too lonely."

Having said that, he raised his head to the heavens and recited faintly,

"One day I shall stand above the clouds, looking down upon the world, where all is dim and small. If I meet you halfway to walk the path together, then perhaps fate has not yet turned cold."

"Lu Cheng, I have already found the knack to entering the school. Don't disappoint me."

"..."

Lu Cheng looked at the oiled paper packet in his hand, rather surprised, but Zhuang Xing's words also made him feel exceptionally awkward.

Judging by Zhuang Xing's manner, he probably would not accept a refusal after only a sentence or two.

Lu Cheng was also anxious to test the effects of the Blood-Activating Powder. He would return this medicine when he had time.

Thinking so, he cupped his hands toward Zhuang Xing.

"Then many thanks to Senior Brother Zhuang for the medicine."

Zhuang... Senior Brother Zhuang?!

He called me Senior Brother Zhuang?

Hearing Lu Cheng's words, Zhuang Xing, who had been standing tall with his chest out and head raised, suddenly trembled.

His heart thumped and leapt straight to the top of his head.

Had his skull not blocked it, it might have flown directly beyond the heavens.

And because of that, Zhuang Xing raised his head even higher.

But immediately afterward, Zhuang Xing felt a wave of emptiness and disappointment.

He thought with a hint of melancholy,

Ah, Lu Cheng has ultimately been conquered by my bearing. I only hope he will not lose his drive to advance on the martial path because of it.

If that truly happens, it would instead be my fault.

He turned back, intending to offer a few more words of advice, only to see Lu Cheng already standing before the Plum Blossom Stance posts where he usually trained.

It seemed Lu Cheng intended to begin practicing.

Zhuang Xing felt as though a breath had lodged in his belly, unable to rise or fall, leaving him exceedingly uncomfortable.

After thinking it over, he decided he should still say a few words to Lu Cheng.

Standing in the open space, Lu Cheng shook his head and stopped thinking about Zhuang Xing.

He tore open the wrapping and poured the entire packet into his mouth.

Zhuang Xing, who had been about to walk over, saw this scene.

The heart that had already fallen back into his chest suddenly shot upward again.

He stood there dumbfounded for two seconds, then silently turned back around.

There were several ways to use Blood-Activating Powder.

Medicinal baths, topical application, and swallowing it.

Most people chose medicinal baths.

Though that method was inconvenient and slow in efficiency.

It was also the gentlest. The medicinal effects dispersed through the water and gradually worked upon the body, comfortable and free from suffering.

Topical application offered higher efficiency and better use of the medicine's effects.

But first, it had to be smeared all over the body, which was rather troublesome.

Second, when the medicinal effects took hold, they caused irritation that ordinary people could hardly endure.

As for the final method, swallowing it.

This method was the most convenient, the most efficient, and gave the fullest play to the medicine's effects.

But it was also the hardest to endure.

Perhaps Zhuang Xing had not yet refined internal force and, in his impatience, had begun using Blood-Activating Powder without caring whether it was wasted.

The first time he used it, he had tasted only a fingertip-sized smear, yet it had hurt for an entire night.

After that, he switched to medicinal baths.

Seeing Lu Cheng swallow an entire packet without the slightest hesitation, his mind went blank.

Better not go over there.

Not only should he not go over there, he also had to pretend he had not seen anything.

The snowflake-like medicinal powder had originally carried a fragrant scent.

But the instant it entered his mouth, that fragrance immediately turned into a fiery pungency that shot up his nasal passages.

Lu Cheng gulped down two large mouthfuls of water, washing the pungency down.

A wave of scorching heat immediately rushed down his throat and into his stomach.

His entire chest and abdomen instantly felt as though they had caught fire, and the heat rapidly traveled along his sinews and veins into every part of his limbs and internal organs.

It continuously stimulated his sinews, bones, viscera, and muscles.

Lu Cheng quickly closed his eyes, focused his mind, guarded his dantian, and assumed the Mystic Eagle Stance.

From still stances to moving stances, then to the Breathing Stance.

Lu Cheng practiced them over and over without stopping.

Before long, sweat soaked his entire body, and even the ground beneath his feet had become wet.

Under the stimulation of that medicinal power, his viscera, sinews, and bones, which had been like stubborn ailments entrenched as solidly as boulders, were all stirred into motion.

Strands of internal force began to emerge anew.

He did not know how much time had passed. As Lu Cheng continued moving through the stances, the scorching sensation inside and outside his body gradually weakened until it vanished.

Lu Cheng let out a long breath and slowly opened his eyes.

Taking a deep breath, his awareness swept through his Consciousness Sea.

[Twelve Forms of the Black Hawk Stance]

[Grade: Low-Grade Human Tier]

[Realm: Minor Achievement (20/300)]