The Grandmaster Came in Person-What a Huge Surprise!

Chapter 29: The Grandmaster Came in Person—What a Huge Surprise! The next day.

The atmosphere was solemn in front of the Jiang City Martial Arts Association branch building.

Chen Kefa suppressed the hint of fatigue and impatience between his brows, straightened his Special Investigation Team uniform, and waited for the experts sent by the headquarters.

He felt rather helpless about this temporary "escort" assignment.

Unfortunately, both the Special Investigation Team and the Martial Arts Association were departments directly administered by the East Continent Alliance.

He couldn't refuse the job!

Just then, a black sedan that looked utterly ordinary, despite its highly unusual license plate, glided silently to a stop at the entrance.

The car door opened, and an elderly man stepped out at an unhurried pace.

His hair and beard were entirely silver, and meticulously groomed.

His face was lean and fine-featured, but his spirit was astonishingly vigorous.

He wore a dark, finely tailored Zhongshan suit. Tall and slender, he stood as straight as a pine.

He took each step at an unhurried pace, yet seemed to carry an invisible rhythm that stilled the bustle around him.

Chen Kefa's gaze sharpened.

The instant he recognized the old man, the last traces of his perfunctory attitude and impatience were swept away like leaves before a giant wave.

His astonishment gave way to heartfelt respect.

"It's actually him!"

Almost instinctively, he straightened his back, joined the fingers of his right hand into a palm, and swiftly and precisely pressed it to the left side of his chest, giving the highest salute accorded to a martial artist.

"Chen Kefa, fifth-rank professional martial artist and captain of the Special Investigation Team in Jiang City, East Continent. Greetings, Grandmaster Wang!"

The man before him was no mere expert!

He was none other than Grandmaster Wang Anguo, a towering figure renowned throughout the East Continent and hailed as one of the "founding fathers of martial arts for the people"!

The fourth set of National Health Exercises that he had created had laid the martial arts foundations for countless children and benefited hundreds of millions of people.

Though Chen Kefa had practiced the third set as a child, he still admired Wang Anguo from the bottom of his heart!

This was a living legend!

Grandmaster Wang's gaze was warm and gentle. He seemed to see right through the emotions Chen Kefa had been feeling earlier, but didn't point them out. He simply smiled kindly.

His smile was peaceful, and his voice held a reassuring strength.

"Captain Chen, there's no need for such formality. Jiang City has been unsettled lately. I hope my visit won't cause you too much trouble."

"You're too kind, Grandmaster! It's our honor to have you come to Jiang City in person!" Chen Kefa replied at once, adopting an especially deferential stance.

Grandmaster Wang chuckled and gave him a meaningful look.

"Paperwork can certainly be exhausting, but if you keep your head down all the time, you might miss the road ahead."

"Keep your eyes open today. You might just be in for a surprise..."

A surprise?

Chen Kefa's heart stirred.

If anyone else had said that, he would have let it go in one ear and out the other.

But coming from Grandmaster Wang, those words carried an entirely different weight.

His greatest hope right now was to find a way to turn the tide against the Spirit Race invasion!

He immediately stepped aside and gestured respectfully. "Grandmaster, this way, please."

The group entered the Association building and headed straight for the technologically advanced Comprehensive Testing Hall.

It was packed with people.

To Chen Kefa's surprise, he spotted a familiar face in the crowd.

"Dad? What are you doing here?"

He looked at his father-in-law, Du Chun, who was talking with a young man, and stared in bewilderment.

When Du Chun saw his son-in-law, then noticed the imposing Wang Anguo standing before him, a look of understanding flashed across his face, along with pride he could barely conceal.

He first bowed respectfully to Grandmaster Wang, then greeted Chen Kefa.

"Grandmaster Wang, I never imagined you'd be the Association's representative!"

"Wang Jian! Come and pay your respects to Grandmaster Wang!" Du Chun introduced him.

Grandmaster Wang?

The man who developed the fourth set of National Health Exercises?

The actual person himself?

"Greetings, Grandmaster Wang!"

Wang Jian was taken aback, but quickly followed his teacher's example and bowed.

Looking at Wang Anguo, Du Chun felt a rush of emotion.

Back in the day, he and Wang Anguo had been martial artists of the same generation.

Time had passed, and Wang Anguo had become a legend, rising to the Grandmaster Realm.

As for Du Chun, simply avoiding a decline in his realm was an achievement.

He couldn't help wondering: if he hadn't been badly injured back then, might he have had a chance of reaching that realm too?

Chen Kefa's thoughts raced. His gaze fell on the young man beside his father-in-law, and he immediately understood. His heart surged with even greater astonishment.

Could the reason Grandmaster Wang had come all the way to Jiang City be that set of health exercises this kid had improved?

Was it really that important?

Wang Anguo looked at Wang Jian without the slightest trace of airs.

"Young man, there's no need for that. As it happens, we share the same surname."

"Before I left, the person in charge at the headquarters was puzzled. He asked whether the person surnamed Wang had gotten so attached to these health exercises that he couldn't let them go."

Those around them wanted to laugh, but out of respect for Wang Anguo, they forced themselves to hold it in.

Seeing that no one had caught his joke, Wang Anguo sighed softly, then suggested they get straight to the testing.

They moved to the area reserved for martial artists.

The test began shortly afterward.

Wang Jian stood in the center of the testing ground, steadied his breathing, and demonstrated his improved routine from start to finish, with meticulous care.

Grandmaster Wang and the several experts accompanying him watched without looking away.

The expressions on their faces slowly shifted from scrutiny to surprise.

Then, at last, to barely contained shock and excitement!

When the demonstration ended, the entire hall fell silent.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

Grandmaster Wang was the first to applaud.

"Well done, young man! You've given me the most wonderful surprise!"

"That's an excellent idea."

The accompanying experts nodded again and again.

"At first glance, your revision seems to do little more than add a few subtle movements to the original and adjust the breathing rhythm... Yet it fits the bone development of children under six perfectly!"

The expert's voice trembled with excitement.

"My rough calculations suggest that if your version were adopted nationwide, the golden age for laying a foundation in martial arts among human children could be brought forward by at least one or two years!"

"One or two years?!"

Standing nearby, Chen Kefa heard the number, and his mind rang.

As captain of the Special Investigation Team, he understood better than anyone what getting one or two extra years to build a foundation would mean for the future of all humanity!

It meant shorter growth cycles and a higher rate of gifted young martial artists!

He looked at the somewhat shy boy, and his eyes changed completely.

This kid...

He was a genius who could change the fate of the nation!

The assessment concluded, and Grandmaster Wang immediately decided to have Wang Jian's version included in the records at the highest level and report it to Alliance headquarters without delay.

Just then, Du Chun, who had been smiling quietly, stepped forward and addressed Grandmaster Wang respectfully.

"Grandmaster Wang, these health exercises are just a little appetizer my young apprentice has offered the Association."

"He has something even more important to report to the Association—and to all of humanity."

The accompanying experts stared at him in surprise.

Something more important than improving the National Health Exercises?

What a joke!

As everyone looked on in astonishment and uncertainty, Wang Jian took a deep breath and solemnly drew a clearly handwritten booklet wrapped in brown paper from his clothing. He held it out with both hands.

"Grandmaster Wang, esteemed seniors."

"The night before last, I was attacked by the Spirit Race. Luckily, a wandering cultivator gave his life to save me."

"Before he died, he entrusted everything he had learned in his life to me."

"This is... a method for cultivating spiritual power, called the Mystic Meditation Method."

The young man's clear, resolute voice echoed through the silent hall.

"I dare not keep it to myself. I wish to offer this method freely to the Alliance and to all of humanity!"

The entire hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Chen Kefa's eyes widened as he stared at the booklet in Wang Jian's hands.

It felt as though an invisible hand had seized his heart, squeezing it as it pounded wildly!

Spiritual... martial arts?!

He suddenly remembered the bloodshot eyes of the team members in the meeting room and their choked-back sobs.

He remembered his comrade, Yu Lei.

He remembered the five hundred lives that had silently vanished in Willow Shade Lane!

And he remembered what Grandmaster Wang had said earlier—

"Keep your eyes open today. You might just be in for a surprise..."

This...

Was this the surprise you meant?!

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