From Igniting Talents to Becoming a Demon God Chapter 50

The stamped red seal stood out clearly; it was the best proof of Combat Grade strength.

"Sorry to trouble you, Senior Brother Zheng." Lu Chao quickly put it away and thanked him solemnly.

"No need to be so polite. It was just a small favor."

Zheng Wu waved a hand and shook his head with a smile.

Then, as if he had thought of something, his expression turned serious, and he asked softly, "Junior Brother Lu, do you still remember the Martial Arts Tournament I mentioned to you last time?"

"Oh?"

Lu Chao's gaze paused. He remembered that during their previous practical sparring session, Zheng Wu had deliberately told him about it to encourage him, hoping he could break through to Combat Grade smoothly.

Later, as he learned more, he also found out that these martial arts matches were often attended by newspapers. If someone performed outstandingly, they might even make the headlines and attract sponsorship from certain companies.

"Senior Brother Zheng, does that mean the tournament has been settled?"

"Yes. It'll be in one month."

Zheng Wu nodded lightly and explained, "This Martial Arts Tournament is mainly aimed at Combat Grade fighters, with an age requirement of twenty-two or younger."

"But the rules have changed a little. Every martial arts school, regardless of size, only has three sparring slots."

"After Master and Senior Brother Luo discussed it, they decided to let Junior Brother Shen, Junior Brother Sun, and Junior Brother Xu take the stage... I'm sorry, Junior Brother Lu. I spoke too soon."

By the end, Zheng Wu's voice had lowered, tinged with apology.

Back then, he had promised Lu Chao that as long as he successfully broke through Rock Skin, he would have a chance to participate.

But now...

"Senior Brother, what are you saying?"

Lu Chao shook his head and quickly reacted. "Back then, if not for your repeated guidance, how could I have broken through smoothly?"

He did not feel dissatisfied. He knew Shen Tianchen was progressing extremely quickly and had even mastered a True Transmission Secret Technique, allowing him to defeat many veteran Combat Grade fighters.

Senior Brother Sun and Senior Brother Xu both had Vitality around 30 points as well, and were not weak either.

Having the three of them represent the Martial Arts Hall in the matches posed no issue no matter how one looked at it.

Thinking of this, Lu Chao added, "As for the tournament, Junior Brother Shen and the two senior brothers are highly skilled. I naturally admire them."

"And since it was Master Luo's decision, he must have had his own considerations. Senior Brother, there's no need to blame yourself. I can only blame myself for not being skilled enough."

Seeing him take all the responsibility onto himself, Zheng Wu's expression turned emotional, and his feelings grew a little complicated.

Junior Brother Lu was not only extremely resilient, but also generous by nature.

At that thought, he sighed and finally nodded, gently patting Lu Chao on the shoulder.

"Junior Brother Lu, although you can't take the stage, you can still go and watch when the time comes."

He spoke earnestly. "The combat moves of other schools and their fighting styles are different from ours. Watching more of them can still help you, letting you learn by analogy and broaden your horizons..."

"All right. Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother."

Lu Chao nodded. After weighing it for a moment, he agreed.

If he had the chance when the time came, he would go see what the martial arts world was like.

The two chatted idly for a while longer, and only after giving a few more instructions did Zheng Wu leave.

At the very end, Lu Chao watched his back.

Then he summoned the panel again.

[Carbon-based Human]

[Vitality:?]

"As expected of Senior Brother Zheng."

A note of admiration flashed through Lu Chao's eyes. He suspected Zheng Wu's Vitality had already exceeded fifty points, and that he was no ordinary Professional Grade.

Bang, bang!!

His thoughts were interrupted as a sudden sound rang out again.

The senior brothers on the central arena had already decided the outcome of their spar. One figure flew backward and slid away, his legs thudding against the ground as he nearly fell off the platform, looking rather sorry for himself.

Opposite him, Shen Tianchen stood tall and straight, his expression calm as he slowly lowered the right fist he had just thrown.

There was not the slightest trace of fatigue or panting on him. Not even a single drop of sweat had appeared, making him look completely at ease.

For a moment, the Training Building fell briefly silent. Quite a few people were amazed that his strength had improved again, and their gazes all gathered on him.

In that instant, as if sensing something, Shen Tianchen quickly turned his gaze, looking past the crowd and casting his eyes over.

Their eyes met. Lu Chao stood where he was.

In his line of sight, Shen Tianchen's expression remained calm the entire time. He glanced at Lu Chao as if looking at empty air, then gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head before leaving.

The rear courtyard of the Training Building.

A breeze brushed past, and the trimmed flowers and grass swayed with the wind. The green trees on either side of the wooden house lowered their branches, rustling softly.

Master Luo was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Lin Qingxue and Luo Yan stood on either side of the flowerbed, watching Zheng Wu pass through the vine-wrapped pergola walkway and stride over.

"Senior Brother Zheng, did you tell him?" Lin Qingxue's crisp voice broke the quiet of the rear courtyard.

Today, she wore a Cloud-patterned Training Uniform, making her skin look even fairer, though her face still held its usual coolness.

"Mm."

Zheng Wu nodded, suppressing the complicated emotions in his heart, and repeated Lu Chao's answer word for word.

"Oh? Looks like Junior Brother Lu knows his place."

Her eyelashes fluttered lightly, and Lin Qingxue nodded. "It took him three months just to break through Rock Skin. His potential was limited to begin with, and his hopes of breaking through later are slim."

"It's good that he can recognize himself. That way, we won't damage harmony over the sparring slot later."

She said it almost subconsciously, carrying a hint of judgment from above, as if wanting to prove that she had not misjudged him back then, and that his temporary breakthrough had mostly been luck.

Zheng Wu frowned when he heard this, somewhat displeased. "Junior Sister Lin, that's a little too harsh."

He could originally have competed against the other junior brothers first before a result was decided.

In the end, because of this so-called lack of potential, Junior Brother Lu had been directly rejected. How was that fair to him?

"Senior Brother Zheng, I'm not targeting him."

Meeting Zheng Wu's gaze, Lin Qingxue's eyes were calm and unruffled. "Master endured for two years and only agreed to attend this time. I'm sure you know what that means."

"If we want to make our name in Prism Ring City, we can't afford a single misstep."

She lifted her chin slightly, her gaze sweeping across this rear courtyard that carried Master's painstaking efforts. "If people found out the person competing took three months just to break through to Combat Grade, what kind of scene do you think that would be?"

"And those newspapers and martial arts halls—what would they do?"

At those words, Zheng Wu fell silent.

He could imagine that scene. Not only would Junior Brother Lu be mocked with words, the martial arts hall would also be slandered by those other halls, its reputation deliberately ruined.

It was precisely because of this that he had finally agreed to that decision.

After all, this was Master's wish, his only hope of letting the Gold-Stone Combat Arts truly take root in Prism Ring City and flourish.

"But the junior brothers' foundations are still a bit lacking, after all."

Worry showed on Zheng Wu's face as he thought of the talented disciples from those large martial arts halls, as well as the rich young masters from the Inner Ring City. "If they run into those people on the stage, I'm afraid..."

"Don't worry, Senior Brother Zheng."

Knowing what he was worried about, Lin Qingxue waved her hand lightly and said with certainty, "With the resources provided by Hengjia Security, along with Master's support, Junior Brother Shen's Vitality will definitely break through 30 points in a month."

"Add in the True Transmission Secret Technique and Master's guidance, and he'll definitely be able to shock everyone at the critical moment and make our Gold-Stone Martial Arts Hall famous."

After she finished speaking, the atmosphere fell still. Only the rustle of the breeze through the leaves remained in the rear courtyard.

Eldest Senior Brother Luo Yan, who had not interrupted the entire time, nodded as if in agreement. Zheng Wu stayed silent for a moment and did not argue further.

They had never doubted this Junior Brother Shen's cultivation talent and practical combat ability.

When the time came...

The three of them exchanged glances, and in the end, a trace of anticipation rose in all their eyes.

Rustle!

Unaware of the conversation between the true disciples, Lu Chao strode into the training area.

Many disciples in his line of sight were standing in stance to temper themselves. He walked to the two vacant red leather sandbags.

His eyes flickered slightly, and the panel disappeared.

He thought of the commotion Shen Tianchen had caused earlier.