Invincible Young Master in the City
Chapter 718: 714: Unknown Crisis

Chapter 718: Chapter 714: Unknown Crisis

Southeast Asia, also known as Nanyang, has long been a place where many Chinese people have drifted, taken root, and flourished.

Not only that, the descendants of the Chinese there, despite having lived overseas for over two to three hundred years, have still maintained a profound traditional Chinese culture. They not only practice Chinese characters and speak the Chinese language, but they also celebrate festivals such as Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and New Year just the same.

On the morning of the first day of the new year, Dong Ziqi drove alone to wish his master, Li Huaren, a happy New Year.

Previously, he visited his master with his wife and children for the New Year’s greetings.

Li Huaren was a renowned ancient martial arts expert in Southeast Asia, already sixty-seven years old. Although still physically robust, he had clearly passed his peak in ancient martial arts.

Fists fear the vigor of youth. Typically, the peak period for an ancient martial arts expert is from thirty-five to forty-five years old. If one is an Inner Strength master, then this peak can be extended for another decade or more. As for entering the Grand Dao of “Embracing Dan,” it depends on the individual’s cultivation; there’s no definite measure.

At the age of forty-five, Li Huaren barely entered the realm of Inner Strength, which was relatively weak. Now at sixty-seven, his prowess had declined, and if it came to a life-threatening battle, he was no longer a match for his eldest disciple, Dong Ziqi.

Although it was the festive first day of the new year, there was no grand laughter between the master and the disciple; instead, there was worry.

After receiving Dong Ziqi’s greeting, Li Huaren looked at his proud leading disciple for a long while, sighed, and said, “Ziqi, are you prepared? Recently, there’s a buzz in the martial arts world—Ye Fan has emerged out of nowhere; even Mo Xuangu, who has reached the late stages of Dark Strength, couldn’t withstand fifteen moves against Ye Fan.”

“This person is truly a martial arts genius. When you tried to assassinate him initially, he was only at the early stages of Dark Strength, and in just a few months, he has reached the late stages of Dark Strength. If you don’t remove the root of such a person, endless troubles will follow, frightening indeed.”

“Master, rest assured,” Dong Ziqi spoke solemnly, “I am on the brink of a breakthrough, about to enter Inner Strength! Once I achieve Inner Strength, no matter how talented he is, he won’t be a match for me.”

Hearing this, Li Huaren was overjoyed and asked, “Really?”

“How would I dare deceive you, Master?” Dong Ziqi replied, “Last night, as I watched the fireworks and firecrackers and had a sudden epiphany. Later, my young son asked me to light the firecrackers, and because my mind was elsewhere, I did not notice them exploding until they exploded near me. I instinctively used my Inner Strength to shield myself, and the firecrackers couldn’t harm my body.”

“Haha, good! Good! Good!” Li Huaren could not help but laugh excitedly, “‘A single feather cannot be added, and flies cannot land’, this is a sign of Inner Strength. It seems you’ve accumulated knowledge and suddenly perceived Inner Strength!”

Dong Ziqi said, “Indeed, I have touched on some elements of Inner Strength. If I could seclude myself and cultivate deeply for half a month, I would definitely achieve Inner Strength. It’s just a pity… the duel is scheduled for the fourth day.”

Li Huaren nodded regretfully, but he was not very worried anymore.

Three days’ insights, although insufficient for Dong Ziqi to become a master of Inner Strength, were enough for half-step Inner Strength.

There is an insurmountable chasm between Inner Strength and Dark Strength.

“In that case, you need not waste time here with me, go back and focus on your perception immediately,” Li Huaren said.

Dong Ziqi replied, “Paying a New Year visit to you is proper. Additionally, I have a request to focus on understanding Inner Strength here. This place is tranquil and the location where I’ve practiced martial arts since childhood, suitable for rapidly comprehending Inner Strength.”

“Very well, please follow me,” Li Huaren immediately stood up, guiding Dong Ziqi to the training room.

…

…

Gu Youlan Martial Arts Academy, New Year’s Day morning, Gu Youlan received the New Year’s greetings from everyone, distributed red envelopes, and then allowed everyone to have free time, only keeping Gu Mingshuang and Lin Yuehua to talk in front of her.

After savoring a sip of fragrant tea, Gu Youlan sized up Gu Mingshuang and Lin Yuehua for a while, and said, “I have not been effective as a mentor, and among my disciples, only you two have reached the stage of Dark Strength, which is truly embarrassing.”

“Mother (Master), you shouldn’t blame yourself, it’s our dullness,” Gu Mingshuang and Lin Yuehua immediately responded.

Gu Youlan waved her hand gently, stopping Gu Mingshuang and Lin Yuehua from defending her, and sighed, “Another year has passed, another year closer to the agreed time; only two years left. Although we have secured Ye Fan’s sect as our backing, relying on others is not as good as relying on oneself. Yuehua, Shuang’er, you must train diligently and seriously.”

“Yes, Master (Mother),” Lin Yuehua and Gu Mingshuang responded earnestly.

After a pause, Gu Youlan continued, “Shuang’er, Mother also knows that being overly anxious in martial arts can backfire, but I truly hope that you can reach the stage of Transforming Strength quickly. If you advance to this stage soon, we mother and daughter together might still stand a chance; otherwise, we will have to rely entirely on Ye Fan’s sect.”

“Mother, I will try my best,” Gu Mingshuang said.

Gu Youlan nodded and then turned her gaze to Lin Yuehua’s pretty face, asking, “Yuehua, how have you been in contact with Ye Fan recently?”

“Not bad, we often talk on the phone,” Lin Yuehua’s pretty face blushed slightly as she answered shyly.

Gu Youlan sighed softly, “That must be hard for you.”

Lin Yuehua wanted to deny it but felt too embarrassed to speak up, so she remained silent.

After a while, Gu Youlan continued, “There’s a grand overseas Ancient Martial Arts Family Reunion Conference in Malaysia, Southeast Asia, on the fourth day. Not only will overseas martial arts masters gather there, but domestic masters will also participate. I plan to take you both to attend this grand event to broaden your horizons, hoping that you will find inspiration during the exchange.”

“Yes,” Gu Mingshuang and Lin Yuehua responded.

“Also, Ye Fan will participate. He has a duel scheduled there against Dong Ziqi, who previously tried to assassinate him,” Gu Youlan continued, “However, there’s no suspense about the outcome. On the New Year’s Eve, Ye Fan challenged the promising youths of the Mo family single-handedly, and even a master like Mo Xuangu lost to him within fifteen moves.”

“Ah, really?” Lin Yuehua couldn’t help but interject, her eyes filled with a desire to know more.

Gu Youlan’s charming eyes slightly furrowed, and she asked Lin Yuehua, “Didn’t you know about this?”

“I truly didn’t know,” Lin Yuehua replied. “Although I keep in touch with Ye Fan regularly, he has always been modest and not boastful; he didn’t mention this to me.”

After hearing this, Gu Youlan thought for a moment and then nodded. She then described, “On the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month, Ye Fan, accompanied by his senior fellow apprentice, Shen Biancheng, visited the Mo family to challenge their young elites. Ye Fan declared he would challenge all the promising youths under forty of the Mo family, each in three rounds.”

“During the night of the same day, the first round of matches took place, and the Mo family lost two out of three matches, admitting temporary defeat. The matches continued the next day. Since there were other martial arts masters present on that day, the news of Ye Fan’s challenge spread, and masters from all across the country gathered at the Mo family’s residence. Thus, the originally planned morning matches were postponed to the evening.”

“In the second round of matches, Ye Fan fought three bouts, defeating Mo Xuanghai, who was in the middle stage of Dark Strength, in less than two moves and defeating the well-known Mo Xuangu within fifteen moves. In the third bout, although he tied with Mo Xuanyu, he actually won; likely, he left some face for the Mo family.”

Gu Yuehua, listening intently, eyes shining, involuntarily said, “So, he must be in the late stage of Dark Strength now?”

“That is certain,” Gu Youlan nodded, then turned to Gu Mingshuang and said, “A few months ago, he was inferior to you, and you even had to save him. Now, he has caught up to you. You must work hard.”

“Yes, Mother,” Gu Mingshuang responded.

Gu Youlan then said to Lin Yuehua, “During this overseas Ancient Martial Arts Family Reunion Conference, we should enhance our interaction with Ye Fan and his sect.”