Chapter 27: Half-Step Grandmaster (Snatching Red Envelopes)

South Lake.

It was already past eleven. All activities had ceased, and the crowd, tense with anticipation, gathered at the lakeside, waiting for Huang Zhen’s opponent to appear.

Everyone wanted to witness how this young martial prodigy—an innate master at the age of twenty—would utterly crush his adversary.

…

Inside the general store, after making sure Huo Yutong was asleep, Lu Ming stepped out, got in his car, and drove straight to South Lake.

After parking, Lu Ming strolled into the park and soon reached the edge of the lake, which was packed with people. His appearance had changed somewhat—anyone who didn’t know him well would hardly recognize him now. This was a disguise he’d crafted with his spiritual power; after all, he had no desire to become the center of attention after the battle, not with so many secrets to protect. Keeping a low profile was essential.

He quietly made his way through the throng, found a less crowded spot, and stood there alone, his gaze fixed on Huang Zhen in the Langya Pavilion.

At that moment, Huang Zhen seemed to sense something. He glanced in Lu Ming’s direction, then slowly closed his eyes again.

“Impressive—sharp senses,” Lu Ming remarked with a soft smile.

Just now, he’d probed Huang Zhen’s aura with his spiritual power, and Huang Zhen had noticed it immediately. Truly a master of innate power.

A group of newcomers arrived then. Noticing Lu Ming standing alone where there were fewer people, they approached.

There were seven of them—five young men and two young women. All except the leader, who appeared to be around forty, looked to be seventeen or eighteen. They were clearly from the same family, and as they settled near Lu Ming, they began chatting and laughing among themselves.

The eldest among them turned to Lu Ming with a friendly smile. “Hope you don’t mind—we couldn’t get a good view elsewhere with all these people. Didn’t want to miss this rare showdown.”

Lu Ming smiled lightly. “Not at all.”

“My name is Xu Qingquan, from the Xu family of the Northwest. I wonder if you’ve heard of us?” Xu Qingquan said, still smiling.

Lu Ming nodded. “I’ve heard a little.”

Xu Qingquan’s expression darkened slightly. Even if his family wasn’t renowned, the man’s casual response struck him as rude, and he felt a surge of irritation.

“Hmph, what’s there to be so arrogant about? If you were Huang Zhen, I’d understand—he’s young and already an innate master. But what right do you have to look down on the Xu family?” snapped one of the younger men, unable to hold back. The other family youths shot Lu Ming hostile looks as well.

Lu Ming felt helpless. He’d only been back in the country for a year and knew little about the domestic clans and their power struggles. Since returning, his focus had been on cultivating the Dragon Soaring Technique and making sacrifices; he’d had no time to pay attention to such matters.

In truth, he’d never heard of the Xu family before. Saying he’d “heard a little” was simply being polite—but apparently, even that had offended them.

Seeing their angry glares, Lu Ming shook his head.

“My apologies. I’m just not well informed. Still, is a twenty-year-old innate martial artist truly as miraculous as you all make him out to be?”

Everywhere he’d gone tonight, he’d heard nothing but praise for Huang Zhen. The Xu family’s open adulation only piqued Lu Ming’s curiosity.

Back when he was just eighteen and still a mercenary, he’d already achieved the innate realm himself. So to him, being an innate master at twenty was hardly something to boast about.

But his words only made the Xu family members glare at him more fiercely.

“A twenty-year-old innate master is almost certain to ascend to the grandmaster realm. Do you realize what a transcendent figure that would be? You’re still too young to understand,” Xu Qingquan said, a mocking note in his voice.

Lu Ming smiled faintly. “In the end, it’s just an innate martial artist. Even a grandmaster—so what?”

Seeing Xu Qingquan’s mocking tone, Lu Ming made no effort to be polite.

“You’re far too arrogant, boy! Huang Zhen could crush you with a single finger—believe it or not!” the young man from before burst out.

Lu Ming glanced at him. “I don’t believe it.”

“Big brother, let me teach this arrogant brat a lesson. He doesn’t even respect grandmasters!” the youth said to Xu Qingquan, visibly fuming.

But Xu Qingquan looked at Lu Ming and said, “Boy, there’s an old saying in the martial world: ‘A grandmaster is not to be insulted.’ You’d best watch your mouth.”

To become a grandmaster was to reach the pinnacle of martial arts—invincible, revered, set apart. The rule that “a grandmaster is not to be insulted” represented supreme respect, a custom forged over generations. To insult one was to invite disaster.

Xu Qingquan’s gaze was solemn, as though ready to act. Lu Ming smiled. “No need to be rash.”

Xu Qingquan fixed him with a stare but finally let the matter drop. They were here to watch a duel, after all, and with the contest about to begin, he didn’t want to start a fight. Still, when it was over, he wouldn’t mind teaching this arrogant youth a lesson.

Xu Qingquan calmed his clan members, signaling them to be patient and await the battle.

Lu Ming simply settled in for a boring wait.

Before long, a bell tolled midnight from a tower on the far side of South Lake.

“It’s the appointed hour—the duel is about to begin!”

“Where’s Huang Zhen’s opponent?”

“Could it be he’s afraid and ran away at the last minute?”

As time ticked past midnight and Huang Zhen’s adversary still hadn’t appeared, the crowd grew restless, their voices buzzing with speculation.

Just then, after sitting in the Langya Pavilion for three days and nights, Huang Zhen slowly stood up.

He stepped out of the pavilion, placed one foot upon the lake’s surface, and instantly a thick column of water surged up from beneath, lifting him high into the air.

The water column rose steadily, carrying Huang Zhen more than ten meters above the lake. From his lofty perch, hands clasped behind his back, he called out, “Mr. Lu, since you are here, reveal yourself! Let us settle this in battle!”

His voice swept across the entire lake, clear and powerful as the tide—every last person heard him.

“Wow—that’s the power of an innate master. Incredible!”

“My goodness, what a spectacle!”

“Huang Zhen is truly formidable. His opponent is doomed.”

Huang Zhen’s dramatic entrance electrified the crowd, who broke into excited exclamations.

Only one man, standing alone and built like a mountain, muttered, “All smoke and mirrors.”

At that moment, Lu Ming began to walk calmly toward the water’s edge. As he reached the lakeshore, Xu Qingquan asked in surprise, “What are you doing?”

Lu Ming smiled. “I’m going to meet my challenger.”

“You’re Huang Zhen’s opponent?” The young man who’d wanted to pick a fight stared at him in shock.

“That’s right. Now, do you still think he can crush me with a single finger?” Lu Ming replied with a grin.

The youth flushed and fell silent.

Anyone capable of facing Huang Zhen must be a master in his own right. The crowd speculated that Huang Zhen’s opponent was likely another innate master. Among them, only Xu Qingquan was an internal martial artist; the rest were mere beginners in external style, far from the innate realm—simply not on the same level.

Seeing the youth’s embarrassment, Lu Ming laughed heartily, then strode onto the lake, treading the rippling water until he reached the center.

His entrance caused a fresh stir among the onlookers.

“As expected, this man is an innate master too! Only those at that level can walk on water like that.”

“Of course! Anyone facing Huang Zhen can’t be a pushover.”

“Don’t be so sure—Huang Zhen is a martial prodigy. Even among innate masters, there are levels of mastery.”

“True. Look at how effortlessly Huang Zhen manipulates his inner energy—he’s clearly at the peak of the innate realm. Average innate masters are no match for him.”

In the middle of the lake, Huang Zhen looked down at Lu Ming and said, “Are you ready?”

Lu Ming answered lazily, “There’s nothing to prepare.”

“Very well, then accept my gift, Lu Ming,” Huang Zhen declared.

With a thunderous shout, the surface of the entire lake began to churn violently, as though brought to a boil.

Suddenly, hundreds of water arrows coalesced from the roiling waves, shooting toward Lu Ming in a dense barrage, each with enough force to pierce steel.

At the same time, under Huang Zhen’s control, a massive water dragon rose from the depths, its maw open wide as it lunged at Lu Ming.

A collective gasp swept through the crowd—this was far beyond the innate realm; Huang Zhen was already displaying the might of a grandmaster.

Let’s set a small goal first, like remembering the Book Guest mobile site’s address in one second: