As this thought emerged, Lu Yuan immediately felt his gaseous Spiritual Power contract slightly. It then suddenly transformed and rose a notch.

"Huh?!"

Lu Yuan was astonished, and a thoughtful expression crossed his face. In that instant, he seemed to have suddenly grasped the exact direction of his advancement to Grandmaster.

Xu Weiguo, sitting beside him, also sensed this strange phenomenon, and his gaze towards Lu Yuan immediately became more complex.

He wasn't sure of Lu Yuan's exact age. But based on his appearance, he guessed Lu Yuan couldn't be more than twenty at most. At this age, he was already on the verge of becoming a Grandmaster. Although Lu Yuan was part of the Yellow Bear and his cultivation conditions were far superior to those of an ordinary person, achieving this at such an age was enough to prove his monstrous talent.

"Ah..." Xu Weiguo sighed, feeling as if he had aged considerably all at once.

The two continued to chat casually. Xu Weiguo had stayed in Penglai for over a decade and was quite familiar with its current situation. Lu Yuan managed to learn a significant amount of information about Penglai from him, details that even the Yellow Bear's internal database hadn't recorded.

They chatted for over half an hour before Xu Weiguo rose to bid Lu Yuan farewell.

Lu Yuan called the Gold Bear who had led the way earlier and personally escorted Xu Weiguo to the door of the Martial Arts cultivation room.

Just as Xu Weiguo was preparing to leave, he suddenly stopped and asked Lu Yuan, "Is Lord Lu currently stuck on the step of integrating True Intention into the physique?"

Lu Yuan didn't hide anything and admitted frankly, "Yes."

Xu Weiguo tentatively inquired, "Would Lord Lu find it convenient to release his True Intention for me to see?"

During these seven days of sparring, Lu Yuan had never released his True Intention. This had been weighing on Xu Weiguo's mind.

He, a dignified Grandmaster, had practically all his techniques forced out by Lu Yuan, yet he still hadn't figured out which Sect Lu Yuan truly belonged to, or even what his True Intention looked like. Seeing that he was about to leave, and likely wouldn't have another chance to meet this young man again, Xu Weiguo couldn't resist any longer and decided to swallow his pride and ask.

Lu Yuan was slightly stunned by his words; his eyes flickered, and he hesitated to speak.

A hint of regret appeared on Xu Weiguo's face, and he took the initiative to say reassuringly, "If it's inconvenient for Lord Lu to reveal it, then never mind."

"It's not that it's inconvenient, but..." Lu Yuan shook his head. "My True Intention is rather special. I'm afraid... it might scare Master Xu."

"Scare?" Xu Weiguo blinked and chuckled, "Lord Lu, you must be joking. I, Xu Weiguo, am a dignified Grandmaster, after all. In my half-life of cultivating Martial Arts, I've seen plenty of inheritances from various Sects. What kind of strange and bizarre True Intention haven't I encountered? If Lord Lu says his True Intention is stronger than mine, I'd believe it. But scaring me... Heh..." Xu Weiguo shook his head with a smile.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan nodded. "Well, since Master Xu wishes to see it, I shall show you..."

After speaking, Lu Yuan suddenly released his long-suppressed gaseous Spiritual Power.

On the [Fighter] panel, a certain skill, a full Lv. 5, quietly lit up.

In an instant, all the lights in the Martial Arts room behind Lu Yuan dimmed.

The form of an immense, pitch-black giant crow silently glided out from his body.

Wisps of an aura—cold, decaying, despairing, yet overwhelmingly vast, like a cataclysm of death, a world-ending calamity—filled the entire Martial Arts room...

BOOM!

The air around Xu Weiguo distorted as his Grandmaster Power Field autonomously erupted in response.

His expression was dazed, frozen, as he stared blankly at the indescribable behemoth before him.

A body as black as night, incomparably domineering, with nine hundred and ninety-nine sinister and eerie eyes...

An icy current, the likes of which he hadn't felt in many years, shot up from his tailbone. It made every hair on his body stand on end and his scalp tingle.

The next second, Xu Weiguo heard a low voice emanate from within the shadowy vortex before him—a vortex where he could barely discern the outline of a body, almost completely merged with the darkness, like a swirling abyss capable of devouring everything: "I told you... it would scare Master Xu."

"ERR... ERR... ERR...."

With his Grandmaster Power Field fully active, Xu Weiguo's throat felt as if gripped by an invisible hand; his Adam's apple bobbed, but he couldn't utter a single word.

「Weishan City.」

On the long streets in December, many passersby had already donned their winter clothes. The leaves on the trees lining the roads were sparse, and the plants in the green belts had yellowed, painting a dreary scene.

Lu Yuan strolled along the sidewalk.

He wore a white shirt with a thin woolen coat over it.

He didn't feel the slightest bit cold; he just didn't want to look too out of place in the crowd.

In recent years, Weishan City had been striving to develop into a tourist destination and had invested considerable effort in environmental protection. But even after extensive improvements, the sky and air quality were still far from the fresh clarity he had experienced in the Sum Nation.

However... it possessed a familiar and nostalgic human warmth that Lu Yuan cherished.

"Hey, handsome! Come learn martial arts for self-defense!"

Not far ahead, at the entrance of a martial arts gym with a sign reading "Beyond Martial Arts Hall," two girls, still in shorts despite the dead of winter, waved at Lu Yuan, brandishing colorful flyers.

"Our Beyond Martial Arts Hall is having a big winter promotion! The martial arts course, originally twenty-eight thousand, eight hundred and eighty-eight, is now only nine thousand, nine hundred and eighty-eight!"

"Handsome, a guy out alone can easily be taken advantage of by predatory women! Hurry and sign up to learn a few fighting moves!"

Lu Yuan politely waved his hand, indicating he wasn't interested, but the two girls in shorts ran down the steps and tried to grab him.

Startled, Lu Yuan quickly backed away, hastily flagged down a taxi, and scrambled inside.

Only after giving the name "Linghe Pavilion" and the taxi started moving did Lu Yuan finally breathe a sigh of relief.

A dignified Double Winged Flying Bear of the Yellow Bear, a figure on the verge of stepping into the Grandmaster Realm, actually being chased down the street... Salespeople truly are the most terrifying creatures in the world.

Sitting in the back seat of the taxi, Lu Yuan recalled his recent sparring and exchanges with Xu Weiguo. He had gained a great deal. His Martial God Strength had risen to Lv. 7. He had also thoroughly reviewed all his Pure Martial knowledge. The jumble of skills on his [Fighter] panel had been consolidated into three sections: "God Elephant Sect," "Nether Crow Sect," and "Miscellaneous Studies." This process involved numerous skill fusions and advancements, which need no further elaboration.

In fact, after his exchange with Martial Arts Grandmaster Xu Weiguo, Lu Yuan had gradually begun to move beyond the confines of the [Fighter] profession panel.

When my strength was low, my understanding and application of various techniques were still rudimentary. Activating skills through the standardized effects of the profession panel was a great help and boost for me. But now, these moves and techniques have long since integrated into my body, becoming muscle memory. The panel, for me, has instead become a shackle hindering my advancement to Grandmaster... A Grandmaster, he mused, strives for mastery without constraints, unbound by any rules or limitations, forging their own unique path, centered and supreme. My Grandmaster aura has already formed; all that's lacking is the final bit of tempering and the right opportunity.

Lu Yuan sat in the back seat, watching the scenery flash by the window, thinking quietly.

He envisioned his current state of mind as a pool of water, perfectly still and undisturbed. The sediment within it continuously settled, causing the water to become increasingly clear, transparent to its very bottom...

"We're here."

The taxi driver's soft call pulled Lu Yuan from his reverie back to reality.

He took out his phone, paid for the ride, and then got out of the car.

Before him was the side entrance to Linghe Pavilion. The climbing vines on the wall had all withered, making the inscription of *The Discourse on Cooking Snakes* on the wall even more conspicuous.

Just as Lu Yuan was about to step inside, he suddenly felt a slight warmth on the flesh of his right chest.

Subconsciously, he reached up to touch it, only then remembering it was the spot where the Elephant God's curse was inscribed.

Looks like the second wave of the curse is about to hit...

Lu Yuan's eyes flickered for a moment, but his expression remained calm. He lowered his hand and calmly continued through the main entrance of Linghe Pavilion.

Shortly after entering, he ran into Liu Si.

He had informed Liu Si before coming. Liu Si respectfully greeted him as "Young Hall Master" and then led him to meet Master Liudao Yuan.

His teacher, Master Liudao Yuan, had been recuperating at the Yellow Bear Base, placed there by Lu Yuan ever since he was severely injured from being besieged by numerous Sects during the Southern Hundred Cities Martial Arts League. Later, he was transferred to the Sum Nation for surgery. Only a few days ago, when Lu Yuan inquired, did he learn that Liu had actually been discharged from the hospital and returned home long ago.

That was why Lu Yuan had rushed to Weishan.

"How are Mrs. Zhuang and the others?" Lu Yuan asked Liu Si on the way about the recent situation of the other direct disciples of the Crane Sect.

Liu Si nodded. "They are all doing well, but..."

"But what?" Seeing Liu Si's hesitation, Lu Yuan couldn't help but frown and press further.

Liu Si then replied with a helpless expression, "But ever since the Hall Master returned, he has refused to see any of them. Moreover, the Old Hall Master has expelled them all from the Crane Sect..."

"What?!"

Lu Yuan was taken aback, initially shocked, then he found the situation both exasperating and somewhat amusing.

Indeed, that's in line with Liu's temperament; it's something he would do.

He didn't say anything more, just nodded to Liu Si, indicating he understood.

Last time, Liu was framed by Pei Ye. Being misunderstood by outsiders was one thing, but even his own disciples doubted him. If I were Liu, I'd certainly feel disheartened too. It's normal to be angry; if he wants to vent, let him. At his age, he shouldn't have to bottle it up.

Soon, Liu Si led Lu Yuan to the familiar bamboo grove in the backyard.

Stepping over the threshold, Lu Yuan saw at a glance Liu sitting comfortably among a scattering of green and yellow bamboo leaves, leisurely basking in the sun.

Seeing Lu Yuan arrive, Liu didn't speak, merely lifting his eyelids slightly before lowering his gaze again, continuing to leisurely sip tea from his cup.

Lu Yuan walked over, sat down at the stone table, and glanced around. He soon spotted a large bottle of fruit-flavored soda near the foot of the stone table, picked it up, and poured some into the small purple clay teapot on the table.

While pouring, he asked Liudao Yuan, "Why did you leave without having the surgery?"

Master Liudao Yuan grunted softly and said lightly, "I've been a cripple for most of my life; I'm used to it... If you actually managed to grow back my limbs, I probably wouldn't even know how to walk anymore."

"So you don't want to become a Grandmaster anymore?" Lu Yuan looked at him.

He had specifically arranged limb regeneration surgery for Master Liudao Yuan, but Liudao Yuan had snuck out of the hospital without having it done. Lu Yuan had only just learned of this.

"It doesn't matter anymore..." Master Liudao Yuan put down his teacup and said indifferently, "Having had one foot in that realm, I realized that the so-called Grandmaster is nothing special. They aren't that much stronger; up against Mecha and cannons, if you're meant to die, you'll still die..."

"Really doesn't matter?"

"Really! It doesn't matter!" Master Liudao Yuan waved his hand dismissively.

Lu Yuan couldn't help but frown.

At first, he thought Liu was just being stubborn. But then, it seemed Liu truly had lost all ambition in this regard. Having failed to break through to Grandmaster twice, was he afraid of failing a third time and so decided not to even try? That didn't seem like Liu's character. Was he then completely disheartened, ready to wash his hands of the martial world for good? I should test him.

Lu Yuan considered for a moment, then asked, "Then what about fighting our way through Martial Saint Island, overthrowing Penglai Pavilion, and unifying the ancient martial world? Do you still want to do that?"

After Lu Yuan finished speaking, Master Liudao Yuan shot him a sidelong glance, sneered, and retorted, "You brat! Those were just things I said to motivate you back then, to encourage you to strive harder. You actually took them seriously?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan's heart sank.

It's over. Liu seems to have truly given up.

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