Chapter 96: A Peerless Genius

"The fight has begun!"

"Lu Sheng strikes first!"

"His speed is incredible, and his strength is immense!"

"Lu Yunfei forms a sword with his fingers, projecting sword energy while shielding his body with profound energy."

"Lu Sheng does not dodge; he takes the blow of Lu Yunfei's sword energy head-on—"

"Yet, while Lu Sheng's clothes are torn, he remains completely unaffected."

"Simultaneously, his arm elongates by three feet, striking Lu Yunfei directly."

"Lu Yunfei has been sent flying! Lu Yunfei has been sent flying! He was struck by Lu Sheng's fist and sent flying!"

In the martial arena, an instructor narrating the duel to the students shouted at the top of his lungs. It seemed the clash between the two young talents of the Lu clan had stirred his blood, causing his voice to echo throughout the entire arena.

The others present, seemingly stunned by how quickly Lu Yunfei had fallen into a disadvantage, watched in a daze as the two figures darted and weaved across the stage.

The instructor’s voice continued to ring out:

"Lu Yunfei stabilizes himself, preventing himself from being knocked off the platform."

"Furthermore, his protective profound energy remains intact, so his injuries are likely not severe."

"But Lu Sheng, having seized the initiative, shows no signs of stopping."

"He is pursuing Lu Yunfei!"

"There is a vast difference in strength between Lu Yunfei and Lu Sheng. Rather than clashing head-on, Lu Yunfei is utilizing his footwork to circle the stage."

"A wise choice. His speed is immense and unpredictable; he truly lives up to his name, 'The Cloud-Flying of the Land.'"

"However, Lu Sheng’s speed is no less impressive, and the arena is not large; he remains in close pursuit of Lu Yunfei."

A ten-zhang arena is certainly vast for an ordinary person, but for martial masters and grand masters who can travel twenty or thirty zhang in the blink of an eye, it is traversed in an instant.

The footwork that Lu Yunfei excels at cannot display its true power in such a confined space.

As for Lu Sheng, relying on his own speed—which had also been tripled—he took long strides, staying hot on Lu Yunfei’s heels.

Although Lu Yunfei continued to retaliate while evading, unleashing waves of sword energy, Lu Sheng’s skin had become exceptionally tough after employing the Jade Concealment Technique—Lu Yunfei’s sword energy felt like mere tickling to him. Unless struck in a vital spot, he didn't even bother to dodge. Most of these strikes merely left marks on his clothing.

But the force behind Lu Sheng's blows—over seventy thousand pounds—landed on Lu Yunfei with each hit. Even without breaking through the protective profound energy, every strike dealt a heavy blow.

Even as Lu Yunfei continuously employed his Hunyuan Hand to defend and deflect, his own strength of thirty thousand pounds was simply insufficient to fully dissipate Lu Sheng’s power.

Furthermore, as Lu Sheng grew more proficient with the Divine Elephant Fist, he began to incorporate the flexible, trunk-like movements of the Elephant Trunk Fist. Combined with the arm-stretching capabilities of the "Size as Desired" technique, his fist style became increasingly unpredictable—making it ever harder for Lu Yunfei to dodge.

Although the battle had only just begun, the situation on the stage was already leaning heavily in Lu Sheng's favor.

***

"This kid... it seems he is using raw power to overcome all techniques!"

Below the stage, Lu Hongjin watched the unfolding scene, a faint smile appearing in his eyes.

Below the Martial Sect level, before one has mastered mental energy and the ability to command the power of heaven and earth, all martial arts boil down to the application of speed and force. Using strength to suppress others may seem simple, but it is the true path of the martial way. This is especially true in the confined space of an arena.

Given Lu Sheng’s performance on the stage, even Lu Hongjin would not dare claim certain victory.

After all, though both were at the peak of the Grand Martial Master realm, he had spent many years refining his skills, tempering his body, and accumulating profound energy far more deeply than Lu Yunfei. Yet, his strength could not compare to Lu Sheng, who was already stronger than the average Martial Sect practitioner. In an environment like this arena, he lacked the power to guarantee a win against him.

"It seems my Lu family may have produced a peerless genius!"

Watching Lu Sheng’s performance, Lu Hongjin felt a surge of joy as this thought crossed his mind.

Every generation of the Da Jing Lu clan sees a few talents like the twenty-eight-year-old Lu Yunfei, who is ranked eighth on the Talents List. Even when he reaches thirty in two years and is no longer eligible for the list, others a few years younger who are approaching the Grand Martial Master rank would likely reach his current standing.

But someone like Lu Sheng—who could rank in the top ten of the Talents List at eighteen and even challenge those in the top ten of the Earth List—was in an entirely different category from Lu Yunfei.

"To be number one on both the Talents List and the Earth List, to become a Martial Sect before thirty, and perhaps even make the Heavenly List—"

"That is a true peerless genius!"

Such a genius appears perhaps only once every few decades in the entire world. The most recent one was Ning Qingyu of the Qingyun Sect—the woman known as the Fairy of Qingyu, who remains the youngest Grand Master in the world to this day.

Lu Sheng might just be such a genius. The entire Da Jing Lu clan stood to benefit from this.

***

"Bang! Bang!" The sounds of combat continued, and the situation on the stage did not pause for Lu Hongjin’s reflections. The instructor’s voice kept ringing out:

"Lu Sheng's fist technique seems to be something he just learned, and he is constantly improving!"

"Now, under this unpredictable style, Lu Yunfei is left with only the ability to parry, with no power to counterattack."

"It can be said that unless there is a major shift, the winner of this battle is already clear..."

"Stop!"

The voice ceased abruptly as Lu Hongjin, observing the situation, called an end to the fight.

After all, while Lu Yunfei was bruised and battered from Lu Sheng’s relentless strikes, his protective profound energy had not yet shattered, and he had not sustained any critical injuries. If he were to resort to desperate measures, the tide of the battle might yet turn. However, that would transform a friendly spar into a fight to the death. As the witness to this duel and an admirer of Lu Sheng's potential, Lu Hongjin naturally did not want to see such an outcome.

Thus, as soon as the instructor suggested a winner was clear, he halted the combat and triggered the profound formation of the arena.

The energy barrier surrounding the stage vanished, only to reappear instantly, encasing both Lu Sheng and Lu Yunfei—if they wished to continue fighting, they would first have to break through this formation.

***

"Lu Yunfei has lost!"

"Lu Yunfei actually lost, and to an eighteen-year-old youth!"

As the two were separated, the murmurs of the crowd began to swell. Thanks to the instructor’s commentary, even those who had not reached the Martial Master level and could not clearly see the fight understood the outcome: Lu Yunfei, the former top talent of the Da Jing Lu clan, had been defeated by Lu Sheng, surrendering his title and his ranking.

At the same time, many realized that after this brief duel, a peerless genius was rising within the Da Jing Lu clan—a light that would soon overshadow all other young people in the world.