Chapter 137 – Apprenticeship Banquet, True Skill Visualization Diagram

“An apprenticeship banquet?”

Wu Xinlei furrowed her brows but then relaxed, saying indifferently, “Oh, forget it. Lu Yuan is so assertive; it saves us from having to look after her.”

“Forget about her. Let’s think about where we should go next…”

“Where are the good places to eat in Suchuan…”

Wu Xinlei picked up her mobile phone and started browsing, discussing the next travel plans with the glasses-wearing man.

At that moment, Sun Zhihua, who had been mostly silent, suddenly spoke up.

“How about we go to Weishan?”

“Uh…”

Both Wu Xinlei and the glasses-wearing man were taken aback.

Wu Xinlei quickly responded, “You want to attend Lu Yuan’s apprenticeship banquet?!”

“Yes.”

Sun Zhihua nodded, his eyes gleaming with a peculiar brilliance.

“This Lu Yuan is very young and quite skilled. He claims to be from the Crane Style but refuses to specify which one exactly. I’m really curious; why not go and see for ourselves…”

Wu Xinlei blinked and said, “But he didn’t invite us.”

“Just let your friend Lu Jing know. Besides…”

Sun Zhihua smiled faintly, “For an apprenticeship banquet, as long as you’re not there to cause trouble, no sect would turn you away.”

…

Lu Jing seemed momentarily startled by Lu Yuan’s serious demeanor.

After a moment, she shook her head.

“No.”

“Those stone balls are the most valuable artifacts uncovered in this excavation. Each one was handled personally by the archaeology professors; we interns never had the chance to see them up close, let alone touch them.”

Hearing this, Lu Yuan’s tense expression relaxed.

Lu Jing had no reason to lie. If she said she hadn’t touched them, she definitely hadn’t.

However, although the stone balls were the most suspicious, it couldn’t be ruled out that touching other artifacts might also carry the risk of a curse.

Lu Yuan then asked Lu Jing in detail about the other artifacts.

Upon learning that Lu Jing had very few opportunities to handle other artifacts, his tightly wound nerves finally eased completely.

“Why are you so nervous about this?”

Lu Jing asked.

Lu Yuan didn’t hide anything from her and directly forwarded the news and materials about the White Glowing Grass to Lu Jing.

After reading, Lu Jing was both shocked and astonished.

“The Elephant Deity Sect… really has a curse?!”

“I don’t know, it’s just a guess.”

Lu Yuan comforted Lu Jing, saying, “Even if there is, you didn’t touch those things, so it won’t affect you. But just to be safe, stay close to me for the time being. Also, keep an eye on the other members of the archaeological team who are in a similar situation. If they’re fine, you definitely will be too…”

Seeing Lu Jing still looking anxious, Lu Yuan gently held her hand, looked into her eyes, and emphasized each word, “Lu Jing, don’t worry. I’m very powerful now. Even if you did get involved with something you shouldn’t have, I can help you deal with it…”

Lu Jing’s eyes trembled slightly, and she nodded, not saying anything more.

Lu Yuan felt her rapid heartbeat gradually calm down.

A silence fell between them.

Lu Jing seemed to be mulling over what Lu Yuan had just told her, repeatedly reviewing the news and information from the White Glowing Grass, and chatting with people on her mobile phone.

Lu Yuan didn’t disturb her, giving her space to process and cope.

He organized the sketches Lu Jing had drawn, selected the one of the Elephant-faced monster, and sent a photo of it to the White Glowing Grass, hoping to get some useful information from them.

An hour and thirty-two minutes passed quickly.

The high-speed rail arrived at Weishan.

Lu Yuan led Lu Jing off the train. As they headed towards the high-speed rail station exit, Lu Jing suddenly spoke to him.

“Xiao Yuan, Xinlei and the others said they want to… attend your apprenticeship banquet.”

Lu Jing seemed very embarrassed; she had never been good at refusing others.

Recalling the people he had met earlier, Lu Yuan thought for a moment and nodded, “Alright, let them come. I’ll make arrangements.”

Among Lu Jing’s friends, the one named Sun Zhihua was from an ancient martial arts sect. Having him around might help Lu Jing better understand his current level and state.

“Moon Shadow Sect… I’ll have to ask my teacher about it later, find out exactly what kind of martial arts style it is…”

Lu Yuan thought to himself as he and Lu Jing walked out of the high-speed rail station.

At the entrance, the people arranged by Liu Si were already waiting. The two of them headed directly to Linghexuan.

…

“This… this entire place belongs to your sect, Xiao Yuan?”

In Linghexuan, Lu Jing, with her mouth slightly agape and a face full of astonishment, had already asked similar questions several times.

“Yes, and this is just a part of it.”

In the few days since Lu Yuan joined the Crane Style, he had learned that the sect had properties not only in Weishan but also in Jiaoyan, Baihe, Clear Spring, Longjiang, and several other nearby cities. It was indeed a large and prosperous organization.

Just then, Liu Si approached respectfully and said, “Young Sect Master, the Sect Master has returned and requests your presence.”

Liu Daoyuan is back?!

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered. He nodded to indicate he understood.

He then informed Lu Jing and left her with Liu Si before striding away quickly.

“Please follow me, esteemed guest.”

As soon as Lu Yuan left, Liu Si’s respect naturally shifted entirely to Lu Jing.

“You’re calling me… um, okay.”

Lu Jing appeared somewhat at a loss.

Watching Lu Yuan’s departing figure and the seemingly noble yet exceedingly respectful “servant” in front of her, Lu Jing’s mind was in turmoil, her thoughts a chaotic mess.

What she needed most right now… was some peace and quiet.

…

Lu Yuan entered the spacious martial arts arena, his bare feet making no sound on the polished floor.

With an agility score of 18 points, in battles within the Consciousness Space, his full-speed bursts were already on par with most direct disciples of the Crane Style.

Even without deliberately lightening his steps, his movements were more graceful and silent than a cat’s.

This was his first time seeing the training hall where Liu Daoyuan resided.

About a third of the lights in the hall were on.

Liu Daoyuan sat in a Grandmaster’s Chair made of rosewood, his head slightly lowered, half of his body shrouded in shadow.

His left sleeve hung empty.

The scene resembled a villain from a TV drama, vastly different from the ethereal and immortal-like figure he had seen in the bamboo forest.

Lu Yuan maintained his composure and stepped forward, calling out, “Teacher.”

Liu Daoyuan, seated in the Grandmaster’s Chair, trembled slightly.

He quickly looked up, discreetly wiped the corner of his mouth with his right hand, and gazed at Lu Yuan with a kind expression.

“Good disciple, you’re here.”

Lu Yuan hesitated as he glanced at Liu Daoyuan’s left sleeve, then spoke, “Teacher, what happened to your hand…”

“It’s nothing.”

Liu Daoyuan shook his head nonchalantly and replied, “I made an extra trip to the Steel Bone Sect this time. While borrowing something, I had a fight and accidentally got my hand damaged. I’ve already asked Liu Si to take it for repairs. I have a few spare arms, just haven’t put one on yet…”

As he spoke, Liu Daoyuan pulled something out from his robe and casually tossed it to Lu Yuan.

“Take a look, this is your apprenticeship gift…”

Lu Yuan caught it effortlessly.

He found himself holding a package wrapped in a red plastic bag.

The plastic bag had “Star Convenience Store” written on it, and it was haphazardly wrapped with large strips of clear tape.

“…”

Lu Yuan tore open the plastic bag to reveal a notebook and two USB flash drives inside.

The notebook was an ordinary one, but it seemed quite old—the white cover was stiff and yellowed.

Lu Yuan casually flipped it open, and lines of bold handwriting caught his eye—

“Year xxx, Month x, Day x, partly cloudy, mood: bad

Today my left hip bone still hurts. Those old guys from the Mad Gun Sect, I showed them mercy by letting them use weapons while I fought barehanded.

But they couldn’t beat me, so they used real guns. The bullets were special too; two of them seem to be lodged in my bone. I’ll have to visit Divine Doctor Liu again for an appointment…

Once I’m healed, I’ll definitely wipe out the Mad Gun Sect!”

“…”

Lu Yuan flipped a few more pages and found similar entries.

Puzzled, he couldn’t help but look at Liu Daoyuan. “A diary?”

“Yes.”

Liu Daoyuan nodded, “It’s the diary of Xiang Lei, the previous previous generation sect leader of the Hundred Refinement Sect.

You don’t need to read the front part. Keep flipping to the back; you’ll find his cultivation insights on the Palace of Flesh there…”

Lu Yuan flipped through the notebook.

Sure enough, after about a third of the entries, the diary began to include numerous cultivation notes.

Many of these notes were accompanied by drawings, though the illustrations were poorly done, resembling the crude efforts of a student’s art class assignment.

“The two USB flash drives—one contains the Core Legacy of the Hundred Refinement Sect, and the other has the body training techniques of the Steel Bone Sect…”

“Teacher, did you really go to the Steel Bone Sect just to get these body training techniques for me?”

Although Lu Yuan had some expectations, he was still slightly surprised upon learning the truth and couldn’t help but voice his thoughts.

Liu Daoyuan snorted and said, “What else do you think I went to the Steel Bone Sect for?

Your use of the word ‘ask’ is incorrect. I didn’t ask them for it; they asked me…

Asked me not to kill anyone, asked me for the antidote, asked me to go easy on them… ha…”

Even with a missing arm, the Celestial Crane of Sky Water remained proud.

Lu Yuan stared at the notebook and USB flash drives in his hands, falling into brief silence. He suddenly felt as if something heavy had quietly settled on his heart.

After a moment of thought, he said to Liu Daoyuan, “Thank you, Teacher.”

“A master looking after his disciple is only natural; there’s no need for thanks.”

Liu Daoyuan waved his hand dismissively, then added with some regret, “It’s a pity I couldn’t get the true skill visualization diagram from the Steel Bone Sect. All I could get were these body training techniques.

The Steel Bone Sect is the weakest of the three factions that split from the Holy Fist Sect back then. Using some tactics, I managed to half-force and half-trick them into giving me the body training techniques.

As for the Overlord Fist Sect and the Celestial Pole Sect, that’s another story. If you want to complete the full set of cultivation techniques for the Heavenly Domineering Physique, you might have to rely on yourself in the future…”

Lu Yuan nodded.

Suddenly catching a term in Liu Daoyuan’s words, he couldn’t help but ask, “Teacher, what is the true skill visualization diagram?”

Liu Daoyuan’s eyes flickered for a moment before he suddenly asked, “Have you mastered the Crane Step and Crane Grasp?”

“Yes.”

“Whoosh!”

The next moment, the figure of Liu Daoyuan vanished from the Grandmaster’s Chair made of rosewood. He reappeared right next to Lu Yuan, his only remaining right hand striking straight towards him.

Lu Yuan quickly understood Liu Daoyuan’s intention.

He immediately engaged with Liu Daoyuan using only Crane Step and Crane Grasp.

Both moved with incredible speed.

In a short span of time, the empty training hall echoed with a series of explosive collisions.

Then, in an instant, all sounds abruptly ceased.

Liu Daoyuan’s figure flickered and reappeared more than ten meters away from Lu Yuan, his bionic eyes glowing with blue light as he looked at Lu Yuan.

“Excellent, excellent! As expected from my True Disciple!” Liu Daoyuan laughed heartily and then waved to Lu Yuan, saying, “Follow me.”

“Yes, Teacher.”

Lu Yuan quickly followed.

During this, he glanced at his professional panel.

He noticed that the experience points for Crane Grasp and Crane Step had both increased by over ten points, bringing him closer to breaking through to level 3.

There was a hidden door on the side of the empty martial arts arena.

Lu Yuan followed Liu Daoyuan through the hidden door, winding through numerous secret chambers.

Finally, they stopped in an extremely small room, about five or six square meters in size.

Apart from an ancient painting of a white crane hanging on the wall, there was a small brass incense burner with a few bits of incense ash in front of the painting.

In front of the incense burner, there was a cushion.

The room contained nothing else.

Liu Daoyuan produced a small piece of black incense from somewhere, lit it, and inserted it into the incense burner.

A pale blue column of smoke rose straight up, almost reaching the ceiling before it began to disperse.

Lu Yuan caught a faint whiff of a fishy fragrance, but instead of finding it unpleasant, he felt his mind become more active and lively.

“Before the incense burns out, carefully study this painting. I’ll come back for you later,” Liu Daoyuan instructed before hurriedly leaving, closing the door behind him.

In the cramped, confined room, only Lu Yuan remained.