Chapter 208 – Fiery Fist, Flying Bear

On the other end of the phone came Liu Daoyuan’s calm and steady voice.

“Recently, some old friends from the Gong Light Sect insist on sending me their body training techniques legacy. Although the Gong Light Sect isn’t a top-tier sect, their ‘Five Gongs Physique’ has some unique merits.

I’ve reviewed it, and it should be beneficial for your cultivation in the Palace of Flesh. Since it’s a kind gesture from our elders, when you get a chance, come back and learn this legacy.”

Lu Yuan remained silent.

He quietly opened the Yellow Bear’s internal network and quickly searched for information about the Gong Light Sect.

The first headline that popped up read: “[Major Theft at Bing City’s Gong Light Sect; Sect Leader Has Called the Police, Case Under Urgent Investigation].”

“…”

Lu Yuan took a deep breath and replied in a low voice, “Teacher, I’ve got some matters to attend to recently and might not be able to come back anytime soon.”

“No problem.”

Old Liu didn’t seem to mind and responded casually, “When the Hundred Cities Martial Arts Tournament in the south starts, I’ll give you the materials then. You’re planning to attend this tournament, right?”

Lu Yuan hesitated, wanting to say something but finally pressed his lips together and replied, “Alright.”

With Lu Yuan’s confirmation, Old Liu’s tone relaxed, and he casually reminded him, “When you’re out there, don’t let anyone take advantage of you. If trouble arises, fight if you have to; if you can’t win head-on, fight from behind; and if that fails, come back to Crane Style for reinforcements. Don’t slack off in your martial arts cultivation.”

After hanging up the phone with Old Liu, a complex expression crossed Lu Yuan’s face.

He had been so busy dealing with the stone ball and the elephant deity emissary that he almost forgot his promise to Old Liu about attending the southern Hundred Cities Martial Arts Tournament.

Time was running out. Only four days remained until the tournament would officially begin.

“Four days.”

Lu Yuan whispered the number to himself.

On one hand, he hoped the elephant deity emissary would appear within these four days so that he could resolve that issue and still make it to the martial arts tournament, not disrupting either event.

On the other hand, he wished the elephant deity emissary would delay arrival by a few days because he hadn’t yet finished all the preparatory work needed to deal with it.

The later the elephant deity emissary appeared, the more confident he would be.

However, such a delay might conflict with the tournament’s schedule.

After a moment of contemplation, Lu Yuan couldn’t come up with a better solution. He could only set the problem aside for now and take things one step at a time.

Time flew by like water, and in the blink of an eye, four days had passed.

“Swish, swish—”

Heavy rain poured down relentlessly, turning the vast quarry into a muddy expanse. Despite the weather, many construction vehicles were still hard at work.

Hovering silently above the quarry like a giant silver fish was a silver-gray shuttle, quietly overseeing everything below.

Inside the shuttle, Lu Yuan sat cross-legged on a cushion, with two virtual screens floating in front of him, each displaying different video footage.

One screen showed a massive blue whale swimming through the deep sea, its enormous body stirring countless currents and waves, perfectly embodying the majesty of an oceanic ruler.

The other screen displayed the damp and dim interior of an underground well. Several Yellow Bear members, dressed in black protective suits and equipped with headlamps, were carefully placing three faintly glowing stone balls on a platform.

Standing beside Lu Yuan, Owl Blade swiftly and softly reported, “All measures are in place. According to our calculations, our setup can withstand an S-level opponent for over eight hours, with a ten to thirty percent chance of eliminating the target. Even if the enemy’s strength exceeds our estimates, destroying this 300-meter-deep mineshaft will make it impossible for them to easily retrieve the stone balls without the proper equipment.”

“Hmm.” Lu Yuan nodded slightly.

Yuwen Tong had tasked him with dealing with the elephant deity emissary alone, so Lu Yuan couldn’t request reinforcements from the Yellow Bear’s higher-ups. However, he wasn’t foolish.

As the highest-ranking Golden Bear in the old city circle, he had naturally mobilized all the resources at his disposal.

Lu Yuan had a plan—for when the elephant deity emissary showed up, he would first have his Yellow Bear members launch a barrage of heavy weaponry to weaken the emissary as much as possible before stepping in himself.

If he could manage to defeat the emissary, great. If not, he would destroy the mineshaft where the stone balls were hidden, forcing a stalemate.

Even though the elephant deity emissary was powerful, digging 300 meters underground would still take considerable time, giving Lu Yuan the chance to organize a second wave of counterattacks.

“I feel like I’ve gradually been influenced by Old Liu. If it were the old me, I probably wouldn’t have thought of such a rogue plan,” Lu Yuan muttered to himself, touching his cheek. At that moment, his phone rang.

The caller ID displayed Zhuang Xiujie’s name.

Today was the last day before the Hundred Cities Martial Arts Tournament in the south began, and Lu Yuan didn’t need to answer to know why Zhuang Xiujie was calling.

His head ached instinctively, but he still decided to pick up.

“Aunt Zhuang,” Lu Yuan greeted, hearing Zhuang Xiujie’s voice on the other end.

“Little Senior Brother, why aren’t you here yet?”

“I got held up by something and couldn’t make it in time,” Lu Yuan replied helplessly, waving his hand to signal Owl Blade and the others to turn around and give him some privacy.

“Little Senior Brother, you should hurry. The tournament officially starts tomorrow.”

“Got it,” Lu Yuan acknowledged. Suddenly, he heard crashing sounds and faint yelling on the other end of the line.

“What’s going on over there, Aunt Zhuang?” he asked, eyebrows furrowed.

“What’s going on? Teacher’s gotten into another fight,” Zhuang Xiujie replied in a whisper. “We arrived early this time, and on the way, we ran into several of his old rivals. He’s already been in seven or eight fights in the past few days.”

Zhuang Xiujie paused briefly before adding, “And all of them were initiated by him.”

“…”

Lu Yuan was silent for a couple of seconds. “Is Teacher alright? Is anyone hurt?”

“Don’t worry,” Zhuang Xiujie reassured him. “In this southern part, there are hardly any martial artists who can harm Teacher. Our real enemies from other regions aren’t here this time. Besides, everyone’s here for the tournament, so they’re holding back; no one’s significantly injured.”

“That’s good to hear,” Lu Yuan sighed in relief, but then Zhuang Xiujie’s tone turned urgent. “Alright, Little Senior Brother, you need to get here quickly. Teacher’s been asking about you several times a day. I need to go now; something’s come up.”

Her voice suddenly turned icy, as if yelling at someone nearby. “You little scoundrel! Leave that chair-throwing hand of yours behind!”

“Beep, beep, beep—”

“…”

Lu Yuan listened to the busy tone from the phone and fell into a long silence.

He initially didn’t plan to participate in the tournament at all. After all, Mosa was one of the organizers, and he could just get a ticket internally to board martial saint island.

But now it seemed like avoiding it wasn’t an option.

The tournament hadn’t even officially started yet, and in just two days, Old Liu had already led the Crane Style faction in eight fights.

Old Liu already had grudges everywhere. Now that he had “returned to the martial world,” he was acting even more audaciously. It wouldn’t be surprising if he provoked a mass offensive against him again.

Lu Yuan’s eyes glowed with thought as his mind raced.

He quickly turned to Owl Blade and issued a command, “Summon Mosa’s Sackford for me.”

“Understood.”

A moment later, a video feed displayed Sackford, wearing a silver sheep mask, appearing before Lu Yuan.

“What are your orders, Lord Spear Bearer?” Sackford inquired, bowing respectfully in the video.

Lu Yuan looked at him coldly and said, “Find a way to delay the start of the Hundred Cities Martial Arts Tournament in the south by three days.”

Sackford remained silent for a moment before nodding, “Understood.”

Lu Yuan ended the video call, his face unreadable.

Three days.

He would wait here for three more days.

If in these three days the elephant deity emissary still did not show up, he would then go to the tournament.

Old Liu had always treated him well. Despite his boisterous nature, losing limbs, and practically walking on his mouth, if he could help Old Liu win some face, he would do his best.

“Ah—”

Exhaling gently, Lu Yuan made up his mind, and his mood quickly settled.

He turned his focus back to the screen showing the blue whale video, and began to concentrate on it.

For the past few days, he had been pondering the Legacy of the “Whale Body Ocean Encompassing Style” and had started to gain some insights.

Any bit of strength he could gain before the great battle was beneficial.

A few kilometers away from the quarry, on a small hill, a group of people stood in the underbrush, shrouded by a faint, transparent light membrane.

This was a device unique to the Sleepless, capable of shielding signals and detection, allowing them to appear boldly without fear of being caught.

“What are Yellow Bear’s people up to? Do they really think these petty measures can stop an emissary-level monster from the Elephant Deity Sect?”

A tall man with deep-set eyes and short golden hair sneered, speaking in Javier.

“They’ve never faced that monster personally; they have no idea how terrifying it is. These crude and inadequate methods are a joke in front of an Elephant Deity Emissary. Yellow Bear’s people are bound to suffer a great loss this time!”

Someone murmured in agreement. At the mention of “Elephant Deity Emissary,” many in the group showed varied expressions, as if recalling some nightmarish experience.

Bai Ying, the only ordinary person in the group, turned pale and instinctively gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, terror reflected on her pretty face.

“Does Yellow Bear have any top-tier fighters this time? Why don’t we seize the key now? After all, we have Lord Julian, the Fiery Fist, and he’s a level 5 Sleepless!”

Someone in the Sleepless group asked in confusion.

The blond man who first spoke cursed, “Fool, even if we seize the key now, we’d still face the Elephant Deity Emissary’s pursuit. It’s better to let Yellow Bear’s people wear them down first, so Lord Julian can have an easier time.”

“Besides, the key isn’t going anywhere.”

“But I’m worried that if we delay any longer, Yellow Bear’s top-tier people might arrive, creating more variables.”

“Nothing to worry about. People from Xia Language countries are always arrogant. Plus, this is Lord Julian’s decision; our job is just to execute it.”

The blond man said, checking the wristwatch on his hand. A faint look of confusion crossed his face.

“Strange, Lord Julian should have arrived by now. Why haven’t we seen him yet?”

Meanwhile.

Five thousand meters above the quarry.

A strong man from Javier, with fiery red hair and blue flames jetting from the soles of his feet, hovered silently, squinting at the person in front of him. He spoke slowly in somewhat stilted Xia Language, “Xia State, Flying Bear?”

“Correct!”

Standing opposite the red-haired man was a tall and handsome man fully equipped with an elegant deep blue exoskeleton armor. He grinned and made a “correct” gesture.

Then he glanced down, speaking softly, “Our Lord has said that no one is to interfere in this matter.”