Chapter 233 – What Is This Move Called?

Two figures were seen walking towards the entrance of the Martial Arts Gym.

Leading was a young man about seventeen or eighteen years old, with black hair and black eyes. He had a handsome appearance and carried a faint air of authority in his demeanor.

“Is this the person you mentioned?”

Liao Yu raised an eyebrow and looked at Peregrine Falcon.

Peregrine Falcon didn’t respond; he only bowed his head respectfully and greeted the approaching person.

Liao Yu noticed the symbol of the Red Bear on the young man’s left chest, and his pupils slightly contracted.

Before he arrived, he had assumed that the person Yellow Bear sent to find him was probably a Red Bear level individual. Outside Xiabang, the high-level Yellow Bear members he could meet were generally at the Red Bear level at most.

But judging by the current situation, it seemed that the young man might be the son of a big shot above the Red Bear level, coming to learn spear techniques.

Thinking of this, Liao Yu felt slightly relieved.

Youth also meant being easier to handle. It seemed that his lessons this time would be much easier than he had anticipated.

The young man soon approached Liao Yu and appeared gentle, even offering a polite smile.

Liao Yu returned the gesture with a slightly reserved clasping of his fists.

“Mr. Liao Yu is the president of the Southeastern Spear Technique Association, the vice president of the General Association of Spear Techniques of Xia State, and the Vice Chairman of Xia State Cold Weapon Martial Arts Association. He is a martial arts expert who has achieved True Intent in ancient martial arts with the spear and is a true spear technique master.”

Peregrine Falcon quickly introduced Liao Yu’s credentials to Lu Yuan.

Hearing this, Lu Yuan smiled but remained silent, though a faint look of pride appeared on his face.

“I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Lu Yuan nodded at Liao Yu with a smile, then softly asked the Red Bear strongman beside him, “What were the conditions to invite him?”

The Red Bear strongman quickly replied, “Liao Yu’s younger son wants to compete for a position in the Eastern Region this year. However, he isn’t particularly outstanding among the candidates. I promised to put in a good word for him with the Eastern Region.”

“Oh.”

Lu Yuan nodded, saying nothing more, but instead, he raised his eyes to scrutinize Liao Yu.

Judging from his appearance, Liao Yu seemed to be just over forty, though his actual age might be older. After all, martial artists have strong physiques and abundant vitality, their aging process being much slower than ordinary people.

In his hand, he held a cold weapon spear with a lead-grey shaft and a silver-white spearhead, giving him an impression of being one with the weapon, which was quite remarkable.

It was Lu Yuan’s first time encountering a martial artist specialized in cold weapons martial arts.

Whether it was in official tournaments or civilian competitions, martial arts contests involving cold weapons were rare. Therefore, martial artists focused on cold weapons were considered a niche group, even within the ancient martial arts world.

After all, in today’s society ruled by law, dominated by cannons and Mecha, training in hand combat could still win fame through martial arts competitions.

Training in cold weapons, however, seemed to have lost its place.

But some people managed to persist and even reached the True Intent Realm.

“Mr. Liao, what kind of spear technique have you studied? Which legacy or style does it belong to?”

Lu Yuan asked.

Liao Yu replied indifferently, “There is no specific style. It’s a family legacy. The spear technique is called Bloody Battle, with a total of 132 moves and a thousand variations.”

“Bloody Battle? Sounds like a spear technique honed on the battlefield.”

“My ancestors were generals.”

“Remarkable.”

Lu Yuan nodded, ending the small talk, and said to Liao Yu, “Mr. Liao, you may begin. I’d like to experience your Bloody Battle spear technique firsthand.”

Liao Yu was momentarily stunned and then noticed that Peregrine Falcon and the red bear strongman beside Lu Yuan had stepped back a few steps.

Liao Yu frowned slightly, saying, “It’s better to find someone else. Weapons are dangerous.”

“Don’t worry.”

Lu Yuan interrupted, shaking his head and saying, “Mr. Liao, please perform freely. Here, any injury caused by cold weapons can be treated.”

Liao Yu’s eyes flickered. He said, “Then I will switch to a different spear.”

“There’s no need.”

Lu Yuan replied indifferently.

Liao Yu’s expression darkened as he narrowed his eyes, a faint aura beginning to surround him.

Suddenly, he let out a light laugh, and his spear shot out like a swimming dragon, its sharp tip aiming straight at Lu Yuan’s face.

“Buzz—”

Lu Yuan stood calmly, without any expression on his face.

The silver-white spear tip stopped less than an inch from his brow, trembling violently at an incredibly high frequency.

The red bear strongman and Peregrine Falcon frowned as they watched from the side. Instinctively they wanted to step forward, but Lu Yuan raised his hand to stop them.

“Mr. Liao, can we officially begin now?”

At this moment, Liao Yu’s expression grew more serious.

That probing thrust—regardless of Lu Yuan’s actual strength—revealed a level of composure that far surpassed most skilled martial artists. This alone was worth his serious attention.

“Then be careful.”

Liao Yu said softly, stretching out the last word. As he finished speaking, his body twisted, and the spear that had been hovering before Lu Yuan quickly retracted, then lunged out again with even greater speed than before.

“Thud—”

There was a dull sound as if it had struck a thick wooden plank.

Lu Yuan slightly lowered his head and looked at the spear, which had struck just below his left clavicle. The spear tip was firmly stopped by the powerful physique that had been tempered through his 22 constitution points and various external martial arts, unable to penetrate an inch further.

“Uh…”

Liao Yu was momentarily stunned, a look of confusion flashing in his eyes.

Although he hadn’t used his full strength in that strike, the force of the thrust, combined with the superalloy spearhead, was still several tons.

Even if it hit a solid concrete block, it would have been easily pierced and shattered.

Yet, it didn’t even break Lu Yuan’s skin.

Is this a joke?

“New martial arts?”

Liao Yu quickly grasped the situation.

Lu Yuan didn’t respond, only gave a slight smile.

Comprehending the situation, Liao Yu’s demeanor became entirely grave.

No wonder this young man dared to let him test his spear. He had undergone a transplant of defensive-type new martial arts.

There was indeed no need to hold back.

With that thought, a glint of cold light appeared in Liao Yu’s eyes, and his spear twirled in his hand, emitting intense white energy that illuminated both his arms and the spear.

In an instant, his hands trembled, sending hundreds, if not thousands, of spear thrusts toward Lu Yuan.

The spear tore through the air, creating a dense and sharp whistling sound, transforming into layers upon layers of spear shadows that poured down like a violent storm.

Lu Yuan did not dodge but stood firm in his place.

He watched as his ordinary cloth shirt was shredded into fragments under Liao Yu’s spear technique, revealing his nearly perfect muscle contours beneath.

Countless tiny red marks appeared continuously on his chest, each disappearing quickly only to reappear. Initially, Lu Yuan felt no pain, but as it continued, he gradually felt a stinging sensation.

At a certain moment:

“Pfft—”

The tip of Liao Yu’s spear repeatedly struck the same spot on Lu Yuan’s body dozens, maybe even hundreds of times, and finally, his skin broke, with a drop of fresh blood seeping out.

“Cold weapons indeed have their strengths,” Lu Yuan thought. “With such ordinary strength and lackluster inner strength, they can actually injure me. If it were fists and feet, this would be impossible.”

Lu Yuan blinked and then took a deep breath.

In an instant, his body swelled slightly, and nine blood-red lines emerged from his chest, intertwining into the shape of a dragon.

The golden Martial Deity Strength surged out, enveloping his entire body in a dazzling golden hue in less than half a breath’s time.

In the next second, the sound of Liao Yu’s spear landing on Lu Yuan changed to—

“Clink Clank.”

It was like bullets hitting a metal plate and being deflected.

Liao Yu’s hands trembled, and his spear’s speed slowed down. His face showed intense shock and disbelief.

His voice grew louder and more distorted.

“Heavenly Domineering Fury. Amitabha Golden Garment.”

“You are a pure martial artist?!”

Lu Yuan now saw on the [Martial Artist] panel that the experience points for Level 3 [Amitabha Golden Garment], Level 2 [Heavenly Domineering Fury], and Level 2 [Kesa Skill], along with other external martial arts, were rapidly increasing.

His eyes brightened with unexpected joy.

He took a step forward, actively meeting Liao Yu’s spear head-on.

“Mr. Liao, your spear technique is excellent, but it lacks sufficient power. It falls short.”

Liao Yu recovered from his momentary shock and loss, biting his lip upon hearing Lu Yuan’s words. The light of inner strength around him grew even more intense.

He let out a fierce shout, “Bloody Battle of a Thousand Armies!”

“Boom!”

If Liao Yu’s previous spear technique was like a torrential storm, then now it was a roaring, tempestuous sea.

In the large martial arts gym, the only sound that could be heard was the spear piercing through the air.

The dense spear shadows before Liao Yu transformed into a surging black tide, engulfing most of Lu Yuan’s body. Only the occasional flash of golden light and the continuous clinking sound proved Lu Yuan’s existence.

Underneath Liao Yu’s clothes, his arm muscles bulged, veins stood out, and sweat poured down his face and back like rain. His expression had turned somewhat ferocious.

At this point, he had forgotten that this was just a simple spear-testing spar. His mind was almost consumed by a single thought—pierce through his defense! Pierce through his defense!

“Clink!”

A crisp sound rang out, and the multitude of spear shadows disappeared, along with the continuous clinking noise.

Liao Yu’s spear-wielding motion halted, and after a moment of bewilderment, a look of joy and hope began to surface on his face.

Did… did I break through his defense?

However, the next second, his expression froze.

Lu Yuan stood there bare-chested, his body covered in a faint golden glow with nine blood streaks coiling across his chest, entirely unscathed. Holding the spear tip lightly between his right index and middle fingers, he shook his head in disappointment and sighed, “Mr. Liao, your spear technique doesn’t seem honed from battlefield combat. It looks more like something performed on stage. Are you just playing around?”

“Uh…”

For several seconds, Liao Yu’s expression was one of stunned disbelief.

In the very next moment, a surge of immense humiliation and anger erupted on his face.

“Shut up!”

Liao Yu almost roared out this command.

Lu Yuan quietly released his fingers, allowing Liao Yu to retract his spear. His eyes shone brightly, revealing a hint of expectation.

Just now, Liao Yu’s storm-like assault had caused the experience points for several of Lu Yuan’s external martial arts to surge by tens to hundreds of points.

Not to mention other facets, just the supplementary training benefits made Liao Yu worth keeping around.

By deliberately mocking him, Lu Yuan seemed to have forced Liao Yu to unleash his most formidable secret move.

“Hiss—”

Liao Yu took a deep breath, drawing it in like a whale siphoning water, and retracted his spear, switching to a one-handed reverse grip. He adopted a stance akin to a throwing position, aiming at Lu Yuan.

“Whoosh—”

A wave imbued with True Intent spread from his body, quickly forming a blurry-faced, armored war general’s phantom above his head.

Around Liao Yu, an aura of stark determination and tragic resolve began to pervade.

In this instant, Lu Yuan felt a sharp pain between his eyebrows, as if locked onto by something supremely sharp.

Even the faces of the bystanders, the red bear strongman and Peregrine Falcon, showed signs of alarm.

Lu Yuan showed no signs of tension in his eyes; instead, the light in them grew even brighter.

Afraid that Liao Yu might snap out of his rage and ruin this deadly move, Lu Yuan decided to fan the flames even more. He laughed loudly and said, “Mr. Liao, this move is not bad. It looks a bit like something from a circus sideshow.”

“Kill!”

Liao Yu’s eyes surged with bloodlust. With a low growl, his shoulder twitched and the arm holding the spear seemed to momentarily disappear.

Immediately, something seemed to explode within the vast Martial Arts Gym, breaking some invisible barrier.

No one could see the Spear’s trajectory through the air, only hearing a resounding “buzz.”

A dense and mighty aura erupted from the ground, quickly spreading outwards. It was as if a vast ocean wave had suddenly descended, heavily pressing on everyone’s hearts.

The instant Liao Yu stabbed out with his spear, his mind immediately cleared, realizing he had unleashed the ultimate move of his family-inherited spear technique.

And he had used it against someone of immensely high stature.

His face instantly changed dramatically.

But before he could panic for long, his expression froze, stuck in place.

In front of him stood a tall young man, his hands clasped together, firmly catching the spear at his chest.

The spear’s shaft still hummed and vibrated intensely.

Two deep grooves, seven to eight meters long, were carved out beneath the young man’s feet, with large pieces of floor tiles overturned.

And behind him…

A fifteen-meter-tall phantom with the head of an elephant and the body of a man, like a black demon mountain, hovered there, emanating an overwhelming aura that felt like the crushing weight of countless mountain ranges.

With a “thud,” Liao Yu, overexerted and exhausted, collapsed to his knees under the terrifying pressure.

He stared blankly at the scene before him, far beyond his comprehension—his Adam’s apple bobbing as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.

In the seemingly frozen air, a voice slowly rang out.

“What is this move called?”

Liao Yu, still dazed, slowly turned his head. He saw the young man standing tall under the majestic True Intent of the elephant man, his face raised.

With eyes burning brightly, the handsome face glowed with an indescribable luster.

Instinctively, Liao Yu replied, “Go all in.”

“No,”

Lu Yuan slowly grasped the spear in his palm and squinted his eyes, enunciating each word, “It should be called Seize the Initiative!”

“I will learn this move from Mr. Liao.”