Chapter 278 – Ethereal Penglai

Liu Daoyuan’s seemingly lean limbs and body concealed no fewer than fifteen types of high technology nuclear and radiation-based thermal weapons.

In the small briefcase he always carried, there were also numerous replacement weapon parts and energy cores.

Looking at Liu Daoyuan, who stood in front of the railing, his hands behind his back, calmly enjoying the sea breeze and gazing out at the horizon, Lu Yuan couldn’t help but let a few phrases pop into his head- “New Age Evil Sect Master,” “Demolition Genius Liu Daoyuan?” “Poisonous Nuclear Monster”…

It was hard to imagine what kind of restless and insane heart was hidden beneath Old Liu’s calm and composed exterior.

No wonder Old Liu didn’t even take Grandmasters seriously.

With his array of thermal weapons, even if he couldn’t defeat a Grandmaster, it wouldn’t be a problem for him to take the opponent down with him.

“Teacher…”

Lu Yuan carefully considered his words, standing beside Liu Daoyuan and gazing at the sea alongside him. With a subtle sigh, he said, “I always thought you were committed to being a pure martial artist…”

Liu Daoyuan glanced at him and said indifferently, “What I’ve always been committed to is not pure martial arts.”

“Yes.”

Lu Yuan nodded.

He understood the meaning behind Old Liu’s words.

His commitment was not to pure martial arts.

He was committed to strength.

And pure martial arts was merely one of the paths to obtaining tremendous strength.

Lu Yuan suddenly recalled the time during the Hundred Cities Martial Arts Tournament in the south, when he stepped off the shuttle and fired a shot from afar to save Old Liu.

It seemed that shot had a significant impact on Old Liu.

Perhaps it was that shot… that quietly turned the gears of Old Liu’s fate.

But then again, seeing the Grandmaster Realm that Old Liu had strived for half of his life so close, yet still resolutely choosing to abandon it and opt for modification.

Old Liu’s determination and resolve indeed were incomparable.

Not even a Grandmaster could compare.

Lu Yuan wanted to discuss his current efforts to create an extraordinary martial arts path with Old Liu, but even he wasn’t sure if it was right or wrong, and dragging Old Liu into such a risk didn’t seem appropriate.

Moreover, with Old Liu’s disposition, since he had chosen the path of modification, he probably wouldn’t change his mind anytime soon.

So, he swallowed his words.

Liu Daoyuan noticed Lu Yuan’s wandering thoughts and said, “Don’t let my decisions influence you. Our situations are different.

You’re still young and have many choices. Even if you take the wrong path, the journey itself can be a beautiful landscape…”

Lu Yuan couldn’t help but be surprised. “Teacher, I didn’t expect that you, who drink soda every day, could say something so philosophical.”

“You little rascal!”

Liu Daoyuan laughed and scolded him.

The two stood by the railing, chatting idly while enjoying the sea breeze.

From time to time, silver schools of fish and gray dolphins leapt above the waves.

Suddenly, Lu Yuan noticed a small fishing boat in the distance, with a flag flying from it.

The design on the flag was faint, but it seemed to be the ancient Xia character for “rock.”

“What sect is that, Teacher?” Lu Yuan asked, pointing to the fishing boat.

Liu Daoyuan glanced over and said indifferently, “That’s the Wolf Slaughter Rock Shatter Stream, a sect in the martial arts world of the North.

Their legacy and strength aren’t weak, but their sect leader is stingy to the extreme. I once heard that when traveling with the Rock Shatter sect leader, he would even insist on splitting the bill for a bowl of fried rice by the roadside…”

“That’s ridiculous,” Lu Yuan said, his face showing surprise.

Honestly, he enjoyed listening to Old Liu talk about these things.

Sometimes he thought one reason Old Liu was so hated in the martial arts world was that he knew all the dirty secrets of various sect leaders, making everyone eager to get rid of him.

Just as he was about to ask Old Liu for more gossip, Liu Daoyuan changed the subject and asked, “What’s your plan for this trip to Penglai?”

Lu Yuan thought for a moment and replied, “I’ll participate in the tournament as usual. During the event, I’ll make sure to beat up all your old enemies… You can give me a list later.

Then, I’ll challenge the Grandmasters of Penglai and see if I can use that to help me breakthrough to the Grandmaster Realm.

I have a feeling, Old Liu, that if I break through this time, it could be unprecedented…

When that happens, unifying the ancient martial arts world won’t be a problem!”

Facing the expanse of blue sky and sea, Lu Yuan spread his arms wide, feeling as if the speed at which his mental power merged into his body was accelerating.

He sensed something brewing in every corner of his limbs, bones, and Five Viscera.

This was a sensation none of the Grandmaster Realm pure martial artists he consulted had ever mentioned.

Lu Yuan felt he was on the verge of a breakthrough, but it didn’t seem to be the traditional Grandmaster Realm.

Liu Daoyuan chose to ignore his disciple’s offhand remarks. After some thought, he said, “Ignore the others at Penglai, but you need to be wary of The Five Elders and the Lord of Heaven.

These guys cling to life with such stubbornness that they’ve become incredibly cunning.

If they shamelessly come down to fight you, find a chance to escape.

You’re still young and have plenty of opportunities to seek revenge later.

And if you’re really in a hurry, I’ve recently come across an underground channel that sells nuclear bombs. We could secretly drop a couple here anytime; it’ll be great…”

“…”

…

“Look, it’s that yacht again!”

On the overcrowded small fishing boat, a disciple of the Rock-Smashing Style excitedly pointed to the luxurious five-tier yacht slowly catching up with them and heading in the same direction.

His voice immediately drew the attention of everyone on the boat.

They soon noticed the flag hanging from the yacht’s mast.

“Turns out it’s the Sky Water Stream! No wonder the yacht is so extravagant.”

“The Sky Water Stream sect leader is the current President of the Xiabang Martial Arts Association General Headquarters and a Grandmaster. Naturally, he can afford such a grand yacht.”

Bouncing up and down on the small, shaky boat, the Rock-Smashing Style disciples were filled with envy as they looked at the distant yacht.

They even saw two figures, one old and one young, standing on the yacht’s deck.

Thinking about how the two occupied such a spacious place to chat and enjoy the breeze, while they had to squeeze onto a tiny, smelly fishing boat, with some people not even having a place to sit, the fishy smell everywhere making it unbearable, only deepened their sense of inequality.

Suddenly, a girl with an egg-shaped face among the crowd remembered something and quickly asked the silver-haired old man beside her, “Grandfather, I remember you have a good relationship with President Cai of the Sky Water Stream, right? Can you ask them to give us a ride? This boat is really unbearable…”

“Nonsense, boarding another sect’s boat just to reach the island is preposterous!” The silver-haired old man scolded. He then squinted his eyes toward the yacht in the distance and said with some suspicion, “Besides, this doesn’t seem like President Cai’s style. As far as I know, the Sky Water Stream members should have already arrived on the island two days ago…”

“Maybe it’s the second group arriving later…” The girl with an egg-shaped face was still upset about not being able to switch boats.

However, the silver-haired old man ignored her. He took out an old mobile phone from his pocket and started sending messages.

…

This was a picturesque island.

The entire island was enveloped by a semi-transparent light shield.

Milky white mist surrounded the island, remaining all year round.

In the sky, there was a huge kettle-shaped gap that glowed radiantly, refracting a myriad of colors through the mist and making the island appear as an ethereal and beautiful place beyond the mundane world.

Underneath this radiant glow, there was a stone staircase soaring upward.

In front of the staircase was a gigantic platform with a figure sitting quietly, shrouded in the glow and indistinguishable.

Below the platform sat five individuals, each with unique temperaments, appearing to be in a state of meditation.

Below them were rows of tightly packed seats.

These seats were adorned with fruits and snacks, and each seat had handsome young servants attending to the guests.

The people sitting in these seats exuded extraordinary auras, clearly indicating their status as Grandmasters.

Some were chatting casually, while others were lost in thought; the atmosphere was relaxed and amiable.

Further down was an extremely vast and flat white square, surrounded by numerous figures dressed in various sects’ attire.

People moved about the square, busy organizing and arranging things.

On the third level platform, a middle-aged man with jet black hair and a ruddy complexion was chatting casually with someone beside him.

Suddenly, his pocket vibrated. He took out his mobile phone, glanced at it, and his expression turned curious and cold.

After a moment’s thought, the middle-aged man summoned the servant standing nearby and whispered a few instructions.

The servant nodded immediately and left swiftly, returning shortly thereafter to whisper into the middle-aged man’s ear.

Having received the reply, the middle-aged man apologized to his companion and then promptly proceeded to the second level platform.

“Is he the one who killed one of our people last time?”

On the level two platform, a black-clad elder, who appeared to be in his fifties but without a single wrinkle on his face, spoke with his eyes closed.

The middle-aged man, who had come to report, stood humbly in front of the five elders, almost to the point of being servile, and replied in a low voice, “Yes, he’s the one who killed the envoy in the Southern League.

He’s the disciple of a renegade from our Sky Water Stream sect. Somehow, he managed to join Yellow Bear.

We just received news that the two of them are heading towards the island. They might be trying to use their status to support that traitor again…”

“We’ve already mentioned this matter to Lord Wu last time and warned him. To think that this brat has no remorse and dares to come again, does he really think Penglai has no one to confront him…”

As soon as the black-clad elder finished speaking, a red-clad woman next to him opened her eyes.

Despite her appearance as a seventy-year-old crone, her voice was sharp and clear like a teenage girl in the midst of puberty.

“Why bother talking so much? Just kill him at the gate! A mere Yellow Bear, does he really think he’s someone important?”

The black-clad elder remained silent for a while before slowly saying, “When they arrive, drive them away. If they refuse to leave, then kill them.”

Hearing these words, the middle-aged man’s face broke into a slight smile. He expressed some polite remarks about bothering The Five Elders and then slowly turned and withdrew.

Upon returning to his original seat, the person beside him asked curiously.

The middle-aged man took a sip from the tea cup at his side, shook his head nonchalantly, and said it was nothing significant.

He then resumed his previous conversation with a smile, continuing their light-hearted chat.

…

“Is that the Martial Saint Island of Penglai?”

After two and a half hours of sailing, the silhouette of a small island finally appeared in Lu Yuan’s view.

In the distance, he could see the island shrouded in mist, with radiant glow cascading down like a waterfall, creating a remarkably unique sight.

“Yes,” Liu Daoyuan squinted his eyes as he gazed at the island, seemingly reminded of some distant memories, and his emotions were not particularly high.

Lu Yuan glanced around and noticed that there were several other boats about to land on the island as well.

Among them was the Rock-Smashing Style’s small boat, which he had seen earlier on the journey, known for its frugality.

As the island drew closer, Lu Yuan remembered the deadly move “Ethereal Penglai” from the Crane Style’s legacy, feeling a sense of calm within.

When they were only five or six nautical miles away from the island, Lu Yuan noticed that the entire island was enveloped in a semi-transparent energy light shield.

It seemed like they didn’t want outsiders to come ashore easily.

As he was thinking, several speedboats set off from the island, heading swiftly towards each of the boats that were about to land.