Chapter 169: Bringing the Fight to the Doorstep

Chapter 169: Chapter 169: Bringing the Fight to the Doorstep

"..."

Mu Lingche’s mouth twitched. Lu Yuan might have relied on Pills to break through, but his combat prowess was the real deal. He had practiced the Cyan Dragon Technique and achieved Great Success in the Thunder Blade Triple Annihilation. Right after breaking through, he had managed to put his second sister at a disadvantage. He had also single-handedly defeated several experts from various Sects. Of course, Mu Lingche knew his second sister hadn’t used her full strength last time, and he was confident that his own combat prowess after breaking through wouldn’t be much weaker than hers. Therefore...

"Lu Yuan, do you dare to fight me?"

"Lu Yuan, do you dare to fight me?"

Almost at the exact same time, a loud shout rang out from the East Gate of the Demon Suppression Bureau. Sonorous and powerful, it instantly echoed throughout the entire headquarters.

"Someone is challenging us at our doorstep. Come on, let’s go take a look." Lu Yuan smiled and looked at Mu Lingche.

"..." Mu Lingche understood Lu Yuan’s unspoken message. First handle the outsiders, or use the outsiders to settle the dispute between the two of them.

"Alright."

The two led a group toward the East Gate. A crowd of people from the Demon Suppression Bureau had already gathered there. Outside the gate stood dozens of Sect Martial Artists. Nearly half of them were Seventh Grade, but they were all led by a young man who looked about seventeen or eighteen. This young man had broad shoulders and a narrow waist. He stood tall, exuding a heroic and spirited aura, with a handsome face and an extraordinary presence. At a glance, it was obvious he was a Sect genius—and a top-tier one at that. Both his cultivation and combat prowess were exceptional, making him a standout among his peers, rarely matched by anyone.

"Lu Yuan, come out and fight!" the young man continued shouting.

"Lu Yuan, come out and fight!"

"Lu Yuan, come out and fight!"

The others echoed him, bolstering his momentum.

"You challenged several of our Sects the other day. We’re here to settle the score today."

"Don’t be a spineless coward!"

Shout after shout rang out. This laid bare the entire situation.

There had been some rumors floating around the martial world previously, but rumors were just rumors; their credibility had yet to be verified. Now, everyone in the Demon Suppression Bureau finally grasped the true extent of Lu Yuan’s abilities.

"Lu Yuan is actually this incredible!"

"Hasn’t it only been a few days since he broke through to the Seventh Grade? Yet he can single-handedly defeat several Seventh Grade Sect Martial Artists at once?"

"Even when Lu Yuan was at the Eighth Grade, he could slay five Seventh Grade opponents in one go."

"Those were bottom-tier Seventh Grade fighters. These are Seventh Grade Sect elites..."

"I heard Xiaoo Dushi was defeated by Lu Yuan in a single move. Is that true?" Someone from the Bureau directly asked the opposing side, calling them out to their faces.

Silence. No one answered. The Overlord Blade Sect hadn’t even sent anyone today.

"Looks like it’s true. So, is Lu Yuan really that strong, or is Xiaoo Dushi just all talk?"

"Xiaoo Dushi must be a fraud. After all, Lu Yuan just broke through."

The people from the Demon Suppression Bureau continued gossiping, and the faces of the Sect members darkened. Thank goodness they came today, otherwise in the future...

"Where is Lu Yuan? Is he too scared to show up?" The young man frowned. How long was he expected to wait?

"What’s the rush? This is a spar, not a race to reincarnate." Lu Yuan’s voice traveled from afar.

"Lu Yuan is here!"

"Lu Yuan is here!"

The crowd within the Demon Suppression Bureau parted, allowing the two groups of youths to walk through.

"Which one of you is Lu Yuan?" The young man’s eyes immediately locked onto Mu Lingche because he exuded a stronger aura and had a more imposing presence.

"And who might you be?" Lu Yuan asked with a smile.

"This is Situ Yao, the unparalleled genius of the Great Huang Sect!" Ge Yunfeng introduced.

"Situ Yao!"

"Situ Yao!"

Exclamations of shock rippled through the Demon Suppression Bureau. So it was him! No wonder he could represent the various Sects in this challenge.

"Situ Yao. Rumor has it he broke through to the Seventh Grade at age fifteen, cultivating the Great Huang Sect’s top-tier Profound Skill, the Red Gold Seal, and their ultimate technique, the Yellow Extreme Seal.

"At seventeen—just last year—he swept through all the Seventh Grade fighters in the Great Huang Sect undefeated. After coming to the Jade Capital, he has been equally unstoppable, with few able to match him..."

Someone within the Demon Suppression Bureau quickly provided the detailed information.

"That’s right, it is I." Situ Yao slightly raised his chin, looking down at Mu Lingche with arrogance. "Well? Do you dare to fight?"

"He isn’t Lu Yuan. The one next to him is," Ge Yunfeng reminded him.

"The one next to him?" Situ Yao’s gaze shifted to Lu Yuan, his expression gradually changing.

He had been fooled! So this was the real Lu Yuan. A weak aura meant two possibilities. First, he was genuinely weak. But since Lu Yuan had defeated Xiaoo Dushi, that was clearly impossible. Second, he was extremely skilled at concealing his aura, which meant his Cultivation Technique was highly refined.

"Lu Yuan, do you dare to fight?"

"You go. If you can beat him, you’ll be qualified to fight me." Lu Yuan looked at Mu Lingche.

"Lu Yuan, you..." Chang Xiu’s expression changed. How cunning! This was obviously using Lingche as a shield against Situ Yao, while simultaneously deflecting his challenge—killing two birds with one stone. Could Lu Yuan even compare to Situ Yao? The gap was too huge.

"Lingche, don’t fall for it!"

"If you aren’t Lu Yuan, don’t bother challenging me. I don’t have the time to waste!" Situ Yao shook his head, his face darkening slightly. What did this mean? Did Lu Yuan look down on him so much that he wanted to test the waters with someone else first?

"Insolent! Do you know who you are talking to?" Chang Xiu scolded.

Situ Yao raised an eyebrow. "Who? It doesn’t matter who he is!

"I’m here for a challenge, not to play children’s games.

"If you lack the strength and aren’t Lu Yuan, step aside. I’ll deal with you later."

"You..." Chang Xiu was furious.

"Chang Xiu!" Mu Lingche reached out, pulling Chang Xiu aside, and faced Situ Yao. "Lu Yuan just said it—you only have the right to fight him if you defeat me first. But from what I can see, you might not even be my match."

Mu Lingche very much wanted to spar with Situ Yao. In his mind, Lu Yuan couldn’t even compare to Situ Yao. After all, Situ Yao was a true, universally acknowledged, unparalleled genius. Even though there was a high chance he wouldn’t be able to win...

"Lu Yuan, you want to use him to figure out my limits, don’t you?" Situ Yao suddenly chuckled. "Fine, I’ll grant your wish!

"Even if I let you see my full strength, you still won’t be able to defeat me!

"In the face of absolute power, all your petty schemes will crumble like dust. They aren’t worth mentioning!"

"Let’s go to the training ground." Lu Yuan turned around. The space here, both inside and out, was too cramped for a proper fight.

"To the training ground!" Everyone began relocating.

"That’s Mu Lingche, the third young master of the Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion!" On the way, someone whispered into Situ Yao’s ear.

"What? Mu..." Situ Yao’s expression shifted. He genuinely hadn’t known! The young master of the Mu Family, a Second-Grade Marquis’s Mansion and a top-tier noble clan? No wonder his aura felt different. This was a true young master of an elite noble house, second only to a Prince.

He thought to himself, "It’s just a normal spar. It’ll be fine; I just need to go a little easy on him later." Situ Yao felt slightly relieved. In a proper martial arts spar, the rules were the same even if a Prince were involved. He hadn’t cared much at first, but now he grew a bit more serious.

"Lingche, you have to be careful later. That Situ Yao really is extraordinary; he’s quite powerful," Chang Xiu warned Mu Lingche as she walked beside him.

"I know." Mu Lingche pulled a crimson spear from his Storage Belt. It was the Flame Dragon Spear, forged from Red Flame Stones. It was of a similar grade and power to Lu Yuan’s Wind and Thunder Blade.

"The Flame Dragon Spear! With this, you’ll be fine!" Chang Xiu breathed a sigh of relief. She had witnessed the power of Lingche’s Flame Dragon Spear before, and its might was truly formidable. With it, he would have very few rivals among Seventh Grade Martial Artists.

The crowd soon arrived at the training ground, with the Demon Suppression Bureau and the Sect members standing on opposite sides. Situ Yao and Mu Lingche stood in the center, about five or six meters apart.

"I didn’t realize you were Young Master Mu earlier. Please forgive my rudeness," Situ Yao said.

"SWISH—"

Mu Lingche pointed the Dragon Spear in his hand directly at Situ Yao. "Using your full strength to fight me is the greatest form of respect. Do not hold anything back."