Chapter 32: Succeed or Die Trying

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Succeed or Die Trying

"You don’t have a damn clue what you’re doing!" Chen Qiang snapped angrily. "Do you not know your own limits? You think just because you exchanged a few blows with Jianng Hongfei, you can take on any Eighth Grade Martial Artist?

"That Sunx Jin is at the Eighth Grade Peak! Do you have any idea how massive the gap is between the Eighth Grade Peak and the Ninth Grade? Do you know how terrifying their power is? You’re sure you can win? Where is this confidence coming from?"

Such baseless confidence was pure stupidity! Putting everything else aside, the power of someone at the Eighth Grade Peak was at least three times that of someone who had just entered the Eighth Grade. Not to mention, their mastery in Fist Techniques and Saber Techniques would have already reached Great Perfection, on top of their extensive combat experience. To put it bluntly, even if Sunx Jin just stood there and let Lu Yuan attack him freely, Lu Yuan still wouldn’t be able to break through his defenses.

"I have my Archery Skill..." Lu Yuan pointed out.

"Your Archery Skill... Nine Luminaries?" Chen Qiang paused. "So what if you have the Nine Luminaries Archery Skill? Can you really cultivate it to Great Perfection in just a month?"

If Lu Yuan finished Refining Gang, combined it with the Nine Luminaries Archery Skill, and used a specially made Strong Bow, he might actually have a chance of defeating Sunx Jin. But was that even possible?

"I am confident!" Lu Yuan reiterated.

"You..." Chen Qiang wanted nothing more than to slap Lu Yuan across the back of the head to knock some sense into him. However, when he saw the calm and confident look in Lu Yuan’s eyes, he hesitated. "How confident?"

Lu Yuan didn’t speak. Instead, he simply traced the number ten against Chen Qiang’s waist.

Chen Qiang’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you absolutely certain? Do you know what the consequences will be if you fail?"

He would suffer a crushing defeat and be unable to show his face in the Demon Suppression Bureau ever again. Even if he left, things wouldn’t be much better; he would likely be plagued by endless troubles. He would spend the rest of his life mired in failure.

"Succeed, or die trying!" Lu Yuan replied.

"You... Fine, do whatever you want!" Chen Qiang flicked his sleeves and stormed off.

"Good, then it’s settled. I’ll see you at the training grounds in a month!" Sunx Jin declared smugly as he turned to leave. He had overheard parts of their whispered conversation, but it didn’t matter to him. Power was the only thing that mattered.

"Tonight, I’m treating everyone to dinner at the restaurant!"

"Awesome!"

"Great!"

The five members of his squad cheered loudly in agreement. Laughter and joyful chatter filled the air.

"Brother Lu, you really..." Han Li shook his head and went back to eating. Since he couldn’t stop it, he decided not to worry about it.

Lu Yuan sat back down and pulled his food tray closer.

"Lu Yuan, I finally see what you’re scheming, but you’re an absolute lunatic!" Jianng Hongfei said, staring intently at him. He had first used them for a bet, then placed another wager with Sunx Jin, continuously raising the stakes. He was doing this to earn silver coins to buy Pills and improve his strength, while simultaneously using the mounting pressure to push himself beyond his limits. This truly was a ’succeed or die trying’ mentality! But no matter how Jianng Hongfei looked at it, Lu Yuan’s chances of winning were incredibly slim.

"A lunatic?" Lu Yuan shook his head. "I know what I’m doing."

"My ass you do!" Jianng Hongfei truly couldn’t fathom where Lu Yuan’s confidence came from. "If you actually manage to defeat Sunx Jin in a month, I, Jianng Hongfei, will acknowledge you."

"If you want to acknowledge me as your boss, do it now. In a month, Little Jianng, you might have to wait in line," Lu Yuan said with profound sincerity.

"You..." Jianng Hongfei’s face darkened. Damn it, a guy from some minor family actually wanted to be his boss? This was a complete reversal of the natural order! The fool clearly didn’t know that Lord Ma had three eyes. "When you lose, just wait and see how I trample all over you." After dropping the threat, he turned and left.

"You just don’t know your place! You’re arrogant, conceited, and practically courting death!" Yu Qiuyang glared at Lu Yuan before hurrying after Jianng Hongfei.

"Heh, blind fools. You wouldn’t recognize true greatness if it hit you in the face." Lu Yuan sneered and cast a dismissive glance at their retreating backs. He thought to himself that guys like them could beg on their knees a month from now, and he still wouldn’t take them in.

"Brother Lu, are you really confident?" Liu Zhi asked in a hushed voice.

"The biggest support you can give me right now is having your family send over those Pills immediately!" Lu Yuan put down his chopsticks and spoke solemnly.

"Yeah, they’ll be here soon," Liu Zhi nodded. Having someone deliver a message to the merchant guild to bring the items over would only take fifteen to thirty minutes.

Sure enough, they arrived very quickly. After finishing their meal and sitting at the training grounds for a short while, the Pills were delivered. There were ten Qi Nourishing Pills, and their quality seemed even higher than the ones Lu Yuan had taken previously. This was likely done out of respect for Liu Zhi.

Lu Yuan stopped practicing his archery and immediately began tempering his True Qi. Now that his Fist Technique had reached Great Perfection, he could move freely. Without needing any large movements, he could unleash his full power and circulate the True Qi throughout his entire body. Because of this, he didn’t have to worry about his family’s Fist Technique being exposed while cultivating in public. Whenever his True Qi was almost depleted, he would consume a Qi Nourishing Pill to replenish it, and once he had recovered, he would resume tempering.

Time flew by.

"Brother Lu, it’s time to get off work. We can head home now," Liu Zhi reminded him.

"Ah? Oh." Lu Yuan snapped back to reality. He glanced at the sun setting in the west and realized it was indeed about that time.

Since they had just joined the Demon Suppression Bureau, they hadn’t been assigned any missions yet. For now, their only job was to practice and improve their strength. Things definitely wouldn’t be this relaxing later on.

Lu Yuan stopped his cultivation, picking up his saber and the secret manual. He swept his gaze across the area and noticed that Mu Lingche, Jianng Hongfei, Yu Qiuyang, and the others had long since disappeared.

"Why haven’t you left yet?"

"I was waiting for you, obviously," Liu Zhi replied with a smile.

"Are you actually treating me as your older brother?" Lu Yuan asked, a bit surprised.

"You... Ugh..." Liu Zhi felt a bit embarrassed and annoyed. "Don’t you see me as a brother? Were you just messing with me this whole time?"

"No, no! Of course I do!" Lu Yuan quickly shook his head. "Come on, let’s head home together."

"Let’s go." Liu Zhi smiled.

Teenagers were just that pure and innocent. In a few more years, it would be difficult to forge such genuine bonds.

They passed by the East Gate.

"Elder Wu, I’ll bring you some wine tomorrow morning!" Lu Yuan waved and called out.

"Bring extra." Elder Wu lifted his eyelids slightly.

"You got it!" Lu Yuan responded enthusiastically. He had made a lot of money today.

The two of them soon exited the Demon Suppression Bureau.

"Did you know? In large families, there’s no such thing as brotherly affection. Since I was little, I’ve only ever been close to my older sister..." Liu Zhi suddenly said in a quiet voice.

"Ah... I see." Lu Yuan nodded. He understood. In large aristocratic families, most siblings didn’t share the same mother. They were constantly fighting over interests, family wealth, and authority. Internal strife was inevitable.

"At least you have an older sister. I’m an only child. But my parents treat me very well, and we don’t have to fight over power or profit," Lu Yuan said.

"I’m so jealous of you," Liu Zhi said. He thought about how wonderful it would be if their family only consisted of his father’s direct lineage—if his father hadn’t taken so many concubines, and if there weren’t so many half-siblings. Just him, his sister, and their parents. A happy family of four.

"There’s no need to be jealous. Growing up in an environment filled with conflict forces a person to mature earlier. It makes it easier for them to integrate into society and the martial world, letting them thrive like a fish in water," Lu Yuan smiled.

"Is that so?" Liu Zhi smiled bitterly. He personally despised it. He just wanted to grow up in a warm, loving environment.

"Eight or nine times out of ten, life doesn’t go the way you want it to. You might feel like you lack love, but the vast majority of people lack money and basic necessities," Lu Yuan consoled him. "Everything goes wrong in a poor family. You’ve never lived a hard life, so you wouldn’t understand."

"Everything goes wrong in a poor family..." Liu Zhi began to understand, and his heart felt somewhat comforted. It was true. Eight or nine times out of ten, life was full of disappointments. No one’s life was always smooth sailing without any worries. He needed to look at it from the right perspective.

Sharing secrets between young people caused their friendship to deepen rapidly. Before long, Liu Zhi truly saw Lu Yuan as his own blood brother. He felt a deep sense of regret that they hadn’t met sooner. When they finally parted ways, Liu Zhi was incredibly reluctant to say goodbye.

Lu Yuan suppressed a shiver and quickly ran back home. He hadn’t seen his fiancée all day, and he missed her terribly. Besides, he still hadn’t farmed Lin Siheng for experience points today.