Martial Saint!
Chapter 297 - 0205 Master of the Divine Weapon (3k)

Chapter 297: 0205 Master of the Divine Weapon (3k)

Jin Territory.

The majestic Dragon City rises within Taihang.

The mentor and student stand at the school gate.

Wu Zun said,

"This isn’t your first time meeting an Absolute Peak master, so just speak normally, neither humbly nor arrogantly. Those who have cultivated to the Absolute Peak of Martial Arts may be scheming and worldly-wise, but most have an undisguised Martial Arts heart that believes in invincibility. Don’t deal in insincerities."

"The student understands."

Along the way, classmates who recognized Lu Chenzhou greeted him.

"Greetings, top scholar."

"Brother Lu, are you here at the main branch for business?"

Greetings like these were plentiful.

Lu Chenzhou politely greeted everyone in return.

In old times, sect disciples who were top scholars held great power. Nowadays, the Martial Arts Association has reformed feudal customs. While there may be differences in Martial Arts, people are still regarded as equals.

In the principal’s office.

Wu Zun knocked on the door and said,

"Principal, Lu Chenzhou is here."

"Come in."

The mentor and student exchanged a glance, each taking a deep breath before stepping inside.

Inside the office, two figures sat facing each other.

One was a slender, delicate-looking middle-aged man with exceptionally broad palms, obviously shaped by long-term handling of a sword, as if they were the five claws of a dragon.

The other, however, was an unremarkable bald old man in monk’s robes. His breath was slow as a tortoise’s, his form agile like an old ape, his aura as dazzling as a peacock’s, and his gaze astute like that of a spiritual serpent...

Without a doubt, this was the Four Symbols Master.

A disciple of Ling Kong Shangren from Wutai Mountain.

Although the elder appeared normal, he gave Lu Chenzhou the impression of facing four majestic, ancient divine beasts, due to having long transcended the six realms of Fist Theory and having forged his own Elephant Form path. In Lu Chenzhou’s recollection of the Martial Arts Inner Realm’s summit, surrounded by four giant spiritual beings, this elder’s figure began to overlap with the beings in his memory.

"I have seen the Principal, I have seen the Four Symbols Master."

Lu Chenzhou saluted and said.

Li Jin waved his hand, and Wu Zun, noticing this, turned to leave the office.

"Chenzhou, I’ll wait for you at the entrance of the Hidden Weapon Pavilion."

Li Jin said:

"Lu Chenzhou... This is our first meeting, but I had already heard about you when you were in high school. I didn’t expect you to achieve such remarkable results after being admitted, becoming this year’s greatest surprise for Dragon City.

I’ve called you here for two reasons. One is to bestow a Divine Weapon upon you, and the other is that my master, the Four Symbols Master, has just returned to the Human World. He has heard that there is a new Martial Arts Genius and wishes to see."

Martial Arts geniuses are extremely rare. As the true head of Dragon City, the Four Symbols Master still has to keep a watchful eye. The old man examined Lu Chenzhou without any apparent emotion.

After a moment, the elder suddenly said:

"Good, you will strengthen our Dragon City in the days to come."

The Four Symbols Master felt relieved in his heart.

After such a long wait, they finally had a respectable Martial Arts Genius.

The elder continued:

"I won’t say much else, I’ll just give you some simple advice on cultivation. It’s nothing more than twelve words: ’be steady and surefooted, prioritize properly, be brave and make diligent progress.’"

He believed that with Lu Chenzhou’s comprehension, he would understand what he meant.

"The disciple understands."

The elder softly said:

"Become a Grandmaster soon. The situation in the Void Realm is not optimistic. More powerful beings are awakening from the forbidden areas. If we don’t contain them, then the future world will see an increase in Cults, the Black Knight Organization, demon ghosts running rampant, and the ultimate fate would be the world being assimilated and devoured by the Void Realm, turning everything we know into... Void Things."

The final words made Lu Chenzhou’s heart tremble.

Indeed, those demon ghosts were once humans or humanoid beings. That explained why the demons in Taihu often retained some human characteristics.

He couldn’t help but ask:

"Senior, what exactly is the Void Realm?"

The elder shook his head:

"Although the Human World has been in contact with the Void Realm since olden times, true recognition of the Void Realm has not been many years. I dare not assert what it is... All I can say is that the Void Realm is like some kind of bottomless abyss that devours civilizations and living beings.

When we were exploring the Void Realm, we discovered the lost relics of intelligent civilizations, not lacking in beings similar to humans. Therefore, some speculate that the Void Realm was once a world similar to the Human World with similar civilizations, but one day, it was invaded by an unknown force, causing both the world and its inhabitants to start deforming and twisting.

It is not a planet as we know it but seems more like a subspace dimension that clings to the Human World. It is omnipresent, and wherever there are people, there is the Void Realm.

The Void Realm is too mysterious. Just focus on becoming stronger. Once you become an Absolute Peak master, you will have the qualifications to join us in uncovering its mysterious veil and to end the calamity of the three evils!"

The elder did not regard Lu Chenzhou as a junior. His tone was such that he treated Lu Chenzhou as an equal, for every Martial Arts Genius has an unpredictable future. Perhaps one day, Lu Chenzhou would rise suddenly, just like the Cangtian Dragon King.

Lu Chenzhou solemnly said:

"The junior understands."

The elder stood up, and before leaving, he said:

"Martial Artists must undergo essential trials, and as a Martial Arts Genius, you obviously can’t hone your skills through trifling matters. Learn as much as you can about the Void Realm, for the day may come when we have to suit you up and send you to battle demon ghosts and mutant beasts there."

Hearing this, Lu Chenzhou’s heart tightened.

He had thought that entering the Void Realm was reserved for Martial Arts Masters.

Even geniuses have it tough, having to come into contact with the more dangerous Void Realm sooner rather than later.

After the elder left, Li Jin said:

"Let’s head to the Hidden Weapon Pavilion."

...

The Hidden Weapon Pavilion was a concealed underground facility. Lu Chenzhou and Wu Zun took an elevator that descended continuously, finally coming to a gentle stop far from the earth’s surface.

The modernized silver alloy doors slowly opened, and instantly, a scent of time-encrusted decay assailed them, flickers of light sparking in the darkness.

On the open ground, an elderly man was practicing his stance on a meditation cushion.

Wu Zun said with a smile:

"Greetings to Grandmaster Chen Tang. I’ve brought my student to retrieve a Divine Weapon."

Lu Chenzhou followed suit with a salute.

The man before him was "Golden Saber Guest· Chen Tang," a Great Grandmaster of Mantis Fist and the leader of his martial arts faction. There were many practitioners of the Mantis Fist, but Great Grandmasters were few.

A Great Grandmaster represented the zenith of strength in their martial arts faction.

The elder’s right arm emerged from his long sleeve—broad and flat like a saber, as if he had honed his flesh into a pair of mantis blades, each edge glaringly sharp. Even C9 alloy would be easily severed by these. With a hoarse voice, he said, "Wu Zun, wait here. If he wants a Divine Weapon, he must first pass through the Heart Refining Channel. If he cannot face this simple test, claiming a Divine Weapon would only lead to his demise."

Wu Zun patted Lu Chenzhou on the back and said:

"Chenzhou, go ahead. There’ll be no problems."

"I’ll be on my way then."

Lu Chenzhou, confident in his abilities, stepped into the darkness, still contemplating the Great Grandmaster’s remarkable arms. Beyond the rank of Grandmaster, one often developed extraordinary attributes.

The Heart Refining Channel was a dark tunnel approximately one li long. Even before entering, Lu Chenzhou felt a chilling breeze. Standing at the entrance, he saw a blue light screen before him, which reminded him of the assessment at the Void Affairs Office.

Within the Martial Arts Inner Realm, Tiger Tai Sui was sharpening his blade.

Lu Chenzhou’s courage swelled, and he stepped forward. Instantly, a tidal wave of cold yin power surged from within his Daling acupoint, and in the darkness, unsettling whispers could be heard.

"There’s a Great Void!"

Beneath his high-level protective suit, every hair on his skin stood on end as golden luster emerged from his pores, eventually forming a golden armor cast over his upper body. His Golden Body Skill had also been progressing steadily, his upper body’s defensive capabilities monstrously strong.

"Come on, see if you can break my Golden Body!"

As a Martial Artist, Lu Chenzhou was supremely confident.

He strode forward, never looking back, until suddenly, his gaze shifted to the right, and he saw bloody handprints materializing out of thin air on the walls...

Unknown to him, a red blood shadow had appeared behind Lu Chenzhou. It faintly resembled a human shape, skinny and elongated. The air around it rippled before seeming to split space itself, blood pouring from the rift, soon engulfing the entire tunnel!

"You think such petty tricks can disturb my mind?!"

Lu Chenzhou’s thoughts swiftly turned into action, and his body spun around, displaying the Vajra Glaring. He stared down the approaching twisted, screaming blood-red face, his body quivering, his bones and tendons thundering. The roar of a tiger echoed through the tunnel as his fists simultaneously pushed forward!

Mystic Tiger Demon Suppression!

The blazing punch sent air swirling, creating heatwave-like distortions, and white smoke billowed, transforming into a dragon that filled the space ahead with its presence. A golden mystic tiger seemed to descend within the smoke, its paw striking directly on the shadow.

Boom!

The blood shadow was sent flying backward, its form dimming as it let out pitiful cries before burrowing back into the wall, not daring to emerge again. It was a Great Void, imprisoned here by Dragon City Martial Arts University. As a veteran employee, it had an innate sense of the strength of this individual—no ordinary man.

If it couldn’t provoke him, it would avoid him.

Even a Great Void can feel fear.

Lu Chenzhou didn’t bother with it and quickly made his way through the one-li long channel. Along the way, some Floating Level Void Things that didn’t know their place tried to harass him, but they ended up subdued by the Mystic Tiger.

He passed through the Heart Refining Channel with ease.

Outside.

Chen Tang retracted his gaze, saying indifferently:

"It seems this ’Skinny Blood Shadow’ has been tormented by the Martial Arts Genius quite a bit; its strength isn’t quite what it used to be... It’s time to arrange for a new employee."

Wu Zun laughed:

"Or maybe Lu Chenzhou is just too strong."

"Hm, indeed his strength is commendable. He has begun to manifest the Tiger Form spirit... but that’s still not enough to easily scare off a Great Void."

While they talked, Lu Chenzhou had already arrived at the Hidden Weapon Room, with 22 glowing items before him. These were all historically significant Low-Grade Inheriting Divine Weapons, whose previous owners were generally master-level individuals. The weapons of common Martial Artists, at best, could only be called Sharp Weapons, outclassed by alloy Void Blades in this era.

Thus, only a Divine Weapon could surpass the quality of a Void Blade.

Lu Chenzhou had a clear goal; he strode forward, heading directly to a corner where a black spear about one meter long was displayed. It was engraved with a white-fronted tiger, the Tiger Gall Gun he saw on the official website.

Before coming, he had done his research. Among the 22 Low-Grade Divine Weapons, none were Fist Blades, and since he had Mountain Lord, he didn’t need a Fist Blade.

Suitable for his Tiger Form spirit were the saber and the spear.

The divine effects of those three saber weapons failed to impress Lu Chenzhou. After some deliberation, he chose the spear, reasoning that ’an inch longer is an inch stronger.’ He couldn’t go wrong with a spear.

There was one more factor in his decision...

Lu Chenzhou felt that spears were cooler than sabers.

As for the lack of spear skills in Tiger Form Fist, it wasn’t a big problem. After learning the "White Tiger Breaking Army Spear," he could integrate his knowledge and create a spear skill of his own design.