High-level martial arts: Starting with a heart of steel, stats crush everything.

Realizing something was wrong, the group immediately became alert and followed the scent to its source.

But when they saw the figures beside the fire at the martyrs' cemetery, they all relaxed.

In front of Huang Lu was a barbecue grill with a row of sizzling, oily chicken legs and wings on it, and next to him was a bottle of white liquor that looked rather cheap.

"What are you guys doing here so late at night instead of going out for dinner?"

Although Huang Lu had sealed off his qi and blood, his senses were still sharp, and he naturally discovered the figures of Chen Mo and the others.

"I didn't just smell it; I followed the scent..."

Chen Mo chuckled and walked over to Huang Lu's side in a very familiar manner.

"Grandpa Huang, what brings you to the Martyrs' Cemetery for barbecue so late at night?"

"Ah, I've come to keep my son and grandson company." Huang Lu's expression was calm, but Chen Mo could still clearly see the pain deep in her eyes.

"Son, grandson..." Chen Mo was somewhat speechless. He had learned about these two people from Song Bin before.

Huang Long, who was once the top scorer in the southern training camp, is Huang Lu's grandson.

"You guys haven't eaten yet, have you? Come on, have a drink with this old man."

Huang Lu didn't mind being disturbed while sweeping the tombs, and waved to Gu Feng and the others behind Chen Mo.

The group exchanged glances, and ultimately gathered around Huang Lu.

"You are all the pride of heaven, you must take good care of yourselves."

"If you lose your lives, think about how heartbroken your parents will be."

Huang Lu personally poured baijiu for the group, and the pungent aroma hit them right in the head.

"My stupid son and stupid grandson died young, leaving me, this old geezer, to eke out a living."

After blocking the flow of qi and blood, alcohol can numb Huang Lu's brain, giving him a moment of relaxation.

"You don't know, my son and grandson are just as talented as you are."

"Except for Chen Mo, kid."

Huang Lu distributed the roasted chicken legs and wings to Chen Mo and the others, while he himself took a skewer of roasted chicken butt and started gnawing on it.

"Back in the day, when Dawn City wasn't called Dawn City..."

This seems to be a common problem among the elderly; when they get drunk, they always like to tell stories about their youth.

The group remained silent, listening quietly as Huang Lu recounted his story.

Huang Lu had one son, named Huang Shuguang.

He achieved the Grandmaster realm at the age of fifty-five and died in battle at the age of fifty-seven in the abyss of the Southern Island.

His grandson is equally powerful; at the age of twenty-six, he was already a level ten martial artist, and there is even hope that he will become a grandmaster before the age of forty.

Unfortunately, Huanglong died in the battle to establish Dawn City.

Both his son and grandson died before Huang Lu, and in the same place. Huang Lu himself was also seriously injured in a battle and could only suppress his vital energy to prolong his life.

"The stronger a martial artist is, the harder it is for them to leave offspring. If you want to have your own children, you should hurry up and do it now."

"Once you achieve the highest level, the difficulty of leaving offspring is comparable to curing infertility."

"Little Ma, you are one of them. I think these three kids have good genes, and their offspring will definitely be very strong."

"Hahahahaha!"

Ma Wanglin blushed as Huang Lu teased her, but she couldn't say anything because of Huang Lu's status.

"Come on, let's have a drink."

Huang Lu raised his glass and clinked it with Chen Mo and the others, then downed the entire bottle of low-quality liquor, which was only about 60 degrees alcohol, in one gulp.

"My son used to love drinking this wine with me, but unfortunately..."

Huang Lu shook his head, extinguished the charcoal fire, and staggered away.

"..." Chen Mo and the others remained silent, quietly cleaning up the mess.

"Gu Feng, do Grandmasters die in battle every year in our Great Xia?"

In Chen Mo's view, the power of a Grandmaster is comparable to that of a god, yet such powerful beings die in droves.

"Yes, the Great Xia Dynasty loses nearly twenty Grandmasters every year in the suppression of the Abyss, but fortunately, the replenishment rate is very fast, forming a delicate balance with the losses."

Gu Feng knew far more about these things than Chen Mo.

"Otherwise, why do you think we should select geniuses through such a brutal method as the national competition?"

"Those who emerge from the national competition will be given special attention and training; this is both a privilege and a responsibility."

"Martial artists with average talent should focus on living a peaceful and safe life; there is no need for them to encounter real danger."

As the saying goes, if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up.

"Right now, those are the grandmasters, but maybe in the future it will be us."

Gu Feng patted Chen Mo on the shoulder. In the past ten years, their Gu family has lost three grandmasters, all of whom were capable of founding their own sects.

Otherwise, do you think you can gain a foothold in Yanjing just by being strong?

That's nonsense.

"Alright, alright, it's not uncommon for old man Huang to bury his son, there's no need to be so sad."

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit tense, Gu Feng had no choice but to step forward and ease the tension.

"What we need to do is make ourselves stronger, so that we don't die before our parents."

"Yes, all we can do is become stronger." Chen Mo nodded. After all these days, Gu Feng had finally said something sensible.

"Let's eat. I just ate a chicken wing, and I'm still hungry."

Chen Mo quickly composed himself and led the group toward the military canteen.

......

The following day, Chen Mo and his companions went to the Dawn Arena once again.

Chen Mo wasn't the only one who signed up this time.

Ma Wanglin, Gu Feng, Yang Zuo, and everyone except He Miao, who had no fighting ability, all signed up for the desperate battle.

When the manager heard that four fearless individuals had signed up for the desperate battle, he was initially overjoyed. However, upon learning that the sign-ups were the same kids who had come from the southern training camp the day before, he completely deflated.

"Boss, we...we've really suffered a huge loss this time."

The manager stood in front of Yang Qing, his expression one of great pain.

"It's alright, let those kids kill as many as they want. It's good that they can get enough training here."

Yang Qing was quite generous, after all, he was only responsible for protecting Dawn City and Dawn Arena, and did not participate in the operation, so he naturally did not know how much money he would lose this time.

"Alright, since you've put it that way, we'll go all out!"

The manager nodded and immediately notified the staff to handle Chen Mo and his group as usual.

As for battles other than the desperate struggle between cornered beasts, he didn't plan to start any more until Chen Mo and his companions had their fill of fighting.

At the front of the arena, after the host announced that today would be a day of desperate battles between trapped beasts, the cheers from the audience soared to the heavens.

Such an exciting thing might only happen once in ten years, so they were really treated to a feast for the eyes!