Martial Arts Overlord!

The next day, the sun was shining brightly, and Lu Jin woke up in his rented room with a grimacing expression.

"call."

"Damn it, I can't even get a good night's sleep."

He didn't enter the Eternal Night Ruins again last night, but he dreamed that he entered the Eternal Night Ruins again.

Moreover, they entered from the outer city. They were originally planning to hide properly, but the giant with the sword came because he smelled them.

Even if he sensed danger and warned in advance, he still could not escape the fate of being killed.

"Still too weak."

"I must survive!"

Lu Jin sat on the edge of the bed, head down, hands on his knees, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

That sword-wielding giant will reappear before him sooner or later.

Maybe in the next second, or maybe tomorrow.

The only way to break this deadlock is to become stronger!

You either have to give up everything you've gained and move to another city, but what is the Eternal Night Ruins like in other cities?

Who could possibly know?

"No one can kill me!"

"I feel like we could move to the inner city. Anyway, if we stay in the outer city and enter the Eternal Night Ruins, that sword-wielding giant will come after us."

Lu Jin was lost in thought, feeling as if he were walking on the edge of death.

Putting aside the sword-wielding giant in the Eternal Night Ruins, let's talk about the Holy Church. Once last night's events are over, there's no turning back; it's a fight to the death between them.

He personally destroyed one of their human-class mechs and removed a pawn that had been buried for twenty years; this enmity was truly immense.

He's a cult member, and he won't let himself off the hook.

"Then let's move to the inner city. That way, the martial arts school and the inner city will be a straight line, and even if the cult drags me to the Holy God Realm, they will find out immediately."

This is the inner city's defense force, basically with guards every few steps. Unless the cult wants to perish together with the enemy, they would never be able to make a move in the inner city.

Thinking of this, Lu Jin picked up his phone and glanced at it.

The entire forum in Pingshui City is discussing Lu Jin, and the posts about him have already reached tens of thousands of replies.

Someone compiled his timeline from being selected from the outer city of Baijiang District to sweeping through ten Yi Jin Jing realms in the inner city, and then to receiving a third-class merit award last night into a chart, which was forwarded an absurd number of times.

The comments section was filled with a mix of amazement and skepticism. Some said he was a once-in-a-century martial arts prodigy in Pingshui City, while others said there must be official forces behind him creating a god-like figure.

Lu Jin glanced at it a few times and then turned off the screen.

"It's common knowledge, though."

A moment later, Lu Jin quickly washed up, changed into a clean set of training clothes, and went out.

He hailed a cab by the roadside, and as soon as he got in, the driver glanced at him in the rearview mirror, then turned around completely, looking very excited!

"Holy crap! Captain Lu Jin!"

The driver was in his forties, with a full beard, and a voice so loud it could lift the roof off the car.

"It really is you!"

"I saw the announcement last night! Third-class merit! That's amazing! My son idolizes you! He's only been practicing martial arts for a short time, yet he already has this skill. He talks about it every day at home, saying he wants to ask you, when do you think you can become the number one young person in Pingshui City?"

Lu Jin was slightly taken aback, not expecting to become so famous this time. He leaned back in his chair and smiled, "Soon."

The driver got even more excited and insisted that Lu Jin sign his name on the sun visor on the passenger side, and then took a photo with him before finally stepping on the gas pedal with satisfaction.

When they arrived at the entrance of the inner city martial arts school, the driver leaned out of the car window and shouted, "Captain Lu, win the martial arts competition!" before speeding away.

The area in front of Tianlong Martial Arts School was even more bustling than he had imagined today.

There were at least two or three hundred people outside the gate. Some parents brought their children to inquire about registration, some social media users were live streaming on their phones, and a few young people wearing training clothes from other martial arts schools stood on the periphery of the crowd, peeking inside.

Lu Jin went around to the side door and entered. The young girl at the front desk saw him and her eyes lit up. She whispered, "Good morning, Brother Lu Jin."

Chen Wei was the first to rush out of the hall, his face beaming with a bright smile.

"Brother Lu Jin! You have no idea, since the martial arts gym opened this morning, the number of people coming to inquire about and register is more than the total number in the past year combined!"

Chen Wei's voice was still a little hoarse, but he was full of energy, gesturing wildly as he spoke.

"The front desk phone has been ringing off the hook, everyone's asking if Brother Lu Jin is practicing at our martial arts gym. Brother Lu Jin, why didn't you invite me when you were making such a big splash last night?!"

"I knew Lu Jin, you're invincible!"

"Why are you even more excited than me?" Lu Jin nodded. "Are your aunt and uncle alright?"

"It's okay, they were so excited last night that they didn't sleep a wink."

Chen Wei waved his hand, his expression somewhat shocked, not expecting Lu Jin to be so swift and decisive.

What they didn't expect was that the plan to take down Song Xiaolong would end up taking down a cult organization in the process.

What incredible luck!

However, Chen Wei believed it wasn't luck!

This was definitely Lu Jin's plan. He saw through Gao Zilu's true nature from the beginning, that the pretty girl was a cult member!

As expected of his brother Lu Jin.

At the same time, Chu Zhen and Yang Tai stood to the side, watching Chen Wei being surrounded by a group of new trainees asking him all sorts of questions, their expressions somewhat complicated.

After they came to the inner city, they cultivated much more diligently than before. Jiang Zheng devised a special training plan for them, and they practiced until late at night every day, making considerable progress.

But compared to Lu Jin…

Forget it, let's not compete anymore. Competing will hurt our health.

Yan Wenzhi and Peng Yu stood on the second-floor corridor, holding onto the railing and looking down.

At this moment, Yan Wenzhi had an energy bar dangling from his mouth. After chewing it a couple of times, he mumbled indistinctly, "What do you think Lu Jin's strength is now? Has he reached the pinnacle? I feel like he practices martial arts as easily as drinking water?"

Peng Yu leaned against the railing, his elbow resting on the crossbeam, and remained silent for a while before speaking: "Anyway, we thought we had a chance after yesterday's selection. Now that I think about it... never mind, I won't say anymore, it's all tears."

Several students at the Bone Forging Realm gathered around and started discussing it amongst themselves.

A tall, thin man sighed: "Are we the same species as Lu Jin? I heard that the cult member last night was quite strong; it looks like he'll be guaranteed a spot in the top 128."

Just then, a deep voice came from the other end of the corridor: "Why boost the morale of others while diminishing our own?"

Everyone turned around. The speaker was Lin Ruohai, a man of considerable strength, one of the strongest among the Bone Forging Realm students of the Tianlong Martial Arts Academy.

He was of medium build, but had an enormous frame. His hands were almost half the size of an average person's, and his knuckles were as thick as steel balls. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, and his expression was very dismissive.

"Lu Jin is indeed a genius, I admit that. But which of us here isn't a genius? To admit defeat before even winning is cowardly!"

The tall, thin man curled his lip: "You think you can beat him? Rumor has it that last night's cult member was also at the fourth level of the Bone Forging Realm, wearing a mecha, and he didn't last thirty seconds against Lu Jin. Brother Ruohai, how long do you think you can last?"

Lin Ruohai raised his right hand and slowly clenched his fist. The moment his hand tightened, a tiny ripple of air escaped from between his fingers, and the air near his palm visibly distorted for a moment.

"With my powerful fists."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was confident: "Lu Jin is strong, but my punches might not be weaker than his!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a chorus of gasps erupted, "Brother Ruohai, I'm not bragging, but if you could take a punch from Brother Lu Jin, I'd eat it on live stream!"

"Eat a ton!"

Just as they were having a heated discussion, suddenly, the sound of gongs and drums and the crackling of firecrackers came from outside.

Suddenly, everyone turned to look at the main entrance.

Han Chong's car had arrived. The black sedan with license plate number Ping A00002 was parked in front of the martial arts school. The secretary opened the car door. Han Chong got out of the car, wearing a dark gray Zhongshan suit. He looked much better than usual today.

Riding the wave of success!

Jiang Wanli followed behind him, and then several staff members carried a plaque covered with a red cloth.

"A plaque recognizing Lu Jin, a true disciple of the Tianlong Martial Arts School, is hereby awarded the title of Third-Class Merit Citation!"

In an instant, the emcee's voice rang out loudly and clearly, penetrating the entire hall.

Amidst the sound of firecrackers, Han Chong personally unveiled the red cloth, revealing the six gilded characters "Family of a Third-Class Hero" on the plaque, which shone brightly in the sunlight, instantly causing a stir among those present!

Lu Jin walked out of the crowd and stood in front of Han Chong under the gaze of countless eyes, with reporters' flashbulbs going off incessantly.

He bowed slightly, accepted the plaque with both hands, then turned to face the students and media watching, and held the plaque high.

The applause and cheers almost lifted the roof off, and Chen Wei's palms turned red from clapping!

Lu Jin put the plaque down and said casually, "Thank you, Mayor Han. However, I haven't bought a house yet, so there's nowhere to hang this plaque for the time being."

A burst of good-natured laughter erupted around them.

"Our heroes in Pingshui City have already thought this through."

Han Chong immediately took a red folder from his secretary, opened it, cleared his throat, and spoke in a soft but clear voice.

"As decided by the joint meeting of the Pingshui Municipal Government! Because Comrade Lu Jin successfully captured a provincially wanted criminal last night and dismantled a cult gang that had been hiding in the city for more than 20 years, Comrade Lu Jin is hereby awarded a third-class merit!"

The bounty and various rewards for the wanted criminal total five million yuan, which will be disbursed immediately!

Furthermore, among the assets seized from the cult organization, a riverside villa has been decided to be awarded to Comrade Lu Jin as his personal residence. We hope Comrade Lu Jin will continue his efforts and make new contributions to the stability and development of Pingshui City!

He closed the folder and continued announcing: "At the same time, after review and approval by the Pingshui City Martial Arts Association, a King-level martial art will be awarded to Lu Jin, a formal member of the association! And, as resolved by the Pingshui City Police Department Joint Meeting, a Heaven-level martial art will be awarded to Honorary Squad Leader Lu Jin!"

Furthermore, the losses suffered by Chen Wei's shop due to this case will be fully compensated by the authorities.

The hall was quiet for a while, then it exploded!

Five million in cash, a river-view villa, a King-level martial art, and a Heaven-level martial art!

Countless eyes were focused on Lu Jin, filled with envy!

Lu Jin calmly thanked Han Chong, and then, accompanied by He Yulong and Zhao Wen, led Han Chong and Jiang Wanli into the reception room.

Once the door is closed, most of the noise outside is shut out.

Han Chong sat down on the sofa, picked up his teacup and took a sip, then waved to He Yulong and Jiang Wanli: "I'd like to have a private chat with Xiao Lu."

He Yulong and Jiang Wanli exchanged a glance, then left the reception room, closing the door behind them.

Han Chong put down his teacup, leaned back on the sofa, and looked at Lu Jin. His smile was more relaxed than it had been in public earlier: "Little Lu, you did a good job last night. Because of your accidental success..."

He held up two fingers, "You've taken down a criminal gang and uncovered a cult's den. The people of Pingshui City should thank you."

"The Gao family father and daughter, along with the leaders of their faction, will at least face life imprisonment, if not death. You don't need to worry."

Of course, there was another benefit that Han Chong didn't mention, which was that Lu Jin helped him get rid of Bai Shifu, because Gao Qiqiang colluded with a cult, and many people were taken away last night.

"Of course," Lu Jin said neither humbly nor arrogantly. He breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that the Gao family had completely fallen, as he had been afraid that the matter would not have been handled cleanly.

Now his only concern is the cult's retaliation, but as long as he stays outside the inner city and maintains his sense of danger, he is generally safe.

"but."

Han Chong changed the subject, his gaze falling on Lu Jin's face.

"You're still too careless in your work, leaving a lot of loose ends. Next time something like this happens, you can come directly to me."

A martial arts association meeting, a document on cracking down on organized crime, doesn't take as long as you might imagine from drafting to approval.

With the release of the document, Song Xiaolong fell from power. The procedure was legal, the methods were legitimate, everything was clean; you won't be suspected of anything whatsoever.

Lu Jin's heart tightened, and he immediately nodded: "Thank you, Mayor Han, I'll remember that."

Han Chong waved his hand, and the smile on his face returned, even more pronounced than before.

"You're welcome. By the way, Xiao Lu, I saw your profile, you're not getting any younger, are you? Still single? I'll arrange for you to meet a girl, get to know her."

Before Lu Jin could even politely decline, Han Chong stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and walked out of the reception room without looking back.

Jiang Wanli followed behind him, turned around and winked at Lu Jin, his expression saying, "You've hit the jackpot, kid."

He Yulong and Zhao Wen walked in from outside and saw Lu Jin sitting on the sofa with a slightly bewildered expression. They asked with concern, "What did Mayor Han say to you? Is something wrong?"

Lu Jin leaned back on the sofa, his tone helpless: "It's nothing. It's just that Mayor Han wants to set me up on a blind date."

He Yulong stumbled and had to grab the armrest of the sofa to steady himself.

He turned to look at Zhao Wen, his voice trembling, "Wen, does Mayor Han have a daughter?"

Zhao Wen leaned against the doorframe, his expression a mix of envy and indifference: "It seems so. I've seen her once; she's quite pretty."

Lu Jin's pupils contracted slightly: "What is this? A political marriage?"

He Yulong took a deep breath and sat down heavily on the sofa.

"This isn't a political marriage. Your talent is just too terrifying; Mayor Han is investing in your future."

He sighed, looked up at the ceiling, and said, "It's a pity I don't have a daughter."

Zhao Wen almost choked on his own saliva while sitting in the corner.

He leaned against the door frame, patted his chest twice, and looked at Lu Jin sitting on the sofa with a look of bewilderment, with only one thought in his mind.

The gap between geniuses is greater than the gap between a person and a dog.

Zhao Wen can be considered a genius, right? He's at the peak of the Refining Essence Realm, the senior disciple of the inner city branch, and the number one young person in the entire Tianlong Martial Arts School system in Pingshui City.

But Mayor Han never said he would introduce his daughter to him, not even other important figures.

Depend on!

He's way more handsome than Lu Jin!

Lu Jin rubbed his temples, temporarily putting the blind date out of his mind.

Anyway, we'll just meet up and have a meal, it'll only take two hours at most, so it doesn't matter.

He pushed open the door to the reception room; the noise outside had not yet subsided.

The corridor was full of students. Lu Jin walked through the corridor, ignoring the burning gazes, and headed straight for his private training room.

A moment later, he had mastered the basics of two Heaven-level martial arts techniques.

A top-tier martial art was taught to us by police officers; it's called Doomsday Storm Hand!

This is a martial art that involves rushing close to the enemy, spinning rapidly to create a whirlwind, thus achieving an effect similar to a tornado destroying a parking lot.

Another top-tier martial art was the reward he received after contributing to the Tianlong Martial Arts School again—the Swift Wind Shadow Step, which can enhance speed and burst damage.

It was no challenge for him at all; he could get the hang of it after a little practice.

Most importantly, the martial arts conception of the King level was sent by the Martial Arts Association.

Named "Dragon and Tiger Roar of Qi," it is a martial art whose true power can only be unleashed upon reaching the Meridian Opening Realm.

The energy condensed into a dragon and tiger encircling it, destroying everything around it.

At this point, Lu Jin's training could only produce some unusual phenomena to enhance his physique.

Lu Jin didn't care about that; all he wanted was to increase his attributes through martial arts.

If it weren't for the government's control over martial arts, preventing him from purchasing and learning them, he would have bought a whole bunch of martial arts manuals long ago.

Even a genius like him cannot learn martial arts at will; this is a rule set by the highest level of the state, unless Lu Jin obtains special permission from the highest level.

But in the end, he is only famous in Pingshui City. To get special approval from the state, he would probably have to become a genius recognized throughout the country.

"King-level martial arts are still a bit difficult..."

"But it's only a little."

After a while, the panel popped up automatically.

[Doomsday Storm Hand: Beginner (3%)]

【Swift Shadow Step: Beginner (5%)】

[Nianqi Dragon Tiger Roar: Beginner (2%)]

Attack: 1362.4 → 1487.5

Speed: 1157.8 → 1232.6

[Defense: 1324.6→1453.3]

[Stamina: 1289.3→1367.2]

[Spirit: 541.7→602.4]

[Willpower: 548.2 → 611.8]

"Another boost in power!"

"But that's not enough!"

Lu Jin remembered the sword-wielding giant and the Holy God Cult, and quickly retrieved all the ordinary-grade Breakthrough Dream Essence he had left over from the Eternal Night Ruins.

There are 16 more copies. Although each copy can only increase proficiency by 20%, it is enough to push the King-level martial art, Qi Dragon Tiger Roar, to its peak.

"Geely, add more!"

[Nianqi Dragon and Tiger Roar: Perfection]

The moment Lu Jin achieved the pinnacle of a King-level martial art, terrifying phantoms of a dragon and a tiger simultaneously appeared in the training room, circling around him nine times.

Attack: 1487.5 → 1703.6

Speed: 1232.6 → 1406.2

[Defense: 1453.3→1561.5]

[Stamina: 1367.2→1473.4]

[Spirit: 602.4→695.3]

[Willpower: 611.8 → 703.7]

"This is true spiritual practice!"

"No talent can compare to my stat allocation."

"However, I have cleared out the Eternal Night Ruins, so I can no longer obtain the Ultimate Profound Pearl. This is really troublesome."

"and…"

How can I enter the Extreme Realm?

Lu Jin stood in the cultivation room, feeling the surging power within his body, but frowned.

This time, he didn't even touch the threshold of the ultimate realm.

With that thought in mind, Lu Jin pushed open the door and headed straight for He Yulong's office.

He Yulong was organizing the martial arts school's financial statements for the month when he saw Lu Jin enter. He looked up to greet him, but Lu Jin cut him off with a single question: "Master, how can one break through to the Extreme Realm?"

He Yulong paused for a moment, put down the report in his hand, remained silent for a while, and then slowly spoke.

"To break through to the ultimate realm, one must have comprehension."

You need to seize a fleeting moment of inspiration in your mind; that inspiration is the key to your physical and mental development reaching its peak.

Once you grasp it, you can step into the ultimate realm and allow your body to complete one last qualitative leap.

However, many people never grasp this inspiration in their entire lives, so they can only directly advance from the Bone Forging Realm to the Essence Refining Realm.

Their foundation was far weaker than those who had ventured into extreme environments. It's like building a house; others laid a ten-story foundation, while you only laid eight. The taller the building, the more pronounced the difference becomes.

Lu Jin raised an eyebrow.

Insight and flashes of inspiration are like a math problem that has been troubling you for a long time, but suddenly a flash of inspiration makes it clear.

However, this feeling of being out of control made Lu Jin somewhat dissatisfied.

"How long did it take you, senior brother?" he asked.

"It took Zhao Wen half a year to go from the fourth level of Bone Forging to the ultimate level."

He Yulong leaned back in his chair. "If it weren't for the past six months, he would have been much more than just at the Refining Essence Realm by now. But the foundational improvement brought by the Extreme Realm is something that no later realm can compensate for. So he would rather stay at the Bone Forging Realm for another six months than rush into the Refining Essence Realm."

"Furthermore, he gained initial insight into the realm of artistic conception during his extreme experience, which greatly helped his future cultivation."

Half a year.

Lu Jin silently repeated the number in his mind. He couldn't wait half a year.

Let alone half a year, the alignment of the seven stars is still stuck there in a month, and the giant with the sword in the Eternal Night Void may appear at any time when he closes his eyes again.

Six months is enough time for him to die several times over.

Not to mention the martial arts competition that's about to start, Lu Jin doesn't have that much time.

Half a year is too long!

He seizes every minute!

"Master," Lu Jin's voice deepened, "is there any way to increase the probability of catching this spiritual light?"

He Yulong's gaze fell on Lu Jin's face for a long time before he slowly uttered two words: "Yes."

"Visualize the Intent of the Boxing Manual. The Intent of the Boxing Manual is different from ordinary martial arts visualization diagrams. It immerses you in the intent left by a certain master. In that intent, you have a certain probability of touching the threshold of the ultimate realm in advance, and even comprehending your own intent at the same time."

However, the cost is high. The Intent Boxing Manual isn't accessible to everyone; each time it's opened, it consumes the Intent within the manual. Moreover, there are many who want to see it, and our Martial Arts Association has the resources to do so.

"Hey hey hey."

Before He Yulong could finish speaking, Lu Jin had already turned and walked towards the door.

He Yulong watched his retreating figure, opened his mouth, and said, "You have to wait in line!"

"Okay!" Lu Jin's voice came through: "I'll just be number one, that's fine."

"Awen." He Yulong immediately found Zhao Wen.

Zhao Wen poked his head out of the corridor, his face full of ominous premonition. "Master, you're not going to make me do something again, are you?"

"Follow him! Stay close! The cult suffered such a huge loss last night, they definitely won't let it go. I'm worried about leaving Xiao Lu out alone!"

Zhao Wen remained silent for a long while, then let out a long sigh.

"This is the treatment for geniuses! The genius junior brother takes the lead, and the senior brother follows along."

He threw the towel he was holding onto the chair, grabbed his coat, and walked toward the elevator.

He Yulong added from behind, "Stop babbling. You're already at the peak of the Refining Essence Realm. What are you still training for before the Martial Arts Competition ends? You won't be able to break through no matter how much you train. You might as well protect your junior brother."

"Besides, you can't protect him for long. I estimate your junior brother will be stronger than you in a while, maybe in two months if you're lucky."

"I don't believe it." Zhao Wen clicked his tongue. "It'll take him at least half a month to break through to the extreme realm!"

"It'll take at least two months and one day to surpass me!"

...