Under One Person: Starting with the Dual Cultivation of Body and Soul.

Upon hearing Li Chang'an's praise, Feng Shayan withdrew her abilities and stood up straight. She tried her best to maintain her aloof persona, but the curve of her lips betrayed her.

Over the past few years, she has been honing her skills every day without ever slacking off. Even her father has affirmed her efforts and progress.

She could also clearly feel that as she made progress, her father paid more and more attention to her.

Sometimes she thought to herself that as her role in the family grew, her father would surely stop thinking about sending her to an arranged marriage.

I should be able to choose my own future!

Meanwhile, Lu Jin and Feng Zhenghao, who were not far away, also witnessed this scene.

"President Feng, your daughter has made great progress; her future is limitless!" Lu Jin said with a smile.

"Elder Lu, you're too kind. Sha Yan's achievements are nothing compared to your two disciples, especially Chang'an. It's been a few years since we last met, and his demeanor and his return to simplicity are even more remarkable than before. I imagine he has made great progress in his cultivation as well?" Feng Zhenghao looked at Li Chang'an with a somewhat eager gaze.

Lu Jin might not like hearing praise for himself, but he was quite pleased when his disciple was praised. He nodded and said:

"Chang'an has indeed made great progress. This kid often brings surprises. I was able to make further progress at the age of one hundred, which is like a piece of rotten wood, thanks to him."

Feng Zhenghao was startled, then laughed and said, "There's such a connection. It seems you really are a lucky star. Speaking of which, Sha Yan's progress is also thanks to Chang'an's guidance. My Feng family will always remember this kindness."

Lu Jin waved his hand: "What kind of favor is this, just kids interacting with each other?"

Feng Zhenghao laughed and said, "Elder Lu, you can think that way, but I can't. The reason why my Tianxia Society has grown so big is because of the word 'sincerity'. Elder Lu, in the future, if there is anything that my Feng family can do to help, just ask."

Lu Jin glanced at him and said bluntly, "Are you trying to tie me to your ledger of favors?"

Feng Zhenghao wasn't embarrassed at all. He smiled frankly and said, "Old Master Lu has a keen eye. To be honest, I really did have this idea in mind. As a businessman, when I see a good project, I always want to invest in it in advance. A young talent like Li Chang'an has unlimited potential for future achievements. Who wouldn't want to befriend him? I've had my eye on him for a long time, but Chang'an is only focused on cultivation. He really doesn't give me a chance."

Since Feng Zhenghao had already said so much, Lu Jin didn't explicitly refuse. The martial world isn't just about fighting and killing; it's about human relationships and social interactions. If he refused again after Feng Zhenghao had already made such a point, it would become an incident.

Actually, although he didn't quite like Feng Zhenghao's grandfather or Feng Zhenghao's way of doing things, he did acknowledge Feng Zhenghao's abilities.

The tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind. Li Chang'an is so outstanding that Lu Jin is worried that he will attract some attacks, so it is very necessary to find some allies.

Like the last time Quanxing attacked Li Chang'an, if there were enough allies in the circle, who knows who would be the one ambushing whom.

And Feng Zhenghao was indeed quite sincere!

Chapter 197 Ding Shian visits

Feng Zhenghao picked up his wine glass and clinked it with Lu Jin's.

The two had a very pleasant conversation.

Of course, Lu Jin and Feng Zhenghao did not reach any agreement on an alliance.

Both of them are members of the "Ten Elders," holding a prestigious position in the industry.

If we get too close, it will inevitably attract criticism from other forces and companies.

Feng Zhenghao didn't care about these things; he wished he could be more closely tied to the Lu family. But since Lu Jin had no interest in this, he wisely kept quiet.

The two then discussed mostly the cultivation and future prospects of the younger generation.

As for the so-called "investment" mentioned by Feng Zhenghao, Lu Jin is not short of money and does not need the financial support of the World Society. Nor does he covet the World Society's methods.

Therefore, Feng Zhenghao's investment was more targeted at Li Chang'an.

He promised that if anyone were to harm Li Chang'an in the future, the World Society would inform the Lu family immediately upon receiving the news, and would even lend a hand if necessary.

Feng Zhenghao's request was simple: he wanted Li Chang'an and Lu Lin, the two outstanding talents of the Sanyi Sect, to spend more time with his good-for-nothing children and give them some pointers on their cultivation.

"What kind of request is that? The kids get along quite well, don't they?" Lu Jin said with a smile.

“Yes, yes, that’s why I’m talking to you about it, Mr. Lu,” Feng Zhenghao said with a smile.

He could tell that his daughter seemed to have some feelings for Li Chang'an, but he himself didn't have many such feelings. Li Chang'an was too high, unattainable. Come to think of it, he felt that Lu Lin was closer.

"When I get back to Tianjin, I'll try to matchmake Sha Yan and Lu Lin, and see if there's any chance they can get together," Feng Zhenghao thought to himself.

Actually, he also wanted to try and bring Feng Xingtong and Lu Linglong together.

However, he could also see Lu Jin's favoritism towards Lu Linglong, and saying such things might get him kicked out by Lu Jin, so he didn't mention it at all.

Lu Jin accepted the deal on behalf of Li Chang'an.

Feng Zhenghao didn't stay at the Lu family's house for long; he had a meal and then left.

After the Feng family left, the Lu family compound was quiet for a few days.

But it didn't last long before another uninvited guest arrived.

The visitor was Ding Shian, one of the two heroes.

In the courtyard, Li Chang'an and Lu Jin were playing chess.

Upon hearing the gatekeeper's report, Li Chang'an was somewhat surprised. Ding Shian, the man who forcibly controlled one of the old master's hands in the original story?

He looked at Lu Jin: "Grandpa, you know Ding Shian?"

Lu Jin's face darkened. He tossed the chess piece in his hand into the chess basket and said:

"I knew him. But he hadn't joined Quanxing yet at that time."

"To be honest, I actually had a pretty good impression of him. He was a young man who had studied various techniques, somewhat similar to Wang Zhenqiu, but much more polite. He had even come to my door to ask for my advice."

"I found this young man to be polite, well-mannered, and not annoying, so I sparred with him a few times. I originally thought he would make a name for himself in the world of supernatural beings, but I never expected that this kid would actually join the Quanxing Sect. Recently, he has even made a name for himself as one of the 'Two Heroes'."

Upon hearing this, Li Chang'an nodded and said, "The Quanxing sect has been quite lively these past few years."

Lu Jin snorted coldly: "It's quite lively. Right now, some busybodies in the circle have made a ranking. Something like 'One Supreme, Two Heroes, Three Corpses, Four Madmen.' Among these people, apart from Zhang Zhiwei and that Ru Hu, the rest are all from Quanxing. A bunch of filthy bastards!"

When the topic turned to Quanxing, Lu Jin's tone was somewhat impolite; he found it difficult to have a good impression of this faction.

Li Chang'an said, "Grandpa, the title 'Four Madmen' is a recent one, right?"

As far as he knew, Gao Ning, nicknamed "Thunder Smoke Cannon," and Dou Mei, nicknamed "Intestinal Poison," were veterans in the entertainment industry.

Shen Chong, the "seedling of trouble," appeared later, probably around the time he broke through to the first level of Reverse Life, and only then did he begin to make a name for himself in the martial arts world.

As for Xia He, nicknamed "Bone Scraper," he only heard about him after returning from his travels, and it was only then that the name of the Four Madmen spread.

Lu Jin nodded and said, "Yes. The newly emerged 'Bone-Scraping Knife' Xia He is a traitor to the Tengshan Sect. These people have similar abilities; they all use methods to manipulate people's emotions and desires. These four troublemakers have mixed together and thus earned the title of the Four Madmen."

Upon hearing this, Li Chang'an pondered for a moment and guessed that Xia He's joining Quanxing must have happened after Zhang Lingyu went down the mountain to travel.

After all, no matter how confused or clueless Zhang Lingyu is, she wouldn't stoop so low as to be involved with a member of the Quanxing sect.

Li Chang'an asked Lu Jin, "Grandpa, are you going to meet this hero of Quanxing?"

"Hmm..." Lu Jin pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Let's meet him. I'm quite curious, this kid seemed quite upright back then, why did he suddenly fall into the Quanxing sect?"

The two got up, crossed the courtyard, and came to the gate, where they met Ding Shian.

Ding Shian was dressed in simple sportswear and had short white hair. He had a well-proportioned figure with not exaggerated muscle lines, and his posture was casual, but he exuded a calm and composed aura.

"Mr. Lu, it's been a long time!" Ding Shian clasped his hands in a fist salute, bowed slightly, and was very polite.

Then, he glanced at Li Chang'an standing next to Lu Jin: "This must be your disciple, Elder Lu? They say there are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names. He truly has the bearing of an immortal."

Li Chang'an did not reply, but calmly looked Ding Shian up and down.

"Ding Shian, it's been a long time!" Lu Jin sighed, his tone tinged with regret. "I always thought you were a decent person, so why did you suddenly decide to join the Quanxing Sect? What were you after?"

Ding Shian thought about it seriously for a moment and said, "I just want some sense of security."

"Want a sense of security? Join the Quanxing Sect?" Lu Jin looked at him like he was an idiot and roared, "Don't you know? The Quanxing Sect are heretics, everyone has the right to kill them! Even if I kill you right here, the martial arts world will only applaud. Is this the kind of security you want?"

Ding Shian shook his head and said, "The sense of security I need is not external security, but internal security."

"Inner security?" Lu Jin frowned. "Does joining All-Round give you inner security?"

Ding Shian explained, "It's not like that. Elder Lu, you are a senior I deeply respect. Since you asked, I have to tell you something from the bottom of my heart."

"The sense of security I seek is something somewhat abstract. Because from a very young age... I forget exactly when... I've always felt very uneasy."

"The reason for my unease is not that I feel the surrounding environment is dangerous. Rather, it is that I feel too weak."

"I am so weak that a stone can hurt me, a piece of glass can hurt me, and an illness can take my life."

"Anything in this world, if it appears at the right time and in the right way, can hurt me."

Chapter 198 Ding Shian's Request

"I thought about it for a long time and finally understood one thing. The reason I was uneasy was because I was too weak."

"Since then, I've been training like crazy. I'm trying to make myself stronger, both mentally and physically."

“I feel that with each bit of strength I gain, the things that threaten me diminish. I am one step closer to achieving inner peace.”

"It sounds ridiculous now, but that was what I truly thought when I was a child."

"As I've grown older, I've gradually come to accept the threats posed by natural disasters and other uncontrollable forces that affect human civilization."

Ding Shian looked up at Lu Jin and continued, "But I can never get over the insecurity that comes from 'people'. I don't want any single 'person' to pose a threat to me. So, I want to become the strongest person who surpasses everyone else."

“I understand.” Lu Jin nodded and said, “You want to be the best in the world? A soldier who doesn’t want to be a general isn’t a good soldier. Wanting to be the best in the world is a good thing. But why join Quanxing? Quanxing isn’t like the Celestial Master’s Mansion on Longhu Mountain, which has inherited some earth-shattering martial arts.”

Ding Shian scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Actually, to say I'm the best in the world wouldn't be accurate. I feel it's even a bit more exaggerated than that."

"What I want is not to be number one in the competitive sense. What I want is to be able to compete with others as long as there are still people who can challenge me. That is not the level I want."

"I want there to be no one in this world who can pose a threat to me. I feel that perhaps only in that way can I completely eliminate the insecurity that has always accompanied me."

Lu Jin gasped and pointed at Ding Shian, saying, "You little brat, you're so arrogant! You want no one in this world to be able to threaten you anymore."

"Even Zhang Zhiwei, who is considered to be at the top, cannot achieve this goal. If they were to fight seriously, no one knows what the outcome would be. But it is common for him to get beaten black and blue during occasional sparring sessions."

"However, this still has nothing to do with you joining Quanxing."

As Lu Jin spoke, Li Chang'an glanced at him. He had heard from his grandfather more than once about how Lu Jin had beaten Zhang Zhiwei black and blue.

Should we subtly remind the old master that the Celestial Master is just pretending to be Tang Dynasty, and be careful he doesn't get tricked?

After thinking it over, Li Chang'an decided to let it go. The old master was just pretending to be righteous, but he didn't really intend to scheme against anyone. Anyway, even if the old master knew, he couldn't beat him, so it was better not to know and he could still have a good laugh.

He's a hundred years old; let's make him happy.

……

Hearing Lu Jin repeatedly mention "joining Quanxing," Ding Shian could sense that Lu Jin genuinely regretted his decision to join Quanxing. This made him feel somewhat ashamed.

He explained, "There is some connection. To achieve this, it's natural to train and become stronger along the way. But at the same time, I also need a real threat of sufficient quality."

"This is an essential touchstone to test how far I've come on this path. As I grow stronger, the number of beings I can call a threat is constantly decreasing. Conversely, the closer I get to the end of this path, the fewer beings ahead of me are qualified to be my opponents."

Ding Shian gave a wry smile: "Elder Lu, I'm not afraid to admit it, but perhaps because I usually behave quite well, many seniors like you are no longer willing to go all out against me when we spar. This makes me very uncomfortable."

"After much thought, I've decided to join the Quanxing Sect and become a demon. Surely, you senior figures who always want to mentor the younger generation won't be so polite to a demon like me anymore?"

"To be honest, even if I joined Quanxing, I really couldn't bring myself to indiscriminately kill innocent people and do whatever I wanted."

"But after joining Quanxing, I could also feel that the people in Quanxing were all devils."

“After I became a member of the Quanxing, as long as I followed behind them when they were acting recklessly, even if I did nothing, many of the older members would still take drastic measures against me, and that is exactly what I wanted.”

"So I'm quite satisfied with my identity as Quanxing. To be honest, those bastards in Quanxing are actually quite useful."

Hearing this reason, Lu Jin was speechless. Was it worth it to turn himself into a rat that everyone wanted to kill just to find someone to fight?

"So, you've come here to challenge me to a duel?" Lu Jin asked in a deep voice.

“Yes. I heard that your cultivation has improved further, Master Lu, so I came here specifically to seek your guidance.” Ding Shian clasped his hands and said, “Please grant my request, Master Lu.”

Lu Jin shook his head and said, "I don't know whether to say you've given up on yourself or that you're ambitious? Come to think of it, I understand why you joined Quanxing. A junior as ambitious as you. If you weren't a Quanxing demon, I really wouldn't feel comfortable criticizing you."

Ding Shian crossed his arms and said, "I couldn't be happier! Come on, Master Lu. The last competition was too rushed. This time, let me experience the power of the Reverse Life Triple Realm."

Lu Jin stared at Ding Shian for a moment, then said, "It seems that even if I don't try today, you won't give up so easily!"

“If that doesn’t work out, then I’ll have to find a few fellow disciples to cause Master Lu some minor trouble,” Ding Shian said. “In advance, I’d like to apologize to Master Lu.”

"Hahahaha!"

Lu Jin suddenly burst into laughter, straightened his tie, took off his suit jacket, and casually handed it to Li Chang'an beside him, saying:

"Since that's the case, then this old man will play with you today. Let's go, to the training ground!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Master Lu!" Ding Shian said loudly.

Lu Jin turned and entered the courtyard, saying as he walked, "Chang'an, take a good look at the strength of these two heroes of the martial world."

Li Chang'an smiled and said, "Actually, compared to this Ding Shian, I'm more curious about Ru Hu's methods."