Chapter 52: Master Lu Chen About to Cry

"Huh?" Zhang Xuan was startled.

His turn just now hadn't been fast, nor had he used any force. How had Master Lu Chen flown out? Could he be jumping around for fun?

"Master..." He hurried over, intending to help the other man up, and his palm lifted behind him.

"I'm fine..." Whoosh!

Before he could finish speaking, Master Lu Chen felt his entire body lighten. He tumbled forward, crashing into another bookshelf, his face buried in books.

"I..." The Master wanted to cry but had no tears.

Are you toying with me? Do you need to use so much force just to help me up?

"Master..." Seeing his state, Zhang Xuan was about to rush over and help him up again, when Master Lu Chen quickly struggled to his feet: "You... don't come near me, I can manage myself!"

"Uh..." Zhang Xuan had no choice but to stop. Blinking, he looked at the old man before him with a puzzled expression, unable to resist voicing the question in his mind: "Master, are you jumping around for fun?"

"Jumping around for fun..." Master Lu Chen nearly burst into tears. Are you kidding me? *You're* the one jumping around for fun! Your entire family is jumping around for fun!

I, a dignified master of calligraphy and painting, such an elegant man, how bored would I have to be to jump around for fun? Besides, even if I were jumping for fun, I wouldn't do it here! These are all my treasured books, my precious possessions...

Master Lu Chen felt a tightness in his chest and struggled to breathe.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable in your chest?" Zhang Xuan approached, wanting to pat him on the back.

"No..." Bang!

The moment Zhang Xuan's fist landed on his back, Master Lu Chen's pupils contracted before he could even finish speaking. With a "whoosh," he shot forward, smashing into the wall directly in front of the study, his face covered in dust, and leaving a large hole in the wall.

"Master..." Seeing him launch forward again, Zhang Xuan kept scratching his head, utterly confused.

What on earth was this master trying to do? First jumping backward, then shooting forward—was he having an epileptic fit? If it truly was an epileptic fit, he couldn't just ignore it. He immediately took two steps, caught up, and tried to help him up again.

"Don't come any closer..." Master Lu Chen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and retreated repeatedly, looking at the young man before him as if he were a monster. He was on the verge of tears.

I just felt suffocated, I wasn't trying to die! With one hit from you... Ouch, my old arms, my old legs...

"Master, what exactly is going on?" Seeing him in such a state, Zhang Xuan could no longer hold back. You seemed so composed before; why are you jumping and leaping around now? What are you trying to do?

"What's going on?" Master Lu Chen looked at him as if he were a monster, close to tears. Don't you know what's going on yourself? I was worried you might go berserk and kindly went to warn you. But then you turned around and sent me flying. After that, you rushed over and threw me out. The last hit was even worse; if I hadn't had some cultivation left, I might have lost my life... And you actually ask me what's going on?

Just as he was about to get angry, he saw the young man's genuinely bewildered expression, which didn't seem feigned. A thought struck him, and his eyes filled with disbelief: "You... did you have a breakthrough just now?"

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan nodded. Practicing the Heaven's Path Golden Body should count as a breakthrough, right?

"But... even with a breakthrough, progress shouldn't be this fast, should it...?" Master Lu Chen finally understood what was happening, yet he still couldn't believe it.

Some people use special methods that cause their cultivation to instantly increase. When their bodies haven't fully adapted to this surge in power, they experience uncontrollable phenomena. What they perceive as normal effort appears to others as exerting their full strength. It's like originally having 100 kilograms of strength, and using a tenth of it—10 kilograms—to pick up a cup is nothing. But if your strength suddenly increases to 10,000 kilograms, and you still use a tenth of that to pick up a cup, 1,000 kilograms of force would be enough to shatter the cup instantly!

It was highly probable that Zhang Xuan was in such a state. His strength had suddenly surged, and he didn't even know by how much. He was still acting with his previous level of control, so naturally, Lu Chen couldn't withstand it! This kind of situation was described in books, and adapting to such power usually takes a long time. He had thought it was just a legend, but unexpectedly... such a thing truly existed!

However, he simply couldn't believe that this fellow, who had just been standing by the bookshelf, reading for a bit, and zoning out for a while, suddenly possessed such immense power. Could it be a case of significant accumulation leading to a sudden burst, where he happened to read a book, instantly enlightened himself, and broke through? If that were true, his luck would be truly terrible!

"Follow me to the living room!" Though puzzled, Master Lu Chen said no more and led the way forward. It was easy enough to confirm if this was the case; they just needed to find a strength-testing pillar and try it. Since the young man was looking for cultivation techniques for Martial Artist 6-dan, he certainly hadn't broken through to Martial Artist 6-dan. At most, a peak Martial Artist 5-dan only possessed the strength of four tripods! If his strength exceeded that, it would indicate he had indeed made significant progress. The earlier situation would then make sense.

***

In the living room.

Huang Yu and Bai Xun had not yet left; they were still sitting in the room, looking anxiously towards the study. They had come for something important, but Master Lu Chen had taken Zhang Xuan away right after testing him, without even giving them a chance to speak. Naturally, they couldn't leave and were forced to wait.

"Xiao Yu, that... Master Zhang Xuan just now, has he really also reached the peak of Martial Artist 5-dan?" At this moment, Bai Xun no longer harbored his previous hostility towards Zhang Xuan, but rather a faint excitement.

He actually wasn't very interested in calligraphy and painting; he wouldn't have come if his father hadn't forced him. For him, what truly interested him was cultivation. He only felt excited when encountering a strong opponent. He had always considered himself a genius. At eighteen, reaching the peak of Martial Artist 5-dan was considered extremely fast cultivation; few in the entire King's City could compare! He never expected this unassuming young man, not much older than him, to also reach such a realm! How could he not be excited?

"I don't know either. I told you, he just came to my shop to buy books... I don't know anything about him! However, since he's looking everywhere for Martial Artist 6-dan cultivation techniques, he should have already reached the peak of 5-dan!" Huang Yu said. They weren't sure of Zhang Xuan's true strength since he hadn't made a move, but given that he was looking for 6-dan books, he must have reached the peak of 5-dan. Otherwise, there would be no point in looking for such advanced books!

"To be at this level at such an age... I wonder what his combat power is like. I'll go test him out in a bit..." Bai Xun chuckled. He was a martial arts fanatic, and he could hardly contain himself at the prospect of a match, especially with someone of similar cultivation and age.

Thump, thump, thump!

As the two were speaking, they saw someone walk in. Looking at the newcomer, both of them froze. The Master Lu Chen, who had been so incredibly elegant just moments ago, now walked in, disheveled, covered in dust, his face smeared with blood, and looking utterly wretched.