Lu Family Birthday Banquet

Liu Jin stood in the corner, slowly eating a plate of osmanthus cake, his gaze subtly sweeping across the crowd. The people from Longhu Mountain hadn't arrived yet; it seemed they'd have to wait until the banquet began. He popped the last piece of osmanthus cake into his mouth and patted the crumbs off his hands.

The birthday banquet proceeded in a grand and traditional manner. Mr. Lu, who was eighty years old this year, sat in the grand chair in the main hall, looking very energetic. His full head of silver hair was neatly combed, and he received the congratulations from all the younger generation with a smile.

The birthday celebration was a grand affair. First came the family's own descendants, with Lu Jin following behind his father Lu Xuan to kowtow and present gifts. Then, guests from all sides came forward one by one to offer their congratulations.

The people from the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain arrived at the last minute. Zhang Jingqing walked in front, followed by a tall young man. As soon as that man entered the hall, the air around them seemed to become heavier.

Zhang Zhiwei.

The young Zhang Zhiwei was even more imposing than depicted in the comics. He was extremely tall, with broad shoulders and a wide back, and wore a dark blue Taoist robe with the cuffs slightly rolled up, revealing his two muscular forearms.

His face was square, and his eyes were deep and sharp, as if they could see through any trick. The moment he stood in the hall, the young superhumans around him involuntarily took a half-step back—not out of fear, but out of instinct. The instinct of a wild beast encountering a stronger beast.

Zhang Jingqing cupped her hands in a gesture of respect to Old Master Lu, wishing him a happy birthday, her voice booming like a bell. Zhang Zhiwei stood behind his master, his gaze sweeping across the hall, ignoring everyone else, lingering for a moment on Zuo Ruotong's side, and then glancing at Liu Jin.

Liu Jin was also looking at him. Their eyes met briefly in the air, not out of hostility, but out of scrutiny. It was the instinctive assessment of two masters. Zhang Zhiwei was the first to look away, his lips twitching almost imperceptibly.

Old Master Lu announced the succession to Lu Xuan. Lu Xuan stepped forward to receive the seal, and the entire hall erupted in applause. Liu Jin clapped along, but his mind was still replaying Zhang Zhiwei's glance from just now. In that instant, Zhang Zhiwei's eyes saw no one else. It wasn't arrogance; he genuinely didn't see anyone.

After the succession ceremony concluded, the banquet officially began. Amidst the clinking of glasses, Wang Ai's father, the patriarch of the Wang family, stood up, his face flushed, and bowed respectfully: "It's a rare occasion for all the prominent families to gather here on Old Master Lu's 80th birthday. How about tomorrow, let the young men from each family spar in the martial arts arena, as a way to add to the festive atmosphere of the old master's birthday celebration? Let's keep it brief and avoid any unpleasantness." As soon as he finished speaking, the heads of several other prominent families echoed his sentiments, creating a lively and enthusiastic atmosphere.

Amidst the commotion, Liu Jin saw Zhang Jingqing rise and walk to Zuo Ruotong and Lu Xuan's side, whispering a few words. The three then moved to a side room in the hall, where the curtain fell, blocking out the noise. Zhang Zhiwei sat alone at the table, his wine glass untouched, his gaze calmly fixed ahead, like a silent mountain.

......

"It's here! The throne will be passed to Lu Xuan! This is now official history."

"Wang Ai's father proposed a competition, which later became a lifelong psychological trauma for Lu Jin."

"Zhang Jingqing pulled Zuo Ruotong and Lu Xuan away separately. Zhang Jingqing wanted Lu Jin to beat up Zhang Zhiwei."

"To be precise, it wasn't a beating, but rather using Lu Jin's purity to warn Zhang Zhiwei's arrogance. Zhang Zhiwei is too strong, so strong that he's unreasonable. Zhang Jingqing is afraid he'll go astray."

"But in the original story, it was Zhang Zhiwei who slapped Lu Jin and made her cry."

"The plot is different now. There's Li Muxuan and Liu Jin in the picture. Will Liu Jin also make an appearance? A peak second level of Reverse Life against Zhang Zhiwei, that'll be much more interesting than Lu Jin's match."

"Don't even think about it. Liu Jin is way older than them. At least he won't make a move tomorrow."

"Then we can only pity Lu Jin. Hahaha!"

......

The curtain to the side room was thick, blocking out most of the sound, with only a few words occasionally escaping. Liu Jin didn't listen intentionally, but Zhang Jingqing's voice was loud to begin with, and even when lowered, it sounded like muffled thunder. After a short while, Lu Xuan came out first, his brows slightly furrowed. He walked to Old Master Lu's side and whispered what he had heard. Old Master Lu nodded after listening.

Then Zuo Ruotong and Zhang Jingqing came out one after the other. Zuo Ruotong's expression was normal, while Zhang Jingqing still had that stern and imposing face. Zhang Jingqing returned to her seat, and Zhang Zhiwei asked her something in a low voice. Zhang Jingqing shook her head, and Zhang Zhiwei didn't ask any more questions.

Zuo Ruotong walked back to Liu Jin and Li Muxuan's side, sat down, picked up her teacup, and didn't say anything more.

Apart from the three people who had just been discussing and Old Master Lu, Liu Jin was probably the only one who knew what the two sect leaders were talking about.

The next morning, at the Lu family's martial arts training ground.

The training ground was situated on a wide, flat area at the foot of Wu Mountain, with verdant forests behind it and the shimmering waters of West Lake in front. A ring of stands surrounded the area, where guests were seated according to their assigned positions. Old Master Lu sat in the main seat, watching the scene with a broad smile, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

The first match was between Lu Jin and Liu Deshui.

Liu Deshui is now a formal disciple of Yanwu Hall. His external martial arts skills are as solid as a small iron tower. When he stands on the field with his feet apart, the entire training ground seems to tremble. He grinned at Lu Jin: "Brother Lu, long time no see."

"Long time no see." Lu Jin bowed respectfully, then added earnestly, "You've gotten stronger."

"The food at Yanwutang is pretty good," Liu Deshui said, patting his stomach.

The two assumed their stances. Liu Deshui struck first; his external martial arts style was always straightforward, his punch accompanied by a whooshing sound, simple and brutal yet incredibly powerful. Lu Jin didn't take the punch head-on, but dodged it to the side, his Qi-transformed palm, at the first level of Reverse Life, lightly patting Liu Deshui's forearm.

The body of someone skilled in external martial arts is thick and tough, so this amount of force wouldn't cause any harm. But Lu Jin wasn't striking the flesh; he was striking the center of gravity. With one palm strike, Liu Deshui's forward momentum was deflected by half an inch. It was this half inch that prevented him from stopping his punch in time, causing him to stumble.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lu Jin moved closer, placing his right hand on Liu Deshui's shoulder and his left hand on his lower back. It wasn't a hit, but a push. Liu Deshui stomped his left foot on the ground, twisted his body to turn around, and lashed out with his right hand like a whip, pointing two fingers at Lu Jin.

Lu Jin channeled his inner energy, activating the Reverse Life technique, and with his left hand, he suddenly grabbed at Liu Deshui's right hand, stopping Liu Deshui's attack. He said with a smile, "Brother Liu, your two fingers are so evenly spaced, I dare not be careless about your pressure point technique."

Liu Deshui took a step back and said helplessly, "It's over. I can't seal your meridians, so there's nothing I can do about you." At the same time, he bowed to the seniors and said, "Liu Deshui has made a fool of himself in front of you seniors."

The arena was bustling with activity, mostly filled with praise, but no one mentioned the competition again. After the match, everyone had a clear understanding of the situation: there were those who could fight to a similar level, but few were young, and the members of the four major families had to avoid suspicion, so no one else stepped forward.

Seeing that Zhang Jingqing remained silent, Zuo Ruotong spoke up, "Celestial Master? Are you worried about the methods and character of the Sanyi Sect?"

Zhang Jingqing gritted her teeth and shouted:

Zhang Zhiwei

"To accompany Young Master Lu in demonstrating for the seniors."

Upon receiving the order, he walked to the center of the training ground. His feet landed silently, but everyone felt the ground sink slightly—not literally, but with a sense of oppressive Qi.

Zhang Jingqing then spoke again, as if explaining or adding: "Young Master Lu, let your foolish disciple Zhang Zhiwei accompany you twice. By the way, this Zhang is an adopted surname."

Everyone was shocked. This person was the one who might inherit the mantle of the Celestial Master!