Let you simulate life, but you change fate every time?! Chapter 12 1st Generation: Challenging the Masters, Martial Arts with 8 Extremes to Determine the Universe!
Previously on Let you simulate life, but you change fate every time?!...
"Elder, why did the Red Lotus Sect set their sights on the Shaolin Temple all those years ago?"
Lu Yuan inquired, his brows knitted in concern.
The situation struck him as utterly strange.
Surely, secrets lingered beyond his knowledge.
The Elder Grandmaster paused repeatedly before he at last opened up.
"Friend Lu, you've likely come across the saying, 'All martial arts under heaven stem from Shaolin'; it's no mere boast."
"Even fifty years back, when I had just stepped into Grandmaster status, the guardian in the Scripture Pavilion had already reached the pinnacle of that realm."
"Word has it that a decade prior, he stood merely a breath from the Martial Arts Extreme Realm, poised to shatter through whenever he chose!"
"Yet, certain higher powers refused to let him cross that threshold."
The Elder Grandmaster's final words hung heavy with implication.
Lu Yuan's eyes narrowed a fraction, grasping the deeper message.
Martial chivalry defies the bounds of authority.
In a society that champions civility and legal order.
To those holding the reins.
The presence of martial experts forms a volatile, unseen threat.
Take, for instance.
How come regular folks endure 996 work schedules?
But martial experts yearn to thrash their employers?
Why do everyday people swallow shoddy real estate deals without protest?
While martial experts itch to wipe out the developers' entire clans?
Not like docile crops ready for harvest.
Warriors possess fire and resolve.
Authority dreads what it can't command; order reigns supreme.
Hence.
The fading of martial traditions follows an inevitable course, backed by the Imperial Court's decrees and powerful factions, something no lone force can defy.
And the Red Lotus Sect likely served as a shadowy tool for another's schemes.
The grandmaster's gathering broke up.
Prior to departing, the Elder Grandmaster offered Lu Yuan a final warning.
As a blazing new star in the martial circles, he had drawn the gaze of the Imperial Court.
He needed to halt his pursuits and keep a low profile.
Or else, he would surely unleash fatal disaster on himself and his kin!
"Are you telling me to back down from these challenges?"
Lu Yuan's face grew somber, sensing a weight unlike any before.
Should he press on with spreading martial ways.
Then his foes wouldn't merely be isolated powers or factions, but the full current of the times!
Yet surrendering so readily clashed with his very nature.
While he wrestled with this dilemma.
The gains from the life simulation arrived.
[Heaven-Defying Fate Change: You achieved grandmaster rank at five, slew a foe openly, altering your destiny's path.]
[Reward: 3000 Simulation Points!]
[Main Quest Completion: 30%!]
"Just a modest payout, and the main task progress halted?"
Lu Yuan arched a brow.
Though this made sense.
Since attaining Grandmaster, he wielded the strength to defy destiny.
The Chief Martial Artist appeared as insignificant as an insect in his eyes.
Crushing a mere insect at will wouldn't bring substantial gains, of course.
Right now, Lu Yuan focused most on pushing forward the main quest.
Regrettably.
Restoring martial arts' splendor seems straightforward, yet proves daunting.
Remember.
He aired martial lessons at three and rose as a child grandmaster at five, establishing Martial Extreme Daoist Schools nationwide.
One could argue that within his own limits, Lu Yuan had pushed to the maximum.
Still, progress lingered at a mere 30%, nowhere near finishing the main quest.
"What's my next move?"
Lu Yuan massaged his temples, a wave of fatigue washing over him.
Beyond the main quest.
He also faced roadblocks in building his strength.
Though [Heaven Rewards Diligence] offered miraculous benefits, third-class techniques proved too basic, only carrying him to Transformation Realm Grandmaster.
To progress beyond, he required elite martial skills from rival sects.
However, elite martial arts represent guarded heirlooms of ancient traditions.
Reserved solely for select inner disciples; outsiders can't borrow them.
Besides, becoming a pupil isn't an option.
After all, carrying prior knowledge to a new teacher.
Counts as a grave offense in martial circles.
What's more, Lu Yuan holds Grandmaster standing, on par with fellow experts.
Even should he humble himself, others might recoil from taking him on.
Lu Yuan lacked superior alternatives here.
Abruptly, a spark ignited in his mind, recalling the C-level temporary talent card.
[Flash of Inspiration]!
He activated it without delay.
In the instant that followed.
A crushing weariness struck him, leaving a void inside, like his form had been drained dry.
As if he'd labored through scores of manual tasks in one go, teetering on collapse.
Yet his thoughts surged with vigor like never before.
Myriad ideas collided, fused, and reformed within his skull.
After some ten minutes.
Lu Yuan gained a sudden revelation, remembering a report on a boxing champ who botched a duel and got slain.
Within martial society.
Countless warriors prize their dojo's reputation above all else.
Thus, issuing a challenge to a hall mirrors a duel to the death.
Should the challenger fall short.
The hall could eliminate him without repercussions.
But victory in the challenge signifies.
The hall's arts fall wanting, forcing them to grant the challenger's demand.
Elite martial arts unavailable for sharing?
Then I'll force compliance through victory!
Plus, streaming the duels could amplify the Martial Extreme Daoist School's reach.
This realization grew on him, solidifying the plan's potential.
Come morning.
Lu Yuan promptly convened a media event.
Declaring publicly.
He planned to travel south and clash with halls across the land in martial contests!
The announcement rocked the entire martial world.
Plenty of warriors condemned it.
Why abandon a promising young grandmaster role for hall challenges?
Does he fancy himself invincible?
Others viewed Lu Yuan's choice as a reckless downfall.
Hall challenges would surely trample numerous warriors' stakes.
Fresh from clashing with the Red Lotus Sect, now aiming to antagonize vast swaths of the martial realm?
Wasn't that seeking his own end?
Yet a handful voiced approval.
The Wudang Elder Grandmaster opined.
Amid the martial domain crushed by era's tides, it resembled a pond on the verge of evaporation.
Rather than await inevitable doom.
Better to shatter conventions and forge a fresh route!
Still, the Elder Grandmaster's views soon vanished beneath waves of backlash.
Amid the outer skepticism and scorn.
Lu Yuan stood firm, unshaken.
That night, he embarked on the road.
Toward the initial destination in his southern martial tour.
Cangzhou.
Baji Daoist School!
With scholarly pursuits, Tai Chi harmonizes the realm; with combat, Baji anchors the cosmos.
Since antiquity.
Baji Fist has flourished, hailed as a premier striking method in martial lore.
This Wu lineage in Cangzhou.
Boasts deep roots, transmitted across centuries!
Its followers enlist in forces or venture into commerce and governance.
Numerous members have guarded imperial elites and top officials.
Notably, the past Baji Hall leader even instructed the reigning Emperor in martial ways.
Its sway is immense, subtly shaping official edicts!
On reaching Cangzhou.
Lu Yuan secured lodging first.
The following day, he delivered his challenge card.
When the Baji Hall Master got Lu Yuan's card.
Fury boiled within him, like facing supreme dishonor.
The school's other members burned with anger, eager to confront Lu Yuan in mortal combat right then.
The Baji Daoist School holds lofty stature, with an enduring heritage.
Even governors afford it great deference.
But Lu Yuan, a mere child of five, presumed to issue a hall challenge?
Outrageous!
This affronted every Baji practitioner!
Hall challenging rivals parental slaying in grudge.
He demands execution to quench their wrath!
What of young grandmaster?
Prodigy or not?
Our Baji Daoist School fields two Grandmasters, fearing no opponent!
Take up the gauntlet!