Lu Yuan Challenges the Hall, One Palm Bursts a Head! Limit Martial Dao Shakes Pan City!

Lu Yuan arrived at the second-floor hall of the martial arts facility. The moment he stepped inside, dozens of students sprang to their feet in unison. *Whoosh.* Every student stood straight, bowed respectfully toward Lu Changsheng, and shouted in one voice, "Senior Brother Lu!" Lu Yuan felt a flicker of surprise. Yet seeing their glowing, energetic faces, he could guess what had happened. These students had undoubtedly tasted the benefits. Over the course of a month, even an ordinary person could sense whether their physical constitution had improved. "Master, how do you feel?" Lu Yuan asked. His master, Fei Qianliu, drew a deep breath. Without a word, he drove a fist straight forward. *Boom!* A massive sandbag shuddered under the heavy impact, creaking as if it could no longer bear the strain and might burst open at any second. Fei Qianliu lowered his arm and said in a low, heavy voice, "I did not unleash any hidden force. Yet in just one month, both my strength and physical constitution have improved noticeably. If I persist for one year, three years, five years, or even ten years, my physical constitution will likely reach an unimaginable height." Fei Qianliu was thoroughly shaken. The Limit Martial Dao style had completely overturned his understanding. In a mere month, it had given him the sensation of shedding his old skin. However, Fei Qianliu was different from ordinary people. Lu Changsheng had told him that the Limit Martial Dao would be even more effective if supplemented by potent tonics. Thus, over the past month, Fei Qianliu had consumed rich restoratives daily without pause. That was why his progress had been so pronounced. Then there were Senior Sister Xiang, Senior Brother Xia, and the many students. Even though most of them had not taken restorative tonics, a month of dedicated practice had brought distinct changes to them as well. For instance, their strength had genuinely grown. Their spirits were brighter. They felt as though they had inexhaustible energy every day. Such tangible bodily transformation was intoxicating. At this moment, not a single one of them doubted the Limit Martial Dao style anymore. If anything, their confidence surpassed everyone else's. Fei Qianliu inhaled deeply and announced solemnly, "Therefore, starting today, I will no longer train force. I will practice the Limit Martial Dao!" He was the first to state his stance. He would no longer train his Flying Crane style either. There was more than one branch of the Flying Crane style; many lines existed. Fei Qianliu had originally learned Flying Crane martial arts at an academy himself, and he bore no duty to preserve its lineage. Abandoning it now posed no emotional burden whatsoever. "Lu Yuan, from now on, the Flying Crane Martial Arts Hall will be renamed Limit Martial Dao, and we will honor you as the style master of the Limit Martial Dao style. With our group as your foundation, we will surely help you spread the influence of the Limit Martial Dao style until it dominates all of Pan City, the entire south, and even the whole Yulong Kingdom!" A sharp light flashed in Fei Qianliu's eyes—the light of ambition. He was in his prime and had once harbored grand dreams. Regrettably, the passing years had worn him down, leaving him holed up in little Pan City running a modest martial arts hall. But now everything was different. Fei Qianliu understood the potential of the Limit Martial Dao all too well. Once it grew, it was bound to soar into the heavens. This was also Fei Qianliu's opportunity. No matter how brilliant Lu Yuan was, Fei Qianliu had been his master. In the future, any introduction of Lu Yuan as the founder of the Limit Martial Dao style would include the line, *studied under Fei Qianliu of the Flying Crane Martial Arts Hall in his youth.* With that influence attached, the greater Lu Yuan's achievements became, the greater the benefits for Fei Qianliu. Thus, after deliberating for a month, Fei Qianliu finally made up his mind to offer the Flying Crane Martial Arts Hall and support Lu Yuan with everything he had. Lu Changsheng was somewhat surprised. He had not expected Fei Qianliu to possess such boldness. The Flying Crane Martial Arts Hall represented a lifetime of effort, yet Fei Qianliu was offering it up outright to back him. Lu Changsheng thought it over. He truly did need a place to expand the Limit Martial Dao style, and the Flying Crane Martial Arts Hall was exceptionally well suited. Dropping the formalities, Lu Changsheng nodded. "Then thank you, Master. The Flying Crane Martial Arts Hall will be renamed the Limit Martial Arts Hall, but ownership remains yours. I am merely borrowing the venue for now. Moving forward, the Limit Martial Arts Hall will no longer use the traditional master-disciple model; it will operate on a student basis. Anyone who joins is a student of the Limit Martial Arts Hall. Here, there will only be coaches and students." In truth, Lu Changsheng had considered offering it for free, but doing so right at the start would be ill-advised. His reputation was still small, and the Limit Martial Dao style had little influence. What would free lessons accomplish now? People rarely cherished what came too easily. Only when Lu Changsheng made a resounding name for himself, broke through limits, and stepped into the supernatural realm—when his influence expanded across the entire world—would people flock to it if he released the Limit Martial Dao style for free. When that time came, the style would sweep the globe, and condensing martial dao would become effortless. For now, he needed to take steady steps. Lu Changsheng then handed the management of the Limit Martial Arts Hall over to his master, Senior Sister Xiang, and the others. As style master, he had no need to handle trivial matters; he only needed to serve as the spiritual symbol, the soul of the Limit Martial Dao style. Returning to his room, Lu Changsheng brought up his attribute panel to examine his current status. Host: Lu Yuan Limit Martial Dao style: Primary growth (23%) His progress in the Limit Martial Dao style had already reached twenty-three percent. That was extraordinarily fast—a fifteen percent gain in a single month. Of course, that was thanks to an ample supply of potent restoratives. Without them, his progress would have been vastly slower. Lu Changsheng counted the time. He had been in this secret world for roughly three months, which meant he was still at the very beginning. He had more than two years left to develop the Limit Martial Dao style. *What restricts me right now are restorative tonics. That one million is almost entirely spent. I have to earn money...* Earning money was not difficult for him. It was simply a matter of running the martial arts hall. But to run a martial arts hall, one needed students. And how did one attract students? In the martial arts circle, such things were both simple and complicated. It was simple because in martial arts, there was no room for second best; one simply went around challenging and kicking rival halls. Whoever proved stronger naturally drew people eager to train. It was complicated because these halls had deep local roots and tangled webs of relationships. If Lu Changsheng truly went down the line challenging them one by one, he would offend every hall in the city. The pressure he would face then would come from every direction, extending far beyond the martial arts community. After all, there was a saying in the martial arts circle: *The martial world is never about fighting and killing; it is about worldly wisdom and relationships.* Yet why would Lu Changsheng bother playing nice and catering to worldly connections? His time was limited—only two years and change. *Twenty-three percent in primary growth makes my physical constitution far exceed ordinary men. It is more than enough to handle transforming force, or even pellet force. In that case, let us set a modest goal first: become number one in Pan City!* Lu Changsheng made his decision. Number one in Pan City! It seemed the time had come to put the plan into motion and thoroughly establish the name of the Limit Martial Dao style. He promptly summoned the core members of the style. "Master, there are far too many martial arts halls and styles in Pan City right now, which is detrimental to promoting our Limit Martial Dao style. Therefore, I intend to challenge the halls. I want Pan City to have only our Limit Martial Dao style!" Lu Changsheng spoke decisively, clearly having made up his mind long ago. "You want to challenge the halls?" Fei Qianliu's expression changed slightly. It went beyond an ordinary challenge. Wanting Pan City to hold only the Limit Martial Dao style meant cutting off the livelihood of every other hall and driving them out of the city. How immense were the interests involved? How terrifying would the resulting pressure be? "Lu Yuan, there is no need to be so aggressive. We can take it slowly..." Fei Qianliu advised. "Take it slowly?" Lu Changsheng shook his head, speaking with deep meaning. "The path of martial dao allows only advance, never retreat. Besides, if the Limit Martial Dao style I created does not even dare contest for number one in a mere Pan City, how could it ever surpass limits? My mind is made up; there is no need to dissuade me, Master. What we must do now is prepare and figure out how to turn these challenges into a sensation across Pan City, using the momentum to broaden our style's influence." Lu Changsheng was now the style master of the Limit Martial Dao style. His word was the style's command. "We obey the style master's decree!" Fei Qianliu and the others quickly began discussing arrangements. Assuming Lu Changsheng had a hundred percent certainty of victory, the method to maximize the impact was straightforward: television stations and news media! If they could bring in journalists and television crews, record footage to post online, and even run live streams, the challenge would stir up a massive furor, shaking Pan City and perhaps even the Yulong Kingdom. However, everything rested on one premise: Lu Yuan had to win. He could not lose even once. A single loss would reduce all prior efforts to nothing. Three days later, Lu Changsheng set out. He had already sent a challenge letter to the Bear Hugging Martial Arts Hall under the name of the Limit Martial Dao style. Whether the Bear Hugging Martial Arts Hall agreed was irrelevant, for agreed or not, it remained an open challenge to their hall. Challenging a hall was the most hostile act in the martial arts world—tantamount to a mortal feud. Cutting off someone's livelihood was no different from killing their parents; no one would treat a challenger with courtesy. The Limit Martial Dao style had made thorough preparations. Using his personal network, Fei Qianliu had engaged television staff to film the entire challenge process alongside Lu Yuan. Several hall students were streaming live on the internet, and newspaper reporters were ready to publish coverage. Naturally, the fastest medium was live streaming. A stream had already gone live on the largest platform with the title: *Limit Martial Dao Style Master Lu Yuan Tests His Fists in Pan City: Who Dares Contend?* It was far from the only broadcast. Many students were running their own streams under an assortment of eye-catching titles: *Shocking: Twenty-Year-Old Martial Genius Creates Limit Martial Dao Style, Begins Pan City Hall Challenge Route!* *Founder of Limit Martial Dao Challenges Every Major Hall in Pan City!* *Who Is Truly Number One in Pan City? Ten O'Clock This Morning, Be There or Be Square!* Such stream titles were everywhere. While undeniably clickbait, the bizarre headlines succeeded in catching the eye of countless netizens. "Limit Martial Dao style? What kind of style is that? I don't think there's any such style in the martial arts circle." "Looking at the title, it seems to be in Pan City. I've been there before and never heard of any Limit Martial Dao style. Is this just traffic farming?" "Created a martial style at twenty? Certified clickbait. Don't fall for it..." Many dismissed it as sensationalism and began mocking it in the chat. Yet even more people were drawn in. Once the live footage appeared, several locals from Pan City chimed in to explain. "Wait, it really is Pan City! That place... isn't that the Bear Hugging Martial Arts Hall?" "Yes, that's the Bear Hugging Martial Arts Hall! Word is the hall master is a hidden force martial artist, and they have several other hidden force practitioners who once broke into the top ten of the Pan City Martial Dao Tournament. They're quite formidable." "Is the Bear Hugging Martial Arts Hall the first stop for this Limit Martial Dao style?" "Are you kidding me? Challenging the Bear Hugging Martial Arts Hall? And what's this Limit Martial Dao style... Who is their style master anyway? It can't be that young man, can it?" "It really looks like him... Though to be fair, while he's young, he carries an extraordinary bearing. He looks like a real martial artist." "At the very least, he's remarkably built..." Lu Changsheng could not see the stream comments. Surrounded by his entourage, he arrived before the Bear Hugging Martial Arts Hall. The current Lu Yuan was utterly different from the Lu Yuan of three months prior—practically night and day. The reason was simple: he had grown far more muscular. His frame had expanded significantly, exuding an immense sense of oppression. The Limit Martial Dao style harnessed the nutrients and energy in food to stimulate wild bodily growth, thereby pushing past human limits. As the body grew, building bulk was inevitable—perhaps the only current "drawback" of the style. It was ill-suited for women, as training it would cause rapid physical expansion, turning them into muscular behemoths. For women who wished to keep a slender figure, the style was an absolute nightmare. Lu Changsheng had once asked Senior Sister Xiang if she still wanted to practice. She had answered without hesitation that she did. Even though she had trained in the Limit Martial Dao for only a month, her frame had already expanded considerably. The once-dashing senior sister now possessed arms thicker than an average man's thighs, her entire body packed with explosive muscle. A feminine figure was entirely out of the question, but she did not care. She had always leaned toward being a martial fanatic, and tasting the wonders of the style had only drawn her in deeper. Why would she care about conventional beauty? She pursued muscle and power; with both in hand, what use was a slender waist? Still, the most exaggerated change belonged to Lu Changsheng, whose progress was the fastest. *Snap.* Lu Changsheng slipped off his jacket, leaving only a vest that displayed terrifying muscle definition, and stepped forward toward the Bear Hugging Martial Arts Hall. The visual shock and sheer deterrence sent chills through the members of the hall. "Hall Master Liu, Lu Yuan, style master of the Limit Martial Dao style, has come to challenge your hall! If Hall Master Liu loses, you and your disciples will be forbidden from taking students or running a martial arts hall in Pan City! Likewise, the same applies to me if I lose." Lu Changsheng's voice rang loud and blunt. The crowd erupted into an uproar. Though they knew Lu Yuan had come to challenge the hall, they had not expected such harsh terms. Barring the loser from teaching or operating in Pan City was far beyond cutting off their livelihood; it was clearly meant to drive them from the city altogether. Liu Tianxiong, the master of the Bear Hugging Martial Arts Hall, darkened instantly. In a challenge like this, agreeing or refusing made little difference. Refusal was an open admission of weakness, ensuring they would have to bow their heads whenever they encountered members of the Limit Martial Dao style in the future. How could they remain in the martial arts circle then? They would not attract a single student, and the hall would be forced to close sooner or later anyway. Thus, his only choice was to accept. "Fine, I accept!" "Lu Yuan, I remember you. You were nearly beaten to death in the first round of the Martial Dao Tournament a short while back by a successor of the Meridian Severing Fist—it even made the news. You ought to cherish your second chance at life. Fists and feet have no eyes; I might just finish you off!" Liu Tianxiong gritted his teeth and spoke coldly, laying bare Lu Yuan's identity. The spectators stirred in astonishment. The name Lu Yuan had felt familiar to many, but they had not immediately connected him to the man nearly killed in the tournament's opening round. After all, Lu Yuan was supposedly the founder of the Limit Martial Dao style; how could he be the same person who failed to survive round one three months ago? "It's him?" "Wasn't this Lu Yuan eliminated in the first round three months back? I heard an expert in the Meridian Severing Fist ruptured his heart meridian and nearly killed him. It was a huge headline back then!" "Right, I saw that news too! In just three months, he turned around and became the founder of some Limit Martial Dao style?" "And now he's challenging the Bear Hugging Martial Arts Hall? Isn't that seeking death?" "Challenging a hall means signing a life-and-death pact. People can actually die..." For a time, the looks directed at Lu Changsheng shifted. Lu Yuan remained entirely unperturbed. He said calmly, "True enough. Three months ago, I couldn't even make it past the first round of the Martial Dao Tournament and was nearly beaten to death. But that brush with death allowed me to comprehend the Limit Martial Dao! I gained enlightenment! I realized that contemporary martial artists have taken the wrong path—force-training martial arts are not true martial dao at all. My Limit Martial Dao is the only true path!" With that, Lu Yuan lunged forward. *Boom!* The ground trembled. "Come, beat me to death! Use your strongest Bear Hugging force to kill me!" Lu Yuan roared, surging forward with a terrifying momentum that made onlookers shudder. "As you wish! Bear Hugging force: Bear Embrace!" Liu Tianxiong moved. Charging straight at Lu Changsheng like a massive black bear, he spread his palm-fan hands wide and clamped his arms fiercely around Lu Yuan. *Thud!* Liu Tianxiong locked him in a tight hug. The instant his arms closed, he held nothing back, driving a burst of hidden force into his opponent. Feeling the hidden force enter the body without resistance, Liu Tianxiong felt a surge of joy. His Bear Hugging force was exceptionally domineering; once it landed and penetrated the flesh, the target was either crippled or dead. Most people dodged his Bear Embrace at all costs. Who would have thought Lu Yuan would allow himself to be caught? It was sheer suicide! Yet seconds ticked by, and Liu Tianxiong sensed something was amiss. Why hadn't Lu Yuan collapsed? He looked up and met Lu Yuan's gaze. Lu Yuan appeared completely calm, with even a trace of puzzlement on his face. "Where is your Bear Hugging force? Is that all?" Lu Yuan had felt practically nothing. "Ahhh!" Liu Tianxiong exerted every ounce of strength, his face flushing crimson as he tried to suplex Lu Yuan to the ground. Yet Lu Yuan remained rooted to the spot, unmoving as an immovable mountain. "Never mind. I shouldn't have expected anything from you," Lu Changsheng muttered, shaking his head. Reaching out, he seized Liu Tianxiong by the collar and hoisted him into the air with one hand. Dangling him like a helpless chick was the ultimate insult. Suspended in midair, Liu Tianxiong panicked, desperately hammering punch after punch of hidden force into Lu Yuan. Yet every strike sank in like a clay ox plunging into the sea, producing no reaction whatsoever. *How is this possible? Is his body made of iron? Even a pellet force grandmaster wouldn't dare take several of my hidden force strikes head-on! Only an astral force grandmaster who can cloak their entire body in force could deflect hidden force like this!* Liu Tianxiong's eyes widened in utter disbelief. His hidden force had failed. Yet he had felt it clearly: Lu Yuan was made of flesh and blood. He was merely broader and more muscular. Even a muscular man could not withstand hidden force, so why was Lu Yuan completely unaffected? Liu Tianxiong had no way of knowing that the Limit Martial Dao style specifically developed the physical body. Muscles, bones, blood, and skin were enhanced comprehensively. A mere hidden force could pierce the skin, but it could not penetrate dense muscle. Lu Yuan's musculature acted like an iron fortress, walling off the hidden force entirely. Stripped of his hidden force, Liu Tianxiong's physical constitution was barely superior to an ordinary man's—how could he possibly compare to Lu Changsheng? "Down." Lu Yuan hurled Liu Tianxiong away, slamming him heavily onto the ground. The impact left Liu Tianxiong battered and dizzy, barely able to crawl back up. That had only been because Lu Yuan showed restraint; had he smashed him directly into the ground, Liu Tianxiong's head would have shattered on impact. "Master!" "How dare you hurt my master?!" A disciple from the Bear Hugging Martial Arts Hall charged forward with bloodshot eyes. *Smack!* The disciple drove a savage fist straight into Lu Yuan's chest, channeling hidden force into the blow. It was an unmistakable attempt on Lu Yuan's life. Lu Yuan's gaze turned chillingly cold. *Crack!* His hand lashed out, slamming downward onto the disciple's head. The strike was exceedingly ferocious, moving so fast that dodging was out of the question. Everyone could only watch in horror as Lu Yuan's palm crashed down upon the skull. And then... *Pop!* The skull burst. Under the force of Lu Yuan's palm, the disciple's head exploded like a crushed watermelon. Splatters of red and white showered over Lu Yuan. Silence. The entire Bear Hugging Martial Arts Hall fell deathly still, so quiet a pin drop could be heard. The cameras continued to capture the scene clearly, and the live streams broadcast it uninterrupted. Yet the sheer gore and terror sent everyone's souls fleeing from their bodies, a bone-chilling dread creeping up their spines. "Quick, cut that footage!" "Turn the stream camera away!" Someone finally snapped to their senses. Such a scene was bound to cause severe distress. Television broadcasts would censor it, and newspapers would gloss over the details. But live streaming was different; countless viewers had already witnessed the moment. At this instant, the live stream chat was flooded with comments: *Did... did I just watch someone get killed?* *A moment ago I thought traditional martial arts fights looked like child's play—just look at Liu Tianxiong flailing helplessly like a turtle after Lu Yuan lifted him. But now I know I was completely wrong. Liu Tianxiong wasn't flailing; Lu Yuan was just terrifyingly strong!* *Bursting a human head with a single palm... I study physics, so I know a little about the math. Just how monstrous must a person's strength be to smash a skull like that?!* *It really is different, completely different! Lu Yuan's Limit Martial Dao style genuinely isn't like normal martial arts. Ordinary masters don't have that kind of terrifying raw power, and their fights rely on forms and techniques to find openings. Lu Yuan just steamrolled him through sheer force!* *Exactly! Lu Yuan overpowered them purely with his body! In power, defense, and even hand speed, he completely outmatched the master and disciple. They could use hidden force, but it had zero effect on him!* *Could it be that when muscles become strong enough, even hidden force can't do anything to them?* *So you're saying the master and disciple were defeated by pure muscle?* *It must be that Limit Martial Dao style Lu Yuan keeps talking about... Interesting. This style truly is unique.* The online discussion grew increasingly fervent, sparking intense curiosity about the Limit Martial Dao style. As for the death? Horrific as it was, this had been an inter-hall challenge under an implicit life-and-death pact. When the disciple recklessly attacked Lu Yuan, he had voluntarily entered the stage, effectively binding himself to the pact. Killing him violated no martial rules, nor would it bring legal trouble. "Liu Tianxiong..." Lu Changsheng began. Before he could finish, Liu Tianxiong collapsed limply to the floor, panting frantically, "I concede! I concede! The Bear Hugging Martial Arts Hall will close immediately, and I will leave Pan City as fast as possible..." Liu Tianxiong was terrified. Even though his disciple had been slain on the spot, he harbored no thought of vengeance. His courage had been utterly shattered. With such a shadow cast over his mind, it was doubtful whether he could ever muster hidden force again; he was effectively ruined. "Splendid! We won!" "The style master won so easily!" "The style master hasn't even trained the Limit Martial Dao for long, yet his strength is already this terrifying. He was right—force-training martial arts are useless! Our Limit Martial Dao is the only true path!" Seeing Liu Tianxiong admit defeat, the students of the Limit Martial Dao style erupted into cheers. After witnessing Lu Yuan crush a man's head with a single blow, who would dare claim the Limit Martial Dao style was a fraud? Who would dare dismiss it as flashy showmanship? After today, no one in the martial arts community of Pan City would remain ignorant of the Limit Martial Dao style!