Luo Chen took Shen Yuelan home and stayed there to rest and chat with her.
Shen Yuelan did not ask Luo Chen what Li Jiu had wanted with him, because the look on his face when he came out clearly showed it was nothing good.
Luo Chen did not bother to explain to Shen Yuelan either. Some things were too troublesome to explain. It would be easier to wait until that soul fragment had been nurtured and returned to Shen Yuelan, letting his mother recover her memories.
As for Li Jiu’s words, Luo Chen did not really take them to heart.
If he got too hung up on such things, he would not know how many people he would have to kill in this world, and that would truly be unworthy of the bearing of an Immortal Venerable.
Besides, Li Jiu’s words had not affected him in the slightest. He would still do what he needed to do.
Still, he figured Li Meizi had probably been given a stern talking-to by her father as well.
But what surprised Luo Chen was that Li Meizi seemed completely unaware of the matter. Early the next morning, she called Luo Chen and invited him to Baihua Mountain.
Of course, Li Meizi also openly admitted that, if possible, she would like Luo Chen to come and help steady the scene.
As for the Shen family matter, Master Zhang was already handling it. It was said he had already made contact with Shen Yucheng.
After all, while no one knew who the richest man was, everyone knew that Master Zhang, the richest man’s spokesperson, had already been found.
So Luo Chen did indeed have some free time these two days.
He simply agreed.
Baihua Mountain was shrouded in mist and clouds. Luo Chen arrived a bit late. By the time he got there, Li Meizi had already been waiting for a long time.
“Let’s head up first, it’s about to start,” Li Meizi said hurriedly.
After all, this was her father’s decisive battle. She could not help but be concerned.
Not many people had come to today’s decisive battle.
But those who came were all renowned figures of the martial arts world.
Over a dozen grandmaster-level figures from across the country had arrived.
Anyone else who wanted to come would be turned away.
After all, today’s outcome was of great importance. If things went badly, it could turn into the so-called “martial arts catastrophe” from wuxia novels.
That expert from the EU had made his intentions very clear. He could not be bothered to challenge people one by one, so he would directly challenge the number one expert on China’s Tianlong Ranking first.
If he won, not only would the nation lose face, but the entire Chinese martial arts world would likely be mocked, ridiculed, and trampled upon next.
Almost everyone on the Tianlong Ranking had come, except for Lin Hualong, who could not make it due to his special status.
At the mountain entrance, many people were already stationed there on high alert. Entry required an invitation.
Of course, as the daughter of China’s number one expert on the Tianlong Ranking, Li Meizi definitely had special privileges. She took Luo Chen straight up.
At the summit, there were only about a hundred or so people at the moment, but most were from the martial arts world. Very few were family members like Li Meizi.
Grandmasters from the Northeast, Yunnan, Hubei, Hebei, and other places, there were too many to count.
Big shots from all walks of life had gathered here. Each one was a famous heavyweight who could make their region tremble with a single stomp of their foot.
But at this moment, they were all standing a hundred metres away, forming a circle, watching quietly. Li Meizi and Luo Chen chose a spot with relatively fewer people.
Still, there was an old man in training robes standing beside them. The old man had white hair, but his complexion was ruddy and his breathing was steady and long. Clearly, he was also an expert.
But at this moment, he was staring intently at the two figures fighting in the field.
It was obvious that the battle had already begun.
One of the figures was an old man with long hair tied in a topknot. He did look quite like a martial arts master.
His foot-long beard fluttered in the wind. His movements were graceful, like a carefree cloud or wild crane. His wide sleeves fluttered as they sent out gusts of wind, directly cutting down some of the surrounding large trees.
The other person was somewhat surprising. He had blond hair and blue eyes, looked about forty years old, but was dressed in a crisp suit, like an elegant gentleman.
But at this moment, he was continuously retreating and dodging.
“Excellent!”
A round of applause broke out around them.
That old man was naturally Yu Xinghe, ranked second on the Tianlong Ranking. Rumour had it his quick hands could catch bullets.
And his graceful movements came from truly mastering the art of “treading on snow without leaving a trace.”
Clearly, this old man was also at the half-step Transformation Realm. Every move and stance had a natural, effortless feel. His attacks were sometimes like gentle tides and rippling waves, continuous and unending, and sometimes like raging waves and furious seas, with the force to topple mountains and the momentum of thunder.
As his hands danced, his attacks were as fast as lightning, dazzling to the eyes. When defending, they were airtight and impenetrable, not letting a single drop through.
“Brother Luo, what’s going on with them?” Li Meizi could not understand it at all, a puzzled look on her face.
When true experts crossed moves, ordinary people could not see clearly. It was too fast. In Li Meizi’s eyes, there were only two ghost-like figures, moving south then north, up then down. Apart from two blurs of black, she could not see anything else.
So when she heard people cheering, she naturally had to ask.
“That old man is about to lose,” Luo Chen shook his head. His voice was not loud, but it just so happened to be heard by the old man standing next to them.
He was a grandmaster from Guangxi, known as Old Jin, a famous figure in the martial arts world. In his youth, his golden blade skills could be described as divine.
Almost no one present did not know him, because his seniority was too high. Despite his white hair now, he was already around a hundred years old.
“Young one, if you don’t understand, don’t talk nonsense. Yu Xinghe hasn’t even used his ultimate skill, the Wind-Palm Technique, and he’s already suppressing that foreign little blondie into continuous retreat. How does that translate to losing in your mouth?” Old Jin snorted coldly, showing his displeasure.
But Luo Chen did not argue with Old Jin. Yu Xinghe was naturally the number two expert on China’s Tianlong Ranking. Although he seemed to have the upper hand now.
But Luo Chen could tell that the foreign expert had not been serious at all.
He was merely toying with Yu Xinghe. Although it looked dangerous, he was actually completely at ease.
Sure enough, the man suddenly smiled and then spoke.
“Alright, the warm-up should end.”
The moment these words fell, the man suddenly stretched out a hand and grabbed at Yu Xinghe like lightning.
Yu Xinghe had still been gaining the upper hand, but this claw came too fast and too abruptly. So Yu Xinghe sneered, mustered his inner strength, and struck back with a palm.
This was his ultimate skill, the Cloud-Parting Palm.
“Boom!” It was like a bomb exploding.
The power was so great that the air itself exploded.
Instantly, a fierce wind swept across the summit of Baihua Mountain. Not to mention people, even some large trees were uprooted and snapped in half.
Although it only lasted a few seconds, the force of this wind was even more violent than a tornado.
If Luo Chen had not grabbed Li Meizi in advance, she would have almost been blown away.
One could see just how powerful this strike was, especially since they were a hundred metres away.
In the arena, some boulders weighing several tonnes were even lifted a metre or two into the air, rolling dozens of metres away.
Facing this strike head-on, one could imagine how difficult it was.
But the next moment, with a ripping sound.
Yu Xinghe’s chest was instantly covered in blood. Three claw marks were a shocking sight.
Amidst everyone’s horrified expressions, Yu Xinghe was sent flying backwards and crashed to the ground.
“The warm-up is over. Mr Li, would you care to enter the field?”