I Have A Martial Dao World

Chapter 34: 34. Challenge

Lu Yao returned to his seat, and a soft, warm fragrance filled his arms.

"You are so amazing! Have you stabilized it yet?"

Liao Qe's pretty face was flushed with excitement, and she hugged him tightly, refusing to let go. Reliable at a crucial moment, the girl had fallen deeply in love with Lu Yao.

"Mm-hmm, I was lucky to have a breakthrough."

Lu Yao caressed the body in his arms, which was compact and well-proportioned; a wave of joy filled his heart.

He hadn't been useless; instead, he played a key role. He helped the sisters win back their father's remains, and he had also managed to breakthrough in his Spirit Refinement that had been at a standstill for so long. It was a double celebration—the ordeal was worth it~

Liao Ya looked at him with eyes full of admiration and took out some golden sore medicine to remind him, "Lu Yao is hurt; you should tend to your wounds first."

Only then did Liao Qe remember that her beloved had been injured; she hurriedly bandaged him up.

Lu Yao's wounds were not too severe and were quickly taken care of. He waved his cleaver with vigor and said, "Let's go, claim the Master's remains!"

~~~~~~~~

At the main seats to the east of Four Seas Tower.

Duan Pei personally handed over the deed to the Liao Family's martial arts school, the school opening permit, and most importantly the sandalwood box to Liao Ya, saying warmly, "Master Liao was young and talented; indeed, a fortune for our Yunzhou Martial Faction."

Lu Yao noticed that the age of high-level martial artists was rather hard to determine. This man was of average height with a rectangular face; at first glance, he looked to be in his forties, but his vibrant vigor and good maintenance made him appear like a man in his twenties.

Duan Pei put on an appearance of caring for talent, "You all are outstanding individuals; you are welcome to come and exchange knowledge at our Thunderclap Martial Arts Hall."

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that this was an attempt to win them over.

"You flatter me," said Liao Ya, whose demeanor was perfect for such grand occasions. With her elegance and composed manner, she easily attracted the attention of the entire room.

At that moment, Master Pang, who had been inconspicuous until now, tapped his cane and said,

"Liao Family's eldest daughter, I may be a few years older, having already taught three Organ Refining and two Marrow-Cleansing disciples. You are young with exceptional talent, but without proper guidance, I fear you won't go far. If you are interested, you may come to Pang's Martial Arts School for a chat."

He was clearly hinting at taking her as a disciple, and Liao Ya responded with a fist salute, "I am honored by Master Pang's high regard."

Duan Pei felt uncomfortable inside. He was doing well with his recruitment, and then this old man suddenly came out of nowhere to steal the spotlight! He hadn't seen him offer any protection when Sun Haoran was playing tricks earlier, and now he shows up!

~~~~~~~

By this time, Lu Yao and Liao Qe had already opened the box and checked its contents; inside was only an arm—nothing else remained!?

Liao Ya shouted angrily, "Sun Haoran, where are my father's other remains!"

Faced with the accusation, the elegant gentleman who looked like a teacher curled his lips upwards, held his teacup leisurely, and replied,

"Let Master Liao know that the body of a martial artist who has reached Blood-Exchange Mastery is quite precious, often handling it can aid in breaking through barriers. But there's no need to keep the entire body; just cutting off a part will do. As for the other parts... they must have been well hidden by someone. Of course, it's also possible that they were sold to the English for dissection."

The clean cut on the arm in the box was an obvious sign it had been severed. Looking at Sun Haoran's expression and tone, the whereabouts of the father's other remains had to be related to him!

The sisters, flushed with indignation, were furious. Liao Ya, in her extreme anger, took a deep breath—so long that it took nearly a minute to inhale and exhale completely.

A sound like distant thunder arose from within her. Then, her chest suddenly quivered, causing the air around her to ripple as if agitated by water.

Lu Yao remembered that in "Animal World," crocodiles used a similar method to vibrate the water to show off their strength and court mates. But that was nothing compared to the shock of Liao Ya at that moment; the air around her seemed to boil!

Liao Ya's eyes grew brighter, and the next second, she suddenly exhaled a breath that stayed together like an arrow!

Seeing this, someone in disbelief said, "Master Liao... is breaking through!?"

Duan Pei's face was full of surprise as he muttered, "Breath as sharp as an arrow... resonance of the six organs!"

Master Pang, who had been calm throughout, stood up leaning on his cane, his face showing shock, "This girl... has she been refining organs for even a year!? Consecutive breakthroughs!"

~~~~~~~~

After breaking through, Liao Ya's momentum surged even more, like a sharp blade splitting the sky, as if she wanted to cleave the entire Four Seas Tower in two!

Looking at Sun Haoran again, she could only think of him as a cowardly scoundrel, despicable and shameless, only capable of using dirty tricks!

She was already talented herself, and with her junior brother's strong support, even hiding a thousand taels of silver under the bed, there was no need to feel afraid!

Liao Ya raised her hand, pointing at Sun Haoran, and shouted loudly as her words hit the ground, "Sun Haoran, you've been coveting our Liao Family's boxing school, so I'll give you one more chance—in one month, you and I will have another martial arts competition here. Do you dare accept?"

Do you dare accept

Dare accept

Accept

Accept

...

The last few words seemed to explode out of thin air, a thunderclap shaking everyone to the core, with dust falling from the beams of the wine house.

Liao Ya achieved a breakthrough in public, then with the immense momentum of her breakthrough, she issued a challenge!

No sooner had she spoken than a wave of astonishment swept through the crowd, "This woman wants to challenge from Organ Refining to Marrow-Cleaning!?"

"Challenging across a major realm, does she no longer want to live?"

With such a vast gap between their realms, like a cat and a mouse, it was utterly impossible for her to win.

Lu Yao also found it strange, his senior sister wasn't a reckless person. He would have to ask her about it after a while.

Everyone's gaze returned to Sun Haoran to see how he would respond.

Sun Haoran set down his teacup calmly, his eyebrows rising, his previously gentle demeanor turning fierce; he looked just like a wanted criminal in a poster.

"Little girl, you actually dare use me as a whetstone!? You want to force yourself, to put pressure on yourself to achieve Marrow-Cleaning within a month!"

Liao Ya remained coldly silent, her eyes filled with disdain and contempt.

"Ha...hahaha" Sun Haoran began to laugh as if he had heard some joke, his laughter echoing within the Four Seas Tower, causing many teacups to tremble.

"The idea is not bad, but sadly, it's courting death. I accept the challenge. I'll see you in one month."

Having said this, he left with his hands behind his back.

~~~~~~~~

Seeing this, Duan Pei chimed in to curry favor,

"Master Liao, you're being rash. This man was looking for an opportunity to deal with you again, and yet you directly challenge him. Aren't you giving him a perfect opportunity? The document for life and death hasn't even been signed; do you want me to decline it for you?"

Liao Ya bowed with her hands clasped and said, "The enmity of my father's murder cannot share the sky, not to mention this man holds my late father's body. I must fight him!"

"Ah, you this..." Duan Pei shook his head, deeply feeling regret and incomprehension.

"We need to recover after a great battle; I shall take my leave." Not wanting to waste more time with pleasantries, Liao Ya bowed to the crowd and left with Lu Yao and Liao Qe.

Along the way, many people approached them to strike up a conversation or to ingratiate themselves.

Others watched with cold eyes, among them were Sun Haoran's supporters and even more who did not hold Liao Ya in high regard.

"The Liao Family girl is too arrogant, does she really think that Sun Haoran rose from being a son of a courtesan to his current status solely by his own vast natural aura?"

"Half of the opium dens in Yunzhou are under Sun Haoran's protection; this man's reach is heavenly, not something the small Liao Family can contend with."

"I reckon that the Liao Family won't last till the day of the fight."