Crimson Whale, third story.
In the garden, a fine-looking young man and woman clasped their hands and bowed deeply before Lu Sheng. “Greetings, Master Uncle.”
Lu Sheng nodded with casual familiarity. He recognized them—his senior apprentice brother’s newly accepted disciples.
“Is your master in?” he asked as he made his way toward Hong Mingzi’s quarters, having returned in haste only to run into the pair.
The girl was Lin Honglian, the boy Yuan Zhong. Though only fifteen or sixteen, both possessed remarkable talent and had thus been taken in by Hong Mingzi not long ago.
“He’s resting inside the Blossoms Pavilion,” Lin Honglian replied crisply. Though a young lady, she had a far more straightforward nature than her senior apprentice brother. As she spoke, her gaze swept over Lu Sheng with undisguised curiosity.
She had heard countless stories from her master—this master uncle who reached the realm of Spirit Focus before the age of twenty, the sect’s most dazzling prodigy in a century. She had imagined many possibilities of what such a genius might look like.
Yet none matched the reality before her.
Bald. Towering. Muscles drawn tight beneath his robes. Two massive choppers crossed behind his back like a crude iron cross. Without brows or lashes, his bare features carried an even harsher, almost brutal edge—enough to unsettle anyone at first glance.
Lu Sheng strode toward the Blossoms Pavilion, turning past the bend until he vanished from sight. Only then did the two disciples exhale at the same time, shoulders sinking in relief.
“That’s the sect’s famed, powerful Master Uncle Lu?” Yuan Zhong whispered, sticking out his tongue.
“Yes. I wonder how strong he really is. When we have the chance, we should ask him for some pointers!” Lin Honglian’s eyes shone with excitement—the hallmark of a true martial arts fanatic.
“Are you insane?” Yuan Zhong nearly yelped. “Did you even look at him? His arm is as thick as both of yours put together! One swing of those giant sabers and you’d be done for!” He stared at her incredulously, as though she had utterly lost her mind.
“The situation now doesn’t look too good. Master said we’ll only benefit if we draw closer to Master Uncle,” Lin Honglian murmured.
“That may be so…” Yuan Zhong hesitated, “but Master Uncle looks really… savage…”
“Can you grow some balls? With your lack of guts, I’m embarrassed to be your junior apprentice sister!” Lin Honglian snapped.
Without another word, she crept silently toward the pavilion. “Let’s go see what Master and Master Uncle are talking about.”
Inside the garden pavilion—
“Take a seat.”
Hong Mingzi reclined on a bench, eyes narrowed as he gazed at the bright expanse of sky. From where he lay, he could peer past the arched, goldfish-patterned roof that filtered the sunlight, revealing a patch of clear azure.
Lu Sheng mirrored his posture, settling onto the rattan bench beside him. The woven surface was cool beneath him. A gentle breeze drifted through the pavilion, carrying a faint, sweet floral scent.
“Junior Apprentice Brother, you arrived in quite a rush. Is there something you wish to bring up?” Hong Mingzi asked. He already had a fair idea of what Lu Sheng had been focused on—rigorous martial practice and quirky pursuits like collecting antiques and burial artifacts.
Though curious, he respected that every man held his own secrets. He, too, had his own reasons for remaining unchallenged as the leader of the Northern Lands’ foremost sect for so many years.
Lu Sheng studied him quietly. Hong Mingzi’s complexion had improved—his skin held more color, the wrinkles on his face were less pronounced. Overall, he looked noticeably younger.
“There is something I’d like to ask you, Senior Apprentice Brother,” Lu Sheng said openly.
“I can more or less guess,” Hong Mingzi chuckled. He plucked a piece of pear cake from the stone table and savored it leisurely. “Our backer has been unusually quiet lately. Most likely they’re preparing for a major counteroffensive. No need to worry—they’ve already informed me of their plans.”
Lu Sheng frowned. “What about what you mentioned before…”
“That was likely just a false impression on my part. The Zhen Family has ruled this region for decades—how could they collapse so easily? A titan like that doesn’t fall overnight,” the old Sect Master said. Whatever intelligence he had received had clearly lifted his spirits.
Lu Sheng did not know where Hong Mingzi got his information, but if this sly and astute senior apprentice brother believed things were under control, then the situation was likely stable.
“Alright, then. I’ve just been feeling uneasy. Ever since our last conversation, Senior Apprentice Brother, I’ve been keeping an eye on any related news.”
“Don’t trouble yourself. Soon. We’ll hear something soon,” Hong Mingzi waved a hand, smiling. “The Scarlet District can’t compare to the Zhen Family. As long as the Zhen Family’s upper ranks take action, it’ll be settled.”
“That’s reassuring,” Lu Sheng exhaled softly. If the Zhen Family truly collapsed, the entire Northern Lands would be thrown into chaos.
Though the North was nominally under the court’s rule, real authority lay with the sects aligned under the Zhen Family. The court maintained only a token yamen staffed by ordinary officials—administrators in name, powerless in reality.
That was precisely why the Crimson Whale Sect’s upper ranks could interact with the highest officials in Mountain-Edge City as peers rather than subordinates.
“No need to fret. Oh, by the way, have you met my two new disciples?” Hong Mingzi continued. “After taking your advice, Junior Apprentice Brother, I realized that the Crimson Sun Sect is indeed too small. If we continued like that, we’d eventually wither away. So I’ve decided to take in more disciples. Talent is secondary—character comes first. Respect for elders, perseverance, persistence. As for martial arts, given the scale of our Crimson Whale Sect, there will always be a cultivation path suited to them.”
Lu Sheng chuckled inwardly. His senior apprentice brother was growing old, but his own sons were disappointments—more interested in fighting for influence than in martial cultivation. No wonder Hong Mingzi had begun treating his two new disciples as if they were his own children.
“As long as Senior Apprentice Brother is satisfied. Oh yes, is the Ultimate Crimson Mantra the only mantra in Crimson Sun Sect?”
“Yes. Ultimate Crimson Mantra is a peerless martial art,” Hong Mingzi replied with pride. “It is the culmination of three inner force skills, refined through the toil of countless generations of sect masters. When cultivated to Level Seven, its might stands unrivaled beneath the heavens—it reaches the realm of Divine Prime.” At that, his chest swelled with unmistakable pride. “This mantra is our core legacy, the inheritance passed down through the ages. Master it, and the world would bend beneath your feet.”
Divine Prime—an almost mythical realm. Few throughout history had ever reached it. By Lu Sheng’s estimation, anyone who did was usually at least eighty or ninety years old… unless blessed by some extraordinary fortune.
“That may be so. But I want to broaden my horizons by studying more mantras,” Lu Sheng said. “At the same time, I’ve been practicing hard-body skills—you know that. Does the sect possess any higher-level hard-body cultivation methods? I’d like to delve deeper into that.”
“You may, but remember this, Junior Brother: greed leads to indigestion,” Hong Mingzi cautioned, his tone heavy with experience. “Your senior apprentice brother is a living example. When my foundation was still unstable, I tried to cultivate a life force skill to counteract the excessive Yang heat of my inner force. Because of that distraction, my foundation was compromised. Now I’m stuck at Level Six of the Ultimate Crimson Mantra, with no hope of advancing further.” His voice carried a faint regret that lingered in the air.
Lu Sheng offered a few comforting words, omitting the inconvenient truth—that he had already mastered the Ultimate Crimson Mantra to its peak.
Not only that—he had even fused additional martial principles into it, forming the devastating Ultimate Crimson Nine Furies Skill.
His cultivation base was equivalent to two centuries of an ordinary mortal’s effort and accumulation. The sheer depth of his strength had already surpassed anything the world could imagine.
Had he revealed the true extent of his cultivation, Hong Mingzi would never have believed him—not unless Lu Sheng displayed his abilities outright. And doing that would expose his greatest secret: the Modifier.
Leaving the garden, he once again spotted Lin Honglian and Yuan Zhong lurking near the entrance. The two new disciples were obviously trying to eavesdrop yet lacked the courage to commit to it.
Lu Sheng shot them a speechless glance and shook his head.
“Something the matter, both of you?”
Only then did they shuffle forward.
“M-Master Uncle… Honglian dragged me here! I didn’t want to eavesdrop!” Yuan Zhong blurted instantly, betraying her without hesitation. Lin Honglian’s face flushed with anger as she pinched him hard.
“Enough,” Lu Sheng growled, his tone immediately silencing their rising quarrel. “Have you started learning the Ultimate Crimson Mantra?”
“No, not yet. We’re currently practicing the inferior Crimson Whale Mantra, along with the Crimson Whale Saber Technique and Crimson Whale Movement Skill. They’re all basic sect martial arts,” Lin Honglian answered quickly.
“Mm. Train diligently. If you encounter any problems, you may come to me at any time,” Lu Sheng replied with calm indifference.
Since his senior apprentice brother had placed hopes on these two, Lu Sheng felt no harm in watching over them as well.
“Many thanks, Master Uncle!” They bowed deeply, hands clasped.
Leaving them behind, Lu Sheng made his way toward the Martial Proclamation Library.
Earlier, when he had extrapolated the Ultimate Crimson Mantra, a bold possibility surfaced in his mind.
If he possessed enough Yin Qi—and accumulated enough knowledge of martial principles—could he craft a truly extraordinary mantra in a single sitting?
‘The heavens may boast nine transformations, yet all I take is the flash of azure.’
That line surfaced suddenly in Lu Sheng’s memory. It was handwritten by a former sect master at the end of Level Seven of the Ultimate Crimson Mantra.
Its meaning: The heavens may shift among nine hues, yet I choose only the azure sky.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCjNpS1XEp
And the azure sky—at its core—was nothing more than the color of the crimson sun.
Ultimate Crimson, Ultimate Crimson—so that was its true origin.
As the line resurfaced in his thoughts, Lu Sheng suddenly remembered that besides the Ultimate Crimson Nine Furies Skill, he also cultivated the hard-body Nine Lakes Steel Chains Skill and the Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill.
‘This is getting a bit too convoluted…’ His brows drew together. ‘Nine Lakes Steel Chains is a hard-body art. Yin-Yang Jade Crane nourishes and replenishes inner Qi. But in the end, all of them are inner force skills. If I could merge all my inner Qi into a single type, converting every strand of inner force into one unified whole… just how powerful would that be?’
But the thought collapsed almost as quickly as it arose. Their natures were entirely different—merging them was not something achievable with a flicker of inspiration. Perhaps only after he exposed himself to far broader martial knowledge in the future would such an idea even be possible.
‘Forget it. I still have quite a lot of contribution points. I can take a look at the hard-body skills and inner force mantras in the library and see what I can integrate.’
Further extrapolation of an inner force skill demanded immense consumption. Upgrading just a single level of inner force required nearly the same amount as elevating a hard-body art like Nine Lakes Steel Chains three times.
And that was only Level Eight—the cost for extrapolating Level Nine would undoubtedly be even more staggering.
Lu Sheng decided it was wiser to first push his life-saving hard-body skills—such as the Nine Lakes Jade Crane Skill—to their absolute pinnacle.
He planned to integrate every hard-body art he could obtain, merging them whenever possible to forge the strongest hard-body skill imaginable.
And for those of conflicting nature that refused to integrate—he might as well cultivate them all the same. With the Modifier, stacking hard-body abilities posed no difficulty at all.
As long as he possessed enough Yin Qi, he could cultivate as many hard-body skills as he wished, without limit.
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