Chapter 2

The Dragon of Spirit Qi rushed down and, in the blink of an eye, was completely absorbed by the Flame Dragon Vein.

At this moment, the Spirit Qi contained within the Flame Dragon Vein was overwhelmingly powerful, like a river overflowing with water!

The Flame Dragon Vein suddenly twisted, and the Spirit Qi circulated, permeating every part of Lu Chen's body.

Suddenly, a loud crack echoed from Lu Chen's body.

Crack!

First stage of the Body Tempering Realm!

Lu Chen returned to the path of martial arts!

Before he was crippled, Lu Chen was at the first stage of the True Essence Realm, with a powerful physique that did not require re-tempering. As long as he had sufficient Spirit Qi, he could break through directly.

At this moment, Lu Chen noticed something unusual. A small white dot, the size of a mung bean, appeared in the Flame Dragon Vein, crystal clear and translucent.

The Seed of True Essence!

Lu Chen was incredibly excited.

Ordinary martial artists would only see the Seed of True Essence appear at the ninth stage of the Body Tempering Realm, preparing them for the True Essence Realm.

When the Seed of True Essence shatters, Spirit Qi transforms into True Essence, marking the official entry into the True Essence Realm, which is considered the true beginning of martial arts.

At that time, True Essence would enter the body, enhancing combat power.

Even more, True Essence could be released externally to kill from a distance, making one's combat power terrifying.

Stronger martial artists could refine True Essence to its ultimate form, creating True Fire, making their combat power even more monstrous.

Lu Chen was now only at the first stage of the Body Tempering Realm, yet he possessed the Seed of True Essence, which normally appears at the ninth stage. This allowed him to sense True Essence, making him far stronger than martial artists of the same realm!

The Spirit Qi from the Flame Dragon Vein continued to release, but instead of tempering the body, it flowed continuously into the Seed of True Essence.

Crack!

Another loud crack echoed from within Lu Chen's body.

Second stage of the Body Tempering Realm!

The Seed of True Essence grew a bit larger.

Unconsciously, a day had passed.

The Spirit Qi from the Flame Dragon Vein was almost depleted, and the Nine Dragons Converging Technique stopped circulating.

Lu Chen opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and brilliant, like starlight, dazzlingly bright.

Fifth stage of the Body Tempering Realm!

The Seed of True Essence had absorbed a large amount of Spirit Qi and grown significantly, resembling a peanut.

At this moment, Lu Chen realized that his wounds had healed, and he could not help but be overjoyed. He got up and stretched his limbs.

Spreading his arms, his strength was as heavy as a mountain.

A mere fifth stage of the Body Tempering Realm, yet he possessed the strength of five thousand catties!

Ordinary martial artists at the first stage of the Body Tempering Realm had a strength of five hundred catties.

At the second stage, they had a strength of one thousand catties.

And so on, by the ninth stage, they possessed a strength of four thousand five hundred catties.

Of course, this was not the only rule.

Those with powerful martial veins or naturally great strength had much greater strength, reaching six or seven hundred catties at the first stage, or even eight or nine hundred catties.

As for Lu Chen, he had a strength of one thousand catties at the first stage and five thousand at the fifth stage, surpassing even the ninth stage of the Body Tempering Realm. It was easy to imagine how monstrous his strength would be as he advanced in realms.

Lu Chen was not naturally strong, so it was clear that the Flame Dragon Vein created by the Chaos Pearl was the best in the world, unmatched by any other!

The Nine Dragons Converging Technique, which cultivated the human dragon vein, was even more powerful, almost defying the heavens!

Lu Chen was filled with confidence. He wanted to return to his peak in the shortest time possible!

"One month from now, at the recruitment ceremony, I will shatter that venomous woman's dreams!"

Thinking of Zhou Ruoxue's deceit and cruelty, Lu Chen was consumed by anger. He slapped his palm down, and the thick black iron table beside him instantly dented.

Snap!

The door opened, and a delicate and beautiful girl rushed in nervously.

"Master, you... you're awake!"

The girl was delighted to see Lu Chen standing in the room, but then she noticed the dent in the black iron table and was startled, "This..."

"It was an accident."

"That's black iron. If you can dent it, you must be..."

The girl saw Lu Chen's radiant spirit and surging aura, completely unlike a martial arts cripple, and her eyes lit up.

The girl was named Wan'er, one year younger than Lu Chen, and was his maid.

Lu Chen had lost his mother at a young age and was raised by his father, Lu Zhengru.

Five years ago, Lu Zhengru left on a long journey, leaving only Wan'er to serve Lu Chen.

Lu Zhengru had been gone for five years, with no news of his life or death.

Living in the harsh Lu family, Wan'er and Lu Chen had shared hardships and relied on each other, never complaining.

If it weren't for Lu Chen awakening the high-grade Linglong Martial Vein and being esteemed by some of the Lu family elders, who made him the young master, their lives would have been very bleak.

"Indeed, I have cultivation, but I'm not at my peak yet."

Lu Chen did not hide this from Wan'er. In the entire Lu family, the only person he could trust was Wan'er.

"Thank goodness, Master still has cultivation. This is truly wonderful."

Wan'er clasped her hands together, overjoyed. "Master, when are we leaving the Lu family?"

"Leaving the Lu family?"

Lu Chen looked around and noticed two large bundles in the corner, frowning. "You've already packed?"

Wan'er nodded but did not speak.

"Tell me, what's going on?"

Seeing Lu Chen's anger, Wan'er hesitantly explained the reason.

Last night, the Lu family held an emergency meeting, deciding to strip the crippled Lu Chen of his status and appoint a new young master.

Elder Lu Zhengning even suggested that Lu Chen, who had offended the city lord, should be killed to appease the city lord's anger.

The other elders, out of respect for the missing family head, Lu Zhengru, disagreed with killing Lu Chen but insisted on cutting ties with him to avoid implicating the Lu family.

In the end, the council of elders unanimously decided that Lu Chen must leave the Lu family within three days!

Wan'er had to pack their belongings, waiting for Lu Chen to wake up so they could leave together.

"They are expelling me, not you. You can still stay in the Lu family."

"Wan'er will not leave Master. Where Master goes, Wan'er will go."

Wan'er paused and then whispered, "Actually, Wan'er has already thought about it. I will take Master to my hometown. Although life there is harder, it's safer than staying in Shuangmu City. When the family head returns, it will be easier to find Master and reunite the family."

Lu Chen suddenly reached out and gently took Wan'er's delicate hand, his gratitude unspoken.

Wan'er's face turned red, and she quickly lowered her head, unable to meet Lu Chen's gaze.

Lu Chen knew that once he left the Lu family, he would face great danger.

Zhou He had not killed him then only because of his status. If Lu Chen was no longer part of the Lu family, Zhou He would have no qualms about silencing him.

Moreover, Lu Zhengning, who wanted his son Lu Rong to be the young master, had always seen Lu Chen as a thorn in his side. Once Lu Chen was expelled, Lu Zhengning might try to eliminate him completely. Wan'er was well aware of this, and staying by Lu Chen's side was very dangerous.

Despite this, Wan'er remained loyal to Lu Chen, sharing his life and death.

Lu Chen felt nothing but gratitude and deep emotion.

"Master!"

A mocking voice rang out.

The tone was full of ridicule, not respect.

A figure stepped into the room.

The man, with a forced smile, stared at Wan'er's slender body with lecherous eyes.

"Lu Shaoping, what are you doing here?"

Wan'er looked at the man, her expression panicked.

Lu Shaoping was a distant relative of the Lu family, loyal to Lu Rong and often bullied others with his power.

"Of course, I'm here to see you. Why would I come to see this crippled young master?"

Lu Shaoping glanced at Lu Chen and Wan'er's intertwined hands, his lips twitching, and his face darkening. "In broad daylight, you two are doing such filthy things. How shameless."

"It's not what you think. We're not like that."

Wan'er's face turned bright red, and she quickly pulled her hand away from Lu Chen, explaining hurriedly.

"You'd rather be with this cripple than with me. You're a cheap woman."

Lu Shaoping, furious, ignored Lu Chen and reached out to grab Wan'er. "Since you don't appreciate my offer, I'll take you right here and now. I'll let this crippled master watch as I ravage you!"

"If you come any closer, I'll kill myself!"

Wan'er, holding a pair of scissors, pointed them at her neck, trembling.

"Using that trick again?"

Lu Shaoping snorted in anger, his face twisted. "That trick won't work anymore. Even if you're a corpse, I won't let you go today."

Slap!

A loud slap echoed!

Lu Shaoping's face bore a bright red handprint, and a tooth fell from his mouth.

"Beast!"