High-Martial World: System Arrives 30 Years Late-Chapter 185 - 168: The Lin Family’s Overbearing Ways, Wanting to Use Su Mu as a Stepping Stone

Chapter 185: Chapter 168: The Lin Family’s Overbearing Ways, Wanting to Use Su Mu as a Stepping Stone

The news spread rapidly, reaching the entire Guangshen Province and even South China in a single day.

"Lin Peng? This name sounds familiar."

"Of course it’s familiar. Lin Peng made it onto the Huaxia Celestial Pride List a year ago. This is going to start a Celestial Pride battle!"

"Now that you mention it, I remember. Lin Peng got onto the list by defeating another Celestial Pride from that list a while back. He was really powerful, and now that he hasn’t made any moves for a year, he must be even stronger!"

"Exactly, and coincidentally, the newly rising Su Mu just pushed Lin Peng off the Celestial Pride List."

"That’s interesting. Let’s see if Su Mu will take up the challenge."

"If he doesn’t accept the challenge, it would be a disgrace. How can he still be called a Celestial Pride of Huaxia!"

Lin Peng’s challenge to Su Mu sparked heated discussions across Guangshen Province and even the entire South China region, drawing a lot of attention.

Zhejiang Province, Huangfu Family.

Upon hearing the news, Huangfu Xue was once again surprised. She had been stunned when Su Mu rose to the Celestial Pride List not long ago, as Su Mu’s rise speed far exceeded her expectations.

Previously, she even asked Su Mu to help her beat up Lin Langtian, but now it seems like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Though Lin Langtian was also a genius of the Lin Family, compared to Lin Peng, he didn’t even measure up. They were not on the same level. The only things they had in common were that both were from the Lin Family and belonged to the main lineage of the Lin Family.

Now Lin Peng directly wants to challenge Su Mu, which will be a Celestial Pride battle.

The Lin Family is making a big show of it, widely inviting other powerful forces and people from martial arts families, building momentum for Lin Peng!

According to what she knew, some of her brothers were planning to go to Guangshen Province to watch the battle. Talents from Guangshen Province would undoubtedly gather, and many talents from nearby provinces will also rush there.

The battle between these two is possibly just the beginning; a grand melee of the talents might unfold.

In an instant, Huangfu Xue guessed Lin Peng’s intentions.

"Lin Peng is extremely confident in his strength. He not only wants to use Su Mu as a stepping stone."

"He wants to use talents from Guangshen Province and all those present as his stepping stones to suddenly rise to fame. He wants to use all the talents as stepping stones to achieve his Martial Arts Grandmaster path!"

To achieve the Martial Arts Grandmaster, one must condense the Qi Blood Flower, Spiritual Flower, and Martial Arts Flower. The Qi Blood Flower is the easiest to condense, but for many, the challenge lies in the Spiritual Flower and the Martial Arts Flower.

The best method to condense the Martial Arts Flower is through battles. But sparring with ordinary people is meaningless. In the pursuit of success, one should defeat other talents who also possess Martial Momentum. Only then can the Martial Arts Flower be condensed faster.

Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, and a Grandmaster can be achieved!

From the start, Lin Peng might not have taken Su Mu seriously, so whether Su Mu attends or not actually doesn’t matter, with or without Su Mu.

But for Su Mu, if he shies away from this battle, ignoring the external scorn.

Su Mu’s own Martial Arts Heart will surely be damaged, affecting his martial arts potential in the future, perhaps even stopping him from reaching the Grandmaster Realm.

"The Lin Family is truly domineering... will Su Mu accept the challenge?"

Huangfu Xue looked worried. To be honest, she didn’t think Su Mu could be a match for Lin Peng at this time. She couldn’t understand why the Huaxia Martial Arts Association Headquarters had allowed Su Mu to replace Lin Peng.

...

The news reached East Village.

"A martial arts family, the Lin Family, and someone named Lin Peng wants to challenge Su Mu?"

People in the Jiang Family courtyard were stunned, not understanding the weight of these words. Miaomiao was worried, not only because Su Mu had been out of contact for over two months but also because she guessed that the situation was not simple.

When Su Mu was in the limelight, yet someone dared to challenge him, and the news spread entirely within a day, Lin Peng’s strength must be extremely formidable!

Conversely, Luo Mei was full of confidence, with admiration written all over her face.

"I believe in Brother Mu; Brother Mu would never avoid a fight. When the time comes, he’ll surely beat Lin Peng soundly!"

"Yes, Dad is the best; he’s the greatest martial artist in the world, he’s the One-Slash Asura!" Xiaoyue was excited.

"Yes, I also believe in Su Mu." The old man also spoke up.

...

Quite a few high-level members of Shenjiang Martial Arts University felt heavy-hearted upon learning about the challenge. They knew some things about the Lin Family, especially Lin Peng, who was once a renowned figure in the Guangshen Province.

"Can Su Mu really be a match for Lin Peng?"

If Su Mu loses this battle, it would be a heavy blow not just to Su Mu but also to the school.

Qian Tai glanced at everyone and spoke solemnly.

"In this battle, whether Su Mu accepts the challenge or not, and regardless of the outcome, Su Mu is worthy of being our pride at Shenjiang Martial Arts University. Even if he loses, so what?"

"Having a Celestial Pride like Su Mu is an honor for Shenjiang Martial Arts University!"

"I don’t wish for anyone to lose their morale before even fighting and weaken our prestige while boosting others’ morale!"

Teacher Wang Shuheng, upon hearing the news, felt a jolt in his heart. Su Mu may be his eldest disciple, but to be honest, he had no clear understanding of his disciple’s strength now.

Su Mu’s rise was too rapid, but the Lin Family is an enormous entity, and Lin Peng is a leading figure among the new generation of the Lin Family.

With his rich experience, Wang Shuheng immediately came to a similar conclusion as Huangfu Xue.

"The Lin Family is building momentum for Lin Peng, and he probably wants to assault the Martial Arts Grandmaster realm... this is about using Su Mu and others as stepping stones for his advancement!"

Wang Shuheng felt anxious but was helpless. His anxiety was of no use; Su Mu was currently out of contact, and he found it hard to intervene.

"Surpassing the teacher, Su Mu’s growth speed is too fast, and as his teacher, I can only try my best to help him."

"I must get the new Red Sun Saber forged before the competition and not be a hindrance to Su Mu."

Wang Shuheng immediately made up his mind.

...

"Su Mu... has your left eye recovered?!"

"Yes, it has."

Tantai Yan was immensely surprised, and her tone couldn’t hide her joy, appearing happier than Su Mu himself, "That’s great... really great."

"So... you didn’t lie to me, Su Mu."

For a moment, Tantai Yan’s eyes were moist. She guessed that Su Mu had practiced that strange secret technique too aggressively to consume the Giant’s Blood quickly, which resulted in his injuries and disabilities.

But now that his left eye had recovered, could it mean that his right eye and right arm could also gradually recover?

Su Mu reached out and rubbed this little girl’s head. He could feel that she was genuinely happy, and for a moment he couldn’t help but feel a father’s kind of comfort.

Just as his hand touched Tantai Yan’s head, she trembled all over, and momentarily she was taken back to that day when she had emerged from the Relic Tower with a resolve to face death—Su Mu did the same.

This was the second time now, and she was very grateful to Su Mu.

So her tears could no longer be held back and streamed down.

"It’s so great, Su Mu, that you can recover, really... really great!"

This time it was Su Mu’s turn to be at a loss. His hand froze on Tantai Yan’s head, and in this awkward moment, he suddenly noticed a problem.

"Huh, is it Tantai Yan who’s gotten shorter... or have I gotten taller again?"

Moments later, Tantai Yan calmed down, wiped her tears, and helped Su Mu scoop up some fresh blood.

"We will be able to get out soon, it won’t be too far away."

Su Mu took a deep breath, pushed the Fixed Star Body Refining Technique to the extreme, the Golden Essence Armor appeared and then fused into his body, after which he lifted his head and drank the Giant’s Blood.

Yesterday he had completed the refinement and restructuring of the blood and flesh throughout his body, marking his entry into the Peak of Fifth Level.

After the breakthrough, he could feel another entirely new realm faintly calling to him, just half a step forward and he could instantly step into the Sixth Level Martial Artist Realm.

But Su Mu resisted this temptation, as his foundation in the Fifth Level martial arts was not yet solid enough, and it was not the right time to step into the Sixth Level.

"Next, I need to use the Third-Turned Refining Technique to repeatedly refine the six viscera, meridians, and blood and flesh, waiting until the martial arts foundation reaches its limit before it’s time to advance."

"With the Giant’s Blood, this process won’t take too long!"

With a clear plan in mind, Su Mu’s determination became even stronger.

The golden blood transformed into a terrifying Fierce Beast roaring into Su Mu’s body, and now Su Mu was already familiar with this process, without even frowning once.

Having already undergone one round of refinement of the meridians and flesh gave Su Mu greater reassurance, but he did not let down his guard, checking multiple times a day the compatibility of the Golden Essence Armor with his body, ready to adjust in time.

"The Blood Pool has decreased by one-fifth."

"We will soon... be able to get out!"

"By then... to what realm will Su Mu reach?"

A hint of anticipation appeared on Tantai Yan’s young face, imagining that Su Mu might directly step into the Half-Step Grandmaster Realm.

After all, this Blood Pool of the Great Grandmaster’s Giant’s Blood was a Ghost Gate to her, untouchable, but for Su Mu, who could now subdue it, it would be a tremendous boon.

The golden blood fused into the sea of blood, stirring up monstrous waves within Su Mu, but the five Qi Blood Bridges above the sea stood firm, and Su Mu’s martial arts foundation was as solid as a Heaven-Supporting Jade Pillar.

"Suppress it for me!"

The golden Giant’s Blood soon became nutrients for Su Mu to grow stronger, and the entry into the Fixed Star Body Refining Technique required an initial transformation of the flesh, but this was only the beginning, with continued accumulation of strength and further transformations to follow.

This is where the strength of the Fixed Star Body Refining Technique lies, with limitless potential until the cultivator’s flesh could rival a fixed star, eventually traveling the starry sea on their own strength.

Because of this, Su Mu’s flesh, having just undergone transformation, became greedier, each cell acting like a black hole, voraciously consuming the Giant’s Blood.

At the same time, Su Mu also multitasked, activating the Blood Control Secret Technique to constantly accumulate Condensed Blood, simultaneously nurturing the Golden Essence Armor.

This created a perfect cycle, with Su Mu gradually reaching a sweet spot in utilizing the Giant’s Blood.

Three days later.

The six viscera, meridians, and blood and flesh completed their second refinement.

Bang!

All at once, Su Mu’s muscles and bones sang together, unleashing terrifying waves of qi and blood throughout his body, a more condensed Martial Arts Golden Body formed behind him, and with it, Su Mu’s momentum began to climb steadily.

"About to break through... is it time to advance this time?"

Tantai Yan felt a bit numb, as this was the third time in three days Su Mu had shown signs of a breakthrough, and each disturbance was considerable.

Unbeknownst to her, the previous two times were due to the six viscera completing their second refinement and the meridians completing their second refinement respectively.

This time it was not to break through to the Sixth Level but merely the second refinement completion of the blood and flesh.

After a long while, a look of ecstasy appeared on Su Mu’s face, as he once again completed a full-body blood replacement, with that tinge of gold in his blood becoming more distinct.

The qi and blood within his body and its purity had once again been incredibly enhanced. Frankly speaking, even Su Mu himself didn’t have an accurate grasp of his current strength.

"Perhaps... the qi and blood are nearing twenty thousand calories?"

Twenty thousand calories is the peak of a Sixth Level Martial Artist, beyond which lies the Half-Step Grandmaster Realm!

Seeing that Su Mu had not yet broken through to the Sixth Level, Tantai Yan couldn’t hold back her curiosity any longer and asked.

"Su Mu... haven’t you broken through to the Sixth Level yet?"

Su Mu smiled and shook his head, then got up and moved his right arm a bit. Crack, crack, his right arm, which had been numb for a month, emitted a series of crisp sounds.

At this scene, the surprise on Tantai Yan’s face instantly vanished, replaced by wild joy.

"This is wonderful, Su Mu... your right arm has recovered too?!"

"Yes, it has recovered."

Su Mu looked towards the Blood Pool, with the greed of the Fixed Star Body Refining Technique and his now strengthened flesh, two-thirds of the Blood Pool remained.

In less than ten days, the two of them would be able to completely escape!