Level Up in Martial World

In a dimly lit, dark room, there were many statues of alien-like creatures. One of them depicted the body and head of a man with horse legs as his lower limbs and horns growing from his head.

Another statue was of an elf-like woman with golden hair, golden eyes, and facial features so perfect that she resembled Xia Mei.

However, the statue that stood out the most was the largest one in the room, depicting a giant man with long black hair, golden eyes, and veiny muscles that could be considered a form of armour.

He had long, sharp, elegant black horns and a thin tail with a heart at the end, positioned at the back of the statue.

Lu Zhen would have been shocked to see this, as it looked exactly the same as the ancestor in the scroll. There were eleven statues like this, all placed along the walls of the room, with the eleventh one being obscured in fog.

At the centre of the room, there was a grand throne grandly placed, with dragon carvings on the backrest, and a large TV-like monitor screen positioned in front of the throne.

The man with the red hair sat on his throne, his eyes filled with excitement as he watched the screen.

"This… Bloodline martial artist!" A loud voice resounded in the room.

"And the descendant of the finest specimen Vulgrith, the strongest among them."

His eyes glinted with excitement as he observed Lu Zhen's transformation into his Vulgrith form.

"That must be why that Ji Ju girl was so confident in Lu Zhen," he muttered, nodding his head in understanding. However, a sneer crossed his face as he calculated the reasons for the girl being with Lu Zhen.

"That old hag will definitely not let go of such a valuable piece that only provides one option…" His eyes lit up with anticipation. "That woman's trump card must be running out soon if even a mere third-stage martial artist could escape from her grasp."

"Not only did he escape, but he also captured her personal servant," he added with a fake hint of pity for the old hag.

"Now, all your efforts will not only be wasted, you old hag, but they will all come to me," he declared with a triumphant sneer.

After all, he believed that the beast was enough for Lu Zhen since the tiger was a peak third-stage martial beast, and the beast's body strength was very close to reaching the second-stage martial realm.

"Even if you are a bloodline martial artist, with your qi exhausted, you still cannot defeat my pet. Once you are defeated, I will make you my finest specimen. I'll dice you to pieces..." The man watched the fight between Lu Zhen and the tiger with a confident expression.

However, as the fight continued, his expression morphed into one of twisted disbelief.

"Impossible!!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs as he witnessed his beast being brutally dismantled by Lu Zhen.

"This is going to be troublesome..." His expression twisted further. It simply didn't make sense that Lu Zhen could so easily defeat the beast.

Even in his wildest imagination, he couldn't have envisioned Lu Zhen beating the beast with such ease.

"Those horns... are they really that sharp? I know vulgrith horns are known for their sharpness, but they shouldn't possess more power than a martial artist."

Suddenly, his eyes shifted from disgust to sheer horror as he observed the gruesome scene of Lu Zhen devouring the still-breathing tiger-like creature.

With crunching sounds filling the air, he was forced to watch as Lu Zhen consumed the beast with an utterly expressionless face.

"This... this..." The man's eyes transformed from pure disgust to intense horror, and they narrowed into a sinister gaze.

He could feel Lu Zhen's qi recovering as he savoured the meat of the tiger. His face was soaked in blood and the previous blood was still there making him feel as if he bathed in blood itself.

"Monster," was the only word he could muster for Lu Zhen. An ability to gain energy and qi right after eating was unheard of, even in the mage era.

If one could instantly gain energy by eating, it was akin to playing a game with a hack for infinite mana.

"What should I do now?" He stood up from his chair, pacing around the room, pure terror in his eyes.

"If that bastard is this powerful, I need to find a solution for it. If I could obtain his power, I could rule this world with a mere flick of my finger. But first, I must capture him."

Suddenly, he felt a chill running down his spine, sending shivers through him. He quickly glanced at the screen, where Lu Zhen was looking at him with a sinister sneer, as if he could see right through him.

"He shouldn't know, right?" Fear and unease built within him.

In an instant, Lu Zhen moved with lightning-fast speed and punched a certain spot in the wall. The wall resounded with a deafening "boom" as it collapsed.

"How did that bastard know?" The red-haired man's expression twisted with confusion when he saw Lu Zhen target the weakest point of the wall, which wasn't protected by the barrier. To teleport the tiger, he had spent a bit of mana and used the gap in the barrier to send it. If Lu Zhen had struck anywhere else but that point, it wouldn't have been so easily destroyed.

Panic began to creep into the throne room as the man contemplated his next moves. "I will have to prepare," he muttered with determination.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhen's eyes were met with a dark passageway. However, this time, he was prepared. He slowly closed his eyes and opened them again, adjusting his vision. His pupils dilated, and his corneas expanded, allowing him to see clearly.

"It worked," he thought to himself, his satisfaction evident. He proceeded cautiously through the passage.

"How interesting. After sending that beast, did they really think I wouldn't notice?" A sneer crept onto his face the moment he saw the beast materialize in that room.

Although it might seem like an ordinary passage, Lu Zhen could detect faint fluctuations in the air using his heightened senses, allowing him to identify the room's weak point easily.

"Now, where is this place?" He moved forward cautiously while remaining alert, but at the same time, his speed increased. He left afterimages behind as he ran as fast as possible.

"Whispering Shadow Step."

With this skill, his speed increased further, and he seemingly blended into the shadows, becoming invisible to the naked eye. Not only had he become invisible, but he also minimised his scent by using his divine physique and controlled his aura, effectively making himself nearly imperceptible.

"This art from the assassin girl is quite useful," he thought to himself with a satisfied expression.

Having acquired the ability to blend into the shadows from the assassin girl, Lu Zhen had considered various ways to use it. After employing his divine physique and aura control, he became nearly invisible to the point that even some experts couldn't detect him. Lu Zhen had noticed that mages often relied heavily on aura, and this ability to manipulate it was a significant advantage.

Since aura couldn't be manipulated, it must have been extensively used in the mage era, as even the mark that Lu Zhen got was connected to and grown by aura.

If that were the case, Lu Zhen could be god to the mages as he could manipulate his aura from his aura control. Of course, it was only his theory, and it might not be true considering how advanced the mage civilization was, but he felt that it was true.

Lu Zhen swiftly reached a huge gate made of wood.

"Hmm..." Lu Zhen frowned a little, but without even a shred of histation, he directly kicked the door.

The moment Lu Zhen's kick connected, he felt as if he were hitting a rock, as it didn't move in the slightest as he bounced back from the barrier to the floor again.

"This. It didn't move in the slightest.

Lu Zhen was shocked.

Inside the grand throne room, a deep, earth-shaking rumble reverberated through the room. The floor beneath quivered as a visible crack snaked its way towards the imposing throne where the man with fiery red hair was seated.

A perplexed look crossed his face as he observed the watch-like object clutched in his pale, snow-white hand. The display was blank, and the frustration etched into his features was palpable.

"Why can't I track him?" he muttered under his breath. His voice had a tinge of annoyance.

In the dimly lit chamber, his thoughts wandered to a time long past. "My barrier has become too old now," he lamented with a hint of nostalgia. "I miss those old days when I was a king, commanding vast territories, and surrounded by a bevy of beautiful women to warm my bed." His voice grew distant, his eyes unfocused, and he momentarily indulged in a reverie of bygone glory.

However, he abruptly snapped out of his reverie, a wry grin on his face. "I still have a little more mana left," he mumbled, determination replacing his nostalgia. With purpose in his eyes, he moved to a particular section of the room and swung open a concealed door that led to his bedroom.

Lu Zhen, on the other hand, encountered a seemingly impenetrable barrier. He nonchalantly hurled a stone at it, and as the stone came into contact with the barrier, a thin, invisible layer materialised and absorbed its momentum.

Lu Zhen observed with a hint of understanding, "I knew it, a barrier, huh..."