Level Up in Martial World

"Looks like Lu Zhen will really be a super genius of the family," a guy wearing the classical green robe, usually with a tree logo embroidered on his uniform, which is casually worn by the direct family descendant, said.

"Of course, brother, we have underestimated him greatly." The others, also wearing the same uniform, nodded as they sighed.

"What do you think about it, Brother Zhao?" Suddenly, Lu Xin asked Lu Zhao, who had dark circles under his eyes.

Hearing this, he said hurriedly, "Yes, yes, Lu Zhen is a genius."

Ever since Lu Zhao had seen the fight between Lu Zhen and Huang Yi, he had been jealous to the point that he couldn't sleep at night every time he thought of Lu Zhen's smug face, who seemingly out of nowhere gained the strength to defeat a half-step third-stage martial artist so easily. He hadn't been able to sleep at all.

"Look, it's Young Master Lu Zhen." Suddenly, the girl who asked Lu Zhao pointed her fingers.

Lu Zhao's eyes widened when he saw Lu Zhen casually walking.

"This bastard seems to have become a little imposing," he thought with astonishment.

"Young Master Lu Zhen." All of the direct descendants bowed as they respectfully greeted him, reverence in their eyes as Lu Zhen nodded his head, feeling a strange shift in their demeanor.

If it were the previous Lu Zhen, they would have greeted him with less formality, but now they almost immediately bowed with reverence in their eyes, as if he were their god.

"Strength is the way to go," Lu Zhen couldn't help but think as he made his way towards his mother's palace.

"Brother Lu, I am sorry for any disrespect, but we are having a little banquet at our Golden Restaurant. Would you like to join us?" Suddenly, a handsome youth approached and invited Lu Zhen, drawing astonished looks from Lu Zhao.

"Sure, I will go," Lu Zhen simply said as he left the place.

"I thought he would have become arrogant since his fame has spread far and wide. However, he is quite sociable."

"He is so handsome."

"What are you saying, sister? He is our cousin," Lu Zhao retorted with anger when he heard his sister's comment.

"What does it have to do with you? I am just appreciating my idol," the girl immediately countered with a retort.

"Damn that bastard, basking in all that glory and fame," Lu Zhao couldn't help but think as his hatred for Lu Zhen deepened with jealousy.

"How interesting to sense such resentment for me," Lu Zhen thought intriguingly as he turned back, narrowing his eyes into a slit.

"Should I finish him off? Hmm, I will spare you this time. However, I won't kill you unless you get in my way. If you do…" Lu Zhen chuckled and continued on his way.

"My son, there might be a problem," Mother Lu said, her eyes shimmering with anger as sat in her classical stool which was comparable to a throne as she gazed at Lu Zhen.

"What happened, Mother?"

"I have an agent who contacts the branch of my family, and I can occasionally trade through the agent. However, the agent hasn't returned until now, even though the usual timing for her return has passed," Mother Lu explained, her face furrowing with concern.

"She might have been delayed," Lu Zhen guessed.

"No, if she had been delayed, she should have sent me a message. But she hasn't, and I have other messages that she hasn't replied to. I've lost all connection with her," Mother Lu said, her anger palpable.

"I should send a search team. Don't worry, Lu Zhen. You will get the cultivation technique after some days."

Lu Zhen nodded with an understanding expression, having no interest in going on a rescue mission. He believed it was better to focus on his cultivation.

"You must practise well for the competition," Mother Lu said, her tone strict but filled with concern.

"Yes, Mother. However, I am pretty confident that I can win easily. I am 98% sure," Lu Zhen replied confidently.

"Oh, how will you win so easily?" Mother Lu questioned.

Lu Zhen didn't say a word, but his aura surged forth, enveloping the room in a palpable pressure. Mother Lu felt herself succumbing to a strange influence. In an instant, her eyes turned a shimmering shade of golden. It was as if she had been transported to another realm.

In this surreal vision, she witnessed a person standing on a gruesome battlefield, bathed in the blood of countless foes. Thousands of others bowed before him as if he were a deity. This seemingly ordinary human figure seemed to defy all logic, stretching to the heavens, towering over everything. Yet his normal height was about 7 feet, he emanated an overwhelming presence that commanded submission.

"What... What is this?" Mother Lu's voice trembled as she muttered to herself in disbelief. Her gaze remained locked on the chilling sight before her. Piles of strange creatures lay beneath this figure, forming a nightmarish ground of corpses from foreign races.

Her eyes widened further as she scrutinised the creatures. "Aren't they the foreign races I've read about in books?"

Suddenly, her attention was drawn to Lu Zhen's actions. He rose and hurled a spear into what appeared to be a void. As he did, the void tore open, and the spear traversed an inconceivable distance beyond her comprehension.

A resounding "tear" echoed through the air, and she instinctively looked up at the sun.

Crack! Crack!

Her heart pounded wildly as she saw the impossible: the sun itself seemed to shatter like fragile glass.

"This... It couldn't be..."

Her eyes widened to their limits as astonishment coursed through her veins. She watched in awe as the sun broke apart, and a chorus of voices, incomprehensible to her, cried out in unison.

"Long live the human em****!"

However, amidst the grandeur of this surreal vision, the person at the centre of it all caught her attention. His face, obscured by the blood and chaos of battle, seemed oddly familiar, resembling Lu Zhen. Yet, the carnage obscured her view.

The person moved his mouth as if trying to speak, and Mother Lu strained to hear his words. But in an instant, a searing pain gripped her head, and her eyes began to bleed.

"Mother, what happened to you?" Mother Lu's eyes snapped open suddenly as she drew a sharp breath.

Ah!

A scream of agony escaped her lips as she clutched her head tightly. Blood began to trickle from her eyes.

Lu Zhen was left utterly stunned by this shocking turn of events.