Chapter 57: Divine Elephant Fist, Elephant Trunk Fist

“Herculean Quartz!”
“So you really are here!”
Instead of being startled, Lu Sheng burst into hearty laughter. With a sweeping motion of his hand, he deftly redirected both Duanmu Yun’s palm and Quartz’s fist, causing them to collide—
This was precisely the guiding and shifting technique Lu Sheng had gleaned from the Tai Chi he once witnessed, now fused with his own Hunyuan Hand, and revealed to the world for the first time!

At the clash of fist and palm, Duanmu Yun, lacking in strength, was sent flying with a resounding crash by Quartz’s blow.

“Quartz!”
“Strongman Shi!”
The other martial artists who had been watching Lu Sheng and Duanmu Yun immediately recognized the newcomer and shouted out his name and nickname, charging toward Quartz as well.

Nearby, the maids and servants of the Four Seas Trading House quickly sent signals, indicating an intruder had arrived.

“Let’s go!”
At this, Quartz—short in stature, his skin radiant and flawless as jade, giving him an almost delicate appearance—bent his arm in a sudden arc, bypassing Lu Sheng’s interference, seized Murong Yu, who had been evading Lu Sheng and stumbled toward him, and whisked her away—

With four martial artists besieging him, and inside the booby-trapped Four Seas Trading Hall, even someone of his ranking on the Earth List dared not act recklessly.

All the more so because this “Lu Hun,” who had discovered his presence and whose intentions were unfathomable, brought him immense pressure.

Thus, having seized Murong Yu, Quartz did not hesitate for a moment but fled at once—

To him, his teacher’s command mattered above all else; everything else was negligible!

“Stay right there!”
Not expecting Quartz to flee so quickly, Lu Sheng reached out, but managed only to tear off a piece of Murong Yu’s garment, unable to prevent their escape.

When he tried to give chase, he was held back by several strikes of finger force launched by Quartz, blocking his path momentarily.

So, with one retreating and one pursuing, Quartz and Murong Yu were already far away.

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“After them!”
Picking himself up from the ground, Duanmu Yun roared angrily.

As the Divine Son of the Fire God Sect and a direct heir of the Duanmu Clan, Duanmu Yun had always had things his way in the Western Regions.

Yet today, in the Four Seas Trading Hall, he had first had his weapon ruined by Lu Sheng, then been sent flying by a punch from Quartz the Strongman, and even watched helplessly as his beloved was snatched away—

The sense of defeat in his heart was utterly unprecedented!

Thus, heedless of his own insufficient strength, he swallowed a pill to suppress his injuries and pursued them at once.

Seeing this, Duanmu Qun had no time to hold him back and chased after as well—

He had been sent by the clan to protect Duanmu Yun, to teach him the ways of the martial world and ensure his safety.

Now, with Duanmu Yun injured under his very nose by Quartz, even if it wasn’t a mortal wound, it was still humiliating.

With Duanmu Yun already in pursuit, he had no choice but to follow.

Behind them, Lu Sheng, Guan Yingfan, and An Guoyan, seeing their actions, each for their own reasons, also took up the chase.

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“Quartz is already a Grandmaster; not only is he faster than us, his stamina is formidable—”

“Even carrying someone, he isn’t slowed in the least. Unless something unexpected happens, none of us will catch up!”

As the three gave chase, Guan Yingfan remarked with a calm ease—

To him, as Quartz was already a Grandmaster, there was no benefit in catching up and confronting him. It was better to observe from afar and gather intel on this man—

Since the Fire God Sect had sent three martial artists, there were surely others lurking in the shadows!

“A Grandmaster’s skill far surpasses that of a regular martial artist—”

“That move where Quartz suddenly bent his arm must be the Trunk-Fist he created, right?”

Lu Sheng also sighed. Though he could match most Grandmasters if he went all out, in certain aspects, he still fell short compared to those with the ability to project inner force and sustain their strength as Grandmasters could.

Just as with Quartz’s Trunk-Fist, Lu Sheng had prepared himself after seeing it mentioned on the Heroes List, but in actual combat, he was still caught off guard.

Furthermore, when he tried to pursue, he was blocked by Quartz’s projected finger force, missing the prime opportunity.

Hearing Lu Sheng’s words, Guan Yingfan replied:

“Yes, that was the Trunk-Fist. After becoming a Grandmaster, Quartz created this technique himself!”

“This style is endlessly variable, allowing the arm to bend freely in any direction, just like an elephant’s trunk.”

“When combined with the mighty Divine Elephant Fist, it blends hardness with flexibility—a true masterpiece!”

With the awakening of spiritual power, a martial artist’s memory becomes prodigious, nearly photographic.

Thus, regardless of their knowledge before becoming martial artists, once initiated, their understanding grows exponentially.

After the trials of the martial stage and the relatively gradual progress to Grandmaster, most practitioners consolidate their insights and create their own signature skills—

Some even develop an entirely new martial art or technique!

This is why Grandmasters are revered as masters of the martial arts world.

Many renowned styles in the world trace their origins to these individuals.

Take Quartz the Strongman—though newly advanced to Grandmaster, he had already created the Trunk-Fist, combining it with the Divine Elephant Fist to form a unique, formidable art.

“Divine Elephant Fist, Trunk-Fist—one is peerlessly powerful, the other infinitely adaptable—”

“The combination is indeed a masterpiece!”

In this respect, even Lu Sheng, as he was now, could not compare!

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Meanwhile, as Guan Yingfan explained to Lu Sheng, a thought pressed upon his mind:

“With Quartz’s strength, he could easily handle all of us; there’s no need for him to strike once and flee.”

“Since he fled immediately after seizing Murong Yu, what is he wary of?”

“Is he worried about hidden accomplices, or does he have another agenda?”

If it were simply mutual affection between Quartz and Murong Yu that prompted his intervention, that would hardly make sense—

After all, while Lu Sheng and Duanmu Yun were indeed bold, others were present who would not let them act without restraint.

To have reached Grandmaster, Guan Yingfan was certain Quartz would see through such things.

And if there was no romantic attachment, yet Murong Yu offered no resistance when seized—surely that was strange as well!

For this reason, Guan Yingfan grew all the more curious about their relationship.

With this in mind, he said to Lu Sheng:

“Brother, you were truly shrewd this time—not only did you discern a connection between Murong Yu and Quartz, you forced him out with such clumsy theatrics—”

“How did you know Quartz was here?”

A veteran of the martial world, he and the others had already noticed Lu Sheng’s odd behavior, but they never expected it would flush out prey as big as Quartz—nor that—

The Fire God Sect’s Divine Maiden would be entangled with Quartz in this way!

Anticipating their questions, Lu Sheng did not conceal the truth:

“When I severed Murong Yu’s sword earlier, I sensed a trace of danger and guessed someone was lurking nearby.”

“The only one with the skills to hide so well here in Snow Eagle City, and who might be connected to Shi Yinjian, was Quartz!”

“So I gave it a try, making Quartz believe I would continue to push Murong Yu, forcing him to act!”

Yet Lu Sheng’s account was not the whole truth. In his heart, he too was puzzled about the relationship between Quartz and Murong Yu:

“Perhaps Quartz saw through some of my real strength and believed I would surely defeat Duanmu Yun, gaining the chance to propose marriage to Murong Yu—”

“But his actions just now seemed as if he feared Murong Yu might accept my proposal.”

“He doesn’t fully trust Murong Yu!”

Although the Murong family’s admiration for beauty was well-known, if Quartz were truly Murong Yu’s lover, he would surely know her temperament.

From the way Murong Yu splashed the dregs of wine at him, Quartz should have known she was not one to easily shift her affections.

With other martial artists from the Fire God Sect present, had Quartz truly trusted Murong Yu, he could have let her handle the situation herself.

Yet, Quartz intervened directly and whisked her away.

“Murong Yu’s actions were all within my expectations, but Quartz’s moves came far earlier than I’d foreseen—”

“I’d thought I would have to duel Duanmu Yun and force Murong Yu to accept my proposal before Quartz would appear—”

“But he couldn’t wait and intervened at the very start—”

“Does this mean he anticipated my plan, or had he always intended to take Murong Yu away?”

“Perhaps there are other secrets involved.”

While pondering their motives, Lu Sheng heard An Guoyan, the head of the Snow Eagle branch of the Fire God Sect, breathlessly say:

“Brothers Guan, Lu, let’s not spread word of this just yet—”

“I’ll report to the main sect and let them decide!”

Though Murong Yu hadn’t fought alongside Quartz against them and thus wasn’t technically a traitor, the fact that she didn’t resist when taken by him—

This clearly signified something unusual between them.

Murong Yu was the Divine Maiden of the Fire God Sect; if word spread of her being with Quartz, who was wanted by the sect, it would be a scandal.

As the branch leader, An Guoyan would undoubtedly be harshly punished.

For now, he could only hope that Murong Yu was carrying out some secret mission!

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“No need for words—Quartz and Murong Yu have already escaped, and others are in pursuit!”

“Look!”

Leaping atop a tall building, Lu Sheng pointed outside the city to a giant eagle in the sky and a massive elephant on the ground, showing Guan Yingfan and An Guoyan.

Thanks to the eyesight gained from cultivating his ocular arts, Lu Sheng, even at such a distance, could make out the figures riding the giant eagle.

Guan Yingfan and An Guoyan, though their vision was not as keen, strained their eyes from the rooftop and could just make out the scene beyond the city walls:

Amidst the vast snowy plains, a snow-white giant elephant was swiftly carrying Quartz and Murong Yu away with remarkable lightness—

And overhead, a giant eagle soared, bearing a lone figure who kept a close watch from above!