Chapter 271: Heavenly Gate Challenge

"It's nothing. I'm fine. Grandpa is just happy."

The Old Man wiped the tears from his face and quickly added, "Do you want some candy? Grandpa will buy you some. Wait right here."

In his memory, whenever a child in the courtyard proved polite and sensible, he always gave them a piece of candy.

The two children hurriedly waved their hands to decline, but he had already ducked out of the archway and walked over to a nearby shop.

"Boss, I'll take two pieces of shaban candy," he said.

"Coming right up. Two yuan."

The shop owner stood up, finally realizing this was the man who had just ducked into the archway. "Old man, eating shaban candy at your age? Watch your health."

"It's for the kids."

The Old Man smiled.

"Then I wouldn't recommend shaban candy! Kids nowadays aren't like they were ten or twenty years ago. That stuff hasn't been popular for a long time. Buy two jar candies instead—they love those."

Jar candy?

The Old Man paused. Looking at the small tin in the owner's hand, he nodded.

"I'll take two of those, then."

"These are quite a bit more expensive, you know," the owner warned.

"That's fine."

Before he left, the young master had stuffed a large handful of Fragmented Weird Silver into his pockets. He figured he had around three or four hundred pieces; he certainly wasn't short on money now.

He paid, took the candy, and hurried back to the courtyard.

To his surprise, the courtyard that had only held two children a moment ago now held an adult as well.

It was a middle-aged man in his thirties. He wore glasses and had a scholarly air about him. Upon seeing the Old Man, he froze and blurted out, "Uncle Fu?"

"I'm not Uncle Fu. You've got the wrong person."

The Old Man chuckled and lowered his head. He controlled his facial muscles, forcefully shifting his features a fraction before looking back up.

The man stared at him for a long moment before sheepishly apologizing. "I'm so sorry. My kids just told me an elderly gentleman had come into the courtyard, so I came out to check. You look a lot like a former elder of mine. I was mistaken."

"No harm done."

The Old Man reached out and handed the jar candies from his pocket to the two children.

"These are two fine children. They both have a knack for martial arts. The boy's bones are flexible; he should go to the 26th Martial Arts Gym to learn Taiji. The girl has a solid frame; she could go to the 14th Martial Arts Gym to learn Shaolin Fist."

With that said, the Old Man turned to leave. Just then, the boy spoke up to the stunned man, "Dad, this grandpa just said he used to live with the Qiao family—"

The man's pupils shrank. He immediately shouted, "Uncle Fu!"

"I told you, I'm not any Uncle Fu."

The Old Man smiled and turned around. His face now looked even less like the man from before.

"I know. I know you're not Uncle Fu."

Tears suddenly spilled from the man's eyes.

He knew full well that the person standing before him was the stern, quiet Uncle Fu—the Uncle Fu who had borrowed money from everywhere to save his mother's life all those years ago. But he also knew he couldn't openly acknowledge him.

With a heavy thud, he dropped to his knees.

"If you hadn't emptied your life savings back then, my mother would have died. Uncle Fu, I was only a teenager then and didn't understand. I owe you these kowtows, and I'm giving them to you now."

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

After kowtowing, he pulled the two children over and made them kneel before the Old Man as well.

"Kowtow!"

He gave only this single command. The two children had no idea what was going on, but they were raised well, so they obediently followed suit.

Then, the man spoke again.

"You told me back then that I wasn't cut out for martial arts. You gave me money for an education. I went, but I couldn't stick with it."

"Now, I can only work as a tutor to help with the household expenses. I've let down your expectations."

"After you left, my mother survived for another ten years on the money you gave us. When she finally passed away, it was painless. My wife does needlework at a factory out in West Lake Prefecture. Thanks to you, everything at home is fine now."

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

He gave three more heavy kowtows, his face streaming with tears, and looked at his two children.

"Kowtow again!"

Three more thuds echoed out. The man spoke once more, "About Sister Qiao... whether you know what happened or not, you really can't blame her. After you left, little brother A Meng was the only man left in the family. In the Third Lake Prefecture, a woman just can't survive on her own—"

The man wanted to say more, but the Old Man interrupted him.

"I know."

"Ah Wen, take this money. Send the children to school, and let them practice martial arts too."

With that, the Old Man pulled out a hundred or so pieces of fragmented silver. He bent down and placed them on the ground, then turned his back to the man.

"Ah Wen, no matter what happens, just living a peaceful life is enough. Nothing else matters."

"Remember that."

"I understand. I understand."

The man wept openly. When he finally looked up, the Old Man was already gone. He ran out to look, but there wasn't a soul in sight. There was only the empty alley, and beyond that, the bustling street.

Zhifa Road.

Known as the martial arts gym street of the Third Lake Prefecture.

Almost every martial arts gym was located here.

The Old Man looked around as he walked. Since the martial tournament was about to begin, most of the gyms had closed their doors and put up notices stating they had gone to participate.

Even so, he inspected every single gym, one by one.

Finally, he stopped in front of the tightly shut doors of the Nineteenth Martial Arts Gym.

If his memory served him right, his own Liu Meng was best suited for the Xingyiquan taught at the Nineteenth Martial Arts Gym.

He stood on his tiptoes, peering through the glass in the door again and again.

In the end, he couldn't see anything.

Still, he gave a satisfied nod and continued on his way.

Soon, he arrived at the entrance of the Number Thirty-Seven Martial Arts Gym.

Looking at the signboard with its white background and black characters, as well as the clearly newly renovated grounds, he nodded once more.

It wasn't too far off from what he had imagined all these years.

Finally, he arrived at the very end of Zhifa Road, stopping before a massive drum.

The gigantic metallic drumhead resembled a placid lake. Over the years, this drum had long since become a mere landmark on Zhifa Road, losing its original purpose. According to rumors, this drum was actually a Prohibited Item of the Third Lake Prefecture.

When Emperor Changle founded the Third Lake Prefecture back then, he had brought this drum back with him. He set it up right here and named it the War-Quelling Drum.

He also inscribed eight characters: "Use martial might to stop war, quell the clash of weapons."

That was also how this street came to be known as Zhifa Road.

That was the story most people knew.

But what most people didn't know was that this drum had another use.

The Old Man looked back at the building with the white roof peeking out, then turned to look back at the martial arts gyms lining the street.

Then, he stood before the drum. He held his breath and focused his mind. Letting his hands hang naturally by his sides, he sank his qi into his dantian, looking as though he had entered a state of deep meditation.

Passersby saw the Old Man's posture and simply assumed he was an elderly sightseer admiring the Third Lake Prefecture's iconic landmark.

Only a few knowledgeable Martial Instructors noticed something was off. They stood off to the side, quietly observing the situation.

However, their observation ended up lasting for two whole hours.

Martial Instructors came and went, filtering in and out.

Eventually, word began to spread. People talked about a strange old man standing before the War-Quelling Drum, remaining perfectly still for two or three hours despite his advanced age.

A busybody thought the Old Man was just a clown putting on an act and decided to go pull him away. But as he approached the Old Man, he was shocked to find his feet feeling as though they were sinking into a quagmire, shackled by thousand-pound weights. Struggling just to lift his legs, he had no choice but to retreat.

This man was an expert!

"Striking the drum to demonstrate the Dao."

Someone recalled that legendary feat, though they hardly dared to believe it.

Thousands of years ago, the glory of this drum was measured by the countless challengers who had been defeated before it.

For an Old Man well past his prime, simply striking the drum would be a struggle, let alone demonstrating the Dao.

And so, another hour passed, and then two hours—

"Is this old guy just putting on an act?"

A brash youth blurted this out, only to be immediately slapped to the ground by the elder standing next to him.

Not recognizing an expert was fine; it just meant your cultivation was still shallow. But failing to recognize an expert and still mouthing off—that was just courting death.

And so it went.

It wasn't until five or six hours had passed, when the vast majority of the crowd had dispersed, that the Old Man suddenly opened his eyes.

An unusual radiance seemed to flow within his pupils. His robes and heavy coat fluttered without any wind, and his greying hair danced wildly in the air. His aura exploded forth like a sudden clap of thunder over level ground, making the few remaining onlookers shudder.

It's starting!

Even now, the lingering spectators couldn't quite believe it.

Not until the Old Man threw a punch.

It looked like an utterly unremarkable punch. Compared to the explosive aura from just moments ago, it resembled the casual swing of a toddler. The onlookers shook their heads at the sight. In martial arts, this was known as leaking force.

Because of this punch, the momentum he had spent hours accumulating was likely completely gone.

Forget a martial Grandmaster—even someone at the Entry Level shouldn't make a mistake like this.

The old man might indeed be an expert, but he had stood there for far too long, and his stamina had run out.

"Let's go, let's go."

One of the spectators called out.

Yet, just as the crowd began to chat and laugh, that punch finally landed on the drumhead. Like a pebble tossed into a tranquil lake, an invisible ripple spread outward. A soft, muffled thud echoed in everyone's ears.

The sound was so faint that anyone with insufficient cultivation wouldn't have heard it at all before it vanished into the wind.

But the expressions of those who did hear it changed drastically.

Before they could even warn the others, a second muffled thud rang out—louder than the first.

Then came the third, the fourth...

The sound grew louder and louder! The drumbeats came faster and faster!

By the ninth beat, the sound was already as deafening as thunder!

Like thunder born from flat earth, like a shocking flash of heavenly light, the shockwaves of sound rippled outward, ringing down the entirety of Zhifa Road!

"Boom!"

"Boom! Boom!"

"Boom-boom-boom, boom-boom-boom!!!"

By the time more people rushed over, they could no longer track the Old Man's movements. They only heard the continuous, unbroken roar of the drumbeats, rising and falling like the tide, echoing across the entire Third Lake Prefecture!

At this moment, everyone in the Third Lake Prefecture felt their hearts beating in time with the drum. It grew faster and faster, their breathing becoming incredibly ragged as sweat rained down their bodies.

"He's challenging the Heavenly Gate!"

"Someone is challenging the Heavenly Gate!!!"

"Quick! Stop him!!!!"

The crowd had initially thought the Old Man was merely striking the drum to demonstrate his Martial Dao. But hearing such a dense, frantic barrage of drumbeats, they instantly realized the truth.

This wasn't a demonstration of his Martial Dao! He was challenging the Heavenly Gate!

Beating the drum with the force of the surging tide meant he intended to use his own strength to challenge all the martial schools under heaven!!!

"He's crazy! He's absolutely insane!!!"

Figure after figure leapt out from the surrounding martial arts gyms, reaching out toward the drumming Old Man in an attempt to stop him. But the moment they stepped within a hundred paces of the heavenly drum, their movements rapidly ground to a halt.

Once the War-Quelling Drum was struck, all cultivation within its vicinity was rendered void. Challengers could only rely on their pure Martial Dao to exchange pointers!

Stripped of their cultivation, the moment they stepped into the drum's domain, they felt churning ripples surging up from their feet.

Forget about getting closer—even standing firm was a struggle!

This was the Old Man's momentum. It had transformed into a vast, unyielding marsh that refused to let anyone approach.

If they wanted to break through his momentum, their own momentum had to be stronger than his!

"Let me try!"

A forty-something-year-old Martial Instructor stepped forward. He was in his prime and had shined brilliantly at the martial arts tournament the previous year. The moment he stepped out, the crowd cheered. Thousands of people watched in anticipation, hoping he could break the Old Man's momentum.

But the instant he stepped into the space around that towering, punching figure, he felt a violent gale kick up right before his eyes!

There was absolutely no sound of wind, yet he found himself completely unable to take a single step forward. Facing that figure whose hair and robes were dancing wildly, every punch that landed felt as though it was slamming directly onto his own heart. For a moment, his mind reeled in shock, cementing his feet to the floor. After five punches, he forcefully coughed up a mouthful of blood, stumbled back a few steps, and collapsed to the ground.

"I'll do it!"

An old monster stepped forward.

He was long past his prime, but when it came to a contest of momentum, he believed himself second to none. Even if people accused him of using his advanced age to bully others, he no longer cared. To his surprise, the surrounding crowd burst into cheers and applause, desperately hoping he could put an end to this farce.

But after just five echoing punches, he let out a miserable scream. Blood sprayed from his mouth as his body swayed, and he had to be escorted away by his disciples and grand-disciples.

"Who else will step up?!"

Someone shouted, burning with anxiety.

If someone actually challenged the Heavenly Gate—whether they succeeded or failed—the Third Lake Prefecture would lose immense face! Even with the excuse that the major martial arts gyms were away, it would still be a lasting humiliation for the Third Lake Prefecture!

Face was the one thing the Third Lake Prefecture valued above all else!

Who could swallow such an insult?!

But as figure after figure stepped forward, the best among them only managed to endure ten punches before collapsing to the ground, unable to get back up!

"Attack together!!!"

Seeing the punches grow louder and louder until they rolled like heavenly thunder, the crowd could even hear the sound of a roaring tide. It was the lake resonating, drawn in by the rhythmic beats of the War-Quelling Drum. The onlookers could no longer sit still.

They immediately surged forward as one, intending to use the combined momentum of the masses to crush the lone figure at the drum!

But—"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

As three drumbeats rang out, the earth beneath their feet quaked. The crowd was struck as if by lightning, all of them vomiting blood as they were thrown back.

At this moment, the lights of ten thousand homes lit up across the entire Third Lake Prefecture. Awakened by the thundering drumbeats, endless streams of people surged toward the scene.

The minds of the onlookers trembled as they continuously counted the drumbeats.

"Nine hundred and ninety-three, nine hundred and ninety-four, nine hundred and ninety-five—"

The man's face was deathly pale. As he muttered, the drumbeats gradually slowed down, but the momentum only grew more overwhelmingly vast.

The tide within the lake actually surged skyward in time with the drum! It transformed into a monstrous wave, sweeping up boats in its wake, and reached the very clouds before the crowd's utterly shocked eyes.

"Boom!" "Nine hundred and ninety-seven." The faces of countless Martial Instructors turned deathly pale.

"Boom!!" "Nine hundred and ninety-eight." The minds of countless Martial Instructors reeled.

"Boom!!!" "Nine hundred and ninety-nine." Countless Martial Instructors collapsed to the ground.

"BOOM!!!!"

As the final drumbeat resounded, a massive roar exploded in people's ears from the sky. A bolt of lightning from an unknown origin bloomed in the heavens, illuminating the night sky as brightly as day!

Every single gaze was deadlocked on the figure standing before the drum.

"Someone has challenged the Heavenly Gate. Someone actually challenged the Heavenly Gate."

One person's face was ashen.

At this moment, the pride of the entire Martial Guild of the Third Lake Prefecture was being slapped mercilessly in the face.

Inside a certain palace, an elderly figure listened to the resonant drumbeats and slowly opened his eyes.

Someone was challenging the Heavenly Gate.