Martial Universe: Inherit the Future, Quickly Become a Martial Ancestor!

As the martial arts school's leader, Jiang Lei, began gathering the school's members and instructing them to pack their belongings, Lan He walked out of the main hall alone.

People were coming and going in the courtyard. Although the disciples of Eagle Martial Arts School did not know exactly what had happened, they knew that an important figure had arrived, judging from the school master's surprised and delighted expression, as if he were in a dream.

They dared not approach and disturb them, but bowed from a distance and then hurriedly dispersed with their boxes and belongings.

Lan He stood with his hands behind his back under the corridor, his gaze casually sweeping across the corner of the courtyard.

There, a slightly thin figure stood with his back to him, seemingly cleaning the ancient halberd in his hand, but his movements were somewhat unnatural and stiff.

Lin Dong.

Lan He raised an eyebrow, recalling the fierce and decisive aura the young man had displayed when fighting Luo Jiu on the martial arts stage. Now, he seemed like a completely different person, even his back was taut.

He suddenly felt a bit playful.

Lan He withdrew his gaze, his expression unchanged, and walked past Lin Dong a few steps away without stopping or letting his gaze linger, as if he were just passing by an ordinary martial artist he didn't know.

Lin Dong's shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly.

He quietly exhaled, his tense knuckles slowly relaxing, secretly relieved that the person hadn't noticed him.

That's true. They know their status, and I know mine. They've probably long forgotten our encounter at the ancient tomb.

As he was thinking this, a calm and unhurried voice suddenly came from behind him:

"Young friend, what were you so nervous about just now?"

Lin Dong's body stiffened.

He turned around and saw that the young master of the War King's Mansion, dressed in white as snow, had returned at some point and was standing three steps away with his hands behind his back, a smile that was not quite a smile on his lips.

"Senior..." Lin Dong's Adam's apple bobbed, and he was momentarily at a loss for words.

Lan He seemed oblivious to his embarrassment, merely turning her head slightly, her gaze falling on his face with a faint smile:

"Have we... met somewhere before?"

Lin Dong forced a smile and said dryly, "Yes, Senior has a good memory... We did meet, in the Ancient Tomb. At that time, Senior and Fairy Ling stood side by side, truly... truly peerless in beauty."

He regretted his words halfway through.

The phrase "peerless beauty"—those words used to describe a beautiful woman—sounded incredibly strange when applied to the white-clad gentleman before him. But he couldn't think of anything else to say for the moment; the words were already out, and there was no going back.

Lin Dong felt his cheeks burning slightly, wishing he could pull back the words he had just uttered and swallow them back down.

Seeing his restless expression, Lan He's smile deepened.

"I see." He nodded slowly, his tone devoid of emotion. "It's kind of you to remember."

"What's your name?"

Lan He spoke casually, as if asking an unimportant question, but his gaze fell on Lin Dong's face with a hint of scrutiny.

Lin Dong was slightly taken aback, but quickly composed himself and replied solemnly, "Replying to Senior, this junior is Lin Dong."

Lan He nodded without saying anything.

Lin Dong stood there, unsure whether to take his leave or wait for the other party to speak. He couldn't figure out what this young master of the War King's Mansion was thinking. If he remembered him, why had they just brushed past each other as complete strangers? If he had forgotten him, why had he now deliberately turned back to ask for his name?

After a moment of silence, Lan He suddenly asked again:

"Just now on the stage, the halberd technique you used when fighting Luo Jiu was quite interesting. Did you figure it out yourself?"

Lin Dong felt a slight chill.

That halberd technique was passed down to him by Little Marten, which he deduced himself from the stone talisman; it did not belong to any lineage of the Great Yan Dynasty. He didn't know if the other party was asking casually or had seen through something.

"...I guess so," he answered cautiously.

Lan He glanced at him but didn't ask any further questions.

"For someone just starting out in the art of character creation, to be able to push Luo Jiu to that point is quite impressive." He spoke calmly, as if stating a fact. "In a place like the Great Yan Dynasty, it's rare to find someone with such comprehension."

Lin Dong was stunned. He hadn't expected that this high and mighty young master of the War King's Mansion would say such a thing.

It wasn't a condescending look down on someone, nor was it a perfunctory politeness; rather, it was a rare expression of praise.

His grip on the ancient halberd tightened slightly, and the taut string in his heart seemed to loosen a little at this moment.

Lan He said no more. He withdrew his gaze and turned to walk towards the main hall.

"Lin Dong."

His voice came from ahead, still calm and undisturbed.

"You have a long road ahead of you, there's no need to rush."

Lin Dong looked up at the receding figure, momentarily unable to decipher the meaning behind the man's words. Was it encouragement, or just a casual remark?

A lazy voice echoed in his mind: "Tsk, this guy does have some class."

Xiao Diao's tone was unusually devoid of sarcasm, instead carrying a complex and ambiguous meaning: "However, kid, I have to remind you, that guy is hiding his strength. He's not at the First Nirvana Realm at all, but at the Second Nirvana Realm."

"At this age, to have reached the dual Nirvana stage... that's incredible. He's much stronger than Lin Langtian, whom you're dealing with. If he were to get involved in the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele incident, you'd be in for a tough time."

Upon hearing this, Lin Dong's eyes flashed with surprise. This person had actually been hiding his strength?

He had thought that the One Yuan Nirvana was the full extent of this person's strength, but he never expected that the other party had hidden it so deeply, and what was revealed was only the tip of the iceberg.

Little Mink didn't have time to indulge in his sentimentality and continued, "Just in case, we should make plans early. Although the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele is dangerous, it also holds great opportunities. It's better to go in and explore early than to follow behind others and pick up scraps later. Let's go, kid."

Lin Dong nodded slightly and looked towards the main hall. The white-clad figure had already disappeared behind the door.

Without further hesitation, he put the ancient halberd into his Qiankun bag and turned to walk out of the martial arts hall.

……

Inside the main hall of Eagle Martial Arts Academy, Lan He was discussing the specifics of relocating to the Immortal Dynasty with Jiang Lei.

He had no idea that the boy he had casually praised in the courtyard had already embarked on the road to the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele.

Even if they knew, they probably wouldn't care.

His goal for this trip was never the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele.

Instead, it was the little girl in red who was currently perched on her sister's lap, idly swinging her legs.

Lan He withdrew his gaze and continued, "I will send someone to pick you up in three days. You only need to pack your valuables, and any martial arts school disciples who are willing to come along can be taken with you."

Jiang Lei nodded solemnly, his expression serious: "This junior understands."

He paused, then couldn't help glancing at Jiang Yinyin again. His youngest daughter was still nestled on her sister's lap, swinging her little legs, completely unaware of the earth-shattering fate that was about to unfold before her. His lips moved as if he wanted to ask something, but ultimately he swallowed his questions.