Chapter 370: Chapter 370
As the elderly Ren Susu finished speaking, the people from the Lu Family hurriedly knelt before Ding Fan in a grand salute.
The generation of Lu Zhanming called him "Uncle Master," while Ye Fan's generation addressed him as "Great-Uncle Master."
"Greetings, Uncle Master!"
"Greetings, Great-Uncle Master!"
Although Ding Fan was very young, not a single person present doubted his worthiness of the title "Great-Uncle Master."
With a single sword, he had easily slain a Fifth Grade Yuan Beast. Given such combat power, no one present dared to dissent.
Even Lu Hang, who had previously been prideful and unrestrained, now sincerely submitted without a word of objection.
Ding Fan hadn't expected his generational status to rise so rapidly. In the blink of an eye, his rank had ascended to that of a Great-Uncle Master.
In the Lu Family, aside from Ren Susu, his, Ding Fan's, generational rank was now the highest.
"From today onward, my words are as the words of Ding Fan in the Lu Family Disciples. Whoever disobeys will face the family discipline!" Elder Ren Susu said sternly.
"Yes!" The disciples of the Lu Family, not daring to defy, agreed obediently.
After introducing Ding Fan to the members of the Lu Family, Ren Susu then brought Ding Fan to the drawing room, where the patriarch of the Ye Family, Lu Zhanming, was already waiting.
Meanwhile, the other disciples of the Lu Family went outside to clean up the corpses of the long-toothed wolves and tend to the wounded.
After arriving in the drawing room, Ren Susu, Ding Fan, and Lu Zhanming were seated according to their host-guest status.
Being of the same generation as Ren Susu, Ding Fan was seated in the higher position, while Lu Zhanming took a seat below him.
"Sister, I've noticed some problems with the Cultivation Technique of the Lu Family Disciples," Ding Fan said.
The day Ding Fan first met Lu Fan, he noticed a problem with Lu Fan's Cultivation Method. The Cultivation Method practiced by the Lu Family was extremely harmful to oneself.
According to this Cultivation Method, the disciples of the Lu Family would face life-threatening danger before the age of sixty.
Ren Susu sighed lightly. "This is, indeed, my fault…"
Originally, when Ren Susu disappeared from the mountain with the Martial Arts Tome, she had caused a sensation. The Dejiang Lu Family had also become a highly esteemed major family among the Hidden Sects.
Later, Ren Susu passed down the Martial Arts Tome to her descendants. But then something strange happened. The disciples of the Lu Family who practiced the Martial Arts Tome tended to die young. To date, not a single male in the Lu Family had lived past the age of sixty.
Lu Zhanfei, now fifty-seven years old, had already reached the Earth Level Fourth or Fifth Grade in cultivation. The Lu Family feared that Lu Zhanfei would die at the age of sixty like the other male elders before him. Thus, they used great effort to obtain the long-toothed wolves, hoping to refine a Demon Core to save Lu Zhanfei's life.
Why had those of the Lu Family who practiced the Martial Arts Tome not lived past sixty, while she had lived for over a hundred years?
This issue had troubled Ren Susu for a long time. Only after Ding Fan brought the Martial Arts Tome did she understand why this was happening.
It turned out that the Martial Arts Tome was specifically designed for female disciples. It was a Cultivation Method intentionally created for Ren Susu by the Hermit of the Horizon.
The annotations made by the Hermit of the Horizon in the Martial Arts Tome explicitly informed Susu that the technique should only be passed down to disciples of the Female Sect, and absolutely not practiced by males.
Otherwise, the reversal of Yin and Yang would cause great harm to the cultivator…
"Ancestor, our Lu Family has been practicing this technique for over a hundred years. If we can no longer continue this practice, how can our Dejiang Lu Family remain standing..."
Lu Zhanming, who had been silent, spoke with visible concern.
Currently, all Lu Family Disciples were practicing this technique. Now that there was an issue with the Cultivation Method, it would deal a huge blow to the Lu Family.
Ren Susu sighed heavily. "Perhaps this is Heaven's punishment for me. Back then, without my master's permission, I secretly took the Martial Arts Tome from the mountain... Over these hundred years, many of our young men have died before reaching sixty... This is all my fault..."
The premature deaths of the Lu Family males who practiced the Martial Arts Tome had been a secret within the Lu Family for years.
The Lu Family had initially thought they were under a family curse... It was only when Ding Fan arrived that this mystery was finally solved.
"From today onward, issue my command. No male descendant of my Lu Family should practice the Martial Arts Tome any longer. Anyone who defies this will be permanently expelled from our family..." Ren Susu said with a grave expression.
Lu Zhanming slowly stood up, his expression extremely grim.
The Lu Family gained their status through martial prowess. Among the Hidden Sects, the Dejiang Lu Family had a notable reputation. Issuing such a ban on martial activity would surely stir significant ripples.
Families that held grudges against the Lu Family would surely come knocking, and from then on, the Lu Family could no longer expect peace.
"Ancestor... please think this through. Once the ban on martial practice is decreed, the Lu Family..."
"What will happen then..." Ren Susu didn't let Lu Zhanming finish his sentence and interrupted him. "Being alive is always better than being dead... Pass my words on."
Lu Zhanming knew the character of the old ancestor; she was one always firm in her decisions. Once she made up her mind, it was very difficult to change it.
"Yes..." Lu Zhanming sighed deeply and then turned to leave.
"Hold on..." Just as Lu Zhanming turned to walk out of the living room, Ding Fan stopped him.
"Brother, do you have something to say?" Ren Susu looked puzzled at Ding Fan who was beside her.
At that moment, Ding Fan nodded slightly. "The 'Martial Arts Tome' technique is exquisite, and over the years, the Lu Family Disciples have been studying it diligently. It's too wasteful to abandon it ... How about I modify this technique a bit?"
Modify the technique?!
Ren Susu's eyes widened in shock; she even doubted if she had heard correctly.
Creating a technique was absolutely groundbreaking, but modifying one was far more difficult than creating a new one! Ding Fan was barely twenty years old. Latest content publıshed on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽
Even at this time, the formidable figure who founded the 'Martial Arts Tome,' the Hermit of the Horizon, would probably not dare to say he could modify a technique.
Lu Zhanming, standing beside them, looked at Ding Fan as if he were looking at a monster.
Seeing Ren Susu and Lu Zhanming looking at him like that, Ding Fan just gave a light smile. "Actually, the main reason why the 'Martial Arts Tome' allows only women to practice and not men lies in the difficulty of harmonizing Yin and Yang. Without harmony, there can be no complementarity. As this technique emphasizes Yin, to adjust this technique, one only needs to swap Yin with Yang and strengthen the core essence..."
This Martial Arts Tome, which Ding Fan had perused before, emphasized the integration of martial arts into the path to enlightenment. It was different from typical Ancient Martial Arts Techniques.
Other Ancient Martial Arts texts focus on boosting one's attack power and cultivation, while the 'Martial Arts Tome' emphasizes the path.
This path differed from the one Ding Fan pursued, but ultimately, both aimed for immortality. Thus, the 'Martial Arts Tome' and Ding Fan's own techniques shared many similarities.
Therefore, modifying this technique was not difficult for Ding Fan.
Ding Fan explained clearly, but Ren Susu's brow remained furrowed. Clearly, she found it hard to accept that Ding Fan could modify the technique.
Lu Zhanming, on the other hand, was silent and contemplative.
Ding Fan could naturally tell that they didn't trust him.
"I have a proposal. Previously, you prepared to use demon cores from the Fang Wolves to extend the lifespans of your martial artists. How about this—after I refine this technique, you bring me to that tribe member. I will teach him the refined technique. If it shows remarkable effects, then you can use my method to refine the 'Martial Arts Tome.' If it fails, there's no loss. What do you think?"
Ren Susu glanced at Ding Fan.
With confidence written all over his face, Ren Susu momentarily considered letting Ding Fan give it a try.
Lu Zhanfei was nearly sixty now; even if Ding Fan failed to modify the technique, it wouldn't change reality, but if by chance he succeeded...
"Ancestor, I think we could let the uncle try..."
At this moment, Lu Zhanming spoke.
Lu Zhanming and Ren Susu felt the same. Now, they were just trying a dead horse for a cure!
"Very well," Ren Susu nodded.
"I will go back and thoroughly understand it. Once I have refined the technique, I will come over," Ding Fan said.
Refining a technique was indeed not an overnight affair, even if Ding Fan's current cultivation was extraordinary; it still required time.
Then Ding Fan, Ren Susu, and Lu Zhanming talked a bit more about some trivial matters, and afterward, Ding Fan took his leave.
After leaving Noble Manor, Ding Fan took a taxi to head towards the hotel, but these past two days Longxi had been unusually crowded. It took Ding Fan a great distance to find a ride.
Eventually, Ding Fan simply decided to walk. The weather was nice, and it was a good opportunity to observe the local sights.
Just then, a black Audi stopped in front of Ding Fan.
Ding Fan was startled; this car stopping here clearly meant it was looking for him, but Ding Fan couldn't figure out whom he knew in Longxi.
"Brother Fan! How come you are here alone?! Have you missed me..."
At that moment, the window of the Audi rolled down, and a stunning woman with short hair appeared in front of Ding Fan.
Delicate features, fair skin, lively eyes—a total beauty.
"How are you here?! How did you find me?" The usually composed Ding Fan couldn't help but be astounded upon seeing the woman in the rolled-down window.
At this time, the person who rolled down the window was none other than Mu Zi, a persistent follower Ding Fan couldn't shake off.
"I used the military's privileges. Tracking someone's location shouldn't be hard, should it!" Mu Zi said with a smug look.