Only Got My Martial Arts Modifier in My Old Age

In stark contrast to the foreigner Thorne’s calm and collected demeanor, Lu Yun was in a complete panic.

Ever since he had broken through to become a Grandmaster of Huajin—no, ever since he had started practicing martial arts—there had never been a moment that made him feel the stench of death so palpably close.

In that fleeting moment, Lu Yun truly believed he was about to die. The feeling sent him into a desperate, all-out sprint.

As he ran, he kept his eyes fixed on his right forearm, watching it from the corner of his eye.

Three bloody, fingernail-sized holes with charred black edges marred the skin, still oozing blood.

They had been corroded into existence by those three drops of black water. Even the 3rd Floor of his Hard Qi Gong, the Impenetrable Fortress, had been unable to stop it.

This was a body that could deflect pistol bullets! This was the defense Lu Yun prided himself on, a defense strong enough to overwhelm anyone else in his Realm!

Yet now, three seemingly ordinary drops of black water had corroded three holes right through it.

Facing this bizarre substance, Lu Yun’s heart hammered in his chest. He remembered exactly what had happened in that instant!

When the three drops of black water splashed onto his arm, the immense Qi within him had immediately surged to those spots, desperately fighting against the bizarre black liquid.

Even so, Lu Yun had been forced to expend a massive amount of Qi to burn the three drops of black water to nothing.

And the price for that was these three holes, which were still bleeding.

Of course, what terrified him most was the black water. ’What in the world was that stuff?’

The moment it struck him, his vision had gone black. It was as if he were being swallowed by a monstrous black wave, his consciousness on the verge of being completely submerged.

’If it weren’t for the protective barrier of the Impenetrable Fortress, the 3rd Floor of my Hard Qi Gong...’

Lu Yun didn’t dare to think any further. If he had been engulfed by that pool of black water, he might have been melted down to the bone on the spot.

And it wasn’t just that. The feeling Lu Yun got from that strange foreigner went far beyond what could be described by the word "dangerous."

It was the kind of feeling that promised certain death if he stopped, a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

After all, Lu Yun was at the Peak of Huajin Realm. And his version of the Peak of Huajin was different from others.

Lu Yun was protected by the 3rd Floor of his Hard Qi Gong, possessed physical defense and recovery far surpassing others in his Realm, and had enough power to crush three Grandmasters of Huajin of the same Realm combined.

Had any other Peak of Huajin Grandmaster been in his place today, they would have already been dead.

They would have died in that pool of black water, or from that bizarre spiritual assault.

But thoughts were just thoughts; Lu Yun didn’t dare let his legs stop for even a second. He just kept sprinting wildly through the late-night streets.

A man eating wontons at a roadside stall watched Lu Yun’s retreating figure in confusion. "What’s with him? He’s running so fast!"

A few men in suits, cigars dangling from their lips as they left a dance hall, suddenly stared wide-eyed as a muscular figure shot past them.

"Running that fast? You got a death wish, you old geezer!"

One man, shoved aside by Lu Yun, staggered a few steps before steadying himself and cursing loudly, "Is that old geezer insane?"

Another was spun halfway around by the impact and grabbed a telephone pole for support, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Are you crazy! Watch where you’re going!"

"Hey, old man! Running through the streets half-naked this late at night! Are you in a hurry to die and get reincarnated or something?!"

Curses followed him down the street, but Lu Yun didn’t hear any of them. His mind was consumed by a single thought: leave Nanfu City tonight and get as far away as possible.

「Two hours later.」

Lu Yun had crossed nearly a third of Nanfu City and finally arrived at a brightly lit dock.

Even though it was past nine o’clock at night, the dock was still bustling with people, a hive of activity.

Boats of all sizes were moored on the river. In front of the warehouses on the shore, groups of shirtless workers carried heavy sacks, shuffling laboriously across the gangplanks.

These were the impoverished masses, toiling day and night just to earn a meager wage to support their families.

After all, in the Daxia New Country, only the docks owned by the Lu Family Trading Company offered workers the best treatment.

Outside the entrance to the dock stood a dozen or so gang members, each with a Mauser pistol at their waist.

The leader, a man in a short cyan tunic with a brutish, fleshy face, was pointing in Lu Yun’s direction.

"Hey! You there, stop! This is Qingli Gang territory! What do you want?"

"Is that a worker running late?"

He had spotted an old man from far away—no, a shirtless old man—sprinting toward them through the darkness.

While there were plenty of shirtless men around the docks, this old man’s speed was ridiculous.

Thirty meters, twenty meters, ten meters... The man didn’t respond. In fact, he was speeding up.

The gang leader felt he was losing face. Annoyed, he swiftly drew the Mauser from his belt, aimed at the approaching figure, and pulled the trigger without a moment’s hesitation!

BANG! The gunshot shattered the night’s silence. The bullet screamed through the air and struck the old man square in the chest!

And then... nothing. Under the dim yellow light of a streetlamp, the bullet seemed to strike an invisible iron wall and was instantly deflected.

"What?"

The leader’s eyes bulged wider than saucers, his mouth hanging open wide enough to stuff a fist inside.

The dozen or so men behind him were also completely stunned.

In the instant they were frozen in shock, the figure was already upon them.

Who else could it be but Lu Yun? He gave no one time to react.

He threw a heavy punch with his left fist. The head of the leader who had just fired spun a full three times on its neck!