Chapter 1359: Climbing Mount Everest
This old Taoist isn't someone else, but the founding ancestor of Wudang, Zhang Sanfeng.
In the eyes of the world, Zhang Sanfeng had long passed away, but no one expected that he was merely secluded in the deep mountains, dedicated to his cultivation.
Chinese martial arts are vast and profound, with people having already surpassed the age limit of a hundred years, and these eccentric elders are the very foundation of China.
Because of their presence, no country would easily dare to harbor thoughts against China.
If it weren't for the martial arts disaster in China a century ago, there wouldn't have been the Eight-Nation Alliance and the Eight-Year War of Resistance.
However, after that disaster, although Chinese martial arts were weakened considerably, they have gradually recovered some strength over the years of biding their time.
"Master Zhang, why do you want to take Lin Chen with you when you have so many outstanding disciples?" Elder Long asked in confusion.
Zhang Sanfeng stroked his beard and said, "I have received information that Rufus from the M Nation has allied with martial arts experts from Europe, Africa, North America, and some parts of Asia against Chinese martial arts. Over the past decades, Chinese martial arts have enjoyed a transcendental status and even led the World Martial Arts Alliance. But this time, the M Nation seeks to replace us. If we can't demonstrate our exceptional strength, it will be difficult to maintain our status in the martial arts world, and consequently, our resources will be diminished."
"Is it that serious?" Elder Long's expression changed.
Zhang Sanfeng said in a deep voice, "This time, a prominent figure will preside over the martial arts alliance, and the entire martial arts world's landscape will be redrawn. So, we must display absolute strength this time, and among the younger generation, Lin Chen is the best choice."
Elder Long nodded: "Lending him is no problem, but to be honest, Lin Chen doesn't completely belong to our Dragon Group, so I can't deploy him. Therefore, if you want him to come, I have to call him to discuss it."
Zhang Sanfeng smiled and said, "Once you get through, I'll invite him personally. I don't believe he would refuse an old man like me."
Elder Long took out his phone and dialed Lin Chen's number, but the other side responded with a message saying that the user you dialed is temporarily unreachable.
At that moment, everyone's eyes were on Elder Long. He had just claimed that Lin Chen belonged to his group, but now he couldn't even get through to him. This was indeed quite awkward.
Hearing the busy tone, Elder Long had no choice but to call Anna.
"Anna, where has that kid Lin Chen run off to? Why hasn't he been answering his phone?" Elder Long asked anxiously.
"Lin Chen has gone to Mount Everest." Anna's voice came through the phone.
"What Mount Everest? What is he doing there?" Elder Long asked in confusion.
Anna shook her head, "He said he's going there to train. He didn't say anything else."
"That guy, when he gets back, make sure he contacts me right away." With that, Elder Long hung up the phone.
"What's going on? Little Long, you aren't trying to play games in front of an old man like me, are you?" Zhang Sanfeng squinted his eyes and said.
Elder Long awkwardly smiled: "I wouldn't dare play games in front of you. Lin Chen went to Mount Everest."
"What? Mount Everest? That's a land of extreme cold!" Zhang Sanfeng furrowed his brows.
"I've already told Anna to have Lin Chen contact me as soon as he returns." Elder Long said with a smile.
"It's too late, forget it. I'll have my disciple go find him." As he said this, Zhang Sanfeng pulled out an old-style Nokia phone.
The call just connected and Zhang Yu's excited voice came through: "Master, have you finally decided to take me to the World Martial Arts Tournament?"
"Xiao Yu, go to Mount Everest and find Lin Chen for me." Zhang Sanfeng said calmly.
"Master, will you take me to the World Martial Arts Tournament once I find Lin Chen?" Zhang Yu said excitedly.
"You brat, you dare negotiate with me? This is non-negotiable." Zhang Sanfeng said angrily.
Zhang Yu said indifferently: "Master, I found some interesting files on your laptop, about 500 GB of them. The doctor said at your age you shouldn't watch things that get you too excited, so I've decided to hand them over to Doctor Zhang."
"You brat, you dare threaten me? My computer's got a password, how could you possibly crack it?" Zhang Sanfeng said excitedly.
"Using your birthday as a password? Master, you're too low." Zhang Yu giggled.
"You, brat, if you dare hand my laptop to Doctor Zhang, I'll break your legs." Zhang Sanfeng said furiously.
"Doctor Zhang, Doctor Zhang, look at this..." Zhang Yu's shouting came through the phone.
"You little rascal, stop it, stop it. I agree, alright?" Zhang Sanfeng immediately gave in, pleading.
Zhang Yu looked smug: "Master, that's how it should be. Rest assured, I'll definitely find Lin Chen and bring him to the World Martial Arts Tournament."
Zhang Sanfeng hung up the phone with a face full of grief: "The fortune of the sect is in misfortune, how many old folks' homes did I burn in my past life to take in such an unfilial disciple."
Elder Long timidly asked: "Senior Zhang, what files got you so worked up."
Zhang Sanfeng coughed: "They're martial arts manuals I've collected over the years, the essence of my life's work."
On Mount Wudang, Zhang Yu looked at the laptop filled with sexy images of women, feeling very pleased with himself: "Master actually collected so many films from the Island Nation. This is surely his lifeline; with this hostage, he won't dare not take me to the World Martial Arts Tournament."
Meanwhile, Lin Chen, who was on many people's minds, was already scaling Mount Everest.
In a campsite, a guide was seriously briefing his team members on the essentials of climbing.
"Climbing Mount Everest is extremely dangerous. Over the years, more than 2,000 people have reached the summit, but over 300 have died along the way. So, it's a very dangerous experience," the guide said solemnly.
After hearing the guide's words, the team members' faces turned somber.
"The terrain of Mount Everest is glacial, so we need special equipment, and our pace will be very slow. Therefore, we must reserve ample physical strength."
"Guide, look over there, someone is climbing the peak, his speed doesn't seem slow at all!" A climber pointed to someone rapidly climbing upwards in the distance.
The guide turned to look and was astonished: "My God, is he really human? How can he be so fast, and he's not even using tools."
They watched as Lin Chen swiftly leaped among the ice crests, reaching places that usually required ice picks and ropes with just a few jumps.
What shocked them even more was Lin Chen's incredible speed, quickly becoming a small black dot and disappearing into the snowy mountains.
The guide rubbed his eyes; in his 20 years as a guide, he had never seen anyone climb a snow mountain so fast.
"Okay, maybe what we saw was an illusion. People can have hallucinations due to altitude sickness," the guide could only comfort himself like this.
Because deep down, he couldn't believe that a human could climb Mount Everest so rapidly.