Chapter 257
After finishing his words, Lin Lingling looked at Chen Huai'an and asked, "Governor, do you have any questions?"
"Yes," Chen Huai'an frowned and replied, "Since the demons and evil spirits in Lei Mountain are so powerful and densely packed, what's the difference between the participants from the aristocratic families and the Demon-Slaying Division going in and seeking death?"
"Right! The participants from the aristocratic families and our Demon-Slaying Division are just there to tag along; they’re NPCs," Lin Lingling said matter-of-factly.
"Huh?"
"Because the real stars of this Demon-Hunting Conference are the disciples from the hidden sects. It’s already impressive if anyone from the aristocratic families or the Demon-Slaying Division makes it onto the leaderboard."
"Disciples from hidden sects?!" Chen Huai'an looked bewildered.
He realized he had spent too long in Shelter No. 0 and had become too immersed in the game.
He hadn’t expected that just a short time away from the real world would leave him with a pile of information he couldn’t comprehend.
"Do you still remember the rise of the ancient martial arts trend from 2024 to 2025?" Zhao Ying, aware that Chen Huai'an hadn’t been following the news lately, patiently explained, "Back then, there were many people using flying needles to pierce soda cans and throwing playing cards to split watermelons. There were even those who threw flying knives to hit dragon spines...
Most of us thought it was just special effects or props, like metallic playing cards or something.
But it was all real.
From that time on, the hidden sects had already begun to infiltrate our daily lives, even promoting themselves on short video platforms. We just thought it was all a joke back then."
Chen Huai'an was taken aback, his expression shifting to one of disbelief.
He remembered mocking those who claimed to split dragon spines or wield lightning-fast whips. Weren’t they just clowns?
And throwing darts, paper cards, and needles at glass?
Come on, it all looked so fake!
To put it bluntly, could an egg ever crack a stone?
Even if it were real, it was the cards that were faulty!
He had firmly held onto that belief back then.
Now, ten years later, the boomerang had finally come back to hit him in the forehead.
The clown was him?!
…
…
------------
Chapter 275: Ascendant (Mo Qing, who loves团茶 +1)
Flying needles, paper cards, and darts were merely minor tricks.
But even the scraps casually leaked by the hidden sects were already overwhelming. In that era, the hidden sects were secretly recruiting disciples.
These minor tricks were just bait to attract those fated to join.
If someone had decent talent, they could join the sect for training.
Now that spiritual energy was reviving, these sects finally surfaced.
And those lucky enough to have joined the sects early on were ready to showcase their skills in this grand era of competition.
The Demon-Hunting Conference was their grand debut.
After Zhao Ying’s explanation, Chen Huai'an understood.
But he didn’t feel envious.
The hidden sects were indeed powerful.
Those lucky enough to have trained for ten years were certainly formidable.
But what if he pulled out the Yin-Yang Sword Bone, the Divine Thunder Spiritual Root, the Sword Spirit Root, and the Dragon Soul...?
What would that matter?
He still had the Sword Pavilion backing him.
Initially, he had little interest in the Demon-Hunting Conference; even the hidden sects hadn’t sparked much excitement in him. His only curiosity lay in how the transmission of power worked and the guidance the Dragon Soul provided. Perhaps the key to completing the Dragon Soul was hidden within Lei Mountain, which meant he had to go.
…
At nine o'clock in the evening, they landed.
Chen Huai'an and Lin Lingling arrived at the rest area designated by Qingfengmen.
He had expected a quaint, ethereal atmosphere, but to his surprise, they had booked an entire commercial club.
Downstairs was a food street, and upstairs offered a full range of foot massages.
On the upper floors, people were singing with their partners, and the rooftop provided accommodations.
Across the street was a bar district, a complete paradise of indulgence.
Among the crowd near the club, Chen Huai'an spotted several familiar faces, mostly from aristocratic families.
For instance, Lin Chen and Lin Hao were there.
Last time, Lin Hao had come to the Demon-Slaying Division to stir up trouble, trying to recruit Wang Shouyi to the Lin family. After being rejected, he left, and Chen Huai'an had thought this young master wouldn’t let it go. Surprisingly, he hadn’t caused any more trouble for the Demon-Slaying Division since then.
Perhaps his sister Lin Chen had talked him out of it?
At that moment, Lin Hao was hugging a heavily made-up club girl, his face still flushed from drinking, animatedly chatting with a man dressed in a short, fitted outfit that clearly had an ancient style.
From his expression and posture, it was evident he was flattering the man.
Standing behind Lin Hao was Lin Chen.
This tall beauty wore a cold expression, her brows furrowed, clearly displeased with her brother's sycophantic behavior. She didn’t know what to say until she spotted Chen Huai'an and Lin Lingling, her eyes lighting up.
"Governor Chen!" She jogged over, a hint of nervousness in her demeanor, "Governor Chen, do you remember me?"
Her attitude was completely different from the first time they met.
Seeing Lin Chen’s beauty, Lin Lingling immediately became alert and positioned herself in front of Chen Huai'an.
This time, she was right to be cautious.
Look at this atmosphere of indulgence...
Who knows, the governor might be led astray by some scheming person and waste his precious resources and energy on these club girls. Then when he went to teach those old hags from the sects, he wouldn’t have the energy for it!
Without energy, he wouldn’t gain any resources.
The great situation for the Demon-Slaying Division in Province C would be ruined!
She couldn’t let that happen.
The governor’s sword was to be protected by her, Lin Lingling!
"I remember you," Chen Huai'an replied with a kind smile, "I still owe you a slap. Should I give it back to you now?"
Lin Chen’s smile froze.
She had thought a friendly face would win him over.
But it turned out he still held a grudge.
Who was so petty?!
"Immortal! Look, it’s him!" A voice came from behind Lin Chen.
Chen Huai'an turned his head.
He saw Lin Hao and the ancient-style dressed man looking over at them.
Initially, he hadn’t paid much attention to Lin Hao and the ancient man.
But now, as his gaze focused, he could vaguely see the aura surrounding them.
This was a new ability he had developed after his recent cultivation breakthrough.
He wasn’t sure if it was due to the Longtai Dantian or the Yin-Yang Sword Bone.
The effect was similar to a fortune teller’s ability to read auras.
But he could genuinely see.
For instance, Lin Hao had a vibrant red aura surrounding him.
Especially after practicing the two techniques he had provided, he was enveloped in a purple aura. As the saying goes, "great red and purple," he didn’t know what this red and purple light represented, but it was definitely a good sign.
As for Lin Hao...
He was surrounded by swirling black mist, and his brow was dark and shiny.
He was probably not far from death.
Then he looked at the ancient-style dressed man.
He also had a faint red and purple aura, but it couldn’t compare to Lin Hao’s.
Moreover, there was a layer of grayish aura covering that red and purple light.
It was like a once-fresh and delicious fruit now covered in dust.
Chen Huai'an didn’t know what this gray aura was.
But his sixth sense told him it wasn’t anything good.
"You’re the arrogant one?" The ancient-style man stepped forward.
His gaze was cold, exuding a sense of solitude that a genius who had cultivated for ten years could look down upon the world, but he was only about 1.7 meters tall, and his gaze, though striking, could only look up at Chen Huai'an.
"Me? Arrogant?!" Chen Huai'an pointed at himself.
What had he been arrogant about?
It was Wang Shouyi who had rejected Lin Hao, not him.
"Oh, I see, interesting, interesting!" The ancient man seemed to have realized something, a wicked smile curling at the corners of his mouth. "So you’re also an Ascendant. I am Li Zaitian, a direct disciple of Qingfengmen, and I too am an Ascendant."
"Ascendant?" Chen Huai'an’s lips twitched.
What was this all about?
He carefully sensed the man’s cultivation.
Well, ten years of early training made a difference.
He had already established a foundation; that was somewhat interesting.
But he was still a long way from becoming an immortal.
"There’s no need to deny it. The ten-year period has arrived; we no longer need to hide our identities," Li Zaitian said, standing with his hands behind his back, turning away to gaze at the bright moon in the sky, his voice cold:
"But even as Ascendants, one must not act arrogantly; otherwise, heaven will take its toll! As the saying goes, 'Above your head, three feet have deities.' Take care of yourself!"
With that, Li Zaitian turned and left, exuding an air of a transcendent being.
Table of Contents
