Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

At the summit of Phoenix Crying Mountain, there was a platform resembling a square, immensely spacious, where disciples of the Sunset Sword Sect had already set up seats. Invited factions with their invitations in hand took their seats in an orderly fashion.

This year's martial arts tournament was presided over by none other than the current number one on the Stars Ranking, Qin Mu.

Qin Mu was only in his twenties, but there was nothing childish about him. His demeanor was exceptionally composed. He was a handsome man with a sharp nose, clear eyes, and an imposing stature. Standing tall with a cascade of black hair flowing down his back, his presence was overpowering, impossible to ignore.

"Young Master Qin."

"Greetings to Young Master Qin!"

Despite his youth, none of the participating forces or martial artists dared show the slightest bit of disrespect, all paying their respects with a courteous bow.

After all, Qin Mu's status was well-established—given his talent, and with the support of the Sunset Sword Sect, his potential for future achievements was boundless.

One could say Qin Mu was the most favored candidate for next head of the Sunset Sword Sect.

Qin Mu nodded slightly, not saying much, watching as representatives from one faction after another took their seats.

Basically, all who received invitations from the Sunset Sword Sect arrived very punctually, including those ranked equally with the sect, such as the Canghai Sect, which were among the Seven Sects and Eight Factions.

Even those ranked within the top twenty of the Stars Ranking had mostly arrived, and they were the leading figures of their respective sects and factions.

After all, the martial arts tournament was geared towards the younger generation, and the older generation of famous figures generally did not participate.

Under the leadership of Yu Qiushi, the Canghai Sect approached when they saw Qin Mu sitting at the highest place, Yu's gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked over.

Qin Mu had extremely keen perception and immediately noticed Yu Qiushi's gaze. But after merely a glance, he paid no further attention.

Ever since ranking first on the Stars Ranking, there was no one in the younger generation of the martial world he deemed worthy of attention.

He no longer considered being number one on the Stars Ranking an honor; to him, it was nothing more than what was expected.

His ambition reached far beyond, concerned only with those much older than himself, occupying even higher statuses among martial artists.

Only by climbing that list could one truly become world-renowned. The Stars Ranking, in his eyes, was too insignificant, merely covering martial artists under twenty-three years of age.

To be on the Stars Ranking meant only a modicum of fame in the martial world. It was topping that list that would prove his true power, prospect the entire realm, and possess the ability to stir the winds and clouds of the world.

Of course, even for him, climbing to the top of that list still seemed a daunting challenge.

But today's occasion was trivial in his eyes, simply a task for the sect. If it weren't for the sect's strong insistence, he wouldn't have come at all today.

In his view, a youth martial arts tournament was no different from children playing house, terribly dull.

His vision was incomparable to anyone else attending today's tournament, and that's why he paid no heed to Yu Qiushi's fervent gaze.

Unless Yu Qiushi, like him, had reached the limit of the Meridian Opening realm, perhaps then Qin Mu would hold him in higher regard as a peer.

But clearly, no one amongst the younger generation in the martial world was capable or fit to stand shoulder to shoulder with him.

Seeing Qin Mu's indifferent manner, Yu Qiushi did not get angry because, if he were in Qin Mu's place, he would feel the same.

Subsequently, Yu's gaze swept around and landed on Tang Ming from the Stars Ranking, ranked second, and Huo Zhi, ranked third, his eyes brimming with fighting spirit.

Tang Ming and Huo Zhi also noticed Yu Qiushi and frowned, sensing his will to fight.

For them, after experiencing Qin Mu's strength firsthand, they no longer entertained any thoughts of vying with him.

In the martial world, everyone knew the top three on the Stars Ranking were strong, but how strong, no one could accurately say. Only the two of them knew just how terrifying Qin Mu's true strength was.

Seeing Qin Mu again today, both knew that if they were to fight again, even together they might not last ten moves, no, not even five against him.

So, to those on the Stars Ranking who entertained thoughts of challenging Qin Mu, both sneered, considering them vastly overrating themselves.

Without fighting Qin Mu, one could never fathom his strength.

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"Let's find a place to sit as well," suggested a few elders and stewards from the Canghai Sect beside Yu Qiushi. They all had the cultivation of the Outer Energy Realm, and although their cultivation was higher than Yu Qiushi's, their status was not. The Canghai Sect had sent them primarily to assist Yu Qiushi on this mission.

Yu Qiushi withdrew his gaze and nodded, having made up his mind to challenge Tang Ming and Huo Zhi at this martial arts tournament and, after climbing to the second place on the Star Ranking, witness Qin Mu's strength for himself.

Soon, everyone had arrived, and those jianghu martial artists without an invitation could only wait at the foot of the mountain, or, to put it another way, find a spot in a corner at the summit to watch the grand event.

At that moment, a disciple from the Sunset Sword Sect approached Qin Mu and whispered, "Elder Brother Qin, everyone has arrived. Do you think, should we start the martial arts tournament now?"

Without a word, Qin Mu simply nodded indifferently and unapologetically took the seat at the head of the gathering, looking down from above.

"I declare that this martial arts tournament is now officially..."

However, just as that Sunset Sword Sect disciple was about to continue, several more people arrived at the summit. They were from Tiandu, led by Gu Chen.

The Sunset Sword Sect disciple guarding the perimeter frowned and asked, "Which sect or school are you from, and why are you late?"

Song Yu and Wang Yan stood two steps behind Gu Chen, clearly following his lead, just as Chen Yu had said: on this mission, they were under Gu Chen's command.

Stay tuned to m v l e m p y r

Gu Chen, with a calm expression, simply stated, "Tiandu, Jing Tian Department."

Upon hearing this, the crowd of jianghu people turned their gaze towards them—some calmly, some with surprise, some frowning, and others with disdain in their hearts.

The court and the jianghu have always been at odds with each other, and this was nothing new. However, the current Emperor's strategic brilliance and unparalleled governance in both literature and martial prowess had pressed the jianghu of Da Xia into submission, albeit reluctantly.

Therefore, seeing the trio from Jing Tian Department, Gu Chen's group, naturally stirred discontent among many.

This was particularly the case when they saw the ages of Gu Chen's trio—how strong could such young people be?

Song Yu and Wang Yan were easily seen through, being at only the later stages of the Meridian Channeling Realm. It was only Gu Chen, the leader, who seemed to have a condensed aura and appeared to have decent martial arts skills, but that didn't catch much attention either.

After all, today gathered the top fifty, even the top twenty, of the Star Ranking—no one bothered much with Gu Chen and his companions.

Also for this reason, the various jianghu forces believed that with the Emperor's seclusion and Jing Tian Department's years of losses against demons and ghosts, their power was increasingly weakened.

In the past, Jing Tian Department would at least send martial artists of the Outer Energy Realm to the event. However, this year, they only sent three young individuals like Gu Chen, which explained some of the disdain.

Gu Chen certainly noticed their underestimation but didn't care, for although the jianghu was turbulent in the shadows, openly, these forces still abided by the rules, and over the years, they had little dealings with Jing Tian Department.

This was mainly because, for the past couple of decades, Jing Tian Department had focused on countering the ever-increasing number of demons and ghosts.

"He... he seems to be Gu Chen."

"Gu Chen? The Gu Chen who's eighth on the Star Ranking?"

At this point, some martial artists recognized Gu Chen, sparking a wave of discussions, and even those in the top ten of the Star Ranking, such as Tang Ming and Huo Zhi, cast their eyes over and took a glance.

However, the disciples of Sunset Sword Sect frowned upon hearing Gu Chen's name as they were not pleased—their fellow sect member Zheng Yan had been ousted from the ranking by Gu Chen.

No matter what, Zheng Yan was a disciple of the Sunset Sword Sect, and in their view, it should be the Sunset Sword Sect's responsibility to deal with their own, not for Gu Chen to slay.

After all, Zheng Yan's direct killing outside had tarnished the face of Sunset Sword Sect, which was unaccustomed to anything less than dominance, hence their discontent.

A young disciple next to Qin Mu whispered a consultation with him, then placed Gu Chen's trio at the very edge of the seating arrangement.

In the jianghu, seating at such gatherings mattered, and being placed at the edge implied insignificance and a lack of importance.

It was clear that the Sunset Sword Sect was intentionally slighting Gu Chen and his company. Song Yu and Wang Yan frowned and were about to react, as they were representing Jing Tian Department's dignity on this mission.

But without a word from Gu Chen, they knew better than to speak, and so they took their seats there first.

Gu Chen remained calm and unaffected by their targeting and disdain; after all, to him, it didn't matter where he sat. He wasn't there to participate in the martial arts tournament, but to assassinate.

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