170: Chapter 170 Hidden Dragons and Crouching Tigers

At this very moment, a burst of even more arrogant and overbearing laughter erupted from another private booth on the third floor.

"Hahaha! What kind of bullshit spear technique is that! It's nothing but flashy, embroidered pillows! Good to look at, but useless!"

"If you ask me, in all the martial arts of the world, only speed is unbreakable! Only the saber is the most domineering!"

Everyone looked toward the sound and saw a burly, bearded man in black, exuding an overbearing aura like a drawn mad saber, with his feet propped up on the table, shouting disdainfully.

Beside him lay a giant, extravagantly styled ghost-head saber; its thick blade was covered in shocking slash marks, emitting a chilling, heavy scent of blood.

An old man in green robes at the neighboring table, who looked like an Elder of some small School, frowned upon hearing this and couldn't help but retort:

"Your Excellency, that is incorrect! While saber techniques are domineering, they ultimately lack flexibility and change. When it comes to the king of weapons, it must be the three-foot green blade in the hands of us swordsmen!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

Upon hearing this, the black-clad saber wielder curled his lips into a cruel and disdainful sneer.

Without even standing up, he slammed his right foot, which was propped on the table, downward!

"Boom!" A loud crash!

That giant round table, made of hard ironwood, was shattered into pieces by his seemingly casual stomp!

At the same time, an invisible Saber Qi, almost impossible to catch with the naked eye, shot out from his foot!

"Ssh!" A soft sound!

On the ground in front of the old man in green, a terrifying, bottomless saber scar several feet long instantly appeared!

The scar was as smooth as a mirror, as if it had been cleaved open by the sharpest peerless divine weapon!

The old man in green felt a bone-chilling, ghastly Saber Intent flash right past the tip of his nose!

The words he had just spoken instantly stuck in his throat, unable to come out!

Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, his face was as pale as paper, his legs trembled uncontrollably, and a foul, pungent odor slowly began to spread from beneath him.

He had actually been scared to the point of wetting himself by the terrifying Saber Intent contained in that single strike!

"Now, do you still think your sword is faster than my saber?"

The black-clad saber wielder slowly retracted his foot. He didn't even glance at the old man in green, who was already scared witless. Instead, he picked up the wine bowl on the table, downed the spicy "Panshi Burning Saber Wine" in one gulp, and let out a domineering, long howl filled with endless satisfaction!

"Central Plains, Wan Guifeng!"

Yun Zheng looked at the terrifying, bottomless saber scar on the ground. For the first time, a flicker of "dread" flashed through his usually confident eyes.

Saber Qi leaving the body, condensed and not dispersing!

This was something that only a powerhouse at the Sixth-Rank Grandmaster "Organ Refining" stage could barely accomplish!

Could this seemingly crude and arrogant saber wielder actually be such a terrifying Sixth-Rank Grandmaster?!

This Yan King City truly is full of hidden talents and unfathomable!

The following few days opened Yun Zheng's eyes even further, completely overturning his understanding of this Jianghu.

At the entrance of the restaurant, he witnessed a terrifying warrior from Southern Chu named Xiang Hao, who stood nine feet tall with muscles like cast steel. While competing in strength, he effortlessly lifted a thousand-jin stone lion guardian as if it were a toy, drawing gasps from the entire crowd!

On the bustling streets, he also saw a silent swordsman dressed in black, with an ancient longsword at his waist—even its scabbard exuded an ominous aura—as if the person had merged into the shadows.

The swordsman walked quietly, but within three feet of his body, it seemed an invisible Domain of death had formed; no one dared to approach.

Everyone who saw him would subconsciously avoid him from afar, as if he were the Grim Reaper walking among men.

Yun Zheng later learned from others that this man was named Gu Shenwei, a lone killer who traveled the world. His sword techniques were so bizarre and ruthless, and the number of people he had killed was simply shocking!

He even witnessed a young general, who looked unruly but whose eyes were filled with unwillingness and struggle, settle a minor verbal conflict. In just two or three Moves, he beat a Jianghu hero—who was also a Fifth-Rank expert—until his tendons were broken and bones fractured, leaving him vomiting blood on the ground!

When that young general announced his name, it caused a monstrous wave to rise in Yun Zheng's heart!

"Suzhou Province surrendered general, Zhao Yu!"

Yun Zheng watched those peerless Prodigies, each like a comet, blooming with brilliant light on this huge stage. His usually arrogant heart was completely filled with unprecedented pressure at this moment.

For the first time, he felt deep doubts about his trip to the northern border.

For the first time, he felt endless confusion about his own future and the future of all of Yunzhou.

He knew that a brand new, brilliant age where heroes emerged in great numbers had quietly begun with the powerful rise of this king of the northern border!

In this magnificent torrent of the era, if one could not tightly keep pace with that helmsman, then whoever it was, no matter how powerful the faction, would be ruthlessly crushed into powder by the rolling wheels of history!

...

Just as the entire Yan King City was becoming turbulent and surging with undercurrents due to this upcoming Jianghu feast.

On the eve of the assembly, inside the heavily guarded study of the Yan Kings Residence, the atmosphere appeared exceptionally calm.

Gao Feng was reclining on a soft couch covered with thick white fox fur, holding a top-secret list that "Sky Net" had spent countless efforts to compile, a playful smile curling on his lips.

Below him, Xu Changqing and Gu Changfeng, the two Left and Right Prime Ministers of Panshi Land, sat upright with solemn expressions.

"My Lord," Xu Changqing said, slowly waving the feather fan in his hand, a cold light flashing in his wise eyes that seemed capable of seeing through everything.

"Sky Net has basically verified that among the thousands of Martial Artists who have come to participate in the 'World Heroes Assembly', there is a mix of fish and dragons; there are at least seven factions of spies and assassins with malicious intent."

He paused, his voice becoming even more heavy.

"Among them, the greatest threat comes from the four most mysterious and powerful top assassins sent by the puppet dynasty of the Divine Capital, from the Imperial Tribute Hall—the 'Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, Chrysanthemum' Four Absolutes! These four are all Sixth-Rank Peak Great Grandmasters, especially skilled in joint-attack techniques. When the four join forces, they even have the strength to fight a Seventh-Rank Early Stage expert! Their goal for this trip is very clear: to assassinate you during the assembly!"

"Secondly, there is the mysterious Wusheng Holy Cult. They have sent one of their Four Great Dharma Kings, the Blood Hand Dharma King, known in the Jianghu for his bizarre and vicious 'Blood Handprint'. Although this person's strength is only at the Sixth-Rank Middle Stage, his mind is so vicious and his methods so cruel that it is simply shocking! According to reports from our spies planted within the Holy Cult, his purpose for this trip is not to assassinate you, but to create a large-scale bloody chaos at the most critical moment of the assembly, in order to shake the seemingly unbreakable support you have in the northern border!"

"Besides these, there is the 'Revenge Alliance', composed of the remnants of the noble clans we purged. Their leader is the former number one Genius of the Cangyun Sword Sect, 'Lone Swan Sword' Li Xun! This person was already a Sixth-Rank Peak Great Grandmaster of the sword. Under the immense trauma of losing his family and home, his sword techniques have become even more extreme and ruthless; his strength cannot be underestimated! They have sent at least ten death warriors who have mixed into the participants, intending to launch a suicide attack on you during the assembly!"

With every faction Xu Changqing mentioned, the temperature inside the study seemed to drop by a degree.

When he finished reporting all the factions with malicious intent, the air in the entire study seemed to solidify!

Even Gu Changfeng, who was usually unflappable even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, had a look of unprecedented solemnity on his face.

He said in a deep voice: "My Lord, the enemy is in the dark, and we are in the light. Since we have already grasped their identities and schemes, why not have me mobilize the city defense army and coordinate with 'Sky Net' to round up these sinister scoundrels before the assembly begins! To eliminate future trouble!"

However, facing this huge crisis that would make any king lose sleep and appetite, Gao Feng's face showed no trace of nervousness or worry.

He just slowly put down the list in his hand, then picked up the teacup on the table and took a light sip.

He waved his hand and said with a smile: "No need. Since the fish have already painstakingly swum into the big net we cast, why should we have any reason to pull the net in early?"

The corners of his mouth curled into a cold arc filled with endless confidence and dominance.

"I want them to jump out! I want them to perform all their schemes and tricks to the fullest in front of everyone in the world!"

"Then, I will personally crush them one by one, just like crushing stink bugs!"

"It just so happens, let's take this opportunity to let the whole world see clearly what a miserable end awaits those who dare to provoke my Panshi Land and dare to run wild in my territory!"

His voice was not loud, but the supreme dominance contained within it—looking down on the world and treating all things as straw dogs—made the two top strategists, Xu Changqing and Gu Changfeng, feel a shudder and submission from the depths of their Souls!

They knew that their Lord was going to use the blood of all the sinister scoundrels in the world to sacrifice the flag for his upcoming path to ruling the world!

Gao Feng slowly stood up. He walked to the huge map of the world, his gaze falling on the list, and on the few names he had specially circled with a vermilion brush.

Ma Qianli, Wan Guifeng, Xiang Hao, Gu Shenwei, Zhao Yu...

The corners of his mouth curled into a smile full of appreciation and expectation.

"Besides, without experiencing a real storm, how can one see the brilliant rainbow?"

These future pillars of the nation, these Qilin talents I have carefully selected for Panshi Land, also need a true trial of blood and fire to hone away their excess edges and arrogance.

Only those who have truly crawled out from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood are qualified to stand by my side and join me in creating a brand-new era!

...

The next day, early morning.

As the first ray of golden sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone upon the magnificent Yan King City.

Dong! Dong! Dong! Three long, immensely majestic, and massive bell tolls resounded thunderously from the center of the city, where a huge martial arts arena capable of holding one hundred thousand people had long been erected!

The bell sound seemed to contain some kind of mysterious magic, instantly spreading to every corner of Yan King City!

Everyone, whether they were the commoners who had been waiting around the martial arts arena for a long time, or the Jianghu heroes who had been resting and recharging in inns and restaurants, felt as if an invisible stimulant had been injected into them the moment they heard the bell. Their spirits were thoroughly ignited at this very moment!

They knew that the Peak grand event that would be recorded in history and determine the Jianghu landscape for the next few decades—the first World Heroes Assembly—had officially begun!

Tens of thousands of people, like a tide, surged crazily from all directions toward the massive martial arts arena!

Meanwhile, the thousands of Martial Artists who had already registered for the competition, under the guidance of the Panshi Army soldiers, walked into the massive arena—which would soon decide their fates—with heads held high and high spirits.

In the center of the martial arts arena, ten massive bluestone stages had already been erected.

Each stage was a hundred zhang in circumference, paved with the hardest granite, sufficient to accommodate hundreds of people fighting fiercely at the same time.

Directly in front of the ten stages was an even taller and more luxurious golden viewing platform.

Gao Feng, wearing a black royal robe embroidered with a nine-clawed Dragon and a purple-gold crown, slowly ascended the viewing platform that symbolized supreme power, surrounded by civil and military officials and beauties of the harem, like a supreme god ruling the world.

His gaze swept calmly over the dense crowd below and the thousands of high-spirited participating Martial Artists. He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but it reached the ears of everyone present as clearly as thunder from the Nine Heavens.

Everyone, welcome to Yan King City to participate in this first World Heroes Assembly!

I know that some of you have come for the supreme glory of being 'Number One Under Heaven'.

Some of you have come for the ancient Divine Pill that can transform your very being.

Some of you have come for the peerless divine weapon that can make you famous throughout the world.

But regardless of why you have come, today, you will all prove your worth here with your fists, your swords and blades, and your unyielding martial will!

I promise here!

This Heroes Assembly is absolutely fair! Absolutely just!

Here, there is no distinction between high and low status! No difference based on School background! The only thing that can determine your fate is your own strength!

Now, I announce!

The first World Heroes Assembly, preliminary round, officially begins!

The rules for the preliminaries are very simple—a battle royale!

All participants will be randomly assigned to these ten stages by drawing lots!

On each stage, in the end, only ten people will remain!

And these one hundred people who remain will earn the qualification to enter the next round of the tournament!

Now, begin drawing lots!

As soon as Gao Feng finished speaking, hundreds of ceremonial officials, who had been ready, carried huge lottery boxes and walked in front of the thousands of participants.

The drawing process was very fast. In less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick, all participants had received their own number tags and were then directed to their respective stages.

Yun Zheng did not participate in this Heroes Assembly; he merely stood at an optimal viewing position not far from the viewing platform as a bystander.

His gaze was tightly locked onto the few peerless Prodigies he was focusing on.

He saw that the white-horse, silver-spear Xiliang ranger Ma Qianli was assigned to the third stage.

The overbearing Central Plains saber-wielder Wan Guifeng was assigned to the first stage.

The Nanchu warrior Xiang Hao, who had the strength to lift a cauldron, was assigned to the seventh stage.

And the unruly surrendered general from Suzhou Province, Zhao Yu, was assigned to the fifth stage.

As for that lone swordsman Gu Shenwei, who was like the Grim Reaper, he appeared silently like a ghost in the corner of the ninth stage, as if he had long since merged with the shadows there.

Dong—!!!! Another deafening bell toll rang out! This was the signal for the official start of the preliminary round!

Kill—!!! The moment the bell rang, deafening, frantic shouts erupted instantly on the ten massive stages!

Thousands of Jianghu heroes, who had been bottling up their anger, were like peerless Vicious Beasts released from cages. Eyes red, they launched the most violent and frantic attacks against the 'enemies' closest to them!

For a time, the entire martial arts arena turned into a Shura Hell filled with blood and violence!

Swords and blades flashed, and fist winds whistled! Screams, roars, and the clashing of weapons rose and fell, endless to the ear!

People were constantly blasted off the stages, constantly being beaten until their tendons snapped and bones broke, or even dying on the spot!

This was the most primitive and cruel Law of the jungle! The weak are eliminated! The strong survive!

However, on this incredibly chaotic and bloody battlefield, there were a few figures who appeared so outstanding, so different from the rest!

On the first stage, the Central Plains saber-wielder Wan Guifeng was simply an invincible, berserk god of war!

He didn't even draw his massive ghost-head saber. Just using his bare hands, relying on his overbearing and majestic Saber Intent and his terrifying Physical Body that rivaled a Sixth-Rank Grandmaster, he charged rampageously through the crowd!

Any Martial Artist who dared to approach within three zhang of him was blasted away, vomiting blood, by his tangible protective Saber Qi!

Wherever he passed, people were overturned, and no one could stop him!

On the third stage, the white-horse, silver-spear Ma Qianli turned into a silver lightning bolt!

The silver spear in his hand seemed to possess life, transforming into a sky full of spear shadows in his hands, like a rainstorm of pear blossoms, or like a poisonous snake striking from its hole, tricky and ruthless to the extreme!

Every time he thrust his spear, an opponent would inevitably scream and be precisely flicked off the stage by him!

He moved and maneuvered across the stage, his footwork elegant and agile, like a swimming Dragon, taking lives amidst the tens of thousands, yet not a single leaf touched his body!

On the seventh stage, the Nanchu warrior Xiang Hao took the phrase 'one force overcomes ten Moves' to the extreme!

His mountain-like, burly physique was simply an indestructible war beast!

Any blade or sword striking his body could only produce a series of 'clanging' metallic sounds, unable to even scratch his skin!

And his fists were even more terrifying than the heaviest siege hammer!

Each punch thrown would inevitably bring about deafening sonic booms!

Those swept by his fist wind would, at best, suffer broken tendons and bones, and at worst, be blasted into a pulp of flesh on the spot!

He didn't even need any technique; just by relying on that purest and most unreasonable absolute strength, he carved out a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood across the entire stage!

And the surrendered general from Suzhou Province on the fifth stage, Zhao Yu, performed even more directly and coldly!

His Moves were wide and sweeping, filled with the iron-blooded and murderous aura of military battle formations!

He would not strike unless necessary, but once he did, it would inevitably be a fatal blow aimed directly at vital points!

There was no pity in his eyes, only a cold killing intent as sharp as a hawk!

In less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick, no fewer than twenty Martial Artists had died miserably at his hands!

His feet were already stained red with blood, but he didn't care at all. He simply stood quietly in that 'Domain of Death' he had created with his own hands, coldly watching those 'survivors' who had already been scared out of their wits and no longer dared to approach him even an inch.

These few peerless Prodigies, like fierce tigers descending the mountain, were massacring in all directions on their respective stages, invincible and unstoppable!

Their terrifying strength, far surpassing their peers, and their charismatic fighting styles drew earth-shattering cheers and roars from the hundreds of thousands of spectators in the viewing stands!

However, just beneath this grand event filled with hot blood and passion, a cold and vicious dark undercurrent was surging silently.

On the second stage, a young boy who looked to be no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, still carrying a trace of childishness on his face but with eyes full of determination and confidence, was relying on his superb family-inherited 'Wind Chasing Sword Technique' to maneuver through the crowd and shine brilliantly!

His name was Luo Fengnian, a peerless sword-Dao Genius who had emerged from the local northern border.

Although he was young, his sword technique was so exquisite and his footwork so agile that it was not at all inferior to those long-established older generation swordsmen!

The cyan steel longsword in his hand seemed to turn into a cyan whirlwind, sending all opponents who dared to approach him flying away one by one!

It looked as though he was about to rely on his strength, which far exceeded that of ordinary people, to successfully break out of the encirclement and obtain that precious qualification to advance.

However, at the very moment he had just forced back the last opponent with a sword strike and his heart had relaxed slightly.

A cold and vicious black figure, like a poisonous snake, flashed out from behind him like a ghost without any warning!