60: Chapter 60 Turbulent Times

The day before the Martial Arts Tournament, Tianqi City was as lively as the New Year.

The streets and alleys were packed with people; players from all walks of life were flooding into the city like a tide. Sellers of equipment, potions, street vendors, people shouting to form parties—it was chaotic, even livelier than a market fair in the Northeast.

Naturally, I couldn't miss this great opportunity to make money.

In a small alley next to the central square of Tianqi City, I found a good spot, squatted down, spread out a cloth, and neatly arranged various pre-match supplies.

iron wall potions, swift wind potions, purification potions, health pills, mana pills, and a few little gadgets I had newly developed—things like "Sobering Powder" and "Heart-Calming Pills," all temporary buff items for use before a match.

"Step right up, don't miss out! Pre-match supplies, one-stop shop! Fair prices, no cheating!"

As soon as I shouted this, a crowd immediately gathered around.

"Boss, what does this iron wall potion do?"

"Increases physical defense by 30% for ten minutes. A must-have for PvP, you definitely won't regret buying it!"

"What about the swift wind potion?"

"Increases movement speed by 25% and evasion rate by 10%. Brothers playing Assassins, you need to get a bottle of this!"

"What kind of thing is this formation-breaking incense? Why is the name so weird?"

"Uh... that's a special item, not for sale for now." I hurriedly stuffed the formation-breaking incense under the cloth. "Would you like to look at something else?"

Business was booming. In less than two hours, more than half of the goods I brought were sold. Gold coins were flowing into my pockets, and my hands were cramping from counting money.

But just as I was happily counting money, I suddenly felt an odd aura.

I subconsciously raised my head and looked toward the square.

People from the Dragon God Temple.

Quite a few.

They were wandering around the city in groups of three or five. Although they weren't wearing the guild's uniform, that arrogant air couldn't be hidden. And I noticed that several of them were of high level, estimated to be at least level 24 or above.

Earth Wild Eagle was there too.

That burly Berserker was standing in the center of the square, whispering something to a few elites of the Dragon God Temple, scanning the surroundings from time to time. Those eyes were sharp, just like an eagle's.

The atmosphere was clearly wrong.

I quickly packed up my stall, stuffed the remaining items into my backpack, and then sent a private message to Ye Liuli: "People from the Dragon God Temple are frequently active in the city, be careful."

Ye Liuli replied in a second: "Saw them. Our people are watching too. Don't expose yourself, keep doing your business."

Fine, the guild leader had spoken, so I would continue.

But to be honest, I had a bad premonition in my heart. It felt as if the air was so stuffy before a storm that it was hard to breathe.

I moved my stall to a relatively secluded corner and continued selling goods, but my eyes were constantly scanning for movement in the city.

Just then, an unexpected person appeared.

"Little brother, long time no see."

A low, magnetic voice came from behind me.

I turned my head abruptly and saw a man in black with a cold expression leaning against the wall at the alley entrance, arms crossed, looking at me with a smirk.

Sword Saint Xiao Wuchen.

The mysterious expert who gave me that jade pendant near the mine earlier!

"You—" I stood up at once, my hand instinctively pressing on the hilt of my sword. "Why are you here?"

Sword Saint Xiao Wuchen smiled slightly, a smile that carried a depth I couldn't fathom: "Don't be nervous, I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm here to find you."

"Find me?" I looked at him vigilantly. "What for?"

Sword Saint Xiao Wuchen didn't answer directly but walked over from the alley entrance and squatted down opposite me. He looked around to confirm no one was paying attention to us before lowering his voice:

"Little brother, have you found out anything about Senior Brother Liu Qing recently?"

My heart skipped a beat. How was this guy so well-informed?

"Who exactly are you?" I didn't answer his question directly. "The jade pendant you gave me before, what does it actually mean?"

Sword Saint Xiao Wuchen was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly: "Who I am, you don't need to know yet. But there is one thing I must tell you—the Sword Pavilion is about to face a great calamity."

"A great calamity?"

"The conspiracy of Senior Brother Liu Qing is much bigger than you imagine." Sword Saint Xiao Wuchen's expression became serious. "He is not just helping the Dragon God Temple. Behind him, there is an even more terrifying force."

I frowned: "You mean... he is not just a member of the Dragon God Temple?"

"Senior Brother Liu Qing has never been a member of the Dragon God Temple." Sword Saint Xiao Wuchen said coldly, "To him, the Dragon God Temple is just a pawn that can be used. The one he truly serves is the Shadow Pavilion."

Shadow Pavilion.

When these three words came out, the hair on the back of my neck stood up.

Shadow Pavilion. I had seen rumors about this organization on game forums. It was said to be an extremely mysterious player organization, famous for assassination and information trading. They had no fixed base, no public member list, and no one even knew who their leader was.

On various forums, posts about the Shadow Pavilion were always full of various guesses and rumors. Some said they were a group of professional assassins who took assassination orders; some said they were the biggest information traffickers, holding the secrets of all guilds and sects; others said that members of the Shadow Pavilion had already infiltrated every large organization in the game.

But these rumors had never been confirmed, because those who tried to investigate the Shadow Pavilion either gave up or... disappeared.

"The Shadow Pavilion has been infiltrating major guilds and sects." Sword Saint Xiao Wuchen continued, "Senior Brother Liu Qing is just one of their pawns in the Sword Pavilion. Similar pawns exist in other sects too. Their true purpose..."

He paused, his gaze becoming extremely grave.

"They want to wipe out all the forces that resist them at this Martial Arts Tournament."

I gasped.

Wipe them all out?

That's fucking ruthless!

"Why are you telling me this?" I stared into Sword Saint Xiao Wuchen's eyes. "What do you actually want?"

Sword Saint Xiao Wuchen stood up, took out a pitch-black token from his chest, and handed it to me.

The token was small, only half the size of a palm, entirely pitch-black, with a blurry shadow pattern carved on the front and an ancient rune I didn't recognize on the back.

"Keep this token safe." Sword Saint Xiao Wuchen said, "At a critical moment, you can get help with this token."

I took the token; it was cold to the touch and heavy, I didn't know what material it was made of.

"Wait," I called out to Sword Saint Xiao Wuchen, who was about to leave, "You still haven't told me, who exactly are you—"

But when I looked up, the alley entrance was already empty.

Sword Saint Xiao Wuchen had disappeared silently, just as he had come.

"Damn it..." I looked down at the token in my hand, then at the empty alley entrance, my heart filled with mixed feelings.

Who on earth is this guy?

I stood there stunned for a long time before I came back to my senses. Regardless of who Sword Saint Xiao Wuchen was, what he said didn't sound fake. I had to tell Ye Liuli about the Shadow Pavilion as soon as possible.

I put away the token and hurried back to the Dawn Guild's stronghold.

Ye Liuli was having a meeting with several core members of the guild. Seeing me rush in, she immediately signaled the others to step aside.

"What's wrong?"

I told her everything Sword Saint Xiao Wuchen had said, including the Shadow Pavilion, Senior Brother Liu Qing's true identity, and the token.

After listening, Ye Liuli was silent for a long time.

Her face became unusually grave, and a worry I had never seen before appeared between her brows.

"Shadow Pavilion..." She muttered to herself, "It really is them."

"Really?" I keenly caught this word. "You knew about the Shadow Pavilion before?"

Ye Liuli shook her head and didn't answer directly. She stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the bustling Tianqi City outside.

"Ergou, come with me."

I didn't know where she was taking me, but I followed her anyway.

We went up the stairs of the stronghold and finally reached a section of the wall of Tianqi City.

As the sun set, golden afterglow spilled over the entire city. In the distance, the Arena for the Martial Arts Tournament had been set up, and the huge stone building cast long shadows in the setting sun. The flags of players from all sides were snapping in the wind, and the entire Tianqi City was filled with the atmosphere of an impending battle.

Ye Liuli rested her hands on the crenellations of the city wall, looking at the setting sun in the distance, and suddenly spoke.

"Ergou, do you know why I established the Dawn Guild?"

"To dominate the game, right?" I replied casually.

Ye Liuli shook her head gently, a bitter smile appearing on the corner of her mouth.

"If it were just to dominate, I would have many ways. There's no need to build a guild, no need to recruit so many people, and even less need to..."

She paused, her voice becoming a bit low.

"I established the Dawn Guild because... there are some people, some things, that I must face."

I looked at her profile and suddenly realized that this female guild leader, who was usually decisive and strategic, actually had a trace of vulnerability in her eyes at this moment.

"In the game, many people think I, Ye Liuli, am a strong woman, think I am omnipotent. But actually..."

She didn't continue, but took a deep breath, then turned around and returned to her usual calm and composed appearance.

"Forget it, let's talk about these things later. I will investigate the Shadow Pavilion. You prepare for the Martial Arts Tournament first, don't let anything go wrong with the formation-breaking incense."

"Sister Liuli," I called out to her, "No matter what's ahead, I, Chen Ergou, am not afraid. At worst, I'll just set up a stall and keep going!"

Ye Liuli was stunned for a moment, then smiled.

That was a real, heartfelt smile.

"Okay," she said, "Then let's keep going."

The last ray of the sunset disappeared below the horizon, and the lights of Tianqi City turned on one by one.

I stood on the city wall, watching the thousands of lights at my feet, my heart churning.

Shadow Pavilion, Senior Brother Liu Qing, Martial Arts Tournament... This game of chess was much bigger than I imagined.

But what the hell is there to be afraid of?

I, Chen Ergou, have seen all kinds of big storms since I was a child. Aren't they just a bunch of rats hiding in the dark? What's so amazing about them!

Besides, I still have the myriad worlds stall system. At worst, I'll just develop a few more items and fight them to the end!

Thinking of this, the uneasiness in my heart finally dissipated a lot.

The next morning, the huge bronze bell in the center of Tianqi City was rung.

"Ding—ding—ding—"

The deep bell toll echoed over the entire city, again and again, as if announcing something.

The Martial Arts Tournament had officially begun.

Heroes from all directions poured into the Tianqi City Arena. The flags of the Sword Pavilion, Dragon God Temple, Tianji Sect, Hundred Flowers Valley, Iron Blood Alliance... various major sects and guilds were fluttering in the wind, a sea of people, magnificent in momentum.

The stands of the Arena were already full of spectators, a sea of black, with at least tens of thousands of people. The shouting, cheering, and discussion were intertwined, deafening.

I stood in the passage for contestants, hand on the hilt of my sword, and took a deep breath.

In my backpack, six formation-breaking incenses were lying quietly.

Come on.

Whether you are the Dragon God Temple or the Shadow Pavilion, today, I, Chen Ergou, will see it through to the end!