Chapter 56

Just as the two shopkeepers had thought, after leaving Wanbao City, Lin Que concealed his presence and returned.

Because he held a token personally bestowed by the Liuli Pavilion Master, this action did not trigger the pavilion’s defense formation. He smoothly returned to the fork where he had parted ways with Ao Xinyu.

Following his memory along the path Ao Xinyu had taken, Lin Que quickly sensed her presence, currently in the reception hall.

There were no guards outside the reception hall, and Lin Que did not extend his divine sense. Instead, he stood by the hall door, observing the scene inside through a crack.

Inside the reception hall, Ao Xinyu sat in the main seat, surrounded by several Golden Core stage guards, with two mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators standing by her sides.

This guard configuration was already quite impressive.

However,

All the guards present were on high alert. A few of the weaker Golden Core stage guards even had cold sweat on their foreheads, showing signs of fear.

Ao Xinyu, sitting in the main seat, also had an extremely cold expression, completely different from her lively and cheerful demeanor when chatting with Lin Que in the afternoon.

And the reason for their vigilance was only one person.

At the other end of the reception hall, a young man in beast hide armor sat on the ground. He was large, with explosive muscles all over his body, exuding a fierce aura like a tiger ready to devour its prey.

Behind the young man was an exaggeratedly large Zhanmadao, with faint black murderous aura swirling around the blade, clearly not an ordinary weapon.

His cultivation was at the mid-stage Nascent Soul, just one step away from breaking through to the late-stage Nascent Soul.

Although his cultivation was similar to that of the two Nascent Soul guest elders, the two guest elders were on high alert, their hands hidden in their sleeves trembling slightly, as if they might not be a match for the young man.

Before the battle even began, Ao Xinyu’s momentum had already lost a head.

‘It seems that person is Liu Yongge, as the shopkeeper said, not an ordinary person.’

Lin Que squinted his eyes. The first impression Liu Yongge gave him was pure ferocity. No wonder the two mid-Nascent Soul guest elders were treating him like a formidable enemy.

Although the two guest elders had the same cultivation as Liu Yongge, one of them was a Dao of Enlightenment practitioner. Practitioners of the Dao of Enlightenment were skilled in calculations and magic treasures. To put it simply in terms of a game from a previous life, they were so-called “mages.”

As for the result of a mage being confronted by a berserker, it goes without saying.

And the other guest elder, who was supposed to protect the mage? He was already showing signs of fear. If they really fought, it would probably be a one-sided massacre.

‘It seems Xinyu is indeed in quite a bit of trouble.’

After a brief analysis, Lin Que decided to observe in secret for a while. If a fight really broke out, he would step in to save the day.

At this moment, Liu Yongge, who was sitting on the ground, spoke up.

“Master Ao, I think the conditions I’ve offered are quite generous. How many people in the entire Eastern Region have the guts to take on this task?”

“Even so, don’t you think it’s a bit excessive to ask for thirty percent of Liuli Pavilion’s total profits for the next ten years and the freedom to take ten treasures from the warehouse?” Ao Xinyu said coldly.

“Excessive? Hahaha! As a reward for fighting the Holy Son of the Divine Sword Sect, I think it’s not enough!”

Liu Yongge grinned and continued, “That hypocrite might have already broken through to the late Nascent Soul stage. I’m fighting an enemy above my level, and there’s a risk of death. Thirty percent of Liuli Pavilion’s total profits for the next ten years and the treasures in the warehouse are already giving you enough face!”

“Gu Minghao, the Holy Son of the Divine Sword Sect, ranks third in the Eastern Region’s contention sequence, second only to his sister and that Lin Que who has been missing for years. Now that Gu Minghao’s name is out there, how many peers in the entire Eastern Region dare to challenge him? Except for me!”

“Those weaklings under your command, who rely on pills, would probably be crippled just by facing him!”

Although Liu Yongge kept mocking, the guest elders and guards opposite him could only clench their fists in anger, not daring to speak out.

Because he was telling the truth, the Holy Son of the Divine Sword Sect was indeed an insurmountable mountain for these guest elders and guards.

Even Lin Que frowned when he heard this name.

‘Gu Minghao? How is he involved in this?’

Gu Minghao, the Holy Son of the Divine Sword Sect, was indeed a formidable opponent who had left an impression on Lin Que back then.

Years had passed, and it seemed his cultivation had advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage, possibly even reaching the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, just waiting for an opportunity to break through to the Divine Transformation stage.

‘No wonder Xinyu didn’t want me to know. She was worried about me…’

Lin Que quickly understood Ao Xinyu’s concern. She had probably noticed during their previous meeting that his cultivation was still at the Golden Core stage, so she didn’t want him to get involved in this mess.

But she had clearly underestimated Lin Que.

‘Gu Minghao… It’s been a long time since I’ve had a proper workout. He might be a good sparring partner.’

A slight smile appeared on Lin Que’s lips, and a hint of excitement could be seen in his eyes.

For the next quarter of an hour, Lin Que listened to the arguments in the reception hall and gradually understood the situation.

Liuli Pavilion had an old rival in Wanbao City, named Juqi Tower. The two sides had been fighting openly and secretly for years, using various means such as business wars and assassinations, but neither could gain the upper hand.

This year marks the centennial leadership transition of the Wanbao City Chamber of Commerce. As the giants of Wanbao City, both Liuli Pavilion and Juqi Tower aim to seize this position and use the president’s power to suppress the other as much as possible.

As the previous president, Juqi Tower had often tripped up Liuli Pavilion when it was on the rise. If it weren’t for Ao Xinyu’s strong capital, numerous connections, and Lin Que’s protection when they first settled in, there might not be today’s Liuli Pavilion.

So this time, Juqi Tower drew a line and proactively challenged. They laid their cards on the table, bringing the struggle to the forefront, but under the guise of a “friendly martial arts competition.”

Simply put, each side would invite a cultivator to a martial arts duel, emphasizing that swords have no eyes and life and death are not counted.

The only restriction is that only young cultivators under a hundred years of bone age can be invited to the ring.

After all, if they were to invite powerful beings to fight without restrictions, the entire Wanbao City could be reduced to ashes in an instant.

Moreover, no powerful being would really engage in a life-and-death battle over such a matter. The age restriction is just a pleasant-sounding excuse.

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This is also a way to showcase their connections and financial strength to other forces in Wanbao City.

Ao Xinyu initially thought of Lin Que, but recalling his severely injured and disfigured appearance, she felt a pang of heartache and didn’t want him to get involved.

She then considered inviting the second-ranked Saintess of the Divine Sword Sect in the Eastern Region, only to find that she had already invited the third-ranked Saint Son of the Divine Sword Sect, Gu Minghao.

It is well known that the Saint Son and Saintess of the Divine Sword Sect are siblings, so it was naturally impossible to invite the Saintess again. As for the other top ten in the sequence, they all refused upon hearing it was a life-and-death duel.

Only Liu Yongge, one of the top sixteen in the Eastern Region, proactively approached, but his conditions were quite harsh.

He demanded thirty percent of Liuli Pavilion’s total profits for the next ten years and the freedom to take ten treasures from their warehouse.

The former alone was enough to make Liuli Pavilion bleed, not to mention the latter, which was essentially trying to strangle Liuli Pavilion’s lifeline.

After some tugging, Ao Xinyu finally spoke up.

“In any case, it’s impossible to let you mess around in the warehouse. If you want to cooperate, Liu Tianjiao, please state other conditions.”

In response, Liu Yongge pretended to think for a moment and then suggested:

“Other conditions… I have a good idea that can benefit us both.”

“Please speak.” Ao Xinyu frowned, instinctively feeling a bad premonition.

The next second, Liu Yongge laughed wildly and arrogantly, revealing two rows of sharp white teeth, “That is, you marry me as a concubine, and I won’t take a penny from you! Hahaha!”

“Scoundrel, how dare you!” Ao Xinyu slammed the table, and the surrounding guards and guest officials moved at the sound, ready for action.

Seeing this, Liu Yongge also slammed the ground, leaping up, his fierce aura fully displayed, causing the white jade floor tiles in the reception hall to crack instantly.

Just as the tension was about to erupt, a flying sword suddenly broke through the door, deeply embedding itself in front of Liu Yongge.

The previously aggressive Liu Yongge was immediately startled by the sharp sword intent on the flying sword, taking two steps back. Looking closely, he saw a young man slowly walking in from outside, standing in front of Ao Xinyu.

It was Lin Que.

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