Wangxian County, Young Phoenix Banquet... Has it been that long already? Wang Anfeng sighed slightly. During the Young Phoenix Banquet, he encountered too many people. Huangfu Xiong, Xiahou Xuan, Xue Qinshuang, and Liu Wuqiu... Just as his mind was drifting away, the last group below had already determined a winner. A young girl, holding a spear with both hands, had the tip of her weapon firmly poised an inch in front of her opponent's throat. Her arm was taut like a strong bow, ready to punch a void through the latter's throat with just a slight exertion. Facing her was a boy slightly younger than Wang Anfeng, whose martial arts had just reached the Seventh Rank. He wielded a pair of short swords in gold and silver, delivering fierce and aggressive moves that aimed at vital points, truly an extraordinary skill. But no matter how advanced his swordsmanship was, with the weapon pressed against such a critical point, he really had no chance of overturning the situation. Helpless, he smiled bitterly, sheathed his two short swords, stepped back half a step, and cupped his hands, saying: "Miss, your spear technique is quite impressive." The girl opposite lifted her smooth chin slightly, with joy in her eyes. In the crowd, the spy 'Luan' spat out a sunflower seed shell, chuckling, said: "I say, old Zhou, this little girl seems to be using the Mother-child Soul Chasing Spear Technique from your sect. It seems she's already mastered about sixty percent of it. So, are you interested in giving her some pointers later?" 'Ying' shook his head and said: "If there's a chance, I'll visit the mountain gate." The implication was that there might be a big battle coming, so conserving strength was necessary. 'Luan' was just asking casually and didn't care about the answer. His gaze flitted around the various buildings, suddenly paused, and landed on the side of the third floor. He squinted slightly and muttered to himself: "Interesting, interesting..." 'Ying' frowned and asked: "What's wrong? What's interesting?" As he spoke, he also followed his companion's gaze, and his expression subtly changed as well. In his view, across the building, in a sparsely populated area, reclined a tall young man dressed in black, with an ink-colored cape that seemed like a lightless long night. The silver bright Kui Thunder pattern was faintly visible. His black hair was somewhat disheveled, with the longer strands hanging down his back, his expression indifferent and distant. 'Ying's eyes narrowed, and in his mind, he almost instantly recalled the soaring flames on the mountain peak, the demarcation of life and death by blade marks, the white snow-like ashes falling, and his heart instinctively shivered. Just as he was suppressing his instinctive reaction, his gaze met a pair of cold eyes, startling him. The Blade Madman, who had been leaning against the red railing, had somehow turned sideways, looking at him coldly, with eyes deep and shadowy. Not sure if it was an illusion, he noticed that all the martial artists from the Jianghu behind the Blade Madman seemed distant, with even a hint of distortion, as if standing on an infinite blaze. The scorching heat rose. The Blade Madman stood cold and indifferent, slanted on the railing, looking at him. Luan and Ying instantly tensed their bodies. One gripped the spear, the other let his right hand fall outside the sleeve, with five jade-like fingers. They only knew that the other had once disguised as someone from the Ministry of Punishment, but they were still unclear of their ally or enemy standing, and with the other's temperament and methods, they couldn't help but feel a chill down their spine. Facing the two secret agents from the Ministry of Punishment as if they were facing a formidable enemy, the Blade Madman's expression remained cold and indifferent, unaffected. Several breaths passed under the oppressive atmosphere, and just when Luan and Ying were planning to leave temporarily, the Blade Madman lifted a tea cup with his right hand, gesturing slightly. He then turned around, sat down as usual, and ignored the two of them completely. Only after the Blade Madman turned around did 'Ying' realize that his breathing was slightly rapid, his back slightly damp, and his hands tightly gripping the weapon. After releasing them, he unconsciously gripped them again, repeatedly, unable to relax. 'Luan's expression was also solemn, then he shook his head and sighed bitterly: "To do this right in front of us, really..." He recalled the other's earlier demeanor, which was not at all arrogant, could even be called courteous, unhurried, yet facing them after pretending to be hunting shadows from the Ministry of Punishment, still behaving like that. Underneath this courteous demeanor, there was an indescribable sense of pressure. 'Luan' couldn't find the right words to describe it after that, only shook his head and said: "The name Blade Madman... truly lives up to its reputation." "Fortunately, I didn't anger him." Wang Anfeng retracted his right hand and took a sip of tea. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novᴇlfire.net The Huangfu Family, with its extensive assets, naturally prepared fine wine and tea for the Jianghu guests. It's just a pity that this top-grade fragrant tea, upon entry, still made Wang Anfeng frown slightly— He hadn't expected that hiding here would lead him to run into people from the Ministry of Punishment. Yesterday, he had memorized the outlines of these two figures swiftly. Using Pupil Skill, he looked across and confirmed that they were indeed Luan and Ying, the leaders of the Ministry of Punishment's spies. Intentionally and openly, he raised his cup in salute. This way, even if the other side intended to capture him, they would be bewildered, curious if there was some hidden truth, and no matter what happened, they first needed to handle the present situation. He raised his hand to rub his brows and looked downward. The wooden screens once used to divide the martial field had already been dismantled, indicating that the preliminary matches under the Middle Third Rank had concluded. After all, the purpose of the ten-year martial event was different from the Phoenix Banquet; various families and sects only sent two or three young Martial Artists, so it ended quickly. Next, it was time for the Martial Artists who had advanced to the Middle Third Rank over the past ten years to vie against each other. Who knows who will be the first to step up? White Tiger Hall likely shouldn't appear just yet... Wang Anfeng's mind wandered without bounds as he raised his hand to sip his tea. The wooden screens were completely dismantled, and Elder Huangfu said a few words before stepping onto the martial field. Due to the field being divided into numerous small sections previously, it now seemed even more spacious to the eye. A young man stepped onto the stage, looking so young in face that he almost seemed like a boy. He appeared slightly uneasy, with a Shark Tooth Sword strapped to his back, and he slightly cupped his hands in salute to all directions. A Martial Artist near Wang Anfeng remarked in surprise: "Eh? How come it's him?" "Hmm? Brother, do you know him?" "How could I not know him? We hail from the same hometown." The speaker, a man of roughly forty, robust and bold, said, "His lineage, too, is from a noble origin, gifted with extraordinary talent. At just over twenty, he surpassed the Longmen, akin to you and me. Just looking at talent, he could be considered quite remarkable." Those nearby were curious: "Then surely he must be praised as exceptional, so why haven't I heard of his name before?" The bold man took a sip of wine, chuckled, and said, "Though his aptitude is fine, his martial skills are rather ordinary. During combat, he turns into a wooden figure, unaware of conserving Qi Mechanism and energy. Even an old seasoned Seventh Rank might defeat him, hence his lack of fame." Listening, others felt a tinge of regret. They had thought he was a gem but didn't expect he was just ordinary goods wrapped in a fine package. Wang Anfeng was curious, yet not overly concerned. Noticing his tea was finished, he was about to raise his hand to call a maid nearby to refill it when he heard a voice say: "I want to challenge this expert, please instruct me." Almost instantly, Wang Anfeng sensed various gazes converging onto himself as if water swirling naturally into a vortex, and immediately realized something. His eyebrows involuntarily rose, and he retracted his gaze, slowly looking towards the swordsman below. The latter was staring at him, pulling out the Shark Tooth Sword, and repeated, loudly: "I want to challenge this expert." 'Luan' carelessly glanced in the direction of the challenged swordsman, his hand couldn't help but tremble, let out a deep breath. Just said thankfully no one provoked the Blade Madman, yet here came someone not afraid to die. Many things in this world are not as one wishes, but this change came a bit too swiftly. He felt a slight pain on his cheeks. Beside him, 'Ying' fell into silence, considered for a moment, then quietly said: 'Luan' pinched his brow and said: "It's really... the lack of insight is quite severe here." "Just hope the Blade Madman won't be too ruthless in his actions later, shouldn't overdo it..." PS: Presenting the first update of the day... hmm, a chapter of four thousand two hundred words...