Volume One, Chapter 107: The First Initiative

“Next, we invite Jiahe Group to present their proposal,” announced the host.

Lu Jingyan took a deep breath and stood up.

He first gracefully adjusted his suit, smoothing his tie and cuffs, ensuring every detail was flawless.

Ling Ting’s expression was peculiar; even he couldn’t quite understand what was going on with Zhou Fan—why he had earned the favor of the Mysterious Yin Ghost King, and where exactly he came from.

For some reason, whenever Mu Yun heard the Demon Lord’s voice, she felt as if her long-lost strength was gradually returning. Though her consciousness was fading, the moment she heard his voice, her blurred awareness would slowly sharpen.

When Mo Ruhua arrived at the Hall of Immortality, Ye Su was enthusiastically recounting the recent contest to Cang Yuan.

“Please thank him for me…” Xu Weimiao began, but before she could finish, she saw a man emerge from the shadows nearby—Mo Zixi.

The thousand participants were divided into twenty-four teams, with the experts scattered about. Warriors of the eighth rank with dual specialties, like themselves, were a rare asset not found in every team.

The grand and solemn gate bore an inscription in three bold, ancient traditional characters, exuding strength and dignity.

After hearing the words from the Enforcement Elder, Mo Yunchen uttered a surprised “Huh?”—what was he doing? Could there really be others here?

Ahead of Jin Ling, the middle-aged immortal from the Mountain-Sea Sect who was overseeing the assessment wore a look of displeasure. At this rank and with such an attitude, participating in the evaluation like this was clearly a sign of disrespect toward the Mountain-Sea Sect, a pillar of righteousness.

The morning sun shone warmly upon the people, yet Qin Xuanye felt a chill run through him after hearing Xiao Yumiao’s words.

After arriving at Wang Qing’s grain storage, Ma Ling circled the perimeter, memorizing the terrain and troop deployments before settling into a teahouse. He waited for the gangs outside the city to turn on each other before setting fire to Wang Qing’s rebel grain supplies.

Beside Yun Sidao, two young men clad in dark, sturdy attire were inwardly seething. Seeing this, they raised their feet to stomp down on the heads of Yu Fan and Shi Ziming, who were about to strike back.

Anyway, Zhou Bingran had promised to transfer this man to the city bureau after finishing some interrogations, so it wouldn’t have much impact. As for Han Jinlong’s pitiful, battered state—who cared?

“Really? Is there such a saying?” Qiao asked, a subtle bitterness flickering in his long eyes reflected in the mirror.

Bao Chao rode swiftly toward Zeng Guofan, dismounted beside the sedan chair, and saluted respectfully to the man inside.

Glancing around, the cargo hold was lined with grass mats and filled with many crates. With nothing else to do, I opened each one to “inspect” them, but found nothing valuable. In a corner, I suddenly noticed something bulging beneath a gray, tattered cloth—could this be the “precious item” the unscrupulous merchant mentioned?

“Of course not. How could I ever lie to you? I’m your Aunt Gui. All these years, when have I ever deceived you?” Aunt Gui waved her hand helplessly.

The icy arrow shattered instantly upon touching the fiery protective shield, not even causing a ripple on its surface.

Lin Chong and his group reached a point five li from Bangyuan Cave, from where they could see the rebel soldiers arrayed outside the cave, ready for battle.

“Unbroken, indestructible; once destroyed, reborn. Illusion is life; life is illusion. Within illusion lies death; within death lies illusion. The nine transformations of the body, a single rotation within them. The secret is no secret; one decision brings life, one path leads to death. Life and death intertwined, death and life intertwined, annihilation…” A series of profound words spun ceaselessly through Long Wuming’s mind.