The Martial Arts Tournament Begins

"Do you know how they died?"

Jiang Dao asked, his expression unreadable.

Yang Xu's face contorted, as if in deep hesitation. After a moment, he finally whispered, "I corresponded with your father before, and I know your family encountered a similar situation in Hengzhou City. So you should know about the existence of fierce monsters and malevolent spirits in this world, right? We still haven't figured out whether it was a fierce monster or a malevolent spirit that killed these two hall masters."

"What do you mean?"

Jiang Dao looked puzzled.

Yang Xu sighed slightly. "They all died ten nights ago. That night, the sect headquarters held a grand meeting that lasted until very late, nearing the third watch. Only then did the two hall masters leave the headquarters.

But that's when disaster struck. Those inside the headquarters only managed to hear a scream. By the time they rushed out, both hall masters were already dead, their bodies mangled beyond recognition, as if they had been hacked to death by countless blades.

Even the experts who accompanied them were not spared, all dying gruesomely. Their flesh and blood flew everywhere, splattering the surroundings. It can be said that not a single person was left intact!

After that night, the Sect Master ordered a full lockdown and a thorough investigation. But even after all this time, not a single clue has been found. It's as if they died for nothing."

As he spoke, Yang Xu's eyes clearly showed traces of fear and dread.

Jiang Dao narrowed his eyes.

"So you don't know what kind of entity did this?"

"Yes, but we can be sure it definitely wasn't human, and it's absolutely not something our Blazing Flame Sect can afford to provoke. In the secular world, we are considered a major sect, capable of striking fear into the southern part of the Great Ye Dynasty. But when compared to these terrifying non-human beings, we are nothing."

Yang Xu's expression was complex. "So after investigating for only ten days, the Sect Master ordered everyone to drop the matter and elect new hall masters."

Jiang Dao's heart churned.

He had originally come here to learn higher martial arts.

But now, he realized the situation here was even more complicated.

Being able to kill two hall masters in an instant under the Blazing Flame Sect's nose was definitely several times stronger than the previous mysterious youth.

This made him feel a sense of danger once again.

"Third Uncle, after reaching the Divine Strength Realm in martial arts cultivation, is it impossible to advance further?"

Jiang Dao asked.

"I don't know about that. My knowledge of martial arts is very limited. I only know that the Divine Strength Realm is already extremely rare. At least in the entire Great Ye Dynasty, the number of experts in the Divine Strength Realm can be counted on one hand!"

Yang Xu said.

Jiang Dao pondered for a moment. "There's one more thing, Third Uncle. That bearded man I killed earlier, before he died, he said he was from the Blazing Flame Sect..."

"Blazing Flame Sect?"

Yang Xu's face stiffened. "Impossible. Our Blazing Flame Sect has strict internal rules, and no one would dare to do such a thing!"

But as soon as he finished speaking, his expression changed. He thought for a moment and then murmured, "It's not entirely impossible. If some guardians or hall masters wanted to make some illicit gains, they might secretly recruit experts and impersonate bandits to intercept trade routes for profit!"

He suddenly looked up and said, "Dao'er, let this matter rest. Regardless of whether that Bearded Bandit Guo Biao was an informant for someone in our Blazing Flame Sect, just pretend you don't know!"

"I understand."

Jiang Dao nodded immediately.

After that, Yang Xu gave a few more instructions and then left.

Time flew by.

For two days, Jiang Dao barely left his room.

The furthest he went was to stroll around the nearby wharf.

This place was located west of Qianyuan City. Just outside the door was a vast and wide river, majestic and mighty, flowing north and south. Merchant ships traveled back and forth daily, indicating a prosperous trade.

If this world were like his previous life's ancient times, with Jiang Dao's family background, he would absolutely be able to live a very comfortable life.

Unfortunately, there were malevolent spirits and fierce monsters here!

Each of them could easily kill an ordinary person countless times over.

Even seasoned martial artists who had practiced for decades would be no match for these non-human creatures...

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the morning of the third day, Jiang Dao was woken up by Yang Xu. He mounted a swift horse and rode with him towards the Blazing Flame Sect headquarters.

"Dao'er, our Blazing Flame Sect headquarters is located in the southern part of the city. It's incredibly vast. It was built with a huge sum of money back then, and it can be considered a city within a city. About seventy percent of our sect's experts live there. You'll see its grandeur when you arrive. The location for this competition is at the headquarters."

Yang Xu said with a smile.

After a journey of over an hour, the two finally arrived outside a massive wall. The entire wall was imposing and sturdy, stretching endlessly. It was covered in moss and had only one entrance for people to pass through.

However, on both sides of the entrance stood men in black, wielding long sabers and spears, guarding it tightly. They were burly, with sharp eyes, and their hands and fingers were covered in thick calluses.

At a glance, it was clear they were all skilled martial artists who had trained for many years.

"Third Uncle, the Blazing Flame Sect built a city within a city here. Don't the imperial court officials question this?"

Jiang Dao asked suspiciously.

"The imperial court is corrupt. As long as we keep sending them money year after year, they couldn't be bothered to meddle in such matters. Moreover, the Great Ye imperial family is gradually declining, and their control over the provinces is weakening. Perhaps one day, even the imperial court will fall, and they'll have even less time to manage affairs below."

Yang Xu chuckled.

"So that's how it is!"

Jiang Dao suddenly understood.

They entered the inner wall and walked forward, arriving at a huge plaza not long after.

The entire plaza was filled with fluttering banners and dense crowds, with at least several hundred people gathered.

Weapons like sabers, spears, swords, and halberds were planted all around, their cold gleam flashing.

In the very center stood a massive high platform.

Seated at the top of the platform was a man in his fifties or sixties, dressed in a long, bright red robe. He had thick, black hair, a sturdy build, broad hands and feet, and sharp eyes, resembling a mighty lion.

To the left and right below this man sat three other men. One wore white, one wore green, and one wore black. All of them possessed profound auras and sharp gazes, appearing to be only slightly weaker than the sect leader in terms of strength.

Below these three men were rows of seats.

Each seat was occupied by a core member of the Blazing Flame Sect.

Without exception, all of them had bright eyes and deep auras.

The moment Jiang Dao arrived, he noticed the sect leader's sharp gaze and subtly frowned.

What a powerful expert!

Instantly, he could feel the sect leader's formidable presence; he was definitely stronger than himself!

This was the first time he had encountered such a powerful individual since achieving mastery in martial arts!

"Dao'er, quickly pay your respects to the sect leader!"

Yang Xu tugged at Jiang Dao from the side, then immediately stepped forward, bowing in salutation. "Your subordinate, Yang Xu, pays his respects to the sect leader!"

Jiang Dao immediately followed Yang Xu and bowed together.

"Yang Xu, is this the talented individual you recommended, named Jiang Dao?"

The sect leader at the head of the group stared intently at Jiang Dao below and asked.

A sense of spiritual connection existed between experts.

Like Jiang Dao, he had immediately sensed the other's profound strength.

This made the sect leader secretly marvel.

How old did Jiang Dao look?

Around twenty at most!

But how could his strength be so profound?

"That's right, it's Jiang Dao. He's the son of one of my cousins. His background is clean, and he's absolutely reliable!"

Yang Xu said with a smile.

"Good, a truly heroic young man!"

Sect Leader Fang Tianba couldn't help but praise.

The people nearby immediately let out soft snorts upon hearing this. Their gazes turned towards Jiang Dao, filled with ill will.

Jiang Dao frowned slightly and couldn't help but look back.

He saw about a dozen figures standing about five to six meters away from him. They were men and women, tall and short, fat and thin. All of them had indifferent expressions as they looked at him, showing a clear sense of displeasure.

"Dao'er, don't mind them. They are all your competitors..."

Yang Xu immediately whispered into Jiang Dao's ear.

Jiang Dao immediately withdrew his gaze.

"Jiang Dao, was the Bearded Bandit Guo Biao truly killed by you? Was there no one else helping?"

Suddenly, another voice rang out.

Among the three men seated below Sect Leader Fang Tianba, the one wearing a green shirt spoke.

"That's Left Guardian Guo Linyu!"

Yang Xu immediately whispered the introduction.

"That's right, I killed him alone!"

Jiang Dao replied.

"But as far as I know, the Bearded Bandit Guo Biao had gathered hundreds of skilled martial artists around him, each of them not weak and proficient in various weapons. If you killed him alone, were his subordinates all just decorative?"

Guo Linyu narrowed his eyes.

"They were nothing but insignificant ants. I killed them, so what's there to discuss?"

Jiang Dao said.

"Well said, 'insignificant ants'."

Guo Linyu forced a smile and clapped his hands, but a hint of darkness flashed in the depths of his pupils.

"Alright, it seems most of the people have arrived. There are only two Hall Master positions, and a total of eleven contenders. Now, we will decide the candidates for the Hall Master positions through martial combat. This competition will be a challenge-based system. Whoever can remain on the stage and win five consecutive matches will qualify. Weapons have no eyes, so let the competition begin."

Sect Leader Fang Tianba announced.