Demon Slayer Envoy Assessment Begins

A few days later, the assembled members of the War God Temple, led by He Yanjun, including over a hundred Martial Artists from the War God Temple such as Chen Lin, Chen Yu, and Zhou Le, rode the mounts prepared by the War God Temple towards the fortress in the Two Realms Mountain Range outside Nanqing City to participate in the Demon Slayer Envoy assessment.

In less than half an hour, everyone arrived at Nanxing Fortress, located in the southeastern part of the Two Realms Mountain Range.

Before even reaching the fortress gates, Chen Lin saw a large number of young Martial Artists gathered near the entrance.

These individuals had diverse appearances and wore various clothing. They were grouped in threes and fives, or in larger clusters, yet they were clearly divided into three distinct major groups.

When the group of Martial Artists belonging to the War God Temple, including Chen Lin's party, had all arrived, a clear and loud voice suddenly came from atop the fortress.

"All you Martial Artists from all corners of the land, please quiet down and listen to me. I am an elder from the Merchant Alliance. I believe everyone has heard of the Merchant Alliance's reputation to some extent. You know that our Merchant Alliance is a force second only to the War God Temple and the Martial Arts Academy. We are the wealthiest merchant alliance in the Nine Provinces and also the force with the most Martial Artists."

The Martial Artists from various factions near the fortress who were preparing for the assessment gradually quieted down upon hearing this.

Chen Lin walked alongside Chen Yu, listening to the announcement from the city walls. Chen Yu chuckled, "Brother Lin, you know about the Merchant Alliance, right? They're the richest folks in the Nine Provinces. Even top forces like the War God Temple and the Martial Arts Academy can't compare to them."

"I know!"

Chen Lin replied with a smile.

Over the past period, as time passed, he had thoroughly digested the memories of his previous life.

The Merchant Alliance, nominally a merchant association, was actually a loose alliance of powerful noble families behind the Eighty-One Cities of the Five Nations. Its purpose was to counter pressure from the two major forces and the royal families of various countries.

"Our Merchant Alliance is the largest merchant association in the Nine Provinces. Here, you can find many missions with enormous rewards, and you can also earn endless wealth. If you want to make money, accepting missions from the Merchant Alliance is your best choice!"

"To make such a grand announcement before the practical assessment of so many factions, the Merchant Alliance must have spared no expense this time!" Chen Yu quipped softly.

"Likely so. This Demon Slayer Envoy assessment is a practical assessment jointly organized by the four major powers of the entire Yan State. It's not often that the four major powers organize a practical assessment together, so the Merchant Alliance has to seize this opportunity to promote itself!" Chen Lin said with a smile.

Before the two could chat for much longer, a group of people, swept along by the crowd, passed through the fortress and arrived at a large military camp about fifty kilometers away.

This military camp was not the military camp of Nanqing City, but the joint military camp of the Four Great Powers of Yan State.

Most of the soldiers inside were from the Four Great Powers of Yan State. They were stationed outside the Two Realms Fortress, defending against the Demonic Beasts coming from beyond the fortress.

They were the first line of defense for Yan State against Demonic Beasts.

The entire military camp covered a vast area. Besides various giant ballistae, it was also equipped with many large traps.

As he passed by these large traps, Chen Lin looked at the sharp, cold, and blood-reeking spikes in the pits, knowing that many nearby Demonic Beasts must have been killed in these pits.

Chen Lin's group entered the front of the military camp. Chen Yu suddenly pointed into the distance and said, "Brother Lin, look, don't those Demonic Beasts over there look timid?"

Chen Lin looked closely and saw that figures of Demonic Beasts occasionally flashed by in the mountain ranges on both sides not far from the military camp. Some even crouched on the cliff faces of the mountains, staring intently at the military camp below, but they didn't dare to approach the camp by even half a step.

"Caw caw~~"

A series of piercing sounds reached their ears. Everyone instinctively looked up and saw a flock of massive Demonic Fowl flying across the pale blue sky, drawing gasps of amazement from the crowd.

"The Two Realms Mountain Range truly lives up to its name. Outside the Two Realms Fortress, Demonic Beasts are everywhere. I really don't know how our ancestors managed to carve out such a large area for people to live in from the mouths of these ferocious Demonic Beasts back then?" Zhou Le rode his horse to their side, looking at the Demonic Fowl flying in the sky with emotion.

He Yanjun, who had approached Chen Lin and the others, overheard their discussion and couldn't help but interject, "The land we live in today is the result of generations of ancestors' tireless efforts, carved out with blood and tears. The struggle between humans and Demonic Beasts is a battle for survival, filled with cruelty and bloodshed from the very beginning. This is also the fundamental reason why, despite all the conflicts between the major powers in the Nine Provinces, large-scale wars do not occur easily, because our enemies are never within our own ranks."

"Everyone~~"

As soon as He Yanjun finished speaking, a powerful and resonant voice reached the ears of every Martial Artist participating in the practical assessment.

"First, I welcome everyone to Nanxing Demon Purge Army Camp. This time, the Demon Slayer Envoy assessment for a total of 780 people from the Four Great Powers will be held within our camp's jurisdiction."

"I hope everyone present can pass the assessment, and I also hope everyone can pass this assessment alive and become a part of the defense against Demonic Beasts."

"You now have one hour of rest time. Cherish this time, as it may very well be the last period of your lives."

After this voice faded, the crowd immediately became noisy, and many people looked uneasy.

He Yanjun glanced at Chen Lin and, seeing that his expression was unchanged, nodded with satisfaction.

Chen Lin was the one he had the highest hopes for among these people, and he was the member with the greatest potential from their Nanqing City War God Temple.

Just as He Yanjun was inwardly pleased with Chen Lin's demeanor, a gruff voice came from behind him.

"Old He, does your War God Temple have any outstanding seedlings this year? Bring them out for me to see!"

"Huo Lixuan, judging by your expression, your Martial Arts Academy has good prospects this year!" He Yanjun turned around and smiled upon hearing this.

"Of course, our Martial Arts Academy has produced two excellent seedlings this year! Look, one is a Body Refining Genius, and the other is a Blade Wielding Genius. What do you say? Envious?" The burly man in black, Huo Lixuan, had a face full of pride.

"Oh! That's good. How old are these two? What are their cultivation realms?" He Yanjun asked with amusement, looking at the two youths behind Huo Lixuan, who were clearly older than Chen Lin.

"These two geniuses from our Martial Arts Academy are only 21 years old this year, truly with boundless potential!" Huo Lixuan said with a proud smile.

"Oh, is that so! I'm sorry, but our War God Temple has produced an eighteen-year-old Martial Master this year, with a strength of a full 1000 jin." He Yanjun replied with a calm smile.

"What? Strength of 1000 jin?" Huo Lixuan was astonished.

"Let me introduce you, this is Chen Lin, the most outstanding seedling from our War God Temple this year." Seeing Huo Lixuan's astonished gaze, He Yanjun pointed to Chen Lin and introduced him.

As Huo Lixuan sized up Chen Lin, the two youths beside him were also scrutinizing Chen Lin carefully.

As fellow gifted Martial Artists of the younger generation, they both possessed considerable pride.

Before Huo Lixuan could speak, the somewhat gloomy-looking young Martial Artist beside him said to Chen Lin, "My name is Xu Tao. Chen Lin, are you interested in a competition? Let's see who kills more Demonic Beasts in this practical selection."

"Not interested!" Chen Lin replied speechlessly.

"Could it be that you lack confidence in your own strength and dare not compete!" The ordinary-looking young man beside Huo Lixuan suddenly said mockingly.

"Heh!" Chen Lin let out a sarcastic chuckle, his smile not reaching his eyes.

"You!" The young man became somewhat enraged seeing Chen Lin's dismissive attitude.