Silver Moon Blade and Snake Scale Armor

Jiang Chen disguised himself as a mercenary and entered the mercenary stronghold. Some mercenaries saw Jiang Chen and also thought he was one of them.

After all, a stronghold had five to six hundred people, divided into different teams. It wasn't strange for some people not to recognize each other.

Jiang Chen wandered around the stronghold like this, and no one suspected him.

"Brother, what are you doing here? The notice has already been issued to gather. Aren't you going to gather quickly? Otherwise, if you're absent, you won't get off lightly." At this moment, a mercenary saw Jiang Chen and quickly called out to him.

"Huh? Really? I didn't know," Jiang Chen replied.

They had no idea Jiang Chen was the enemy.

"Brother, come here, I have something to tell you," Jiang Chen called the mercenary over.

This mercenary was at the Martial Artist Realm Sixth Level, someone Jiang Chen could easily deal with.

"What is it?" the mercenary asked, a little confused but not suspicious.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he reached Jiang Chen, Jiang Chen made his move, instantly subduing the other party and covering his mouth.

"Mmph..." The mercenary was greatly alarmed. Even a fool would know Jiang Chen was the enemy now.

But it was too late.

A cold dagger was pressed against the mercenary's neck.

There was no one around now, so Jiang Chen pulled the man into a corner.

"Tell me, where is your treasury?" Jiang Chen asked coldly.

"Point me in a direction," Jiang Chen continued.

The stronghold was quite large, and Jiang Chen was not familiar with it.

The mercenary pointed in a direction. Jiang Chen didn't let him go and directly slit his throat. After a few struggles, the body went still.

These mercenaries had committed many evil deeds; death was too good for them.

Jiang Chen had come to kill people this time.

Jiang Chen then walked in that direction and soon found the entrance to an underground building. However, twelve people were guarding it.

The leader was someone at the Martial Master Realm Second Level, while the others were at the Martial Artist Realm.

It seemed the Bloodfire Mercenary Group's treasury was located here.

It usually stored the spoils of war obtained by the Bloodfire Mercenary Group.

"Twelve people. If I attack suddenly, I should be able to kill the Martial Master Realm Second Level expert. The other Martial Artist Realm cultivators are nothing to fear," Jiang Chen calculated in his mind.

Jiang Chen then walked towards the entrance of the treasury.

Suddenly, a mercenary appeared, and the guards stared at Jiang Chen.

"Halt. This is a restricted area, the treasury. What are you doing here?" the captain said coldly.

"I'm here to kill you, of course," Jiang Chen replied. Before the other party could react, Jiang Chen drew his long saber.

"Pfft." The little captain didn't have time to react before Jiang Chen slit his throat.

Jiang Chen's current strength was immense; he could completely fight against a Martial Master Realm expert.

The other guards were greatly alarmed.

"Enemy attack!"

They finally reacted.

"Hegemonic Blade Art!" The blade light swept out.

The eleven Martial Artist Realm cultivators were no match for Jiang Chen's single strike and were all killed.

Devour.

A massive surge of blood energy from the twelve corpses poured into Jiang Chen's body.

"Pfft." Jiang Chen's aura surged, breaking through to the Martial Artist Realm Ninth Level.

Jiang Chen's strength became even greater.

Finding the key on the little captain's body, Jiang Chen opened the treasury door.

Entering inside, he found many spirit herbs, some materials, and piles of spirit stones.

Jiang Chen was not polite at all and directly collected all the spirit stones in front of him.

There were at least three hundred thousand spirit stones.

There were also many spirit herbs, all third-tier or higher, which Jiang Chen directly took.

As for other secondary items, he couldn't carry so much.

Jiang Chen took several storage bags.

This time, he had not only recovered all the losses of the Jiang Family but also gained a lot more.

After quickly packing up the items, Jiang Chen placed several storage bags into a backpack and carried them away.

The Bloodfire Mercenary Group had now discovered the bodies of the patrol team, and the body of the mercenary Jiang Chen had killed earlier to get directions had also been found.

The Bloodfire Mercenary Group realized someone had infiltrated, so they connected it to the treasury and rushed over quickly.

As soon as Jiang Chen exited the doorway, he saw the mercenaries rushing towards him from not too far away.

Upon seeing the corpses of the guards lying on the ground, the mercenaries were greatly alarmed. As expected, someone had set their sights on their treasury.

"How dare they! They actually dared to kill our Bloodfire Mercenary Group members and steal our things," Chen Luo roared in anger.

They were the ones who always stole from others; today, someone had actually found their way to their doorstep.

This was practically slapping them in the face.

"Whoosh..." Jiang Chen rapidly shot out several arrows, directly taking down a few mercenaries.

The mercenaries also shot arrows at Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen dodged them and charged directly into the midst of the mercenaries.

There was no other choice; he could only fight his way out.

"Pfft, pfft..." Jiang Chen's attacks were incredibly fierce, instantly killing over a dozen Martial Artist Realm mercenaries.

"I'll do it..." A small captain, Chen Wei, shouted and charged towards Jiang Chen.

Chen Wei had previously participated in the pursuit of Jiang Chen. Now, Jiang Chen was wearing a disguise, so no one recognized Jiang Chen's identity.

"Wind Rend Slash." Chen Wei swung his long sword and attacked Jiang Chen.

"You're seeking death." Jiang Chen used his Hegemonic Blade Art, striking swiftly, accurately, and ruthlessly. He directly hit Chen Wei's arm, and the sharp saber directly severed one of Chen Wei's hands.

"Ah..." Chen Wei screamed.

Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Chen swiftly brought down his blade, decapitating Chen Wei. The headless corpse fell.

"Brother." Hearing this, Chen Luo's eyes turned bloodshot. His brother, Chen Wei, had been killed by Jiang Chen right before his eyes.

No one had expected a cultivator at the Martial Artist Realm, Ninth Level, to so easily kill a Martial Master Realm, Second Level, expert.

Chen Luo then charged forward and directly engaged Jiang Chen.

Seeing Chen Luo charge at him, Jiang Chen quickly met the challenge.

After exchanging over ten moves, neither side gained an advantage.

Some mercenaries were stunned. This enemy's strength was actually this formidable?

A Martial Artist Realm, Ninth Level, could actually exchange so many moves with Chen Luo, a Martial Master Realm, Seventh Level, without being at a disadvantage?

Jiang Chen was secretly lamenting his situation.

His current strength was still too weak. Chen Luo was putting immense pressure on him; his cultivation realm was, after all, still lower than Chen Luo's.

Jiang Chen and Chen Luo separated, looking at each other, both panting heavily.

Chen Luo was also shocked. Who was this opponent?

How could his combat power be so heaven-defying?

"You will all die today. You cannot escape," Chen Luo snorted coldly.

At this moment, more and more mercenaries were arriving, surrounding the area.

Jiang Chen was inwardly lamenting his carelessness this time.

He had fallen into a desperate encirclement.

However, looking at the many corpses on the ground, he saw an opportunity. Jiang Chen circulated his cultivation technique, absorbing the power of the blood essence.

Vast spiritual energy surged into Jiang Chen's body. This situation was sensed by Chen Luo before him.

Spiritual energy was gathering towards Jiang Chen.

"Pfft..." Jiang Chen's aura surged, breaking through to the Martial Artist Realm, Tenth Level.

"What? He actually broke through?" Everyone was shocked.

They hadn't expected Jiang Chen to break through during the battle. This was too monstrous!

He was already difficult to deal with before, and now that Jiang Chen had broken through, he would be even more formidable.

As for why the Hall Master, a Martial Grandmaster Realm expert, hadn't appeared?

It was because the Hall Master was currently not at the stronghold; he had gone out on business.

This was also Jiang Chen's good fortune. Otherwise, if a Martial Grandmaster Realm expert had intervened, Jiang Chen would likely have been finished.

"Draw Sword Slash." The long saber in Jiang Chen's hand began to condense true qi.

"Everyone, attack him together. Kill him," Chen Luo roared.

Numerous mercenaries then charged towards Jiang Chen.

"Slash."

An astonishing saber energy was unleashed, directly bisecting the mercenaries in front of Jiang Chen.

The power of Draw Sword Slash was immense. The more than twenty people who charged forward all died tragically.

"What terrifying strength." Everyone's expressions changed drastically.

"Traceless Steps, Sky Annihilation Strike." Jiang Chen ten-folded his Traceless Steps.

His speed greatly increased, like a phantom, and he instantly broke out of the encirclement. Those mercenaries couldn't stop Jiang Chen at all.

Seeing Jiang Chen trying to escape, the mercenaries shot arrows, but Jiang Chen's speed was too fast, and he changed direction, breaking out of the stronghold in a short while.

The Martial Master Realm experts behind him couldn't catch up.

A third-tier top-grade movement technique with a tenfold bonus, how could they possibly catch Jiang Chen?

The Sky Annihilation Strike could also enhance movement techniques; this was something Jiang Chen had discovered earlier.

The Sky Devouring Demonic Dragon Art was truly powerful.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to come alone to cause trouble for the Bloodfire Mercenary Group.

Seeing Jiang Chen escape, the members of the Bloodfire Mercenary Group were furious.

"Investigate! You must find out who this person is," Chen Luo roared.

The other captains had the same attitude.

This was a disaster. They had lost many men and had their treasury robbed. How would they explain this to the Hall Master when he returned?

Of course, Jiang Chen didn't take everything from the treasury. The storage bag had limited space, so he could only take the high-value items.

At this time, Jiang Chen was heading towards Qingyue Town. He was now a considerable distance from the Bloodfire Mercenary Group's stronghold, so he didn't need to rush anymore.

"This time, I'll just collect some interest. I'll destroy you all another day," Jiang Chen was in a great mood.

This time, Jiang Chen had killed fifty to sixty people and obtained a large amount of wealth. He had truly struck it rich.

His cultivation had also advanced to the Martial Artist Realm Tenth Level, just one step away from the Martial Master Realm.

With such a rapid advancement, Jiang Chen's cultivation would improve quickly.

Jiang Chen returned to his family. The family competition was in three days, so Jiang Chen didn't plan to go out, lest he miss the matches.

To win the title of first place in the entire town, Jiang Chen was determined to participate in the family competition.

Jiang Chen went to a shop in Qingyue Town and bought a third-tier mid-grade inner armor, the Snake Scale Armor, and a third-tier top-grade long saber, the Silver Moon Blade.

Snake Scale Armor: 40,000 spirit stones.

Silver Moon Blade: 31,000 spirit stones.

Together, that was over 70,000 spirit stones.

With such luxurious equipment, very few people in Qingyue Town possessed it.

Jiang Chen did this to enhance his combat power.

The Snake Scale Armor could resist attacks from sharp weapons, and the Silver Moon Blade could increase his killing power.

Of course, Jiang Chen wore the Snake Scale Armor on his body.

The Silver Moon Blade was kept in his storage bag.

These spirit stones were all looted from the Bloodfire Mercenary Group, so he felt no pain using them.

Jiang Chen also bought some pills and returned to his room at home to cultivate, occasionally taking a few pills to consolidate his cultivation.

During these few days, the news of the Bloodfire Mercenary Group's stronghold being attacked quickly spread. The Bloodfire Mercenary Group was now frantically searching for the person who infiltrated the stronghold that night.

However, it was dark at the time, and the person was wearing a mask, making it impossible to find them.

Many people who heard the news were shocked. Who dared to be so audacious?

They dared to single-handedly infiltrate the Bloodfire Mercenary Group's stronghold, rob them, and then escape, killing dozens of people.

This was practically rubbing the Bloodfire Mercenary Group's face on the ground.

Many people admired the person's courage and strength. Rumor had it that the person was still a Martial Artist Realm cultivator.

The Jiang Family was also taken aback when they received this news. Just after their family was attacked by the Bloodfire Mercenary Group, the Bloodfire Mercenary Group was ambushed.

This made the Jiang Family feel that the timing was too coincidental.

However, they couldn't imagine that it was someone from the Jiang Family who did it, believing that no one in the Jiang Family had the strength and courage to do so.

The Bloodfire Mercenary Group had a notorious reputation, and it was best not to provoke them.

As for the person involved, Jiang Chen was quietly cultivating at home.

Three days passed quickly, and the Jiang Family began to gather its clansmen for the bi-annual family competition.

Every family held a clan competition every two years, corresponding to the bi-annual Dragon King Secret Realm.

The Dragon King Secret Realm was a secret realm jointly owned by the six surrounding towns.

Every two years, geniuses were sent into it. It contained many spiritual herbs and some demonic beasts.

Geniuses who entered, if lucky, would obtain opportunities and experience rapid advancements in their strength.

This would be a perfect opportunity to head to Yunluo City to participate in the sect entrance examination.

That was where the three major sects recruited disciples.

Tianyun Sect, Yinluo Sect, and Hegemonic Blade Sect were the three major sects in Beihai Prefecture.

Many geniuses aimed to join these three major sects.

The top ten from each family can participate in the Dragon King Secret Realm.

If Jiang Chen wants to win first place in Qingyue Town, then he must be the first in Qingyue Town.

The results for the Dragon King Secret Realm are determined by the value of spirit herbs and the materials on Demonic Beasts.

"Father, I will definitely take first place in this family competition," Jiang Chen said to Jiang Yunfeng before leaving.

After a few days of rest, Jiang Yunfeng had recovered and was no longer in any serious danger.

"Chen'er, I believe in you," Jiang Yunfeng said with a smile.

"Let's go, I'm going to watch the family competition too. My body has recovered now," Jiang Yunfeng said with a smile.

He was an elder of the Jiang Family and would normally be present. However, because he was injured a few days ago, Jiang Tian, worried about his condition, had allowed Jiang Yunfeng to skip it.

But Jiang Yunfeng felt that his body was fine and he could attend.

Jiang Yunfeng also knew that Jiang Chen was now at Martial Artist Realm, Tenth Level. Such talent was far superior to his own.

If Jiang Chen continued to advance at this rate, he would enter the Martial Master Realm before long.

His cultivation was crippled by Liu Yun before, but instead of becoming a cripple, his talent had greatly increased. It could be considered a blessing in disguise.

With the strength of Martial Artist Realm, Tenth Level, who among the younger generation could be Jiang Chen's opponent?

Jiang Chen did not tell Jiang Yunfeng about his sneak attack on the Bloodfire Mercenary Group's stronghold, so as not to worry him.

The father and son left together and soon arrived at the Jiang Family's competition plaza.

At this time, quite a few clansmen had already gathered there, and some people from other forces in Qingyue Town had also come to watch.

Representatives from the Wang Family and Zhou Family were also present.

The three major families of Qingyue Town lived in peace usually, each developing independently.

Although there was competition, there had been no major conflicts, and their relationships were generally good.

The Jiang Family would also send people to watch the competitions of geniuses from the other two major families.