City Lord's Mansion

After an entire day of selection, the crowd in Black Iron City's square gradually dispersed, leaving only a few scattered onlookers, along with the dejected youths who had failed and their families.

Even as they left, many people still unwillingly glanced back at the platform, their eyes filled with envy and jealousy toward the nine lucky ones.

Yan Feng stood at the edge of the platform with his arms crossed, his gaze sweeping over the thinning crowd below as he secretly shook his head.

Other than those few at the beginning, where were there any decent prospects left?

Black Iron City was, after all, just a small border city with scarce resources. Youngsters capable of cultivating to Battle Qi Stage Seven were already rare, and with the disparity in family training, those who truly stood out were even fewer.

Of the nine selected today, aside from Liu Mingyu and Liu Yuting of the City Lord's Mansion, as well as Zhou Yan of the Zhou Family with his fiery temper, the rest had only barely met the standard. Their future accomplishments would likely be limited.

Only that kid named Jiang Donghua was somewhat interesting.

Yan Feng had exceptionally sharp hearing. While still below the platform, he had already heard many people discussing Jiang Donghua's background—he came from Qingshan Town, had no family backing, and did not even have a proper master. He had relied entirely on his own hard cultivation to break through to Battle Qi Stage Seven.

It would be one thing if someone had guided him. But if he could reach this level without anyone's guidance, then he truly deserved to be called a genius!

Yan Feng narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on Jiang Donghua once more.

Among the nine, the boy neither deliberately maintained an air of grace like Liu Mingyu nor revealed his sharpness as openly as Zhou Yan. Instead, he possessed a restrained steadiness, as though he did not care at all about the eyes upon him.

Interesting...

The corner of Yan Feng's mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.

No matter. There will be several months on the road back to Jia Nan Academy to spend with these little ones.

By then, I'll naturally learn whose talent is stronger and whose is weaker!

He had already made his plans. Jia Nan Academy was a long way off, and there would certainly be no shortage of trials and tests along the journey.

By then, these youngsters' true abilities and their temperaments would naturally become clear at a glance.

Especially this Jiang Donghua...

If he really is worth cultivating, it wouldn't hurt to pay him a little more attention.

Yan Feng's voice landed like a hammer strike, leaving no room for doubt.

"Those who haven't been assessed yet, hurry up!"

His gaze swept over the youths still waiting in line below the platform, and he gave a cold snort.

Those who were still too young or lacked sufficient strength all lowered their heads under that glance, not daring to meet his eyes.

"As for you nine."

Yan Feng turned around, his tiger-like eyes flashing as he swept them one by one across the faces of Jiang Donghua and the others.

"Gather here on time at noon tomorrow. We'll head to Jia Nan Academy together!"

"No waiting for latecomers!"

"Did you hear me?!"

The nine young men and women immediately straightened their backs and answered in unison, "Yes!"

They had all come under orders from their families, and none of them dared to mess things up at a time like this.

After the selection ended, only a handful of people remained in the square.

Seeing everyone preparing to leave, Liu Yuting suddenly walked briskly over to Jiang Donghua and asked with a smile.

"Donghua, would you like to come sit at my place?"

"We aren't gathering until tomorrow anyway, so you can get some proper rest tonight."

Her voice was crisp and warm, drawing sidelong glances from several youths who had yet to leave.

Zhou Yan in particular had been preparing to leave with a gloomy expression. Upon hearing her words, he paused and cast a cold look in their direction.

Jiang Donghua was slightly startled. He had not expected the City Lord's Mansion's young lady to take the initiative to invite him.

After giving it some thought, he recalled that the City Lord's Mansion had a genuinely good reputation in Black Iron City. The Liu siblings had also acted quite uprightly during the selection, unlike certain young masters from other families who bullied others by throwing their weight around.

More importantly, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Zhou Yan in the distance.

That fellow was squinting at them, a cold, sinister smile hanging on his lips.

That kid from the Zhou Family is no good...

Jiang Donghua thought to himself.

Though he did not fear Zhou Yan, it would still be troublesome if the other party used underhanded methods at night—such as sending people to block his path or launch a sneak attack. Rather than deal with it alone, he might as well find a safe place to stay first.

With that thought, he nodded, his tone calm.

"Then I'll trouble you."

Liu Yuting's eyes lit up, and her smile widened. She lightly tugged at his sleeve.

"Come on. My home has plenty of good things—I guarantee it'll be an eye-opener!"

Seeing this, Liu Mingyu smiled faintly as well and nodded at Jiang Donghua, clearly having no objection to his sister's invitation.

However, just as they were about to leave, a cold voice came from behind them.

"Heh, already latching onto the City Lord's Mansion's coattails?"

"Jiang Donghua, you're quite good at picking someone powerful to lean on."

Zhou Yan stood with his arms crossed, a mocking smile curling at his lips, though a trace of malice lingered in his eyes.

Jiang Donghua paused and slowly turned around, looking calmly at Zhou Yan as he said indifferently, "I'm merely visiting along the way. How is that clinging to someone powerful?"

Zhou Yan sneered, his gaze sweeping over Liu Yuting before returning to Jiang Donghua's face. He lowered his voice and said, "Don't think getting into Jia Nan Academy means everything will go smoothly. The road ahead... is still long."

The threat in his words was unmistakable.

Liu Yuting frowned and was about to speak, but Liu Mingyu stepped forward first, his tone gentle yet unquestionable.

"Zhou Yan, the selections are already decided. We'll all be fellow students from now on, so why act like this?"

Zhou Yan snorted coldly and said nothing more, turning to leave. Yet before he went, he still cast Jiang Donghua a meaningful glance.

Only after he had gone far away did Liu Yuting let out a soft snort.

"That guy is truly annoying. Just because the Zhou Family has a bit of influence, he looks down on everyone."

Jiang Donghua's expression remained unchanged, though a hint of contemplation flashed through his eyes.

"Looks like this journey... won't be too peaceful."

Liu Mingyu patted him on the shoulder and smiled.

"Come on. Let's rest at the mansion first. We still have to travel tomorrow."

Jiang Donghua nodded, and the three of them headed toward the City Lord's Mansion together.

Jiang Donghua followed the Liu siblings into the City Lord's Mansion.

The mansion was brightly lit, with carved beams and painted rafters. Every corner exuded authority and deep foundations, far beyond what an ordinary family could compare with.

However, what truly surprised him was the weapons and armor that City Lord Liu had already prepared for them.

"These are...?"

Jiang Donghua's gaze fell upon the equipment displayed on the table, and his pupils contracted slightly.

Two long blades gleaming with a chilling light and a set of lightweight yet tough armor—every piece was embedded with magic cores.

They were precious items capable of amplifying the power of Battle Qi, things ordinary warriors had no chance of even seeing.

City Lord Liu stood with his hands behind his back, his expression composed as he said, "We depart tomorrow. The journey is long, and danger is unavoidable. This equipment will give you a helping hand."

Liu Yuting was clearly used to this. Grinning, she picked up one of the long blades and flicked her wrist. The blade hummed as faint pale-blue Battle Qi flowed across it, amplified by the magic core.

"Father, these are even better than the ones you gave us last time!"

Liu Mingyu was much steadier. He merely nodded slightly, though a trace of satisfaction still flashed in his eyes.

Jiang Donghua fell silent for a moment before reaching out to gently brush the surface of the armor. His fingertips could clearly sense the energy fluctuations contained within.

A magic core amplification can increase the power of Battle Qi by at least thirty percent...

With his current Battle Qi Stage Seven strength, if he wielded this blade and paired it with the armor's defense, he could probably contend with an opponent who had just entered the Dou Zhe realm!

Seeing it for himself, the reality was indeed different from the rumors.

He had once heard in Qingshan Town that the City Lord's Mansion of Black Iron City possessed deep foundations and resources far beyond ordinary families. But only now did he truly understand what "family foundations" meant.

Liu Yuting and Liu Mingyu had cultivated since childhood, with top-tier cultivation methods, guidance from renowned teachers, and the support of magic core equipment. Naturally, their strength far surpassed that of their peers.

Judging by City Lord Liu's strength, he was probably around Battle Master Peak.