Secrets of the Martial World

"You heard? This Martial Arts Assembly is being held in our Pingwu County Town. The leaders and outstanding disciples of over a hundred sects and gangs, large and small, from all across Liang Province will be sending people to attend," a gaunt-faced middle-aged man asked in a deliberately lowered voice.

"I heard about it ages ago. What kind of news is that? Every sect is rushing toward Pingwu County Town now. Even our Red Shark Gang's chief arrived long ago and rented out an entire inn. Anyone arriving later probably won't even find a spot to sleep on the streets," a bearded man said with a hearty laugh.

At that moment, Qian Family Restaurant in the county town was filled with travel-worn martial wanderers, each carrying sabers or swords. They chatted among themselves, and the place was bustling with noise.

Pingwu County Town was holding a Martial Arts Assembly? And one involving every gang and sect throughout Liang Province? Lu Xiaotian sat in an inconspicuous corner of the restaurant, having ordered a pot of tea and a plate of beef. He listened silently to the discussions around him.

"Of course that's not what I meant. This is the first martial gathering of such magnitude in decades. Even the Iron Palm Sect, currently ranked first in Liang Province, doesn't possess such rallying power. Do you know the reason behind it?" Having been rebutted, the gaunt middle-aged man decided to reveal some explosive news.

"What reason?"

"The Black Iron Token!"

"What? The Black Iron Token? How is that possible? Didn't it vanish nearly a hundred years ago, never to appear again?" The entire restaurant was stunned, their faces turning pale as they looked at one another.

The gaunt middle-aged man snorted. "Yesterday, Yu Tianshan, chief of the Four Seas Gang, was ambushed and killed by enemies. Passing martial wanderers saw the Black Iron Token fall from his body with their own eyes. Other than the Black Iron Token, who could summon every gang and sect in Liang Province to discuss matters in such a short time?"

"Put that way, it does seem quite possible." The people in the restaurant erupted into discussion, fear appearing on their faces.

So it was merely some trivial affair of the martial world. Lu Xiaotian smiled and shook his head, preparing to pay and leave. Other than matters of cultivation, he had no interest in these martial disputes. Yet a white-browed elder's words made his hand, which was reaching for silver, suddenly freeze.

"It is said that the holder of the Black Iron Token once received guidance from an immortal. Back then, the various gangs and sects of Liang Province refused to obey the Black Iron Token as well, but then they underwent a bloody cleansing. Within days, the residences of gang chiefs and sect masters were either struck by fireballs. Those flames melted gold and iron, and could not be extinguished even when drenched with water. Or they were pierced through by ice arrows, their entire bodies frozen into ice sculptures. Those ice arrows did not melt in fire and were incomparably cold."

Lu Xiaotian's pupils constricted. Fireballs capable of melting gold and iron—wasn't that the Fireball Technique? As for the Ice Arrow Technique, the black-robed elder had used it once when trapped within the barrier. The person controlling the Black Iron Token was very likely an immortal cultivator. That did make sense. Liang Province had dozens of county towns and over a hundred sects and gangs of varying sizes, with martial artists numbering in the hundreds of thousands. There were no shortage of first-rate experts, and even several peerless martial artists. By one person's strength alone, it was simply impossible to command so many unruly martial artists. Only the formidable power of an immortal cultivator could make them submit.

What puzzled him was why an immortal cultivator would go to such great lengths to seek out these ordinary martial artists.

While Lu Xiaotian was still astonished, a luxurious carriage guarded by twenty first-rate martial artists entered Pingwu County Town through the northern gate. Not to mention the four snow-white, exceptionally magnificent steeds drawing the carriage, the twenty first-rate martial artists galloping on horseback alone were an incomparably powerful force wherever they went.

The carriage drove straight into a large courtyard, and no one dared stop it. A white-haired elder and a fat man dressed as a shopkeeper were waiting there respectfully. Had Lu Xiaotian been present, he would certainly have recognized the fat shopkeeper as the manager of Wonder Ganoderma Hall.

Clop clop.

The carriage came to a stop, and a golden-robed young man stepped out. He looked only around twenty, yet his arrogant, contemptuous bearing made it seem as though he did not regard any of the many martial artists present as worthy of notice.

"I am Hu Yiping, master of Wonder Ganoderma Hall. This is Ma Hongtao, the hall's manager. Greetings, Holy Envoy." The white-haired elder Hu Yiping and Manager Ma bowed to the golden-robed young man at the same time.

"Mm. You are the ones who have news of Purple Spirit Grass?" The golden-robed young man stood on the carriage with his hands behind his back, looking down at the two of them.

"That is correct. However, the Purple Spirit Grass Your Excellency mentioned was bought by another young man," Manager Ma answered truthfully.

"What?" The golden-robed young man's face darkened in anger. Liang Province was remote and had few spiritual treasures to begin with. He had finally obtained news of Purple Spirit Grass, only for someone else to beat him to it.

"I did not know beforehand that the Purple Spirit Grass was medicinal herb needed by Your Excellency. For any offense I may have caused, I beg Your Excellency's forgiveness!"

Feeling the pressure radiating from the golden-robed young man, Ma Hongtao's legs trembled, and he nearly dropped to his knees. Hall Master Hu Yiping's cultivation was far deeper than his, yet Hu Yiping's face had also gone pale.

"Do you still remember what the person who bought the Purple Spirit Grass looked like? Was it a man or a woman?" the golden-robed young man asked in a deep voice.

Ma Hongtao nodded repeatedly. "I remember."

"Have a master portrait painter draw this person's likeness immediately. Investigate his movements in secret. The moment you find anything, do not act rashly. Inform this Holy Envoy at once. Now get lost!" After pondering briefly, the golden-robed young man said.

"Yes, yes!" Hu Yiping and Ma Hongtao felt as though they had been granted a pardon, and hurried out.

"Return to Azure Lotus Manor!" After saying this, the golden-robed young man climbed back into the carriage.

Inside the carriage lay a voluptuous, beautiful woman in a red dress. She toyed with a strand of hair by her ear and said, "Didn't you say Liang Province had always been the territory of your Situ Clan? Why are there other immortal cultivators here?"

The golden-robed young man said with a grim expression, "I only heard about what happened before from the elders of the Lineage. Our Lineage has been gone from Liang Province for a hundred years. Over such a long time, it is perfectly normal for one or two Rogue Cultivators to appear here. It would have been one thing if I had not known of this, but since I do, I must get rid of this person."

"We don't know the depth of the other party yet. Are you that confident? Should we notify the experts in the Lineage and have them come?" The woman nestled into the golden-robed young man's arms.

The golden-robed young man snorted. "In a remote place like Liang Province, Rogue Cultivators with high cultivation would never come here. If the competition in Moonwatch Immortal City had not been too intense, and my ancestor had not offended a senior in the Foundation Establishment Realm in the city, I would not have fallen back to Liang Province. Besides, the other party only took Purple Spirit Grass, the lowest-grade spiritual herb. A mere Rogue Cultivator, even if he is at the Third Layer of Qi Refining, may not be my match. What is there to fear when there are two of us? My father is preparing to break through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining and has no time now. Besides, if I cannot even handle such a small matter, how will I inherit the Lineage's assets in the future?"

"Fine. Then let us first sound out that person's capabilities, though we still have to find him first."

The golden-robed young man nodded. "As long as he remains in Liangzhou City, he will never escape our eyes and ears. Liang Province has over a hundred gangs and sects of all sizes, and martial artists are as numerous as the hairs on an ox. We will surely receive news of him soon. Then we can act according to the circumstances."

There might actually be other immortal cultivators in Pingwu County Town. Having experienced the scheming and mutual deception with the black-robed elder, Lu Xiaotian instinctively harbored some wariness toward others. Yet the black-robed elder had kept silent about everything, while Lu Xiaotian knew absolutely nothing about the world of immortal cultivation. After considering it again and again, Lu Xiaotian felt that even with some risk, he had to try making contact and learning about the immortal cultivation world. Otherwise, if he cultivated alone, perhaps he would spend his entire life reaching no more than the Fourth or Fifth Layer of Qi Refining. The path of immortal cultivation had opened a door before him, and he was absolutely unwilling to stop here so easily.

"Looks like I have to attend this Martial Arts Assembly."

Lu Xiaotian muttered to himself, took out some loose silver, placed it on the table, and headed outside. Not long after he left, a flash of delight passed through the eyes of two middle-aged men wearing bamboo hats. One hurried away, while the other trailed far behind Lu Xiaotian amid the bustling crowd of the county town.

As martial artists from all over gathered in Pingwu County Town, the number of martial wanderers within the town steadily increased. The streets were packed with carriages and horses, while crowds flowed endlessly by. Lu Xiaotian had not noticed anything on the streets, since there were simply too many people.

But after he left the city gate, the man in the bamboo hat followed him out as well, quickly arousing his suspicion.

"Could he be someone from Wonder Ganoderma Hall again?" Lu Xiaotian frowned and quickened his pace toward the deserted wilderness.

Giddyup!

Dozens of first-rate martial artists galloped wildly through the streets, followed closely by a carriage drawn by four white horses. The martial artists on the street had initially wanted to curse them, but when they saw so many uniformly first-rate martial artists, they immediately clamped their mouths shut. Disaster came from careless words; they could not afford to provoke such a formidable force.

After leaving the city gate, the golden-robed young man and the red-dressed girl left their carriage and followed the marks left by the middle-aged man in the bamboo hat toward the wilderness. But after pursuing for some distance and entering the forest, they saw the man who had been tailing Lu Xiaotian staring blankly into the distance.

The golden-robed young man asked coldly, "Where is he?"

"Who the hell are you—ow!" The middle-aged man in the bamboo hat had been about to retort to this young brat, since he did not recognize him. But before he could finish speaking, a sharp pain struck his abdomen. He curled up like a shrimp as he was kicked flying four or five zhang away, crashing to the ground and howling miserably.

"Before my patience runs out, you had best tell me what I want to hear." The golden-robed young man's face was icy.

"I—I followed that young man out of the city gate, then followed him into the woods, and he just vanished. Where—where he went, I—I don't know either!" Seeing the golden-robed young man's frigid gaze, the bamboo-hatted man shuddered. His face bruised and discolored, he answered in a trembling voice.

"Useless trash!" The golden-robed young man swept out his right hand, and a crystalline ice spike pierced the bamboo-hatted man's chest. In an instant, he froze into an ice sculpture, the terror and agony on his face forever solidifying within it.