Yanzhou: What I Saw (Urgent)

"A friendly spar..." Upon hearing this question, the waiter's expression turned slightly serious.

"Since you ask this, you must know that private duels are prohibited in Yanzhou, right?"

Not only Lin, the Escort Chief Lin /escort), but also the merchant father and son nodded in agreement. Since Yanzhou was the front line against the Demonic Cult Demonic Person, internal fighting was naturally forbidden. However...

"I remember when I came here last year, the Sword Testing Platform should still be there," Escort Chief Lin), said with a frown. "When we passed through Yumen before, the Sword Testing Platform at Yumen was still there..."

"Yes, there are still some. They're in Jining City, and there are quite a few. The Xuanjun and elders of various sects occasionally release some resources for the younger generation to compete for," the waiter replied immediately. Lin, Escort Chief Lin), frowned and said:

You mean it's not available anywhere else?

"Hmm." The waiter nodded and said, "The main reason is that after the <Xuanjun Secret Scripture> spread, not all martial artists in Yanzhou are at the Grandmaster level anymore. Many newcomers can't control themselves, and accidents can easily happen even on the arena. In Jining, there are several senior members of the Hundred Herbs Hall in charge, as well as medical officers from the Imperial Medical Office who have come to learn the <Mandrake Longevity Method>. Even if an accident occurs, there will be time to save people."

Upon hearing this, Escort Chief Lin didn't ask any further questions. The old merchant was shrewd and immediately replied:

"Since our destination is Jining City anyway, if Escort Chief Lin is itching for a fight, he might as well give it a try."

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Lin, the head Escort Chief Lin, nodded. The group then asked about the changes in Yanzhou. After their men had eaten and drunk their fill, they set off on their journey again.

This year, Yanzhou was much more peaceful than in previous years. At least no Demonic Cult Demonic Person of unknown origin appeared along the way. In previous years, at least 30% of the servants would be lost, but this year not a single one was missing. This alone was enough for the people in the caravan to realize the changes in Yanzhou.

After three days of travel, Jining City finally came into view. The towering city walls and the soldiers standing ready were still there, but Jining today was not quite the same as in previous years.

The city gates, which should have been empty and mostly closed, and subject to strict checks even when open, were now wide open. Martial arts figures in yellow robes could be seen coming and going from time to time. Although it was not as prosperous as the capital of the Inner Nine Provinces, it was already showing signs of revival.

The old merchant stepped down from the carriage in the middle section and, escorted by two bodyguards, went to the front. He handed over his Travel Permit and caravan credentials, intending to negotiate with the Demon Eradication Department officers guarding the gate as in previous years. However, he heard the other party say in a slightly excited tone:

"Silk is in high demand right now, you've come at the perfect time! Do you know any shops? Do you need the government's help in finding buyers to bid on your projects?"

"No, no need!" The old merchant was momentarily taken aback by the words of the Demon Eradication Department soldier, and said somewhat bewilderedly:

"Can we go in now? No need for inspection?"

Upon hearing the old merchant's question, the officers of the Demon Eradication Department smiled and said:

"We no longer need medical examiners for detailed examinations! Martial Artist have cultivated the Demon-Subduing and Evil-Binding Technique have a much more reliable ability to sense demonic energy than medical examiners can externally examine you. Since they haven't detected any demonic energy on you, the medical examiners can't do anything more. Of course, the same rules apply once you enter the city, understand?"

"Of course, of course!" The old merchant nodded and immediately led the caravan into the city. The news of the arrival of a large quantity of silk spread throughout the city almost instantly. Before the caravan had even finished unloading, it was already surrounded by martial arts figures and dealers from all walks of life, who were throwing around silver notes.

Seeing that the soldiers of the Demon Eradication Department were maintaining order and that there was no need for bodyguards at the moment, Lin, the Escort Chief Lin, greeted the boss and then followed his memory and the directions of passersby to a sword-testing platform.

At this moment, a young man of about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old was standing on the arena. He was wearing a light yellow silk cloak with a hood. He had a handsome face and fair skin like jade. In the martial arts world, even if his skills were mediocre, he could at least earn a reputation like "Jade-Faced Gentleman". However, in recent days, Escort Chief Lin), had seen many people with this kind of appearance. It seemed that the Xuanjun Secret Scripture was similar to the Su Nu Mind Method of the Guanghan Palace, which could improve the appearance of cultivators.

As a seasoned veteran, Escort Chief Lin didn't immediately step onto the platform. Instead, he listened intently and indeed caught an interesting glimpse of news—

"It seems the owner of this 'Heavenly Demon Hand' has already been chosen!"

"The Heavenly Demon Hand?" Escort Chief Lin stepped forward, speaking with an air of familiarity:

"Fellow villager, I'm new to Yanzhou. What is this 'Heavenly Demon Hand' you mentioned? Does it mean there's a prize in this arena?"

Upon hearing his question, the passerby immediately became interested. As everyone knows, it's human nature to like to teach, and upon seeing an outsider, he naturally adopted the pride of a local.

"It's a long-standing tradition to have prizes at the Yanzhou Sword Testing Platform. As long as you become the champion and win ten consecutive matches, you can take home the prize. But this time it's a little different."

"Oh?" Escort Chief Lin /escort), feigned curiosity at the opportune moment, and the local immediately chuckled and said:

"You know Xuanjun, right? Legend has it that he was the successor of the Mechanical Palace hundreds of years ago. He relied on a suit of iron armor he forged himself to charge in and out of Qingzhou seven times, killing all the demon fodder without leaving a trace. That's how he made a name for himself and established his own sect in Jining City. These Heavenly Demon Hand are a pair of gauntlets he forged. Don't think of them as ordinary weapons. The weapons that Xuanjun forges all have a spirit. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them Divine Weapons!"

"What are the conditions for going up to this arena?" Escort Chief Lin immediately became interested. The pursuit of divine weapons by people in the Divine Weapon arts world is ingrained in their bones. There are many examples of people giving up their original weapons for a good weapon, not to mention that he is the type who is proficient in fist and foot.

Upon hearing this, the passerby simply shook his head and said:

"The Sword Testing Platform didn't have many rules before, but this year, because there are quite a few newbies, the arena has been specially divided into two categories: Xuanhuang."

"Grandmasters are not allowed to participate in the Huang Lei competition. It is a place for newcomers to compete and hone their skills. The prizes are mostly not very valuable, just some cultivation resources."

"This place is the Xuan Arena, where anyone can theoretically go up and challenge. However, if someone goes up before reaching the Grandmaster level, they will probably only be humiliating themselves."

"Of course, it's not impossible for the younger generation to seek guidance from the grandmasters, but such challenges do not count towards the number of times they can defend their title."

"After all, the referees and the audience aren't blind. They can see whether someone has tried their best or not, and whether they've cheated or cheated. If someone tries to cheat for the prize, they can basically forget about staying in Jining City."

Escort Chief Lin /escort), naturally understood the warning in the passerby's words, but he completely ignored it. Instead, he turned his gaze to the arena, and when the referee asked, "Is there anyone else who wants to challenge?", he immediately leaped onto the arena, smiling as he said:

"I'll do it!"

Nobody's arguing, it's so boring...