Even an ordinary Primordial Unity Martial Artist would have found it almost impossible to spot anything fishy about the battle between the Primordial Unity Martial Artists below.
After all, judging solely by their moves and the gusts raised by their clashes, their performance was virtually flawless.
But Zhao Er had the "Thousand Mechanisms Eye Art." This cultivation method gave him exceptional vision and let him see details almost invisible to ordinary people. After it reached lv.3, he could even discern the state of a martial artist's essence, energy, and spirit, provided they had no cultivation method for concealing their aura.
The difference between their essence, energy, and spirit in a real fight and in a staged performance could never escape Zhao Er's eyes.
Although Zhao Er did not know the specifics, a little thought was enough to tell him what these people wanted.
The roadblocks and plundering were real. Otherwise, they could not have fooled the Martial Academy's intelligence operatives.
Then there were the Primordial Unity Martial Artists hired by the three county towns, along with the sham battle taking place below.
These people were doing all this for one thing: silver.
They threw the county towns' trade routes into chaos and terrified the smaller caravans, which would then pay steep prices to hire Primordial Unity Martial Artists to maintain order and safety. Along the way, they could also play the highwaymen and plunder goods.
This way, they collected protection fees, earned themselves a good reputation, and grabbed another haul of supplies on the side—eating the same fish three ways...
"They probably also received a hint from certain people to lure me here while they were at it..."
After saying that, Zhao Er gripped his twin halberds and squeezed his horse's flanks.
"Hrnn!!"
Sensing Zhao Er's signal to charge, the