Chen Shi'an smiled faintly. "At the Gathering of Heroes, I'll naturally give it my all and strive not to disappoint the stronghold's expectations."
At this point, he asked, "According to the information your pavilion has gathered, which strongholds stand a chance of taking the top three places at this Gathering of Heroes?"
Zhang Gui thought for a moment. "Since you've asked, Commander Chen, I'll offer a few casual observations. Please forgive me if I get anything wrong."
Chen Shi'an kept smiling. "Let's just treat this as a chat."
Zhang Gui cleared his throat. "Several hundred strongholds will be attending this Gathering of Heroes in Desolate Suppression City, with over a thousand participants.
"But since participation is restricted to those under thirty, none of the participating martial artists will have a cultivation above third grade.
"So I reckon second-rank martial artists all have a chance of reaching the top hundred, while third-grade martial artists have a chance of contending for the top three.
"According to the information our Four-Way Treasure Pavilion has obtained, fewer than ten of the Desolate Ruins martial artists participating in this Gathering of Heroes are in the third-grade realm. I won't list their names one by one."
Chen Shi'an nodded without speaking.
What Zhang Gui had said differed little from the information he had gathered at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
"However, there's one person I ought to discuss in particular. She's an old neighbor of ours," Zhang Gui added.
Chen Shi'an lifted his eyelids slightly. "You mean Gu Qingyao?"
Zhang Gui nodded. "Gu Qingyao has exceptional talent for cultivation, and she obtained the Holy Arm Venerable's legacy. She became a second-rank martial artist years ago.
"Rumor has it that she was attempting to break through to the third-grade realm a little while ago.
"If she manages to