At this moment, Gu Chen's breathing seemed to become rapid.
"Are you angry?" Sun Da noticed Gu Chen's reaction, smiled faintly, and said, "If it were me, I would be very angry too, but that's reality. You've cultivated martial arts, but you don't know the capabilities of our ancient martial arts family. You're simply not up to their level!"
"And then?" Gu Chen seemed to have controlled his emotions, his voice becoming extremely calm.
"I've made it so obvious, don't you understand?" Sun Da said coldly, "If you think you can rise to power by associating with our Sun Family, then let me tell you, you've miscalculated. My sister's looks and family background are top-notch anywhere. The men who pursue her could line up all the way to the Shangjing!"
"Are you done?" Gu Chen looked up at Sun Da and said, "Yes, I'm going into the hotel."
"You!" Seeing Gu Chen's unyielding attitude, Sun Da really wanted to punch him a few times. He said, "Don't think that just because my sister is protecting you, I won't dare to lay a hand on you. Do you know where we're going this time? It's the Tong City Ancient Martial Family Youth Assembly! Whether outside or in the Land of Heaven and Earth, most of the young masters under the age of thirty from these families will be there! I won't even need to lift a finger; those young masters who are pursuing my sister will only need to flick their fingers to make you die without a trace!"
"Oh? Your sister's suitor?"
Hearing Gu Chen's words, Sun Da finally breathed a sigh of relief. If Gu Chen hadn't asked, he really wouldn't have been able to do anything. The fact that Gu Chen asked now proved that the kid was also wary and afraid!
"Listen up, kid!"
Sun Da became even more arrogant, listing them off one by one as if they were his own treasures. "Young Master Zhang Chenming of the Zhang family, a renowned ancient martial arts family; Young Master He Chengkun of the Xiang family, a renowned ancient martial arts family; Young Master Ke Zhendong of the Ke family, a renowned ancient martial arts family... and one more, whom even our Sun family cannot afford to offend, the eldest son of the Cao family, Young Master Cao Miao!"
"The Cao Family is second only to the Six Great Families, and Cao Miao not only has an outstanding family background but also exceptional talent. She and my eldest sister are childhood sweethearts!" Sun Da glanced at Gu Chen, his eyes full of disdain, and said, "Even disregarding family background, in terms of looks and strength alone, she is miles ahead of you. What makes you think you can compete with her?"
"I never said I was competing with anyone." It was clear that Sun Da had an extraordinary admiration for Cao Miao, whom he was talking about.
"It's good that you understand that," Sun Da nodded in satisfaction.
"I haven't finished speaking." Gu Chen smiled arrogantly and said, "If your sister chooses me, then she is mine. Even if all the gods and Buddhas, even the Heavenly King himself, come, I won't yield!"
As he uttered those words, Gu Chen's demeanor suddenly changed, becoming like a sharp sword piercing the sky. His body shimmered with a cold, sword-like light that made people afraid to look directly at him. Suddenly, Sun Da couldn't help but take a step back.
"What did you say?"
Sun Da's face was ashen, not only because he was ashamed and angry that Gu Chen had ignored his words, but also because he had been scared off by such a good-for-nothing!
"It's nothing, your sister's here."
Gu Chen smiled faintly, and his aura suddenly dissipated, as if nothing had happened.
At that moment, Sun Da indeed saw Sun Jiangman walking over. Seeing his older sister raise an eyebrow, about to explode, Sun Da simply glared fiercely at Gu Chen and said disdainfully, "Coward hiding behind a woman!"
He left those words behind and walked away.
"He didn't do anything to you, did he?" Sun Jiangman frowned as she watched her younger brother walk away from her. She walked to Gu Chen's side and asked with concern.
"It's nothing," Gu Chen smiled and said, "Your little brother is quite cute."
"Cute?" Sun Jiangman chuckled, this was the first time she had heard someone describe Sun Da like that. "I just don't see what's cute about him. That kid grew up spoiled and has never been respectful of his elders. If he's done anything to offend you, I hope you won't mind and won't hold it against him."
"He's your brother, I won't hold it against him." Gu Chen smiled, then changed the subject, "How was your rest?"
"It's alright." Sun Jiangman hesitated for a moment, then said, "We're going to the Aristocratic Family Assembly soon, are you going?"
"Your brother just told me, but what's the meaning of this conference?"
Although Gu Chen was with the Gu Family back then, the Gu Family was actually a powerful secular family in the Shangjing, and in the eyes of these ancient martial arts families, they were probably nothing special. Moreover, given his status at the time, he had very little access to information, and even his father Gu Beichi, probably didn't have much access to it either.
Upon hearing about the ancient martial arts families of Huaxia, and recalling Sun Jiangman's so-called "Land of Heaven and Earth" and those families, Gu Chen was filled with curiosity.
"You don't know?" Sun Jiangman looked at Gu Chen in surprise.
Gu Chen shook his head and said, "I don't know, I rarely travel."
"I see."
Sun Jiangman gave Gu Chen a meaningful look, then began to explain. From her explanation, Gu Chen roughly understood what this Aristocratic Family Assembly meant.
In short, it's a martial arts tournament where younger generations from ancient martial arts families compete for a ranking among the youngest!
In the world of Huaxia, ancient martial arts are prevalent, and only those who possess them can be called martial artists! Martial artists are ranked according to their strength, and there are two lists: the Dragon Ranking and the Tiger Ranking!
In the Land of Heaven and Earth, there are no fewer than ten families, and because of the abundant spiritual energy, this pure land is also covered with many naturally occurring rare and exotic plants.
In martial arts cultivation, talent is important, techniques are important, and resources are equally important. Therefore, the resources in the Land of Heaven and Earth have become the object of contention among the major ancient martial arts families, since even if the elders cannot use them, they can be passed on to the younger generation.
However, such pointless disputes were not a solution. Later, the Six Great Families joined forces and came up with a compromise: to hold Aristocratic Family Assembly and have the martial artists on the Tiger Ranking participate!
It's important to understand that the Dragon Ranking is entirely composed of Grandmaster- level experts above the Revolving Illumination Realm, almost all of whom are senior figures and established names. They rarely make a move. Only the Tiger Ranking belongs to the Innate Realm martial artists, and is comprised mostly of younger individuals. Therefore, after discussion, a Aristocratic Family Assembly is held every five years. The purposes are twofold: first, to allow everyone to revise the rankings based on the martial artists' strength; and second, to determine the ownership of those rare and precious fruits based on the latest rankings!
In this way, by letting strength speak for itself, the disputes between the various families were finally settled.
But because of this, the Aristocratic Family Assembly held every five years is all the more brutal and intense. Each time, some large families suffer a crushing defeat, while some smaller families, through tireless efforts, gain access to better resources.