Tong City, on the back of Leisurely Mountain.
The Aristocratic Family Assembly, held every five years, is being held outside the Land of Heaven and Earth for the first time in a century.
Although fewer families participated this time, almost all of them were elites from various clans. Each family had sent out their most relied-upon junior geniuses, all in an effort to rank high on the Tiger Ranking and compete for resources.
Even before the conference began, a rumor had already circulated that the resources involved were extremely important, which was why the six major families had arranged for the event to be held outside.
As for why Tong City was chosen, no one except the six great families knows.
Behind Leisurely Mountain, top martial artists from the Six Great Families had already set up an array. Don't be fooled by the fact that everyone in Land of Heaven and Earth is a martial artist who doesn't know the methods of cultivating immortality; arrays have always had a strong vitality! Whether it was the battlefield of the cold weapon era or the factional struggles of the Daoist school, the shadow of arrays was never absent.
Zhuge Liang's Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation combined the concepts of heroes, long snake, crouching dragon, and ambush from all sides, making it invincible on the battlefield. Wang Chongyang of the Complete Perfection Sect created the Big Dipper Seven Stars Sword Formation, which incorporated the Daoist principles of Oneness, Two Forms, Three Powers, Four Symbols, Five Elements, Six Harmonies, Seven Stars, Eight Trigrams, and Nine Palaces, making it a pioneer of Daoist formations.
Of course, these ancient formations were used on the battlefield or in discussions of Dao, and are naturally slightly different from the formations used by cultivators. However, on Leisurely Mountain, the Six Great Families have set up a deceptive formation that is so well hidden that even satellites cannot detect it amidst the rolling clouds and mist.
The venue for the conference was called Starfall Cliff.
Starfall Cliff faces north of Leisurely Mountain and is close to the south of the East Sea. Here, clouds and waves roll and thick fog shrouds the area. Starfall Cliff sits on the edge of the sea and is surrounded by an ethereal aura.
Early in the morning, family members from all directions began to head towards Starfall Cliff. Apart from the young martial artists participating in the tournament, the rest of the guards were required to stay on Leisurely Mountain.
From the top of Leisurely Mountain to Starfall Cliff, there is a long suspension bridge, more than 200 meters long. Below, clouds and mist rise and the bottom cannot be seen. The suspension bridge sways and wobbles, with iron chains spanning the river, creating a magnificent sight.
Only by crossing this suspension bridge can one reach Starfall Cliff. This is considered the first test for the martial artists participating in the tournament. If they cannot even pass this test, they will not be qualified to participate in the tournament and compete for the Tiger Ranking.
Yesterday, some martial artists went there, and I heard that no one failed yet, but I don't know how things are going today.
After getting up, Gu Chen went to the mountaintop platform to wait for Sun Jiangman. This was what they had agreed on when they parted yesterday. Now that he had decided to participate in the Aristocratic Family Assembly, Gu Chen no longer had many concerns. He did not hide his aura, and his figure was like an ancient pine tree, as if he had become one with nature.
However, Gu Chen soon frowned. He suddenly realized that all the martial artists who passed by him were giving him looks of anger, disdain, or mockery; almost none of them were friendly.
What happened?
Gu Chen felt a little strange. If it was because of what happened yesterday, that wouldn't be normal. After all, he had only offended Kang Zuoqing and Cao Miao yesterday. If you had to count, there were also Ren Chong and Li Yiran.
It's really strange that so many people dislike him now.
However, Gu Chen was exceptionally strong-willed. Although he could see everyone's hostility towards him, he still stood straight without any stage fright or fear. In fact, he would glare back at anyone who looked at him a few more times.
After waiting for a while, Gu Chen saw a group of people coming and called out to Li Yiran, one of them.
Li Yiran looked at him and was immediately startled, as if she had seen a monstrous flood, and said, "Don't come any closer."
Gu Chen frowned and said, "I'm not going to eat you. Why are you avoiding me?"
"I'm not avoiding you," Li Yiran said. "I'm just afraid of getting tainted by bad luck."
"Really? What kind of looks are those people giving me?" Gu Chen frowned, pointing at some young martial artists in the distance.
"You didn't know?" Li Yiran was taken aback, then glared at him and said, "Gu Chen, your name has spread throughout the entire circle of the younger generation of aristocratic families last night. You're famous."
"Famous?" Gu Chen instinctively felt it wasn't a good reputation, and asked calmly, "What kind of fame?"
"Of course, it's infamy and bad reputation!" Li Yiran shook her head and sighed, "If fighting weren't prohibited on Leisurely Mountain, I'd suspect you'd be dead by now!"
Tell me.
"Let me count for you how many crimes you've committed." Li Yiran sneered, then counted on her fingers, saying, "Do you know how many young people idolize Fan Yingqiu? He reached the Bone-Forge Realm at the age of twenty, and then the Grandmaster Realm before he turned twenty. He's the most promising genius to climb the Dragon Ranking before he's twenty-five! And yesterday you shamelessly said he wasn't even worthy to carry your shoes! That's one crime."
"You and Kang Zuoqing were the only ones there at the time. Did you leak it?" Gu Chen glanced at Li Yiran.
"Never mind that." Li Yiran continued with a cold laugh, but dared not look Gu Chen in the eye. Instead, she said, "Kang Zuoqing, a genius of the Kang Family, ranked in the top five of the Tiger Ranking. This time, with his divine skill perfected, he is definitely a contender for the top two. Cao Miao, ranked in the top three of the Tiger Ranking, will likely be in the top three this time as well. You've offended Kang Zuoqing and Cao Miao at once. Who wouldn't treat you like a plague? The key is, you have no background and no strength. This is the second crime!"
"Go on," Gu Chen said, arms crossed, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"This third crime is even more unforgivable!" Li Yiran glanced at Gu Chen and said, "Of course, this isn't just my opinion; everyone says so..."
Get to the point!
"Yes, yes, yes... Tang Miaomiao, the most beautiful woman in the Land of Heaven and Earth, has countless talented young men pursuing her, stretching from Shangjing to Tianjin. And you, an unknown nobody, actually won her favor, even publicly rejecting her! Sun Jiangman, second only to Tang Miaomiao in beauty, is also the object of pursuit for young masters like myself. Who do you think you are, daring to lay a finger on her?... Based on these two points alone, you are already public enemy number one!"
Upon hearing these three accusations, Gu Chen finally understood what was going on. These young masters from wealthy families disliked him because of Tang Miaomiao and Sun Jiangman, while the young ladies despised him because of Cao Miao and Fan Yingqiu!
"Public Enemy?" Gu Chen smiled faintly and said, "That's a good name, I like it."
"Huh?" Li Yiran was extremely surprised. Was Gu Chen out of his mind, or had he lost his mind? He had been rejected by everyone, yet he could still laugh!
Li Yiran sneered, "Gu Chen, don't laugh. I'm not afraid to tell you, after you cross the suspension bridge, there's a large forest. Fighting is allowed from there. You'll be all alone then, with no one to help you. If you die, no one will even bother to collect your corpse. Don't let that harm Sun Jiangman!"
"Alone and helpless?" Gu Chen chuckled, glanced at him, and a hint of arrogance appeared on his face. He said, "Young Master Li, respect is always proven with fists. Of course, I don't need your respect; I only need your fear!"
As Gu Chen spoke, his words were filled with strong confidence, and his eyes were sharp!
Noticing Gu Chen's gaze, Li Yiran subconsciously took a step back. Has this kid gone mad? Dozens of families are participating this time, and more than a hundred people are vying for a spot on the Tiger Ranking. He's actually not afraid?!
"You're insane!" Li Yiran said coldly, "Just wait to die!"