It had been one month and three days since they arrived at Flaming Mountain. Tens of thousands of martial artists had gathered at the foot of the mountain, filling the base with tents, countless torches blazing. At this moment, Teng Qingshan, Guan Lü, and Ji Hong were conferring inside a tent.
“More and more experts are arriving,” Ji Hong frowned. “I recognize six masters from the Earthly Rankings alone! Masters from the Hidden Dragon Ranking and Young Phoenix Ranking combined total over ten! And many experts, while not on the Earthly Rankings, aren’t far behind in strength! Qingshan, Guan Lü, we’re in trouble now!”
Trouble, indeed.
Currently, the strongest forces present were the ‘Green Lake Island’ and the ‘Free and Unfettered Palace’—both major sects among the Eight Great Sects of the Nine Provinces.
Compared to these two, the Guiyuan Sect lagged considerably.
Guan Lü frowned. “Martial Uncle Master, Green Lake Island and Free and Unfettered Palace have sent many experts, but they are all operating in the open. What worries me most are the hidden masters! After all... there are already tens of thousands of martial artists gathered here. Free and Unfettered Palace and Green Lake Island only have around a hundred people each. Who knows if some supreme experts are hidden within the crowd.”
Ji Hong nodded.
“Commander, do you think the Black Fire Spirit Fruit will attract Xiantian experts?” Teng Qingshan suddenly asked.
“Xiantian?” Ji Hong was startled, then smiled and shook his head. “The Black Fire Spirit Fruit is useless even to Xiantian experts. Besides… look, have Free and Unfettered Palace or Green Lake Island sent any Xiantian experts? There are too few, far too few, Xiantian experts in this world! They all cherish their reputation. If a Xiantian expert were to show up, we’d just let them have it! Would they have the face to take it?”
“If a Xiantian expert wants a spirit fruit, wouldn't it be easier to find one in the Barren Lands? The Barren Lands are sparsely populated and filled with treasures! If they have the ability, they should go to the Barren Lands,” Ji Hong stated.
Teng Qingshan began to understand.
To ordinary martial artists, the Barren Lands were a forbidden zone. But to Xiantian experts, they weren't much of a threat. Perhaps only monstrous beings like the demonic beasts could truly threaten a Xiantian expert. Of course... Teng Qingshan, a man whose arms possessed 180,000 catties of strength, could also be considered a human monster.
“One month and three days,” Teng Qingshan frowned. “The Black Fire Spirit Fruit must be close to maturing.”
“Yes,” Ji Hong worried as well. “After this long, that Scaled Red Beast should be about two zhang tall. Probably ten days to half a month at most, and the Black Fire Spirit Fruit will ripen. Until now, no one has discovered where the fruit is. Once the Scaled Red Beast consumes the Black Fire Spirit Fruit and transforms, it could slaughter us all!”
A transformed Scaled Red Beast, whose scales would be difficult for even Xiantian experts to pierce, would be a truly terrifying demonic beast.
“Martial Uncle Master, even if someone found the location, they would surely keep it secret and not spread the word,” Guan Lü remarked.
Teng Qingshan, Ji Hong, and Guan Lü were powerless, left only to wait. If an opportunity arose, they would seize it; if not, they could only endure.
“Black Fire Spirit Root!” Teng Qingshan greatly desired that Black Fire Spirit Root. It was an opportunity to strengthen his body.
Just as the three were chatting, a voice from the Black Armored Army soldiers outside rang out, “Someone is challenging Gu Shiyou! Brothers, hurry!” This immediately caused the three to rush out of the large tent. They saw a massive circle of people gathered to the west—at a glance, there were at least several thousand individuals. Most of the martial artists on Flaming Mountain had rushed over.
“Let’s go,” Ji Hong said with anticipation.
“Gu Shiyou!” Guan Lü’s eyes lit up.
Ji Hong glanced at Teng Qingshan and smiled. “Qingshan, this Gu Shiyou is probably the only expert among the younger generation in the entire Nine Provinces who can match you! Since someone is challenging him today, you must watch carefully.”
“I haven’t seen him fight before,” Teng Qingshan felt curious.
Gu Shiyou was the Young Island Master of Green Lake Island, the foremost sect in Yangzhou. At twenty-eight years old, he was ranked first on the Hidden Dragon Ranking and forty-eighth on the Earthly Rankings! He was truly a first-rate figure among the younger generation across the Nine Provinces, admired and targeted by many young people throughout the land.
“Ranked on both lists!” Teng Qingshan and the group from Guiyuan Sect quickly cleared a space for themselves.
Ordinary martial artists automatically made way when they saw the Guiyuan Sect members approaching.
Teng Qingshan, Ji Hong, and Guan Lü naturally stood at the very front, securing the clearest vantage point.
Teng Qingshan immediately identified the stern-faced man in a green robe, holding a black spear, standing in the center of the open area—easily dozens of zhang wide and long. This was Gu Shiyou, the number one on the Hidden Dragon Ranking and Young Island Master of Green Lake Island. His opponent was a middle-aged man wielding a long staff.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The staff shadows swept toward Gu Shiyou like a raging tide.
Gu Shiyou stood his ground. His black spear instantly transformed into dozens of black phantom images, each one intercepting a staff shadow.
“Hah~~”
The middle-aged man suddenly leaped into the air, grasping the staff with both hands, descending from the heavens with a terrifying momentum as if splitting the world open.
“What sharp moves,” Teng Qingshan praised inwardly.
Peng!
A massive pit, one zhang deep and several zhang wide, appeared on the ground, showering earth and shattered stone. Gu Shiyou had already dodged to the side.
“Thirteen Staff Strikes of the Raging Sea!” the middle-aged man roared.
Each strike was faster and heavier than the last!
...
“Commander, who is this middle-aged man? His staff technique is so powerful, so domineering,” Teng Qingshan expressed surprise. He had expected Gu Shiyou to win easily, but who knew this challenger could actually suppress Gu Shiyou? It was truly rare.
“I don’t recognize this man either,” Ji Hong said thoughtfully.
Then Ji Hong sighed, “In this world, some masters who practice in seclusion, like that Wu Yue, might disappear for twenty years. When they finally emerge, they can instantly rank in the top ten of the Earthly Rankings. This middle-aged man with the staff is likely a master who has cultivated in solitude for many years!”
Teng Qingshan secretly marveled. Many masters of secluded practice, once they strike, choose grand occasions like this for a public battle, instantly making their names known to the world.
Peng!
With another heavy strike, Gu Shiyou was forced to retreat over ten steps. He stared in shock at the plainly dressed middle-aged man who looked like a mountain villager.
“Where did such a master come from!” Gu Shiyou wondered inwardly. He was ranked first on the Hidden Dragon Ranking and forty-eighth on the Earthly Rankings. Many people challenged him, and he was happy to fight. However, whenever he struck, he inevitably left his opponent severely wounded, crippled, or even dead.
Of course, there were many more fearless masters who challenged him for fame and fortune. This middle-aged man today was one such person. But this challenger seemed even stronger than him. From the very beginning, the middle-aged man completely held the initiative; each staff strike was more fearsome than the last, and his utterly dominant aura completely suppressed Gu Shiyou.
Peng!
After barely blocking one more strike, Gu Shiyou was forced to fly backward a few steps upon landing. He shouted, “Stop!”
The sallow-faced middle-aged man stood holding his long staff, gazing at Gu Shiyou.
“I concede this fight,” Gu Shiyou stated calmly.
The surrounding crowd immediately erupted in an uproar.
The middle-aged man smiled. “Young Island Master’s spear technique is also remarkable. I haven’t managed to injure you even now.”
Gu Shiyou laughed. “I still don’t know your name, brother.”
“I am Hua Chizhu!” the middle-aged man announced loudly. Hearing this name, the surrounding martial artists immediately began to discuss. Since Gu Shiyou conceded directly to ‘Hua Chizhu,’ his strength was undeniable. It seemed the Earthly Rankings would soon gain another master.
Gu Shiyou smiled and then walked back to his own camp.
“Young Island Master!” His entourage swarmed around him.
“Let’s go back,” Gu Shiyou commanded, then looked down at his own hands. They were flushed red, and beads of blood were seeping through.
“What a terrifying staff technique,” Gu Shiyou marveled secretly. He knew that if he hadn't conceded, his spear might have been shaken right out of his hands on the next blow. His hands were already numb from the pain.
...
Another newly emerged expert had defeated an Earthly Ranking master. This thrilled the watching martial artists. The name ‘Hua Chizhu’ would soon spread throughout the world. Many martial artists envied Hua Chizhu, while simultaneously yearning for the day they could achieve the same. To have their names known to the world—they would gladly accept death for it.
The next morning, Teng Qingshan led his subordinates to search meticulously within Flaming Mountain.
“That Hua Chizhu’s staff technique is truly domineering! And it looked like he hadn't unleashed his strongest power yet,” Teng Qingshan muttered to himself as they walked, already contemplating a fight with Hua Chizhu. “As for Gu Shiyou, although he fought hard, he probably held back some life-saving ultimate moves. And with nearly ten thousand martial artists watching, conceding wasn't embarrassing at all! This person... his future is limitless.”
He looked up at the sky. It was already getting late. They had about an hour until noon.
“Qingshan, we’ve searched for so long, where exactly is that Scaled Red Beast hiding? Over ten thousand people can’t find it, and we haven’t found the Black Fire Spirit Fruit either,” Teng Qinghu said helplessly.
Teng Qingshan frowned in thought.
Suddenly, Teng Qingshan recalled the first time he chased the young Scaled Red Beast. The young beast had climbed a high mountain and then leaped off a cliff.
“That’s not right!”
A thought struck Teng Qingshan. “When I chased the young Scaled Red Beast, it sensed danger, so it must have chosen the safest escape route. There are many surrounding peaks; why did it specifically choose that one? Moreover, after it jumped, I followed immediately, maybe only a few seconds behind, but I couldn’t find it? Does that canyon have something special about it?”
“Follow me!” Teng Qingshan commanded, immediately heading toward the canyon from before.
Inside the canyon.
“This Black Fire Spirit Fruit is hidden very mysteriously; the entrance is right here. Who would have thought?” A thin, gaunt man crawled out from under the thick vines covering a shorter cliff face on the opposite side of the canyon, his face filled with satisfaction. Now, he was the only one who knew the location of this Black Fire Spirit Fruit.
“Hmph, hmph, if I don’t tell anyone and just watch it every day, this Black Fire Spirit Fruit will be mine! Even if my strength isn’t enough to snatch it from the Scaled Red Beast, at least I can consume the Black Fire Spirit Root. By then, I’ll be a top-tier martial artist too.” The thin man was quite pleased with himself.
But his expression suddenly changed. He stared blankly at a group of people in the distance. The black-robed man leading them, clutching a long spear, was staring directly at him.