We're practicing all martial arts, so why did you switch to easy mode?

Chapter 297 Imperial Blood Pill, Divine Power Fruit, Enveloped in Mystery

"Royal Blood Pill? This is a top-grade fifth-rank Qi and Blood Pill, worth a thousand gold pieces. Just by breaking through, you can get one. This guy has some nerve. You know, there are many hidden masters among the martial artists traveling between the two cities. Isn't he afraid of losing everything?"

"You've only been here a short time, haven't you? You don't know who this person is? He is Qian Yun, the young city lord of Baoxiang City. He can produce ten or even a hundred Imperial Blood Pills, let alone just one. These pills are originally produced by the city lord's mansion."

"Ah, he's actually a Dharma Aspect Realm martial artist. This is going to be difficult. I was hoping to cross the bridge to earn some pills to enhance my qi and blood. Now that he's blocking my way, I'll have to return empty-handed. Strange, I've encountered similar situations before!"

"There wasn't one before, but ever since the top spot on the Ten Directions Martial Monument changed hands, this young city lord has been standing here every day, saying he wants to dampen the prestige of the warriors from the Holy Yuan Kingdom. There's no way around it, the Divine Weapon Xuanqi has single-handedly overpowered all the heroes to reach the top, attracting countless eyes. I heard that a large number of talented warriors from other Holy Kingdoms are rushing to the Holy Yuan Kingdom, wanting to catch a glimpse of the Divine Weapon Xuanqi's prowess!"

"If you want to cross the river, there are other ways. After walking a hundred miles along the Huangqu River, there is a log bridge that can also be used to cross the river. Since the young city lord set up the Dragon Gate Formation, that has become one of the only two places to cross the river. However, crossing the river from there will cost a high toll."

"..."

The position of the leader of the Ten Directions Martial Monument is so prestigious that its appearance caused a sensation throughout the entire Ten Directions World.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that he became famous overnight.

Therefore, the Holy Yuan Kingdom has been bustling with activity recently.

Top talents from other holy kingdoms traveled thousands of miles to reach the Holy Yuan Kingdom.

I want to witness the wondrous splendor of divine weapons.

To be precise, they wanted to challenge the mystical weapons.

Everyone wants to rise to the top by stepping on divine weapons and mystical techniques, and become the second martial artist to cause a sensation throughout the world.

Su Chen was engrossed in cultivation and knew little about this matter. He thought the Ten Directions Martial Stele incident was over, but he didn't expect its impact to be so profound.

This indirectly affected his current ability to cross the river.

He touched the Heaven-Slaying Blade at his waist, and even through the scabbard, he could feel the pride it exuded.

Su Chen couldn't help but strike, instantly suppressing the Heaven-Slaying Blade.

"I come!"

Just then, a burly man stepped out of the crowd, his loud voice drowning out the murmurs and drawing everyone's attention.

Upon seeing the burly man, Su Chen raised an eyebrow slightly.

The man's appearance was fine, indeed rugged, but his attire was rather unsettling.

The man was estimated to be nearly two meters tall, with muscles in his arms and legs as solid as coiled dragons, glistening and surging, exuding a powerful aura.

Logically speaking, a martial artist of such strength would usually use large weapons such as halberds, maces, or hammers, but he was holding a sword, which looked like a big man holding a needle, and was particularly incongruous.

"You are the 361st challenger. None of the previous challengers have been able to withstand my martial arts prowess. I hope you will not disappoint me. However, before you challenge me, please state your name!"

Young City Lord Qian Yun glanced at the other party indifferently, roughly assessing his strength.

He doesn't accept challenges from just anyone. If it's not a martial artist at the Dharma Aspect Realm, he'll tell them to get lost without hesitation, so as not to waste his time.

"My name is unimportant." The burly man grinned, then raised his sword and said in a louder voice, "All you need to know is that the sword in my hand is called Divine Weapon Mystery!"

These words caused an uproar among the onlookers.

"What number is this?"

"I don't know. He's ranked outside the top ten. He's another guy who claims to possess a divine weapon."

"Damn it, the people of Shengyuan Kingdom are really shameless. This big man doesn't even hold his sword correctly, yet he dares to call his weapon a divine weapon."

"After the legendary weapon became famous far and wide, all the weapons used by warriors in the entire Holy Yuan Kingdom were called by this name."

"Especially those swordsmen, I don't know who spread the rumor, but the name of the sword is 'Divine Weapon Mysterious.'"

"..."

Su Chen, who was standing to the side, twitched at the corner of his mouth as he listened. Not knowing what to say, he could only pat the Broken Sky Blade again to quiet it down.

"Who would have thought that the real divine weapon is a sword, and that it's right in my hands?" Su Chen sighed inwardly.

The battle has begun.

The burly man's self-introduction successfully angered the young city lord, Qian Yun. He was already dissatisfied with the fact that the Holy Yuan Kingdom claimed to be superior to the other nine holy kingdoms just because it had produced a divine weapon. Now, after hearing the burly man's words, he roared angrily and released his true martial intent.

"Such exquisite control!"

Su Chen noticed Qian Yun's martial arts essence as soon as it was revealed, and his expression showed slight surprise.

He could tell that Qian Yun's strength was at the Lesser Completion of the Dharma Aspect Realm, but her control over the true meaning of martial arts was superb.

The true essence of martial arts he used was perfectly controlled within a radius of one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) around the giant man, without leaking out in the slightest.

Those who were weaker around him would have no idea that he was under tremendous pressure if they hadn't seen the big man's expression.

Clang.

Before long, the big man couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed to the ground with a thud, panting heavily and drenched in sweat, begging for mercy.

"roll!"

Qian Yun snorted coldly, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings and past the crowd.

When the martial intent that it had not fully subdued swept over Su Chen, Su Chen's expression changed slightly.

"Hmm, this Qianyun's martial arts intent feels very strange to me. It's as if there are two completely different martial arts intents, one as fiery as a raging fire and the other as cold as a winter. They are clearly two opposing forces, yet they have subtly merged together. Although it is not as good as my selfless martial arts intent, it is far stronger than that of an ordinary Dharma Aspect Realm martial artist!"

This was the first time Su Chen had experienced such a feeling, and he couldn't help but be a little surprised.

By the time he wanted to savor it, his opponent had already withdrawn his true martial arts intent and was preparing to accept challenges from others.

With the defeat of the Han Dynasty, some sensible martial artists had no choice but to take a detour across the bridge.

After standing on the bridge and observing for a moment, Su Chen turned and left.

He didn't intend to force his way across the bridge to avoid causing unnecessary trouble, so he simply went to another wooden bridge to cross the river.

Many people wanted to cross the river via the wooden bridge, forming a long queue, but many more turned back disappointed after hearing about the toll.

The toll was not high for Su Chen, and he successfully crossed the river after paying the fee.

Before long, they arrived at the city gate of Baoxiang City, behind which was Qianyun, who had set up the Dragon Gate Formation.

Upon entering the city, Su Chen was immediately drawn to the dazzling array of shops.

The border area between the two countries has become a thriving commercial hub.

The shops here are decorated in a magnificent and dazzling style, not much different from the Imperial Palace of the Great Qian Dynasty.

To attract customers, each shop displays herbs that promote blood circulation and relieve fatigue.

Of course, in addition to Qi and Blood Pills, there are also Yuan Power Pills and various weapons, making it a comprehensive trading market.

Even though Su Chen's cultivation had reached the perfection of the Dharma Aspect Realm, he would still feel a surge of qi and blood after walking a certain distance.

It's clear that these shops have mastered the art of attracting customers.

Unlike the others, Su Chen did not enter the shop. Instead, he followed the guidance of the Yuan Shen token to a magnificent mansion.

"City Lord's Mansion?"

Standing not far away, Su Chen immediately noticed the words on the plaque.

"The guidance from the Yuan Shen token should be correct, which means that Zhu Yan is in the City Lord's Mansion."

Despite this, Su Chen did not act rashly and went directly to Zhu Yan to say that he wanted to see him.

He still had some concerns. If Zhu Yan were in the city lord's mansion, he could easily find time to go back and visit his relatives and friends during those three years.

In reality, Zhu Yan did not return for three whole years, and no news of him came out.

If he hadn't kept a backup plan, even Su Chen probably wouldn't have known Zhu Yan's location.

All of this made Su Chen increasingly suspicious, which was that Zhu Yan might not be able to return.

As for whether this reason was his own or forced upon him by others, Su Chen needs to judge for himself.

Su Chen vaguely felt it was the latter, but he wasn't sure yet and would have to ask around to find out.

He put away the primordial spirit token, intending to stay for a while and inquire about some news.

at the same time.

Inside the city lord's mansion, in a room filled with qi and blood mist.

The blood mist suddenly churned and retreated into its burrow like a startled rabbit.

A middle-aged man with graying temples and black hair in the middle opened his mouth slightly, and instantly all the blood mist vanished as he swallowed it.

"I've been waiting for you for so long, you've finally shown up!"

He opened his eyes, his gaze shining like stars, and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

Immediately, the middle-aged man took out a token from his pocket. The token was blood red and was now shimmering with a faint red light.

Before long, the crimson light disappeared, indicating that the other party had deactivated the primordial spirit token.

After putting away the token, the middle-aged man got up and went to a bookshelf. He gently struck out with his palm, and a passage appeared in the wall.

The passage was narrow, deep, and exuded a chilling aura.

The middle-aged man tiptoed forward, leaned forward, and fell headfirst into the passageway.

After traveling for an unknown amount of time, a bright light appeared ahead. Following the light, they flew out and found a hidden world inside.

It was a huge, enclosed room, exceptionally spacious, roughly estimated to be able to hold around a hundred people.

The middle-aged man seemed to know his way around this place well, as it wasn't his first time here.

He walked with a very regular gait, making his way through the room, and soon arrived at another relatively small secret room.

This place is more like an interrogation site, with various interrogation pills and instruments scattered around.

The presence of an ugly man chained up in front of them further emphasizes the purpose of this secret room.

The man was covered in wounds, his hair was disheveled, and he reeked of a foul stench. His tattered clothes were stained with dried blood.

He looked like he was suffering terribly.

"Zhu Yan, I'll ask you one more time, are you going to tell me about the Divine Fruit or not!"

The middle-aged man revealed the ugly man's name, which turned out to be Zhu Yan, who had been missing for a long time.

Hearing the sound, Zhu Yan, who was feeling drowsy, blinked slightly, slowly raised his head, and looked at the other person coldly.

His silence spoke volumes about his attitude.

The middle-aged man didn't seem to mind and appeared very patient. He poured himself a cup of tea and said as he drank:

"Why bother? For a bottle of pills that might not even grant the chance to reach the Longevity Realm, you kept your mouth shut for three years, causing me to torment you for three years as well. If you had just told me, I wouldn't have done this. Sigh..."

He sighed, his tone filled with melancholy and helplessness, as if everything was Zhu Yan's responsibility.

“I know what you’re thinking. You’re just worried that if you tell me, I’ll kill you off. But how many years can you keep such a secret? If you don’t tell me now, you’ll have to tell me sooner or later. If you tell me later, you’ll probably suffer even more. I really can’t bear to see you make one mistake after another.”

Pooh!
Such high-sounding words prompted Zhu Yan to scoff.

Snapped!
"Hmph, Zhu Yan, do you think I don't know what you're thinking? You just want someone to come and rescue you. I won't hide it from you, the person you're waiting for has arrived!"

Upon seeing this, the middle-aged man snorted coldly.

Upon hearing this, a chill crept onto Zhu Yan's lips.

This scene was captured by the middle-aged man, who sneered, "You think someone can rescue you just because they come to save you? Hahaha, don't worry, it won't be long before I bring this person to you. At that time, you'll probably be begging me to tell you the secrets of the technique."

Zhu Yan remained silent.

But his eyes gleamed with a different light, and then Zhu Yan closed his eyes, ignoring the middle-aged man's words.

Seeing Zhu Yan's attitude, the middle-aged man knew that the other party would not speak no matter what, so he turned and left.

What he needs to do next is not to waste words with Zhu Yan, but to capture the person who rescued him.

As long as he catches that person, even if Zhu Yan doesn't talk, he has a way to make him talk.

……

After leaving the city lord's mansion, Su Chen searched everywhere for places to inquire about information.

Unlike Ziyang City, there is no Wanhai Chamber of Commerce here, making it much more difficult to get information.

After spending half a day, Su Chen finally found a building called the Holy Blood Merchant Guild, where he could sell goods and also inquire about information.

After disguising himself, Su Chen found a member of the Chamber of Commerce and inquired about relevant information.

He inquired about two pieces of information.

First, there is the relevant information about Zhu Yan.

Secondly, there is the cultivation technique practiced by the young city lord, Qian Yun.

A full half hour passed before Su Chen finally stepped out of the pavilion.

"Very well, neither of the two reports yielded accurate information." A look of helplessness appeared on his face.

Of the two pieces of information I inquired about.

The first piece of information was not clearly provided by the Holy Blood Merchant Guild.

It happened three years ago. Although it wasn't a very long time ago, many people came and went to the city lord's mansion every day.

At least on the surface, they had not heard of anyone named Zhu Yan entering the city lord's mansion.

However, one thing did catch Su Chen's attention.

Three years ago, a disturbance occurred at the City Lord's Mansion. Although it was quickly quelled, he felt that the matter might be related to Zhu Yan.

The second message was the same.

No one knew what kind of cultivation technique the young city lord Qian Yun had practiced, and not many people in the city lord's mansion knew about it either.

The only thing we know is that the cultivation method practiced by the young city lord is not exactly the same as that practiced by the city lord, Qian Shuang.

Especially after reaching the realm of martial arts essence, the power of the techniques cultivated by the young city lord Qian Yun became even stronger.

In the previous message, Su Chen was 80% certain that Zhu Yan had met with misfortune at the City Lord's Mansion.

The next piece of information requires further investigation.

"No matter which one it is, we have to go to the city lord's mansion to find out. We need to find a way to sneak in."

(End of this chapter)