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

Three streams of Yuan energy, like a gentle drizzle, shot out and quickly landed on the three newly joined guards.

Although it did not cause them any real harm, it made them the target of public criticism.

After a brief moment of distraction, Su Chen was the first to react, glaring menacingly at the three stunned people.

Soon, the remaining six people recovered and, while isolating the three, surrounded them.

They didn't know why Elder Wu was suddenly targeting these three, but as guards of the City Lord's Mansion, they only needed to obey orders.

They might even earn merit for this and receive a reward from the city lord's mansion.

"Old Wu, what exactly have we done wrong?"

The three surrounded men showed a hint of panic, but more so confusion. One of them looked at Old Wu and demanded an explanation in a stern voice.

Without explanation, Elder Wu gave an order: "Of the seven of you, whoever captures one of the three will receive another Royal Blood Pill!"

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the six people, except for Su Chen, suddenly lit up.

You get one Royal Blood Pill for each person you capture, and three people get three pills.

The value of the Imperial Blood Pill is self-evident, and the six people's minds became active after Old Wu's words.

The three men were about to question Old Wu about the reason when the six men immediately attacked, surrounding him from all sides.

Su Chen also made a move, and with great ambition, he attacked from both sides, showing a tendency to take down the three of them single-handedly.

Seeing Su Chen's meddling in everything, the remaining six people unanimously reached a consensus: while cooperating with each other, they would distance themselves from Su Chen, unwilling to share the easy prey they had already gained.

Seeing this, Su Chen was naturally unwilling to let the matter rest. He became furious and his moves became even more ferocious.

His gaze swept across the area, and he aimed to intervene in one spot, not only to deal with the three people who had been captured, but also to fight off the attacks of the remaining six.

This greatly increases the pressure.

After several exchanges, he was surrounded by the crowd and ended up at a disadvantage.

This was exactly what Su Chen wanted to do.

Under his subtle manipulation, a battle that should have ended in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea was stretched into a full half hour.

Su Chen appropriately displayed anger and exhaustion, stepping aside with a look of dissatisfaction on his face.

Without Su Chen's interference, the six people quickly captured the three and brought them to Elder Wu.

Before speaking, they all snorted coldly as they glanced at Su Chen, who was recuperating beside them.

If it weren't for Su Chen's interference, the six of them would have completed their mission much faster, and their dissatisfaction with Su Chen is understandable.

Seeing that Su Chen had been busy for most of the day without any results, the six of them looked at each other and couldn't help but smile.

In comparison, they not only gained Mr. Wu's favor, but also received substantial benefits.

"Very good, here are three Royal Blood Pills. You six can distribute them as you see fit." Old Wu waved his hand, summoning his guards.

After the guards escorted the three away, he took out three Royal Blood Pills and handed them to the six people. How they distributed them was their business.

Next, Old Wu began to arrange where the seven people would go.

Perhaps because the six people's performance had pleased Elder Wu, the place arranged for them was much better than that for Su Chen.

Although they were all patrolling the City Lord's Mansion, the six of them patrolled the West District, while Su Chen was assigned to the East District alone.

The West District is where the city lord usually works, so patrolling the West District gives you more opportunities to meet the city lord and receive rewards.

Compared to the East District, it naturally received more attention from Mr. Wu.

Su Chen didn't care about that; he was still preoccupied with what had just happened.

The battle he had just fought was not in vain; on the contrary, it gave him a very important piece of information.

"The three captured individuals are all martial artists from the Holy Yuan Kingdom."

Back in his assigned room, Su Chen began to ponder.

Baoxiang City belongs to the Holy Blood Kingdom, while Liusha City belongs to the Holy Yuan Kingdom. The two cities are located on the border between the two countries, and their commerce is prosperous, with frequent exchanges between them.

Logically speaking, the two cities should have a good relationship.

Even when the scope is expanded to include the Holy Yuan Kingdom and the Holy Blood Kingdom, the two holy kingdoms have not reached a state of hostility.

Under such circumstances, it was strange that the city lord of Baoxiang City treated the warriors of Shengyuan Kingdom in such a way, arresting them without any reason and not even giving them a chance to explain.

"Fortunately, I concealed my identity and aura at the same time. During the assessment, I displayed the aura of a Qi and Blood Martial Artist. Otherwise, I might have been caught. Although I don't know what the final result will be, it would be a loss if it disrupted my plans."

Once you reach the Dharma Aspect Realm, the difference between Qi and Blood Martial Artists and Yuan Power Martial Artists is not so significant.

The best way to make a distinction is by relying on breath.

The aura of a martial artist contains a trace of their own blood and qi, making it relatively easy to distinguish between the two.

Su Chen also followed local customs and, being cautious by nature, concealed his aura during the assessment, transforming himself into a Qi and Blood Martial Artist. In addition, his Qi and Blood were already quite impressive, so naturally no one noticed anything amiss.

"This matter is strange in every way. I have a feeling that it is related to Zhu Yan. It seems that we should investigate and find out the results as soon as possible, and take the opportunity to rescue Zhu Yan."

Originally intending not to alert the enemy, Su Chen disregarded his need for rest, changed into his guard's clothes, and began to familiarize himself with the layout of the city lord's mansion.

The city lord's mansion was heavily guarded, with guards every ten steps and sentries every hundred steps, and protectors patrolling everywhere.

Even in the relatively desolate eastern district, there were many more guards patrolling.

When these guards saw Su Chen in his armor, they would sometimes stop and ask him questions.

After Su Chen told him the truth, he let him go.

After simply memorizing the surrounding environment, Su Chen originally planned to go to the East District to take a look, but he was stopped by someone.

"Halt! Who are you? Don't you know that guards from the West District aren't allowed to enter the East District?"

A guard stopped Su Chen and said sternly, preventing him from moving forward.

Su Chen scratched his head and gave a simple, honest smile: "Please forgive me, I'm a new guard and I don't know much about these things yet."

With a gesture of apology, Chun Yuan Dan cleared a path, and the expressions of the two guards who had been blocking the way improved.

"Well, be more careful next time."

The two waved their hands, showing no doubt about Su Chen's words.

They also knew about the recruitment of guards today.

Su Chen did not leave. He glanced around, took out two more Pure Yuan Pills, and began to try to get closer to the two.

"Brothers, I am new here and am unfamiliar with many things about this manor. Could you please do me a favor and tell me which places I can go and which places I cannot go, so that I don't break the rules and cause trouble?" Su Chen said humbly.

“Alright, there are many rules in the City Lord’s Mansion. Although we are guards, we are only responsible for our own area. We must not wander around. Otherwise, being expelled from the City Lord’s Mansion is a small matter, but losing our lives is a big one. Let me tell you about the rules and restricted areas in the mansion…”

After their conversation, Su Chen gradually gained a better understanding of the situation. He clasped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you both, brothers."

"It's alright, we just arrived a little earlier than you, so we have a bit more experience."

The two didn't mind. Under Su Chen's onslaught of pills, they quickly became sworn brothers with him and chatted happily.

After bidding farewell to the two, Su Chen returned to his room.

This trip gave him a deeper understanding of the overall strength and layout of the City Lord's Mansion.

In terms of overall strength, it's not as exaggerated as the rumors suggest. For example, among the patrol guards in the West District, there are only about ten Divine Intent Realm warriors.

The rest were mostly martial artists at the Nascent Soul stage.

The guards in the East District are far stronger than those in the West District, not only in terms of defense but also in the strength of the guards themselves. According to the two men, the closer one gets to the city lord's residence, the stronger the guards become.

In addition, aside from a few places, Su Chen also gained a general understanding of the layout of the City Lord's Mansion.

These are precisely the places that Su Chen has designated as key areas for investigation.

Having learned of these circumstances, they became increasingly suspicious of this recruitment of guards.

He displayed strength at the Dharma Aspect Realm, yet after successfully joining the City Lord's Mansion, he could only serve as a guard.

With such strength, one would at least be an elder in a small or medium-sized sect.

"Anyway, let's go check it out tonight."

Night falls.

Su Chen stayed in his room. He wouldn't start patrolling until tomorrow, so tonight was a good time for him to go out.

After waiting until midnight, Su Chen changed his clothes, transformed into a messenger of the night, and left the room.

Concealing his presence while also evading patrolling guards slowed Su Chen down considerably.

It took Su Chen half an hour to arrive at the East District.

The East District is one of the places Su Chen plans to explore tonight, where the city lord's family usually lives.

"Ok?"

As soon as he entered the eastern district, Su Chen stopped and ceased his advance.

"There are actually martial artists at the Longevity Realm guarding inside!"

The other party was very well hidden; if Su Chen hadn't been so perceptive, he probably wouldn't have been able to detect them.

Although he discovered the other party, it made things much more difficult for Su Chen.

He wasn't worried about being discovered; as long as he was careful, the other party might not be able to find him.

Rather, they were worried that there was more than just one Longevity Realm martial artist hidden within the Eastern District.

This would greatly restrict his actions.

Boom boom boom!
As Su Chen was pondering, the sound of gongs and drums suddenly echoed throughout the city lord's mansion.

The sound rang out, and in an instant, the flames blazed brightly, illuminating the city lord's mansion as if it were daytime.

"what's going on?"

He looked around and saw many guards rushing out with torches in hand, patrolling everywhere, suggesting that something big was about to happen.

This situation forced Su Chen to end his mission early and plan to go back and find out what was going on.

On the way back, Su Chen could clearly feel that the atmosphere in the City Lord's Mansion had suddenly become solemn.

Looking around, Su Chen felt it wasn't an attack, but rather a training exercise, which puzzled him.

Not long after, Su Chen returned to his residence.

Upon entering the room, he changed his clothes and was about to put them back on when he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

"Who?"

He gave a cold shout and turned around, only to see a middle-aged man in fine clothes standing outside the window, looking at him coldly.

The two were not far apart, but the other party showed no intention of making a move.

The moment Su Chen saw this person, he became wary.

"A martial artist at the Longevity Realm!"

The newcomer did not conceal his strength, displaying the aura befitting a Longevity Realm expert; perhaps this is why he did not make a move.

If a martial artist at the Longevity Realm needs to resort to sneak attacks to defeat a martial artist at the Dharma Aspect Realm, it would be a laughing stock.

"I initially thought you were one of those three, but I didn't expect you to be even more cunning than I imagined. Despite being a Yuanli martial artist, you actually possess the aura of a Qi and Blood martial artist. It seems you have a secret." The man in fine clothes sized up Su Chen and said calmly.

With his identity exposed, Su Chen no longer intended to hide it. As he stepped out of the room, he heard the other party say these words.

He had a slight thought and said, "If you want to know, I can tell you."

"Oh? What are the conditions?" The man in fine clothes raised an eyebrow, showing interest.

They saw the show of force Su Chen had put on, but made no move whatsoever.

"As for conditions, I see that you, City Lord, have quite a few secrets as well. How about this, we exchange secrets? I will teach you the technique to change your aura, and you will tell me your secrets." Su Chen smiled, as if he were talking to a friend.

"Haha, I have many secrets. Which one do you want to know?"

"The secret related to Zhu Yan!"

Su Chen spoke slowly and deliberately, while paying attention to Qian Shuang's expression.

When he saw Qian Shuang's slightly narrowed eyes, he knew the answer in his heart.

Zhu Yan was indeed inside the City Lord's Mansion!
Qian Shuang also confirmed Su Chen's identity, confirming that he was the person she was looking for.

"Zhu Yan is indeed in the City Lord's Mansion. If you want to see him, I can take you there."

"No need, I'll definitely do it next time."

"That's not up to you!"

Qian Shuang sneered and suddenly made her move, her five fingers like hooks, reaching out to grab Su Chen like an eagle's claw.

A series of cracking sounds suddenly came from the air, and powerful Yuan energy splashed out with the cracking sounds, spreading all over the sky.

It transformed into a blood-red net, sealing off Su Chen's surroundings.

This large net is incredibly powerful.

Each network cable carries unparalleled power, containing not only the force of Yuan energy and the true meaning of martial arts, but also the might of Dharma form.

Martial artists at the Longevity Realm have already integrated their Dharma Image into their physical body, and their control over power is even more refined.

With just one simple move, Su Chen felt a sense of pressure, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Especially when the thousand pairs of weapons were unleashed, a powerful force of heaven and earth trapped Su Chen.

This kind of move is usually what he uses to deal with martial artists of the same level. The fact that he is using it against Su Chen shows how much he values ​​Su Chen.

However, what Qian Shuang didn't know was that Su Chen had once fought against a martial artist who had reached the Great Perfection of the Longevity Realm when he was at the Great Perfection of the Dharma Aspect Realm, and had not been at a disadvantage.

Faced with Qian Shuang's fierce attack, Su Chen spun his hand, and a vast amount of Yuan energy condensed in his palm.

As he clenched his fist, his Yuan energy instantly coalesced, compressed to its maximum, containing terrifying power.

All of this happened with lightning speed, in just a fraction of a second.

Then Su Chen threw a punch, the enormous force directly slamming into the blood-red net, instantly producing a deafening sound like a great bell.

A fierce wind arose directly around Su Chen, brewing gusts of storm.

The ground where Su Chen was standing sank further, with countless cracks spreading outwards.

As the cracks spread, the crimson net simultaneously succumbed to Su Chen's attack, tearing open a large hole.

Immediately, the entire net could no longer withstand Su Chen's outburst of power and vanished without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.

Upon seeing this, Qian Shuang's pupils suddenly contracted, and she uttered a sound of surprise and doubt. (End of Chapter)