Surviving in a world of demons and monsters to achieve martial arts sainthood

More than ten bandits rushed up, howling.

"Shen Lian, you five take on the six on the left. Zhou Wu, Qin Feng, the right side is yours." Zhao Shan stood still, as if the battle before him had nothing to do with him. "Let me see how much you've improved these past few days."

"yes!"

Shen Lian and his five companions immediately dispersed and faced the six bandits on the left.

Li Hu struck first, unleashing a powerful "Mountain Splitting" strike that sent the leading bandit flying, knife and all.

Chen Yun moved with agility, her long sword flitting like a butterfly among flowers, easily dodging the attack of the two bandits. The blade sliced ​​across one of their wrists, and blood splattered.

Wang Lin remained calm and composed, his sword strikes continuous, relentlessly suppressing one of the bandits.

Lin Feng was the most ruthless, his moves aimed straight for vital points, and he crippled a man's arm in just two moves.

Shen Lian faced two bandits, one wielding an axe and the other a knife. The axe-wielding bandit was strong, his swings whistling through the air; the knife-wielding bandit was agile and specialized in attacking the lower body.

Shen Lian unleashed the "Tiger-Taming Stance" footwork, his figure weaving between the two attackers like a fish. Seizing the moment when the axe-wielding bandit's axe missed its mark, his old strength dissipated before new power could arise, he suddenly stepped forward, his longsword flashing like thunder, unleashing a "Mountain-Splitting Strike" diagonal slash.

laugh!

The blade sliced ​​across the bandit's chest, not fatally, but rendering him incapable of fighting.

The knife-wielding bandit was shocked to see this and turned to flee. Shen Lian changed his stance and unleashed three consecutive "Wave-Slicing" strikes, blocking the bandit's retreat. The third strike knocked the longsword out of his hand, and the tip of the blade was pressed against his throat.

"Spare me! Spare me!" The bandit's face turned ashen.

In a short time, all six bandits on the left had fallen, and five of them were unharmed.

The battle on the right was equally swift. Zhou Wu and Qin Feng were both veteran squad leaders, and they dealt with these bandits as easily as cutting melons and vegetables, ending the battle in just a few breaths.

Seeing his men fall in the blink of an eye, the one-eyed burly man's face turned ashen. He stared intently at Zhao Shan: "Fine, so this is the Demon Suppression Division! I admit defeat today!"

After saying that, he turned and tried to escape into the woods.

"Did I let you leave?" Zhao Shan asked calmly.

Before he finished speaking, Zhao Shan's figure vanished from the spot like a ghost, and the next moment he appeared in front of the one-eyed strong man, lightly placing a palm on his chest.

Bang!

The one-eyed strong man was struck as if by a heavy hammer, and he flew backward, crashing into a large tree, spitting blood, and collapsing to the ground.

Zhao Shan stepped forward slowly, looking down at the one-eyed burly man: "Speak, who sent you?"

The one-eyed, burly man coughed up blood and said with difficulty, "No, no one ordered us to do this... We just heard that a convoy from the Demon Suppression Division was passing by, and we wanted to make some money off them..."

"Looks like you don't want to talk anymore." A cold glint flashed in Zhao Shan's eyes as he raised his foot and stepped on the wrist of the one-eyed strongman.

Click!

The sound of bones breaking was clearly audible, and the one-eyed strong man let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" The one-eyed burly man finally broke down. "It's...it's Third Master Liu from the Black Mountain Gang! He said if we stop your car and stall you for half a day, he'll give us a hundred taels of silver!"

"The Black Mountain Gang?" Zhao Shan frowned. "Why are they stopping us?"

"I...I don't know...Third Master Liu only said that someone didn't want you to arrive in Qingzhou Prefecture on time..."

Zhao Shan, Zhou Wu, and Qin Feng exchanged a glance, their eyes all showing seriousness.

"Commander, this is not a simple matter," Zhou Wu said in a low voice.

Zhao Shan nodded and asked the one-eyed burly man, "Where is the Black Mountain Gang's hideout?"

"In...in Black Wind Valley...twenty miles east..."

Zhao Shan straightened up and said to Qin Feng, "Tie him up and take him back to Qinghe County to be handed over to the yamen. Zhou Wu, take two men to Black Wind Valley to investigate and see what the Black Mountain Gang is up to. Remember, don't alert them."

"yes!"

Qin Feng tied the one-eyed strongman up like a dumpling and threw him into the carriage. Zhou Wu selected two soldiers from the Demon Suppression Division who were accompanying him, mounted his horse, and galloped eastward.

Zhao Shan looked at Shen Lian and the other four: "You performed well just now. Especially Shen Lian, you grasped the timing very accurately. Lin Feng is ruthless, but you should be careful. The Demon Suppression Division does not take lives unless absolutely necessary."

Raymond Lam nodded expressionlessly.

With everyone working together, the large tree blocking the road was moved aside, and the convoy continued on its way.

After this delay, it was nearly dusk. Zhao Shan ordered his men to speed up and make sure they crossed the Black Mountain Ridge before nightfall to rest at the next post station.

The carriage resumed its journey, but the atmosphere inside was much more somber than before.

"Black Mountain Gang...why are they stopping us?" Li Hu asked, puzzled.

Chen Yun pondered and said, "I'm afraid someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes and doesn't want us to participate in the competition on time."

Wang Lin said, "The number of places in the Qingzhou Prefecture competition is limited. The fewer competitors there are, the more opportunities others have. I just didn't expect them to resort to such despicable means."

Shen Lian remained silent, but a sense of vigilance rose in his heart.

It seems this trip to Qingzhou Prefecture will not be peaceful.

As dusk fell, the caravan finally drove out of Black Mountain Ridge, where a post station appeared ahead.

The post station was small, but heavily guarded, with watchtowers on the high walls, where guards with bows could be vaguely seen.

Zhao Shan showed his waist badge, and the gate of the post station slowly opened.

"Commander Zhao, the rooms are ready." The postmaster was a lean middle-aged man, and his attitude was respectful. "Dinner is also ready. Please follow me."

After everyone settled in, dinner was a simple meal, but it was piping hot and tasted especially delicious after a long day of travel.

After the meal, Zhao Shan called the five people to his room.

"You don't need to worry too much about the Black Mountain Gang; Zhou Wu has already investigated it." Zhao Shan looked at the five men, then changed the subject, "I called you here because I have something to tell you."

The five listened quietly.

"The Qingzhou Prefecture Grand Competition has always been divided into two stages," Zhao Shan said slowly. "The first stage is the arena battle, where matches are drawn by lot, and the winners advance until the top thirty-two are determined. The second stage is the 'Demon Hunting Trial'."

"A demon-hunting trial?" Li Hu asked curiously.

"Not bad." Zhao Shan nodded. "Fifty miles outside Qingzhou City, there is a 'Black Mist Forest,' which is home to a large number of first and second-tier demonic beasts. In the second stage, the thirty-two finalists will enter the Black Mist Forest to hunt demonic beasts and earn points. The top ten in points will advance to the final battle."

Shen Lian's heart stirred; this was somewhat different from what he had expected.

Zhao Shan continued, "The arena battles test individual combat strength, while the demon-hunting trials test practical combat skills, survival abilities, and the ability to judge danger. Among the five of you, Shen Lian and Lin Feng should have no problem entering the top 32, but Li Hu, Chen Yun, and Wang Lin, you need to work twice as hard."

The three nodded emphatically.

"Furthermore," Zhao Shan said, looking at Shen Lian and Lin Feng, "if you encounter any local geniuses from Qingzhou Prefecture or other counties on the arena, don't hold back. Defeat them with all your might. The Demon Suppression Division values ​​strength above all else; only by demonstrating sufficient power can you earn respect."

"yes!"

"Alright, everyone go back and rest. We'll set off early tomorrow morning and arrive in Qingzhou Prefecture before evening."

The five people left the room and returned to their respective rooms.

Shen Lian lay in bed, but couldn't fall asleep.

The Black Mountain Gang's interception, Zhao Shan's admonitions, the upcoming grand competition... everything told him that his trip to Qingzhou Prefecture would be anything but easy.

The moonlight outside the window was like water, shining through the window and spilling onto the ground.

Shen Lian took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and began to circulate the "Tiger Subduing Stance" mental technique.