Journey Through the Heavens: Starting with Chinese Martial Arts!

Gongsun Luan saw the young man carrying a halberd on his back striding towards them, and remained silent, but stepped aside half a space.

"Thank you," Chen Jueshang said.

"You're welcome." Gongsun Luan shook her head slightly, her voice clear but somewhat distant, clearly indicating that she didn't usually talk to people much. She had a beautiful face and a graceful figure, but her demeanor kept people at a distance.

"Chen Yuanhuang." Chen Jueshang extended a friendly gesture, and Gongsun Luan looked at him closely before introducing herself: "Gongsun Mengli."

However, both of them used aliases.

After a brief exchange, the two fell silent, watching the groups of people in twos and threes.

Within a short period of time, the group participating in this trial split into several groups, all using the pretext of unity and mutual assistance to overcome difficulties to win people over.

Of course, there are also a few who choose not to join a group and instead become lone wolves.

A fierce-looking, bald, burly man; a cold-faced young man; and a woman dressed in silk with a delicate demeanor.

The three men possessed extraordinary bearing and were clearly from powerful backgrounds. They had come to register for the Xuanhuang Guard's assessment, presumably for the experience.

"The monks of Dachan Temple, the disciples of Shendao Sect, and the demoness of Tianzhai Sect—if you encounter them during your trial, it's best to stay away. Their sects have strong lineages, and it's difficult for us lone cultivators to contend with them." Gongsun Luan's clear and aloof voice rang in Chen Jueshang's ears.

He turned to look at her and asked, "How will you know if you don't try? Have you sparred with them before?"

Gongsun Luan shook her head and didn't speak again, clearly unwilling to say more.

Chen Jueshang shrugged and didn't press the matter further.

The two fell silent again.

……

"Tap tap tap." Time passed, and about half an hour later, when the last person finished registering, the gate of the Xuanhuang Division opened, and a team of Xuanhuang Guards filed out, standing on both sides, hands on the hilts of their swords, their expressions cold and hard.

Finally, a slender figure emerged.

Her eyebrows and eyes weren't particularly delicate, but they were sharp as knives, her eyes held a hidden edge, and her aura was cold and ruthless, adding a unique charm, like a flower with thorns.

"Boss, this is the roster for this registration." The Xuanhuang Guard in charge of registration stepped forward and handed a slightly thick book to the woman.

The woman waved her hand, signaling the person to return to the group, and then carefully looked through the roster. After a while, she closed the roster and looked up to scan the entire room.

"I am deeply grateful to all of you for coming from afar to register for my Xuanhuang Guard. My name is Li Quanshu." She began with a polite remark to ease the tense atmosphere before calmly saying, "However, my Xuanhuang Guard has established rules. Those who wish to enter must pass a trial."

Having said that, Li Quanshu calmly surveyed everyone, and seeing that no one objected, she continued, "The trial will assign you tasks of equal strength, and will not send you to your deaths."

"Furthermore, rewards will be given based on your performance in this trial. Those who perform exceptionally well will receive a higher level of treatment after joining the Xuanhuang Guard. Without further ado, issue the tokens!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the Xuanhuang Guards who were standing there stepped forward and handed out tokens to everyone.

Chen Jueshang looked at the token in his hand and probed it with his consciousness. Immediately, a surge of information flooded into his mind.

-

[One-Star Level Four Trial Mission: Capture the Flower Thief of Silver Barrel City (Rating +2) Note: This flower thief's strength is estimated to be at the fourth level of the Transformation Realm, and his martial arts primarily focus on lightness skills... Death or life is irrelevant!]

[One-Star Level Four Trial Mission: Annihilate the Mountain Bandits of Li Feng Village (Rating +2) Note: The bandit leader may have the strength of a fourth-stage martial artist]

[One-Star Level Three Trial Mission: Investigate the unusual activity of wild beasts on the outskirts of Xiaocang Mountain (Rating +1) Note: This mission can be abandoned voluntarily]

[One-Star Level Three Trial Mission: Slay ten wild beasts of at least the third metamorphosis strength in Xiaocang Mountain (Rating +1)]

-

Chen Jueshang digested the four task messages in an instant; these tasks were not difficult for him given his current strength.

The most difficult trial is the first one, which requires finding someone in the city. The other trial tasks are relatively fixed.

"Let's finish the easy stuff first, then head to Silver Weng City." Chen Jueshang made up his mind before looking at Gongsun Luan beside him.

The other person happened to be looking at him as well, and parted her pink lips slightly: "My trial mission is in the west."

"I'm in the southwest."

"Then be careful."

"Um."

After the two finished their conversation, Gongsun Luan gracefully departed, while Chen Jueshang glanced at the people leaving one after another before also leaving the Xuanhuang Division.

……

Chen Jueshang went back to the inn first, intending to tell his second uncle that he was leaving the city, but when he returned to the inn, he found that his second uncle had already left.

"Alright, it's not too late to share this joy with my second uncle after I join the Xuanhuang Guard." Chen Jueshang chuckled, then checked out of the room, took his horse, and prepared to leave.

But before he could take a step, a shop assistant called him back, took out an unopened letter, and handed it to him: "This is a letter your second uncle asked me to give you."

Chen Jueshang took the letter and waited until he left Tianhuang City with his horse before opening it and reading it. After reading for about a minute, he put the letter back into the envelope and placed it inside his clothes.

"It's time to go." Chen Jueshang mounted his horse, tightened the reins, and headed towards Xiaocang Mountain, raising a cloud of dust in the process.

……

At the same time, Gongsun Luan had just left Tianhuang City when she was ambushed by two powerful members of the Chen family. She fled in danger all the way to the dense forest, trying to escape the pursuit.

"How dare you insult my young lady! Even if you sprout wings, you will not escape death today!"

"Kill her quickly and report back. Don't give her a chance to breathe, lest things get complicated!"

"..."

The two chased each other through the air, breaking trees and splitting mountains. Their martial arts cultivation was boundless, their blood and qi were as powerful as dragons, and their aura was as deep and majestic as mountains, stirring up the air currents. They were like two barbaric creatures, charging around and their murderous aura soared to the sky!

Gongsun Luan remained calm as she fled using unpredictable footwork, even employing a secret technique to change her appearance and aura. However, the two people behind her continued to pursue her relentlessly, like two mad dogs that had gone berserk.

"No, I have to find a way out, otherwise, the two behind me will catch up sooner or later." Her face was solemn, her mind racing as she searched for a way out, and she even deduced possible escape routes in her mind.

However, no matter how she sought a way to survive, she found that she could not escape the pursuit of the two seventh-stage martial artists. The Chen family clearly wanted to exterminate them all and leave no future troubles.

Therefore, the Chen family sent two powerful individuals who had undergone seven physical transformations.

"I'll remember this grudge against the Chen family!" Gongsun Luan said as she ran, not forgetting to make a mark on the Chen family. She vowed to settle this score once she became powerful enough. A hint of killing intent flashed in her clear eyes.

"Bang!" "Bang!" Two powerful members of the Chen family shattered the ancient tree and the boulder with a palm and a fist, respectively, and finally locked onto Gongsun Luan in front of them. Two martial arts wills appeared as blurry phantoms, one with a palm and the other with a fist, trying to kill her.

"Red Phoenix Heaven!" Gongsun Luan felt death approaching from behind. She turned around, and the moment her long sword was drawn from its sheath, her blood and qi surged to the sky. The sword light was like the moon, like a phoenix spreading its wings, charging head-on at the attacks of the two Chen family experts.

"Bang!!"