"Hehe, Brother Yi received special permission to be in seclusion all these years, so it's normal that you don't recognize him.
His name is Li Feiyu, and he is a Xuan Gladiator who was sent here in recent years. Although he has only opened more than forty Xuan Apertures, his strength is not bad. He once defeated Du Long, and because he is from the Human Clan, he has some fame. However, since five years ago, he seems to have received special permission and has been in closed-door training. "Tu Gang glanced at Du Long and smiled.
"Hmph, the situation back then was special, and I was careless.
What's the point of bringing up the past! "Du Long snorted and glared at Tu Gang.
"Human?
That's new. Are you planning to participate in the tournament in Xuan City? "The blonde Youth heard this and a trace of disdain flashed across his eyes.
"Perhaps, otherwise why would he be in seclusion for so many years?" Tu Gang chuckled and said.
The moment Han Li sat down, a maid immediately served him a cup of tea.
He picked up the cup and took a sip.
"Daoist Li, long time no see." A voice rang out. It was Gu Qianxun who walked over and greeted him with a smile.
Yao Li followed by the side and looked at Han Li coldly as before, looking at the sky with a look of indifference.
"Daoist Gu, long time no see." Han Li ignored Yao Li and nodded at Gu Qianxun.
"I guessed that with your strength, Daoist Chen Yang would definitely invite you over.
I heard that you have been in seclusion for the past few years, and your strength seems to have improved greatly. "Gu Qianxun looked at Han Li and smiled.
"Daoist Gu, you are flattering me. In terms of improving your strength, I'm afraid you deserve it. Congratulations." Han Li looked at Gu Qianxun and smiled.
Gu Qianxun's smile froze.
With the two treasures that she obtained from the Secret Treasure Vault, she broke through a bottleneck in her cultivation, and her strength improved greatly.
She had kept this matter a secret and had never told anyone about it. Moreover, as long as she didn't show it, it would be extremely difficult to discern her physical cultivation from her appearance. Yet, Han Li was actually able to see through her strength with a single glance!
What Gu Qianxun did not know was that Han Li's physical body cultivation had improved by leaps and bounds over the past few years, causing his senses to be much more sensitive. Coupled with his powerful divine sense, he was able to see through Gu Qianxun's true strength with a single look.
"To think that Daoist Li is not only strong, but also has such sharp eyes. I'm impressed." Gu Qianxun's expression returned to normal as she sat down beside Han Li.
The golden-haired youth in the distance saw this scene, and his face sank.
"Alright, Fellow Daoist Bone, there's no need for us to flatter each other.
Fellow Gu has been in Qingyang City for a much longer time than I have, so I'm sure you have a better understanding of the Martial Competition of the Five Cities. I wonder if you can explain it to me? "Han Li said with a smile.
Gu Qianxun pursed her lips into a smile and was about to speak.
"Haha, I've made everyone wait for a long time. It's my fault."
A burst of hearty laughter sounded as Chen Yang, dressed in the robes of the City Lord, walked in from a side door in the depths of the hall and sat down on the main seat.
Daoist Xie followed behind him silently as usual.
Han Li glanced at Daoist Xie, but Daoist Xie just stood there with his eyes closed and ignored him.
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this, but they soon relaxed.
"Greetings, City Lord!" Everyone in the hall stood up and bowed.
Han Li and Gu Qianxun stopped their conversation and stood up to bow as well.
"Everyone here is a pillar of Qingyang City, there's no need to be so courteous. Sit down." Chen Yang waved his hands and said with a smile.
Everyone took their seats, but no one spoke. The hall was so silent that even a pin drop could be heard.
"I'm sure everyone knows the reason why I've gathered everyone here today. It's for the Martial Competition of the Five Cities.
The date of the competition is approaching, and the journey will take some time. We'll depart shortly, but before that, there's something I need to clarify with everyone. "Chen Yang raised his voice.
"City Lord, may I ask if there's any change in the competition?" The blonde Youth asked.
"Who is that?" Han Li glanced at the blonde Youth and asked softly.
"He's Yi Liya. He's been cultivating in seclusion for the past few years, so you don't recognize him." Gu Qianxun replied softly.
Han Li's eyes flickered. He had heard of the name Yi Liya for a long time. This person was the top Mystic Gladiator of the second district, and his strength was acknowledged by everyone. He could be considered as the second strongest expert in the Xuan Arena, second only to Gu Qianxun.
"There's no change. It's just that I've received news that City Lord Eche is taking this competition very seriously and has set up an unprecedented reward. The other three cities are also taking this seriously and have sent their strongest lineup." Chen Yang smiled.
Hearing this, everyone's expression changed.
Han Li's heart skipped a beat. Could there be an inside story for City Lord Eche to set up such a great reward?
"As one of the four adjacent cities, our Qingyang City must not fall behind in this competition. Everyone, please do your best and don't embarrass our city!" Chen Yang said solemnly.
"Don't worry, City Lord. We won't embarrass Qingyang City!"
"That's right. This time, we must show the other three cities and the main city of Xuan City how powerful we are!" Everyone in the hall shouted.
"Alright, I'm relieved to hear that. Let's not waste any more time. Let's go." Chen Yang smiled and walked out of the hall.
Everyone in the hall followed and they soon reached the outskirts of Qingyang City.
The weather was rather clear today, but the sand was still blowing on the ground. As far as the eye could see, there was a boundless dusk in the distance, and the sand was dancing wildly in the wind.
More than ten strange scaled beasts stopped here. Their bodies were all abnormally large, and they were rather divine steeds. The scaled beasts all had saddles and other things tied to their bodies for people to ride on.
Chen Yang climbed onto the back of the Black-Scaled Elephant at the front, and Daoist Xie followed.
Everyone else found their own Scaled Beasts to ride on. There were many Scaled Beasts, and some familiar people even shared the same beast, so it was not crowded.
Han Li looked at an unmanned Scaled Horse Beast and was about to climb onto it.
"Daoist Li, if you don't mind, why don't you ride with me?" Chen Yang suddenly looked over and said with a smile.
Han Li's eyes flickered. He glanced at Daoist Xie and smiled, "It would be my honor to ride with the City Lord."
As soon as he finished speaking, he tapped the ground and floated up.
"Daoist Gu, why don't you ride with me as well? The journey will be lonely, and we can talk and relieve our boredom with more people." Chen Yang looked at Gu Qianxun and invited.
"Of course." Gu Qianxun smiled and climbed onto the back of the Black-Scaled Elephant.
Chen Yang waved his hand, and the Black-Scaled Elephant strode forward.
On the ground not far away, Yi Liya's expression darkened.
He harrumphed coldly and climbed onto a Giant Deer Scaled Beast.
The group quickly set off. The Scaled Beasts were extremely fast, and they soon disappeared into the horizon.
…
Time passed in the blink of an eye, and two years passed.
At the end of a dusty plain, a towering mountain range appeared. It was like a giant that could hold up the heavens, spanning across the land.
A few hundred miles away from the mountain range, a group of a dozen Scaled Beasts was slowly advancing.
On the back of the leading Black-Scaled Elephant sat three people. They were Chen Yang, Han Li, and Gu Qianxun.
At that moment, Han Li narrowed his eyes and peered through the dust-covered plains towards the mountain range in front of him. He could see a vague silhouette in the shade of the mountain. It seemed to be a large city.
"City Lord Chen, the city at the bottom of the mountain range should be Xuan City, right?" Han Li retracted his gaze and asked.
"That's right.
That mountain range is called the Heavy Profound Mountain Range, and Xuan City is built on the side of the mountain. This way, it can avoid the invasion of wind disasters, and it can also be combined with the mountain city to strengthen its defense.
Qingyang City's idea of building a city is the same, but it's a pity that the scale is too different. "Chen Yang nodded and smiled.
"With City Lord Chen Yang's leadership, Qingyang City will change a lot in the future. I dare not say that it will surpass Xuan City, but becoming the head of the four affiliated cities is something worth looking forward to." Gu Qianxun said with a smile.
"Haha … then I'll borrow your auspicious words." Chen Yang laughed brightly.
The three chatted along the way, and soon, they arrived at the city.
Compared to the blurry silhouette from afar, the city in front of them was even more majestic and magnificent.
The city walls were built with black rocks, and there were pieces of huge White Scaled Beast Star Bones scattered on them. They glowed, and looked very strange.
Han Li knew that this item wasn't meant to be used as a decoration. The star power it contained was similar to the city's defensive spell formation and could increase the defensive power of the city. This alone wasn't something that Qingyang City was capable of.
There were three entrances to the city. The middle one was dozens of feet high, and the two sides were slightly shorter. There were armored soldiers guarding both inside and outside the entrances.
Although all three entrances were open, no one passed through the main entrance in the middle. There were only people coming in and out of the entrances on the two sides.
Chen Yang brought Han Li and the others directly to the main entrance. After showing the token of the City Lord of Qingyang City to the guards, a black-robed Youth with thick eyebrows immediately came to welcome them.
"So it's City Lord Chen and the esteemed guests of Qingyang City. Apologies for not coming out to greet you.
I am Tong Song, and I am responsible for leading you to the City Lord's Mansion. "The thick-browed Youth introduced himself and said.
"Fellow Tong, you're too polite. May I ask if the people from the other three cities have arrived?" Chen Yang returned the greeting and asked.
"The esteemed guests from Tongyu City, Xuanzhi City, and Opal City have all arrived. Once we've led you to the City Lord's Mansion, the City Lord will most likely meet with you." Tong Song replied.
"We're the ones who delayed them. We're really sorry." Chen Yang said.
"City Lord Chen, there's no need to be like this. You've all arrived at the scheduled time." Tong Song hurriedly waved his hand and said.
"There's no time to lose. Then we'll have to trouble Fellow Tong to lead us to the City Lord's Mansion." Chen Yang nodded.
Tong Song responded and immediately ordered his subordinates to first go back to the City Lord's Mansion to deliver the message. He then led the group from Qingyang City through the main entrance and into Xuanzhi City.