So it was that Wang Xiaoqiang, leading the four immortal heroes, arrived at the Marquis' Mansion and immediately ordered the servants to prepare a feast.

Before long,

a table filled with a lavish spread of mountain and sea delicacies, paired with fine wines, was set. Wang Xiaoqiang invited the four to sit down and indulge.

The four immortal heroes, in pursuit of the North Sea Demon King and subsisting on dry rations, hadn't had a proper meal or drink in a week, and suddenly seeing a table full of delicious dishes and fine wines, they immediately started gorging themselves, disregarding any semblance of table manners.

Even Guan Qingsi, began wolfing down food like a rough woman.

Watching their unrefined eating manners, Wang Xiaoqiang not only wasn't disgusted but felt a sense of kinship.

He himself came from a farming background, and as a child, he saw that the villagers ate just like that, and he himself ate that way too.

Later on, as his career developed, he met and interacted with posh and bourgeois types, whose elegant dining manners made him uncomfortable and uneasy.

Then he came to the Immortal Realm, where even the people of the Immortal Realm ate elegantly… These people's way of eating was incompatible with his own.

Now, he had finally met his kind again. The eating manners of these four suited his palate well. Seeing their hearty eating and drinking, Wang Xiaoqiang's appetite was whetted, so he joined in their feast.

Seeing that Wang Xiaoqiang was a generous soul, the four took an even greater liking to him.

Life offers few chances to indulge like this.

Immortal heroes drinking wine, never using Spiritual Power to dissipate the effects of alcohol.

Zhao Changtian, his cheeks flushed red from drinking, asked Wang Xiaoqiang with a breath smelling of alcohol, "Little Qiang, how does it feel to be an official?"

"Boring!" spat out Wang Xiaoqiang. "Though it might get more interesting in the future. I've got a beef with the North Sea Demon King, I think he'll come looking for me again… Then there'll be fun to be had!"

"Little Qiang, how did you come to have a grudge with the North Sea Demon King??"

Guan Qingsi asked curiously.

After a few drinks, her cheeks tinged pink like peach blossoms, and the light cast a hazy beauty on her face.

"His grandchild, the Yin-Yang Demon Lord, was killed by me," Wang Xiaoqiang said with an easy smile.

"What??" The four were surprised, and Zhao Changtian said, "But I heard it was someone from the Chiba Clan who killed the Yin-Yang Demon Lord. Later the North Sea Demon King even wiped out the Chiba Clan..."

Wang Xiaoqiang exhaled and said, "It's a long story. Originally, I had a bit of a grudge with the Chiba Clan. The Clan's experts chased after me relentlessly. While I was on the run, I encountered the Yin-Yang Demon Lord who blamed me for getting in his way and wanted to make trouble for me. Seeing that he was neither man nor woman, I wanted to find out which it was…"

"Huh? Little Qiang, is the Yin-Yang Demon Lord a man or a woman?" Wang Dali asked curiously.

Wang Xiaoqiang paused for a moment, then said, "Better not say, I'm afraid it might affect everyone's appetite…"

"Little Qiang, you underestimate our mental strength. We can slay demons and drink at the same time…" Li Xingtang said. "It's alright, just tell us."

Wang Xiaoqiang glanced at the four, seeing that they were all eager with anticipation, and even Guan Qingsi looked utterly carefree, so he said:

"At that time, when I had the Yin-Yang Demon Lord under control, it just so happened to be the transition between night and day, so I saw everything clearly. This Yin-Yang Demon Lord, at night she's a woman, and come daytime, she turns into a man. His (her) body and gender change continuously with the switch between day and night..."

"Wow!" The four exclaimed in unison. Strange expressions crossed their faces.

"Little Qiang, you didn't know it was the Yin-Yang Demon Lord back then, did you? Didn't the Yin-Yang Demon Lord bring up the North Sea Demon King to intimidate you?!" Guan Qingsi asked curiously.

"Indeed, not only did he conjure up the image of the North Sea Demon King to frighten me, but he also used a Jade Talisman to project an image. At that time, the North Sea Demon King threatened and tempted me from within the Jade Talisman, urging me to spare his grandson. However, I had no intention of sparing the Yin-Yang Demon Lord..." Wang Xiaoqiang paused briefly before adding:

"But just when I was about to take the Yin-Yang Demon Lord's life, people from the Chiba Clan arrived. I threw the Yin-Yang Demon Lord aside and fled. It was later that I heard the Yin-Yang Demon Lord had been killed by the people of the Chiba Clan..."

"Hmm!" The four of them gasped in admiration, giving Wang Xiaoqiang thumbs-up, showing their respect for Wang Xiaoqiang's courage.

"Brother Zhao, Guan Qingsi, and you two gentlemen, where do you think the North Sea Demon King could be hiding?" Wang Xiaoqiang asked.

"He must be hiding in the North Sea," suggested Zhao Changtian.

"What are your plans?" Wang Xiaoqiang asked again. "If you're not too busy, you could stay with me for a few days..."

"The North Sea Demon King has caused bloody winds and rain wherever he went this time, committing countless slaughters. We've decided to go to the North Sea to slay him..." Zhao Changtian declared with righteousness.

"Moreover, we all want to participate in the Supreme Ranking Tournament, so heading to the North Sea is essential," said Guan Qingsi with a spirited look.

"The Supreme Ranking Tournament?!"

Wang Xiaoqiang expressed his surprise, "What kind of event is that, and is it taking place in the North Sea?"

"The Supreme Ranking Tournament is different from other events," Guan Qingsi began explaining upon realizing Wang Xiaoqiang had not heard of the Supreme Ranking Tournament before...

It turned out that the Supreme Ranking Tournament was an event spontaneously organized by immortal heroes, held every four years. The rankings in the Supreme Ranking Tournament are determined by the number of demons each immortal hero slays, as well as the levels of the demons they kill, and then the rankings are calculated.

The Supreme Ranking Tournament has no fixed location, only a fixed duration.

It lasts for one month.

Within this month, participating immortal heroes try to slay as many demons as possible, and the organizer then ranks the participants based on their achievements in demon-slaying.

After listening to her explanation, Wang Xiaoqiang said, "It sounds like the Supreme Ranking Tournament should be a rather low-key and covert event, right?"

"On the contrary," Guan Qingsi replied. "The Supreme Ranking Tournament, with its purpose of demon-slaying, is a public welfare event. Since the participants are all immortal heroes, its influence is very great, even greater than that of the Armor Snatching Tournament, as the participants come from various empires in the Immortal Realm. Thus, this event has transcended national borders..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaoqiang's heart stirred, and he asked, "Just how credible and influential is this so-called 'Supreme' title?"

"Extremely so!" Zhao Changtian took over, "For example, you, Wang Xiaoqiang, won the championship at the Armor Snatching Tournament, but you're only famous within the Yellow Dragon Empire. In other countries, your fame is somewhat diminished, not widely known. However, if you were to even place tenth in the Supreme Ranking Tournament, you might become a household name throughout the entire Immortal Realm..."

Wang Xiaoqiang felt a surge of emotion; he had not expected the Supreme Ranking Tournament to hold such tremendous prestige. At that moment, he remembered his ten-year agreement with Yans Ruohong; the pact had been that if Wang Xiaoqiang became a Supreme within ten years, Yans Ruohong would marry his daughter Yans Biluo to him.

Now, less than three years had passed.

The Supreme Ranking Tournament was indeed a great opportunity, wasn't it?

If he could make it into the top ten in this Supreme Ranking Tournament, then he, Wang Xiaoqiang, would truly earn the name of Supreme, becoming well-known in every household. Naturally, the Yans Family would also be aware. When the time came for him to visit the Yans Family again, he would be able to rightfully and honorably marry Yans Biluo.

Thinking this, Wang Xiaoqiang felt his heart race with excitement as he said, "Brother Zhao, can I participate in this Supreme Ranking Tournament?"

"You could, but now you are a Thousand-House Marquis of Yue Land with an official title. I doubt the Emperor would willingly let you leave..."

Wang Xiaoqiang replied, "The North Sea Demon King killed people at the Luoo River and disturbed the peace in my Yue Land. As the Thousand-House Marquis of Yue Land, it is not only my responsibility but also my duty to slay him. If I use the excuse of journeying to the North Sea to slay the demon, I believe the Emperor won't obstruct me,"

"That's entirely up to you. If you wish to participate and can free yourself up, with your cultivation base and ability, you are indeed eligible to compete," said Wan Qingsi. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)

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