"Jiang..."

Zhang Xingyuan was startled and shouted in astonishment, but he only managed to utter one syllable before freezing, his face showing an expression of disbelief.

Bam!

Jiang Chen's palm struck the undefended head of Meng Fanzhou, causing his head to flatten, and his body exploded directly into a cloud of white powder that drifted to the ground.

"This, this, this..." Zhang Xingyuan was so shocked he couldn't speak, staring at the powder on the ground in disbelief.

"Gene warrior!" Jiang Chen softly explained.

"Ge..."

Zhang Xingyuan was shocked to his core, opening his mouth to shout.

Jiang Chen raised his hand to stop Zhang Xingyuan, glanced at the broken Daoist robe amidst the white powder on the ground, and softly said, "All of you in the Wu Dan have to wear Daoist robes to the mountain?"

"Eh... Ah... Yes!" Zhang Xingyuan was still in shock and hadn't recovered.

Jiang Chen patted Zhang Xingyuan's shoulder and closed the door with his hand, softly saying, "I need a Daoist robe."

"I, I still have, have another set!" Zhang Xingyuan stammered in response.

Jiang Chen looked at Zhang Xingyuan with amusement: "What's wrong? Surprised to see your senior brother suddenly become a gene warrior?"

Zhang Xingyuan took a deep breath, nodded solemnly, and a hint of sadness appeared in his eyes: "Senior Brother Meng has been in the Wu Dan for twenty years, you could say he watched me grow up!"

"The infiltration by the three major organizations is so seamless. If it weren't for my inner qi being able to detect the soul-devouring power and the fake life energy of a gene warrior, I might not have been able to see through them!" Jiang Chen patted Zhang Xingyuan's shoulder again for comfort.

Zhang Xingyuan nodded with a heavy heart and returned to the bedroom to fetch a set of Daoist robes.

Jiang Chen changed clothes, and the two walked towards the door.

Ding!

Another doorbell rang, Jiang Chen and Zhang Xingyuan froze for a moment, and they both looked towards the door.

"Xingyuan, did you leave already?"

At the door was the voice of Zhang Xingyuan's father, Wu Dan's sect leader, Zhang Zhichu.

Hearing it was Zhang Zhichu, Jiang Chen blinked and stood by the wall again.

Zhang Xingyuan was startled, a hint of panic appearing in his eyes.

Seeing Zhang Xingyuan's fear, Jiang Chen gently shook his head and whispered, "I'm afraid he'll shout."

Zhang Xingyuan breathed a sigh of relief, went forward and opened the door.

"Xingyuan? You haven't left! Just now, Fanzhou knocked, I was washing up, and when I came out and saw no one, I thought you had left!" Zhang Zhichu chuckled as he spoke, "Let's go, let's wait in the main hall."

"Dad, come in for a moment!" Zhang Xingyuan said softly, moving aside to make space at the door.

Zhang Zhichu gave Zhang Xingyuan a puzzled look and stepped toward the room.

But as he set one foot inside the room, he suddenly stopped, seeing the broken Daoist robe and white powder on the ground, and his face changed drastically.

"Xingyuan, did someone from the Gene Organization attack you?" Zhang Zhichu looked at Zhang Xingyuan with a serious expression.

Zhang Xingyuan whispered, "Dad, don't shout, come in first, and I'll explain!"

Zhang Zhichu frowned, stepped into the room.

Click!

As soon as Zhang Zhichu entered the room, Zhang Xingyuan quickly shut the door.

"Xingyuan, what happened... Jiang..."

Zhang Zhichu began to speak and turned to look at Zhang Xingyuan, suddenly noticing Jiang Chen standing by the wall. His pupils shrank, and he was about to exclaim.

"Dad!" Zhang Xingyuan covered Zhang Zhichu's mouth.

"Sect Leader Zhang, I'm not dead, I..." Jiang Chen succinctly explained.

Zhang Zhichu calmed himself down, moved Zhang Xingyuan's hand away, and said excitedly: "That's great, Mr. Jiang, it's truly great that you're not dead!"

"Sect Leader Zhang, the situation is a bit tricky now, Meng Fanzhou is a gene warrior. It's hard to guarantee there aren't more gene warriors in your Wu Dan."

Jiang Chen spoke in a serious tone.

Zhang Zhichu frowned, glanced at the powder on the ground, and said heavily, "I really didn't expect it, he actually did... Mr. Jiang, let's do this, I will call everyone over, and you can help us screen them!"

Jiang Chen thought for a while and gently shook his head: "No, if they have contacted others and suddenly don't show up, it could expose us even more."

"This... what should we do? Meng Fanzhou already..." Zhang Zhichu realized, a trace of anxiety showing in his eyes.

Jiang Chen pondered for a moment and said softly, "How about this, I'll put on a mask and disguise myself as Meng Fanzhou, and you go…"

"Alright!" Zhang Zhichu nodded softly and left the room.

...

Hotel lobby.

Two elders from the Wu Dan faction, along with a middle-aged man and two youths, sat waiting quietly in the lobby's lounge area.

Ding!

The elevator reached the lobby floor, and Zhang Zhichu stepped out.

"Sect Leader."

"Sect Leader!"

The Wu Dan members stood up and greeted Zhang Zhichu. One of the elders glanced behind him and asked suspiciously, "Where are Xingyuan and Fanzhou?"

"Xingyuan hasn't gotten up yet, I asked Fanzhou to get him, let's go up the mountain first, it's not good to be late, let them come up by themselves." Zhang Zhichu said with a hint of anger.

"Sect Leader, don't be mad, it's Xingyuan's first time participating in the martial arts tournament. He might have been so excited last night that he didn't sleep, which is normal for young folks," the middle-aged man chuckled.

"Elder Li, you don't have to make excuses for him, this kid needs some discipline, once we're down the mountain this evening, I'll see how I deal with him!" Zhang Zhichu said angrily as he turned and headed toward the hotel entrance.

The two elders and the middle-aged man exchanged glances and smiled.

One of the youths glanced at the elevator entrance and frowned slightly.

The group left the hotel and drove towards Mount Qiu.

Mount Qiu.

Mount Qiu has always been known as the divine mountain, with legends surrounding it in both the secular and martial dao worlds.

Each martial arts tournament is held in the Qiu mountain range.

Of course, it's not at the Qiu Mountain Scenic Area marked out by the secular world, but on a secluded peak a hundred kilometers away from the scenic area, which is why this solitary peak is called Martial Peak!

Due to this martial arts tournament, the Flame Dragon Group has sealed off the Qiu mountain range. However, since they seal off the range for every tournament, this action hasn't aroused any suspicion!

At the foot of Martial Peak, next to the mountain path, there is a large open space designated for parking by various factions attending the tournament.

All participants of the martial arts tournament must ascend the mountain from the base, as a sign of respect for the tournament.

Moreover, both the parking lot and the mountain path entrance are monitored by members of the Flame Dragon Group. In the skies above Martial Peak, dozens of Venerable Realm experts patrol to prevent conflicts between people with grievances meeting!

The Flame Dragon Group oversees the order of the martial arts tournament because during a past tournament, two major sects broke out in a fight. Their friends jumped in to help, and it escalated into a mass battle.

Although it was eventually subdued, after the tournament, sect wars broke out, affecting the secular regions where those sects resided. Fearing a repeat of history, the Flame Dragon Group took a firm stance in organizing the martial arts tournament, maintaining order!

At this moment, just at dawn, only vehicles belonging to the Flame Dragon Group were parked at the parking lot.

Swish swish!

Two figures suddenly flashed across a mountain next to Martial Peak—it was Jiang Chen and Zhang Xingyuan.

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