Setting aside the events in the Capital City, the atmosphere in Tian Kui Market at Tian Kui Peak had already reached a fever pitch by the next morning. Throngs of people flitted out, heading toward the Summit of Tian Kui Peak in the dim light of dawn. This day had finally arrived.

The Lingnan Mountain Martial Arts Conference! The grandest festival of the Southern Martial World, held once every three years! A true martial arts extravaganza! Today, at the Summit of Tian Kui Peak, the curtain was about to be raised. Naturally, it was an incredibly lively event, attracting the attention of many.

Among all the scheduled events, the most eye-catching was undoubtedly the high-stakes duel between Flying Leopard and Huadao Fort!

After all, this was no trifling matter. It involved four Innate Experts—who would dare to belittle it? Who could afford to ignore it? Perhaps even powers on the level of the Four Great Hidden Sects could not help but take such a grand occasion seriously.

Therefore, today, the patriarch of the Tian Kui Market's Bai Family made a personal appearance!

A white-haired elder, accompanied by disciples of the Bai Family, emerged from the Bai Family Palace. With a placid expression and without uttering a word, he ascended to the Summit of Tian Kui Peak.

The Summit of Tian Kui Peak was shrouded in morning mist, revealing a landscape of rugged, strange rocks and sheer cliffs. Gnarled ancient pines clung to the peak, while the distant, hazy mist formed illusions of various scenes: a lone Qilin Beast, long-lived deer, spirit foxes, and celestial birds dancing in the air—an utterly breathtaking sight.

"Greetings, Patriarch Bai." The few who had already reached the Summit of Tian Kui Peak immediately clasped their hands in a salute, their faces filled with reverence and awe.

Anyone qualified to be present represented a power with at least one Strong Innate Ancient Martial Artist in its ranks. However, Patriarch Bai was no ordinary Innate Ancient Martial Artist. Even experts at the Early Stage Peak of the Innate Realm could not compare to him, for he had once personally killed an Innate Middle Stage master. That single feat was enough to shake the world and earn him the respect of many.

"Mm." Patriarch Bai, however, was quite amiable. He smiled and waved his hand. "It's still early. Everyone, take a short rest. As it happens, this old man needs to set a few things up." As soon as his voice fell, he took a small, solid black flag embroidered with patterns of flowers, grass, fish, and insects from his waist and walked toward the center of the summit.

In the center of the Summit of Tian Kui Peak stood a large arena forged from cast iron. It was covered in rust and moss, with vines snaking around it, clearly showing its age.

Patriarch Bai took the flags and planted them in a circle around the arena. Instantly, the crowd faintly sensed the air currents shift. Winds stirred and a misty vapor rose, as if a mysterious power had suddenly enshrouded the area.

The sensation was ethereal, yet undeniably real.

"A Mystic Sect Formation!" Feeling this inexplicable and bizarre change, many people cried out in alarm, their faces filled with solemn shock.

As expected of something set up by Patriarch Bai himself, it was truly miraculous!

Just then, a group of dashing and beautiful figures appeared at the entrance to the summit, led by a woman in elegant palace attire. Immediately, many gazes converged on them. "The people from Qingqiu have arrived. That must be the lovely Fairy Ruan Qingxiu."

"Greetings, Patriarch Bai." Ruan Qingxiu was a woman with a scholarly air. Her hair was coiled upon her head, secured with a silver, phoenix-shaped hairpin. Two faint dimples were visible on her face even when she was not smiling, lending her a graceful temperament. The aura she exuded was also immensely powerful, having reached the Innate Early Stage.

Despite this, she still offered Patriarch Bai a deep bow as a sign of respect.

"So it's you, little girl. I haven't seen you in a few years. You've certainly changed," Patriarch Bai said, shaking his head slightly with a grin.

He hadn't expected the little girl from Qingqiu to have changed so much, she was already catching up to us old-timers. Qingqiu has truly nurtured many uncut jades.

Subsequently, representatives from many more sects and families ascended the summit, taking their places in the pre-arranged seating areas. A rough count revealed more than a dozen such groups.

This meant that over a dozen major and minor powers in the Martial Forest had Innate Ancient Martial Artists among their ranks. And this was not a complete count, representing only the Southern Martial World.

This number was truly somewhat startling.

"They're here." At that moment, a commotion stirred at the entrance to the summit.

Soon after, Yuann Liegang and Duan Jingshan appeared at the entrance, leading the contingent from Huadao Fort. They were all expressionless and wore cold demeanors, especially Yuann Liegang, who had a blatant smirk of arrogance and contempt on his face.

However, when his gaze swept over Patriarch Bai, his eyes couldn't help but narrow slightly. As he walked forward, he called out in a loud voice, "Brother Bai, it's been a long time."

"It has indeed been a long time. How have you been lately, old fellow?" Patriarch Bai replied with a faint smile, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Well enough. It's just that some people with no foresight insist on stirring up trouble, so I'm afraid we'll have to make a spectacle of ourselves for everyone," Yuann Liegang replied noncommittally, his grim eyes sweeping over the crowd as he spoke.

His words implied he placed himself in a far superior position, viewing today's event as nothing more than a foolish farce born of overconfidence.

"Is that so?" Patriarch Bai chuckled, his eyes narrowing, though he didn't reply further. The next moment, however, a cold young voice echoed in everyone's ears. "I was wondering what great capabilities some people had. Turns out, it's just gossiping behind others' backs."

WHOOSH!

The expressions of many in the crowd changed, and they all turned to look at the entrance.

Dressed in black robes, Chen Fei had arrived with his people at some point. Wang Dashan trailed half a step behind him, followed by the Elite Squad of Flying Leopard.

Seeing this, many people's eyes narrowed slightly. In their world, deliberately falling half a step behind was no coincidence; it held a specific meaning. Could it be...

In that instant, dozens of gazes shot toward them, almost all landing on the young man in black. They were filled with curiosity, indifference, gloom, and apathy. After all, to see a "legendary" Innate Ancient Martial Artist in his mid-twenties appear right before their eyes was still a shock, even if they were mentally prepared.

Not to mention, the young man wasn't here to play; he was here to openly challenge a behemoth like Huadao Fort.

In the crowd, Shadow Immortal Dance, dressed in a cypress-colored outfit, stared unblinkingly at the young man's somewhat familiar face. Her short hair rested softly on her shoulders, exuding a sweet fragrance, as she murmured to herself, It must have been him that night, right?

"Xianwu, what did you say?" Seemingly hearing the murmur from Shadow Immortal Dance beside her, Ruan Qingxiu asked softly.

"No, it's nothing." Shadow Immortal Dance shook her head slightly.

Just then, Yuann Liegang finally registered the sarcasm in Chen Fei's words. He turned his head, staring grimly at Chen Fei as he sneered, "I didn't expect you to actually show up instead of fleeing. I'm slightly impressed. At least you haven't disappointed me."

Hearing this, a corner of Chen Fei's mouth twitched as he glanced at the Huadao Fort lineup. Unsurprisingly, Yuann Liegang stood at the front. The Duan Jingshan he had met before followed half a step behind. After them were Zhan Hu, Du Jincheng, and other Huadao Fort disciples and Elders. Altogether, there were more than ten of them, a rather large contingent.

Noticing Chen Fei's gaze, Duan Jingshan also turned his head. He observed Chen Fei for a moment before his face broke into a stiff smile. "I hear you were looking for me?"

However, before Chen Fei or his men had a chance to reply, Duan Jingshan continued as if speaking to himself, his smile turning frosty. "Then again, what could a trash organization like Flying Leopard possibly achieve? The outcome will probably be the same as last time. Only one died back then. How many will it be this time?"

WHOOSH!

Instantly, the onlookers' gazes turned fervent as they stared at Duan Jingshan as if he were a madman.

Then, he actually grinned at Chen Fei again. His smile seemed to contain no killing intent, yet everyone felt its chilling effect. It was as if Chen Fei had already been placed on his must-kill list.

Chen Fei murmured to himself, a coldness spreading through his heart. Looks like I need to adjust my plan. He's far more arrogant than I expected. I came here today to settle a score, but now some random nobody dares to act so presumptuously? If I don't put him in his place right now, how can I save face?

"Head Instructor." Behind him, Wang Dashan's expression was also grim.

"Let's begin. Since everyone is here, how about we warm things up for the crowd?" Chen Fei said, clearly unable to hold back any longer.

"Hehe, Brother Bai, I've made a fool of myself in front of you. Young people are fine, just too impulsive and arrogant. It seems we'll have to play the villain today and teach this youngster a lesson for his own good. Wouldn't you agree, Jingshan?" Yuann Liegang sneered, his eyes narrowed.

Duan Jingshan didn't answer, merely offering a cold smile as he walked toward the arena. "I'll take the first match."

"It's just a sparring match. There's no need to go too far," Patriarch Bai suddenly chuckled. He looked at Chen Fei and said lightly, "Young man, will you take the first round?" As he spoke, the old patriarch carefully sized up Chen Fei. After all, an Innate Ancient Martial Artist in his mid-twenties was truly a rare sight.

Just then, however, his gaze suddenly froze. A split second after his words fell, Wang Dashan, who was beside Chen Fei, stomped hard on the ground. He transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the arena.

"I'll take the first match," he said. His expression had already turned icy, and a demonic glint filled his eyes, making his voice sound faintly terrifying.

The once-bustling Summit of Tian Kui Peak fell silent.

A hint of surprise flickered in the eyes of everyone present, from the representatives of the various sects and families to the powerful Innate Experts.

They had not expected Wang Dashan to make the first move. After all, shouldn't the strongest contender typically fight last?

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