"The Doumu Primordial Soul Needle is truly miraculous."

Seeing the change on Zhang Hongyun’s face, the middle-aged man known as Uncle Zhou couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.

"Uncle Zhou, how have things been in Jinmen lately?"

Zhang Hongyun smiled and asked the middle-aged man, Zhou Quansheng.

"Lately, the situation in Jinmen has become increasingly chaotic. The Six Nations are constantly overstepping their boundaries in the concessions, and all sorts of businesses are resorting to wilder and wilder methods. Countless Martial Artists and factions from all over have rushed here to get a piece of the pie. Business is tough. As you know, the more chaotic the situation, the more important Martial Artists become. The various powers in Jinmen are holding frequent martial arts tournaments now, and it’s not just on the stage—all kinds of underhanded tactics are popping up endlessly. The group of men I had on my payroll aren’t enough anymore. Lately, I can’t even sleep peacefully, terrified that a rival will show up at my door. But now that you’re here, with your help, I’m sure things will be different."

Zhou Quansheng said to Zhang Hongyun.

The Zhou Family, which Zhou Quansheng belonged to, was originally a major clan in the south with close ties to the Su Family. After the Su Family was wiped out, the Giant Spirit Army made a show of recruiting the major southern clans, promising not to pursue past matters as long as they surrendered.

However, the Zhou Family was still affected. Bound by their earlier promise, the Giant Spirit Army didn’t dare to act directly, lest they stir unrest among the southern clans. Instead, they secretly used various methods to weaken the industries and power of the major clans originally aligned with the Su Family, while also covertly propping up new elites to counterbalance them.

The Zhou Family was one of those affected in this process, nearly ending up ruined and scattered. Fortunately, Zhang Hongyun had secretly maneuvered behind the scenes back then, allowing a group from the Zhou Family’s main line to successfully leave the Giant Spirit Army’s territory and come to Jinmen to develop. They are now a mid-tier power in Jinmen, far weaker than even the Zhen Nan Chamber of Commerce.

In this chaotic environment where powerful newcomers could easily upset the balance, mid-tier factions were actually in the most danger, easily replaced.

Zhang Hongyun nodded at his words and continued to discuss the specific situations in Jinmen and the Northern Territory with Zhou Quansheng.

"I’ve heard that the Martial Arts Arenas in Jinmen are very famous and attract a host of experts. I’d like to give it a try."

Zhang Hongyun said.

"Of course, that’s no problem. The Jinmen Martial Arts Association has enormous influence here. Without a reputation from the A-rank arenas, it’s hard for an ordinary Martial Artist to get anywhere in Jinmen’s Martial Arts Realm. If you could secure a place there, it would be a great thing for us."

"But there’s no rush. You can rest for a couple of days first and get a feel for the situation. I’ll have someone handle the necessary paperwork for you, and then you can think about entering the arena. By the way, there’s a duel between experts in the C-rank arena tomorrow. It’s the talk of the town in Jinmen. Are you interested in going to see it? One of the fighters is a successor of the Western Border Wu Family."

Zhou Quansheng asked.

"The Western Border Wu Family..."

Zhang Hongyun narrowed his eyes slightly. Back in the day, they were a major clan in the Divine Land on par with his Southern Heaven Su Family. The Secret Transmission they passed down was incredibly powerful and also possessed the ability to heal the sick and save lives.

’A successor from such a major power has to fight in an arena match?’

"Let’s go take a look."

Zhang Hongyun said with interest.

"Alright, I’ll have someone pull some strings to get a few tickets."

Zhou Quansheng nodded.

...

...

The next day, a long line formed at the C-rank arena’s ticket office early in the morning. Before noon, all the tickets for that night’s fights were sold out. A large portion of them had been snatched up by scalpers, who were reselling them everywhere at exorbitant prices.

Because the Western Border Wu Family had a considerable reputation and seemed somewhat mysterious from having long resided in the mountains of the Western Border, and because Zhao Xuanqi was a mysterious expert of unknown origins, this match attracted the interest of many factions’ scouts and powerful Martial Artists.

That night, the C-rank arena was packed to the rafters. There was no time for on-site betting, so the arena had specially opened early betting. After all, Zhao Xuanqi and Wu Yin were the only two fighters with nine-win streaks participating in the competition, so it was a foregone conclusion that they would face each other.

But at this moment, although the arena was crowded, several areas remained empty, with only one or two figures standing there, standing out like cranes among chickens.

Within several meters of these individuals, the space was empty. Ordinary people who got close would feel an intense pressure. Even Martial Artists with Secret Transmissions would feel a chilling discomfort, as if they had needles on their backs.

While crowds squeezed around everyone else, the areas around these people were wide open, giving them the best viewing environment.

The privilege of the strong stems from their own power!

"Yang Shulong of the Nine Extremes Sect!"

"Hu Zhengfan of the Feiyu Sect!"

"Ma Guang of the Secret Seal Sect!"

"..."

"And is that... Fan Shiyan of the White Tiger Sect?! And Shi Huai’an of the Black Tortoise Sect?! Are even people from the Four Saints Sect interested enough to come watch this match?!"

"That’s right, I heard Zhao Xuanqi uses some kind of Beast Form Fist, but no one has been able to identify which Fist Technique it is. Could he actually have a connection to the Four Saints Sect?!"

"That would make sense. No wonder he’s so strong. I was wondering how some unknown expert could just pop out of nowhere. If he’s connected to the Four Saints Sect, then it’s logical."

"..."

These eye-catching figures sparked a new wave of discussion in the crowd.

Among the powerful spectators, two were the most conspicuous. An area with a five-meter radius around them was almost completely empty.

One of them was tall, with exceptionally broad shoulder blades, sharp brows, and bright eyes. His features were as if carved by a knife, and his short-cropped hair gave him an extremely fierce aura. As his gaze swept over the crowd, he seemed like an apex predator at the top of the food chain, making it impossible for anyone to meet his eyes.

The other man was about 185 centimeters tall—not exceptionally so, but his body’s thickness far surpassed that of an ordinary person, as if he were wearing a layer of Turtle Shell. He had a head of messy, flowing hair and long eyebrows that drooped down to his earlobes. From a distance, he looked just like a giant, divine turtle, giving off an impression of immense weight and stability.

"According to my scouts’ intelligence, this Zhao Xuanqi supposedly uses a Beast Form that has never been seen before?"

The Black Tortoise Sect successor, Shi Huai’an, who resembled a divine turtle, spoke up, his voice as deep and resonant as a great bell.

"I don’t know. We’ll see soon enough. But what Beast Form in this world could possibly compare to those of our Four Saints Sect? It’s probably just that your subordinates are undiscerning. Still, I am a bit curious. A never-before-seen Beast Form Fist that can get a fighter this far... I wonder what it’s like."

Fan Shiyan of the White Tiger Sect said indifferently.

"Actually, by comparison, I’m more interested in the Gu Martial Secret Transmission of the Western Border Wu Family. With that man’s strength, combined with the wonders of Gu Martial, his power might already be a threat to you and me."

Shi Huai’an said with a smile.

「On the other side.」

Zhang Hongyun followed beside Zhou Quansheng, restraining his own aura as he sized up the surrounding Martial Arts Experts, committing each one to memory. He could feel a faint pressure from the intense auras these people naturally radiated.

Evidently, these were all experts above the level of Five Qi Tongxuan.

In the provinces, a Five Qi Tongxuan expert was a rare sight, but here in this arena, he had seen so many at once.

’Jinmen truly is filled with experts as numerous as the clouds.’

However, he was more curious about the contestants in the match.

’Zhao Xuanqi?’

’What kind of expert is he? Is he really worthy of facing a successor from the Western Border Wu Family?’

Suddenly, the ceaseless chatter died down. The crowd automatically parted, clearing two paths.

The two men fighting tonight began to enter from opposite sides of the arena.

Through a gap in the crowd, Zhang Hongyun first looked to the right. There stood a tall man dressed in simple white cloth, his features clearly marking him as a mountain dweller from the Western Border.

’The successor of the Western Border Wu Family?’

Then, he shifted his gaze to the left. This time, his eyes froze.