If one were to name a figure whom all martial arts schools and chivalrous heroes universally admire today, Guo Jing, the great hero, would undoubtedly be the one.

His invitation to heroes naturally drew countless martial arts figures to Xiangyang for the gathering.

While some top masters may be solitary and not participate, there will definitely be a lot of skilled martial artists attending.

In this era, Xiangyang, as a major city and a military stronghold, was as prosperous as any other city of its time.

Three days before the Heroes' Gathering, martial arts practitioners could be seen everywhere in Xiangyang City, and the inns were almost full.

Laifeng Inn is a nice inn in Xiangyang. Although it is located in a remote area, it has the advantage of a quiet environment.

However, the once quiet inn is now bustling with noise, probably because it has been filled with chivalrous heroes and outlaws from all over the country.

At the main table, four people were dressed differently and even spoke different accents, but because they had come to the event together, the atmosphere was harmonious.

"I feel like we've known each other for ages. We must sit together at the Heroes' Gathering in two days."

"Of course. By the way, do you know what the purpose of Master Guo's initiation of the Heroes' Gathering was?"

"Hey, of course it's a grand undertaking, a discussion to jointly fight against the Mongol Dzungars!"

The man who started by referring to himself as "little brother" interrupted the man in the turban.

"This grand event cannot be held in a disorganized manner. I heard that we also need to elect a martial arts alliance leader!"

"That makes sense!"

Two tables away in the corner, a group of three people were secretly drinking tea. Their attire was slightly different from that of the Central Plains, and they kept their ears open to the conversations around them.

At this moment, three more people walked in from outside the shop. One of them was an old monk with white hair and beard, but upon closer inspection, his face was rosy and full, and he did not look old at all. If it weren't for his lack of hair, he would have been the epitome of a Taoist with white hair and a youthful face.

The other two were young monks, but they were agile; one carried a bundle on his back, and the other held a tin staff.

One of them went straight to the counter after entering the room.

"Amitabha Buddha, shopkeeper, do you have any rooms available?"

The shop owner looked and saw three monks dressed in simple, old clothes.

These days, Shaolin's reputation has declined in the martial arts world, let alone among ordinary people, so the shop owner naturally wouldn't recognize it.

"There are two superior rooms left, but you poor monks probably can't afford them. Nowadays, housing prices in Xiangyang are soaring. A superior room costs one hundred copper coins a night. Can you afford the room fee?"

The young monk was immediately embarrassed. He had only brought three taels of silver and fifty coins with him when he left home. He had been begging for alms and sleeping in the open along the way, and by the time he arrived in Xiangyang, he had almost nothing left. He couldn't afford to stay in a hotel there.

Daoyuan sighed inwardly; maintaining the high-class image of a monk was no easy feat.

He stepped forward and bowed to the shop owner with his hands clasped together.

“Amitabha, benefactor, this old monk and my two juniors do not need to stay in good rooms. A stable and woodshed will suffice. Would you be so kind as to do us this favor?”

This old monk was clearly a virtuous and high-ranking monk. His appearance was quite intimidating, and even though the shop owner was not a Buddhist, he still treated him with some courtesy.

"Master, since you put it that way, our shop can demolish the houses and make thatched huts for you to sleep in, without charging you any money."

The three monks, one old and two young, thanked him together.

"Excellent, excellent, thank you very much, benefactor!"

Having found lodging, the three monks sat down in the main hall, since they could afford a vegetarian meal.

Many people in the store noticed them, but there weren't many top-tier fighters; most just glanced at them and then stopped paying attention.

However, some of them, after pondering for a while, suddenly realized something and looked at the three monks in surprise.

Huo Du quietly asked the Golden Wheel Monk beside him.

"Master, you were paying attention to those three monks just now. Was there anything unusual about them?"

The Golden Wheel Dharma King smiled to himself and took a sip of the tea in his hand.

"The two young monks had powerful strides, even arm swings, steady steps, and long, deep breaths, so they must be highly skilled in martial arts. As for the old monk, he had a good appearance, but he was just an ordinary person."

Huo Du became interested. Their sect was the Vajrayana Buddhist temple, and they were also monks. They had never seen a powerful monk in the Central Plains in recent years.

"Master, what's the background of these monks?"

"If I'm not mistaken, they should be from Shaolin Temple. I never expected that Shaolin, which has been closed for decades, would have disciples starting to roam the martial world again!"

Daoyuan, Xuantong, and Xuankong sat in their seats, facing a plate of green vegetables and a plate of tofu, while their noses were filled with the aroma of large fish and meat dishes around them.

"It's almost my birthday!!! Why should the Shaolin monks be vegetarian?! I need to find a chance to steal some meat!"

However, following the aroma, Daoyuan also noticed a table in the corner.

'Hehehe, Golden Wheel Monk, it truly is the era of The Return of the Condor Heroes! The live-action version of Auntie must be incredibly beautiful! Ahem, I am a high monk! Amitabha!'

...

While Jinlun Fawang and Daoyuan and others were each thinking about their own affairs.

At this moment, two beams of light suddenly flashed from the corners of the city walls on the south and north sides of Xiangyang City, and two transparent light shields, each more than ten meters square, appeared almost at the same time.

The group in the south of the city mostly had black hair and yellow skin; eight of them were standing, while three others lay unconscious on the ground.

The eight people immediately looked at their wrists.

'Main Mission 1: Defend Xiangyang City and ensure Guo Jing's survival; Main Mission 2: Team battle. The North American team has entered at the same time. Killing an enemy member who unlocks their gene lock will reward the entire team with one B-level side quest and 5000 points. Killing an enemy regular member will reward the entire team with 2000 points.'

"At the same time? It seems the gap in strength between us and the North American team isn't that big."

A fat man was smiling and talking to his teammates.

"No, considering our familiarity with the background and the fact that the main venue is Xiangyang, a city teeming with martial arts practitioners in the Central Plains, we actually have the advantage. So the North American team should be slightly stronger than us."

A burly, muscular man spoke while looking at the newlyweds on the ground.

"After the newlyweds wake up, we'll set off to find a place to stay, then inquire about specific details, and change our clothes while we're at it."

...

The group in the north of the city consisted of both white and black people, with seven standing and three newcomers lying unconscious on the ground.

They also immediately looked at their wrists.

'Main Quest 1: Help the Mongol army capture Xiangyang City and ensure the Golden Wheel Monk's survival; Main Quest 2: Team battle. The Central Plains team has entered at the same time. Killing an opponent's member who unlocks their gene lock will reward the entire team with one B-level side quest and 5000 points. Killing an opponent's ordinary member will reward the entire team with 2000 points.'

"It's the first time we've faced the Zhongzhou team, so I hope they give me a pleasant experience."

A white woman said this with some excitement.

A young Black man nearby muttered, "Crazy woman."

"Be careful. The Zhongzhou team is not much different from us in strength, but they have the home advantage. Even though we have crammed on this TV series, we still only have a superficial understanding of ancient China. We need to find a reliable source of information and find the Golden Wheel Monk first!"

"Well, our identities this time are warriors from the Western Regions recruited by the Mongol army. Our clothing can be different from the locals. Anyway, with our appearance, no matter how we change our clothes, it won't have much effect."

Wu You, who had been idly counting on his fingers, suddenly perked up.

The main characters have all entered, and now we just need to wait for the show to begin. Well, timing is everything; it's perfect timing to arrange Daoyuan into the yellow-skinned team!