After leaving the firearms camp, Song Xia looked north: "Judging by the time, the martial arts tournament should have officially started by now, and the cults should be getting restless too."

Shangguan Jin shook his fan: "They will definitely not let such a good opportunity pass them by. It's just a pity for those masters of the Zizai Sect. They may suffer this undeserved disaster. I hope they are prepared."

The rules for selecting the leader of the martial arts alliance at the martial arts tournament are very simple and straightforward: whoever has the highest martial arts skills will become the leader of the martial arts alliance.

Before the competition officially began, everyone made it sound great that once a martial arts leader was selected, he would command the martial arts world, and all the heroes present would have no choice but to obey.

But in reality, they all had their own ulterior motives. They wanted to compete for the title of leader of the martial arts alliance, but they also planned how to get rid of the responsibility after someone else won the title.

Master Wuya looked at so many martial arts practitioners and sighed inwardly. The imperial court was weak and evil cults were thriving. Logically speaking, these martial arts practitioners had a responsibility to protect the peace of the world. However, they all only wanted to be the ones who commanded the heroes, but did not want to bear the responsibility. What was the point of holding this martial arts conference?

“Master Wuya, you are our senior, a sage revered by everyone in the martial arts world. We would like to ask you to be our witness at this martial arts gathering.”

"Amitabha." Master Wuya turned his prayer beads, his expression neither sad nor happy. "All heroes should be careful to maintain a proper balance and avoid damaging the harmony, let alone causing mutual destruction, so as not to give the evil cult an opportunity to take advantage of us."

"We keep Master Wuya's admonition in mind, but now the world is in turmoil, and only by electing a leader of the martial arts alliance can we save the people."

Master Wuya stopped speaking and instead closed his eyes to chant Buddhist mantras.

Ouyang Wan leaned closer to Yin Shihuai and whispered, "Where did you and Senior Brother go yesterday?"

"We went to the nearby cities for a look. Before we came, my master's wife told us that the cult might take this opportunity to attack righteous people. We checked to see if there was anything unusual."

"Have they found anything? But with so many martial arts practitioners, even if the cult has some plans, they wouldn't dare to act, right? The masters of the Zizai Sect should have already taken precautions."

"That's not necessarily true. There's no way of knowing how many people cults have planted within the ranks of the legitimate people."

Ouyang Wan's eyes widened: "Even the Zizai Sect didn't notice something, could it be that you've really found something suspicious?"

Ouyang Feng nodded: "Junior Sister, do you remember the Spirit Serpent Sect that Master's wife mentioned?"

"That sect that specializes in using Gu poison? Aren't they supposed to live in the southwest and not get involved in the affairs of the martial arts world?"

"If they really didn't participate, where did the poisonous insects the cult has been using all these years come from?"

"I thought they themselves... You mean, you discovered that the Spirit Serpent Sect members were nearby?"

"Um."

"But with so many martial arts practitioners in the city now, what good would it do if all the members of the Spirit Serpent Sect came?"

Yin Shihuai sighed softly: "Junior sister, you are still too naive. If you were to use poison properly, a single packet of medicine could take down an entire city."

Ouyang Wan gripped her sword tightly: "They're going to target the city's water supply? Such a heinous act, they actually..."

"Since they are a cult, they will not stop until they achieve their goal. If there are no martial arts practitioners in their way, they can do whatever they want in this world."

"Shouldn't we tell Master Wuya and the others right away?"

Yin Shihuai chuckled: "We told them after we returned yesterday that, not only that, most of the disciples that our master sent this time are also going to guard the wells in the city and the upper reaches of the river."

Ouyang Wan looked around and said, "I was wondering why there were so few disciples from our Linghe Valley today. It turns out they were sent out by you."

She then said angrily, "Why didn't you take me with you yesterday for such an important matter? Did you think I would hold you back?"

Ouyang Feng scratched his head, and Yin Shihuai quickly coaxed him, "Of course not, it's just that if the three of us go out together, we'll be too conspicuous. Besides, didn't you go to bed early last night? We didn't mean to disturb you."

Ouyang Wan snorted twice: "I'll let it go this time, but next time, no matter what you do, you must let me know."

"Okay, okay, Senior Sister, please forgive us this time!" Yin Shihuai was used to teasing Ouyang Wan, and quickly made her laugh.

Ouyang Wan also remarked with emotion, "I remember when you first arrived in the valley, you didn't say a word. Your master's wife even joked that you were like a gloomy little mushroom. I never expected you to become so glib now."

Yin Shihuai smiled faintly: "My master's wife said that I have no right to be withdrawn since the great revenge has not been taken. She also said that my parents went to great lengths to keep me alive, so I have no right to make a scene. Besides, you have always cared about me so much, so I have to look forward."

“Master’s wife is right.” Ouyang Feng patted his shoulder. “Master’s wife and Uncle Shangguan are already investigating what happened back then. I believe they will have results soon. Our most important task right now is to improve our strength so that we won’t be unable to help Master’s wife in the future if we encounter any problems.”

"That's exactly right."

"What are you talking about? The performance on stage is so exciting, aren't you interested at all?" Wu Lan approached them silently, her suspicious gaze mainly focused on Ouyang Feng's face.

Then, he sneered at the martial arts practitioners below the stage: "None of them are as good as you. How dare you come up on stage to compete for the title of martial arts leader?"

Ouyang Feng said seriously, "Miss Wu, you are mistaken. The martial arts tournament is not only about selecting a martial arts leader, but also an opportunity for people in the martial arts world to learn from each other and exchange feelings. This is not just a martial arts tournament for a few major sects, but for the entire martial arts world. Only by getting everyone involved can we better unite people's hearts and minds to deal with the evil cult."

He thought that Master Wuya and Zizai Sect agreed to hold the martial arts conference here, probably because of this factor. Otherwise, why would they take such a big risk when they had no intention of becoming the leader of the martial arts alliance?

Wu Lan's expression changed several times as she listened, then she said coquettishly, "Who told you to lecture me?"

Ouyang Feng opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Meanwhile, Ouyang Wan, as if she had discovered something, said to Yin Shihuai, "Does she like Senior Brother? How old is Senior Brother? How old is she?"

Yin Shihuai carefully observed her expression: "Aren't you jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous?" Ouyang Wan answered, then realized what she had done and hit him. "Do you think my heart is with Senior Brother? What nonsense are you thinking? Master's wife's great cause is not yet accomplished, how can we be so sentimental? Besides, how old are we? Master's wife has said that we are too young to think about matters of the heart. Moreover, Senior Brother and I are like siblings. If I had such feelings for Senior Brother, wouldn't that be against ethics?"

Yin Shihuai chuckled: "They're not really siblings."

"That won't do either. I have a psychological trauma. My master's wife said that I have to distinguish between kinship, love, friendship, and feelings of gratitude or stress, so as not to make mistakes."

As she spoke, Ouyang Wan raised an eyebrow at him: "Are you testing me?"

"No way," Yin Shihuai said innocently, changing the subject. "Look at Senior Brother, he seems so helpless. Should we go help him?"

Ouyang Wan, however, remained a bystander: "He'll have to face these things sooner or later. How can one navigate the world without dealing with women? Let him accumulate experience on his own."

Yin Shihuai offered a couple of prayers for Ouyang Feng, then pretended not to see it, much to Ouyang Feng's dismay.