After hearing the shout, thousands of people fell silent and pushed to both sides to make way.
Fearing that they might cause trouble, the crowd lowered their heads slightly, not daring to look directly at the two city lords, in order to show their submission. They had no power, no influence, no money, and were too lowly.
In Xia Xiao's field of vision, Lin Jing and a slightly fat middle-aged man walked forward. The latter was the Lord of Linxi City, Xu Xing, who smiled and asked:
"I heard that Lin Tian's nephew's strength has reached the late stage of Condensation?"
"I just advanced two days ago, so not many people know about it. We can't let this news out at this time. This is a local competition, and many people are paying attention to it!"
"It's safer to keep a hand, but there are still two months left. City Lord Lin, don't worry too much. Although it's difficult to advance to the Venerable Realm, you will definitely get a spot. As long as you survive the Ten Thousand Spirits Valley, nephew Lin Tian will be able to make a splash in the final selection with the evolved Thunderbird, paving the way for his future and bringing honor to you."
Lin Jing smiled and bowed:
"It is thanks to City Lord Xu's Black Gold Growth Leaf that the third-level Thunderbird has the opportunity to transform. If it can become a fourth-level Thunderbird, my son will be able to completely get rid of this small Rong City and move towards the entire Great Xia Dynasty."
"Brother Lin, you are too polite. It's just a short section, but I think the chances of advancing are slim."
This is indeed the case, but Lin Jing suddenly said:
"Don't worry, brother. If something really happens, it's just my Lin Tian's bad luck. But there are still opportunities in Wanling Valley. It depends on him."
Xu Xing nodded slowly, that’s true.
When they reached a high point, Lin Jing glanced at Xu Xing and whispered:
"That's Xia Xiao!"
Xu Xing picked up the teacup, looking relaxed, but when he looked at Xia Xiao, a trace of fear flashed in his eyes. He was indeed a person that the Zhu family feared, and indeed the disciple of the emperor. Even though he was wearing an ordinary blue shirt, he had an extraordinary energy. Especially his eyes, which were extremely sharp. At this moment, he glanced around, as if trying to eliminate danger.
When Xia Xiao looked at Xu Xing, the latter immediately looked away and put down the teacup.
"By the way, how are the preparations for the competition in Linxi City going?"
"Everything is normal, but there are some unexpected guys."
"But are they from the three major border cities?"
Xu Xing nodded, sighing with some helplessness.
"They all received special care from the dynasty. It was difficult for me to take action, so I had to win them over. Fortunately, they were grateful and accepted my elixirs. When they become successful in the future, they will not forget me."
Lin Jing quietly sipped his tea, looking at the red starting line being drawn, his tone cold.
"But he didn't appreciate it."
"No rush, you and I don't need to worry about his affairs, just cooperate."
With a wave of his hand, the maids around him retreated, but Lin Jing still lowered his voice. It would be terrible if these things were heard by outsiders!
“But walking out of the church is a hassle.”
"Brother, you and I are both wise people. What we pursue is nothing more than fame and fortune, which these wandering churches cannot give us. Moreover, facing the threat of the Zhu family, we cannot refuse, otherwise our family will be destroyed. You should know that they have formed gangs in the dynasty and can call the wind and rain long ago."
Xu Xing sighed helplessly when he said this. No one likes to do things that are not allowed to be seen in public, but now we are not young anymore, and not everything starts from love.
"Forget it. His life will end here anyway. Even if they investigate, we can shirk responsibility."
After Lin Jing finished speaking, he looked at Curly who was standing aside. He was the host and commentator of Kinmen Martial Arts City, and also the host of today's Spirit Hunt.
Seeing Lin Jing's gaze, the tall man immediately cleared his throat and announced:
"Everyone, the annual spirit hunt is about to begin. Please welcome our contestants—"
The powerful arm waved in the air, pointing to the waiting area on one side. There were hundreds of people there, and Xia Xiao and Shu Shuang were also standing there, carrying small bags and knives. But unlike the others, Xia Xiao and Shu Shuang did not wave to the nearly 10,000 people stupidly, nor did they shout out to show their fighting spirit.
Xia Xiao and Shu Shuang scanned the crowd, looking for the top five young people in Rongcheng, that is, Lin Tian and others!
During the search, Xia Xiao found several people with imposing manners and extraordinary movements, who should be from Linxi City. These people had no conflicts with him for the time being, so it was better for him to say less.
Suddenly, Xia Xiao's eyes stopped at a man in white. The man was handsome, with bright eyes and sharp eyebrows, and he was very elegant. He looked at Xia Xiao, smiled sincerely, and then bowed slightly.
Although he didn't know the origin, Xia Xiao hadn't seen such a look in a long time. It was an encouraging and friendly look, without deception, only blessing. So Xia Xiao also smiled and bowed. He never hesitated to show his courtesy to those who showed a friendly attitude.
The two stood up and looked at each other for only two seconds before looking away. Shu Shuang saw this and asked curiously:
"Do you know him?"
"I don't know him, but he's probably an outstanding young man from Linxi City."
Shu Shuang felt that this was a kind of mutual appreciation between strong people. They felt like old friends at first sight, encouraged each other, met in the rivers and lakes, and forgot about each other in the mountains and rivers. Although it was just a glance, it was enough, because it would become a memory for many years, so that they would remember in the future that in a certain year and month, outside this wild beast forest, there was such a person who was very similar to themselves.
Xia Xiao was surprised that Linglie could gather such talents.
The host continued to speak and Xia Xiao listened attentively.
"Our contestants are eager to try and are fully prepared, but careful friends must have already noticed that there are still a few familiar people who have not shown up. At this time, let us welcome the five cultivation geniuses from Rongcheng with the warmest applause!"
After hearing this, Lin Jing said to Xu Xing hypocritically:
"Look at this guy. He has hosted so many spirit hunts, but he still doesn't know etiquette."
"Brother, what are you talking about? Curly is telling the truth!"
Xu Xing turned his head and his face turned unhappy. If Linxi City was not inferior to Rong City, how could he let Lin Jing take the limelight?
Glancing at Xu Xing, Lin Jing smiled secretly and looked to the side. He saw four men and one woman walking over from outside the waiting area.
When Xia Xiao saw this, his eyes immediately narrowed. His opponent had finally appeared!
When the other contestants looked away, only Xia Xiao showed such a longing expression. If everything was simpler, he would like to fight right now to see the difference. But fantasy is always fantasy, so he still needs to stay calm.
The five people had different figures, but they were all radiant. The most attractive one among them was Yu Ling. She was in her prime, with a pretty face, beautiful eyebrows, fair skin, a curvy figure, and a pair of slender legs wrapped in a tight black martial arts uniform, which was particularly attractive.
Even though Yu Ling was both talented and beautiful, he was still careful about his position when he took steps, so as not to surpass the young man next to him. The latter stood in the center of the four people, with a proud look on his face, and looked at the many contestants with a bit of disdain, as if he had won. In the end, his eyes stopped, and the person he looked at was Xia Xiao.
Standing there, Xia Xiao looked serious. From each other's eyes, they knew that there would be a battle between them sooner or later!
The moment they looked at each other, Lin Tian realized something was wrong. Xia Xiao's eyes were too confident, as if he had some hidden card!
"Last year's champion was Master Lin Tian. He participated in the Spirit Hunt three times and won the championship title three times. I look forward to his performance this time. I also hope that all the contestants can bravely fight against the wild beasts and find spiritual medicine to compete for the championship. It's getting late now, please get the anesthetic!"
As they spoke, dozens of people brought in anesthetics. The powder in the small cloth bag was dark green. Xia Xiao opened it and took a look, and was immediately overwhelmed by the stench. This smell was so strong that it was intoxicating!
Putting two packets of anesthetic into the small bag, Xia Xiao listened to the curly-haired man saying:
"This anesthetic is very powerful. As long as it is applied to weapons and injures wild beasts, it will paralyze them on the ground. Wild beasts below level two will be knocked unconscious directly, and those above level two will be greatly weakened if they are scratched by it even if they don't faint."
After Curly said this, he exposed the true purpose of the spirit hunt. This is a competition, and anything related to these two words will have winners and losers. The more wild beasts you paralyze, the more spiritual medicines you find, and the more rewards you get. The three people ranked upwards in order, each with a certain amount of silver, a certain amount of gold, and a certain amount of spiritual medicine.
The two cities jointly held the event, which showed the rich resources. This encouraged people who usually did not dare to enter the Wild Beast Forest alone to boldly go in and look for spiritual medicines. Those who found them could take them into their pockets, which did not harm the contestants. However, there was a hard requirement for the spiritual hunting, that each person must paralyze two wild beasts, regardless of class. This was not a strict requirement, so it attracted hundreds of practitioners.
The cultivators had extraordinary comprehension, so they naturally knew what Lin Jing and Xu Xing were planning. They were using resources to exchange for wild beasts. The more wild beasts they had, the more powerful people they could control. After all, all cultivators who entered the Venerable Realm needed to sign a spiritual contract, and then it would be troublesome to find wild beasts. Normally, no one dared to enter the Wild Beast Forest at will. Then, they could win over those powerful people. Although they had not won over many powerful people over the years, the wild beasts they successfully obtained still made them a lot of money. This business was great!
Looking up at the sun, Lin Jing stood up and said:
"Everyone, I won't mention the rules. I believe everyone knows them. After half an incense stick of time, the Spirit Hunt will officially begin!"
In front of the red starting line, half a stick of incense was lit. Behind the starting line, which was at knee level, a hundred people lined up, a full fifty meters wide. Everyone was ready, and when the incense burned out, they would rush out with their own magical powers.
Because this is the entrance every year, the forest in front of them has long been explored. If they want to get enough results within three hours, they must go farther and not waste time here.
This section of the road will be their starting point, and it is also the key place for Xia Xiao to observe the strength of the five people. If they go further, it will be difficult to follow closely.
Shu Shuang probably knew the importance of this section of the road, so she pulled down Xia Xiao's backpack and took off the latter's machete.
"Try your best to keep up!"
Xia Xiao and Shu Shuang looked at each other, and then looked at Lin Tian and the other four. They hadn't released their vitality yet, so it was impossible to tell their strength. Xia Xiao had to have a good idea of what was going on, so when he rushed into the forest, it was the best time for him to observe.
Soon, only a few seconds were left before the half incense stick burned out. The audience rubbed their eyes, hoping to see the crowd sprinting, which would be the most eye-catching scene of the whole event. They couldn't see many things that happened afterwards, so they could only wait!
After a few long seconds, the incense ash began to move.