After saying that, he gave Xu Qing a look, and the father and son turned around and walked towards the front of the mountain path, soon disappearing into the woods.
Only after the two figures had completely disappeared did Shi Tou breathe a sigh of relief and scratch his head: "This city lord, he looks all smiles, but he's really scary."
Xiao Chen looked in the direction Xu Hao had left, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes.
Xu Hao won't give up so easily; they'll probably encounter Xu Qing again in Misty Valley.
"Let's go." Xiao Chen withdrew his gaze. "Be careful, things might not be peaceful in Misty Valley."
The two continued along the mountain path. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, but it couldn't dispel the unease in Xiao Chen's heart.
Outside the misty valley, a cacophony of voices filled the air.
A vast valley is surrounded by a continuous mountain range. The entrance to the valley is shrouded in a thin layer of white mist, through which one can vaguely see the spiritual energy flowing. This is the outer area of Misty Hidden Valley.
At this moment, the valley entrance was crowded with cultivators from all over the country, dressed in different clothes and with mixed auras, ranging from the Tribulation Transcending Realm to the Dao Proving Realm. They all stared at the valley entrance with eager eyes, but no one dared to step in rashly - the secret realm had not yet opened, and the outer layer of restrictions was enough to trap ordinary Dao Proving Realm cultivators.
"I heard that the Burning Flame Valley and the Heavenly Martial Sect have both sent their prodigies this time, and even the Ice Cloud Pavilion in the western part of Xuanqiong has sent someone!"
"Of course! Misty Valley opens only once every twenty years, who wouldn't want to seize the opportunity? But we rogue cultivators and small forces still have to get past the arena first."
"Sigh, what can we do? We don't have any connections. First-rate forces like Burning Flame Valley can send their disciples directly into the inner city. Why would they need to compete with us?"
Xiao Chen and Shi Tou stood in the crowd, listening to the surrounding discussions, and understood what was going on.
As expected, the entry rules for Misty Valley are tiered: disciples from major factions can directly enter the inner city with their sect tokens and wait for the secret realm to open; while rogue cultivators and cultivators from minor factions must pass through the outer arena and win a match to qualify for entry into the inner city.
"Senior Brother, let's go to the dueling arena!" Stone rubbed his hands together, eager to stretch his muscles and bones.
The two followed the flow of people to the martial arts arena on the east side of the outer layer, where dozens of blue stone arenas were set up, and a Dao Proving Realm cultivator was responsible for registration and supervision next to each arena.
The cultivators lined up to draw opponents; the winners advanced, and the losers were eliminated—the rules were simple and brutal.
Xiao Chen walked to the registration desk, gave his name, and drew a wooden plaque numbered "seven"—his opponent was in arena number seven.
On the seventh arena, a short cultivator, less than five feet tall, was already standing. He held a pair of short axes and his aura was at the early stage of the Dao Inquiry realm. When he saw Xiao Chen come up, he grinned and said, "Kid, if you know what's good for you, you'd better get down here yourself, or I'll hurt you!"
Without wasting words, Xiao Chen gripped his rusty iron spear and charged forward in a flash.
The dwarf monk was caught off guard by the sudden attack and hurriedly raised his short axe to block.
"clang!"
As the gun clashed with the axe, the dwarf felt a tremendous force, nearly losing his grip on the short axe. He was jolted backward, his chest heaving with blood and qi.
Xiao Chen pressed his advantage, his spear tip darting out like a serpent, aimed directly at the dwarf's throat.
The dwarf was terrified and dared not resist any longer. He collapsed onto the ring, shouting, "I surrender! I surrender!"
From taking the stage to ending it, it took no more than three breaths.
A low gasp of amazement rose from the audience; no one had expected this seemingly ordinary white-robed cultivator to be so powerful.
As Xiao Chen stepped off the stage, Shi Tou had just come down from another stage. His opponent was lying on the stage groaning, clearly having been punched quite hard.
"Senior Brother, all done!" Stone grinned, his face still covered in dust, but he couldn't hide his pride.
The two successfully obtained the tokens to enter the inner city and, following the flow of people, passed through the outer barrier and stepped into the inner city area of Misty Valley.
The inner city was far more bustling than the outer city. Temporary shops and restaurants lined both sides of the streets, and the aura of the cultivators coming and going was much stronger, with the lowest being at the Dao Inquiry Realm and Dao Proof Realm cultivators being commonplace.
You can even occasionally see powerful individuals at the early stage of the Creation Realm; they are clearly followers sent by various forces to protect the prodigies.
"Let's find a restaurant to rest and gather some information," Xiao Chen said. Restaurants have always been the best places to get information, making them the most suitable place to learn about the specific situation of Misty Hidden Valley.
The two found a restaurant called "Wangyinlou". They had just sat down and ordered some spiritual food and wine when they heard a deafening roar outside.
"Look! What's that?!"
Someone pointed to the sky, their voice filled with shock.
Xiao Chen and Shi Tou also looked up and saw a huge spaceship slowly approaching in the distance.
The spaceship was made entirely of golden spirit wood, and was a hundred feet long. Its hull was carved with intricate dragon patterns, and it exuded a powerful aura. It was surrounded by light clouds, like a moving palace, and its grandeur was beyond compare.
Wherever the airship passed, the air seemed to freeze, and the cultivators in the inner city stopped, their eyes filled with awe.
"It's a spaceship from the Lin family! Besides the Lin family, the rulers of the Xuanqiong Realm, who else could afford a spaceship of this caliber?!"
"My God! The Lin family has actually sent people too! I heard that the head of the Lin family, Lin Xiaotian, is a Nirvana Peak expert, only one step away from the legendary Realm!"
"The guards on the ship... look at their auras! The lowest level is the late stage of the Dao Proving Realm! There are several even at the Creation Realm!"
A murmur of discussion arose, everyone stunned by the grandeur of the spaceship. The Lin family, as a top power in the Xuanqiong Realm, usually lived a secluded life.
The airship slowly landed on the central square of the inner city. The hatch opened, and the first to step out were dozens of guards dressed in silver armor. Each of them exuded a calm and collected aura, and their eyes vigilantly scanned the surroundings, enclosing the square.
Immediately afterwards, a figure stepped out of the hatch.
He was a young man dressed in a white brocade robe. He had a handsome face and a gentle temperament, yet he possessed an innate nobility. His aura was restrained, but he had faintly reached the peak of the Dao Proving Realm, making him more powerful than he had been in the Cangxuan Realm.
The moment Xiao Chen saw the young man's face, his wine glass froze in his hand, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Lin Jingxing!
It was Lin Jingxing!
If it weren't for those familiar features, Xiao Chen would hardly have recognized him.
"That's Lin Jingxing, the third young master of the Lin family! I heard that under the Lin family's tutelage these past few years, his cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds, and he's already one of the top prodigies among the younger generation in Xuanqiong!"
"No wonder the Lin family made such a big fuss; it turns out they were protecting him! It seems the Lin family is determined to seize this opportunity in Misty Valley!"
Hearing the surrounding chatter, Xiao Chen was filled with mixed emotions.
Unexpectedly, I met Lin Jingxing again in the Misty Valley of the Xuanqiong Realm.
However, the two are now worlds apart in terms of status and strength.
Lin Jingxing seemed to sense something. His gaze inadvertently swept towards the direction of Wangyin Tower. When it landed on Xiao Chen, he paused slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes, but he quickly looked away.
Xiao Chen withdrew his gaze, picked up his wine glass, and took a small sip.
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