Chapter 452: Three Towns Youths: Who Is the Genius? Junior Alliance Leader, Compete!

In the tenth year of Daya, the first day of the eighth month, nightfall.

Inside the Inner City, Martial Arts Pavilion, third-floor training hall.

On the spacious training floor, over a thousand people sat cross-legged with eyes closed, each spaced three to four meters apart, their bodies surrounded by crimson medicinal energy, all immersed in cultivation.

In the central area, a handsome white-robed young man, as the medicinal energy around his body thinned, slowly opened his eyes.

Coincidentally, beside him, a youth of similar age with a face resembling his by one-third, opened his eyes almost simultaneously.

“Second brother, I’ve broken through to Seven Manes. What about you?”

Mu Yunshu, who had just opened his eyes, clenched his fist and sensed his strength had surpassed Seven Manes; his face lit up with excitement as he noticed his second brother, Mu Yunhua, had also ceased cultivation, and he immediately asked.

Mu Yunhua did not answer right away; instead, he first absorbed the last thin traces of medicinal energy around his body, completed his cultivation, then slightly clenched his fist to sense his strength, before answering with a pleased expression.

“More than Eight Manes, close to Nine.”

Close to Nine Manes!

Upon hearing the answer, Mu Yunshu’s expression surged with excitement; though there were still many others cultivating nearby, he leaned forward and lowered his voice as much as possible:

“That’s amazing, Second Brother! Last year’s champion of the Youth Division, Lu Dong, had less than Eight Manes. Your strength now exceeds his—this year, you have a real shot at the title!”

Mu Yunhua nodded firmly, a flush of excitement crossing his face, yet he didn’t just bask in his own joy; he smiled at his fifth brother and said, “You’re not bad either—Seven Manes and more should give you a chance at the top ten.”

Thinking of the generous rewards for the ranking, both brothers felt immense excitement.

“Are you insane? Strength under Nine Manes and you think you can win?”

“Seven Manes and change, aiming for the top ten? Did you even attend the preliminaries and semifinals at Hongmen? Oh right—this year’s tournament has two hundred direct slots to the finals. You two are among them, aren’t you?”

But the brothers hadn’t reveled long before a mocking voice drifted from nearby.

The two brothers looked up toward the source and saw the speaker was a youth of similar age, dressed in black Daya attire.

After carefully studying him, both their expressions darkened slightly.

They couldn’t gauge this black-clad youth’s strength…

“From Chuishan… You’re the Mu brothers, Mu Yunhua and Mu Yunshu, right?”

Upon being instantly recognized by the black-clad youth, Mu Yunhua and his brother showed no surprise.

The third-floor training hall held over a thousand people, all wearing Daya attire—only the two brothers wore white robes in Chuishan style; anyone with even a little experience could spot them at a glance.

As for being named outright, that was even less surprising.

The only Chuishan people allowed into the Daya Martial Arts Pavilion right now are the Mu family, who gained great merit during the recent Chuishan coup. Their nickname, “The Mu Twin Prodigies,” is known across the surrounding regions.

“Are you also a contestant in this year’s Daya tournament, Youth Division?”

After a long pause, Mu Yunhua finally spoke first.

After all, they were on Daya soil; even though the black-clad youth had mocked them moments ago, he chose to defuse tension and extend goodwill.

The black-clad youth clearly sensed his intent; he smiled, nodded, then bowed to both and introduced himself: “Jiang Xia, Jiang Yiyi.”

Not from Daya?

Upon hearing Jiang Yiyi’s reply, Mu Yunhua and his brother froze.

Seeing their stunned expressions, Jiang Yiyi said with a strange look: “You didn’t think this Martial Arts Pavilion was open only to Daya people and you two, did you?”

Seeing the two nod dumbly, Jiang Yiyi chuckled and continued: “Chuishan only officially became friendly with Daya after the May coup, when your Mu family seized power. Our Jiang Xia, and the northern Muyin Town, have been friendly with Daya for over two years—many youths from both towns have already trained here.”

He added: “Not just training here—I know many youths from both towns now live in Xiacheng.”

Mu Yunhua and his brother fell silent for a moment, then quickly understood.

Five days ago, when they departed Chuishan for Xiacheng, their great-grandfather Mu Longhe had told them: after this tournament, they wouldn’t return to Chuishan—they’d reside permanently in the Mu family estate inside the Inner City.

They’d been puzzled then: why would Daya allow outsiders from other towns to live in Xiacheng? Now they realized: it wasn’t just Chuishan—Jiang Xia and Muyin had long had residents settled in Xiacheng.

Recalling what they’d seen upon entering Xiacheng five days ago, Mu Yunhua felt no surprise at the idea of youths from both towns settling there.

Leaving aside Xiacheng’s prosperity, just consider the absurdly cheap prices of all kinds of goods—meat, blood, refined salt, spirit wine, pills, and other cultivation resources…

Anyone not foolish would choose to settle here.

Not to mention the Martial Arts Pavilion they now stood in.

Mu Yunhua possessed an elite battle body, his cultivation talent unquestionable.

But if someone had told him five days ago that he could increase his base strength by twenty thousand jin in five days, he’d have thought them mad.

Yet now, he couldn’t deny it—after five days of training here, his base strength had genuinely increased by over twenty thousand jin.

Martial Arts Pavilion, Alchemy Pavilion, Artifact Pavilion…

Xiacheng held too many wondrous things; anyone who’d seen them would want to live here.

Though he’d only been in Xiacheng five days, this brief experience had already made Mu Yunhua fully understand why, after the May coup and the Mu family’s complete takeover of Chuishan, his great-grandfather Mu Longhe and the clan elders never once suggested independence.

Correctly, in the eyes of Mu Yunhua and the younger Mu clan members, since the Mu family had overthrown the Duan family and seized Chuishan, the next step should have been to gradually erase Daya’s influence, sever ties, and restore Chuishan’s glory.

But after the June Chuishan Alliance, Daya withdrew only ten armies—five thousand Daya troops remained stationed in Chuishan’s Zhencheng, ostensibly to protect Chuishan, though the real reason was known to all, not just Mu Yunhua.

In June and July, after being encouraged by many, Mu Yunhua repeatedly approached his father Mu Zihé and grandfather Mu Qinghe with the idea of Chuishan’s independence, but both sternly rebuked him; finally, he went directly to his great-grandfather Mu Longhe.

Now he recalled it: his great-grandfather had sent him to Xiacheng, claiming it was to train in the Martial Arts Pavilion and compete in the tournament—but in truth, it was to let him experience firsthand whether Chuishan had any chance of breaking free from Daya.

Thinking of those who had urged him in Chuishan, Mu Yunhua’s eyes flickered with coldness, but he quickly suppressed it, looked up at Jiang Yiyi, and bowed with a touch of irritation: “It seems Brother Jiang has lived in Xiacheng a long time. We only arrived five days ago and know little of the tournament—please enlighten us!”

He hadn’t forgotten Jiang Yiyi’s earlier mockery.

Since the man knew the tournament’s situation, he must be asked.

The results of last year’s first Three Towns Tournament had spread widely across the Nine Towns; though Mu Yunhua and his brother hadn’t participated, they knew many details—the rankings, rewards, and even the approximate strengths of the top ten in each division.

Lucky for them, they were both still two or three months shy of twenty, just barely qualifying for the Youth Division.

Last year’s Youth Division champion, Lu Dong, had less than Eight Manes; now Mu Yunhua had nearly Nine Manes—stronger than him—so claiming a chance at the title seemed reasonable. Jiang Yiyi’s mockery must have had a reason.

“Still don’t believe it?”

Seeing Mu Yunhua’s irritated expression, Jiang Yiyi knew he still resented the earlier mockery; he shook his head with a smile: “Your strength under Nine Manes and you think you can win? Then my Eleven Manes must be a guaranteed Youth Division champion, right?”

Mu Yunhua and his brother froze, stunned.

When Jiang Yiyi first appeared, they’d sensed he was stronger than them—but Eleven Manes far exceeded their expectations.

Before they could react, a chorus of mocking laughter erupted nearby, all aimed squarely at Jiang Yiyi.

“Pfft… Eleven Manes and you think you’ll win? You’re insane.”

“Hah, Jiang Yiyi, you haven’t woken up yet?”

“Ha ha! Eleven Manes? You can’t even make the top fifty.”

“These two from Chuishan are newcomers, so they’re clueless—fine. But you’re joining in too?”

…………

Earlier, when Jiang Yiyi spoke, he hadn’t lowered his voice, so many nearby cultivators had heard clearly.

Hearing the others’ laughter, Mu Yunhua realized: they’d both been overheard—but no one had mocked them like Jiang Yiyi had.

Yet now he had no interest in that; his gaze was locked on a girl in yellow robes, his face filled with confusion.

Because it was she who had said: “Eleven Manes? Can’t even make the top fifty.”

He needed to understand what that meant.

“Murong Jiao, your strength is close to mine—if I can’t make the top fifty, you can’t either, hmph!”

Coincidentally, Jiang Yiyi’s retort revealed the girl’s identity.

A Murong of Muyin? So young and already Eleven Manes?

Mu Yunhua realized he truly couldn’t gauge Murong Jiao’s strength; his pupils contracted slightly.

But this was only the beginning—he glanced around at the dozen or so youths gathered nearby and found only two whose strength matched his own; he was instantly bewildered.

“Mu Brother, you don’t know these people yet? Let me introduce you…”

Seeing Mu Yunhua’s expression, Jiang Yiyi smirked and began introducing them, starting with Murong Jiao:

“Muyin Murong Jiao, nineteen, Eleven Manes;

Muyin He Qiufeng, nineteen, Thirteen Manes;

Muyin Murong Qian, eighteen, Twelve Manes;

Muyin Liu Yu, nineteen, Thirteen Manes;

Jiang Xia Jiang Yifan, nineteen, Twelve Manes;

Jiang Xia Xiahou Ning, nineteen, Fifteen Manes;

Jiang Xia Qin Wuxin, seventeen, Thirteen Manes;

Jiang Xia…”

As Jiang Yiyi listed the names, ages, and strengths of the seventeen youths one by one, Mu Yunhua and his brother’s expressions grew increasingly horrified, their hearts trembling.

Of these seventeen youths, the lowest base strength was Murong Jiao’s—no, she and Jiang Yiyi were tied for lowest.

Jiang Yiyi had revealed everyone’s ages, clearly indicating these were all Youth Division contestants.

How could this be? How could this be…

No!

Mu Yunhua suddenly realized—he scanned the training hall and found no other youths of similar age; he immediately bowed and asked: “Brother Jiang, these are all from Muyin and Jiang Xia—where are the Daya youths?”

“Heh!”

Before Jiang Yiyi could answer, Murong Jiao laughed first; seeing Mu Yunhua look at her, she shook her head: “Daya has a rule: any contestant in the tournament receives no training slots in the Martial Arts Pavilion during the competition.”

Mu Yunhua knew training slots were limited—he’d gotten his five days only because his great-grandfather Mu Longhe had fought for them; Mu Longhe had explained this before they even came to Daya.

But why would Daya make such a rule?

“Mu Brother, you really know nothing!”

Seeing Mu Yunhua’s expression, Jiang Yiyi sighed and said with a touch of resignation: “Simply put, they’re giving us a break. Daya youths are too strong—if they didn’t tilt resources toward outsiders like us, the top hundred in the tournament would be entirely Daya insiders.”

“This… how is that possible?”

Before Mu Yunhua could speak, Mu Yunshu beside him couldn’t hold back anymore.

Seeing the two brothers’ stunned expressions, Jiang Yiyi shook his head: “Why not? Last year, among the top ten in both divisions, only four came from outer towns—all at the very bottom. In the top hundred rankings, outer towns made up less than two-tenths.”

Last year’s Martial Gathering imposed many restrictions: for instance, the famed Shengwen bloodline of Daxia, renowned in the Southern Slopes, was banned; as for weapons, Daxia capped them at a maximum of a thousand-fold forging—anything higher was forbidden…”

This year, Daxia originally planned to continue those restrictions, but in June, the Chuishan Alliance convened, and the Nine Towns formally signed an agreement at your Chuishan Town City, raising the tournament’s status. In July, Grand Coordinator Lin Kai officially announced in Hongmen: this year’s Martial Gathering imposes no restrictions on Daxia’s youths—they’ll be treated equally with all others from the eight towns, all decided by true ability!”

After Jiang Yiyi finished, Mu Yunhua’s brothers showed no reaction, but Murong Jiao and the dozen or so young people from the Two Towns all grew gloomy.

Murong Jiao sighed and added: “If we followed last year’s rules, we still had a chance to break into the top fifty. Now, it seems…”

“We’ve checked: last year’s champion, Lu Dong, had at most 8-mane strength. Even without restrictions, what difference does it make? Lord Xiahou has 15-manes—seven more than Lu Dong. Still no hope of winning?”

Finally unable to contain himself, Mu Yunhua turned to Xiahou Ning, the strongest among the crowd, and voiced his question.

Xiahou Ning’s 15-manes were indeed the highest among the youths present, yet despite his strength, he was not arrogant. Hearing Mu Yunhua’s question, he gave a wry smile and bowed slightly: “Last year, I might have had a real chance. But this year…”

He paused, helplessly: “Last year’s champion, Lu Dong, had less than 8-manes. But Mu brother, do you know how old Lu Dong was when he won?”

Mu Yunhua froze at the question, then instantly understood the issue.

“Eighteen!”

Xiahou Ning stated the answer outright, then shook his head: “Meaning Lu Dong can still compete in the Youth Division this year. Mu brother, you’ve only just arrived in Xia Cheng—perhaps you haven’t heard about Lu Dong’s current strength?”

Mu Yunhua shook his head immediately. He noticed that when Lu Dong’s name was mentioned, everyone around them grew pale, their eyes instantly filled with intense curiosity.

“23-manes!”

Boom…

The number 23-manes exploded like thunder in their minds. Mu Yunhua and his brother froze, utterly stunned.

But Xiahou Ning seemed unsatisfied with their reaction. He paused, then pressed on: “Daxia’s Shengwen isn’t a secret anymore—it can boost strength by at least thirty percent. We’re not even counting his martial arts or combat talent. Lu Dong’s true strength now is at least 30-manes!”

Mu Yunhua and his brother stood motionless, completely dumbfounded.

Nineteen years old. Thirty-manes strength. It was beyond their comprehension.

Impossible… impossible…

The words kept repeating in their minds.

Yet as soon as Xiahou Ning fell silent, others began speaking again.

“It’s not just Lu Dong! Last year’s runner-up, Luo An, son of Luo Yuan, Director of Daxia’s Hunting Bureau, is eighteen this year—and he’s already at 23-manes. Rumor says he’s vowed to win the championship this year.”

“Of last year’s top ten in the Youth Division, only Chen Ping and Jiang Yichen have turned twenty. The other eight—the weakest seems to be Murong Yan from Muyin Town, at 19-manes.”