Chapter 455

Great Xia Year 10, August 1st, at night.

Inner City Martial Arts Pavilion, third-floor training ground.

On the spacious training ground, over a thousand people sat cross-legged with their eyes closed. Everyone was spaced three or four meters apart, surrounded by fire-red medicinal power, all immersed in a state of cultivation.

In the central area, a handsome young man in white slowly opened his eyes as the medicinal power around his body grew thin.

Coincidentally, right next to him, a young man of the same age with a face three parts similar to his also opened his eyes almost synchronously with him.

"Second Brother, I've broken through to 7 manes. How about you?"

Mu Yunshu, who opened his eyes later, clenched his fist to sense his strength and realized it had already surpassed 7 manes. He immediately showed excitement, and upon discovering that his Second Brother, Mu Yunhua, next to him had also stopped cultivating, he immediately asked.

Mu Yunhua did not rush to answer but first absorbed all the last thin medicinal power around his body. After finishing his cultivation, he slightly clenched his fist to sense his strength, and then gave the answer with joy in his eyes.

"Over 8 manes, approaching 9 manes."

Approaching 9 manes!

Hearing the answer, Mu Yunshu's expression was immediately filled with excitement. Since there were still many people cultivating around them, he leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice as much as possible:

"That's great, Second Brother! In last year's martial arts tournament, Lu Dong, who won the youth group, had less than 8 manes of strength. Your strength has already surpassed his now, and you have a good chance of winning the youth group this time!"

Mu Yunhua nodded heavily upon hearing this, and a touch of excitement was added to his face. However, he did not just focus on his own happiness; looking at his Fifth Brother, Mu Yunshu, he smiled and said: "You're not bad either. With over 7 manes of strength, you should have a chance to compete for the top ten."

Thinking of the generous rewards for the martial arts tournament rankings, both brothers were filled with excitement.

"Are you crazy? Less than 9 manes of strength and you want to win?"

"With over 7 manes of strength, you want to compete for the top ten? Did you not go to Hong Sect to participate in the preliminaries and semi-finals? Oh, I remember now, there are 200 spots for the finals in this year's martial arts tournament, and you two are among them, right?"

However, before the two brothers could be excited for long, a slightly mocking voice came from not far away.

The two brothers looked up toward the source of the voice and discovered that the speaker was a young man of similar age wearing black Xia clothing.

After carefully sizing up the other party, both of their expressions sank slightly.

They could not see through this young man in black's strength...

"Chui Mountain people... you are that... Mu Clan's Twin Pride, Mu Yunhua and Mu Yunshu, right?"

Being recognized by the young man in black at a glance, the two brothers, Mu Yunhua, showed no surprise on their faces.

There were over a thousand people on the third-floor training ground, all wearing Xia clothing. Only the two brothers wore the white clothing style of Chui Mountain, which anyone with a bit of experience could see at a glance.

As for having their names called out, that was even less surprising.

Currently, the only Chui Mountain people who could enter the Great Xia Martial Arts Pavilion were the Mu clan, who had just made great contributions in the Chui Mountain mutiny. The name of the two brothers, the Mu Clan's Twin Pride, was known to many in the Chui Mountain area.

"Is your Excellency also a participant in Great Xia's martial arts tournament this year, in the youth group?"

After a long while, Mu Yunhua was the first to speak.

After all, they were on Great Xia's territory, and even though they had just been mocked by the young man in black, he still chose to settle the matter and take the initiative to show goodwill.

The young man in black naturally saw his intention to show goodwill. After a smile appeared on his face, he first nodded to answer him, and then cupped his hands to introduce himself to the two: "Jiangxia, Jiang Yiye!"

Not a Great Xia person?

Mu Yunhua and his brother were stunned upon hearing Jiang Yiye's answer.

Seeing the two brothers' expressions, Jiang Yiye said with a strange expression: "You don't think that besides Great Xia disciples, only you can enter this Martial Arts Pavilion, do you?"

Seeing the two nod blankly, Jiang Yiye immediately smiled and continued: "Your Chui Mountain officially became friendly with Great Xia only after the May mutiny and the Mu clan took power. Our Jiangxia, and the Muyin Town to the north, have been friendly with Great Xia for over two years. Many disciples from both towns have long since entered the Martial Arts Pavilion..."

Speaking of this, he added: "Not only have they entered the Martial Arts Pavilion to cultivate, but as far as I know, many disciples from both towns are already living in Xia City."

Mu Yunhua and his brother lowered their heads to think for a moment and quickly reacted.

Five days ago, when their group set out from Chui Mountain to Xia City, their great-grandfather, Mu Longhe, had instructed them before they left that after this martial arts tournament, they would not need to return to Chui Mountain and would live directly in the Mu clan mansion in the inner city from now on.

They were a bit puzzled at the time as to how Great Xia would allow people from other towns to live in Xia City. Now, hearing this, it wasn't just their Chui Mountain; people from Jiangxia and Muyin towns had long since settled in Xia City.

Recalling what they saw and heard when they first entered Xia City five days ago, Mu Yunhua felt no surprise at all regarding the behavior of the disciples from the two towns settling in Xia City.

Not to mention the prosperity of Xia City, just look at the various materials with prices so low they were outrageous, as well as beast meat, beast blood, refined salt, spirit wine, medicinal pills, and a series of cheap cultivation resources...

Anyone who wasn't a fool would choose to settle here.

Not to mention the Martial Arts Pavilion where they were currently located.

Mu Yunhua had supreme-grade battle body aptitude, so his cultivation talent went without saying.

But if it were in the past, if someone ran up to him and told him that he could increase his basic strength by 20,000 jin in five days, he would only think the other party had gone insane.

However, now, he couldn't help but believe it, because after cultivating in the Martial Arts Pavilion for five days, his basic strength had truly increased by over 20,000 jin.

Martial Arts Pavilion, Alchemy Pavilion, Artifact Pavilion...

There were too many miraculous things in Xia City. Once anyone had seen them, who wouldn't want to live here?

Although they had only been in Xia City for five days, this five-day experience had already made Mu Yunhua completely understand why, after the May mutiny and the Mu clan completely took control of Chui Mountain, his great-grandfather, Mu Longhe, and the elders in the clan did not have a single person propose the idea of independence.

That's right, in the eyes of Mu Yunhua and the other young Mu clan members, since the Mu clan had already overthrown the Duan clan and taken Chui Mountain, the next step should be to slowly eliminate Great Xia's influence until they could break away from Great Xia and become independent, thereby revitalizing Chui Mountain.

But after the June Chui Mountain alliance, Great Xia only withdrew ten armies, and five thousand Xia soldiers remained stationed in Chui Shanzhen City. Nominally, it was said to be protecting Chui Mountain, but the real reason was known to everyone, not just Mu Yunhua.

In June and July, instigated by many people, Mu Yunhua repeatedly sought out his father, Mu Zihe, and his grandfather, Mu Qinghe, to propose the idea of Chui Mountain's independence, but both sternly stopped him. In the end, he had no choice but to go directly to his great-grandfather, Mu Longhe.

Looking back now, his great-grandfather letting him come to Xia City, saying it was to let him enter the Martial Arts Pavilion to cultivate and then participate in the martial arts tournament, was actually to let him come to Xia City and personally feel whether there was any possibility for Chui Mountain to break away from Great Xia and become independent!

Thinking of those people in Chui Mountain who had instigated him before, a touch of coldness rose in Mu Yunhua's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. He looked up at Jiang Yiye in front of him and asked with a bit of anger in his cupped hands: "It seems Brother Jiang has also lived in Xia City for a long time. We two only arrived in Xia City five days ago and really don't know much about the martial arts tournament situation. I ask Brother Jiang for your guidance!"

He had not forgotten Jiang Yiye's mockery just now.

Since the other party understood the situation of the martial arts tournament, he naturally had to ask for advice.

News of Great Xia's first Three Towns Martial Arts Tournament last year had long been the talk of the Jiuzhen. Although the two brothers, Mu Yunhua, did not participate, they knew many inside stories. Not only the rankings and rewards, but even the approximate strength of the top ten in the two groups, they had inquired about clearly.

It was also luck that the two brothers were still two or three months away from turning twenty, so they were just divided into the youth group at the age limit.

The youth group champion last year, Lu Dong, had less than 8 manes of strength. He himself now had nearly 9 manes of strength, which was stronger than the other party. Saying he had a good chance of winning should logically be no problem. Jiang Yiye's mockery must have had a reason.

"Still don't believe it, right?"

Hearing Mu Yunhua's face showing a bit of anger, Jiang Yiye immediately knew he was still minding his mockery just now. He smiled and shook his head: "With your less than 9 manes of strength, you think you have a good chance of winning? Then with my 11 manes of strength, wouldn't I be the sure champion of the youth group?"

Mu Yunhua and his brother were stunned upon hearing this.

Just when Jiang Yiye appeared, they saw that the other party's strength was stronger than theirs, but 11 manes of strength still far exceeded their expectations.

Before the two brothers could react, a series of mocking voices came from the side, all aimed directly at Jiang Yiye.

"Tsk... 11 manes to win, you're crazy."

"Pfft, Jiang Yiye, are you afraid you haven't woken up yet?"

"Hahaha, 11 manes, whether you can even enter the top fifty is a question."

"These two from Chui Mountain just entered the city and don't know the situation, so it's fine if they talk nonsense, but you're joining in the fun too."

…………

It turned out that when Jiang Yiye said that just now, he didn't lower his volume, so many people around who were cultivating heard it clearly.

Hearing the words of the people around, Mu Yunhua immediately realized that what the two brothers said just now was actually heard by others; they just didn't mock them like Jiang Yiye did.

But he was in no mood to worry about this now. He was staring intently at a young girl in a yellow dress in the crowd, his face full of confusion.

Because the sentence "whether 11 manes can even enter the top fifty is a question" was said by the young girl in the yellow dress.

He only wanted to figure out what this sentence meant now.

"Murong Jiao, your strength is about the same as mine. If I can't enter the top 50, you can't either, hmph!"

Coincidentally, Jiang Yiye's retort revealed the identity of the young girl in the yellow dress.

Does someone from the Muyin Murong clan have 11 manes of strength at such a young age!

Mu Yunhua found that he really couldn't see through Murong Jiao's strength, and his pupils condensed slightly.

But this was just the beginning. He took the opportunity to survey the dozen or so young people who had gathered around and found that only two of them had strength comparable to his own, and he was instantly stunned.

"Brother Mu doesn't know these people yet, right! Come, let me introduce you..."

Seeing Mu Yunhua's expression, Jiang Yiye had a mischievous smile on his face and began to introduce him, starting with Murong Jiao:

"Muyin Murong Jiao, nineteen years old, 11 manes of strength;

Muyin He Qiufeng, nineteen years old, 13 manes of strength;

Muyin Murong Qian, eighteen years old, 12 manes of strength;

Muyin Liu Yu, nineteen years old, 13 manes of strength;

Jiangxia Jiang Yifan, nineteen years old, 12 manes of strength;

Jiangxia Xia Hou Ning, nineteen years old, 15 manes of strength;

Jiangxia Qin Wuxin, seventeen years old, 13 manes of strength;

Jiangxia…………"

As Jiang Yiye said the names, ages, and respective strengths of the seventeen people in front of him one by one, the expressions of Mu Yunhua and his brother became increasingly horrified, and their hearts trembled incessantly.

The basic strength of the seventeen young people in front of them was actually Murong Jiao at the lowest—no, it should be said that she and Jiang Yiye were tied for the lowest.

Jiang Yiye said everyone's age, which was clearly telling him that these were all participants in the youth group of the martial arts tournament.

How is it possible, how is this possible...

No!

Mu Yunhua suddenly reacted, surveyed the training ground, and found that he couldn't find any other people of the same age, so he immediately cupped his hands and asked: "Brother Jiang, these are all people from the two towns of Muyin and Jiangxia. Why don't I see any Great Xia disciples?"

"Hehe!"

Before Jiang Yiye could speak, Murong Jiao laughed first. Seeing Mu Yunhua look at her, she shook her head and said: "Great Xia has a regulation internally that anyone participating in the martial arts tournament cannot get a cultivation spot in the Martial Arts Pavilion during the competition."

Mu Yunhua knew that the spots for the Martial Arts Pavilion were limited. He was able to come in and cultivate for five days because his great-grandfather, Mu Longhe, fought for it. Mu Longhe had told him about these things before he came to Great Xia.

The problem is, why did Great Xia set such a rule?

"Brother Mu really doesn't know anything!"

Seeing Mu Yunhua's expression, Jiang Yiye shook his head and sighed, then said with helplessness: "To put it plainly, it's to make way for us! The strength of Great Xia disciples is too strong. If they don't tilt the resources of the Martial Arts Pavilion toward us disciples from outside towns, I'm afraid the top hundred in the martial arts tournament would all be Great Xia's own people."

"This... how is it possible?"

Before Mu Yunhua could speak, Mu Yunshu next to him couldn't help but speak first.

Seeing the brothers' faces full of disbelief, Jiang Yiye shook his head: "How is it impossible? Last year, in the top ten of the two groups, there were only four people from outside towns, and they were all at the bottom. In the top hundred list, outside towns accounted for less than twenty percent.

In last year's martial arts tournament, Great Xia also made many restrictions. For example, Great Xia's famous Saint Pattern bloodline was disabled; and for another example, regarding weapons, Great Xia stipulated that only thousand-forged could be used at most, and anything higher was not allowed...

This year, Great Xia originally intended to continue the restrictions, but the June Chui Mountain alliance saw the Jiuzhen officially sign the contract in your Chui Shanzhen City, which raised the specifications of this martial arts tournament again. In July, Lord Lin Kai officially announced at Hong Sect that this year's martial arts tournament would have no restrictions on Great Xia disciples, treating everyone from the other eight towns equally, all based on ability!"

After Jiang Yiye finished speaking, the two brothers, Mu Yunhua, had no reaction, but Murong Jiao and the other ten or so young people from the two towns all became dejected.

Murong Jiao sighed and continued: "If it were according to last year's rules, we people would still have a chance to rush into the top fifty, but now I'm afraid..."

"We inquired about it. Last year's champion, Lu Dong, had at most 8 manes of strength. What does it matter if there are no restrictions? Brother Xia Hou has 15 manes of strength, which is 7 manes higher than Lu Dong. Does he still not have a chance to win?"

Mu Yunhua finally couldn't hold back and questioned Xia Hou Ning, who had the strongest strength in the crowd.

Xia Hou Ning's 15 manes of strength was indeed the strongest among the young people present. Although his strength was strong, he was not arrogant. Hearing Mu Yunhua's question, he showed a bitter smile, cupped his hands and said: "If it were last year, I might really have had a chance, but this year..."

He paused and said helplessly: "Last year's champion, Lu Dong, indeed had less than 8 manes of strength, but does Brother Mu know how old Lu Dong was when he won last year?"

Mu Yunhua was stunned upon hearing this, but he instantly realized where the problem lay.

"Eighteen years old!"

Xia Hou Ning directly stated the answer, then couldn't help but shake his head: "That is to say, Lu Dong can continue to participate as a youth group member this year. Brother Mu just arrived in Xia City, so I'm afraid you haven't inquired about Lu Dong's current strength, right?"

Mu Yunhua shook his head directly, and upon discovering that the people around him had dim expressions after hearing the name Lu Dong, he immediately showed deep curiosity in his eyes.

"23 manes!"

Boom............

The number 23 manes was like a thunderbolt exploding in their minds. The expressions of the two brothers, Mu Yunhua, instantly solidified, and they were stunned and motionless.

But Xia Hou Ning seemed unsatisfied with the two's reaction. He paused and immediately continued: "Great Xia's Saint Pattern is no secret either. Strength can float up by at least thirty percent, and that's not even counting his martial arts or combat talent. Lu Dong's true strength now is at least 30 manes or more!"

The two brothers, Mu Yunhua, were completely stunned on the spot.

19 years old, 30 manes of strength—it had completely exceeded their scope of understanding.

How is it possible... how is it possible...

The two kept repeating this sentence in their minds.

However, as soon as Xia Hou Ning stopped, the others continued.

"It's not just Lu Dong! Last year's runner-up, Luo An, son of Great Xia Hunting Department Deputy Si Zheng Luo Yuan, is only eighteen years old this year and also has 23 manes of strength. I heard he has already released harsh words that he is determined to win the championship this year."

"Of the top ten in last year's youth group, only Chen Ping and Jiang Yichen are 20 years old now. Of the remaining eight, the one with the worst strength seems to be Murong Yan from Muyin Town, at 19 manes."