Chapter 160: Martial Arts Association

"Hey, look over there, you guys!"

On the vast, boundless Wasteland, a man clutching a Rifle opened his mouth wide in astonishment, pointing his finger toward a spot not far away and shouting loudly.

"Look at what?"

Several companions beside him subconsciously looked in the direction his finger was pointing, and in an instant, as if struck by a bolt of lightning, they stood frozen in place, their faces filled with shock.

They saw a man with an extremely burly build walking toward them from the distance.

One of his hands held a bow steadily, while the other hand gripped over a dozen ropes, dragging behind them a pile of prey that looked like a small mountain.

The quantity and variety of the prey were staggering.

The man wore a black mask on his face; the mask was shaped like a fierce ghost, hideous and terrifying—just one glance was enough to make one's blood run cold.

The moment these people's gazes met his, they couldn't help but shudder all over and hurriedly looked away.

It wasn't until the man had walked past them that the few dared to discuss it in low voices.

"My goodness, so many Intermediate-level Fierce Beasts? How on earth did he do it? Could it be just with that bow in his hand?" The man who first spotted him had eyes as wide as copper bells, his face full of disbelief.

"Sh-should be, right? I'm looking at that bow in his hand, and it's definitely not ordinary," another companion said with some hesitation.

"If you ask me, if I'm not mistaken, that's a bow with a draw weight of five hundred jin. This guy has to be at least a Flesh Refining late-stage Martial Artist."

"Flesh Refining late-stage? Are you sure a Flesh Refining late-stage Martial Artist could hunt so many Intermediate-level Fierce Beasts? In my opinion, it would at least take an In-Jin Martial Artist to be possible."

"Even if it were an In-Jin Martial Artist, I'm afraid they wouldn't necessarily be able to do it, right?" Someone said this, and instantly, the atmosphere among the group fell silent again.

It was indeed so.

In Yongan City, although there were not a few In-Jin Martial Artists.

Some of those with more outstanding strength either followed Awakened or traveled in groups deep into the Wasteland to challenge and kill Advanced Fierce Beasts.

And those who were relatively less bold chose to come to this area to hunt Intermediate-level Fierce Beasts; under normal circumstances, they could only hunt two or three at most.

But like the person they just saw, hunting over a dozen or twenty Intermediate-level Fierce Beasts all at once, it was truly the first time they had ever seen it.

Conversations like this continued to happen in the time that followed.

At this moment, Lu Yu was fully focused, not daring to be the least bit lax.

As the distance between him and Yongan City grew shorter, the number of Hunting Teams he encountered gradually increased. Most of the time, both sides were peaceful.

Just then, a team of over a hundred people came toward him.

In this team, most people held various cold weapons such as spears, bows and arrows, and Shields, while twenty or thirty people held Rifles, Light Machine Guns, and even a few Sniper rifles; their equipment looked quite sophisticated.

The footsteps of both sides paused simultaneously, and they looked at each other.

Lu Yu peered through the slits of his mask, his gaze sharp as a torch as he scrutinized this group of people.

He keenly sensed that greed was flickering in the eyes of many.

At the same time, he moved his ears slightly, and the voices within the team clearly reached his ears.

"Oh my goodness, what's the deal with this guy? Where did he get so much prey?"

"It looks like... it looks like they are all Intermediate-level Fierce Beasts, right?"

"My god, there are at least a dozen of them; they must be worth over a hundred thousand, right? Could it be that he hunted them all by himself?"

"Big Brother, why don't we hit him for a score? There are so many of us, and he's all alone."

"Yes, yes, yes, rob him, and we can head straight home today."

Everyone's gaze turned toward the front of the team, at a bearded man holding a Sniper rifle.

Lu Yu's gaze also followed and looked over.

The bearded man's original urge to act was instantly extinguished as if by a basin of cold water.

"Don't make any noise, let's change direction and go, don't provoke him."

After saying this, he took the lead and actively walked toward the east.

In the bearded man's heart, someone who could shoot and kill so many Intermediate-level Fierce Beasts alone—his strength was far beyond an In-Jin Martial Artist; it was possible the other party was a Transformation Energy Martial Artist!

If a fight really broke out, he didn't know about others' lives, but he would likely be the first to lose his own.

Seeing this, the others felt unwilling, but they could only follow helplessly.

Only then did Lu Yu grip the ropes tightly and continue moving forward.

Amidst the rolling mountains, the vague outline of a magnificent building appeared faintly.

"Is that Yongan City?"

Lu Yu pondered to himself and couldn't help but quicken his pace.

Along the way, the number of onlookers grew, and these people were quite similar to those outside Zhou Family Fort, mostly wearing tattered clothes.

Seeing this, Lu Yu slung his bow behind his back and slowly drew the long saber at his waist. This action caused more than half of the gazes fixed on him to vanish immediately.

As the distance closed, the outline of Yongan City became clearer and clearer.

Yongan City was surrounded by mountains on all four sides, with a river flowing through it.

On the undulating, continuous hills, houses stood in rows, vehicles shuttled through the streets, and pedestrians were like a weave—a scene of bustling prosperity and peace.

However, at the foot of the mountain, a circular city wall over thirty meters high was particularly eye-catching.

On the city wall, every few meters stood a fully armed guard with a loaded weapon, and every few dozen meters, a cannon was mounted, looking majestic and awe-inspiring.

"As expected of a city, the defenses are so strict."

Lu Yu sighed inwardly.

This Yongan City was built relying on the natural terrain of the mountains; even if a Beast Tide struck, it would be much easier to defend compared to other small cities.

And in front of the city wall, there were two sizable Zhai, with walls nearly ten meters high, not at all inferior to Zhou Family Fort.

The two Zhai were separated by a wide road that led straight to the gate of Yongan City, so vehicles and pedestrians came and went on the road endlessly, making it extremely lively.

At this moment, Lu Yu had undoubtedly become the focus of everyone's attention, causing quite a sensation.

More and more people swarmed out from the two Zhai on the sides, gathering on both sides of the road, their eyes filled with shock.

"Should I really enter Yongan City carrying these spoils of the hunt like this?"

Lu Yu could not help but feel a bit hesitant.

He noticed that those entering Yongan City were not carrying any spoils, and their attire was quite proper.

Just as he was planning to find someone to ask about the situation, a gentle voice drifted over.

"Friend, are you planning to take these spoils into Yongan City to sell them?"

Lu Yu looked in the direction of the voice.

He saw a middle-aged man standing there with a warm smile on his face.

Judging by the few people surrounding him, his status seemed quite distinguished.

Seeing Lu Yu look over, the middle-aged man said with a smile: "I am from the Yong'an City Branch of the Nanshan District Martial Arts Association. Our Branch has specifically set up an acquisition point here to purchase Fierce Beast materials."

"If you are interested, friend, you can sell the spoils to us directly here. It wouldn't be too late to enter Yongan City to buy the items you want after you receive the money."

"Furthermore, our Branch has its own shops; if there is anything you take a fancy to, you can also purchase it at our Branch."

Lu Yu was slightly stunned. Nanshan District Martial Arts Association? Yong'an City Branch?

This was his first time hearing this name, and judging by the situation before him, this faction seemed to have considerable strength.

"Friend, the quantity of spoils you hunted this time is not small, and they are all Intermediate-level Fierce Beasts; ordinary Merchant Guilds really wouldn't have the capacity to take them all."

The middle-aged man continued to persuade him, "Rest assured, the price our Association offers is absolutely fair and reasonable. If you don't believe me, you can ask the people around here."

As soon as the words fell, many people nearby chimed in, expressing their agreement.

It seemed that this Branch of the Martial Arts Association had a quite good reputation locally.

Just as Lu Yu was pondering whether to agree, a burst of chaotic footsteps suddenly approached.

"I say, Liu Yong, in this Yongan City, your Branch isn't the only one capable of acquiring so many Fierce Beast materials; our Shengda Merchant Guild also has the capacity to take them."

A group of people was seen walking toward them with bold and vigorous strides.

The smile on Liu Yong's face froze for an instant, and his expression became somewhat awkward.