Chapter 901: The Eve

"Regarding that fellow cultivator Zi Ling, I have conducted a thorough investigation in Xuan City and three other cities, but found not a single clue." Chen Yang glanced at Han Li and sighed.

"Not found?" Han Li frowned slightly.

"If that fellow cultivator Zi Ling were in Xuan City, even without definite news, there should at least be rumors. However, according to my investigation, there is not even a whisper about Zi Ling. My guess is that this person is either in Puppet City or unfortunately fell to a scale beast after entering the Jilin Void." Chen Yang said hastily.

Han Li's face darkened upon hearing this, but he said nothing.

"Although Zi Ling was not found, I have learned about the situation of that Shi Kong. He is currently in the city lord's mansion of Xuan City, but has been thrown into prison." Chen Yang added.

"Thrown into prison? Have you found out why?" Han Li asked upon hearing this.

"Regarding this information, the city lord's mansion guards it very strictly. I have made many inquiries but found no useful clues. However, Fellow Daoist Li need not worry; although Shi Kong is imprisoned, his life is not in danger." Chen Yang shook his head helplessly.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Chen. Although you did not find traces of Zi Ling, learning Shi Kong's whereabouts fulfills my request." Han Li lowered his head in silence for a moment, then looked up and said.

Chen Yang breathed a quiet sigh of relief upon hearing this.

"Then I will take my leave." Han Li nodded and departed.

Chen Yang watched Han Li's retreating figure, a strange glint flickering in his eyes, then turned and went back into the inner chamber.

Crab Daoist was standing in a corner of the room, head bowed. When he saw Chen Yang enter, he slowly raised his head.

"The martial tournament is imminent, but you seem to be in a bad mood." Crab Daoist said expressionlessly.

"If you were the city lord and your subordinates were blindly overconfident, I doubt you would be in a good mood either." Chen Yang gave a bitter smile and said.

Crab Daoist remained silent upon hearing this.

"Although Yi Liya has strength, he is too arrogant. Compared to the top experts of other cities, he still falls short. I'm afraid only Gu Qianxun has some hope. As for your Fellow Daoist Li, he is somewhat unfathomable to me, but compared to Gu Qianxun, he might still be lacking." Chen Yang muttered to himself, ignoring Crab Daoist.

...

Han Li left Chen Yang's residence and quickly returned to his own room, his mind racing with thoughts.

Shi Chuankong was currently imprisoned in the Xuan City jail. Rescuing him would not be easy. Having been in Xuan City for so long, he had already sensed that Xuan City's strength far exceeded that of Qingyang City, and rescuing someone from the prison would be difficult.

As for Zi Ling, he had no idea whether she was safe or in danger.

Han Li sat quietly for a long time, then suddenly shook his head, calmed his mind, and his expression returned to calm.

Now was not the time to think about Zi Ling and Shi Chuankong. He should first focus on the Five-City Martial Tournament, obtain the Tianlin Meteorite Crystal to remove the Black Calamity Worm threat, and then consider other matters.

With this thought, Han Li slowly closed his eyes.

...

Inside a stone hall in the city lord's detached villa, Sha Qiu Yuan.

A middle-aged burly man wrapped in a beast-fur cloak was leaning back in a wide stone chair. His dark nose glistened in the firelight. He was none other than Fu Jian, the city lord of Tongyu City.

On both sides below him, six cultivators from Tongyu City sat separately, three on each side.

"City Lord E Kuai clearly places great importance on this Five-City Martial Tournament. The rewards he has offered this time are all extraordinary. You must all give your utmost and strive for top rankings. Especially you, Duan Tong." Fu Jian said with a gleam in his eyes.

The burly man wrapped in bandages sat at the lower position. After Fu Jian finished speaking, he only gave a dull "Mm" and had no further reaction.

Fu Jian seemed long accustomed to this and did not mind. He continued, "Let's not talk about Zhu Ziyuan of Xuan City for now. Do you have confidence in defeating Fang Chan of Baiyan City and Feng Wuchen of Xuanzhi City?"

"Although Feng Wuchen has the advantage of speed, as long as he cannot break through my defense, there is no big problem. Once he engages me in close combat, it actually plays into my hands." Duan Tong said after a moment of silence.

"And Fang Chan?" Fu Jian asked.

"I haven't fought him before, so I'm not sure. However, the fact that he defeated Gu Qianxun last time shows his strength is considerable. After so many years, his combat power should have increased as well." Duan Tong said after another moment of silence.

"Mm, it's good that you are so cautious." Fu Jian nodded and said.

...

At the entrance of another stone hall in the villa, people were gradually filing out.

Soon, only two people remained in the hall: a pale, thin, middle-aged man and a handsome young man in white—Qin Yuan and Feng Wuchen.

"Wuchen, I've noticed you've been in seclusion lately. Have you made another breakthrough?" Qin Yuan asked with a smile.

"Reporting to foster father, I had accumulated years of cultivation, and yesterday it finally came to fruition. I opened another aperture." Feng Wuchen replied respectfully.

"Good, good... that's a good omen. It seems that entering the top three in this Five-City Martial Tournament should be a sure thing." Qin Yuan nodded with a smile.

Feng Wuchen frowned slightly upon hearing this and fell silent.

"What's wrong? Is something on your mind?" Qin Yuan raised an eyebrow and asked.

"For some reason, I feel that this tournament seems off. I have a sense of unease." Feng Wuchen hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Oh? Could it be because your visit to Lady Liuhua was fruitless and you didn't get a new weapon? You must know that no matter how good a weapon is, it is merely an external object. In the Jilin Void, one's own body is the foundation." Qin Yuan frowned.

"Foster father is right. I am overthinking." Feng Wuchen quickly said.

"However, this situation is indeed unexpected. Not only did your visit to Lady Liuhua fail, but even when I later visited in person, I was told she was in seclusion refining tools and was denied entry." Qin Yuan changed the subject.

"Could it be because of those two from Qingyang City? Earlier, they suddenly produced some token and forcibly took away my opportunity to meet Lady Liuhua. After that, I tried to visit several times but was not allowed." Feng Wuchen looked up, a flicker in his eyes.

"Two brats from Qingyang City? How could they have that much influence? It's more likely that we did something wrong and displeased Lady Liuhua. After the tournament, I will try visiting again." Qin Yuan waved his hand and said.

"Regardless of whether it's because of them, once I encounter them in the tournament, I will make sure they suffer. As for Gu Qianxun, I might have to put in some effort, but that human..." Feng Wuchen trailed off, a grim smile revealing his murderous intent.

...

Meanwhile, the group from Baiyan City had gathered in a large hall, where Sun Tu was giving a pre-battle speech.

"The Five-City Martial Tournament is about to begin. I do not ask that everyone ranks high, only that you all give your utmost and at least win your first matches. When we return to Baiyan City, I will reward you according to your performance." Sun Tu said loudly.

"We will surely give our utmost and live up to the city lord's trust." A man in gray robes immediately responded.

Following him, the others also shouted, "Give our utmost, live up to the trust..."

Amid the impassioned cheers, there were intermittent, discordant snores.

The source of the sound was Fang Chan, sitting to the left of Sun Tu's lower position.

He was leaning back in a stone chair, sprawled out and sleeping soundly.

Whether he was having a pleasant dream, his ugly pig face was full of contentment, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth, and he occasionally smacked his lips, letting out unintelligible murmurs.

The more impassioned Sun Tu's speech became, the louder Fang Chan's snores grew. However, everyone present seemed accustomed to this and found nothing amiss.

Just then, Fang Chan's throat moved, his underbite mouth slightly opened, and his snoring changed from coarse to fine, the volume decreasing but the pitch rising.

As the sounds rang out, a strange fluctuation emanated from his mouth and nose.

At first, the tables and chairs in the stone hall began to shake slightly, and then everyone felt numbness in their limbs and a drowsiness in their minds.

"Here it goes again..." the crowd groaned.

Sun Tu, seeing this, smiled slightly, curled a finger, and flicked Fang Chan's forehead with a "pop."

Fang Chan's body jerked violently, his eyes snapped open, and he looked around blankly.

Sun Tu raised his sleeve to wipe the drool from Fang Chan's mouth and said with a smile, "It's nothing. Go back to sleep."

Fang Chan grinned foolishly, adjusted his sitting position, tilted his head back, and fell asleep again.

...

At night, the moonlight was as white as frost.

On the roof of an independent hall within the city lord's mansion, two figures lay side by side, gazing at the starry sky.

One of them had sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, a handsome appearance, wearing a white bone armor, with his hands behind his head and a calm expression. He was none other than Zhu Ziyuan, who had won the Five-City Martial Tournament championship several times in a row.

The other was a woman of stunning beauty and a cold temperament, also wearing form-fitting bone armor that accentuated her curves.

"Big brother, the city lord is really something. He leaves the pre-battle mobilization to you instead of handling it himself..." the beautiful woman complained softly.

"Ziqing, this is the city lord's mansion. Even if you speak softly, the city lord can hear you." Zhu Ziyuan laughed.

"The city lord is magnanimous and won't mind such things." The beautiful woman quickly stuck out her tongue, trying to make amends.

"This is your first time participating in the Five-City Martial Tournament. You must keep in mind the combat capabilities of each city. Duan Tong of Tongyu City has a formidable 'Tongxuan Arm' technique. I have observed that he..."

Before Zhu Ziyuan could finish, his sister Zhu Ziqing interrupted, "Alright, alright! Big brother, including what you said at the mobilization meeting, this is the seventh time. My ears are about to grow calluses!"