Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

"If that's the case, doesn't that mean Lu Xing, Shen Han, Shang Ying, Xue Jingyun, Bu Nantian, Xiang Yang, and Master Jingxuan aren't Lin Bai's defeated opponents either?"

A martial artist spoke as such, with the names he mentioned being like Su Du from the Tianyun Sect—all among the top forces of the East Province like the Beidou Sect, the Purple Extreme Sect, known for their exceptional talents and strength as martial prodigies.

Even when looking at the entire martial world, among the masters, they could be considered some of the strongest.

The middle-aged man who had revealed that information shook his head and said, "That might not necessarily be the case; even with the same realm, the combat strength of martial artists can differ. Besides, although the Tianyun Sect is one of the top forces, they are not known for their fighting prowess but for their agility.

Su Du's strength among these people is, in terms of hard power, still a bit lacking."

Hearing this, everyone nodded, feeling that his words made sense.

"May I ask if this brother knows the background of this Lin Bai?" a martial artist asked respectfully with a fist in the palm.

"I don't know," the middle-aged man shook his head and said, "All I know is that Lin Bai's talent might not be that much less than that of the inheritors of the holy lands. Such prodigies would not emerge all of a sudden; there must be a large force behind them. His ongoing challenges in the East Province are simply a way to build momentum for himself, aiming to raise his fame."

Beings have desires, and martial artists are no exception, especially since most martial fighters have a wilful nature, quick to draw blood at the slightest disagreement. The saying, 'With weapons in hand, the urge to kill follows,' explains why Da Xia established various regulations to restrain martial artists.

With strength, one naturally pursues more things; power and fame is a topic that one cannot avoid from beginning to end.

At this moment, another patron in the restaurant spoke up, his voice grave, "I've heard that this Lin Bai is the natural-born martial body mentioned in legends, with extraordinary roots and an innate profound understanding of martial arts. That's why he has reached such a level at this age.

If he had access to the resources of the six great holy lands, he might not be weaker than the inheritors of those places."

"Natural-born martial body?!"

Upon hearing this, the restaurant was once again filled with exclamations. A martial artist said, "I've heard that in Da Xia, Gu Chen of the martial Marquis is also of this physique. I wonder who between him and Lin Bai is stronger?"

The martial artist who had spoken shook his head and said, "At this stage, the martial Marquis of Da Xia definitely wouldn't be Lin Bai's opponent—there's a gap in cultivation and age. As for the future, that's anyone's guess."

"Lu Xing, Shen Han, Shang Ying… Lin Bai… the six great holy lands…" Gu Chen muttered, these people are the strongest under the heavens in martial arts in the East Province.

Each one of them can be seen as a rare talent, particularly Lin Bai and the inheritors of the six great holy lands, who are incredibly powerful both in talent and strength.

And the reason why they had converged here was, undoubtedly, due to the ancient secret realm mentioned by Jing Tian Department's Deputy Commander Qin Wu.

"It seems that this time, the East Province is indeed about to stir up a storm." Gu Chen mused to himself. With so many martial prodigies gathered together, if the ancient secret realm were to really appear, there would inevitably be a sky-reaching battle, and the struggle among various parties would be unending.

As a martial artist, Gu Chen naturally had a competitive spirit, which was unavoidable. If one's mentality were too detached, striving for rapid progress in martial arts would be impossible.

Only by facing all challenges fearlessly and confronting all formidable enemies with a tenacious and unyielding spirit can one advance further on the martial path.

The timid and fearful can never become a strong martial artist.

While practicing martial arts, there is no denying that talent is important, but sometimes, character, or rather, mentality, is even more crucial.

Moreover, regarding the six great holy lands which have remained aloof for tens of thousands of years—and even the unparalleled Emperor of Da Xia could not surpass—Gu Chen had a great deal of curiosity in his heart.

"My boy, what are you thinking about, why aren't you eating?" At this point, Gu Chengfeng noticed Gu Chen staring off into space and couldn't help but ask.

This restaurant was the largest in the city, spanning three floors. Gu Chen and his party occupied a spot by the window on the second floor. The discussion he had overheard was coming from the third floor.

The soundproofing in the restaurant was excellent; if not for Gu Chen's extraordinary hearing, he wouldn't have been able to catch those words at all.

Upon hearing this, Gu Chen snapped back to reality, nodded, and stopped thinking about those matters, choosing instead to quiet his mind and start enjoying the local specialties of the East Province.

After resting and recuperating, Gu Chen, accompanied by his second uncle Gu Chengfeng and his family, hit the road once again.

In the land of Yan, situated somewhat on the edge of East Province, the scenery was beautiful and the climate pleasant, offering a spring-like atmosphere all year round.

After several days of travel, Gu Chen and his party finally arrived here.

"Is this really my elder brother's fief? It's so beautiful," Gu Qingyan stuck her head out of the carriage, her beautiful eyes continuously surveying the surrounding scenery.

Yan faced the sea and abounded in warm, blooming springs. The grass here was as green as jade, flowers blossoming everywhere, and the air was exceptionally fresh. Due to its proximity to the sea, there was no hint of fishiness.

"Judging by the time, the residence His Majesty prepared for you should be ready, right?" Gu Chengfeng looked at Gu Chen.

"It should be nearly complete," Gu Chen nodded.

Following that, the coachman drove the carriage slowly through the land of Yan, and soon, they arrived in front of a massive mansion.

This mansion occupied an immense area of land, at its entrance stood two exquisitely carved stone lions made of jade, and above them hung a gilded signboard inscribed with four large characters in bold calligraphy.

Marquis of Wuan's Mansion!

Upon seeing the carriage stop at the gate, instantly, over a hundred servants from within the mansion rushed out—clearly, they had received the news and had been waiting for Gu Chen's arrival.

The leader was an elderly man with grizzled hair, the steward of the Marquis's Mansion. Seeing Gu Chen, he led the way in bowing and said aloud, "Greetings to Marquis Wuan."

The Gu family, Gu Chengfeng's family, had never witnessed such a grand spectacle; the Gu Mansion had a mere dozen or so servants, while the number before them was nearly ten times that of the Gu Mansion.

"Dispense with the formalities," Gu Chen stepped down from the carriage. His voice was not loud, yet it precisely reached the ears of everyone present.

"Greetings to Marquis, I am Ma An, appointed as the steward of the Marquis's Mansion. If you have any orders in the future, Marquis, please feel free to command me," Steward Ma An said respectfully.

Gu Chen nodded slightly and introduced his second uncle, Gu Chengfeng, and his family to him.

"Greetings to Old Master Gu," upon hearing this, Ma An and the others quickly bowed to Gu Chengfeng and his family as well.

Then, under Ma An's guidance, they toured the Marquis of Wuan's Mansion.

It had to be said that Ji Yuan treated Gu Chen exceedingly well. The mansion was built to the highest standards, with artificial rockeries, winding corridors, pavilions, and ponds surrounded by flowers and trees—it truly had everything one could wish for.

Even the roof tiles were made of a unique green glazed tile that was very expensive. In Da Xia, they were a symbol of status.

Shock was evident in the eyes of Gu Chengfeng and his family. Xu Qinge and her daughter, Gu Qingyan, were clearly extremely excited as well. Read exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire

The decoration here was both sumptuously elegant and grand without being tacky; Gu Chen was quite satisfied.

Soon, Gu Chen and his party stayed here for three days in a row.

During these three days, Gu Chengfeng and his family went out to tour every day, mostly visiting the seaside, while Gu Chen himself was always practicing martial arts within the mansion.

Practicing martial arts was like rowing upstream: to not advance was to fall back. Although Gu Chen's martial arts realm and cultivation level were obtained through the panel, he had never slacked off and practiced every day for a long time.

One day, the mansion's steward, Ma An, suddenly found Gu Chen, saying that an invitation had been sent to the Marquis's Mansion.

It was a gold-pressed invitation, extremely luxurious in its craftsmanship. Gu Chen opened it and discovered to his surprise that the sender was none other than Lu Xing, a martial arts prodigy of the Beidou Sect.