Die at the Holy Spirit Assembly?
Su Mo was speechless. "The way you put it... do I really look that weak?"
"And you’re not weak?" the old man asked contemptuously.
In principle, anyone could participate in the Holy Spirit Assembly, as long as they weren’t over thirty years old.
Su Mo met the age requirement, but his Realm was too low.
After all, everyone participating in this Holy Spirit Assembly was a top young genius from the Northern Profound Domain. The weakest among them was at least an Early Stage Martial Artist.
How could a mere Samurai like you possibly stand against a group of powerful Martial Artists?
The old man spoke earnestly, "For Master Mo’s sake, I’ll give you a piece of well-intentioned advice: withdraw from this Holy Spirit Competition and come back in five years."
In five years, Su Mo would only be twenty-three, still perfectly meeting the requirements for the Holy Spirit Competition.
He could also use that time to raise his strength.
However, Su Mo rejected him without a second thought. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m determined to participate in this Holy Spirit Competition."
Five years...
It would be too late by then.
The old man frowned. "You insist on seeking death? Fine, I’ll let you have your way. Just gather here tomorrow at noon."
He had said what he needed to say. The rest was up to Su Mo.
It had nothing to do with him.
"Thank you!" Su Mo said politely.
The old man glanced at Su Mo’s departing figure and wondered, ’What’s wrong with young people these days? Why do they rush to their deaths even when they know it’s coming?’
What he couldn’t understand was why Master Mo would give Su Mo the recommendation letter, knowing full well how dangerous the Holy Spirit Assembly was. It was like sending Su Mo to his death.
’Could it be...’
’Does Master Mo have a grudge against Su Mo? He can’t make a move openly, so he wants to use the Holy Spirit Assembly to get rid of him?’
’That must be it.’
Just then, a few young men brushed past Su Mo.
One of them suddenly froze.
The white-robed young man beside him asked, "Man Mountain, what are you looking at?"
Man Mountain said, "I think I just saw someone I know."
Someone you know?
The white-robed young man said enthusiastically, "Since it’s someone you know, call him over and introduce us."
"Forget it. He might not even acknowledge me," Man Mountain said, shaking his head.
The white-robed young man was surprised. "No way. Someone dares to disrespect the Celestial Blade Sect? Come on, let’s go teach him a lesson."
"No, please don’t."
Man Mountain quickly stopped the white-robed young man.
In the past, he would have definitely taken the white-robed young man along to teach the person a lesson. But now, he wouldn’t dare, not even if he had a million times the courage.
Because that person was Su Mo.
The white-robed young man frowned. "Man Mountain, you seem to be very afraid of that person."
A bitter smile filled Man Mountain’s face.
He wasn’t just afraid of Su Mo, he was terrified. The mere thought of Su Mo made him tremble uncontrollably.
Clearly, Su Mo had left a deep psychological scar on him back in Qu Luo’s Tomb.
Man Mountain spoke to the white-robed young man in a pleading tone, "Mu Qing, please, just stay out of this. I’m begging you, alright?"
"Fine!"
Mu Qing asked curiously, "I heard you and Wu Hao went to the Beast Taming Sect and gained a lot from it. Is that true?"
Man Mountain admitted, "It’s true. Wu Hao and I both gained some benefits. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to break through to the Late Stage Martial Artist Realm."
"What about Ouyang Cheng? Did he get nothing?" Mu Qing continued to ask.
Man Mountain sighed. "Sigh... Even if you hadn’t asked, I was going to tell you. Ouyang Cheng died in the Beast Taming Sect. He was smashed into a pulp."
What!
The people around them looked astonished.
Mu Qing said in disbelief, "Ouyang Cheng was at the same Realm as you not long ago, an Early Stage Martial Artist, right? How could he possibly die in a backwater place like the Beast Taming Sect?"
"He ran into a monster. And then got slapped to death," Man Mountain sighed.
A monster?
Mu Qing grew even more curious.
’What kind of monster could possibly appear in a desolate place like the Beast Taming Sect, a place so remote even dogs wouldn’t go, and kill an Early Stage Martial Artist like Ouyang Cheng with a single slap?’
"Make way, make way!"
Just as Mu Qing was about to ask for more details, a commotion arose in the distance.
A man in lavish robes walked over, surrounded by a group of young geniuses.
The crowd quickly parted to make way.
Mu Qing said in surprise, "Oh, Chen Ge is here."
"Chen Ge?"
Man Mountain asked, confused, "Is he that strong?"
"’Strong’ doesn’t even begin to cover it."
Mu Qing exclaimed, "Chen Ge is the head disciple of the Celestial Spirit Sect. He’s at the Martial Master Great Perfection Realm, and I’ve heard he once killed a Grand Martial Artist."
What?
The other young men in their group were shocked.
A Martial Artist killing a Grand Martial Artist?
That wasn’t just killing someone a few stages higher; it was killing across an entire major Realm.
Just then, Chen Ge and his entourage arrived in front of Mu Qing and Man Mountain’s group. He immediately barked at them, "I told you to get out of the way! Didn’t you hear me? Are you deaf?"
"Sorry, we’ll move right away."
Mu Qing and his group quickly made way.
One of the young men complained under his breath, "Chen Ge is strong, sure, but he’s way too arrogant. People like him eventually run into someone they can’t afford to offend and end up dead."
"Heh, with his level of strength, he’s earned the right to be arrogant," someone beside him sneered.
Mu Qing shook his head. "Forget it, drop it. Chen Ge isn’t someone any of us can afford to provoke. Everyone just keep your mouths shut."
SWOOSH!
Just as Chen Ge walked past them, they heard the sound of something slicing through the air.
Man Mountain asked, "Who is it now?"
Mu Qing pointed to a young man flying on a sword in the sky. "That’s Wang Xuan. He’s at the Grandmaster Great Perfection Realm and calls himself the number one Sword Dao genius in the Northern Profound Domain. They say he can fight anyone to a standstill; he’s never been defeated since he first made a name for himself."
"What? Someone like that exists?"
The people next to him were astonished. The more they thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed.
One of the young men remarked with a sigh, "Whether it’s Chen Ge or Wang Xuan, they’re both Demon Level geniuses. It looks like the champion of this Holy Spirit Assembly will be one of those two."
However, Mu Qing shook his head.
The young man asked, surprised, "Don’t tell me there are geniuses even more incredible than those two?"
Mu Qing nodded. "Xiao Ran of Holy Spirit Manor, Princess Bai Luoxue of the Luoxue Kingdom, and Hua Tianmen of the Great Demon Sect are all even more monstrous than those two. Rumor has it that the three of them can kill Early Stage Grand Martial Artists as easily as slaughtering dogs."
HISS...
Everyone gasped.
Someone said, "I know about the princess of Luoxue Kingdom. I heard she awakened the Cold Ice Spiritual Body. She’s supposed to be incredibly curvy with long legs—the number one beauty in our Northern Profound Domain."
"Hehe, in that case, looks like we’re in for a real feast for the eyes."
"Exactly! We might not achieve anything great at the Holy Spirit Assembly, but getting a close-up look at Bai Luoxue’s long legs will make this trip worthwhile."
"Damn, you’re a bunch of perverts. I’ve heard that Bai Luoxue despises lechers. Be careful she doesn’t freeze you into a popsicle."
"Freeze *what* down there?"
"Hahaha!"
The whole group roared with laughter.
However, Man Mountain just shook his head from the side.
’With that monster around, none of those three could possibly take the top spot. They’ll just get crushed.’
Just then, Wu Hao came running over from out of nowhere, saying frantically, "Man Mountain, I just saw him! That monster!"