High-level martial arts: Contract cashback, invincible starting from the Zerg.

While Chen Feng and Mu Wen continued to discuss the differences between the different ranks of Martial Gods.

Mu Wen's gaze skipped over Chen Feng and went straight to what was behind Chen Feng. As if sensing something, Chen Feng also turned around and looked behind him.

The clamor of the entire Martial God Ladder Hall seemed to be abruptly interrupted by an unparalleled sharpness.

It was a man dressed in a long robe made of ice silk.

The robe was embroidered with the Ling family's unique Lingxiao sword pattern, and as he moved, the robe shimmered with a subtle light, like a sword lurking in the dark night.

A jade belt adorned his waist, with a crystal-clear jade stone embedded in the center of the buckle, within which seemed to shimmer with countless sword shadows. A sheathed ancient sword hung at his waist, the scabbard appearing to be made of some kind of alloy, with a powerful "凌" character engraved on its hilt.

Even though the sword was not drawn from its sheath, a dragon-like sword cry emanated from the man.

"He is Gu Yong, the eldest son of the Ling family in Shangcheng," Mu Wen said, turning to Chen Feng.

Chen Feng's gaze was fixed on the figure that was slowly approaching.

Although the man concealed his sword intent, the sword of a swordsman beside Chen Feng trembled slightly, as if he had encountered a born king and was about to bow down in submission.

"The Ling family? That's the sword-wielding family that has its lineage traced back to the Eastern Sword Domain?"

"It's more than just a family of sword masters." Mu Wen's tone carried a hint of awe. "The Ling family is the head of the four major families that have been rooted in Gu Yong Upper City for over a thousand years. They are truly a prestigious family. Nearly 80% of the renowned swordsmen in our Great Xia are from the Ling family. Moreover, the head sword cultivator of the Martial God Palace's Martial Arts Academy is the younger brother of the previous patriarch of the Ling family."

Mu Wen glanced at Chen Feng and gestured for him to look at the ancient sword at the man's waist: "And this is Ling Changhong, the eldest son of the Gu Yongling family. He reached the Heavenly Rank before he was thirty years old and is hard to beat among the younger generation. In the Martial God Ladder Ranking Competition, he is among the top ten in the Heavenly Rank."

Before he finished speaking, all the martial gods practicing swordsmanship in the Martial God Hall bowed with their right hands on their chests, showing their respect for Ling Changhong and the Ling family.

The deep-seated respect he felt caused Chen Feng's eyes to narrow slightly.

Mu Wen scoffed lightly, but his voice carried a hint of approval. "Although this guy is arrogant, he is truly skilled. The entire Ling family values ​​swordsmanship and ranking. For him to reach such a high ranking as the eldest son is indeed not to be underestimated."

Chen Feng nodded, his gaze sweeping across the hall once more.

Besides the swordsmen who followed the Ling family, there were two other groups of people standing in the hall, not only making no statement but also showing disdain.

Chen Feng immediately asked, "You just said that there are four major families in Gu Yong Shangcheng. Besides the Ling family, who are the other three families?"

"The remaining three families are the Su family, the Xiang family, and the Li family."

Mu Wen counted on his fingers, but his eyes were fixed on the largest group of people.

He explained to Chen Feng in a deep voice.

"The Su family is the family of Su Qingyuan, whom you had previously crossed paths with. They are involved in the alchemy and artifact crafting industry and are the wealthiest of the four major families. They control 70% of the spiritual energy workshops and artifact workshops in Gu Yong Shang City, as well as most of the mines and plantations in Gu Yong City. Not to mention spiritual artifacts and armor, even divine artifacts are just a matter of a word from the Su family. Their connections are terrifyingly extensive. Two out of ten seats in the Martial God Palace are held by the Su family."

"If you want to identify people from the Xiang family or the Li family, you need to look at their combat talent and martial arts techniques."

Mu Wen pointed to another group of people standing next to Ling Changhong.

Seated there was a group of burly, ferocious warriors, each exuding the murderous aura of battlefield experience.

"The Xiang family is known for its fierceness and bravery, and they follow the path of physical training. The Xiang family's ancestral 'Ancient Overlord Body Technique' can even, when practiced to its extreme, allow one's physical strength to transcend major levels, making one capable of shaking mountains. Most of the Xiang family members serve in the military, and the commanders of several key fortresses on the border of the Great Xia Dynasty have many connections with the Xiang family. Therefore, they hold the most military power among the four major families."

"Finally, there's the Li family; this family is the most special."

Mu Wen paused, his tone carrying a hint of something unfathomable.

"The Li family doesn't engage in swordsmanship, alchemy, or military power, yet they have firmly held their position among the four great families for over a thousand years. For generations, they have not only controlled the law court in Gu Yong Shang City, but they also wield a significant portion of the power in the Martial God Palace. To put it bluntly, no matter how powerful the other three families are, if they break the rules, the Li family can still punish them according to the law. They are the true rule-makers of Gu Yong Shang City, and also the most neutral and unpredictable of the four families."

Chen Feng silently processed this information.

The Ling family of the Eastern Sword Domain, the Xiang family of the Primordial Overlord Body Technique, the Su family, a major producer of spiritual artifacts, and the Li family, the lawmakers.

The four families appear to check and balance each other, but in reality, they have clearly defined resource barriers, which perfectly divide up the power of the entire Gu Yong Shang City.

"Normally, the four families keep each other in check and ignore each other. Only during the Martial God Ladder Ranking Tournament do they truly compete."

"So that's how it is."

"Now that Ling Changhong has come, the direct descendants of the other three families will also be on the move. We can just wait and see what happens."

As soon as Mu Wen finished speaking, Ling Changhong arrived at the very front of the Martial God Ladder Hall.

As the sword intent around him, which had been concealed, suddenly surged, the dragon-like sword cry became clearer, suppressing the noise in the entire hall even further.

Ling Changhong's gaze swept over the Su family members and finally landed on the group of burly martial artists from the Xiang family. A faint, provocative smile appeared on his lips.

"Since all three families are here, I'll get straight to the point."

Ling Changhong's voice was not loud, but it seemed to be wrapped in sword energy, and each word clearly resounded throughout the entire hall.

"In this Martial God Ladder Ranking Tournament, I, Ling Changhong, will set up a bet. I bet that I can consistently outrank all the direct descendants of the Xiang family in this ranking. If anyone from the Xiang family can surpass me on the ladder, the Ling family is willing to hand over the two sword cultivation pavilions of the Eastern Sword Domain."

"On the contrary," he changed his tone, his eyes suddenly sharpening, "if no one in the Xiang family can rival me, I request that the Xiang family hand over ten sets of Obsidian Divine Edge Armor to the Ling family for their command."

Upon hearing this, the group of people who followed the Xiang family instantly glared angrily, their fists clenched so tightly they cracked, as if they couldn't wait to go up and teach Ling Changhong a lesson.

"Ling Changhong, how dare you be so arrogant! You only rank in the top ten of the Heavenly Ranking because of the Ling family's swordsmanship, yet you dare to be so cocky in front of my Gu Yongxiang family?"

"The Ling family is far too arrogant. Do they really think our Xiang family is a pushover?"

"Our Xiang family members have been fighting on the border for years, each one of us has crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. How could we be afraid of a pampered sword cultivator like you?"

Just then, a burly man, even more imposing than the other members of the Xiang family, suddenly stood up, his muscles bulging and exuding a menacing aura.

His words, however, were like a thunderclap, exploding in the hall.

"My Xiang family's 'Primordial Overlord Body Technique' is unparalleled in the Great Xia Dynasty. Let alone someone like Ling Changhong, even if the current patriarch of the Ling family were to come in person, he wouldn't dare to insult my Xiang family like this! If you want to make a bet, I, Xiang Hu, accept!"

Ling Changhong looked at the enraged Xiang family members and the righteous Xiang Hu, but a mocking smile appeared on his face.

"Shut up." Ling Changhong said calmly, but his tone carried a hint of contempt. "The conditions I mentioned were for Xiang Cang, the eldest son of the Xiang family, not for you servants."