Fantasy, starting with a treasure bowl

"Elder Song, please rest assured!"

"Although this Four Kingdoms Martial Arts Tournament is packed with exceptional talents, I, Li, am confident that I can overpower them all, claim the top prize, and secure an even larger share of the Yuan Stone mines for the Yunfu Sect...!"

As soon as the man in the black robe finished speaking, an unassuming young swordsman stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and looked confident, seemingly not taking the participating geniuses seriously.

"Oh?"

Song Zhang raised an eyebrow, his face also showing amusement. "Hey Li Yunlong, all the contestants who can participate in the Four Kingdoms Martial Arts Tournament these days are outstanding talents from the four kingdoms of Lingnan, and there are even some prodigies from the Lingtai Mountain Tai Chi Sword Sect. Where do you get your confidence from?"

Although the other party has remarkable talent, at the age of only twenty-eight, his Yuan Power cultivation has already reached the tenth level of the Spirit Soul Realm, which is enough to rank him among the top disciples of the Yunfu Sect in the Western Qin Kingdom.

However, it is undoubtedly a pipe dream for Li Yunlong to sweep away all the participating prodigies and win the title of champion with his limited strength.

Therefore, Song Zhang, one of the two guardian elders of the Yunfu Sect, was also very curious about Li Yunlong's inexplicable confidence.

"Elder Song, of course I already had that in mind..."

"Hmph, you big liar!"

Before Li Yunlong could even utter the word "ready," a cold snort came from the girl beside him, her tone disdainful.

"Xian'er?"

Turning around at the sound, Li Yunlong saw a girl in red standing behind him, arms crossed, looking at him with disdain. He was also taken aback for a moment, then quickly stepped forward with a forced smile, "Hehe, I was just telling the truth, how can you call me a liar..."

"Besides, my Wind Control Sword Technique has improved significantly. As long as I don't run into that cold-faced man from the Tai Chi Sword Sect named Gongsun Jian, I basically don't care about anyone else. Xian'er, just wait and see the show...!"

As he spoke, Li Yunlong moved closer to the girl in red, a fawning smile on his face.

"You...you...stop right there!"

Seeing Li Yunlong suddenly leaning towards her with a lewd grin, Lü Xian'er's pretty face also showed a hint of panic. She immediately took several steps back and shouted, "Li Yunlong, the reason I agreed to let you participate in the Four Kingdoms Martial Arts Tournament as a disciple of the Yunfu Sect is merely to repay a favor I did for you in the past. Don't push your luck, kid!"

After saying that, Lü Xian'er turned and left, heading towards the depths of the valley, seemingly somewhat afraid of the other party.

"Xian'er! Xian... eh!"

"Xian'er, don't go yet! I haven't finished speaking...!"

Seeing Lü Xian'er suddenly turn and leave, Li Yunlong was also stunned for a moment. He immediately chased after her, acting like a devoted follower, leaving only Song Zhang and another Yunfu Sect disciple standing there in silence.

"Elder Song, are we really going to let this guy surnamed Li take up one of the foreign aid spots?"

Seeing this, the Yunfu Sect disciple couldn't help but step forward, then said in a low, weak voice, "Forgive my boldness, but I feel this person is too frivolous and dissolute..."

"Moreover, this guy surnamed Li seems to have ulterior motives towards Senior Sister Lü. Is it really reliable to let him participate in the Four Kingdoms Martial Arts Tournament as a disciple of our Yunfu Sect..."

"No, no."

Faced with the concerns of this Yunfu Sect disciple, Song Zhang simply shook his head and then said calmly, "Although this kid surnamed Li seems unreliable, his strength is indeed not weak. Otherwise, why would this elder allow an unknown rogue cultivator to occupy one of our Yunfu Sect's external aid slots?"

"Little Qin, although you have worked hard in martial arts all these years, there is still a considerable gap between you and your Senior Sister Lü. Even Li Yunlong, who comes from a rogue cultivator background, can suppress you. You will have to work harder in the future..."

At this point, Song Zhang glanced at Qin Jisi again, his tone meaningful.

"This disciple will humbly follow the elder's teachings...!"

Upon hearing Song Zhang's words, Qin Jisi was somewhat unconvinced, but dared not utter a word of rebuttal and bowed his head in respect.

Because the other party is not only one of the two guardian elders of the Yunfu Sect, but also a master of the third level of the Yuanhai Realm.

Now that Song Zhang has already spoken out and highly approves of Li Rulong, who comes from a rogue cultivator background, he, a mere inner disciple of the Yunfu Sect, naturally wouldn't dare to say anything more.

Click...!

Just as Song Zhang and the others were waiting in place, a void suddenly cracked open in the sky above the valley, as if the heavens had opened their eyes, and at the same time, an extremely terrifying array aura emanated outwards.

"This aura is... a ninth-grade teleportation array?"

A sudden change occurred, and Song Zhang raised an eyebrow, looking up at the void rift above. "Heh, it seems those old acquaintances from the Ren clan of Dongyun Kingdom have arrived..."

Song Zhang's lips curled into a playful smile. "However, after the chaos of the Yun family and the attack by the Wusheng Sect, the Ren family should be severely weakened, with virtually no resources left. As for the throne of the four kingdoms of Dongyun, it's time for it to be changed hands..."

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Just as Song Zhang was secretly massaging his abdomen, he saw the void rift suddenly expand outwards, and three young figures leaped out from it. The leader of them was wearing a brocade robe and had an extraordinary temperament. He was none other than Ren Lingyun, the Crown Prince of Dongyun Kingdom.

Behind Ren Lingyun, Lu Feng and Ren Xuanfei, also looking travel-worn, followed closely.

"Ugh, such a strong miasma...!"

"If an ordinary martial artist below the Qi Opening Realm were to step inside, they probably wouldn't last ten seconds before being consumed by the miasma and dying instantly...!"

As he landed steadily, Lu Feng noticed a chilling, unsettling aura emanating from the valley. He frowned slightly, a sense of apprehension creeping into his eyes.

It should be noted that this nameless valley is only located on the outer edge of Jue Long Ridge, and the miasma surrounding it is already so dense. If one continues to venture deeper into the heart of Jue Long Ridge, the miasma in the poisonous swamp will become even more terrifying. I'm afraid even a Yuan Hai Realm expert would have difficulty escaping unscathed!

"Um?"

Turning their gazes to him as well, Song Zhang noticed that the leader was not Emperor Dongyun, Ren Tianxing, but rather his son, Ren Lingyun. A look of surprise crossed his face. "Strange, why is this kid leading the team..."

"Could something have happened to that old man, Ren Tianxing?"

"Junior Ren Lingyun greets Elder Song of Yunfu Sect."

Just as Song Zhang was filled with doubt, Ren Lingyun also looked over and then bowed to him to show respect as a junior.

After all, the other party was one of the two guardian elders of the Yunfu Sect, with considerable strength. The Yunfu Sect itself was a hegemon of the Western Qin Kingdom and one of the best of the seventh-rank forces, not to be underestimated.

"Nephew Ren, you're too kind. I, Song, am unworthy of such praise."

Upon hearing Ren Lingyun's greeting, Song Zhang also snapped out of his daze, lightly twirled his mustache, and nodded.

Although the other party was a junior, Dongyun Kingdom was the leader of the four kingdoms in Lingnan, and Emperor Ren Tianxing of Dongyun was so famous that everyone knew him.

Therefore, when faced with Ren Lingyun's bow, Song Zhang did not dare to act like a senior and treated him with the same courtesy.

"Lu Feng, why have you suddenly stopped talking?"

"Hehe, were you scared by the miasma surrounding the valley?"

Seeing that Lu Feng remained silent, merely surveying the valley with a solemn expression, Ren Xuanfei also moved closer, a hint of mockery flashing across her pretty face.

"That's it? Are you kidding me!"

"How could a mere wisp of miasma frighten my husband?"

Faced with Ren Xuanfei's teasing, Lu Feng also came to his senses, then spread his hands outwards, looking completely unconcerned, and said, "I'm just a newcomer to this place and a little curious. Besides, let alone being afraid, there's nothing in this world that I, Lu Feng, don't know, okay...!"

"Is that so? Then let me ask you, do you know the origin of the miasma in this valley?"

"Uh, well...!"

Lu Feng touched his nose, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Hehe, I told you you didn't know...!"

Seeing that Lu Feng had finally been stumped by her question, Ren Xuanfei pursed her lips slightly and couldn't help but say with a hint of smugness, "Actually, the reason why this valley is filled with such dense poisonous miasma is also related to an ancient legend from the Dragon-Slaying Ridge..."