Chapter 71

In Liu Fengfeng's presence, Long Chen obtained some more information about the Chenxi Merchant Alliance. Liu Fengfeng was already impatient and had gone to practice.

Although Long Chen didn't like Liu Fengfeng very much from the bottom of his heart, he still admired him for reaching the ninth level of the Dragon Vein Realm at such a young age.

While re-practicing the Heaven-Burning Devil Sun Fist, the night passed quickly. The Linwu Family's selection was about to begin.

Early in the morning, a dedicated person was welcoming the young strong individuals who had reached the ninth level of the Dragon Vein Realm, as they walked out of their rooms, sizing each other up.

Most of these people came from other small and medium-sized forces in Yuanling City. They were all proud from a young age, but after truly entering the Linwu Family, each of them had become more restrained.

Long Chen immediately spotted Huang Xiang, who looked relaxed and smug, in the crowd. However, Huang Xiang didn't see Long Chen. He was excitedly looking at the few people who had come to lead them. When he found a man who looked somewhat similar to him but was more mature and had a cold expression, his face lit up, and he moved closer to the man.

"Brother..."

Approaching the man, Huang Xiang softly called out.

The man only nodded at him and then coldly looked at the roughly fifty people, saying, "Those participating in the Linwu Family's selection must take responsibility for their own lives and deaths. If you regret it, you can still leave now. If you don't want to leave, follow me to the training ground."

After saying that, he greeted the other Linwu Family members and walked ahead. Huang Xiang immediately followed with great enthusiasm.

As for Long Chen and the others, they also followed. Here, everyone was a competitor, so there were very few people who could chat, and the atmosphere was even filled with tension.

In the winding pavilion, Long Chen silently followed the others.

Liu Fengfeng was next to him, making a tsking sound as he looked at Huang Xiang in front, saying, "If I encounter this Huang Xiang, I'll be in trouble. The examiner, Huang Feiyang, seems to be his older brother, and his strength is also one of the best among us fifty. It looks like he's going to be unstoppable!"

"Is that so?"

Seeing Huang Xiang walking proudly at the front, although Long Chen didn't show it on his face, he felt a surge of killing intent when he thought about the black-scaled dragon horse given by Ling Qing.

"I won't have the face to go back and see Ling Qing if I don't properly teach you a lesson. No matter what your brother is, can he do anything if I defeat you fairly?"

Liu Fengfeng, of course, couldn't hear these thoughts. Seeing that Long Chen didn't say a word after hearing Huang Xiang's name, he thought Long Chen was scared and said, "Don't worry. You won't even pass the first stage, so you won't encounter him."

Hearing the term "first stage," Long Chen raised his head and asked, "Do you know about the selection process?"

Liu Fengfeng immediately looked at Long Chen as if he were an idiot and said helplessly, "You really are... Everyone in Yuanling City knows that the Linwu Family's selection has two major stages. You didn't know that?"

Long Chen shook his head.

Liu Fengfeng's face was full of pity. After a long time, he shook his head and sighed, "Well, since you're in the same room as me, it can be considered our fate. I'll tell you. The two major stages, the first one is to fight the steel puppets!"

"What's it like specifically?"

"We'll see a place soon. There are dozens of dark tunnels there. Each tunnel is only three meters high and two meters wide, but they are over five hundred meters long. These tunnels are filled with steel puppets. When you enter the dark tunnel alone, the steel puppets will attack you! But I guess you don't know what steel puppets are, right?"

Long Chen said, "I indeed don't know. I hope Brother Liu can inform me."

Coming to Yuanling City, Long Chen knew that his strength was still at the bottom. Therefore, he had to be more restrained and less arrogant than he was in Baiyang Town.

These were things Yang Xueqing had taught him. Now he was enduring, waiting for the day when he could surprise everyone, and his true nature would naturally be revealed.

Seeing that Long Chen didn't know, Liu Fengfeng had a look of expectation, saying, "Steel puppets, well, just think of them as creatures that can attack but have no intelligence. Little Brother Long Chen, I'll give you a piece of advice. If you find that you can't deal with the steel puppets, don't go too deep. You can still escape from this end. If you go in a hundred meters and die inside, no one will know."

Long Chen smiled faintly, not commenting, and continued, "Brother Liu, how do you pass the first stage?"

Liu Fengfeng smiled proudly, saying, "Don't look at us having over fifty people. After the first stage, only ten will remain. Why? Because after we kill the steel puppets, we can get the steel hearts from their chests. The ten people who get the most steel hearts can enter the second stage. I, your Brother Liu, have studied this for years, and passing the first stage is like taking something out of a pocket... By the way, you don't have a Spatial Bag, right?"

He could tell at a glance that Long Chen wasn't from Yuanling City. In a small town, most people wouldn't know what a Spatial Bag was, so Liu Fengfeng put on a difficult expression, saying, "Without a Spatial Bag, you can't carry many steel hearts. But it's better this way. Go back and break through to the ninth level. When you go to Yuandi City, your chances will be much better."

Long Chen had learned what he wanted to know. Hearing this noisy guy, he really didn't like him, but he didn't bother to argue and just walked silently.

Seeing Long Chen like this, Liu Fengfeng thought he was disappointed and shook his head. Liu Fengfeng shifted his attention to the others, sizing up these competitors.

"The quality of the competitors this time seems to be quite high. Apart from you, there are very few easy targets..."

In Liu Fengfeng's noise, the group soon arrived at the place he mentioned.

In front of Long Chen was a small hill. At the foot of the hill were dozens of caves, which were now locked with iron doors. When they arrived, people were already opening the caves.

At this moment, several leaders of the Linwu Family stood on a high stone. One of them was Huang Xiang's brother, Huang Feiyang.

Long Chen then carefully observed Huang Feiyang, finding him to have a stern expression and a silent demeanor, but his eyes were very terrifying. He seemed to be a ruthless person, and if he were provoked, it would be hard to have a good life afterward.

"But, I must avenge Little Black..."

At this moment, another young Linwu Family member was coldly scanning the crowd, making Long Chen feel a chill.

"Everyone, the rules of the Linwu Family, I believe you all know. Our Qing Clan's examination rules also follow the Linwu Family's rules. These caves contain steel puppets. Now, you need to enter these caves. Whoever can pass through the cave and obtain enough steel hearts will have the qualification to enter the second stage!"

"But, I must warn you. Once you enter the tunnel, it's a matter of life and death. You must all be prepared to die. I won't say more. Since you've come here, you no longer have the chance to back out. Everyone, go in. We'll be waiting for you on the other side of the tunnel!"

Long Chen coldly watched these people and thought to himself, "These young people aren't much older, but they are probably all at the Human Core Realm. Huang Feiyang is at the initial stage of the Human Core Realm. The others are probably not much worse... This is just one hall of the Linwu Family's Qing Clan. Such geniuses are everywhere..."

"Long Chen, the things you possess far surpass theirs. With enough time, you will quickly surpass them. For now, you just need to improve a bit more to catch up with them using the Derivative Spirit Fruit."

Ling Xi's words entered Long Chen's ears.

At this moment, Long Chen was being led to one of the caves. The fifty-odd people were assigned to their respective caves, and the tense atmosphere gradually spread. Standing in front of the cave, listening to the sharp sound of steel grinding inside, most people felt their scalps tingle.

At this moment, the noisy Liu Fengfeng was assigned to a different cave. Suddenly, he felt a piercing gaze, and when he turned to look, he saw Huang Xiang, who had already spotted him.

At this moment, Huang Xiang was about to show off his skills but was surprised to see Long Chen nearby. He thought he might have seen wrong.

But when Long Chen turned around, he confirmed it was indeed Long Chen. After the initial shock, he felt a rare sense of satisfaction, thinking, "It's really this guy. In Yuanyang City, he made me lose face. I only killed his horse because the Linwu Family's selection was approaching. Now that he's also participating, I'll just have to kill him as well. If you blame anyone, blame your bad luck..."

Thinking of the second stage, Huang Xiang was excited, thinking, "The opponents for the second stage are arranged by my brother. I'll be directly matched against you and see how you die!"

Thinking about this, Huang Xiang felt a sense of satisfaction.

The last time, because of the Linwu Family's selection, he was forced to let Long Chen go, which made him very uncomfortable for the next few days.

If he didn't properly teach Long Chen a lesson, he couldn't get rid of this frustration. Now that Long Chen appeared here, he could resolve this issue, and everyone would be happy.

"But, I don't know if this guy can even pass the first stage. Well, if he dies inside, it's his own fault. I, Huang Xiang, won't hold a grudge against a dead person."

Seeing Huang Xiang's changing expression, which finally turned into a sinister smile, Long Chen became alert.

"What is this guy up to?"

Unable to figure it out, Long Chen didn't want to think about it. The most important thing now was to pass the first stage. If he had to face Huang Xiang in the next selection...

"I will definitely cripple this guy."

At this moment, Huang Feiyang glanced at Huang Xiang and said with a faint smile, "Open the iron doors! The first stage begins!"

[Next Monday, if you like this book and want me to continue writing, please support me.]