Chapter 69

As the ten Sky Guards took the stage, some of the top geniuses in the field began to discuss.

"What could be the reason for the Sky Guard Camp's manager to gather us this time?"

"I heard that Lord Guangjun will emerge from seclusion in a month. I wonder if it has anything to do with this."

Some of the clever young men already had their suspicions.

The Sky Guard Camp has always been an independent and superior organization in Guangling Prefecture. The existence of this organization serves two purposes: one is to cultivate potential geniuses, and the other is to provide new blood for the "Guangjun Guard."

The founder and highest manager of this organization is Lord Guangjun himself.

"Everyone is here."

A calm voice echoed in the pavilion.

Whoosh!

The young men's vision blurred, and a taciturn young man appeared on the main seat.

"Pay respects to Lord 'Third Guard.'"

The ten Sky Guard youths all stood up to salute, including Feng Yin Yue, their eyes filled with awe.

Third Guard is a code name, representing the taciturn young man, and also the ranking code name in the "Guangjun Guard."

Everyone knew that the mighty Lord Guangjun had eighteen close Guangjun Guards under him. They lurked in the shadows, assisting Lord Guangjun and executing orders and gathering intelligence in various places.

Any one of the Guangjun Guards is a martial arts master. Even the eighteenth-ranked Guard, the lowest in rank, has strength far surpassing ordinary martial arts masters.

The Guangjun Guard who appeared at the Yu Yang Genius Summit that day was ranked seventeenth and defeated the elder of the Qiu family with just a few moves.

The "Third Guard" before them was ranked third among the eighteen Guangjun Guards, with unfathomable strength.

"You should all know that Lord Guangjun will emerge from seclusion in a month."

The taciturn young man spoke succinctly and to the point.

Know! Of course, they know!

The genius youths nodded, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Lord Guangjun is a legendary figure in the Xiangyun Kingdom, invincible for decades, and his fame has even spread to neighboring countries.

"I have an announcement: Lord Guangjun will recruit personal disciples upon his emergence from seclusion. He might choose one or several of you."

A rare trace of envy appeared in the taciturn young man's eyes.

Lord Guangjun recruiting personal disciples?

As soon as the words were spoken, the young men in the field were excited, their faces flushed with anticipation.

For ordinary martial artists, just seeing Lord Guangjun once would be a dream come true.

If they could receive guidance from Lord Guangjun, it would be even more desirable.

To become a personal disciple of Lord Guangjun is something they dare not even dream of.

After all, Lord Guangjun is the strongest martial arts authority in this land, rumored to have touched the realm of martial arts sainthood...

A hint of excitement appeared on Zhao Feng's face. This trip to Guangling Prefecture seems to have been worth it.

Here, he can interact with geniuses from all over, form connections with peak martial artists, and now he has the chance to meet the legendary Lord Guangjun.

"There is still a month left! In this month, you must prepare thoroughly. For this purpose, the Sky Guard Camp will provide you with a practical combat training opportunity."

A smile appeared at the corner of the taciturn young man's mouth as he spoke.

Training?

What kind of training?

The crowd was puzzled but also full of anticipation.

In the Sky Guard Camp, they have many opportunities to fight and spar, but real combat is rare.

"Recently, in the border area of Guangling Prefecture, a group of roving bandits has appeared. They are all martial artists and extremely fierce, suspected to be scouts from the neighboring 'Maple Fire Kingdom.' Your task is to eliminate this group of roving bandits and ensure the safety of nearby villages."

The taciturn young man stated.

Bandits? Enemy scouts?

The young men in the field looked puzzled, but most of them had eager expressions.

"May I ask, Lord Third Guard, why doesn't Guangling Prefecture send the army and martial artists to directly eliminate these bandits?"

Lei Zuo, with a calm expression, raised a question.

"Good question!"

The taciturn young man explained: "This group of bandits is cunning and roams around, breaking into smaller groups, and some even disguise themselves as ordinary civilians. Sending the army would be ineffective and highly inefficient... Therefore, Guangling Prefecture has entrusted this opportunity to you, the young geniuses."

Hearing this, Zhao Feng couldn't help but feel enlightened.

Guangling Prefecture entrusting this task to the young geniuses of the Sky Guard Camp is to provide them with a practical training opportunity.

"I hope this practical combat will help you unleash more potential. Guangling Prefecture has set up a reward system: for each martial artist of the fourth rank you eliminate, you earn 1 point of merit; for a fifth-rank martial artist, 2 points; and for the bandit leader, 20 points! Those with the highest merit points will receive additional rewards!"

The taciturn young man continued.

"May I ask, what can the merit points be used for?"

A young man asked.

"The merit points can be exchanged for martial arts manuals, rare treasures, and even divine weapons at the 'Baoxuan Hall.' For example, 1 point can be exchanged for a 500-year-old blood ginseng, 10 points for a top-tier martial arts manual, and 50 points for a semi-saint-level martial arts manual."

The taciturn young man answered.

Hearing this, the young men were沸腾 with excitement, rubbing their hands in anticipation.

Top-tier martial arts! Semi-saint-level martial arts!

The young men in the field were all moved and yearned for them.

Each of the genius youths present knew at least one top-tier martial art, but only in one type, such as attack, movement, or cultivation method.

Therefore, top-tier martial arts are tempting to every young man.

As for semi-saint-level martial arts, it goes without saying.

Semi-saint-level martial arts, though not true saint-level martial arts, are of a higher grade than top-tier martial arts and form a complete martial arts system.

Zhao Feng's left eye space contains a fragment of a saint-level martial art, but it is just a fragment, less practical than a top-tier martial art, let alone a semi-saint-level martial art.

Moreover, merit points can be exchanged for other rare treasures and divine weapons, with a wide range of uses.

"Killing a few bandits can earn merit points and exchange for such precious items. It seems Guangling Prefecture is determined to cultivate the young geniuses of the Sky Guard Camp."

Zhao Feng thought to himself.

He naturally looked forward to this bandit elimination mission.

Especially with the existence of his left eye ability, it would certainly increase his survival rate in real combat.

"The bandit elimination mission will begin in five days. Prepare yourselves!"

The taciturn young man gave some details and then dismissed the meeting.

After the meeting, the news spread throughout the Sky Guard Camp.

This mission targets the entire Sky Guard Camp, not limited to the ten Sky Guards.

Of course, the ten Sky Guards will naturally be leading figures in the bandit elimination mission.

In the following days, the members of the Sky Guard Camp began to form small teams to share the benefits of the bandit elimination mission.

Among the powerful small teams were Lei Zuo's team and Lu Xiaoyun's team, each with seven or eight members, all of whom were martial artists.

Of course, there were also lone wolves, such as the top-ranked "Feng Yin Yue" among the ten Sky Guards.

Feng Yin Yue is the only martial arts master among the young geniuses, with formidable strength. His combat power surpasses that of a small team.

Zhao Feng, being new to the Sky Guard Camp, formed a small team with Zhao Yufei and Huang Qi.

Zhao Feng's team, naturally, could not compare to Lei Zuo's or Lu Xiaoyun's teams in terms of strength.

However, Zhao Feng was confident that his merit points would rank among the top.

In the days leading up to the bandit elimination mission, Zhao Feng focused on intensive cultivation.

After absorbing the medicinal power of the 1000-year-old blood ginseng, Zhao Feng took a 1000-year-old blood lingzhi.

A few days later.

Zhao Feng's martial arts internal energy swelled and surged, nearly doubling in quantity, reaching a peak in cultivation.

In the left eye space, the pale green spiral halo extended to six feet and nine inches.

At this point, Zhao Feng still had a 1000-year-old blood bamboo shoot left, but he did not take it rashly.

First, taking rare treasures consecutively would reduce their effectiveness, and he had not fully absorbed the medicinal power of the 1000-year-old blood lingzhi.

Second, the remaining 1000-year-old blood bamboo shoot, Zhao Feng hoped to use it at a critical moment. If it could assist him in breaking through to the seventh rank of martial arts, it would be perfect.

"My current cultivation is at the peak of the sixth rank, but I am still a bit short of the highest threshold of the sixth rank."

Zhao Feng thought to himself.

Thus, he looked forward to the bandit elimination mission even more.

Through real combat, especially life-and-death battles, one can greatly unleash their potential.

The five days passed in a flash.

Surprisingly, Zhao Yufei broke through to the sixth rank two days ago. This was certainly due to the 500-year-old blood ginseng and the blood-nourishing pill given by Zhao Feng, but Zhao Yufei's innate talent also played a key role.

That morning.

The young geniuses of the Sky Guard Camp, whose cultivation reached the fourth rank and above, formed small teams and left Guangling Prefecture one by one.

Zhao Feng, Zhao Yufei, and Huang Qi were among them.

"Brother Zhao Feng, is your true cultivation really just at the peak of the fifth rank?"

Zhao Yufei questioned.

She was well aware of Zhao Feng's rapid improvement in the Zhao clan.

Now that she herself had broken through to the sixth rank, how could Zhao Feng still be at the peak of the fifth rank?

Hearing this, Huang Qi also showed a surprised expression.

"That's not my true cultivation."

Zhao Feng did not hide it, and a condensed and heavy aura emanated from him.

Peak of the sixth rank!

Huang Qi and Zhao Yufei felt a bit of pressure.

Zhao Feng's true aura was very condensed, exerting more pressure than a typical peak sixth-rank martial artist.

After emitting the aura, Zhao Feng activated the perfected "Withered Wood Breath Technique" to control his cultivation at the initial sixth rank, maintaining a basic consistency with Zhao Yufei and Huang Qi.

Zhao Feng revealed his true cultivation to let his teammates understand his true strength and build better trust and cooperation.

Now, he concealed part of his aura to maintain a low profile in the team and to surprise the enemy in the mission.

The five days passed, and all preparations were ready.

Zhao Feng and his team left Guangling Prefecture and traveled for several days, finally reaching the border buffer zone of the prefecture.

This is a complex area, bordering the Hengyun Sky Forest, with rivers, mountains, and several small towns nearby.

This area also connects to the neighboring "Maple Fire Kingdom," making it difficult to distinguish between bandits and scouts.

"Leaving this town will lead us into the dangerous area where bandits and scouts roam."

Zhao Feng unfolded the map and discussed with Zhao Yufei and Huang Qi.

"Hehe, Miss Zhao Yufei, are you interested in joining my team?"

A clear and resonant laugh echoed.

Zhao Feng and his team turned to see Lu Xiaoyun leading a team of seven or eight people passing by.