Chapter 100

State Lord Mingchen was waiting outside the secret realm.

Dressed in purple, with a graceful demeanor, he stood among the crowd with a friendly smile on his face, completely unrecognizable as the State Lord.

"I believe everyone has made progress over the past three months. Take a day off, and we will head to the Divine Island tomorrow."

Suddenly, his smile vanished, turning serious.

"Leave a letter for your family. This might be... the last time you can contact them."

The ten geniuses were still immersed in the joy of their progress.

State Lord Mingchen's words instantly dampened their spirits.

The battle on Divine Island would not be as peaceful as the selection competition within the Dark King State, where killing was not allowed.

The battle against the Spirit Platform Kingdom would be a fight to the death.

In other words, people would die.

The ten geniuses left one by one. After three months of hard work, they indeed deserved a break.

Meng Jing held Jiang Ping'an's arm and went shopping in the city, her face beaming with a sweet smile.

"Once we return from Divine Island, come home with me. Father has something to say to you."

"What is it?" Jiang Ping'an asked curiously.

I don't know what Uncle Meng wants to say.

"You'll know when we get there."

Meng Jing averted her gaze, unable to meet his eyes.

The sunlight shone on her adorable face, making it rosy and charming.

Jiang Ping'an didn't ask further. It had been almost a year since he last saw Uncle Meng and Old Li. After the battle on Divine Island, he indeed needed to go back and see them.

He would also give them some resources to help them improve their strength as much as possible.

The higher the realm, the longer the lifespan. Reaching the Yuan Ying stage would grant a thousand years of life.

Today was a day off, and Meng Jing dragged Jiang Ping'an to go shopping.

On the way, they ran into two acquaintances, Wang Lan and Zhang Ruoruo.

Wang Lan had battled Jiang Ping'an all day and ultimately lost, but he successfully entered the top ten.

Zhang Ruoruo was one of the three girls in the top ten.

These two had somehow ended up together, walking hand in hand, looking very sweet.

"Brother Jiang, after this battle on Divine Island, I will challenge you again. This time, I will definitely wear you down!" Wang Lan said confidently.

"Alright." Jiang Ping'an didn't sense any malice from him; it was just a simple desire to challenge and exchange.

They exchanged a few pleasantries and then went their separate ways to shop.

Jiang Ping'an and Meng Jing shopped from morning till night, from one pastry shop to another.

Meng Jing's mouth never stopped.

"This one, this one, I want the rabbit-shaped pastry!"

"This one isn't good. Eat it, don't waste it."

"Wood, I will definitely open a pastry shop. When the time comes, you will be my shop assistant."

Looking at the bouncing Meng Jing, Jiang Ping'an felt unprecedentedly relaxed.

This was the first time he had felt this way since his parents passed away.

It was as if a rootless water plant had finally found a place to anchor.

"Hey, Wood, I'm asking you a question. Do you agree to be my shop assistant?"

Meng Jing bared her little tiger teeth, looking like she would eat him if he disagreed.

"Alright." Jiang Ping'an smiled.

"Hehe."

Meng Jing's face lit up again, jumping onto Jiang Ping'an's back and resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm tired from shopping. Carry me back."

"Okay."

Jiang Ping'an held Meng Jing's slender legs and walked step by step toward the city lord's residence.

The sunset cast long shadows of the two on the street.

Inside the city lord's residence.

Xia Qing, dressed in a white dress, sat in the courtyard, holding a jade slip.

Seeing the two return, Xia Qing smiled. "You two lovebirds had a great time, didn't you?"

"Not lovebirds, not at all."

Meng Jing blushed, getting off Jiang Ping'an's back and running to Xia Qing's side, hugging her arm.

"Princess, are you going on this trip to Divine Island?"

Xia Qing shook her head. "To avoid any accidents, the State Lord will go, and the ruler of the Spirit Platform Kingdom will also be there."

She handed the jade slip to Meng Jing. "This is intelligence gathered from the Spirit Platform Kingdom, recording the ten geniuses."

"Among these people, three are particularly strong, on par with Ye Wuqing and Ping'an. Be very careful; this battle will be very tough."

Meng Jing took the jade slip but didn't look at it, instead tossing it directly to Jiang Ping'an.

"Wood, I won't act, I'm afraid I'll scare them. It's up to you to wipe them all out!"

Jiang Ping'an held the jade slip, his eyes fixed on Xia Qing. "Sister, the supreme secret technique of the Great Xia..."

"Let's talk about it when you return."

Xia Qing suddenly interrupted Jiang Ping'an. "There are reports that the Spirit Platform Kingdom has been stirring up trouble recently. I don't know what their plot is. I'm heading back to Black Wind County."

Xia Qing left hurriedly, the grain warehouse in front of her shaking violently. A guilty look flashed across her beautiful, mature face.

She never imagined that what was initially just a joke would actually come true.

The first time she saw Jiang Ping'an, he was incredibly weak.

At the time, she didn't think Jiang Ping'an had the qualifications to pass the Black Wind County selection.

She never expected that Jiang Ping'an would actually secure a spot, and even the top one!

Such a dreamlike event made Xia Qing a bit disbelieving.

Jiang Ping'an had completed the bet, so she had to give him the Great Xia secret technique.

However, she had no right to bestow such a high-level secret technique.

This was very troubling.

She could only delay and make up for it later with something else.

Seeing that the other party was in a hurry, Jiang Ping'an didn't press the matter.

He looked at the jade slip in his hand, reading the information inside.

Knowing oneself and the enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles. The opponents were top geniuses of the Spirit Platform Kingdom, and he couldn't be careless.

This jade slip was very advanced, with a recording function, containing battle footage of the Spirit Platform Kingdom geniuses.

Jiang Ping'an watched their battles while thinking about how to counter them.

The next morning.

Jiang Ping'an and the other ten geniuses were called to the teleportation array by State Lord Mingchen.

"We are about to head to Divine Island. This battle will be life-threatening. If anyone wants to back out now, there's still a chance. Who wants to back out?"

Mingchen looked around at the ten geniuses and asked.

No one responded; the young men's faces were filled with fighting spirit.

The Spirit Platform Kingdom and the Great Chu Dynasty had joined forces to invade their Great Xia, killing their compatriots. If not for their families holding them back, they would have rushed to the battlefield long ago.

Now, with the opportunity to kill the geniuses of the Spirit Platform Kingdom, they would not back out.

Mingchen nodded in satisfaction. "Fortunately, none of you backed out. Otherwise, there would have been only one outcome."

Mingchen didn't say more, turning to activate the teleportation array.

Everyone's hearts tightened, knowing what that outcome would be.

Death.

Those who trained with Great Xia resources but refused to contribute, fleeing at the last moment, would not be tolerated by Mingchen.

Anyone who wanted to back out just now would already be a corpse.

The teleportation array activated, and mysterious runes floated in the air, enveloping everyone.

"Teleporting."

As Mingchen spoke, everyone felt the world turn upside down, their consciousness becoming hazy.

Just as they were about to fall, their vision cleared, but the scene had changed.

The teleportation array was surrounded by soldiers holding weapons, their killing intent overwhelming and suffocating.

These soldiers were all Golden Core experts!

"Is this Divine Island?"

A genius looked around in confusion.

"No, this is Sunset County. Divine Island is at sea."

Mingchen waved his hand, and a rift appeared in the space in front of him.

Through the rift, a massive island surrounded by deep blue sea could be seen.

On one side of the island, a flying boat was floating.

Jiang Ping'an was secretly amazed; the State Lord also possessed spatial power.

This power was truly terrifying, allowing for arbitrary spatial travel, far surpassing any speed cultivation technique.

If there was a chance in the future, he must try to learn it.

"Let's go."

Mingchen's expression turned serious as he saw the flying boat on the other side of the space.

The geniuses crossed the space, arriving above the sea.

Jiang Ping'an had yet to learn a flying technique, so he had to hold Meng Jing's waist.

Meng Jing's face flashed with a mischievous look as she clung tightly to the young man.

"Mingchen, you old thing, are you about to die? You're so slow, making us wait for three days."

A sinister voice came from the flying boat on one side of Divine Island.