Chapter 68

In the long street paved with green stones, shops lined up densely, including perfume shops, gold and jade studios, rare beast workshops, antique halls, and the Hundred Herb Tower, among others... There were nearly a hundred shops, each standing in its place, each with its own charm, and all kinds of shops were present.

People rubbed shoulders as they walked through, the scene bustling with activity. Along the way, one could see taverns, teahouses, inns, and various sundry shops hanging their signs, with flowers blooming and greenery flourishing, too numerous to count.

Tang Gu walked among them, his gaze sweeping over the various shops without pause, and he continued on his way.

His goal was very clear: the "True Object Pavilion." The myriad splendors and pleasures before him were but fleeting clouds, not worth his attention.

Only the ever-increasing strength and a resolute heart determined to move forward were eternal.

Soon, he was getting closer to the town center. A hundred paces ahead, the ancient five-story pavilion was clearly in sight.

It was the "True Object Pavilion."

Seeing this, Tang Gu felt a slight joy in his heart and was about to quicken his pace. At that moment, a sense of danger suddenly arose in his mind, and he moved three feet to the side without any hesitation. Above his head, a huge crimson palm descended from the sky.

"Little thief, where do you think you're going..."

A wave of intense heat rushed toward Tang Gu's back. In that instant, Tang Gu felt a suffocating sensation, unable to dodge or withstand the attack.

Tang Gu was greatly alarmed. He tried to dodge but found his feet rooted to the ground, a great fear of life and death filling his heart.

Who was the attacker?

The voice was old, carrying a hidden anger, as if harboring a deep-seated grudge against him. Tang Gu's mind raced, quickly thinking of a way to escape.

At that moment, a light laugh came from the sky, a voice that seemed somewhat familiar.

"Why be so angry, Brother Du? Why not give an old friend some face and spare this boy?"

As the words were spoken, a grayish giant palm appeared in the air, easily blocking the crimson palm that the old man had struck.

Then, with a muffled thud, the two palms met in the air, causing a slight tremor over the entire Stone Rock Town. Endless waves of energy spread out like ripples.

Many houses in Stone Rock Town shook violently, and it took a long time for the tremors to slowly dissipate. People looked terrified, fleeing in all directions.

In the sky, the old man's voice, clearly carrying a hint of anger, said, "Old Si Kong, are you going to meddle in this matter too?"

On the other side, the familiar old man's voice paused for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "I apologize, Brother Du. This boy is now a formal disciple of our martial academy, and he has a good chance of passing the Upper Pavilion test next year. I cannot let such a talent be destroyed."

The old man's voice grew angry, and the surrounding clouds and winds churned violently. "What about the grudge of the Du family? Can it be settled with just your words?"

In the sky, the old man's voice remained silent for a while before saying, "How about this: starting next year, I will provide your Du family with three free slots for Inner Court disciples of the martial academy, two each time. Only then. Otherwise, for the sake of the Upper Pavilion slot, I will not hesitate to fight your Du family."

"Heh."

The old man in the sky sneered, "Old Si Kong Zhengxing, I, Du Yushan, am indeed no match for you... but don't forget, our ancestors are old friends with the Fang family. If I spare no expense and invite Brother Chibi Fang, can you, Old Si Kong Zhengxing, guarantee his safety?"

"Ha ha."

After hearing this, the familiar old man's voice laughed, "Brother Du, you are right. You can invite Brother Chibi Fang, and I, Old Si Kong Zhengxing, am no match for the two of you. But don't forget, our martial academy has more than just me, Old Si Kong Zhengxing..."

"Hmm?"

Hearing this, the old man seemed to grunt, becoming extremely displeased, but his voice strangely stopped, and he did not speak again. The sky over Stone Rock Town fell silent.

Tang Gu did not dare to move, maintaining his original posture, but his heart was churning like waves. From the brief exchange above, he had already guessed who the two people were.

— The patriarch of the Du family, "Blood Palm" Du Yushan.

— The current headmaster of "Autumn Dao Martial Academy," "Kunwu Sword" Si Kong Zhengxing.

One was at the peak of the fifth level of Qi Dao, and the other was a great figure at the initial stage of the sixth level of Qi Dao!

"Blood Palm" Du Yushan had come to cause trouble for him, undoubtedly because of "Iron Sword" Du Pengfei and "Silver Sword" Du Zhongjing.

One had lost his status as the Du family heir and the clan's secret technique, "Thunder Water Mad Snake Finger," which was now in Tang Gu's hands. The other, a Du clan genius, had been crippled by an outsider. How could he not be enraged?

However, the headmaster of "Autumn Dao Martial Academy," "Kunwu Sword" Si Kong Zhengxing, had come to protect him, which was somewhat unexpected.

It seemed that for the sake of the Upper Pavilion slot, the headmaster of the martial academy had indeed gone to great lengths... risking a complete falling out with the Du family to protect him. Otherwise, he might not have escaped today.

It seemed that deliberately showing a bit of strength during the competition was indeed the right move. Otherwise, just facing the endless pursuit by the Du family would have been a major problem.

But he had been careless this time, almost forgetting this point. With his current strength at the initial stage of the fourth level of Qi Dao, facing the peak fifth level of Qi Dao of the Du family's patriarch, "Blood Palm" Du Yushan... that would be suicide. They were not on the same level.

However, the second old man's voice seemed familiar, but he could not recall where he had heard it. In the entire martial academy, the number of mentors and Inner Court elders he had met could be counted on one hand, and he was certain he had never met the headmaster of the martial academy, "Kunwu Sword" Si Kong Zhengxing.

Shaking his head, unable to think of it, he had to put it aside for now. He was still in danger, and although the headmaster of the martial academy was here, whether "Blood Palm" Du Yushan would really let him go was still unknown...

His life was still on the line, a hair's breadth from disaster...

Just as Tang Gu finished his thoughts, the voice of the Du family's patriarch, full of malice, finally sounded again from above.

After a moment's deliberation, he finally said coldly, "Fine, this time I'll give you, Old Si Kong, some face. But remember your words. If he fails to enter the Upper Pavilion as you wish, you cannot stop me from acting again!"

In the sky, the other old man remained silent for a while before nodding and saying, "Fine, after the Upper Pavilion trial, everything will be as you wish."

"Humph!"

The Du family's patriarch snorted, and a terrifying blood-colored shadow quickly disappeared into the distance. The clouds parted, and the sky cleared.

In the sky, the other old man's voice paused for a long time before saying, "Tang Gu, train hard. I have high hopes for you."

With that, the second old man's voice quickly disappeared, and everything returned to normal as if they had never been there.

But Tang Gu, looking at the broken clouds above, could not help but feel a slight gloom.

"Next August..."

PS: First update. Please give me a recommendation.