Chapter 61: The Outstanding Third Generation

The Merchant Alliance was truly bustling with activity. The five major families were still searching for someone named "Ding Yan," while the Ethereal Pavilion had joined in, looking for someone named "Yang Hai." However, the Ethereal Pavilion's methods were not as aggressive; they offered a reward of one hundred purple crystals to anyone who could prove they were Yang Hai.

With the Martial Arts Tournament approaching, the flow of people to the Merchant Alliance was constant. Although the unusual actions of the five major families and the Ethereal Pavilion raised suspicions, most people were still primarily focused on the tournament.

For a time, the inns and taverns in Tianshen City were all fully booked. The mercenaries and martial artists who roamed the Dark Forest, the Silent Swamp, and the Cloudy Mountain Range were all fierce and combative. They did not settle down in Tianshen City and often got into arguments, which escalated into violent fights and even life-or-death struggles.

Day or night, Tianshen City was never short of martial artists in conflict. Every morning, the cleaning staff would often find new corpses in some dirty ditches.

There were three days left until the Martial Arts Tournament.

Early in the morning, while Zuo Xu was still meditating, he heard Zuo Shi shouting outside, "Hey, old man, you're here?"

"I've told you countless times, don't call me old man in front of others!" came the exasperated voice of Chixiao from outside.

"You're just a little old man, and I'm used to calling you that, so I can't change it," Zuo Shi said with a laugh.

Zuo Xu's spirit was immediately lifted. He stood up abruptly and hurried out, thinking, "You're finally here."

...

The Shi Family.

An old woman with a wrinkled face was in the gravity room, holding a brush and adding heavy strokes to Shi Yan's eyebrows.

Shi Jian stood beside her, silent, watching the old woman work.

After a long time, the old woman withdrew her hand, stared at Shi Yan for a while, and nodded in satisfaction. "In the past few days, I've been changing his appearance a little each day. His face has been gradually changing, and even those who know him well can't detect this slow transformation. Compared to a few months ago, his appearance has changed a lot, and no one should be able to recognize him."

Shi Yan's skin had become much darker, his eyebrows were thicker, and his build was more robust.

Compared to his original appearance, he had lost some of his sharpness and gained a more rugged look. Both his appearance and aura had changed significantly.

Especially after returning from the Dark Forest, he had grown taller and stronger. After the makeover by the makeup artist, he now looked very different from when he was in the Dark Forest.

Shi Jian stared at Shi Yan for a while and nodded. "Good, there shouldn't be any problems."

Shi Yan looked at himself in the bronze mirror for a while and was quite satisfied. "It's fine. Hmm, is the Martial Arts Tournament about to start?"

"It's in three days. You don't need to train hard these three days; just relax," Shi Jian finally let go, but then seemed to remember something and scolded, "Relaxing doesn't mean you can misbehave! Don't think I don't know what you and Han Zhong have been up to! If you dare to waste your energy on women, I'll skin you alive!"

"Really nagging," Shi Yan said impatiently. "I'm going to take a bath, and then I'll go drink some wine with Han Zhong. Is that okay?"

"Sure."

...

Yingchun Pavilion.

This was a very famous tavern in Tianshen City. Not only was the food delicious, but it also served the famous "Blazing Flame" wine of the Merchant Alliance.

Moreover, Yingchun Pavilion was adjacent to the Bimuyue Lake in Tianshen City. On the third floor of Yingchun Pavilion, which was unobstructed, one could enjoy fine cuisine, drink fine wine, and admire the beautiful scenery, making it a great pleasure.

If one could also hold a beautiful woman in their arms, it would be perfect.

However, the third floor of Yingchun Pavilion was not accessible to everyone. Even if one had enough wealth, if one's status was not high enough, they could only stay on the second floor.

The third floor of Yingchun Pavilion mostly served guests from the five major families. Only members of the five major families could directly go to the third floor upon arrival. Ordinary merchants did not have this privilege.

Han Zhong led Shi Yan to Yingchun Pavilion, and the receptionist, a water-like girl, immediately smiled and said, "Sir Han, please go upstairs."

Han Zhong squinted his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the girl's body, and praised, "Xiao Feng, your chest has grown a lot!" Then, Han Zhong's eyes lingered on the girl's bosom.

"Sir Han is the worst, always staring at that part of me," the girl said with a shy smile, adding a unique charm. She pointed upstairs and said, "There are other guests upstairs, including the young masters and young ladies of the Mo and Ling families. Sir Han should be mindful."

"No problem," Han Zhong smiled, not continuing to tease the girl, and pulled Shi Yan straight to the third floor.

"Hey!" A tall young man in a dark blue martial artist's uniform glanced at Han Zhong from a good position on the third floor and sneered, "I wondered who it was, just a dog from the Shi Family."

That position faced the Bimuyue Lake, and four people were sitting there, two men and two women, all with outstanding appearances.

One of them, with a cold and proud expression, was none other than Mo Yan Yu. However, Mo Yan Yu did not look at them; her clear, cold eyes were fixed on the rippling Bimuyue Lake under the sunlight, as if lost in thought.

"Oh, it's just a parasite from the Mo Family, what bad luck," Han Zhong shook his head, ignoring him, and pulled Shi Yan to a seat, shouting, "Mr. Long, bring four jars of 'Blazing Flame' and a full table of dishes, quickly!"

"Coming right up!" a hearty voice responded from the second floor.

At this moment, Mo Yan Yu, who had been lost in thought, seemed to come to her senses. She turned her head and gave Han Zhong and Shi Yan a cold glance, her face showing a hint of disdain, before turning back to the lake, lost in thought again.

Opposite Mo Yan Yu sat a handsome young man.

The young man smiled warmly, talking to the young master of the Mo family while secretly observing Mo Yan Yu, trying to pique her interest with his words, but to no avail.

"Shao Feng, Xiao Yu has been scolded by my father recently and is in a bad mood. Don't take it personally," Mo Zhan said, clinking his glass with him. "Let's not worry about her; we should enjoy ourselves. The Martial Arts Tournament is about to start, and we can only relax for these few days. Don't be too hard on yourself."

"Big Brother Zhan, when have you ever been hard on yourself?" Ling Yueyue looked at Mo Zhan with a mischievous smile. "I heard that Big Brother Zhan is quite knowledgeable about the 'Spring Rain Pavilion'! When will you take me there?"

"Cough, cough, cough!" Mo Zhan choked on his drink, looking flustered. "Yueyue, believe me, I'm innocent! I'm not familiar with that place at all! The only time I went there was because I was tricked. Yueyue, you must believe me!"

"Hehe, who knows if you're telling the truth," Ling Yueyue's smile remained, but her eyes showed a different meaning. "Recently, my sisters have been praising me, saying that my fiancé already has a harem before marrying me, and that I will have many maids to serve me in the future. It's quite comforting to think about."

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Mo Zhan's face turned grim, and he said coldly, "Who is spreading rumors about me? If I find out who it is, I'll skin them alive!"

"Enough, Yueyue!" Ling Shaofeng glared at his sister and said, "Big Brother Zhan is a man, and sometimes social obligations are unavoidable. I trust Big Brother Zhan's character!"

"Of course you trust him," Ling Yueyue muttered, "Who doesn't know that you two always go together? Of course you trust him."

Mo Yan Yu, hearing this, turned to look at Ling Shaofeng, her brows slightly furrowed, seemingly displeased, but she didn't say much more, turning back to the lake with an even colder expression.

"We'll settle this when we get back!"

Ling Shaofeng glared at Ling Yueyue and quickly changed the subject, saying to Mo Zhan, "Big Brother Zhan, Shi Tianyun is also at the Third Heaven of the Innate Realm, even stronger than Shi Tianke. He didn't show up in the last Martial Arts Tournament, but he will this time. Although you beat Shi Tianke last time, you can't be careless this time."

"Don't worry, I haven't taken any of the Shi Family's third generation seriously!" Mo Zhan smiled arrogantly, glancing coldly at Han Zhong. "Just watch, anyone who faces me in this Martial Arts Tournament will end up crippled!"

"Good, Big Brother Zhan is truly full of spirit!" Ling Shaofeng laughed, raising his glass. "Come, Big Brother Zhan, let's drink!"

...

"Those four people are Ling Shaofeng, Ling Yueyue, Mo Zhan, and Mo Yan Yu. They are the outstanding third-generation members of the Mo and Ling families and the most likely to be your opponents in the Martial Arts Tournament. Ling Shaofeng and Mo Yan Yu are engaged, and so are Mo Zhan and Ling Yueyue. Mo Zhan and Ling Shaofeng are both at the Third Heaven of the Innate Realm, while Mo Yan Yu is slightly weaker but still at the Second Heaven of the Innate Realm."

Han Zhong lowered his voice and explained the situation to Shi Yan, pausing for a moment before adding, "However, the one you can't underestimate is Ling Yueyue! We recently received news that Ling Yueyue broke through to the Human Rank half a year ago and is now the strongest third-generation member of the Ling family. This time, the Ling family might arrange for Ling Yueyue to fight Zuo Shi. They've invested a lot in her to ensure her victory, buying expensive medicinal herbs and providing her with secret treasures for protection. Zuo Shi might be in trouble."

"Not necessarily," Shi Yan smiled, glancing casually at Ling Yueyue and said softly, "Zuo Shi is much stronger than her. Just watch, she will lose badly!"

Zuo Shi had obtained the "Dragon Turtle Pill," "Xuanwu True Qi," and a set of "Dragon Turtle Spirit Armor," which Han Zhong did not know about.

With these advantages, Zuo Shi was almost certain to win, especially since she was slightly higher in cultivation than Ling Yueyue.

"What are you saying, boy?"

At that moment, Ling Yueyue stood up abruptly and coldly said, "Are you saying I'm not as good as Zuo Shi? Do you think I didn't hear you? Let me tell you, I have sharp ears! Talking behind people's backs, is that how people from the Shi Family behave?"