Excluding Lin Changhe and He Xiu,undoubtedly the most welcomed among the renowned figures is the current'Little An Marquis,'Xiao Huang,by the female heroes.
With unparalleled appearance and background,he is not only humble and courteous but also interprets the four characters'gentleman like jade'in every move and gesture.Compared to Lin Changhe,who focuses solely on cultivation,and He Xiu,who is overly concerned with victory and defeat,Xiao Huang undoubtedly appears more mature.
When Xiao Huang first entered the ranks of renowned figures,he began managing various matters for the Xiao family.Until now,Xiao Huang's actual authority in the Xiao family is almost on par with those elders in the Nascent Soul realm.
A more mature person naturally attracts more attention from women.Therefore,Xiao Huang,who seems flawless from head to toe,has become the dream lover of this generation's martial arts heroines.
"Welcome,Brother Su and Brother Zhuge,to join our Jiangnan Gathering.Is this Miss Iron Yao Flower,Miss Iron?Allow me to greet the Iron family's divine catchers."Xiao Huang's voice is gentle,and his expression carries a warm smile as he welcomes the three individuals to take their seats.
A few days ago,Su Xin had conflicts with the Xiao family,but at this moment,there is no trace of displeasure on Xiao Huang's face.If it's not that Xiao Huang genuinely doesn't care,then his ability to hide his emotions is exceptionally good,so much so that Su Xin can't detect any flaws.
After exchanging a few words with them,Xiao Huang apologized and went to greet other people.Zhuge Qingtian whispered,"Brother Su,what do you think of this third-ranked figure in the renowned list?"
Su Xin shook his head,"Can't figure him out.He's someone who always wears a mask,even treating the mask as his own face.The Xiao family is indeed a former royal family.If you tell me that Xiao Huang is the current prince,I wouldn't feel any inconsistency."
Just at the first meeting,Su Xin felt that Xiao Huang was too perfect,so perfect that he hardly seemed like a real person.His words are precise,emotions indiscernible,and even the muscles on his face don't change when he smiles,as if he is wearing a mask.
Su Xin has encountered many renowned figures,but each person has distinct characteristics.For example,Wang Shifeng's arrogance,Shen Jin's cautiousness,Zhuge Qingtian's seemingly lazy but deeply scheming nature,and so on.
Only Xiao Huang appears exceptionally perfect.Every move seems as if it's carved from a mold,making him increasingly awkward.
Su Xin and the others arrived early,and after half an hour,almost all the renowned figures from Jiangnan Mansion had gathered.
After familiar faces like Wang Shifeng greeted Su Xin and others,they returned to their seats obediently.
This time,very few martial artists from the top thirty of the renowned list came to participate in the Jiangnan Gathering.In previous years,at least one-third would attend,but this time,only four people came.
Apart from'Little An Marquis'Xiao Huang,there are'Broken Jade Hand'Yue Qingping,'Strategic Astonishment Immortal'Zhuge Qingtian,'Sword and Blade Paragon'Shen Jin,and'Blood Sword Divine Finger'Su Xin.
Yin Xue,hiding in the shadows,doesn't count.Originally,there was also'Martial Flower Detective'Li Chenfeng,but unfortunately,he died halfway.
The rest of the martial artists ranked below the top thirty on the renowned list came,totaling over ten people,including'Night Flowing Hand'Liu Xiao and others.
However,their rankings were not enough,so they could only sit below and watch the competition without the qualification to act as judges.
After another half hour,the sound of armor clashing and the long neighs of horses came from afar.A team of robust soldiers cleared the way,and a scene of iron and blood approached.
Without saying,it was known that the person arriving was the Jiangnan Road Military Commander,'Blood Qi Long River'Gu Donglai.
This Jiangnan Road Military Commander has a significant background.He previously served as the Northern General of the Imperial Court.
He once stationed in the Northern Wilderness and fought against the elite forces of the Golden Tent Khanate several times,winning more than losing.He is one of the famous generals of the Great Zhou Dynasty.With peak Nascent Soul realm strength,he also ranks thirty-third on the Earthly List.
In recent years,the Golden Tent Khanate has calmed down,and the friction between the Great Zhou Dynasty and the border has decreased.Therefore,Gu Donglai was transferred to Jiangnan Road as the Military Commander.
Although all Military Commanders are of the same rank,they are divided into three,six,and nine levels in reality.The Military Commander of Xiangnan Road cannot be compared with the Military Commander of Jiangnan Road,the most prosperous and martially powerful area.
Considering Gu Donglai's previous status,only the position of Jiangnan Road Military Commander was worthy of him.
Su Xin hadn't seen Gu Donglai yet but noticed his guards first.
The guards clearing the way numbered over a hundred,and surprisingly,their strength was all above the Innate Spirit Aptitude realm.
In ordinary top-tier sects,Innate Spirit Aptitude martial artists are considered the backbone force.However,under Gu Donglai's command,there were over a hundred Innate Spirit Aptitude martial artists serving as guards,demonstrating the terror of his influence in Jiangnan Road.
Moreover,these guards with Innate Spirit Aptitude were different from other martial artists of the same realm.They carried a strong scent of blood and killing intent,indicating that each of them had experienced countless battles and emerged as elites from the mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Leaving aside their realm and martial skills,in a one-on-one life-and-death battle with the ordinary Innate Spirit Aptitude martial artists in the martial world,these guards would undoubtedly emerge victorious.
These individuals,much like the assassins from the Blood Cloth Tower,have learned not martial arts but purely the art of killing.
After these guards cleared the way,a middle-aged warrior,dressed in bright red Ming Guang armor and draped in a blood-red cloak,rode slowly on a group of blood-red steeds.
Dressed entirely in the color of blood,as conspicuous as the stars in the night sky,this is none other than the Jiangnan Road Military Commander,'Blood Qi Long River'Gu Donglai!
Gu Donglai's face is rugged,but the only two words revealed between his brows are wild and unrestrained!
Seeing Gu Donglai,Su Xin finally understood why his nickname is'Blood Qi Long River.'
This blood qi doesn't refer to the blood evil aura on Gu Donglai's body but the earth-shaking blood qi brought by his powerful physical body,even reaching the skies.
Even with his eyes closed,Su Xin can feel a tremendous blood qi surging ahead,like a mighty river,extremely astonishing.
This is the first time Su Xin has seen someone cultivate their physical body to such a terrifying level.Even a simple punch from Gu Donglai,without any true qi,could probably shatter a small mountain.
Seeing Gu Donglai approaching,Xiao Huang quickly stepped forward to greet,"Respectful welcome,Lord Gu.This Jiangnan Gathering will be co-hosted by Lord Gu and my Xiao family.Please allow Lord Gu to address everyone first."
Gu Donglai waved his hand,saying,"Young Master Xiao is too polite.I,Gu,am just an outsider.Everything can be done according to the rules of the previous Jiangnan Gatherings.Let's proceed as usual."
With that,Gu Donglai directly took his seat,indicating that he would follow the arrangements of the Xiao family.
Apart from Gu Donglai and Su Xin,who are among the top thirty on the renowned list,the main judges for the Jiangnan Gathering should be the elders of the Xiao family and several Nascent Soul realm experts from the local forces in Jiangnan Road.
Currently,there are quite a few Nascent Soul realm experts from the local forces in Jiangnan Road,but not a single Nascent Soul realm expert from the Xiao family is present.
Moreover,'Little An Marquis'Xiao Huang didn't wait any longer and instead directly stood on the central arena,announcing,"Our Jiangnan Gathering of the Xiao family has been held several times.I won't go into too many rules.As long as you meet the age requirement,any martial artist can step onto the stage for a challenge.The top three will receive generous rewards.Besides the top three,any martial artist ranking in the top thirty-five in this Jiangnan Gathering can choose an item as a prize."
Su Xin and Zhuge Qingtian exchanged a glance,both feeling that something was amiss.
Is this how the Jiangnan Gathering starts?Don't they need the Nascent Soul realm martial artists from the Xiao family?
Given the strength of the Xiao family,even if they are busy,for an event like the Jiangnan Gathering,they should send a Nascent Soul realm martial artist to maintain their prestige.Moreover,with Gu Donglai participating this time,it seems inappropriate for the Xiao family not to have any Nascent Soul realm presence.It's a bit too disrespectful.
Su Xin took a covert glance at Gu Donglai,who showed no reaction.He simply sat on the main seat,watching the beginning of the Jiangnan Gathering.
Once the Jiangnan Gathering officially began,martial artists on all the platforms,except the central one,engaged in battles.Underneath each platform,there were Xiao family martial artists guarding to prevent too heavy blows that could lead to casualties.
Having witnessed battles among top experts,Su Xin found it somewhat difficult to be interested in the duels between these ordinary Innate Spirit Aptitude martial artists.
However,Liu Xiao and others,ranking below the top thirty on the renowned list,were eagerly commenting and evaluating the matches.
After taking most of the day,all the qualified martial artists had completed their challenges.On the thirty-five platforms,each had a martial artist remaining.Among these thirty-five,there were even several individuals with the strength of the Divine Palace realm.
In theory,as long as you are under thirty-five years old and have entered the Divine Palace realm,you should be able to enter the renowned list.However,the renowned list is based on achievements,and every year there are martial artists who unexpectedly gain opportunities or have been in seclusion for several years,planning to shine in the Jiangnan Gathering.
This is not the first time such a thing has happened because only during the Jiangnan Gathering can numerous renowned martial artists gather.
Climbing the renowned list and surpassing others is undoubtedly the fastest way to rise to prominence.
In this generation,there are six martial artists with the strength of the Divine Palace realm,all from sects,with no solo cultivators among them.
Although there are many talented solo cultivators,in the early stages,even if you have a powerful technique,without the support of cultivation resources,your cultivation speed won't be as fast as those martial artists from major sects.
Xiao Huang stood on the stage and announced,"The top thirty-five have been decided.Even if you don't fight anymore,you can still receive the rewards my Xiao family has prepared for everyone.Of course,if anyone wants to compete for more rewards,you can directly challenge anyone verbally.The last three standing will be the top three of this Jiangnan Gathering."
After announcing the rules,Xiao Huang,with a smile,added,"Of course,you can also choose to challenge renowned martial artists.For example,if you defeat me,you won't need to compete further for the first place in this Jiangnan Gathering."
